Leifs Thread

[brianfalexander]

Got a question for Leif? Ask it here.

Feel free to check out Leifs blog http://jeremycamp.typepad.com/leif/

[Chad]

Yeah, I got a question. I want my 9-year-old son to learn to play drums. Aside from buying him the drums, what should I do for him? Does he need a teacher? or just lots and lots of banging around?

[Anwald]

Leif is just one of the coolest people I've ever met, and the best drummer hands down! :)
I hope he doesn't leave the band any time soon!

[LauraA]

I agree with you!! I'd be sooooo sad if Leif left. But I don't think he will. Leif, please confirm. :)

[BeLeif]

Yeah, I got a question. I want my 9-year-old son to learn to play drums. Aside from buying him the drums, what should I do for him? Does he need a teacher? or just lots and lots of banging around?


Hey Chad, yeah with your son it would be great to hook him up with another drummer in your town or at your church to get lessons. Lessons really help develop the basics so he knows what to practice. It will expose his strengths and his weaknesses. Also, he'll need to practice a lot. But if you get a good teacher, hopefully he'll keep it fun. Have him practice to music.

Leif

[LauraA]

Cool.

My grandson just started lessons two weeks ago. (age 7). He loves it and drums on everything. Ben, our 7 year old, was going to play, but now is leaning more towards the piano.

Leif, do you play anything other than drums? You always look like you're having a blast when you play. Do you feel like your arms are about to fall off by the end of a "concert"? (more like a worship service)

God Bless You,
Laura

[Wheels4Jesus]

We actaually have a band member posting on here?!?! SWEET!!!

[Chad]

Leif, thanks for your reply!

Coolness, I'll hook him up with someone. (And maybe get some ear plugs...);)

[Kaylee13]

Cool.

My grandson just started lessons two weeks ago. (age 7). He loves it and drums on everything. Ben, our 7 year old, was going to play, but now is leaning more towards the piano.

Leif, do you play anything other than drums? You always look like you're having a blast when you play. Do you feel like your arms are about to fall off by the end of a "concert"? (more like a worship service)

God Bless You,
Laura
I thought I heard that he played guitar a little bit, not for sure tho.

[Bubelaiken]

Hey leif

i saw that you dye your hair black


it look awesome


anyway what made you dye your hair that way????

[Jonas_Brothers]

You know, Leif still owes Aaron from Hawk Nelson, my friend Zach, and me In-n-Out.
I still havent forgotton since 2006.
:P

[hoyabaseball19]

Hey,
I went to yall's acoustic concert at a church in Roswell, GA. I saw you playin' a cajon with both hands, but one had a brush in it. I was wonderin if you had any tips on playin it. I've been thinkin about gettin one since I'm goin to college and a drumset would be hard to lug away from home.

God Bless,

David Chabucos

[caleb]

Hey Leif, i have always wondered from music videos, have u always been jeremy's drummer or r u the second one?

[caleb]

Hey Leif, have u always been jeremy camp's drummer since in some videos it looks like there was a different drummer? Oh Yeah r u a member on the message boards?

[caleb]

Oh Yeah r u a member on these message boards?

[BeLeif]

I'm sitting here in my room before I go to bus call to go out this weekend. I saw some questions on here and will attempt to reply to them all in this post instead of a bunch of replies. So, here goes.

Laura A asked if I play any other instruments. Yes, I also play guitar and piano. I wouldn't say I am a guitarist or pianist, but I know enough to write songs and the knowledge of those other instruments have helped me with the drums. Knowing how songs are structured and music theory all help make a better musician.

Bubelaiken asked why I dyed my hair: I like to change it up, it's fun and black is my favorite color.


hoyabaseball19 asked if I have any tips on playing the cajon: I learned to play the cajon in the back of a little charter plane on the way to the gig. I watched others and morphed other ideas to my own. I taught a drum class at Camp Electric and I covered the cajon. Someone recorded a bit of it with their camera phone, so here's a little inside look in one of the classes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-OaYz3slR8



Caleb asks if I've always been Jeremy's drummer and in the videos: Yes I started with Jeremy in the summer of 2000. (before he was signed to BEC) He uses me in his videos when he uses a band.


Last thing. I get some questions about lessons and I've started to try and give lessons on the road. Basically when we come through your town I'll try and get together with you for a private drum or cajon lesson. If that's something you're interested in or know someone that is please send me a message on

www.myspace.com/leifskartland

and we'll work something out. I appreciate all of you. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Leif Skartland

[Bubelaiken]

Cool leif....

