Writing Christ-centered Music with David Averbeck

Today, we welcome a song writer, music producer, and daddy of four - David Averbeck. His life has always been about music and his passion is leading others to a closer walk with Jesus through heart-felt, scriptural songs.

I am honored to call him my brother-in-law and friend. Join us, as we talk about his music journey and the challenges he has faced along the way!

You can connect with David at hissongmusicpublications.org.

Transcript

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 Welcome to those of you that are listening in on The Navigators podcast, this is a special edition a special day today because we get to interview one of my favorite people because he is the coolest, the David a verbeck and this is a special edition of The Navigators podcast where we literally just sit somebody down in. We call it the captain's chair. We sit somebody down in the captain's chair and we just get to hear their story. And hear their testimony, their stories. What God has brought them through what God is teaching them now. And really we just get to dive into their life and explore a little bit and hopefully walk away encouraged and challenged and all of that. So David welcome to the podcast man. Thank you. I am privileged to be here with one of my favorite people. 

Be yes, that is right? And so David, Tell us a little bit about now, for those you that don't know, David is a super self-taught musician and orchestrator and anything that does with music. Basically that is that's David. And so tell us a little bit David about. We would just want to explore into you and so tell us the audience. There's it there listening to us and we've got several that listen, that are that are part of a church music program. RAM and whatever it music just is huge in their life. So tell us a little bit about your maybe the beginning of the journey with music for you and how you just knew this was man, this was God's calling, if you want to call it that on your life. Yeah, I would say 

that would go all the way back to when I was a kid. I always loved music. Always loved piano. So started off with lessons, I My big family. So I'm one of nine kids number 6 of 9, so that line of that, many kids only a certain amount of kids could take lessons at a time. So, my turn came about when I was about eleven is when I actually got to start taking regimented piano lessons, and from there, just kind of took off about eight ninth grade, and about ninth grade really felt that God was calling me to more the mission field. Of music. So really from that point on it began to dedicate any free time that I had really just my focus was on music. So in high school, I would arrange things for our high school, orchestra began writing, music kind of dabbling in song, writing throughout high school and then College had a lot of our had, a lot of opportunities to write. And arrange for our College orchestra, the church. There was able to be part of an internship music internship with the church for a summer. Even what even beginning College, I went into it kind of getting a general major but the vice a good relationship with the vice president of the college. And he reminded me that beginning freshman year. He's like just don't forget about Out music, don't forget about, you know, what you feel like God has called you to do. So if that's what God wants you to do, then maybe we should focus more on the music classes. So I switched my major from a general to a music Major, really? Because that conversation several different events that came from that so studied music through college. But then oddly enough I never actually finished College. it was really, honestly, I college where I figured out that I learn a whole lot more outside the classroom and just kind of on my own and kind of doing it. Can aesthetically, you know, trying things out and really going from there then actually being in a classroom that works for some for me it did not. 

So after college God knew that that's the was the way that I would learn. So he allowed me to be a part of several different Ministries were I was in Full swing writing and arranging weather was directing music for the church. We had a big Orchestra and choir. So I really began writing and arranging orchestrating for them for a few years and then became van teacher in high school and then began to really learn different instruments and then be able to utilize all that in my writing. So, now, Do all those experiences and all those circumstances God allows me to be able to write or people across the world, really a different churches, different Ministries. So now I get to write full-time orchestration, song writing for people creating soundtracks for people just kind of like you said all the above, so there really aren't any limits to it, so That's that's me in a nutshell pretty much. Yeah, that's awesome. There's something that you said that was super cool that you going back to when you were in college. There was something that you said of really, you were just on like music had always been a part of your life since you were a kid but there was someone who came along in your life who in essence Blue, Wind in your sails, they You know when you're at a point of just like I'm not really sure or this is the way I think I'm going. They kind of said hey don't forget about music don't you know know where God God is. Obviously gifted you with gifts and talents in this area, don't forget about music. That was kind of an essence, someone just kind of coming along and just blowing wind in your sails, propelling you forward and it's kind of cool to think about now in hindsight you know where you are now versus you know, where you could have been, if that person had not come along. And I think that is such a cool Telltale of for our audience listening that, you know, it doesn't matter if music is your thing. If you're writing music, like, David, orchestrating or writing books, or if you're just trying to be a good dad, good mom. Find people in your life that are going come alongside you and encourage you. And Blow the wind in your sails. And I've kind of learned there's really two kinds of people in the world. And I talked to my wife about this, we talked about the several months ago but there's people that blow wind in your sails but also in sometimes that the same people that also are your anchors. They anchor you down. So they know when to propel you forward and they know when to push you sometimes, they push your buttons and it's like, you know, it's Frustrating maybe even at the time but it's it's we need that push forward. But then other times it's it's we're going full speed ahead and they they're they're our anchor and they dig themselves in the sand and and stop us and say, hey, maybe we need to take step back, but I think it was just so cool. What you're saying? I've how you know that person came into your life and really just kind of propelled you forward in music and it shows the power of influence especially I'd like pivotal Ages. Because I think of look like a ninth grade. 

