&
SHARON TEDFORD
anointed appointed “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me…” Isaiah 61:1 NIV. Songwriting has been my creative outlet for many years. As an 11-year-old, I embodied the brave naivety of youth and sang my first self-penned song (written with my friend, Kate), in front of the whole secondary school. I was struck by the impact a song could make, and as I entered my teenage years, my passion found its release in a contemporary Christian rock band called “Crystal Kishon.” We wrote our own songs and took the stage in our white stilettos and contact-sport-worthy shoulder pads to perform some “hip” 1980s style choreography. (Social media didn’t exist back then, and boy am I grateful!) Although I have led worship for many years, I laid aside the joy of creating songs for 15 years before finally grabbing my dust-wrapped guitar to begin the process all over again. As it does for so many of us, life got in the way and I forgot what God had put inside me. I am not sorry for the detour, though. The relaunch of my passion has led my love for Jesus in much deeper and more profound ways.
—continued on page 28— 27.