I know what you mean leif... I dye my Hair blond... and sometimes green which nobody love it. i guess it because i has been trying to accept in the cool group. I am trying to be other peoples but then i realized that everybody love me who i am and if they have promblem with being myself then deal with it.... but My whole life i has been trying to be cool and hip.

but now i like who i am!

[LauraA]

^^^It is still very dark and longer now. It looks nice. You can see pictures of it on his blog from today.

[BeLeif]

I've had a few request for this post. In high school after reading some books, talking with friends, and some life experiences I wrote this little...I don't even know what to call it, so this thing here. It's called Never Settle For Second Best. It has to do with dating, marriage, and relationships. I'm not saying this is the only way to do relationships, but this is what I did and it worked out great!

[BeLeif]

Never Settle For Second Best

What does this mean? Well, if God is not in your relationship, then what is your focus or what is your relationship centered around? Each other. The center is selfishness. James 3:16 says, "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there." Verse 17 says "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."
Purity is the first form of wisdom that is from above. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you...you are not your own. (I Corinthians 6:19) To be pure is free from mixture or contact with that which weakens, impairs, or pollutes. How can we keep our bodies pure? Safe sex? Only kissing? How about just holding hands? If you have any speck of defiance in you, your body is not pure. The Bible says "none are righteous, no not one", (Romans 3:10) to be pure we have to keep ourselves pure. It's an action we must take. Anything that causes you or the other person to stumble (lust, putting them before God, or distracting them from hearing the Lord's voice) is sin. We are pure in Christ, not because we've not sinned, but because we are forgiven.
Peaceable, do anything and everything to live peaceably...Romans 12:18. If you can just drop the problem, then do it. Swallow your pride and let it go. That's your pride saying, "yea I'm right and I can prove it". Proverbs 17:9 says, "He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends." Don't keep bringing stuff up, let them go, unless you are doing it out of love to help the other person, and your motive is to see them grow in the Lord. The way you present yourself says a lot when you are confronting someone about his or her sin.
Gentleness, a fruit of the Spirit. No one will ever keep you from obtaining the fruit of the Spirit except yourself. "Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand." "A soft answer turns away wrath,"(Prov.15: 1) When you are speaking with gentleness, it's contagious. The other person will feel awkward yelling and screaming.
Now, willing to yield would be in the sense of waiting for God's timing, in dating, marriage, and even daily decisions. When you accept Jesus into your life you are submitting your will for His perfect will. Being willing to yield your will or your own timing on something, proves the respect you have for God and for your spouse. Maybe you feel ready to date, and you’re wondering why God hasn't told you to go for it. Well, a relationship takes two, you might be ready, but the other person has to be ready also. Sometimes we have to yield, so the other person can grow.
Full of mercy and good fruits, a description of Jesus Christ. It was His mercy and grace that saved us, through the blood of Jesus. Having mercy is an act of humbleness, which means learning to let things go. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is what we should strive for in our lives and in our relationships. Mercy is not getting what you deserve. We all deserve hell, but God's mercy saves us. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. By God's grace we get to spend eternity with Him. Partiality means unfair; bias. Be fair with one another, do to them as you would want done to you. (Matthew 7:12) When you step back and really see the whole picture of why we as Christians are really here, (to love God and to get others saved) you see past partiality. It's not something you pick up and now you got it, you have to remind yourself not to show partiality. Hypocrite - saying one thing and doing another. This could be seen in today's society as standing up for something, but not following through with it. Living life without hypocrisy is setting a standard that you are faithful to follow.

