Wendy Beech-Ward’s Blog

A little while ago I posted a “Behind The Scenes” video from the day Vicky filmed her ‘proper’ EPK in London.

Well..here is the *actual* piece we were filming that day! It’s called an EPK, which stands for Electronic Press Kit.. so basically it’s a short video that explains the heart and vision behind her new album.

It’s only another two weeks before the CD comes out now! So watch this and catch a bit more of why she wrote the songs and her vision for the album. You’ll even get to hear some of the new songs…

Also… check out her new network for Women in Worship at www.womeninworshipnetwork.com or here

Grace

W
x

This week I spent a bit of time with Jim Wallis at Youthwork the conference – he was amazing as ever.   He referred to a speech Bono did to the President’s prayer breakfast, here’s an extract…

‘God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives,  And God is with us if we are with them.

If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and the speaking of wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire even in scorched places.

It’s not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of air time. You know, the only time Jesus Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor. ”As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.”  Matthew 25:40. 

Thoughts from the crowd?

W x

Love and especially how much God loves us seems to be a recurring theme in my life at the moment… I’ve been reading, thinking and talking about it a lot. 

A close friend gave me Brennan Manning’s book ‘the furious longing of God’ which is all about how much God loves us and desperately wants to be in relationship with us.  It’s an incredibly inspirational book which is shaping how I view the love of God.  It’s made me think about how God who is the very definition of Love – endlessly, completely, without restraint, furiously, joyfully, without limit, totally abandons Himself to love me and you.

Recently I came across this poem from Mother Teresa:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

I wonder if you can only ‘live’ like this poem when you know you are ‘loved’ with a furious longing…

In the words of someone I love dearly ‘thoughts from the crowd?’

W x

I get to work with some amazing people.  This video was created by Sam Hargreaves from Engage Worship.  He also does loads of creative stuff for Spring Harvest.

This video looks at how we always seem to want ‘more’ in life but this ‘more’ is often completely the wrong type…

Let me know what you think.

W x

I love quotes. Here’s a new favourite:

‘In Western society we are culturally conditioned to assume that intellectual assent to a set of propositions is an adequate substitute for obedience.’

I’ve been listening to a track from my mate Steve’s CD which mixes dance music with teaching. One track has Mike Pilavachi saying: ‘Do you remember when you first became a Christian? Do you remember when you first gave your life to him? We were captivated by Love. We were captivated by Grace.’

Today I’ve been working on the programme for Youthwork the conference – through this we aim to resource and equip anyone in youthwork or youth ministry. We’re focusing on Transform: Knowing the Word – Knowing the World. I’ve been in so many conversations this past few weeks which essentially go along the line of ‘Yeah of course I love Jesus; Of course I know he’s saved me. But I just don’t know what for… Oh and by the way life just feels a bit boring and meaningless.’

A few of my mates call me a ‘Line Drawing Maniac’ (I’ll post on this another time I expect.) Anyway it feels like there are lots of lines being drawing in my life between the conversations I’m having and the work I’m doing. The more I’ve spoken to people over the past few weeks the more I’ve realised how we constantly need to remind ourselves what our faith is about because it certainly isn’t just about ‘intellectual assent to a set of propositions’… it is about knowing who God is and then knowing who we are in him.

It’s exciting to spend time thinking around the issues of personal transformation and social transformation. And, to be in these conversations and to watch the ‘lights’ go on in people’s hearts and minds when they realise that far from being ‘boring and meaningless’ their lives should be exciting and transforming – both personally and socially.

Seriously… you really can’t transform communities until you’ve transformed individuals. And the only place to start is by being transformed by Jesus yourself…

W x