God has definitely blessed us with another amazing summer! We came out with our Vibe EP this summer which is available on iTunes! So go and get on that when you get a minute!!! We were able to travel to Oregon and Washington and do a couple gigs out there which have been so much fun! God has definitely been good to us. We all have grown so much over the summer and I am really proud to be a part of this group!
The young adult ministry Lighthouse that we were a part of was relaunched two weeks ago and is now called The Hub which is an arts venue where young people can come and express themselves creatively and hopefully can experience God through the gifts that they've been blessed with. We minister there every second and fourth Sunday of every month, so if you're in town, HOLLA!
But yeah, we're hoping to come out with our album next year, so be on the look out for that one. God has blessed us with so many opportunities and I pray that He continues to help us grow and mold us into the group of individuals that He's called us to be. God has been good and faithful to Tipping Point and it's because of Him that we are where we are. Stay blessed yall!!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tipping Point Chapter 1
From Mark's point of view
How we came together is pretty cool. There was this couple who was leading worship at my church called Lighthouse named Jerrad and Nicole. They had been doing it for a while and played with a band. But one by one the band started leaving cause they weren't very committed. So by about February of '08 I volunteered to start playing.
About the second or third week I was playing bass and afterward this guy named Alex came up to me. I sorta knew him from the conservatory at uop and I knew that he went to another church but came to Lighthouse a few times cause we had switched to Sunday night service. He said, “Hey man do you need a bass player?” I said yeah and he played the next week. HE WAS SOO KILLIN. One of the best bass players I’ve played with.
Probably about one week later I took my friend Della up to meet Jerrad. I knew what a super awesome gospel voice she had and that Jerrad would love her. He made her audition right there which she wasn’t too happy with me about. Jarred and Nicole were blown away though and she started singing a couple weeks later.
Maybe a week after that, Alex brought his friend Randy who is a really crazy awesome jazz pianist. I knew him from uop too and was really excited to play with him.
Around the same time, Jarred was like, “man we need a drummer next week.” Alex said, “hey my little sister plays drums.” We were expecting some timid little girl to come in but instead we got Alysha. She came in and laid it down!
I’ll never forget that first rehearsal with all seven of us. I think it was Randy and Della’s first week, Alysha’s second and only Alex’s third or fourth. We hardly knew each other at all. But the music sounded so awesome and we had so much fun. We were way more sarcastic than strangers should be to each other. Then, Jerrad took us into another room before service started. He told us about what a struggle it had been for him to twist people’s arms every week to get them to play. How it had made worship hard for him and how he had thought about leaving. But a dedicated band could grow in their worship, in community, and in their musicianship together. He saw the potential for all of those things in us already. We all had this weird excited feeling like something was about to happen. Though we all had very diverse backgrounds, this was something that we were all searching for. We were ready to jump in together. And worship that night was sweet.
How we came together is pretty cool. There was this couple who was leading worship at my church called Lighthouse named Jerrad and Nicole. They had been doing it for a while and played with a band. But one by one the band started leaving cause they weren't very committed. So by about February of '08 I volunteered to start playing.
About the second or third week I was playing bass and afterward this guy named Alex came up to me. I sorta knew him from the conservatory at uop and I knew that he went to another church but came to Lighthouse a few times cause we had switched to Sunday night service. He said, “Hey man do you need a bass player?” I said yeah and he played the next week. HE WAS SOO KILLIN. One of the best bass players I’ve played with.
Probably about one week later I took my friend Della up to meet Jerrad. I knew what a super awesome gospel voice she had and that Jerrad would love her. He made her audition right there which she wasn’t too happy with me about. Jarred and Nicole were blown away though and she started singing a couple weeks later.
Maybe a week after that, Alex brought his friend Randy who is a really crazy awesome jazz pianist. I knew him from uop too and was really excited to play with him.
Around the same time, Jarred was like, “man we need a drummer next week.” Alex said, “hey my little sister plays drums.” We were expecting some timid little girl to come in but instead we got Alysha. She came in and laid it down!