When I felt like I had calling me and then here, I am as a freshman in college and just the the power of somebody coming and recognizing, hey, this is what you're good at is the town that you had. This is an ability that you have. This is what strength that you have. So why don't you utilize this? I guess. People don't under stand fully the power behind encouraging somebody Who you recognize, there's an ability there and just the power of saying, hey, let's see what we can do with this. Let's well, sure. Let's push you towards what we believe your potential is. That comes with any age, but especially at those pivotal ages, where you're trying to figure out life, you're on the verge of college. You're going into high school, you're out of college, you're about to get married, you know, your At least photo moments in life. And you just need somebody to come along and say, hey this is what I've seen in your life. Let's move with this. That's actually work with this. Yeah, that I think that's a true. And yeah I could testify to that as well of those people that just kind of came along and told me in some cases what I didn't want to hear, you know, but in some cases were just, you know, maybe not rays of sunshine all the time where it's just happy-go-lucky and everything is good. But they did speak truth and they spoke they encouraged and they encouraged along with their correction and that and that combination is, I think those are the kind of people that just make such that influence in your life.

David obviously we know all I'll into music and his song Publications is so is your life and it's your life's work and all these Things that you're doing. But you're also a dad of some, some little munchkins. Is that right? Yes. Some pretty incredible munchkin. Yes. Yeah. And that adds, it kind of adds a whole different Dynamic, especially being self-employed. So it has a lot of variables. So in our house, we are home all of us all the time. So we have all three of the four are home-schooled now. And then we are both my wife and I both are self-employed. So we're home all together all the time, and that works for some, but some people doesn't work with for us, that's that it's alive. Works. We love being able to spend all the time together and all the kids know. Yeah. Everything that I'm involved with and are always trying to get involved as much as they can with the writing aspect and giving their two cents critiques and give on things that I'm writing or working on. But yeah, they are, they're definitely make it worth working and make it worth all the sacrifice and the crazy schedules and the busy. But yeah, constant, reminder, that this is, this is worth it. Yeah, that's that's so cool. And I've always thought that, you know, your choice to to choose that of writing your music. I mean, those of you that know, if you're involved in any kind of art and you're depending on that for your income, I mean that is that stuff. And sometimes there are there are a lot of waves and winds and just things that you're trying to navigate. get through like Lord you have called us that this life and this is and sometimes you know, things are not rolling in like you think they should and All of these things. But there was something that you said to about your kids that I thought was pretty cool. Just and with music and kind of juggling both. You were saying how you incorporate them with your work, like with your life's work, your music, you know, you involve them and so then it almost to them. Does it look like Daddy's working? It's just like Dad. He's just here. He's just living and music as a part of What we do and I think that's really cool for those you that are parents and I'm learning this as a parent of three young ones that there's so many times you have responsibilities in front of you but God is teaching me to do what you just said and to to incorporate them into what you do, not think of it necessarily Ministry and family or church and family. It is Well we all do this together. We do this together. We do this as one unit and that just builds our family stronger and it builds our churches stronger to and and in your case your music, you know, so many of the lessons that you've learned you know, with your music that you express you know through your music is learned through your kids and through the trials of being a parent. 

