What are your plans for your music? Are you ever going to tour? Where do you hope this takes you?
I get asked these questions alot, at least various versions of them. It's most always from a well intentioned church member or visitor and is a fairly innocent inquiry. It's also a bit flattering in a way, to think that someone would want to (or at least think that others would) buy a ticket to hear me play, sing some songs, tell some stories, put on a show. When I was younger I used to conjure up elaborate day dreams of touring with my own band. I'd sell out arenas, performing arts centers, and churches. I dreamed of having the big merch table and signing autographs from all of my adoring fans. Then something wonderful happened: Jesus put a new song in my heart. Literally.
Now before I go any further, I want to make something very clear. I am in no way condemning artists who take their bands on tour, sign record labels, or have success in the music industry. If God ever chose to open doors to some of these platforms in my life, I would definitely (and prayerfully) consider them. In fact, many of my closest friends are touring artists who glorify God through their music and their lives. Simply put, my heart was one that desired the fame for myself. The tours, the shows, the music wasn't about Him for me. I wanted my name to be the name that was shouted and adored. He changed all that for me.
About 4 years ago God began to stir up within me something that was only from Him. In 1 Timothy 3:14-17 it says:
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whomt you learned it15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17 that the man of Godt may be competent, equipped for every good work.
His Word is so wonderfully alive! God gave me a ferocious hunger for His word and like never before I began pouring over it daily. Through this daily devouring, He also gave me something that I had never really tried or even though about before: songwriting. My mind and my heart began to be filled with hundreds of melodies and lyrics that were all pointing straight back to the One who inspires and breathes life into His children. I picked up the guitar that my parents had bought me for my 18th birthday and began teaching myself how to play. I remember thinking "how am I going lead worship without a guitar? Nobody leads from the piano anymore. Except Michael W. Smith. But I don't want to be compared to Michael W. Smith." No joke, this is what was going through my mind.
My songs were bad at first. Ok they were really bad. I remember playing some of them for my roommate at the time (who is a fantastic writer) and him saying things like "yeah... it's definitely a song". Just kidding he wasn't that bad. He was actually very supportive, and quite gentle in his criticism and assured me that like all things it would just take more practice. More advice from another friend (who is also a fantastic writer) said "The key to songwriting is trial and error. Write and write and write. And then when you think you're done, write some more. A song is like a bent up car bumper. You have to hammer all the bumps out." So taking his advice, I began to write. A lot.
I also came to notice that when I would try to write songs that weren't about Jesus, they would come off the end of my pen completely lifeless and empty. The opposite has been true when I do write about my God and my relationship with Him. He has literally captivated me to the very core of who I am and made me want to write songs that the Church can sing. Around the time that God was beginning this work in my life, He was also moving me towards something else that He had breathed into me years before that.
When I was 17, I spent half a summer in Berlin, Germany on a mission trip with 7 others from our church. The trip had it's ups and downs and for the most part it was all kind of a blur, but there was one night that I will never forget. We were staying in a Hostel (German hotel) along with another group from the States. It was a particularly large group, probably about 50 and about mid-week we all gathered in the big meeting room of the Hostel and had a worship service. At that point in my life, I hadn't really been exposed to a whole lot of "worship music". My taste in music gravitated more to utterly random likes of Eminem, the Backstreet Boys, O.A.R., and Papa Roach. I told you it was random. We would sing some CCM Top 40 stuff at church sometimes but nothing like what Dan (the worship leader for the group) rolled out for us. The songs that he sang that night were so intimate, honest and vertical. They reminded me of the Psalms. The way that he led us in prayer and instructed us to open our hearts to the Lord was something I had never experienced and for one of the first times, I witnessed God use someone to draw me into His presence. I was set ablaze. After the service, I remember bolting to the phone in the lobby, pulling out my phone card, dialing like 19 digits and hearing my mom answer the phone at our house in Texas. "I think I want to be a worship leader" was the first thing out of my mouth.
Four years ago, my heart was once again beckoned to this call. God was planting within me the heart of a Pastor; to minister, to encourage, and to stir the affections of His people towards Him. Today, I find that there is no greater joy than for me to do this work. To see the man in the fourth row finally raise his hand in praise after months of crossing his arms and scowling at me and the rest of the congregation. To see the single mom weeping in the back row as she confidently sings "I can see the light that is coming for the heart that holds on". To see the family that is dancing, echoing, and lifting their hands as the entire room shouts to one another "We know where the Spirit of the Lord is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty!" Week after week, I get to see God's people overflowing with joy, persevering in hardship, loving as Christ has loved them, and giving with glad and sincere hearts to God and others in need. I cherish these relationships, and the opportunity to continually point people back to the only one who is worthy of adoration and praise.
Revelation gives us snapshots like this of our eternal reality, and in these shots we are losing our minds as we worship our God. This is what it is about for me. To see hearts won over and transformed into the radical worship of Jesus Christ. To see the unbridled passionate joy flowing from the body of Christ in a Sunday gathering, knowing that it is just a glimpse of a heart totally surrendered to Jesus. This is why I do what I do. This is why I am a Worship Pastor.