I’ll never forget that first rehearsal with all seven of us. I think it was Randy and Della’s first week, Alysha’s second and only Alex’s third or fourth. We hardly knew each other at all. But the music sounded so awesome and we had so much fun. We were way more sarcastic than strangers should be to each other. Then, Jerrad took us into another room before service started. He told us about what a struggle it had been for him to twist people’s arms every week to get them to play. How it had made worship hard for him and how he had thought about leaving. But a dedicated band could grow in their worship, in community, and in their musicianship together. He saw the potential for all of those things in us already. We all had this weird excited feeling like something was about to happen. Though we all had very diverse backgrounds, this was something that we were all searching for. We were ready to jump in together. And worship that night was sweet.
These past couple of months...
Have been crazy. God's been blessing our band so much these past couple of months with many different opportunities to just share great music and create new relationships from so many different people. We've had several big gigs, we had our big benefit concert, we led worship at an Intervarsity retreat called Trilogy. God has just been doing great things!
We're trying to go to a missions conference called Urbana in St. Louis, Missouri and so we decided to host a benefit concert. We really didn't know how it was going to turn out, but God definitely came through! There was more people than we expected and it was just so much fun to just share our music and story with people. It's amazing! The Trilogy retreat that we led worship at was just crazy! Imagine over 400 college students worshipping God together, singing and shouting! That's what we witnessed at Trilogy. We were given the opportunity to lead over 400 college students in worship for a weekend, and God just blew us away! Just seeing so many students worship God was such an awesome experience!! It was also a great weekend to just get away and just reflect on what God has done and seek Him for what He has in store. God is doing great things and is just opening my eyes to many different things. I look forward to what He has in store!! Just exciting!!! :)
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Reflections
Let me just start off by saying that this blog post is in no way, going to reveal everything that I have been through in the last few months. It may give you perspective on my life and help you better understand me as a person today but I simply cannot express through words what my God has brought me through in the last year.
It may be best to start off by saying that looking back I would have never, ever imagined myself being where I am today. It is crazy to me. I never thought I would be in a band. I never thought I would be quitting school (temporarily). I never thought I would be giving up my state job, which many people have told me is ridiculous considering our economic times. I never thought I would be enrolled in cosmetology school, which is truly a dream come true for me. And I never thought I would be dating Tyler Hagan, a man of God who makes me unbelievably happy! I know, WOW! My life has altered drastically in the last few months. Even as I sit here now, typing this, I am in amazement. I get emotional thinking about how good God has been to me. How faithful He is! I am convinced that He remains faithful to you when you seek Him whole heartedly and desire His best. And because of this, I can honestly say that I have never experienced more joy in my life than I have in the last few months, knowing that I am where God wants me. I feel He is blessing my life and my band, Tipping Point, because of our faithfulness to Him and our pursuit of His will for us.
You see, last year was a trialing time for our band. We unexpectedly lost a band member and felt as though we lost a huge part of us. However, it was during this time that God brought the remaining six of us closer together. We felt in our hearts, and still feel that God has called us to something great. And I think sometimes we spend too much time trying to figure out what that “call” is but what we often fail to see is the movement that God is stirring up within us right now. He is working within our band in incredible ways. He has given us opportunities to reach people through music in ways that have blown me away. He has been working and that is so evident in our lives. I love it!
In many ways I feel as though my life, as lived the last few months, is evidence that God can change someone’s life in the blink of an eye. When you think you have it all together and have set plans or think you know what you want of your life, God surprises you (and I love good surprises). I am now realizing that I settled and all along God had bigger and better. I just needed to trust Him, which is a lot easier said than done. It took a while to get where I am but I couldn’t be happier with where God has me. He has brought me so far. It took me realizing that He is my first love and I needed to trust all of who He is and what He has to offer. It is because of Him that I am where I am today. I give Him all the glory for His work in my life and in the lives of my best friends, Tipping Point. I love them dearly and I don’t know what I’d do without them.
God is good.
