Born in the beautiful state of Kentucky, where inspiration was easy to find, I found that the foothills of the Appalachians provided a great place to learn about the beauty of life. That is where I discovered that my artistic abilities flowed in music. Along with two brothers, a sister and two cousins, we would sit on the porch of our grandparents home and sing, sometimes until dark. We sang in churches, fairs and anywhere else we were allowed to “make a joyful noise.” Those humble beginnings formed roots that have anchored me deep to the heart of God. Many of the songs I have written have come from times of great trial. The Word of God is a powerful tool and always gives direction when you don’t know which way to go. Whenever a trial comes, God always leads me to His Word and there I find, not only revelation, but direction as well.
It was in Oct. 1998 that God called me into music ministry. He has a way of letting you know what you’re supposed to do even when you don’t believe it yourself. I had never led praise and worship, and had only sung in the choir. Not even on the praise team. Our worship leader, Dawn, was going to be out of town and her back up and the next backup were going to be gone as well. I’ll never forget the day she asked me if I would lead while she was gone. So many thoughts filled my mind. Scared, excited, anxious, and clueless just to name a few. Who was I to lead anyone into God’s presence? I prepared to the best of my ability and then Sunday came. We made it through and no one left the church or even had to wear earplugs. When Dawn returned she asked me if I felt like I was supposed to be leading praise and worship somewhere. I told her, "Never in a million years!” and that was the end of that, or so I thought.
Just a few weeks later a good friend of mine had moved to Greenville, SC and had asked if we would help them move. Of course we headed to SC to help her move. While there my friend said she had talked to her Pastor about me and he wanted to speak to me. She attended a church where she had grown up and they had been without a worship leader for some time. Here I was in shorts and a t-shirt ready to help her move and now I was going to meet her Pastor. The Pastor and I talked for more than an hour and I felt like I had known him all my life. At the end of our conversation he said he felt like I was the person God had sent to lead their congregation in worship. He wanted Dairen, my better half, and myself to prayerfully consider moving to SC so I could be his praise and worship leader. Talk about heads spinning. Only a week before I was just a “mom” of three and only knew one family in Greenville, SC. Dairen and I knew before we left Greenville that this was God’s call on our lives, but we went home to Virginia to “pray” about it anyway. Now, being the one who likes things written in stone and a flash of lightening, I wanted God Almighty himself to come down and write in stone that this was what we were supposed to do. I asked God for some pretty specific things and within a week everything I had asked for had been done except for Dairen’s job. By this time we were determined to move to Greenville and let God have His way regardless if Dairen had a job or not. Dairen was scheduled to meet with his boss for an evaluation in Charlotte, NC and he had decided to go ahead and give his 2-week notice. But before he could say a word, his boss told him there was a position in Greenville, SC available and they would give him a $2.00 an hour pay raise if he would take it. Not only did he have a job but a pay raise as well. Then as Dairen was about to pull out of the U-haul parking lot with our entire life in-tow, the attendant told him he was going to help him out and gave us half off our truck rental. God is so cool!
My first experience as a worship leader, from Nov. 1998 until May of 2002, was one that I will never forget with challenges and victories throughout my time there. In July of 2002 Dairen and I first visited New Image Outreach and from that first Wednesday there, we felt like we were at home. Pastor Eric spoke things into our life that no one could have known except for God.
Looking back now I realize that God had been preparing and positioning me for the tremendous responsibility of where I am today. Every word that is spoken and every song that is sung can impact someone either positively or negatively. It is with that in mind that I write music and sing songs that lead people into the very throne room of God. I trulybelieve that “Worship is not just a song, it is a lifestyle.” What you see in me on Sunday and Wednesday is a reflection of what is going on in my life throughout the week. It is my heart’s desire that Christ is the reflection you see in me.
