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Kathryn Scott: Heart of a Worshipper |
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Prodigal comes home
(Nashville, TN) -- Michael English will release his first studio album in eight years, The Prodigal Comes Home, on February 26, 2008.
Years of battles with addiction left his Christian music career and personal life in shambles several years ago, yet he said God's grace always called him to return home.
The album is a beautiful story of redemption, according to Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns. |
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by Kevan Breitinger, Christian Music Central
http://www.cmcentral.com/interview/7377.html
Worship leader and Integrity Music recording artist Kathryn Scott lives in Ireland, so our interview was actually an e-conversation. But it didn’t detract at all from Kathryn’s openness in sharing the heart for the Lord that drives her ministry and creativity.
CMCentral (Kevan Breitinger): Wow, Kathryn, I didn’t realize that you had a family background of touring each summer doing musical evangelism with your family. How many years did you do that? |
| Kathryn Scott: It is a little mad isn’t it ? The funny thing is, I thought it was totally normal for everyone to go around the country telling people that Jesus loved them – I’m so completely grateful for that legacy! It was really my Mum and Dad who were involved in this, and as kids, we got along for the ride (so I didn’t do any performing). I think I was two when we started doing it – and eight when we stopped.
I read about your dry season before meeting and being mentored by Brian Doerksen. What happened during that process that freed you up to go on to write “Child of God” and “Hungry”?
I went through a three-year dry patch when I was about 20. I had written songs since I was nine, and to be truthful, a lot of how I understood who I was, was wrapped up in that ability – I had no idea that was the case though, until I couldn’t do it anymore! I’m so grateful now that the Lord brought me through this, because it taught me SO much I would have otherwise missed.
When something you have always been able to do is suddenly gone – you go through some changes. At first, I struggled with a sense of tremendous loss – this was how I had always expressed myself to God. I also was left having to wrestle through some pretty tough questions - ‘why did this happen’, ‘was there something I could have done to stop it’, ‘who am I without this gift’? It was not how I expected things to go – I’d had so many prophetic words given to me that I was going to write worship songs that would go all over the world – now I was sitting unable to write a single note. But in His mercy, this is what the Lord showed me…
…I realized that it’s relationship with God that is the ‘gift’ – everything else simply points to that. I learned that pursuing ‘something to do’, was nowhere near as satisfying as pursuing a King who gave everything to love me. I found out, that no matter what I could, or couldn’t do – I belonged to Jesus, and that was enough for both of us! That He was happy with me just knowing I was His, and then ‘doing stuff’ for Him because of that – rather than ‘doing stuff’ so that I could know I belonged.
Wonderfully, that’s the very thing that sparked the writing off again! By the time those three years rolled around, I honestly didn’t think I would write songs again – but I didn’t mind any more – I loved Jesus with all my heart – and I knew at the very deepest part of me who I was, that I was His child! So it was an amazing surprise to sit down one day and start to write – and the first song to make it’s tentative way to the surface was ‘Child of God’, followed just a couple of weeks later by ‘Hungry’. Both of them took several months to finish – but the raw material was all there. The writing was back, but both the songs and I were different!
To read/print the full CCMmagazine article, click here
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Music News Briefs
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - In his new Christmas album -- "Michael W. Smith, It's a Wonderful Christmas" -- the Christian singer and songwriter uses four choirs and a 67-piece orchestra.
This month he's performing the new music on tour, using local orchestras at each stop.
Typically, he'll arrive in town and rehearse a couple of hours with the musicians, take a break and then do the show.
In addition to his music, the 50-year-old Smith co-pastors a 400-member nondenominational church and does charity and mission work.
In his view, "If you're not feeding the poor, not looking out for the troubled kid on the block, not giving yourself away, you've totally missed it."
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Some of Christian music's top songwriters plan to collectively write 10 to 12 songs and donate the copyrights to charity.
Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Paul Baloche and Darlene Zschech are among the artists who'll gather next month in Scotland.
Martin Smith, lead singer for the Christian band Delirious, is organizing the project.
Half of each song's proceeds will go to the songwriter's charity of choice, and the other half to a yet-to-be-determined charitable program agreed on by all the writers. |
Extravagant worship -- in classic kid style
by Lori Drummond
My Altar page coordinator
I’ve been reading the inspiring book Extravagant Worship written by the renowned worship musician Darlene Zschech. You see, I’ve been hungry for more of Jesus, and in worshipping Him, my experience has been that my hunger is satisfied.
That hunger is simply a longing for His presence to fill a place in my heart and soul that only He can fill.
What I’ve learned is that my Father simply wants my heart, yielded like a little child.
A beautiful story that is shared by the author goes like this:
One morning, I was lying in bed when Chloe said, “Mummy, sit up; I want to make you breakfast.” She was five at the time, so I knew her meal would be unique!
To read/print article, click here |
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