I grew up in a small town. I went to a small school and an even smaller Southern Baptist church on the outside of town. My dad is a convenience store owner, and my mom helped him with the store and raised the three of us; my older brother, myself, and my younger brother. My parents did not grow up in church. My father came from an impoverished family, and my mother's parents divorced when she was thirteen, an event complicated by the fact her father was quickly becoming an alcoholic. After my parents were newly married, they began attending church because of a friend who would not take no for an answer, and, by the pull of God, they enjoyed the company of others and found a place in the community to belong. I believe they found comfort and unmerited grace in Jesus, and they were more than willing to raise the three of us in that environment.

I believe that a misconception in our Christian culture is to think that when you become a Christian, everything around you suddenly becomes picture perfect. In no way did my parents' lives become perfect when they accepted Christ as their savior. On the contrary, it became a daily battle for them to give up control of running their own lives the way they always had and letting Jesus be the boss of every decision, emotion, and reaction. This is the environment to which I was born, not a house of perfection, but one riddled with issues of sin. However, we all tried each day to understand we are all loved by God.

When I was about seven years old, I heard the pastor explain that we all needed a Savior to deal with our sins before a Holy God, a God so Holy He cannot be in the presence of sin. He said that we are all sinners and needed a savior to stand in the gap for us. Jesus is the gap stander, ever interceding on our behalf. I understood this and wanted Him to stand in the gap for me. I asked Him to, and He did.

What a great thing to grow up singing in church! It was in church that I realized I could sing, got to sing, and wanted to sing for God. My music and youth ministers, their wives, and of course, my mom encouraged me to sing even when I was still afraid to stand up in front of people, afraid of messing up the song. After a few years, I began to gain some confidence. I loved knowing that what I was doing was making people think about God. I began to understand my talent was a gift from God, and it was at church camp, in the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, that I felt God tell me, "To whom much is given, much is required." I knew He wanted me to give everything He had given me back to Him. I said, "All that I have is yours." And thus began the journey of my daily listening, waiting, and following Him.

I shared my decision with my youth group, church, and community. I wanted people to share my joy and pray for me. Some people shared my joy. Some did not. So many people wanted to pigeon hole my future. I didn't know if I was supposed to be a minister's wife, a missionary, a children's minister, or maybe even a worship leader. It was difficult at the time, but I learned not to worry about the details and to let God fill in all the blanks as I followed and trusted Him. It became very important not to allow anyone to dream God's dreams for me. If I could continue to trust Him and be patient, He would lay out the details for me in His time.

When I was in college, I began leading worship for a ministry on campus because the campus minister asked me to. I also had the privilege of being mentored and discipled by him. I applied to lead worship at a summer camp. I worked three summers there and gained invaluable experience. I had no idea how one step would lead into another. I was just doing what I felt God had called me to do, which again, was just giving my musical ability and self to Him. I was not trying to network or create connections to "famous" people. I was simply singing to God and for God, whether it was with two people or 2000 people. I was mentored by some pretty amazing people who loved God and wanted me to use my ability for Him. Their input and commitment to Christ set me on this path, and I cannot even begin to say enough how important it is to surround yourself with people who will love God more than they want to please you.

Now I am a worship leader/singer/songwriter. I get the privilege of traveling the world, leading diverse groups of people in worship through music that is centered on Christ. During these times, my goal and the goal of my band is to focus minds and hearts on God. We sing His words of scripture through songs, of His glory and salvation, of His power and eternity. We meditate on His promises of love and rescue. We sing of our devotion to Him, and we seek to encourage the body of Christ with these songs and our presence in churches and communities. We don't want the world to get a look at us, but a glimpse of the One whom they truly need-Jesus!