Note: There is a prayer request at the bottom, I just want to give you some background info first

My eldest daughter, Katie, has a gift and anointing from God for the Clarinet. I have been amazing to watch her grow in her anointing. For those who may not know (which might be everyone because I can’t remember if I have shared this before) here is a break down of what God has done so far and then a bit about what happened Sunday night.

• Summer 2007 – Katie, with Mom and Dad in tow, goes to a meet the band night. The purpose is to take all incoming seventh graders who want to be in band and help them find their instrument. We came in and immediately the band director said that Katie was perfect for the Clarinet (which as it happens is the instrument my mother played and was second chair in the state of NJ). Katie sat down next to the man who had the clarinet as he held up the mouthpiece and told her to blow into it but don’t be surprised if there is no sound or it sounds funny because no one can make a note on the first try. Well, Katie blew in it and made a note. The man quickly put together the whole clarinet and put it back to her and asked her to do exactly what she just did again. She did and he fingered it and played a short tune. Katie’s face lit up like never before and I, dad, knew that we found her instrument. Little did we know that we had gotten the attention of all the instructors because apparently to make a sound right off the bat is really rare. The band directory said to the man, “If you don’t sign her up for clarinet your fired.” Knowing the band director as I do now, I know she was kidding. So, we found that Katie was made for the clarinet.
• August 2007 – Clarinets are expensive (well, they may not be but I didn’t have the cash for it) and the store that was supposed to loan us the clarinet and have us make payments declined us. They declined us because of our credit however they told the school that credit would not matter because they looked at it as the school was backing all the students. When we went to get the clarinet, they told us otherwise. So, here I was standing there knowing that my daughter needs to have her clarinet and not able to buy one. I prayed one of those heartfelt tearful prayers to God to help us somehow. My wife is on this FreeCycle group and she suggested we post on there that we had a need. So, we did and for the first week we heard nothing. I reposted it and the next day we got and email from a lady not far from us. Her daughter had an old clarinet that she used when she was in Junior High and High School and has since moved on that she was willing to give us. You can imagine my glee and praising to the Lord. So, we had a clarinet.
• Beginning School – We had the clarinet in hand just a couple of days before school started, but it needed some work. We took it to the repair shop and they said two weeks but they would try and get it done sooner. Katie started band and sat next to a friend and watcher her and everything she did. Well, it did take just over two weeks to get the clarinet and we finally picked it up on a Friday night. Katie practiced what she had observed all weekend and on Monday had a chair test (for those who do not know a chair test is a competition to see who is best and where you fall in the band where first chair is the best) and she got first chair. God’s anointing and gifting was so strong in her that she picked up the clarinet with ease.
• Private Lessons – We signed her up for private lessons because we heard that students who have private lessons do better than those who don’t and it was obvious to her mother and I that Katie was on to something and tapping into something that God was doing in her. Her private lessons instructor, who is a graduate student in music on the clarinet, told us that Katie has the natural ability and talent on the clarinet that college students have and that she has to focus on stepping down her skill for the band. In other words, a college professor and band director would love her even right then but she needs to learn how to walk through the easy stuff as well. I wish I could tell you that I was surprised but I was not because I already knew.
• Seventh Grade – Katie continued to grow in her ability and won several awards and accolades with her playing including being first chair all year except for one chair test she was sick for (and if you are not there then you get last chair). She even had a solo competition that she nailed a division 1 on which is the best you can get.
• Changing Aspirations – Prior to picking up the clarinet, if you asked Katie what she wanted to do with her life she would have said something with athletics because she loved athletics. Since picking up the clarinet, she has not been interested in athletics. In fact, she told us just recently when she discovered that there is a school for the musically inclined that she wants to go to Julliard for college. This is a total departure from what she once believed but totally in line with what God is doing in her life.
• Symphonic Band 2008 – In their Junior High they have three total bands; the seventh grade Beginner Band, the next step up Concert Band, and the top band called Symphonic band. At the end of every school year, the students audition for placement in the bands. Really they are auditioning with the hope of making Symphonic Band and if they miss then they get into Concert Band. The Symphonic Band is primarily made up of the 9th graders (Katie’s Junior High is 7th through 9th) and a few 8th graders here and there. Katie auditioned because she wanted to be in the better top band and she nailed it. She was sooooooooooo excited.
• Summer 2008 – Most kids when the summer comes takes off and don’t do anything that is like school work. Katie spent many days playing the clarinet and even asking us to get her other books of music to play and she would sit and just play for hours and hours.
• School Starts 2008 – Katie couldn’t wait for school to start so she could get back to the band. And she continued to do very well for her grade level although she would come home upset that she had 4th chair. Never mind that she was the best 8th grader or that she was better than many of the 9th graders. She was upset that she was not first chair. I told her that perhaps God was having her be in 4th chair so that she could help others and something clicked inside and she over time became an encourager for others in the band.
• Honor Band 2008 – The district has an Honor Band that you can audition for made up of the best 8th and 9th graders in the whole district. Katie could not wait to try out and was even a bit nervous. I prayed over her and anointed her with oil before she went in and she got in the band. In fact, she was the best 8th grader making her the number 1 eighth grader in the district. You can bet that Dad was boasting. I told Katie, “Dad can boast, you need to be humble” knowing how important it is for her to maintain being humble before the Lord.
• School Year 2008-2009 – Katie continued to excel with her instrument and achieve more accolades. The neat thing for me is that everytime she would do something new, she would run in to play for us. Couple that with the fact my middle child, Abby, is playing the Euphonium, we have music a lot around our home. During this time God spoke to me and told me one night when I was praying “You failed.” I was shocked and he told me that I was failing as a father because I was not using my God assigned right as the head of the household to protect my family. When I inquired what God meant, he told me that as head of the household it is my job/requirement to pray protection, blessing, etc over my family. I began praying every night for God to bless my family and specifically over Katie for God to increase her anointing and he has. She is getting better and better every day.
• Symphonic Band 2009 – Katie again tried out and made Symphonic Band.
• Summer 2009 – Katie continued to play her instrument.
• Beginning School 2009 – Katie has become an example that her Band Director is using with the new seventh graders to show them how to be all that they can be. In fact, the band director had Katie play and showed the seventh graders her sheet music which was all marked up and noted on as any musician can tell you and told the seventh graders that she wanted to have some “Katies” in that class. Katie is excited.
• Honor Band 2009 – If you asked Katie she would say that she made mistakes, but not ones you or I could tell. She tried out for Honor Band and received 2nd chair to a student that while in the 8th grade has been playing for over 5 years. In other words, put up against everyone at her level, she is the best. And they say that the one who beat her only barely did and they have much more experience on her. Again pointing to her anointing.
• Some Notes – I am so proud of Katie not only because of her gifting and her abilities. I am proud that she is becoming a leader in her class and yet remaining humble. That she always believe in her classmates and lifts them up. That she is an encourager and a good friend. And that doesn’t count the fact that she reminds me of my mother who went to be with the Lord in January 1998 every time she plays.

