Hi,
Welcome back to another episode of the April sings a lot podcast.
This podcast is going to be sharing story and song and inviting you to sing.
This is my story.
This is my song.
I've been a singer all my life.
I apparently was singing before I was even talking.
And I would make up songs about the neighbors and invite them over for these living room concerts where I would stand on the coffee table.
And it's just been really obvious since day one that singing is something I'm meant to do.
But it wasn't always something I was encouraged to do.
One of the things that I was told growing up was that I was an OK singer,
But nobody's ever going to listen to you with headphones on.
I distinctly remember hearing that because one of my favorite artists is Sandi Patty.
She has an amazing,
Powerful voice and she has a great range.
She can sing really high and just a lot of different styles.
And she's just someone I've always admired.
So I always was trying to emulate her and was told I was never going to be that good.
Nobody would ever listen to me with headphones on because of that insecurity that my voice was not enough.
I have become really well rounded as a musician.
I can also play the piano.
I have a master's in harp.
I recently learned some video editing and audio mixing.
Like I've been trying to cultivate all these other talents so that I can sing.
Like I am a singer,
But I also can do this,
That and the other.
Like just to sell myself as a singer,
I also put in a bunch of other extra things that I can do because I had come to believe that my voice was not enough.
In 2018,
I sang the national anthem for the Saints football game.
It was,
Of course,
Like a big,
Big deal.
Right.
Thousands of people and all of that.
A few weeks later,
I was at a bunco with my girlfriends.
And all of the ladies were complimenting me and telling me how proud they were.
One of them in particular put her hand on my arm and she said,
No,
You don't understand.
I wanted my husband to listen to it and he was going to just listen to it on his phone.
But I told him,
No,
You have to put your headphones on so you get the full experience.
It wasn't until she said that that I realized,
Oh,
I have reached that point where people are listening to me with headphones on.
I had never consciously been thinking about how I wanted that.
But oh,
My goodness,
What freedom there is now in realizing what I was told growing up isn't true.
My voice is enough.
And in fact,
It's what I'm meant to do.
This podcast,
I've been very intentional about only singing acapella because I don't want to fall into that trap again of I've got to play the piano.
I've got to play the harp.
I've got to add in all of these extra bells and whistles because my voice isn't enough.
So I'm breaking myself of that habit with this podcast.
Congratulations,
You're part of my therapy.
It's so amazing and easy,
Right?
Because I was meant to sing.
So this isn't hard.
Well,
The reason I'm telling this story as a part of the lead up to the song,
The Old Rugged Cross,
Is because my voice,
The ability to sing and share is God's gift to me.
That's that's what he gave to me.
And the longer I hide that or bury it or package it up with a whole bunch of other stuff,
The more I'm I'm not honoring the gift that he gave me.
So I will cling to the old rugged cross and I will remember the sacrifice that he made and I will honor the gifts that he's given me.
I will follow his lead in sharing stories and songs and encouraging you to sing along because I believe there is freedom in music and in finding your voice,
Whether that be as a singer or as a carpenter or as a painter.
Whatever your innate ability is,
The thing that you were doing when you were six years old,
You were created to do that.
So don't don't bury that.
Don't discount that because it's easy for you.
What is easy for you is what you're made to do.
So will you sing with me?
The old rugged cross on a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame.
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown.
Oh,
That old rugged cross so despised by the world holds an endless attraction for me.
For the dear Lamb of God left his glory above to bear it to dark cavalry.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown.
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true.
Its shame and reproach gladly bear.
Then he'll call me someday to my home far away where his glory forever I'll share.
And I'll cherish the old rugged cross till my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown.
All right,
That concludes our episode.
Thank you so much for listening.
If you enjoyed it,
Please consider sharing it with a friend and if you haven't become a subscriber,
I invite you to click subscribe in whatever platform you're listening to this on.
I will talk to you again soon.
