Becoming a Mother

It's true. I'm a mommy! But, before you freak out, let me explain. You see, the organization I worked with in India is called As Our Own. They are an organization made up of people who are "caring for vulnerable children as their own. For life." From the moment I heard of this ministry, I knew I had to be a part of what God was doing through them. I had the privilege of hearing Ralph, the President of As Our Own, speak on a few occasions and every time I found myself humbled and challenged by his faith and the stories of God’s rescuing in India....

Becoming a Pastor

No. Not me. Young men in India. They are becoming pastors. We got to spend two mornings worshipping and studying the word with these men. Monica, Mitchell, and Will taught from the life of Peter. These men took pages and pages of notes about leadership and serventhood and walking with the Lord. They worshipped with great zeal, often while the worship leader was singing to his own rhythm. They play whatever instrument they can find. They clap and dance and sing at the top of their lungs. They celebrate God as a brotherhood. It was such a blessing...

Becoming Melted

I know many of you are waiting to hear about the light I mentioned at the end of the last post. So, let me tell you about it. As I mentioned, our morning had been filled with heartbreaking darkness, weaving in and out of buildings packed with defiled beds and lifeless faces. But, God is still pulling people out of pits and into the light. That afternoon we out to Faith Home, a house full of little girls most of who were born into the brothels. These girls, according to the circumstaces they were born into, should have been sleeping beneath their...

Becoming More than Aware

December 13th. Today I went to work...to the same job I have gone to for the last 2.5 years. And today, it was not any different. But I was. On December 1st, I boarded a plane in Houston and about 24 hours later, stepped out of an airport into the air of India. Eleven and a half hours ahead of Houston, we had completely missed December 2nd. It just didn't exist in 2010 for us. It was now about 5 am on December 3rd. We headed straight to the hotel...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (the after party and after thoughts)

Seven days. Seven songs. This week was unexpected. It came and went as quickly as a Houston winter. Thankfully, it wasn't as disappointing as the 3 day season. In fact, it was far from being a let down. It was certainly a challenge, but one that revived me, even after beating me senseless. Last night we had the after party. About 20 of us gathered in Casa Studio in Austin. We talked and laughed and shared. Everyone sang one song that they had written this week. There was some incredible talent in that room. I almost didn't go. I had things in...

Becoming One and Done with 7 in 7 (songs 6 and 7)

I did it!!! 7 songs in 7 days!!! I have had some sweet moments with the Lord this week as He used this excercise to shape and mold me. I'm sure more songs will come out of this week than just the 7 that are now written. for every finished song there were 4 or 5 ideas that didn't become songs. So...we shall see. For now, here are 6 and 7. A hymn and a happy heartache. One by ErinWoodsMusic OneIf these tears of guilt could dissolve theses chainsWe’d have set ourselves free by nowAnd if the will of man were strong enoughWe’d be stormin the gates...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (Midweek Thoughts)

Today, in a conversation about 7 in7, I was asked, “So when do you say, ‘this just isn’t for me. I may love music but I’m not going to write the next big worship song or be the next Chris Tomlin.’?”Maybe this person was attempting to kindly steer me away from investing in something that I may not be cut out for. But I think he was honestly just asking, “How much time do you spend writing when it isn’t your living?”And to be honest, this is a question I ask myself often. How much to I invest in singing and writing? How much time, energy, lack of...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (Song 5)

I can't believe I have written 5 songs this week. Amazing. (i will go back and post words with the songs below)This song is based on the sermon at church last night. Pastor Gregg is teaching on John 4 and the woman at the well. At one point he mentioned that at that time, women could not divorce a man. So, that meant this woman who had had five husbands was cast aside five times. And now she had given up on marriage and was just living with number six. Pastor Gregg emphasized the thirst in all of us. This woman was trying to meet that thirst through...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (song 4)

A worship song!!! I dont' write many songs that I would classify as congregational worship songs, but this is one that should most definitely be sung by a group of God's people. It is based on 2 Chronicles 6. Solomon is consecrating the temple and acknowledging that for God to dwell with men in this temple is asking alot and Solomon acknowledges that the people of God are sinners and will sin. And then he begs God to forgive the people when they turn back to him. At the end he prays, 41 “Now arise, LORD God, and come to your resting place, you...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (Song 3)

Wow! I am exhausted. I knew this would be a hard challenge but seriously. I chose to be a part of 7 in 7 for several reasons. One of those being that I wanted to stretch myself in my discipline and in my style of writing. This particular song is very different from the stuff I usually write. For one thing, it's very depressing. I have a tendency to write "God is good" songs, or "Life sucks BUT God is good" songs. I have a hard time writing about the hard things of life without adding the "but there's hope" aspect to them. So, I decided that I would...

