Sounds of Freedom Week 2

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This week I am sharing some of my testimony as part of the Sounds of Freedom series.If you would like to be involved in sharing some of how one of your favourite worship songs has impacted your faith then please get in touch.

Sometimes I wake up in a cold sweat remembering some stupid thing I said, about five years ago, to someone I don’t even know anymore,

It’s like I’m right there again, and the guilt washes over me anew.

I’ve got regrets of friendships I didn’t put more effort into and exams I didn’t try hard enough at.

I’ve got some bigger regrets as well. Like, when I was a teenager I was determined to work as a missionary in New York. I thought about applying to work with a ministry over and over, but in the end Idid’t because I was just too scared.

It’s easy for me to think that if I had tried harder, if I had been braver, then my life would be in completely different. Sometimes I feel like I have missed my chance. Because I didn’t listen to God’s voice that one time, he won’t ever want to use me again.

That’s not true.

God’s grace is so much bigger than that. It’s bigger than our circumstances, bigger than our past mistakes. His Grace is huge, and it covers everything.

Matthew West’s song sums it up perfectly: “Grace wins every time.”

The mistakes we made in our past may impact our future, but they don’t define them. Jonah was swallowed by a whale, not devoured by one. And God still wants to use us. No matter how much we messed up in the past.

He wants to use you if you’ve made the biggest mistakes imaginable . He wants to use you if everyone thinks you’re the perfect little Christian girl, but deep down you know that you’re not. God’s grace covers it all.

Throughout the bible we see God use imperfect, messed up people, time and time again. Moses was a murderer and yet God used him to lead his people out of the promised land. David was an adulterer,and still he was called a man after God’s own heart.

God’s grace covered their sins and it can cover yours as well.

 

 

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This weeks Sounds of Freedom was written by Alice, she loves works as a teaching assistant and love Christ, chocolate and crochet.

Sounds of Freedom 1

Posted in Real Life Stories, Uncategorized by

In the first of a new series, David Gaskell shares his favourite worship song, and how it has impacted his life.

When I was asked to write about my favourite worship song loads came to mind. At present the Elevation Worship album; Here as in Heaven, many songs in it point towards God and show thanksgiving. Also I’ve been reading Matt Redman’s book 10,000 reasons, which explains amazing stories surrounding his heaven sent worship song, and since watching the movie God’s Not Dead I’ve really enjoyed the song Like a Lion by David Crowder Band or God’s Not Dead By The Newsboys. But the one song that always inspires me and takes me to a place of worship is the song How He Loves By David Crowder Band.

I first heard this song when Alice (my youth leader at the time) took our church youth group to Soul Survivor in 2012 (don’t look at the photos, I don’t look that good in them). The song was played and instantly I was taken aback at actually how much God does love us and me. The song sings about how “great his (God’s) affections are for me (us all)” and his love is better and stronger than any other kind of love song by Adele, Beiber or any other secular artist; past, present or future. The song says “He Loves” 22 times within the 5min 19secs of the song, which really hits home actually how much he does love and no body could out love God. The one line within this song that does cause “conflict” is the infamous “Sloppy wet kiss” line Vs “Unforeseen kiss” line. In my view both do work; the unforeseen line brings the image of someone kissing you unexpectedly and leaving you thinking: “Dude, did you just kiss me?” as it was unexpected and in someways undeserved. The sloppy wet kiss line was explained to me by Katie at my church in York, that it’s like getting a kiss off your Nan. She gives kisses that are wet, sloppy and are in no way dignified, but behind every Grandma kiss there is so much love, you get over the fact you’ve had your second shower of the day courtesy of your grandparent’s spit.

This song spoke to me so much that I decided to have it played at my full emersion (re)baptism as I came up put of the water. The song hit me in such a way because it reminded me that God loves me so much that he took all my sins away, meaning when I came up out of the water I was made clean again. This song will go with me wherever I go, when it’s forgotten and I’m the only one who remembers it, it will be just as powerful then as it was the first time I heard it.

The song is one of the greatest love songs about the greatest love story ever, where I am the princess being saved by prince charming (Jesus on the cross).

David Gaskell is a Physiotherapy student from the North West of England.

 

 

 

If you are interested in sharing what your favourite song means to you, please leave a comment below, or get in contact through the contact page.

