It's still very much winter here in Winnipeg, but I am getting excited for Easter! Lent has just begun and I'm enjoying a daily reading from here.
What I'm also excited about, is getting my song, "This is Jesus" out there where people can hear it! I love the message that Jesus can relate to us--he was one of us. I love that this song was inspired by the community I live in: Winnipeg's North End. It is not a modern suburb, or even one of those quaint "character-home" communities. It can be a tough neighbourhood to live in with too many run-down houses and slum landlords, drug trafficking, and gang violence. But it's also a place where you don't have to live up to a certain image or compete "with the Joneses". It's a place where hurting people live, and Jesus would have hung out here.
Jesus was sent to the world he created, to save people broken by sin. It was all about love. And I want to spread that message this Easter.
Friday
Truth, Love, and Duck Dynasty
All this attention on Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty has got me thinking. For those who are unaware, Phil is a Christian backwoods kind-of-guy whose life was a mess until he “got saved” and who eventually landed a reality show that became wildly popular due to its raw honesty and morals, recently did an interview with GQ magazine in which he was very candid about his beliefs and experiences and what the Bible says about sin (as well as love), and offended gay rights groups which likely put pressure on A&E, and resulted in his suspension from the show.
As I’ve been discussing things with my husband, I’ve been
struck especially by how the message of Christian beliefs gets stuck at the
point of naming sin. It’s not
necessarily what is coming out of Christian’s mouths (although, sadly, it is sometimes
the case), but it’s what gets through.
The rest of the story, which Phil talked about openly in his interview, gets missed.
For, although the Bible tells us that sins like greed,
stealing, abusiveness, adultery, and practicing homosexuality will keep us from God and end in death ultimately (1Cor. 6:10), there’s
more to the story. That’s not the way it
has to end. In fact, the next sentence
in this letter to the church people in Corinth, said this, “Some of you were once like that.
But you were…made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 6:11).
What’s missing is the rescue. No one needs to stay stuck in things that
aren’t good for them, things that destroy trust, contentment, health, and
safety. Things that rob people of hope, peace, joy, and love.
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and
only Son [Jesus], so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have
eternal life (1John 3:16, NLT). That’s
the well-known Bible verse, but there’s one following that speaks even more
plainly to the issue at hand,
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world,
but to save the world through him.” (1 John 3:17).
Jesus didn’t come to condemn. He came to save. A Christmas carol says it well,
“God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world,
but to save the world through him.” (1 John 3:17).
Jesus didn’t come to condemn. He came to save. A Christmas carol says it well,
“Light and life to all he brings
Ris’n with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die.”(Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, Charles Wesley)
I wish I could say that Christians have lived this out well,
following Christ’s example. Too often,
we have proclaimed the truth of our beliefs without love. Love is what sent Jesus to save people from
destruction and death. That same love
should motivate us, as his followers, never to stop at pointing out sin, but to
give of ourselves sacrificially in love, prayer, and effort in order that
people may be saved from their sin into a full life, un-separated from God and
lasting on into heaven.
As our culture gets farther and farther from God, the Bible's words
sound more and more foreign, while at the same time, political correctness and
so-called tolerance become the norm. I
applaud Phil for his bold honesty and for proclaiming a message of love.
I hope the world’s eyes will be opened to Jesus’ purpose when he came as one of us: to save, not to condemn. He gave up his position and power to show us he understands us and has our best in mind. He had compassion on those who were in bondage to disease and demons. He was hard on the hypocrites and pious religious figures. He spent long nights in prayer.
I’ve written two songs about Jesus’ life in the last couple of years. Go have a listen if you like. One is more a Christmas-y song that I've not taken into the studio yet, and the other I released this year.
I hope the world’s eyes will be opened to Jesus’ purpose when he came as one of us: to save, not to condemn. He gave up his position and power to show us he understands us and has our best in mind. He had compassion on those who were in bondage to disease and demons. He was hard on the hypocrites and pious religious figures. He spent long nights in prayer.
