After listening to her new worship CD Brighter Day, I wanted to know more about the heart that drives Annie Sander’s powerful voice. So over a cup of coffee, she shared thoughts about her music, her children, her role as a mom, and a few very real challenges that people in church work face. Annie even agreed to provide a free song download for Today’s Children’s Ministry readers.
TCM: The song “Brighter Day” paints a picture of a future fresh with hope and joy. What’s the story behind this song?
Annie: When I started to work on “Brighter Day,” I initially intended to write a song about my own faith journey. When I finished, though, I realized “Brighter Day” delivers a broader message about the hope we find in God’s grace. Here’s my thinking: It wasn’t until I came to know Christ that I finally understood I was free from carrying the weight of life’s burdens, stresses and strains on my small shoulders. I realized I could let go of the tight grip I had on life my way and trust God with every outcome. “Brighter Day” is meant to capture that “ah-ha” moment we all have once we begin to understand the wonder and depth of God’s love. When trials and challenges continue to cross my path, I know I can face them fueled by trust that a bright new day will come; with anticipation of new possibilities and the promise of God’s faithfulness.
TCM: You’ve worked on the staff of a local church, so relate the message of this song to the challenges faced in ministry.
Annie: I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced while on staff of a local church is remembering that while the church is the bride of Christ, it is still human nonetheless. While our best ministry intentions are to serve only Christ with our work, we often find ourselves serving him, ourselves, and others. I surely know that to be true! Therefore, a church will disappoint us at times, wrong us at times, and fail us at times. And we will fail it. Why would I think otherwise?
In the past, I’ve caught myself on more than one occasion putting my faith in the promises the leaders of my ministry—only to feel disillusioned later. I’ve wrongly placed my sense of significance and identity in the positions I held within my ministry, rather than solely in Christ.
But now, in an era when the ministry I serve is experiencing tremendous change and transformation (which can sometimes feel quite painful), it has been a catalyst for me to re-focus and return to the basic focus of ministry: Christ alone. Serving Christ must be what drives my every decision and every action; nothing more and nothing less. So anyone who works on a church staff can listen to “Brighter Day” as a message of hope and redemption. It’s about breaking old patterns of behavior and running to him to lead our lives.
TCM: What about challenges as a mom?
Annie: As I write this answer, I literally prayed this morning that my children wouldn’t hear my footsteps going down the hallway at 5:15 a.m. so I could just have a few clear moments of thought without the interruption of their sweet voices. I say that with a smile because parenting is the best hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I have two children, Samantha Grace (age 4) and Luke Stephen (18 months). While I feel blessed because of their lives, there are many days that it is hard to see that blessing. Sometimes the level of demands on me as a mom, a wife, a working mother, a daughter, a sister, and a volunteer seems unbearable. I always have the sense that I have to do each and every one of them well. When I feel I’ve fallen short in any one of these areas (especially parenting), I’m particularly hard on myself.
My sister, who I believe is one of the best moms I know, has a funny way of relieving the stress and pain of these dreadful “mom” moments.
Those moments like when you go through all the motions to arrive on time at dance class at 9:00 a.m. only to be met by a large sign saying “class is cancelled” and you realize in the pit of your stomach that it’s your fault because you forgot to put it on your calendar after the flyer came in the mail. She humorously calls these “mom of the year” award-winning moments. And this works for her—she can laugh off the embarrassment.
I’ve tried to make this work, too. Time after time I’ll tell myself, “Oh great, I’m up for another mom-of-the year award,” but the humor part never comes for me. In fact, in those moments I am slowly shaming myself into thinking that somehow, maybe I could really be the “mom-of-the-year.” Yes, I think that crazy thought! If I only try a little harder, if I only remember a little better, the list goes on.
Truth is, I’m as good as I’m gonna get right now! So God reaches out his hand and leads me—and all moms—through those moments into a “Brighter Day.”
TCM: What goes through your mind as you check your kids into your church’s children’s ministry each week?