When You’re not First Choice

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When I was in school, like a lot of girls, I dreaded PE lessons. It wasn’t because I had to wear shorts outside, even when there was frost on the ground; or because of having to get changed in front of classmates at the age where you feel the most uncomfortable in your own skin; or because of having to run cross-country, even outside of the school grounds!

No, the reason I dreaded PE lessons was because of “choosing teams”. Whenever we played net ball or rounders, the most sporty girls would be chosen to pick the teams.

Right now I can imagine there are two types of people reading this. Those who don’t get what I was worried about. (Those were the sporty girls!) And the ones like me. The ones who never got to pick the teams. The ones who were never chosen first, and were often one of the very last to be picked.

I’m sure the girls who were like me can relate to the sick feeling of worry. Will I be the last person to be picked, again? Will I be the one that no one wants on their team (again)? Then more and more of your friends are chosen and you realise that no one really wants you on their team.

I want to tell you today that you are chosen.

And not just because you were the last option. Not just because the choice was between you and the girl with a broken arm who couldn’t even throw or catch a ball if she wanted to.

God wants you on his team. You are not just the left overs, that he was stuck with. You were his first choice.

But it doesn’t end there. Being chosen is a privilege and a responsibility. Because you are chosen God has a purpose for your life, one that is so much greater than you could ever imagine.

You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name. (John 15:16)

 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.(Ephesians 2:10)

 

A Basket-Full of Worries

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This is a story I wrote a while ago about letting go of our worries.

She was tired. She had been walking down this road for a long time. How long? She couldn’t be sure, which in itself was quite worrying. But what was confusing her most was that now she seemed to be carrying a basket.

She definitely didn’t have a basket in her hand a couple of minutes ago. Where had it come from?  As she looked at the basket she realised it was full of stones.

As she continued walking, she became aware of footsteps beside her. It was a man. “You look worn out,” he said. “Maybe we should stop beside that tree and have a rest.”

She should have been surprised, but wasn’t. She recognised his voice. It was one she had heard in her childhood, when she felt scared. She hadn’t heard it for a long time, though. Something about the man made her feel safe, so she agreed to rest with him.

When they reached the tree, the man turned to her. “What’s in your basket?” He asked.

“Just some stones,” she replied, feeling foolish.

“I can carry them for you,” he said.

She was about to agree. But then she looked down at the basket. The stones really were beautiful she thought.

As she picked one up, a picture of her home appeared on it.

“Let me take that stone from you.” Said the man, lovingly.

“No, this is important, it’s my house.”

“Give it to me. Your burden will be lighter.” His voice was kind, and she trusted him, but she was scared.

She thought of the time she had spent choosing things for the house and decorating it; making it beautiful for her family.

“You do not need to worry about where you live, I will provide you everything you need. I will be your home now, forever.”

It was hard, but she handed the stone to the man. She felt lighter.

She picked up the next stone, on it appeared a picture of the place where she worked.

“I can take that one form you as well,” said the man. “Your burden will be lighter.”

She thought about her work, she always felt so important and in control when she was there.

“Trust me. You no longer need to find your worth in the work that you do. You can find your worth in me.”

It was hard but she handed the stone to him. Again, she felt lighter.

That evening, as the sun was setting, she handed many stones to him. Soon there were only two left in the basket.

She picked one up. On it appeared a picture of her family. She could not possibly give this stone to the man.

“What’s on that stone?” Asked the man, although she sensed he already knew the answer.

She felt tears running down her cheeks. “It’s my family, I can’t give you my family.”

The man said their names. “You can trust me, I know them and I love them too. Give them to me and I will take care of them too, I will keep hold of them. You do not need to be afraid.”

With pain like she had never felt before she handed him the stone. She really did trust him, and knew that he would take better care of them than she ever could.

“This last stone is the hardest one,” said the man. As she picked it up she a picture of her heart appeared on it. “Give me your heart, and I will give you a new one.”

She felt her blood pumping through her body. How could she give him her heart? But she trusted him.

“Allright,” she said, expecting to feel pain, like she did with the last stone. She didn’t. She felt joy like she had never felt before. She felt free.

“You are my child now,” said the man, taking hold of her hand. “I will never let you go.”

Suddenly a spring appeared next to to them.

“You are thirsty,” said them man. “Go and take a drink.”

The water was the sweetest thing she had tasted. It was like she had been thirsty her whole life, but just hadn’t realised it.

The man spoke to her again. “You need to continue your journey. You won’t see me for a while, but I will always be with you. You do not need to be afraid of anything.”