Here are a couple of recent things:

• August 12, 2009 – Katie’s private lesson instructor and her band directory have informed us that Katie is being held back in her ability to advance because of the fact that she has a beginner plastic instrument (not that you can tell by looking at it) and that she needed to get a new wood based clarinet. So, given that I had a bunch of overtime and promised to have overtime for the foreseeable future, we placed her brand new clarinet on layaway. The instrument came to a total of over $3,100 and we were able to put enough down to get the remainder to be $2,000. Katie was so excited.
• August 23, 2009 – My Pastor announced in church that they were going to take a special offering for Katie for her clarinet. It made Katie’s day and in fact she told me later on the phone, because I was away on business, that this was the best day of her life and that it was better than Christmas or her birthday. The reason this was so cool is that she recently learned about tithing and offering and she was seeing God move for her in response to her faithfulness. When all was said and done, she had another $1,000 to put on the clarinet bringing the total down to $1,000.
• Sunday November 8, 2009 – This brings me to what happened Sunday night. We had a concert at our church by the Joshua Experience lead by Larry Randall. They played and were fantastic. In fact, this is the second time they came to play at our church and Katie was in heaven watching them. This was my first time to see it because I had to work last time. Well, after the performance, Katie wanted to ask Mr. Randall a question but was nervous about doing it. I knew that there was something more to this meeting so I brought her over to him. She asked her questions and I bragged on her for a bit. Then he asked to pray for her and prayed for an impartation and that she would get her new clarinet soon. I was so excited to see someone with tremendous ability impart to my daughter. It was so totally a God thing and so totally awesome. PRAISE GOD.

This brings me to the prayer request. At the time we put Katie’s clarinet on layawy, I was getting a bunch of overtime and it seemed like no time at all that we would have this instrument in her hands. Well, that was not to be the case. Shortly after we placed this on layaway, my overtime was cut. In addition to that, we have had a series of events that have sucked out our money (like the dryer going and needing a replacement) which have made paying off the clarinet very difficult. Katie has been good as gold in that she has not pestered us or asked more than about once a week or so. In fact, she is being so good that it affects me even more. God has provided leaving only $900 left. Please pray that this money comes in swiftly so that we can get this instruments into her hands and she can continue to grow beyond where she is at. I know that God is doing something big here and I know that somehow he will provide the money. I just ask that everyone connect their faith with me that God will provide the money suddenly and swiftly for her.

Tags: band, clarinet, daughter, faithful, god, jesus, joshua experience, Katie

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Happenings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.