I would love for people to sense a genuineness in my heart for God and also for them... and for people to feel encouraged & uplifted when they are around me or hear the music I create.
Sometimes there’s such a gap between the general population and what the music business calls “artists,” so I would love for that artist-consumer gap to turn into a holy bridge of true connection with people from all walks of life, trying to find hope (Jesus) in a dark world. We are all simply “people” walking out our faith with Jesus, whether we choose to accept Him or not and what we do with that. We all have a choice, a God-given purpose and a ticking time clock; and my goal is not to just simply be the next “big artist” type, but to live a life that shines the life and love of Jesus Christ no matter the season... to try my best to live faithfully and obediently before Him and allow Jesus to do the drawing and changing throughout all of it. Simply put, I just want to be a light that God uses in this dark world, no matter how He chooses to use my life.
Again, there are different seasons for all things. Sometimes I feel His draw to go deeper with Him and pull back on my schedule to make sure there’s a balance between quality family time and ministry time. Sometimes the seasons might look like focusing on simple day-to-day things and being obedient and faithful in the seemingly “small” things. And then, there are awesome, fruitful-bearing seasons where He uses the gifts He’s bestowed upon me, such as singing,
writing, or speaking. I don’t claim to be perfect (let’s face it – no one is, right??), but I will say, my heart is open before God, and I just want to be in step with Him. It’s a life well lived if He can use anything from any season of my life for His glory and for the purpose of winning souls and shedding His light upon darkness in someone’s life. So yeah, I guess I’d like for people to know it’s not about “being an artist” for me; it’s about being real in my faith-walk with Christ and hoping others benefit from that through the gifts He’s given me. I want to live a life of encouraging others and also be a good steward of what He calls me to in each season.
I was saved as child, grew up on Christian music in a flourishing youth group with lots of opportunities to grow my faith. I fell in love with the fiddle and performing in shows... the fiddle turned into love for bluegrass... bluegrass turned to loving early 2000’s country... country music turned into recording... recording turned into songwriting... songwriting combined with real life experience & my deep-seeded faith drew me further into writing Christian music,
speaking, writing and being used by God in my local church... and all of this also led to radio
airplay and being picked up by the Inspirational Country Music world that has so graciously accepted my music.
The pursuit of going deeper with God ultimately led to the pursuit of using music for HIS purposes... for a purpose greater than myself... to encourage HIS people and to be a light to others that don’t yet know His goodness. It became a ministry for me when I realized there was a need for certain messages that He was inspiring me to create through song and people were
being blessed by them, which led to many open doors and continuous confirmation at every turn. Ever since, I’ve felt His call to use my gifts to encourage others and glorify His name, as He so leads, in His timing and in His way.
Well, it changes based upon the season that I’m walking through. There is a scripture for EVERY season under the sun! So, as you walk through things, different scriptures hit your heart a little more intensely it seems. Right now, I’d say my favorite scripture is:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding; but in all your
ways, acknowledge (or submit to) Him, and He shall make your paths straight.”
– Proverbs 3:5-6
This verse is a staple throughout ANYthing you could go through. In life, we are faced with many decisions and many roads, but this is the guiding light throughout all of it. Look to Jesus and He will provide your next step. That’s all anyone ever really needs if you think about it...
just the next step in front of you.
Well, I guess it would be to simply look to Jesus to help you through anything you’re going through. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father except by Him is what John 14:6 says. In a world filled with people constantly looking for truth and identity, here’s the answer: Jesus is the TRUTH and in HIM, we can know our identity. I know that’s not a popular opinion, but true love speaks truth, right? I am ultimately held accountable for what I do with that truth and what I do with the gifts He’s given to me. For this short time that I am entrusted with them, I believe He would have me say what HE wants me to say... so I suppose, whatever message He lays on my heart for that season is what it will amount to. Again, I just
want to be a good steward and hear Him say “Well done,” someday.
When it comes to growth, I don’t think we ever stop as long as we are going forward in any area. Life IS growth! Growth for me during this season is being faithful to be obedient in the small things, like keeping the house clean, being faithful to teach my kids about Christ, being faithful to the church and to friends and family – let the quality run deep in every area that impacts those closest to you! Also, growth during this season is stepping out on faith when given the opportunities to lead others in worship through song and through speaking engagements. Improving upon the delivery of the messages that God places on my heart, all the while, faithfully walking them out in my own life. As far as the music landscape goes, I’m not too concerned about what the external world holds. As long as I’m walking with God and going where He says to go and doing what He says to do, I know I’m where I need to be. I’m not always perfect at this, but I do my best to leave the big stuff that I don’t have control over up to Him while I focus on the things that He HAS entrusted to me.
I know He has good plans because I’ve seen His faithfulness throughout my entire life. I trust Him and no matter what the musical landscape of things looks like, I know if He’s providing me messages, He’s got a
purpose for them, whether on a large scale or small scale. My job is just to simply obey, live
right and create. He takes care of where it goes from there. For other independent or well-known artists, I would hope that they don’t get lost in the pursuit of
the world’s recognition, but always be faithful to keep God and His purposes at the center of it. Anyone can make awesome music, but it’s what we do with it that creates an impact that will last for eternity. I often describe the music industry as a hamster wheel. Once you’re in it, it will keep you racing, so make the race worthwhile!
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