Q&A

You taught high school.  What's the number one thing you learned from your students?
I think I have a more insight on how God must feel when he tries to teach me something.


What is it that prompted you to leave teaching school to pursue your calling as a singer/songwriter?
It didn't really happen overnight. I did a fundraising concert for Fellowship of Christian Athletes while I was teaching. Afterward some of my students asked me for a tape or CD, but I didn't have anything recorded. My first idea was to just have something available in case I had a chance to witness with the music. We started sharing music on the weekends, and gradually it became too much, so my husband and I decided I should take a year leave. By the end of the year we were traveling full time.


Your church commissioned you out into the music ministry - what was that like?
It was a tremendous vote of confidence. They helped us recognize that what we were doing was more than just music. They send us out with their full support, they lift us up in prayer, and they refresh us when we get home. That is invaluable to me.


You filmed a music video for "Painting Pictures of Egypt" - give us a glimpse of the story behind the song and why you were inspired to write it.
It's about the way we romanticize the past even though it wasn't the best thing for us. I was reading about the Israelites in the desert and was trying to think about how I would have responded in their place. I think my tendency is to want to go back to what I know instead of waiting for the promise. But the key line is "the places that used to fit me cannot hold the things I've learned." You can't go back anyway, so trust in God and move on.


What should an audience expect at a live concert?
Oh, I like to tell stories. I like to give the inspirations and thoughts behind a song so when you listen to it, it has a deeper meaning. I love live music, so I do that whenever possible, and I bellydance. Just kidding.


What artists in Christian music do you admire - and have you been influenced creatively and/or spiritually by them?
I wear out all of Fred Hammond's CDs. He takes his music from the Word of God, so you can't help but be lifted up by it. I am a fan of Keith Green's music and I love his ideas about ministry. My creative influences and my spiritual influences are very different. Creatively my greatest influences have been secular artists like Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls. I love the way she is so real and honest even though I don't always agree with her worldview. My goal when I write is to speak honestly like that, but with a Christian worldview. I have also been influenced by the people I have worked with over the last few years. Our producer Nate Sabin has really influenced the way I think about music - in a good way. He takes music very seriously like I've always wanted to. My parents were a huge influence on my music of course. They are both great teachers, and they really gave me room to think and come to faith in my own way. The themes in my music come from a million places - books, movies, relationships, sermons, etc.


When did you start writing and performing music? How did you get into writing & performing?
My mom and I think I wrote my first song when I was about five. Playing the piano and working out song ideas has always been like therapy for me. I will be doing it for the rest of my life if people are listening or not. I enjoy the performance part of what we do, but I understand it is just for a season. I want to write music I can live with for a very long time, not just for the current audience.