I get asked these questions alot, at least various versions of them. It's most always from a well intentioned church member or visitor and is a fairly innocent inquiry. It's also a bit flattering in a way, to think that someone would want to (or at least think that others would) buy a ticket to hear me play, sing some songs, tell some stories, put on a show. When I was younger I used to conjure up elaborate day dreams of touring with my own band. I'd sell out arenas, performing arts centers, and churches. I dreamed of having the big merch table and signing autographs from all of my adoring fans. Then something wonderful happened: Jesus put a new song in my heart. Literally.
Now before I go any further, I want to make something very clear. I am in no way condemning artists who take their bands on tour, sign record labels, or have success in the music industry. If God ever chose to open doors to some of these platforms in my life, I would definitely (and prayerfully) consider them. In fact, many of my closest friends are touring artists who glorify God through their music and their lives. Simply put, my heart was one that desired the fame for myself. The tours, the shows, the music wasn't about Him for me. I wanted my name to be the name that was shouted and adored. He changed all that for me.
About 4 years ago God began to stir up within me something that was only from Him. In 1 Timothy 3:14-17 it says:
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whomt you learned it15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17 that the man of Godt may be competent, equipped for every good work.
His Word is so wonderfully alive! God gave me a ferocious hunger for His word and like never before I began pouring over it daily. Through this daily devouring, He also gave me something that I had never really tried or even though about before: songwriting. My mind and my heart began to be filled with hundreds of melodies and lyrics that were all pointing straight back to the One who inspires and breathes life into His children. I picked up the guitar that my parents had bought me for my 18th birthday and began teaching myself how to play. I remember thinking "how am I going lead worship without a guitar? Nobody leads from the piano anymore. Except Michael W. Smith. But I don't want to be compared to Michael W. Smith." No joke, this is what was going through my mind.
My songs were bad at first. Ok they were really bad. I remember playing some of them for my roommate at the time (who is a fantastic writer) and him saying things like "yeah... it's definitely a song". Just kidding he wasn't that bad. He was actually very supportive, and quite gentle in his criticism and assured me that like all things it would just take more practice. More advice from another friend (who is also a fantastic writer) said "The key to songwriting is trial and error. Write and write and write. And then when you think you're done, write some more. A song is like a bent up car bumper. You have to hammer all the bumps out." So taking his advice, I began to write. A lot.
I also came to notice that when I would try to write songs that weren't about Jesus, they would come off the end of my pen completely lifeless and empty. The opposite has been true when I do write about my God and my relationship with Him. He has literally captivated me to the very core of who I am and made me want to write songs that the Church can sing. Around the time that God was beginning this work in my life, He was also moving me towards something else that He had breathed into me years before that.
When I was 17, I spent half a summer in Berlin, Germany on a mission trip with 7 others from our church. The trip had it's ups and downs and for the most part it was all kind of a blur, but there was one night that I will never forget. We were staying in a Hostel (German hotel) along with another group from the States. It was a particularly large group, probably about 50 and about mid-week we all gathered in the big meeting room of the Hostel and had a worship service. At that point in my life, I hadn't really been exposed to a whole lot of "worship music". My taste in music gravitated more to utterly random likes of Eminem, the Backstreet Boys, O.A.R., and Papa Roach. I told you it was random. We would sing some CCM Top 40 stuff at church sometimes but nothing like what Dan (the worship leader for the group) rolled out for us. The songs that he sang that night were so intimate, honest and vertical. They reminded me of the Psalms. The way that he led us in prayer and instructed us to open our hearts to the Lord was something I had never experienced and for one of the first times, I witnessed God use someone to draw me into His presence. I was set ablaze. After the service, I remember bolting to the phone in the lobby, pulling out my phone card, dialing like 19 digits and hearing my mom answer the phone at our house in Texas. "I think I want to be a worship leader" was the first thing out of my mouth.
Four years ago, my heart was once again beckoned to this call. God was planting within me the heart of a Pastor; to minister, to encourage, and to stir the affections of His people towards Him. Today, I find that there is no greater joy than for me to do this work. To see the man in the fourth row finally raise his hand in praise after months of crossing his arms and scowling at me and the rest of the congregation. To see the single mom weeping in the back row as she confidently sings "I can see the light that is coming for the heart that holds on". To see the family that is dancing, echoing, and lifting their hands as the entire room shouts to one another "We know where the Spirit of the Lord is. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is Liberty!" Week after week, I get to see God's people overflowing with joy, persevering in hardship, loving as Christ has loved them, and giving with glad and sincere hearts to God and others in need. I cherish these relationships, and the opportunity to continually point people back to the only one who is worthy of adoration and praise.
Revelation gives us snapshots like this of our eternal reality, and in these shots we are losing our minds as we worship our God. This is what it is about for me. To see hearts won over and transformed into the radical worship of Jesus Christ. To see the unbridled passionate joy flowing from the body of Christ in a Sunday gathering, knowing that it is just a glimpse of a heart totally surrendered to Jesus. This is why I do what I do. This is why I am a Worship Pastor.
Brilliant. What a testimony of God at work.
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