How is it that a small-town mom, wife, mental health counsellor who can barely strum a guitar, and mostly sing alone in her bedroom becomes a songwriter and records an album? What a great question! Who would think of doing such a thing when you know that your own family and friends may throw things at you it you were to play for them?
Truthfully I've been singing for as long as can remember. And I have always loved writing, story telling, music and poetry. I fell in love with stories before I could even read! Laughter through the art of poetry and story telling was the norm in my family tree on both sides.
My whole life our family has enjoyed sitting around and exchanging stories and bursting with laughter. Who doesn't enjoy that? But we all know that life isn't always about laughter.
Life is also about tears, pain and heartbreak. Stories like these are more challenging to share, tougher to listen to, and less likely to attract a wide audience. Like most human families we have experienced our share of pain. We've had everything from poverty and financial difficulties to hailed out crops and tornados. We've seen tragic accidents and lives destroyed by addictions, suicides, depression, untimely deaths, illnesses, disabilities, divorces, break ups, and shin kicking arguments. Inside of me I've felt the sharp splinters from our shared family brokenness and life's handed me some sharp shards of my own.
But what I have discovered in the midst of all the tears and confusion, is a story that I think is worth sharing. I have found a Savior who has carried me through when I thought I couldn't go on. And this is what my worship songs are all about. I have titled my debut album Benedikt, which means "to speak good" or "to bless." We have an Icelandic horse on our farm named Benedikt and my Great Grandpa was Icelandic so I thought this was a perfect name for the album. The stained glass represents beauty crafted from broken pieces just like our lives are.
It also symbolizes my belief that the Church, though broken and imperfect, has a mission: to be the hands, feet and voice of Jesus, bringing hope to a world that is desperate for it.
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