Now to better understand these concepts and apply this wisdom, we need the fear of the Lord. In Proverbs 9:10 says,” the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." What is the fear of the Lord? The kind of fear Proverbs is talking about is the act of respect, not trembling or terror. The fear of the Lord helps us understand His position and His glory. When you understand that He sees our life from the beginning to end and knows what's best for us right now and surrender your will for His, you fear the Lord. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil." (Prov. 8:13) "The fear of the Lord leads to life." (Prov. 19:23) "A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (Prov.31:30)
If we can't fast and pray about our relationship, in other words be patient and wait for God to open the door for a relationship, we are not submitting to the Lord's will in our life. I read once, "The right thing at the wrong time, is the wrong thing." We have to be so careful of who we attach ourselves to. The Lord will show you who you will marry, don't waste your time trying to figure out the future when the Lord already sees it and is trying to direct your steps. Proverbs 4:27 says, "Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil." If He doesn't open the door, don't bust it down.
I Corinthians 9:27 says, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection," To discipline your body is to deny your flesh. Your flesh and spirit battle every day over the decisions you make. I heard an analogy once of how our spirit is like a good dog and our flesh are like a bad dog. The more you feed the bad dog, the stronger it becomes and weaker the good dog becomes, and vice versa. The "food" being our actions and thoughts. Remember that the next time you are tempted or struggling with a particular sin. When dealing with the opposite sex as friends, be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. (Romans 12:10) Stay friends by playing the part of a real friend. Waiting for Gods timing for romance is never settling for second best.

What is the roll of a real friend?
Well let’s see what the Bible says. Proverbs 17:17 says, "A friend loves at all times." Meaning, even when your friend is not being mature or just mean to you, you be the leader and love at all times. We as Christians sometimes think because we are suppose to be nice to everyone, that people take advantage of our kindness. But even Jesus got His kindness taken advantage of. One who is secure with their life, doesn't see it as being taken advantage of. We are called to be servants, to love our enemies. Proverbs 25:21 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat;" We need to uphold all people higher than ourselves. Jesus talks about friends in John 15:12-14 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you." There is a difference between a friend and a true friend. A true friend looks out for the spiritual needs of the other. Their desire is to draw the other person to Jesus. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." When a true friend really cares for you, they will naturally take you to Jesus.

[BeLeif]

Practice waiting

Surprisingly practice doesn't always make perfect, at least when it comes to marriage, sex, and romance. Practicing does the opposite! It makes what God intended to be extraordinary very commonplace. Now, settling for second best in the dating form is not taking dating seriously. Dating to have fun is not respecting each other and is not listening to God's voice. I believe that marriage is a gift from the Lord, not a right. (Everyone wants to think marriage is for him or her) In 1 Corinthians 7: 32-38, Paul talks about how in his opinion it's better to not marry, because " he who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord - how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world - how he may please his wife". Verse 35 - "And this I say for your own profit, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is proper, and that you may serve the Lord without distraction". God did not create marriage to distract one another; He designed it to help each other. God said "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him". (Genesis 2:18) In verse 24 of chapter 2, God said, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh". Ephesians 5:32 " This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church". This is an example that Christ made for us to see the relationship between God and the church. 1 Corinthians 7:7 Paul is saying, " For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that". Meaning, that neither is more or less because it's a gift from the Lord. God will not tell you to date someone who you will not marry. It's pointless to date someone who you are not going to marry. That is defeating the purpose of dating. What is the real purpose? Everyone agrees it's to get to know the other person. Well, a lot of people say, "how am I going to get to know this person if I don't go out with them?" "You learn more about that person when you're alone talking." My question is, what’s wrong with being friends first? Why can't you get to know that person by being their friend? Well, I'm telling you that you can. On a one on one date situation there is a feeling of "I have to impress the other person", and sometimes you act different one on one, as well as you act different in a big group. What I'm saying is you will be able to tell if that person has the qualities of a good husband or wife, by being their friend. You will be able to see how they love God and how if they put God number one in their life. You will be able to see how they treat people without the pressure of having to please someone. Then, if the Lord says it's ok to date this person, you know then that it will last. Waiting for His timing is never settling for second best.