I’ve written two songs about Jesus’ life in the last couple of years. Go have a listen if you like. One is more a Christmas-y song that I've not taken into the studio yet, and the other I released this year.
It’s getting harder to speak openly about God and what He
says. Some of my friends (Christian or
not) may not like that I agree with Mr. Duck Dynasty. I believe that when the whole truth about God
is revealed, it is the most loving thing that could be said to anyone. For we’re all messed up, but there is hope
for us through Jesus. That is the
message I want to proclaim this Christmas.
https://soundcloud.com/sonyajoy/this-is-jesus/
P.S. I've never watched Duck Dynasty before, but now I'd like to...
Sunday
7:30 p.m.
Christmas in Story and Song - an evening of pure Christmas joy
Join Sonya Braun as she sings Christmas carol favorites and tells Christmas stories that will stir your heart. If you are longing for a quiet evening to soak in the depth and richness of what Christmas is truly about, this is for you.
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Wednesday
Story of my day
For some, this day began rather grey and gloomy. But not for me. I know how this day really began. For the Great Creator called me out to see
His masterpiece this morning.
It all began around 5:00 with one of my kids not feeling
well. I was just settled back in bed
when I heard, “Mom”. Even as I went to
check on the voice I wondered if it were God.
He’s done this before. Sure
enough, everyone was sound asleep. I
tiptoed downstairs, scrounged around and found a pair of my son’s socks to
wear, got on my shoes, grabbed my keys and left.
As I started down the sidewalk, with anticipation of what
God had in store, I looked at the sky.
Cloudy. It started to drizzle
lightly. “Oh, no,” I thought to
myself. “I’m not dressed for this.” I pressed on, eager to see what was
next. I crossed Main Street. There was a clearing near the horizon. Promising.
I stop just short of Redwood Bridge and lean against a power
pole, feeling conspicuous as I wait.
Suddenly I see them. The clouds, first
bluish-grey, are now tinged with just a hint of dark red.
The breeze is chilling me and the rain is still lightly
falling. I step down a few feet near
some trees and gain shelter.
It is the perfect view: winding river, expansive sky, and
tree silhouettes to frame it all. Minute
by minute the red glow is brightening, then second by second. It is almost as if a dimmer switch were
cranking up the sunlight. Now everything
in front of me is glowing in a coral-red colour: both clouds and water. Backing up a little, I turn to see the rest
of the sky. Swirls of pink form a canopy
over Main Street and the Orthodox Cathedral’s domes are softly illuminated.
I am in awe, struck by the incredible beauty surrounding me,
and by a God who would invite me to witness it.
A few geese break the silence with insistent honks. They skim the water, land, and swim toward
the sunrise. I stand entranced as red
turns to orange. I descend the slope as
more geese call out. The tops of trees
are highlighted now and a building downriver is completely bathed in gold.
The sunlight is pouring onto the willows on the riverbank and I decide I want that light on my face. I walk upriver until I see it. The huge ball of fire on the horizon. The light is blinding. I cannot even face it at its brightest.
The sunlight is pouring onto the willows on the riverbank and I decide I want that light on my face. I walk upriver until I see it. The huge ball of fire on the horizon. The light is blinding. I cannot even face it at its brightest.
Something catches my eye.
There is a dance going on. Light
has just begun to hit the top of the bridge.
The pigeons are awakening. Twenty
of them fly up from under the bridge and their fluttering wings catch the light
as they circle and land. I wonder if they
like the feeling of the light so much that they spend the extra time dancing in
it. More and more birds leave their
night nest and join the others in their front row sunrise seats. Is it a morning ritual for them?
The colour has left most of the sky and shifted to
yellowish-white. I walk past the
paddleboats and up into St. John’s Park.
A shaft of light gilds the edges of trees and low-lying plants. Something in me knows to turn around. The cross over Holy Family nursing home is a
brilliant white against a background of blue.
“Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness”. The words of a song flash into my mind. Incredible.
I turn back toward the sun once again. My time is nearly done. I decide to walk through the park. The flowers are beautiful and I am thankful
for this green space tucked into the North End.
I look back up at the cross. Its
shining moment is over. I pass the
Cathedral. The smell of donuts wafts in
the air. Dull, grey clouds surround me now
and I thank God for his gifts to me this morning.
From now on, when I wake up with gloomy thoughts to match
the sky, I will remember. It’s quite
possible that I’ve only just missed seeing the light. But it was there. And it was beautiful.
Each day has promise.
Saturday
Summer Update
My 40th birthday concert was amazing! I had exactly 40 people there, including my siblings from Saskatchewan, fellow Toastmasters, friends, and various people I've met through our business. A couple people I'd never met before!
I love sharing my music and my story. It was a great night. Tears in the audience were not uncommon. It seems my journey connects with others'. It felt good to do something worthwhile on my birthday. I want to do concerts more often!
We did video the night. My brother did some casual stuff on my Blackberry Playbook and my husband did some very nice HD stuff, but we're not sure how to make the files a more manageable size. Video is something we're still learning about.
It was great fun to release my song, "This is Jesus". There were some North Enders in the crowd, and they were North-End-proud. (For non-Winnipeggers, the North End is an area of the city with inner-city characteristics--the "poorer" part of town). It is my belief that Jesus would have fit right in here. He cares about our community and he can identify with the struggles people face.
The song is currently available on CD baby for 99 cents: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonyabraun What I like about CD baby is that it gives its artists a great percentage of the proceeds. Noise Trade also carries my song and downloads are available for free with an option to pay a tip (but the amount is misleading as they take a bigger cut). I like that it gives people a choice and links people to my website and facebook pages. Sometime over the next few weeks, iTunes should finally have my song up. I like that it is very convenient and familiar for people (it pays the worst percentage, but perhaps it makes up for that in volume possibilities). The song lives on soundcloud.com, a place where I will likely continue to add demos of my songs as I can.
For fun, I posted a youtube video of the final take in the studio when we were laying down the drum and bass tracks. I also put my song on internet radio and people around the world heard it!
I would love to record a song in time for Christmas. I have it written already. If you know someone who might like this song or be interested in what I'm doing, I hope you'll help spread the word! Thanks.
I love sharing my music and my story. It was a great night. Tears in the audience were not uncommon. It seems my journey connects with others'. It felt good to do something worthwhile on my birthday. I want to do concerts more often!
We did video the night. My brother did some casual stuff on my Blackberry Playbook and my husband did some very nice HD stuff, but we're not sure how to make the files a more manageable size. Video is something we're still learning about.
It was great fun to release my song, "This is Jesus". There were some North Enders in the crowd, and they were North-End-proud. (For non-Winnipeggers, the North End is an area of the city with inner-city characteristics--the "poorer" part of town). It is my belief that Jesus would have fit right in here. He cares about our community and he can identify with the struggles people face.
The song is currently available on CD baby for 99 cents: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonyabraun What I like about CD baby is that it gives its artists a great percentage of the proceeds. Noise Trade also carries my song and downloads are available for free with an option to pay a tip (but the amount is misleading as they take a bigger cut). I like that it gives people a choice and links people to my website and facebook pages. Sometime over the next few weeks, iTunes should finally have my song up. I like that it is very convenient and familiar for people (it pays the worst percentage, but perhaps it makes up for that in volume possibilities). The song lives on soundcloud.com, a place where I will likely continue to add demos of my songs as I can.
For fun, I posted a youtube video of the final take in the studio when we were laying down the drum and bass tracks. I also put my song on internet radio and people around the world heard it!
I would love to record a song in time for Christmas. I have it written already. If you know someone who might like this song or be interested in what I'm doing, I hope you'll help spread the word! Thanks.
