Article 2 Gifts for God

Cantoring at St Ignatius of Loyola

Article 2

Using Our Gifts for God:

Using our gifts for God? How can we do that?

God gave us each a gift, or multiple gifts also known as talents. Something that we know we are good at and strive to work hard to turn that into a skill. For example, He gave me the gift of singing and songwriting. I feel very blessed that since I was little, I could carry a tune and create lyrics and melodies. I have come to learn that God uses our gifts for His glory. I know in my heart that we all have been called to use those gifts that He has given us to praise Him and share His good news with the entire world. I was trained for 12 years in opera, musical theatre show-tunes, pop, country, and I branched off to write my own music. I now have spent many many years traveling performing for shows. I always thought growing up I wanted to be one of those famous pop stars who got to dress up in the sparkly rhinestone outfits and put on a big show. I have always been quite dramatic as my family tells me and I like to tell a story, little did I know Jesus would soon ask me to share the greatest story through Christian music, aka His Good News! So, I worked hard and started doing my own shows in all these genres. Opera/Musical theatre show nights, pop/country shows, kids' music, tropical beach music, love songs, etc… now I had been cantoring for 6 years when One day I felt a strong calling from the Lord to do Christian Music. I knew that I had a deep love for Catholic hymns but other than church where could I sing those?

I thought. So, I enjoyed listening to popular Christian music on the message radio channel and singing along. I knew so many songs from Lauren Daigle, Katy Nichole, & sooooooo many others that are my favorites, (the list would be very very long) so I felt this calling and started listening to God’s word and started writing and performing my own Christian music and covers doing Christian worship shows praising God. I noticed in that moment that when I go to sing those other styles of music, they are fun, but nothing compares to the special, joyful feeling I get when I sing praise for God. I honestly know that God had called me in my life asking me to sing positive music that praised Him. I was overjoyed to do so. So, as I said before I have been Cantoring for over 6 years now at Catholic Churches. I loved seeing the congregation singing along joyfully in worship to our Lord with me! God had a plan for me when the priest called me and asked me to be in charge of singing the music for all the funerals and weddings at our church, which I have been doing for a over a year now. The weddings are a beautiful sacrament between a man a woman and Jesus’s love entering their life, as they become one. So, I enjoy singing for weddings, however when I tell people I sing for funerals, they say that just be hard. Yes at times I get teary eyed thinking about losing one of my own family members so close to me, how difficult that would be, but also I feel very blessed that Jesus called me to this job because I have had so many people tell me how I’ve comforted them and made them feel truly at peace because the hymn choices or my voice or whatever it was I know it was God working through me. I also find peace knowing that God sends a cantor to sing hymns for the person as a welcoming into heaven or a way the congregation of family members lift their voices up in prayer through psalms for their loved one’s soul, so it doesn’t have to spend long in purgatory. I always was a multi genre singer songwriter because I wanted to speak to many people through the music that I did. I knew that some people have certain specific things they like and do not like. For example, certain music speaks to me more and can make me feel certain things some music makes me feel happy when I’m worried or comforted when I’m sad or emotional from a beautiful story in the song, or motivated for some big karate tournament or show coming up but there are some genres that I just can’t seem to get into. I appreciate all music and respect all musicians and singers because we get to share powerful stories & relay messages to people so even if it is not my favorite genre it’s still pretty special because it touches someone else’s heart in a way that I do not understand.

Okay well now that I have gotten a bit off the main topic, time to dive back in.

We are all given gifts from God that we get to choose what we do with them.

Back then I wanted to be that pop star on stage showing everyone what I trained so hard to perfect, but now as an adult that has been spending more time with the Lord my perspective has changed “give glory to the Lord” the angels cry “Holy Holy Holy”

I was praying one day because I realized I did not do that enough and wanted to make more time for God

(I will talk more on how God speaks to me and how you can see His signs in a future blog post) so I was praying asking for Him to tell me where He wants me where I can best serve and praise Him. I’d been praying intercession to the saints more than I ever had before and asking to have a closer relationship with God (also something I’ll cover in another blog coming up) and so I waited a few days for a reply (He doesn’t reply to me through a voice but rather I’ve come to recognize his voice in lyrics of a song that plays on the radio just at the right time that I needed to hear it or a Sunday sermon by the priest that actually is coming from Jesus and that is exactly what I prayed about.) and I was cantoring mass one day and I’d been thinking about this off and on about how I wish more people sang sacred hymns out in the world more instead of just in church I see the way the hymns (written with parts of the gospel and word of Jesus) touched people (my husband converted after he attended a mass that I sang amazing grace at and he said in that moment He felt called to learn more about the church. I thank God’s amazing grace for that. My family didn’t think he would convert but I knew somehow deep down not to push it but encourage it and to live it out in my life and that in God’s timing it will be. (That is something else I’ll talk more about in another blog post -God’s timing) (God speaks through music there is nothing that He cannot do) How blessed I am! That our great God speaks through Me! Me of all people! But also, you, and you, and also you too! He speaks through all of us in some way or another. (For example, someone having a difficult day & walks up to a building, where a stranger smiles sweetly and opens the door for them asking how they are doing. That smile sticks with the person and makes them do something nice for someone else.  That is God working through that person. What if that person is you?)

