Brenda Perez Sana – Your Word Endures Forever

Brenda Perez Sana is a member of the Perez Sisters and also performs as a solo vocalist. Her musical background stems from piano lessons with the Sisters of Mercy and Guam Academy of Music & Arts; vocal, choir, glee club, and musical productions at Cathedral Grade School and Academy of Our Lady of Guam. Previous band memberships as a vocalist and keyboardist include Jass Society, Sounds of Time, Tymz, and Konfrence. Present-day, Brenda dedicates her time to her music ministry as worship leader and pianist at Talofofo Baptist Church.

She and her Perez Sisters perform for special functions upon request. She places special focus on her song writing, having composed and recorded the December 8, 2010 theme song for The Guam War Survivors Memorial Foundation (GWSMF; Foundation) entitled “Take My Hand”, as well as, TakeCare Insurance Company, Inc.’s jingle “TakeCare, a Firm Foundation”. In 2016, her original composition “Music! The Universal Language” was the opening number performed by The Perez Sisters in the War Survivor Remembrance Day Sentimental Journey concert. Her Christmas originals, “Jesus Christ Is Born!” and “Christmas Without You” have been also been performed over the holiday season for several years. She is also a contributing writer to the GWSMF realFACES series, books 1 and 3, writing the foreword and A Tapestry of Music respectively.

Most rewarding in sharing her love for music with our Island community has been serving as co-director for the Foundation’s War Survivor Remembrance Day commemoration events, “Sentimental Journey”, “Sentimental Journey Encore!”, and “Sentimental Journey 2”. She feels privileged to recognize Guam’s WWII survivors with this small gesture of sharing a song to bring back happier memories for them to enjoy.

She asked me to examine her song Your Word Endures Forever.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

This song compares two ideas: short-term and long-term.  Gold and silver were used to redeem Israelites from slavery to their masters.  Plant life lives for a fixed period of time.  But, our liberation through Christ’s sacrifice, prophecied by Old Testament prophets, and His Word last for eternity!

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

This song aligns with God’s inspired Word.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

[Verse 1]

We were not redeemed with silver and gold
But with the precious blood of Jesus Christ
Presented as a lamb, without blemish or spot

Borrows from 1 Peter 1:18, that the imperishable unblemished blood of Jesus rescues us, not perishable silver and gold.

His coming foreordained, the perfect sacrifice

Jesus was prophecied in over 300 Old Testament passages.  For example, Exodus 12:5-7 commands Israelites to sacrifice an unblemished lamb and place its blood on the two doorposts and the top portion.  No doubt, some of it will fall upon the ground, painting a familiar picture.

[Chorus]

Life is as grass and its glory
The beauty of the flower
As grass and the flower
Life withers and falls away
But the Word of the Lord, pure and true
The Word of the Lord endures forever

Quotes from 1 Peter 1:24-25, which borrows from Isaiah 40:6-8.  This contrasts temporary plant life with God’s everlasting Word.

[Verse 2]

Through Him we believe
And place our faith and hope in God
Who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory
We purify our souls in obedience to His truth
And with pure hearts love each other fervently

Quotes from 1 Peter 1:21-22, though the wording is rearranged slightly.

[Verse 3]

We are born again and have renewed our lives
Not of the flesh but only by the Spirit
Not from the seed that dies
But the seed which lives on

Combines previous concepts explored with 1 Peter 1:23 to make the same point.

As the Word of the Lord endures forever

Essentially repeats Chorus, line 6.

[Outro]

But the Word of the Lord, pure and true

Quotes from part of Psalm 33:4.

The Word of the Lord endures forever
The Word of the Lord endures forever

Repeats Chorus, line 6.

Your Word, oh Lord endures forever

This is personal, where Sana repeats back to God what she cited to her audience.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

This song is thick with Christianese language requiring unbelievers to deeply research this topic to comprehend the compare/contrast, redemption, self-purification that is not works righteousness, and the seed.  Still, they will know that it’s Christian given its comprehensible references to the blood of Jesus Christ, faith and hope in God, fervent Christian love towards others, and that the Word of the Lord that endures forever.  The artist should view this lower rating as a back-handed compliment, presenting deep concepts esoteric to the uninitiated.

Side Note: I get a lot of flack for lowering my ratings for this section.  Please understand that I’m not saying unbelievers cannot or should not study the Bible and try to understand it.  The rating represents how well outsiders to Christianity can comprehend the lyrics as-is alongside potential errors that could lead them astray (which this review contains none).

Score: 5/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God as it faithfully adapts portions of 1 Peter 1, differentiating between temporary life and lasting salvation.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Brenda Perez Sana’s Your Word Endures Forever is an excellent song for believers.  It repackages portions of 1 Peter 1 and its message on contrasting fleeting and eternal life without compromising it, bringing glory to God.  Unbelievers will likely understand a few snippets of the song while finding other portions difficult to grasp without further study.

I highly recommend this song for corporate worship for congregations that are not deeply seeker-sensitive.

Final Score: 9/10

Artist Info

Track: Your Word Endures Forever

Artist: Brenda Perez Sana

Album: N/A

Genre: N/A

Release Year: N/A (Written in 2009 and unreleased)

Duration: N/A

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

*No copyright information available; However, I have an email record with Brenda’s blessing to post these lyrics.