Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Letter..about my Dad!


Dear Reader:

I know that you get letters all the time telling you how amazing someone feels that their parent is to them, so you will find it as no surprise that I too believe that my Dad is the best that any person could ask for.... I discovered at a very young age that I did not like to sweat! I was the little girl that would sit in her dress and bows on the bench on the playground. So...obviously that meant that I had nothing to do with sports or anything that required me to "glow." (until later in life) So in an attempt to help me find a hobby my dad suggested that I try singing lessons. At the time, we had no idea that it would turn into a complete and utter passion. My dad says that I have never been the same since the first time that he saw me perform live, I knew then that I had found my niche. I will say however, that I later discovered (as you well know) that this requires a lot of "glowing," good thing that I did not know that then! As the years went on, both of my parents continued to encourage me to pursue my dreams of singing and using my voice for the greater good.

On May 15th, 1999, I was on my way home from church one night with some friends of mine and their mom. After proceeding through a green light, we were broadsided by a drunk driver, we then spun into traffic. After being hit a second time by a truck full of furniture- we hit the curb, my seat belt ripped and I was ejected out of the car. Not only did God spare my life that night, I had no broken bones. It was at that time that I realized that life is truly as precious and short as God says it is. I feel that during this time God revealed to me a lifelong purpose that He has for all of us, but He showed me my personal way to do it. To put it simply, "Love on people and tell them about me-through song!" I was not exactly sure how to do that, so that was where my Dad came in. Without hesitation he started calling in "favors," we joke that he used to have to beg people to let me sing! Before we knew it, people were calling us, and inviting me to not only sing, but speak as well. To fuel my inspiration he would take me to "GMA week" in Nashville. I will never forget when we went to the awards show together, I learned so much at these events and also got to spend some amazing one on one time with Dad.

Since my ministry began almost 10 years ago, he has never taken a single cent-ever! In fact he has done serious fundraising and the majority of the behind the scenes work. We were able to embrace the fruits of our labor my senior year of high school when "Butterfly Records" approached me about signing on to their record label. We were always told that we could do it with out a label but knew that this could truly take me to the next level-I would be able to reach more people. This decision forced me to move to Nashville at 18 years old, knowing only about 5 people. I was scared to death, but knew I had worked hard to get there. Sadly after 10 months the label went bankrupt! There my Dad was yet again, there to pick me up and encourage me to forge ahead. There has been so many times when I did not believe in myself, but because he did, I pushed on. Fortunately during that ten months the label set me up with "Provident" and "Word Records" for writing sessions. During one of these writing sessions we wrote this song:

Father Me
Lyrics by: Christina Sanders, Joel Lindsey. Tony Woods

We’d ride our bikes bout a mile to the curb drink icees and sit on the curb
There were so many jokes that we both understood without even saying a word
You’ve been my center the heart of my world I’ve always been proud to be your little girl

Chorus
You Father me
You Father me
The way I believe God intends it to be
I see him leading you as you’re leading me
I love the way you Father me

There was never a doubt not even once of whether or not I was loved
You’ve given me strength and the courage to dream to hope and step out in trust
You were there by my side when my heart found it’s faith you Fathered me then and still to this day

Chorus

You are my constant
You are so strong
You are so tender and true
It’s no surprise my picture of God looks a lot like you

Chrous


I think that the song speaks for itself, my earthly father has been a great example of love to me and because of that- it has been easy to trust that my heavenly father always has my best interest at heart. Last year I went through a very life changing experience yet again. In 2006 I married whom I thought was the man of my dreams. After just under 2 years of marriage, he left and decided to pursue a homosexual lifestyle. Mind you, the main focus of my ministry has been purity-so I was a virgin when we got married. (because I made a commitment to God, my father and mother that I would save myself.) Divorce was always a bad word in my home, my parents have been married for almost 30 years on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ. I don't think that they take it for granite that it is only with God's strength and provision that they have "outlived" the statistics. After my divorce, (which by God's grace, I was able to get annulled-legally!) I felt like I had failed! Being fully aware that the decisions made were not my fault, I still wondered how God could use me...It will be a year in July, since my ex-husband left, and over time God has shown me that He is the keeper of my heart, where I find peace and rest. As time goes on, I have been given more and more opportunities to share my experience and how God plans on using it for His glory! In fact, I can honestly say that I am experiencing the happiest most fulfilling time of my life!

Through it all, my Dad has been there as a great example of what a godly man looks like. I am so thankful that I have a Dad that has constantly reassured me of his love. In a little over 3 minutes, you cannot fully capture the size of my heart for him, however I, with the help of the other writers- did my best.

There have been quite a few bumps already in my short journey, but I know, no matter what, my "Father's" will always be there!

Thank you,

Christina

PS: The song "Father Me" is on my most recent CD, as well as iTunes :)