When I write lyrics I never sit down like other artists and play at the piano I pray about something that is bothering me then suddenly God sends me the answer to my prayer through song giving me hope about something through lyrics that suddenly get stuck in my head. He sends me them! Sometimes I some ideas I have based on something from a church sermon or something someone said about Jesus. I was feeling lost and worried one time but suddenly Jesus was a light in my darkness, so I felt, He is a Lighthouse helping us get to heaven. At the time I hadn’t even seen a lighthouse (got to visit one recently tho) it just popped into my mind that Jesus is the light and I’m a ship on a stormy sea and He guides me to safety. That is where my song “Lighthouse” originated from years ago. As it is with most of my songs. He will send me a message that relates to the news or something going on. Something that needs to be heard. I am called to use my platform to spread His good news and to prove wrong the lies from the devil. We all can use our platforms, our jobs, our career paths, dreams, everyday lives, marriages, single life, parenthood, etc to Share Jesus’ Love with the world!

Think about it this week. Weather you are in between jobs, in school debating what you wanna be in life, or already in a job you maybe can’t stand, or one you love! How can you use your gifts, situations, your Everything for God?!

The priest says at the end of Mass “go forth and proclaim the gospel of the Lord”

Wow! If you think about that I mean, think about how many of us actually go out and teach what we learned in mass that day!?

Do you explain the sermon to your young kids after mass? Why don’t we start?

So, a fire was lit in my heart that day I got Called to use my gifts for God & I had my answer. He wants me to bring the Traditional Catholic hymns outside the church walls & out into the world and sing them for others. I look out and see that congregation singing along with me but what about those outside the church that aren’t singing? Aren’t we called to bring them to Christ? These people are already here. Which is wonderful of course and I’ll continue to feel blessed to be a church cantor but now I am a church cantor outside the church as well. My excitement burned so bright that I had to stop and think Okay but wait, God? How do I do that?!

So, I was praying about it, and I continued to work on my Christian albums I was writing and singing other styles of music for private events senior nights, make music day events, kids music events, news/radio/podcasts & more occasionally adding in some hymns to my mix. The reaction of the audience was mixed when I did that I once had that one grumpy thumbs down person walk by my show in a black hoodie but I remembered the evil one disguises himself & tries to turn us away when we are doing God’s word, so I didn’t let that bother me one bit & I saw the reaction one day that I was singing a hymns worship concert and I had some people singing along with me looking to heaven with tears in their eyes. How special that was! Wow! 🥹☀️🙏✝️Praising God I sang out louder & more joyfully to Him as I felt it was the happiest I’ve been in a performance ever because I wasn’t performing to be in the spotlight but to give Him the spotlight! I knew from that moment that sure I’d still do other genres for people’s events but that I was called to bring sacred music & Christian music out into the world more. Isn’t it wonderful and amazing how God can use our gifts to show others His way?

Like I said before when I am songwriting, He sends me lyrics about something that I was worrying about or praying about the day before He answered my prayer through song lyrics that become a song for others to learn of His mercy and Love.Of you’re listening to one of my songs, say “Way” for example, I realized I tried to figure things out by myself way to much. I needed Jesus. So finally I stopped yapping and sat in silence and just prayed (sometimes I sing prayers to God I feel in better at singing that talking in the same way at events, crystal clear when I sing but stuttering sometimes thinking what can I say to these people) this was what I prayed “I’m listening let me know your way oh Lord I’m listening oh Lord this I pray oh in Jesus name please show me your way I want to know your way I want to go your way”. Sometimes my songs are based on prayers I ask God sometimes they are based on the answers He gives me. He sends me the messages for many of the songs that I write. Thank you for being patient and listening to me ramble… I am genuinely grateful to God for working through me & I know that, if He can work through me & my gifts then He surely can do the same for you!

Think about this this week. How can you Praise God & show others His Good way through your career path, through volunteer work/donations of stuff that you have kept for years and don’t use anymore, or if you are a stay-at-home parent, how can you teach your kids more about God! There are always ways we can praise God throughout our everyday! My goal in life has changed from wanting to be the center of the attention to wanting to put Him in the center. St Vincent de Paul said, “our business is to attain heaven everything else is a sheer waste of time” We have been called to get to heaven and bring others with us. Our priest at our church “Father Brian Nolan said one time at a funeral “there was a little girl who asked a parent if we are all from God and we go to God then what’s the in between part for?”

What is the in between part for? Huh?

Another thing I’d like to share is that I have a new goal & I am eager to share it with you. I still want to sing on the greatest stage but now it’s a stage in heaven! I want to live my life on earth training and serving others as Christ did so that I can get to heaven someday and sing joyful praise to Him there on my knees humbling myself before Him. I have been told by a few people including a music agent that I exude joy during my performances especially the ones where I’m singing Christian music & hymns People have told me that Joy is my theme and what a kind compliment that has been for me because years ago a priest said in a sermon that joy stood for Jesus first Others second & You last. I hope that I can with my music joyfully praise Jesus first then serve others as He did and that will bring me joy in my soul as well.

(Sure, I would like a lot of people at my shows still because I love singing with you all & I would love to know so many people are just as excited to praise God through music as I am. Prayer through songs is powerful. Especially prayer said by a whole family community of people together) “Amen”, my most popular song from my album “Light”, was a song I wrote while feeling joyful around Easter time while joyfully praising Him.

What an honor it would be to sing praise with the angels singing • “Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of your glory!”

I pray that this helps guide you to be able to find where God is calling you to be in your life right now, how you can use your talents and gifts for God's glory, & that like Mother Mary who joyfully said yes to God’s call, we will continue to say Yes to God’s call for our own lives. May God bless you and your families.

Bible Quote: 1 Peter 4:10:

 "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."