OUR PURPOSE

At Piano Players Friend our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do, whether it's teaching piano, playing for a wedding, or transcribing music.

We seek to do our best in all areas, and in doing so, bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ.

We have a strong desire to see people trained and churches strengthened both musically but also spiritually.

Our goal is to assist people in becoming better equipped to execute God's calling upon their lives.

OUR TESTIMONY

Raised in the state of Washington. I accepted Christ in 1995 as a 10 year old boy after attending a vacation Bible school. I was scared of dying and going to hell. My mother shared with me that, because I was a sinner, I needed a Savior. She told me how Christ died for my sins and conquered death through His resurrection. I prayed and received Christ, making Him Lord of my life.I began ministering as a church musician by playing offertories in church at age 11. I became a full-time church pianist at age 13. During that time, I was receiving training as a classical pianist.

In 2006, the Lord led me Crown College of the Bible in Powell, TN where I graduated with a bachelors degree in Music Ministry. It was there that I met my wife, Candice.Married in 2010, Candice and I returned to Tennessee where I would teach at Crown College in the music department until June of 2013. I was privileged to teach private lessons, music theory, music composition, music ministry administration, and many other music classes. I also had the opportunity to be interim music director at Temple Baptist Church for Pastor Clarence Sexton.

In 2013 the Lord allowed us to move home to WA to be near my family. We enjoyed our season there, serving the Lord in our local church and also filling pulpits and pianos as the Lord allowed.

In August of 2019, we relocated to southern Ohio to be near my wife's family. The Lord has been good to our family. We now have three girls - Madeline, Meg and Maritime. We love our ministry of helping churches strengthen their music. It is our desire to glorify the Lord by using our gifts and abilities for Him.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Col. 3:16 says - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

We love to sing the traditional hymns and gospel songs. Contemporary Christian music has no place in a church or in the life of a believer. We cannot expect to mix the sounds of the world with the truths of God and receive anything but confusion.

Music plays such a vital role in the corporate worship of a church that it is important to know what the Bible teaches concerning the issue and be able to articulate your beliefs clearly.

We believe the following about music:

Music ought to be consistent with the character of God.
Music ought to exalt deity: We strive to make much of Christ in our music, leaving no mistake about whom we are singing to or about.
Music ought to teach correct doctrine: Our music will align with the doctrines of God's Word. No exception will be made for a song that is weak in it's theology simply because it is "pretty."
Music ought to be balanced in it's execution: The three parts of music, melody, harmony, and rhythm, must maintain a proper balance. For example, if too much emphasis is placed on the rhythm (i.e. drums), the melody is lost, but if there is no rhythm, the melody becomes ethereal, giving the listener a sense of hallucination. 1 Corinthians 14:40 says, "Let all things be done decently and in order."
Music ought to glorify God in it's performance: A song should be sung/played in such a way as to leave the the listener focused solely on the Lord and not on the abilities of the performer. This leaves no room for fancy riffs or runs that are simply designed to exhibit the performers skills. We believe that each element of a song should exist to push the listener to the Lord, causing Him to receive the honor and glory. This story from Charles Spurgeon's biography does a nice job of summing up this very topic:

“During the 1880s a group of American ministers visited England, prompted especially by a desire to hear some of the celebrated preachers of that land. On a Sunday morning they attended the City temple where Dr. Joseph Parker was the pastor. Some two thousand people filled the building, and Parker’s forceful personality dominated the service. His voice was commanding, his language descriptive, his imagination lively, and his manner animated. The sermon was scriptural, the congregation hung upon his words, and the Americans came away saying, “What a wonderful preacher is Joseph Parker!”

That evening they went to hear Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. The building was much larger than the City Temple, and the congregation was more than twice the size. Spurgeon’s voice was much more expressive and moving and his oratory noticeably superior. But they soon forgot all about the great building, the immense congregation, and the magnificent voice. They even overlooked their intention to compare the various features of the two preachers, and when the service was over they found themselves saying, “What a wonderful Savior is Jesus Christ."

Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore, page 216