Annie: Gratitude and awe. I am so utterly grateful week after week that there are people who commit their lives to ensuring my daughter and son know Christ at a young age. I’m also amazed that the result I can already see from their efforts is my children love going to church and love learning more about Jesus! I know the people in my church’s children’s ministry care as much about this happening with my children as I do, so I deeply appreciate this partnership—as do parents everywhere.
TCM: What hopes, dreams, and prayers do you have for your children’s spiritual life?
Annie: Wow—a tough, but excellent question. When I look at my own spiritual life, it really began when I was 20 years of age. While I was raised in a Christian faith, my family never fully understood the depth, breadth, and personal message of grace and love from Jesus Christ. It was only after I accepted Christ as a young adult that I’ve begun to develop a personal relationship with him. I still have so much to learn and so far to grow.
So as a mom, I’m doing all I can do to make sure my children have a depth of faith and understanding as early as possible. My prayer is that they’ll live fully convinced that there is a God who loves them beyond comprehension.
When my husband and I put our kids to bed at night, the last thing we always say to them is, “Mommy and Daddy love you, but Jesus loves you EVEN more!” We want them to know that there is a God who loves them more perfectly, more wonderfully, more completely then even their two parents—even though we are crazy in love with our children! With this truth embedded in the core of their souls, it is my hope that they will develop in to spiritually healthy children, teens, and then adults. On those difficult days, I hold onto the truth that if there is a perfect love covering them; a comforting thought when I consider the many errors I make along the way.
Beyond my children knowing and believing God loves them, my ultimate dream is for Samantha and Luke to someday choose to honor God with their life’s work. Whether they choose a ministry or marketplace vocation, I long for them to serve God and his people. I also hope they become people that can stand boldly for Christ in any environment and lead others toward him through their words, their humility, their actions, and daily choices.
TCM: What words of encouragement do you have for people who struggle to attend church services because of children’s ministry responsibilities?
Annie: My husband Todd has been a volunteer in our children’s ministry for a number of years. While he chooses to skip out on the sermon in order to serve our children a few weekends a month, I can’t recall a time when he came home after spending a morning with his bunch of kids and looked spent, depleted or frustrated. Todd knows the eternal value of his investment. He knows that every moment he has an opportunity to look into a child’s eyes and share a truth of Christ with him or her, it will not come back empty. Every Sunday when we drop our daughter and son off at our children’s ministry program, it is our desire that they are returned to us just a little bit different—maybe a little more enlightened and maybe a little more in love with Jesus.
However, Todd has also shown me through his service that a good balance must exist between feeding the word to our children and being fed. So if Todd is depleted and weary, there is no way our children will benefit from his leadership. He, and everyone in children’s ministry, needs to take time off to regenerate and rejuvenate his soul. Same goes for worship leaders; a lesson I know all too well.
TCM: As a worship artist, describe what can happen in someone’s heart as they listen to or sing a song to God?
Annie: One of my favorite song/medley’s on the album is titled, “My Jesus I Love Thee/Your Love Is Deep.” While I didn’t write “Your Love Is Deep,” I sang it several months ago at a church service targeted specifically to families and children. The words are amazingly simple, and yet profound, as they reference God’s love directly from Romans 8:39. As I sang this song, I was keenly aware of the beautiful children’s voices surrounding me from our children’s ministry. I know it may sound surreal, but in a moment when I was singing and ministering to thousands listening, my heart was being deeply ministered to.
I instantly fell in love with this song because the message spoke directly to the condition of my heart right then. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and God used that moment in worship to speak directly to me. And his words came through me. Could it be that the most impactful worship experience centers on what a person hears from God, rather than what a person sings to him?
Click here to download a free copy of the song “Brighter Day”. To learn more about Annie and order her new CD, visit www.anniesander.com
David Staal, senior editor of Today’s Children’s Ministry, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. Prior to this assignment, David led Promiseland, the children’s ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. David is the author of Words Kids Need to Hear (2008) and lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky, son Scott, and daughter Erin.
David Staal Copyright © 2008 Promiseland.