Hearing from the Lord:
Many people make the mistake of thinking that what they hear is from the Lord. I have heard many people say that their relationship is from God. They think it's from God or they think the Lord told them to go out or get married. Some of them sounded right. It seemed the Lord was opening doors for them and teaching them about Him and everything was going great, until one day God shut it down. They saw who each other really were and didn't like their situation. They broke up right before they got married. The Lord saved them from a life long mistake, but they still have the scars of a wrong relationship. God didn't plan us to go through all that heartache just to find out whom we shouldn't spend the rest of our lives with. How does the Lord speak to you? Is it something you feel, or something you judge by your circumstances? Well, the main way God speaks to us is through His Word, the Bible. You ask Him a question and then read the Bible to find your answer. Sometimes when we ask God something and He doesn't answer us right away, we go ask someone else; someone quick, easy, and tangible. This is dangerous, because God is a jealous God. He not only wants, but also deserves your best. He wants you to wait on Him. He also speaks to us in other ways such as, people, circumstances, church, or feeling of peace, and sometimes even dreams. Hearing God's voice can be difficult because we as humans sometimes hear what we want to hear and then say, "The Lord told me". This is really hard because those people really thought that God was speaking to them. You might find the perfect guy or girl, who totally loves the Lord and even draws you to God. They have a good personality that fits yours and they are attractive, and they like you too! This seems to be perfect right? Why wouldn't God be hooking you up? Maybe He is, just not at the time you feel He should. Remember, "The right thing at the wrong time is still*the wrong thing". So don't ruin what God has for you by rushing His will. Daily submit your will for His; this is what it means when you asked Him into your heart to be your Lord and Savior. For Him to be your Lord means that you submit your will for His. It's continually applying the basics that show you trust that He knows more than you. When Jesus said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done". Jesus gave us an example of submitting our will to our Fathers'. When Jesus was explaining how to pray He said, "Your kingdom come. Your*will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Always pertaining to the will of God, not His own! For Him to be your Savior, means you acknowledge your need for a Savior, you need to be saved from your sin. Knowing that Jesus is the only way to be saved. Acknowledging that God sent His Son to die for your sins on the cross and rose on the third day. Submitting your will to hear the Lord's is never settling for second best.

Road to Marriage:
2 Peter 1:5-7 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to persevere godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love." Start out with diligent faith toward your virtues. The traits the Lord has blessed you with, add faith to those. Be diligent with your faith trusting that God has a perfect plan for your life. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." God hasn't shown us everything or our whole life because if He did, we would try and plan it our way,(The quickest with no pain)*instead of step by step His way. Attain knowledge of who has the attributes of a godly husband or wife, knowing what is good and what God would want in your life and in your marriage, but self-control is taking that knowledge and waiting for God's timing. To persevere means to wait in a sever situation, while building character.
While persevering with self-control use godliness, which is living above reproach. Living in godliness can sometimes challenge your brotherly kindness toward each other. Trying not to be too nice (flirting) but having that balance between being a friend and not being a distracting friend. But, when you've been diligent in your faith, using knowledge with self-control, in perseverance, through godliness and brotherly kindness, this all produces love. Walking God's road to marriage is never settling for second best.

[BeLeif]

What should we be looking for in a partner?
Colossians 3:12-17 portrays the attributes of someone who makes and puts God number one in their life. " Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful, 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. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him". Someone who draws you closer to Jesus, and doesn't distract you from keeping your eyes on the Lord is the person you should wait for. Amos 3:3 asks, " Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?" If you both have the same focus, goal, and priority the Lord will honor that and bless you two in His timing. The only relationship you need in order to be complete in is your relationship with Jesus. I didn't say feel, I said need. Sometimes we don't feel complete. That’s our flesh saying we need something else. No human can fill that void; it's a God-shaped hole. Waiting for that person who draws you to Jesus and letting God fill your life is never settling for second best.

Our Mission:
The real reason we as Christians are here on earth is to love God and to witness to others. To love God means to keep His commandments. (John 14:15) Love is the greatest commandment. (1 Cor. 13:13) "We love Him because He first loved us". (1 John 4:19) "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength". (Deuteronomy 6:5) I see us on earth as navy seals. They have to be the best of the best. All they strive for is the best; they train the hardest and do everything to serve their country. We as Christians should strive for the best and train (study the Word) the hardest and do everything to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Evangelism is a big part in a Christian's life. It's a battle out there in the world, not battling flesh and blood, but battling the spirit and prayer is out main weapon. (Eph. 6:12) Giving God your best is never settling for second best.

Settling for #1:
We've seen through all of this, to be ok with number one, we need to have the mind set and strive to be number one. In everything we do, doing it unto the Lord with meekness. To have a good friend, you must be a good friend. Listening for the Lord and waiting for His timing produces patience and character. We've learned how to know what the Lord's will for our life is and how to know what to expect in a partner. We must keep focused on the mission that God has assigned us. These are just a few of the smart steps we should take when thinking of marriage. The bottom line is the closer you get to God, the more His thoughts become your thoughts. Be*willing to be used by God and He will use you to do great and mighty things that you can't even imagine! " Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly all that we could ever ask or imagine according to the power that works within us." Eph 3:20*

[Kelly]

Amen Leif! Thanks so much for sharing this!!! :)

Patience is a big one for me! And in learning how to hear God's voice, I can't tell you how many times I prayed that God would show me His will for me, and I would read my devotional for the day, or my Bible reading for the day and it said exactly what I needed it to say. God's timing is absolutely perfect and we need to learn to accept His timing for our lives!

