As a music educator for over 20 years, I have imparted musical knowledge, fostered creativity in young minds, developed musical talent, mentored aspiring music teachers, and have become a part of a nurturing professional community that I am so thankful I get to be a part of. This vocational calling I find myself in is both challenging and rewarding in the best possible ways. But after teaching for so many years, I found my heart being called in a new direction. I found my heart saying,
” God, I know you have more in store for me. ” And I’m sure you have even had that thought too; but that one thought, joined with my faith opened up the new possibilities of what God wanted to add to my life and bring me into. And as that “knowing” began to grow in my heart I found myself asking God, “what does this new assignment even look like?” As I am still discovering the answers to these probing questions, it’s the prompting of God’s “still small voice” to ask you to come along this journey with me.
I am going to start with this “knowing” moment that began for me about 3 years ago and that challenges me, inspires me and allowing me to step into all I envision for my life as a music teacher, musician, minister, worship leader and friend.
But first, I will have to take you back to my time as a music student at Oral Roberts University. I loved my time at ORU. The friends I made, the music experiences I had in ensembles, the weekly chapel and prayer services I attended, but my favorite place on campus was the prayer gardens. The prayer gardens surround the prayer tower at ORU and it was a quiet and serene place for me that I would go to often to sit, think and pray. God met me there many times as I was asking God to show me all He had called me to do. I know an audacious task for any well meaning 19- year old. But there I found myself one day, in the prayer gardens, frustrated after as I recall, a flute lesson that probably could have gone better and well, it just didn’t. As I began to pray, I heard that “still small voice” of the Lord begin to rise up from the inside and I heard Him say; “Kristen, I am going to use you in a way that I am not going to use the others; just keep trying, just keep practicing and just keep your eyes on me and allow me to use you the way I want to use you.” I didn’t really know what God meant by that but I knew that I could trust Him with my life. He had led me to ORU and to study music. He began to point out to me musicians traveling with ministries of that time; those instrumental “minstrels” of the day- musicians that were skilled not just musically, but those who carried an anointing in their music carrying both healing and the presence of God. I had a “knowing” on the inside that God wanted to use me that way too.
While at ORU, I had many opportunities to play in many church services and worship teams. And I began to learn about how the anointing and music work together. These truths marinated in me over time, and God gave me opportunities to serve my local church in many ways, not only through music but through the nursery, children’s ministry, youth ministry, prayer, and in worship ministry. During my 20 years in worship ministry, the very thing God spoke to my heart as a young girl, I saw come to pass. There were ministry gifts that were a part of conferences and special services that would take time to teach us how to “flow” with the Holy Spirit in the service and how to allow God to use the music ministry team to help the ministry gift. (See Ephesians 4:11-12)
As an acoustic instrumentalist, (ie flute player in contemporary worship), my experience differs greatly say compared to a pianist, guitarist, singer or worship leader. For me it’s not so much about the playing techniques of the instruments or singing, it’s about sharing the practical aspects of music ministry from the perspective of an instrumentalist. In the next couple of blogs, I look forward to sharing more of this perspective with you.
I know what God spoke to my heart all those years ago, not only applies to me as a musician, it also applies to me as a music educator, a life group leader, and a mentor to others. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55: 9) And so what started me on a path as a musician, God is opening up new doors of opportunity for ministry in unconventional ways.
Kristen Turner Ministries 