Christi's Capers

A musician by trade, Christi Griffith has enjoyed employing a variety of gifts and talents in her youth and adult life.  Even from a young age, singing has been her greatest passion.  She began singing out of the hymnal in her living room with her best friend, singing in the children's choir at First Baptist Church Pasadena during the their televised Christmas productions, and studying piano, starting at age six.  She sang her first solo in church at age 12, singing "Father's Eyes" by Amy Grant.

Christi didn't have a voice lesson until age 16, but sang in choirs and productions and directed children's productions throughout high school.  She eventually attended Belmont University in Nashville, TN as a voice major and received her degree in music education with an emphasis in classical voice.  After graduating, she continued studying privately with Shirley Zielinski in Nashville and finally Bennie Gillette in Munich, Germany.

After almost a year in Germany, she headed back home to California.  Having been gone for 7 years, living with her parents as an adult proved to be very healing and comforting.  She also began compiling a K-12 music program at a Classical Christian school, along with teaching grades 2-5 and Latin in the early years of the school.  Having a new-found love for Classical education and bridging that with her music education background, Christi enjoyed taking her experience to the community directing choirs, theatrical productions and church programs, and working with homeschooling groups both academically and artistically.

Life changed instantly when her father suddenly and tragically of died of multiple pulmonary embolisms.  However, it was through his death, six days after his memorial service, that Christi met the love of her life, Rob Griffith.  A musician and teacher himself by gifting, they discovered God's amazing plan in creating them for each other and began their journey as husband and wife in March 2001. 

The decision for Rob to attend seminary was years in coming, but not having any children and seeing the job market changing for Rob, they decided to take the plunge.  They bought a house in Orlando, sold their house in Oxnard and just prior to starting their trek East, they discovered they were pregnant with their first child.  Feeling rather overwhelmed with so many life changes, they persevered and God's hand sustained them. They were able to achieve not just one beautiful home birth, but two during seminary and one afterward.

Christi now currently teaches her three boys at home and operates "Soli Deo Gloria Music Studio," teaching private voice and piano.  While she misses performing regularly, she has enjoyed opportunities that have arisen for her to be back on stage.

Her biggest hurdle is working to achieve vocal dexterity after children.  From the first month of her first pregnancy, she has been unable to sing with her trained skill.  The many physical and hormonal changes have had a negative effect, but they have not taken away her first artistic love:  the singing process.  She plans to continue to pursue what she coins "vocal physical therapy," relearning her instrument, that she might be a good steward of the gift God has given her, for God's pleasure and her enjoyment, and to be the best teacher she can be for her students.

An equally stimulating passion is holistic home-living encompassing all facets of health:  physical, spiritual and emotional.  Believing less is more, she is on a constant quest to simplify food, medical intervention, and activities.  She also continues to ascertain how to gain as many nutrients from food as possible in feeding her family, believing food is our best medicine.  Maybe some of that will show up in a blog or two. 

Newly ordained in the Episcopal church, Rob currently works fulltime at Third Millennium Ministries on the development team.  Third Mill produces seminary level multi-media materials for the world for FREE.  Check out http://thirdmill.org/ for more info and online Biblical courses. 


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