Becoming One of 7 in 7 (song #2)

SO, here it is. Song 2 of 7 in 7. Day one was a breeze, but day 2...brutal. I had writer's block and the resulting headache all day. I kept jumping from idea to idea. I felt as though I was grasping at the air trying to catch an idea and pin it down. Even when this first part of tis song was written, I was lost as to where to go with it. But, it is done. Enjoy. Blue Skies by ErinWoodsMusic Thanks to Brittany Billon for talking through the inspiration, and to my roommates for coming in and talking me down from the ledge when I couldn't get...

Becoming One of 7 in 7

I have taken on a challenge along with about 50 other songwriters to write 7 songs in 7 days. Today was day one. Here is what I wrote. As My Own by ErinWoodsMusic For more information on 7 in 7 please read th...

Becoming Unraveled

Hmmm, where to start...October 1, 2010, a cd was released. It is a cd full of talented musicians playing songs that the Lord has given me over the years. It was a cd that had been discussed in the past, but honestly, I did not think would ever actually come to fruition. When I was younger, one of my greatest dreams was to sing, but over time, that dream was slayed over and over. For one reason or another, doors that were open for a minute would suddenly close leaving me bruised and confused. The people that I looked to the most for confirmation...

Captivated Together giveaway

Go to www.sistertreevis.blogspot.com to win 2 tickets to the Captivated Together Conference for Twenty-Something Ladies! Also, check out their website: www.captivatedtogether.com...

Benefit: Coming in the Fall of 2011

A little girl in India will go to sleep tonight underneath the makeshift bed where her mother will be working. This little girl will never know love. She will never dream. She will grow into a young woman knowing only the life lived to please men at the expense of her body, her purity, her sense of worth. She could have the chance to live a better story, but in order for that chance to come, another must risk what is dearest...comfort. And so, across the sea there is another who will fight to overcome her own fears as she steps out of the comfortable...

Five Things Friday: blog edition

In a recent realization that I needed to seek out inspiration in order to feed my right brain in the midst of my life that currently demands my left brain to be dominant, I sought out some blogs to add to my reading. Here are five of my favorites.5. How About Orange: So, while i am not nearly as fascinated by the color orange as the writer of this blog, there are little creative projects, time-wasters, and products that get the creative juices (orange or otherwise) flowing.4.Design Sponge : I have actually been reading this one for about a year...

Five Things Friday: Pretty Want'ums

These are five thigs I desperately wish were mine.5. This necklace made by a sweet woman I met in college. Visit her blog.4. This floor. It's a before and after project I saw here and I am so incredibly covetous. 3. This piano (becuase it's pretty and I want to re-learn how to play...don't tell my mom or she will say "I told you so"). Just picture it on my yellow floor!!!!2. This super cute umbrella from pare*umbrella.1.This cute little house.Aren't...

Becoming Itchy

I have not been able to shake the creativity itch lately. I think my natural creativity, that used to be excercised on a weekly, if not daily basis in the college years, is getting antsy having to be submissive to the world of data entry. I sit at a desk all day doing a job that requires me to be administrative and in a routine...2 things that do not come naturally to me in the slightest. This week, I have had the hardest time concentrating at work...

Becoming Eternally Grateful

In my Sunday Bible Study class, we have been working our way through the men and women of Hebrews 11 and digging into the walk of faith. It's been a doozey and we are only on Moses. On Thursdays, we have Koinonia (home teams) and we continue the discussion from Sunday's lesson. This last Sunday we looked at Moses' entrance back into Egypt as he requested of Pharaoh that the Israelites be allowed to leave to go worship. Pharaoh's response...NO you lazy Israelites can't leave. In fact, now I'm gonna make you work harder.The Israelites of course had...