welcome meetings

Student Life runs them at Syd Uni for the first week after O-Week. I love them because everyone is catching up or making new friends. I believe in first impressions but I also believe in cultivating relationships as an ongoing process.

There is something about Christian gatherings. I love playing for them and I especially love being asked because it's such a pleasure, joy and surprise. Often I feel a tinge of guilt when I play for too many of these events, because I think maybe God doesn't want my music to be there, it is to serve another set of people who don't know Him at all.

It is strange for me these days to get nervous before a performance. I do it so often it is my lifestyle and my element and sadly, I confess in hiding behind my guitar and singing to sometimes avoid talking to people whilst doing outreach missions. Awful! That said, I was nervous before playing for this welcome meeting. I was shaking whilst doing so.

The Spirit rescued me and another StudLifer shared his testimony afterwards. Being a brother in Christ, he referenced the lyrics to my original song (the chorus which is made up of 1 Cor 13:3) to back up a pivotal moment in his understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus in his life.

I ate it up. I prayed in my car that night and nutted it out with the Father -- why was this brother's referencing to my song lyrics so special to me? why could I not stop smiling about it? Then alas, it hit me --

finally, I figured it out. My role in music ministry, my convictions about serving others daily and the joy it would bring.. why I can't stop writing songs about every revelation the Spirit has given me... my gift is to encourage, my service to others is to encourage through song, through relationships. Oh! The joy it brings!

You know, I am a soul singer and heavily emotional songwriter. I am, and will work hard in being anchored in the word of God, so that my lyrics emerge from this foundation, run free, and fall gently into your ears,

jolting your heart...