It may be best to start off by saying that looking back I would have never, ever imagined myself being where I am today. It is crazy to me. I never thought I would be in a band. I never thought I would be quitting school (temporarily). I never thought I would be giving up my state job, which many people have told me is ridiculous considering our economic times. I never thought I would be enrolled in cosmetology school, which is truly a dream come true for me. And I never thought I would be dating Tyler Hagan, a man of God who makes me unbelievably happy! I know, WOW! My life has altered drastically in the last few months. Even as I sit here now, typing this, I am in amazement. I get emotional thinking about how good God has been to me. How faithful He is! I am convinced that He remains faithful to you when you seek Him whole heartedly and desire His best. And because of this, I can honestly say that I have never experienced more joy in my life than I have in the last few months, knowing that I am where God wants me. I feel He is blessing my life and my band, Tipping Point, because of our faithfulness to Him and our pursuit of His will for us.
You see, last year was a trialing time for our band. We unexpectedly lost a band member and felt as though we lost a huge part of us. However, it was during this time that God brought the remaining six of us closer together. We felt in our hearts, and still feel that God has called us to something great. And I think sometimes we spend too much time trying to figure out what that “call” is but what we often fail to see is the movement that God is stirring up within us right now. He is working within our band in incredible ways. He has given us opportunities to reach people through music in ways that have blown me away. He has been working and that is so evident in our lives. I love it!
In many ways I feel as though my life, as lived the last few months, is evidence that God can change someone’s life in the blink of an eye. When you think you have it all together and have set plans or think you know what you want of your life, God surprises you (and I love good surprises). I am now realizing that I settled and all along God had bigger and better. I just needed to trust Him, which is a lot easier said than done. It took a while to get where I am but I couldn’t be happier with where God has me. He has brought me so far. It took me realizing that He is my first love and I needed to trust all of who He is and what He has to offer. It is because of Him that I am where I am today. I give Him all the glory for His work in my life and in the lives of my best friends, Tipping Point. I love them dearly and I don’t know what I’d do without them.
God is good.
~Nicole
Monday, August 10, 2009
Where to begin... where to begin...
Seriously.. where the heck do I begin? .... If you read the definition of tipping point, you'll see that it is the point at which a slow, reversible change becomes irreversible, often with dramatic consequences. That's exactly what God has done for us.
I like how Goapele puts it: "I don't dive into the cold, I get in slow but everyday." Our first couple of months were like that - we got in slowly. We really didn't know what it was like to be a band.. so we took it slow. Took it one event at a time. We had our good and bad times... but through it all.. God STAYED faithful to us. Some things didn't go as well as we planned, but it only reminded us that God's ways are much higher than ours.. and better! The hard times that we went through didn't bring us down or break us apart... but rather, they shaped us into the band we are now and also molded us into the individuals we are now. The good times were reminders that at the end of every trial, there is a blessing. We truly have been blessed.
These past couple of months have been just a crazy ride with God. Earlier this year, we met AJ and Reesa through youtube (out of all places). We got along and now they're a part of the band! And they've been such a blessing to us!! So far, God is just taking us places we never thought we'd be. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the very definition of tipping point is what God has and is doing with us right now. A slow reversible change occurred and became irreversible = we all made a decision to become a band... often with dramatic consequences = God is doing great things! .. I just pray that as these "dramatic consequences" occur, we as a band will continue to look to God. We don't want to fall into the routine of things.. we want to be a band that continues to thirst for God to transform lives through music... to take us into seasons that grow and mature us into the people that God has called us to be... and through every blessing, trial and event.. we will still be praising God no matter what!.... am I making sense?? lol
I like how Goapele puts it: "I don't dive into the cold, I get in slow but everyday." Our first couple of months were like that - we got in slowly. We really didn't know what it was like to be a band.. so we took it slow. Took it one event at a time. We had our good and bad times... but through it all.. God STAYED faithful to us. Some things didn't go as well as we planned, but it only reminded us that God's ways are much higher than ours.. and better! The hard times that we went through didn't bring us down or break us apart... but rather, they shaped us into the band we are now and also molded us into the individuals we are now. The good times were reminders that at the end of every trial, there is a blessing. We truly have been blessed.
