I Am Free to Write

So it's 11:00 on a Thursday evening. Thomas has been called to Lafayette on business at the last minute, and we're leaving for vacation in less than 36 hours. Packing and preparation is all on me. The kids are asleep, and I'm facing a mountain of laundry, a pile of dishes, a list of things to gather and pack a mile long, an 8-hour work day tomorrow, and a writing "assignment" for tonight. I have agreed to be a prayer partner for a member of our church attending Big House (a youth mission trip) next week. Ashley and the rest of the youth and chaperones will leave the day after we return from our vacation next week. So I have to get my "assignment"—four cards of encouragement—completed tonight. And I have drawn the Assistant Youth Director as my prayer partner—a young man who appears to be about 10 times more God-inspired than I can ever hope to be! So I'm just at a loss as to what to write, and I've therefore been putting it off. I mean what could I possibly say to him that won't sound completely, well, stupid?

So I'm flipping through the mail I tossed on the counter when I came home two hours ago, and there in the pile is the Women of Faith CD I requested last week. I must admit my first, highly un-Christian thought was, "Great. Another unpaid writing assignment." And one that I asked for, no less! Last week they were looking for 50 bloggers to receive their CD for free in exchange for writing a 200+ word review on my blog plus a review on iTunes. I requested the assignment because I liked the idea of trying out a new type of writing. I received the assignment, apparently, because God decided it was time to hit me from a new angle.

Now, I have to tell you that I am a rocker chick at heart. Completely and unabashedly. If it's loud, fast, and has big hair, I probably have the CD. I love the worship music at church every Sunday, and I get fully into it. But when I walk out the door, while I don't leave my faith behind as some people do, I do seem to leave my love of worship music behind. I've tried, but I can't pull away from my rock 'n' roll! But I loved the music at the Women of Faith conference (if you haven't been to one, find one near you and GO! http://www.womenoffaith.com/), I liked the idea of writing a music review, and I knew it wouldn't hurt me one bit to give listening to worship music another try. Perhaps, like new foods, new types of music must be tried repeatedly for them to grow on you.

So I popped the CD into my kitchen player while I sorted laundry and washed dishes. I'm only previously familiar with the second track on the CD, "I Am Free." It's one of my absolute faves, so this is a good start. Before long, I've forgotten my grumpy and un-Christian thinking, and I'm singing along as I do up the dishes, finish sorting the mail, and find myself inspired to knock out those four letters of encouragement. And I have my review. The CD rocks in a gospel-y, worship-y kind of a way. I am humming track 6, "Indescribable," as I write. It might not replace Van Halen or Guns N Roses in my elliptical playlist...well, then again, it might. The songs are all fast enough to exercise to (with only the last three slowing down enough for a cooldown), and they are certainly more inspirational and less angry than GNR to keep me going when I get tired!

If you find yourself in need of new inspiration—or encouraging words to write to someone else—try downloading Worship by the Women of Faith Worship Team from iTunes. My favorite is still "I Am Free": "Who the Son sets free is free indeed!" Now that is freedom!!