You know. So that's and that thing is it's a constant learning curve. Curve on how to balance. Life being self-employed being home with the kids, you know, in your marriage and your church and your ministry. There's so many things to balance and go back and forth with and that's something that I'm constantly having to work on and God reminds me of that. Every day, all day long, try to keep a balance and to be able to work with everything that's going on around us. And sometimes that means lot of times. That means that your work schedule is not going to be the same as it was yesterday. You're not going work a 5. You're going to work 

9 to 9:30 and then attend 9:45, 23, and exactly diaper here. And then, so it's a constant balancing All of your you're calling your children, your ministry, your business, your marriage. All of that is God's calling on your life and he gives the grace and gives a direction to balance it all. So everything gets the Focus? But it's a constant constant learning. I don't think anybody ever. So that's the best. That's definitely the challenge of it, but it's All, it's all part of growing. Yeah I think yeah I was going to say like I think Bob golf he says this all the time he says that life is a series of adjustments and when you have kids it's like you slowly begin to learn that plans are nothing. They are subject to change and days are going to be From the next, I was talking to an evangelist friend of mine a few weeks ago and he was encouraging me where I am and he said, he told me, he said, you know, some people's personality can't handle a getting up and because he's an evangelist, he travels all over the country, all over the world and he says some people's personality can't handle getting up and going to somewhere different every single day. He says, I see it as an adventure and I kind of 

raised my hand. I'm like yeah I like Dict ability, you know? But like you said, this struggle is totally worth it. There are days that I would definitely like to be able to wake up and work. You know, I'm going to work 9:00 to 5:00 today but it's the it's the blessing and the curse. It's riding on your iPhone at 2 a.m. while you're putting someone to sleep for the third time and but God won't let you get away from this song. So you're trying to get the lyrics out on the notes app on your phone. It's definitely Beauty From the Ashes, right? If you haven't heard some of David's music, you can go to his website at his song, Publications dot-org and I write dot-org. Yeah, here's son Music Publications. Okay, his, okay, I want to make sure that was his song, music Publications dot org and you can listen to his songs. Our family has had Privilege of being able to sing those songs. A lot of them together, which have an evangelism for a year together and that was really fun. And being able to sing his music, he's done a lot of music for West Coast, Baptist College in California. A lot the orchestral music and just Arrangements in things for their CDs and so but it's cool. So David talk to us a little bit more. Our time is coming to a close. got a few minutes left. Talk to us a little bit more. Just if there's anyone out there that's listening that they're involved, maybe in music and Leadership, kind of way. I know you've done that you've served on Church staff, and you've served with music, being a worship leader, and all of that. And then, or maybe there's someone listening that's our that loves to write music and they just, they love to worship God in that way. What kind of advice, would you give them that? Maybe it's helped you along the way. Mike. couple things, one, one of the greatest pieces of advice. I got when I was working at a church as a music, director of a school and church is when you're in charge of ministry like that where you are working with musicians, you are working with creative people is that you will have more of an influence with those people and more respect. When those people, if you just learn to build a relationship with them, not necessarily show them what you know, and try to impress them with your abilities, but more. So just building that relationship learning how they work and then teaching yourself to work with them, not trying to change who they are, but being able to utilize their unique abilities. And fit them where they would fit the best. So those that are working in a leadership position that that'd be my advice to them. For those writing music. Involve with that, I'd say one of the biggest things to do is keep a very close relationship with God. You may be looking for those incredible lyrics for that incredible song, but all of that is really only going to come as God speaks to you through his word through your private time with him when you're actually still and quiet. I guess I probably get the most song ideas when I'm journaling in the morning and it's quiet, or if I'm sitting in a service and I'm hearing somebody teach or preach or someone is speaking. I'm going to get probably some of the best lyric ideas in those situations. You may not may not be the best thing to be thinking about, but but honestly that's that's how God will speak to you. We'll give you that idea. Those lyrics that he wants you to convey to other people. 

So those those I think would be my top two things for those that are musicians or leader and Leadership position, this keep that close relationship with God, he'll speak to you if you're willing to hear them, that's awesome. Yeah, so true and I can say that as a second that as a writer as well, That it's going to flow out of the heart, out of the pureness of the heart, and the grace, that's in your lips. That's what brings you before. Kings Proverbs 22 tells us and, and a man that's diligent and in the chapter before it says, the man that's diligent in its business as well, but it's out of the heart out of that, but that's going to flow those acts of worship. 

Those words are music of worship to God and so awesome, David has been awesome interview And I learned a little bit about you today. I feel like and just about your heart with music and stuff. And so again, you could go to his song music, Publications dot org and listen some his music and he's got music for church, copies for a choir, all of that, good stuff that you can listen to us on iTunes and all that. And so, thanks so much for being on David, you you, it was a privilege. Alrighty, we'll see you soon.