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A Word, a Song, and a Moment with Worship Recording Artist Annie Sander
After listening to her new worship CD Brighter Day, I wanted to know more about the heart that drives Annie Sander's powerful voice.
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After listening to her new worship CD Brighter Day, I wanted to know more about the heart that drives Annie Sander's powerful voice. So over a cup of coffee, she shared thoughts about her music, her children, her role as a mom, and a few very real challenges that people in church work face. Annie even agreed to provide a free song download for Today's Children's Ministry readers. TCM: The song "Brighter Day" paints a picture of a future fresh with hope and joy. What's the story behind this song? Annie: When I started to work on "Brighter Day," I initially intended to write a song about my own faith journey. When I finished, though, I realized "Brighter Day" delivers a broader message about the hope we find in God's grace. Here's my thinking: It wasn't until I came to know Christ that I finally understood I was free from carrying the weight of life's burdens, stresses and strains on my small shoulders. I realized I could let go of the tight grip I had on life my way and trust God with every outcome. "Brighter Day" is meant to capture that "ah-ha" moment we all have once we begin to understand the wonder and depth of God's love. When trials and challenges continue to cross my path, I know I can face them fueled by trust that a bright new day will come; with anticipation of new possibilities and the promise of God's faithfulness. TCM: You've worked on the staff of a local church, so relate the message of this song to the challenges faced in ministry. Annie: I think the biggest challenge I've faced while on staff of a local church is remembering that while the church is the bride of Christ, it is still human nonetheless. While our best ministry intentions are to serve only Christ with our work, we often find ourselves serving him, ourselves, and others. I surely know that to be true! Therefore, a church will disappoint us at times, wrong us at times, and fail us at times. And we will fail it. Why would I think otherwise? In the past, I've caught myself on more than one occasion putting my faith in the promises the leaders of my ministry—only to feel disillusioned later. I've wrongly placed my sense of significance and identity in the positions I held within my ministry, rather than solely in Christ. But now, in an era when the ministry I serve is experiencing tremendous change and transformation (which can sometimes feel quite painful), it has been a catalyst for me to re-focus and return to the basic focus of ministry: Christ alone. Serving Christ must be what drives my every decision and every action; nothing more and nothing less. So anyone who works on a church staff can listen to "Brighter Day" as a message of hope and redemption. It's about breaking old patterns of behavior and running to him to lead our lives. |        
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