These past couple of months have been just a crazy ride with God. Earlier this year, we met AJ and Reesa through youtube (out of all places). We got along and now they're a part of the band! And they've been such a blessing to us!! So far, God is just taking us places we never thought we'd be. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the very definition of tipping point is what God has and is doing with us right now. A slow reversible change occurred and became irreversible = we all made a decision to become a band... often with dramatic consequences = God is doing great things! .. I just pray that as these "dramatic consequences" occur, we as a band will continue to look to God. We don't want to fall into the routine of things.. we want to be a band that continues to thirst for God to transform lives through music... to take us into seasons that grow and mature us into the people that God has called us to be... and through every blessing, trial and event.. we will still be praising God no matter what!.... am I making sense?? lol
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
God is Good!
Hello, this is Alysha and I want to tell you guys about how God has been so faithful to our band this summer. Looking back, it is crazy to think that we only met Aj and Reese back in May, and as the summer is coming to the end..God has been GOOD!!! I feel so blessed to be a part of this band and I am excited for what God has in store for us.
This summer, AJ and Reese have been traveling up here to Stockton to be with us... every month! During their stay, we as a band have had so many opportunities to do ministry through music. It is crazy how much music can reach people and even more, when the songs you sing are a reflection of God's love for us. After each event we participated in, we left feeling good about what happened there in the room and we could not help, but to give God all the glory. It seems like after we were done with an event, God continued to bless us with more opportunities here in Northern California from playing in churches to playing in cafes. He was always steps ahead of us...way more than we thought! This summer has been so busy for us and we have enjoyed each moment of stress, laughs, and hard work! I cannot wait for what's next for our band and what God will lead us to next. We are putting our full trust in Him and we know that he will guide us through all the way.
There is so much more I want to share, but to be honest..I am still processing it all! :) So, I will be back soon sharing more!
There is so much more I want to share, but to be honest..I am still processing it all! :) So, I will be back soon sharing more!
-Lysh
Monday, August 3, 2009
In such a short amount of time...
SO much has happened.
My name is Reesa, and I just want to share how much I have seen The Lord working these past few months. So there's this long story about how my sister, AJ, and I have become part of Tipping Point Band...but I guess I'll just give you the gist!...we met on YouTube, they came to LA, we got along...and it wasn't just the fact that we all love music and we really vibed with each other...it's really because all these people have such big hearts for God and are wanting to share Him through music.
So having said that, AJ and I have just spent pretty much the past month in Stockton, CA. Getting to spend more time with the band and getting to know them more has been so amazing. I feel like I've learned so much more about them and I have grown to love each and every one of these people even more (i just said more 5,000 times). It's so crazy how God works...how He's brought us together in the most unconventional way...how much He's revealed Himself to us...and is continually doing so.
Ok, so there is just so much more I want to share...like events that have been happening...but I know that this blog is being shared between 8 people, so I'll save that for the others? :) God bless!
Peace,
Reesa
My name is Reesa, and I just want to share how much I have seen The Lord working these past few months. So there's this long story about how my sister, AJ, and I have become part of Tipping Point Band...but I guess I'll just give you the gist!...we met on YouTube, they came to LA, we got along...and it wasn't just the fact that we all love music and we really vibed with each other...it's really because all these people have such big hearts for God and are wanting to share Him through music.
So having said that, AJ and I have just spent pretty much the past month in Stockton, CA. Getting to spend more time with the band and getting to know them more has been so amazing. I feel like I've learned so much more about them and I have grown to love each and every one of these people even more (i just said more 5,000 times). It's so crazy how God works...how He's brought us together in the most unconventional way...how much He's revealed Himself to us...and is continually doing so.
Ok, so there is just so much more I want to share...like events that have been happening...but I know that this blog is being shared between 8 people, so I'll save that for the others? :) God bless!
Peace,
Reesa
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