Hey y’all! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Bry Woodson and I am a writer/dancer within the Resonance Collective.
A bit of backstory about me: I was raised by believing parents and therefore grew up in the church. From an early age, I knew that I was created in the image of God to bring forth His glory and will on the earth.
However, as the story goes for many people raised in church, the world and its vices sometimes got in the way along my journey.
I’ll save my testimony for another time, but rest assured it’s a series of mishaps and mayhem that began and will end with the grace of God wrecking all my fragile plans in favor of His better and more perfect will for my life.
I joined the Resonance Collective because it’s one of the few times in my life where I’ve glimpsed a group of unified people my age who simply want to proclaim the name of Jesus in everything they do, and in all the creative outlets God has birthed within them.
When I look at the Resonance Collective, I see people who are living their lives with intentionality and vulnerability - in order to let others travel alongside their trials and triumphs while they give all the honor and credit to the Lord.
Joining Resonance was something I had thought about for a while (really since it morphed into a Collective) because I hadn’t been part of a group that used their creativity in this way - to purposefully seek and create for the Lord - so I wanted in!
I think humankind as a whole simply wants to grasp its own belonging, so it’s truly humbling and gratifying to experience and be a part of the Resonance Collective.
Throughout the month of April, the Lord has been doing a lot of movement within my spiritual (and professional) office as a teacher, as well as a lot of work within me creatively and prophetically.
I currently work as a middle school language arts teacher, and that very fact is proof that God is at work. If I could tell you all of the amazing things that the Lord is up to in this new generation, it would simultaneously take up your whole day and blow your expectations of His goodness right out of the water.
A lot of my teaching journey is encapsulated within my personal testimony, but my main mission in being a teacher is to bring purpose and belonging wherever I go. This generation of kids is desperate to see change and wants to have an impact on the world. However, they are currently struggling to find where they belong - and some don’t even know just how much they’re loved and valued. Therefore, it’s my hope that I’m able to show them glimpses of Jesus in their everyday lives and that He has created them with such intent and devotion.
We’re currently wrapping up this school year over the next several weeks, and the Lord has been so sweet in reminding me of how much presence and personality He has indwelled in each of my kids. They all have their own individual style, sense of humor, worries, interests, and dreams - and it’s been such a blessing to witness them blossom over the course of this school year.
A teacher always hopes that we’ve taught them something valuable, but I know that each of them has had such a tangible impact on my own as well.
On the creative front, the Lord has been downloading a lot to me over the course of the last couple months - especially March and April. A small group within our church is learning about the office and gifting of prophecy, and it’s been such an eye-opening process to learn and engage in.
In the past, I’ve had a nasty habit of putting off the gift of prophecy and claiming that it’s not for me - that I’m not gifted in that area as heavily as others are. While I still wrestle with this mentality, I’ve found that my office of teacher and gifting within writing actually lend themselves to prophecy!
Prophecy isn’t a one-size-fits-all model, the same way that our worship is unique for each individual. God actually desires to give us the gifts of the Spirit in distinctive ways that cater to our strengths and grow us in our areas of weakness! That’s just so cool and speaks so well to His longing to Shepherd and Father us!
Over the last couple months, the Lord has steadily been showing me areas of my life where I’ve taken my giftings for granted, and where He’s placed a desire within me to prophesy life and creativity into dead places - both within my own life and within others.
I’ve had opportunities to prophesy over my students and members of my church - which is absolutely insane in the best way! I’m naturally introverted so the fact that I’ve been able to speak so boldly in front of people is truly the Lord’s power at work. I could never do that on my own.
The Lord has been so steadfast and patient with me over the years, and the things that He’s actively bringing out of me and the people around me right now are proof that He’s always moving and working on something new and exciting.
Signed,
Bryzie
in order to call
forgiveness upon my soul,
Jesus had to struggle to breath.
but He persisted.
never take your breath for granted
because Jesus used His last to
bless your first,
to forgive you
to love you.
imagine a love that Longs for you,
even in the midst of death
at your hand.
picture the confidence
made perfect in vulnerable suffering..
why in the world would someone
do that for me?
for you?
because we’re too precious to leave behind,
too adored to be angry with,
too desired to be separated from Eternity with Him.
b.woodson