When I was reading this, lyrics from My Desire popped into my head:

All my life I have seen where you've taken me, beyond all I have hoped and there's more left unseen.

So many times in life I get impatient and try to make things happen for myself, but then God calls me back to Him and I look back at my life and see that it all worked out better than I could've ever imagined for myself! Praise God!

[LauraA]

This is an excellent Bible Study on waiting on God, waiting for the best. As a teenager, I did not listen to good counsel, or the voice of the Lord. Because I refused, I messed up a good many years of my life. It caused pain, regret, guilt, anger and shame. Thankfully, Jesus pulled me out of the miry clay and opened my eyes to His love and forgiveness. I pray that any of you who read these words of wisdom that Leif took the time to share with us really take it to heart and discipline yourselves to wait on God. You will be blessed! :)

Thanks, Leif. Your heart for God is inspiring!
Laura

[Bubelaiken]

wow amazing post! i never really thought of this but this soo funny because i was trying to get a boyfreind because i feel like i am missing out on something and all the girl in my youth group some got boyfreind. i felt like i need one but then i realized that i don't need a boyfreind because it would cause some heartbreak and everything. I realized i already a relationship and that is Jesus. he would never cause heartbreak with me. I also promise to god to stay pure until marriage but It kind amazing how leif post this. it like leif knew what i am talking about and How everybody is having same promblems as i do.

I guess leif and i think alike lol lol lol lol.

[LauraA]

You have such a sweet spirit, Leyanet. Jesus will honor your commitment to staying pure. He has created someone just for you and will bring that man to you when the time is right for both of you. Keep focusing on Jesus.

[LauraA]

I asked my son today (oldest son, who will be 34 on Monday :eek:) if we could take him and Steph, his wife, out for dinner for their birthdays. Steph's is the following week. I asked him where they would LOVE to go and he said to "Samba", a Brazilian restaurant. I thought of you, Leif, as soon as he said that because of the conversation we had at the WI State Fair and the picture in your blog with the breakfast cereal. I thought you might want to look at the website.

http://sambabraziliangrill.com/index.html

God Bless You,
Laura

[hoffmanM]

Hey Leif, My wife wants to get me a Cajon and I've been shopping around, I was wondering what kind (brand, model) you are playing in the live acoustic DVD, I really like the sound it had. Also does it have a pick up, or do you just put a mic on it?
Thanks for your help!
-Matt, Missoula MT

[BeLeif]

Hey Hoffman,
Ya the Cajon I play is a Schlagwerk. They are made in Germany. Seriously, they are the best. Other companies try and do what Schlagwerk does. They have a importer you can order from:

http://pioneervalleyimports.com/store/index.php?cPath=1_7

They are hallow and have strings and bells inside. I mic mine from the hole in the back and one in the front. The one on the dvd is the "la peru beech".

Hope that helps, let me know what you get. Enjoy

Leif

[hoffmanM]

Hey, thanks for the reply, it's good to know. That one is a little outside of my price range, especially since the country could enter a great depression tomorrow :)
I have been looking at Meinl and LP Cajons, are they any good or should I wait a few months and not waste my money on one of those?
Thanks for your help
-Matt

[hoffmanM]

Nevermind, I've deceided to go with the Schlagwerk, but I was wondering if you have any experience with the Two in Ones, what are the differences between that and the la peru cajons. I'm getting one on the 10th so let me know!
-matt

[Kelly]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEIF!!!!! Hope your day is filled with many, many great blessings! :)

[drake71449]

oh my you mean i almost forgot.... happy happy bday were so glad you came
happy happy bday from the Team Campers gang

:P

[jayhawk4]

Happy birthday, Leif!! :)

[AmandaT]

Happy birthday, Leif! And happy birthday to Ashley too!

I remember that her birthday is really close to yours, but don't remember if it's before or after yours.

[Psalms23]

Happy birthday Leif!

[VegasBaby33]

The Lord speaks in many ways!!! I was praying so hard for understanding and an answer, and my cell phone sounded a text came in.... It was Leif's Twitter about Romans 13:1 being encouraging. This was just the answer and solace I needed.
Thank you Leif for being God's messenger tonight... I'll be counting on you for the next 4 years...
:-)