التخطي إلى المحتوى الرئيسي

"Everything I Own" by Avery Stafford: Freedom Through the Nail-Printed Hand


Avery Stafford - Everything I Own (Radio Edit)

"Everything I Own (Radio Edit)" by Avery Stafford is a moving story that captures the essence of Christ's sacrificial love, a love where He literally gave everything for you and me. A song that was originally written in 1999 but only now released as a radio single. This Gospel/R&B track tells a powerful story of redemption through the lens of a slave auction. This musical allegory starts with the words, "Standing on an auction block, waiting for buyers to bid on the value of life." The question asked, "Can this be happening to me?" And then Jesus steps in with a final bid. This is where Avery zooms in on His willingness to pay the price, "I will give everything I own. Isn't your life worth dying for?"

That is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus willingly paid the ultimate price for us, and by doing so, He freed us with His nail-printed hands. Avery's vocals, together with this imagery of being bought out of bondage and his emphasis on the fact that each of our lives is worth dying for, really grabbed me. My summary of the song's message isn't a worthy alternative for listening to the song. I can tell you that when the songs ended with the words, "Can't you see Jesus gave His life for me?" it left me to think about what this means to me, and my thoughts quickly led me to feelings of gratitude and awe.

Avery's storytelling gifts really shine here, and I can imagine listening to Avery speak, since he is also the lead pastor for Common Ground Church in Oregon. This is such a powerful message for this coming Easter season. If you've ever doubted what your worth is, then I pray this song will remind you how much Jesus values you. Go ahead and give it a listen. It's definitely a must-listen on my playlist this week.

(Related scripture: 1 Peter 1:18-19; Galatians 3:13; John 10:17-18)

Connect with Avery Stafford

Would you like to hear more CCM music? Then check out our Christian playlists on: https://www.christiandance.eu/playlists

PS: Did you know that the posts we have on Christian Music Today also contain the backstories that artists have shared with us? Check it out on: https://christianmusictoday.eu/

Popular posts

"King Of All Nations" by Ezra Worship Initiative: Sing Today What Heaven Will Sing Forever

Your worship today echoes eternity. Ezra Worship Initiative trains young worship leaders through a ten-week, seminary-based internship. Their songwriters learn Scripture first and melody second. You can hear this in their latest release, “King Of All Nations,” a song written for congregations to sing. The song opens as a prayer: “May Your Name be proclaimed in all creation.” Who does the proclaiming? The Church does. The second verse asks God to “send Your Church to go and tell the gospel story,” which puts all who sing this right inside the request. Who on your street has never heard His name from you? Then the chorus lifts the roof: “All the honor, voices lifted to the King.” Worship here is not a performance. It is sung as a community, young and old, a multigenerational voice of praise. The bridge looks ahead. “All will come, and all will bow.” John saw the same moment: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, stan...

"Man of Sorrows" by Lauren Gruwell: Jesus Feels Your Pain With You

Jesus knows your pain before you speak it. Lauren Gruwell knows what it is when Jesus feels unreachable. Trauma in her childhood left her with deep sorrow, and for years Jesus seemed too far away. She didn’t think she was good enough to come near Him. Are you also familiar with that feeling? Do you sit in the dark, tears falling, and wonder: “… no one knows but if they did, would they care?” Lauren shares: “It wasn’t until He changed me, that I realized that HE has felt all the pain I’ve ever felt, and that He loves me regardless.” The Savior that she thought she couldn’t approach had already walked her road. This song, “Man of Sorrows”, grew from that discovery, and it carries a promise for anyone who hurts: “And all of my hurt, He felt it first…” . Jesus hurts right beside you. In Isaiah 53:3, we read that He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Then comes the line that changes everything: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” Our griefs. Our sorrow...

"My Side" by Dan Read: Proof That God Never Leaves Your Side

You can ask God the hard questions. Dan Read doesn’t tiptoe around hard questions. His song, “My Side”, opens with a whole bunch of questions: “Where is the rudder that keeps me afloat?” “Where is the anchor when I know I shouldn’t go?” “Where is the sail that guides me home?” Have you ever asked God something that blunt? Dan also admits what he can’t see. “I don’t know what the future holds.” “I don’t know why we hurt sometimes.” No tidy answers follow. Every one of these questions lands in the same place: “I look to the heavens.” Notice what he does with his doubt. He lifts it instead of hiding it. The writer of the book of Hebrews (we don’t know who the author was) gives that habit a solid footing: “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” In other words, waves still roll, and our Anchor holds anyway. The song makes this personal. Dan sings that he has “heard stories about the peace that you bring” and heard of God’s power in the songs we sing. But seeing it ...