IGNITE Story: Home

IGNITE|17 is next week, so we’re taking an opportunity to tell some of the stories behind the songs from our own College Park artists.

Have you ever received a call? I’m not talking about one of those annoying cold calls or a call from your mom. I mean one of those calls from God when He puts an idea in your heart. My heart has always been drawn to music, and the idea He put in my heart was to create a way for kids at College Park to be able to practice using their musical gifts in a forgiving atmosphere.

The idea came to fruition and in partnership with our Next Generation Ministries, I have had the honor of helping students steward their gifts. Students are given opportunities to use their talents on a regular basis as they lead worship for various Sunday School classes on Sunday mornings at College Park. As they are mentored by an adult leader, they are exposed to the blessing of serving the body of Christ, as well as given an opportunity to learn the hard work that’s required of a worship leader.

Miles is a student that I’ve had the privilege of working with and mentoring for a few years. He comes from a very talented family and has a God-given love and talent for music; all he needed was a place to use his gifts. Miles started leading worship for second grade Sunday School three years ago. In less than a year, Miles took over second-grade worship and even began mentoring a younger student, while I moved on to work with another team of kids.

In the spring of 2016, we began preparing for Worship Arts Camp (WAC), one of our favorite weeks of the summer. This week provides young students with an opportunity to use their unique gifts to put on a musical production. In many ways, it is a culmination of what God has done with the adult/student mentoring that has happened through the school year.

As we began to prepare, the 2016 WAC leaders asked volunteers to prayerfully consider our roles in the week-long camp. RING RING! I knew this was another call from the Lord. So, while driving one day, I was praying and asking the Lord about my role. I often seek God’s Word for direction (What I need to know, God has told me in His Word, right?), but God had me in a Bible study that was challenging me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. In the midst of my prayer, I knew the Holy Spirit was prodding me to work with a student to write a theme song for WAC. My next question for the Lord was, “Who?” Again, the answer was clear, “Call Miles.” So I did!

Miles & Jen

I told Miles exactly what I believed the Lord had put in my heart, and Miles was all in. We made plans to meditate on the scripture theme for WAC, Matthew 18:10-14 (the parable of the lost sheep) and to get together the following Sunday at 9 a.m. We met, prayed for a little bit, and started working on a song, even though the conditions were less than optimal that morning–my kids were running around like hoodlums, and Miles was in between leading worship for the North Indy morning services. But God. At the end of that morning, we planned to meet two more times to work on the song. God continued to guide and lead in spite of all that was going on in our lives–Miles graduated from high school, my grandpa died, and one of the times we met there was a power outage!

Through the whole process, God made it apparent that this was HIS song, written for HIS glory. When God calls you to use the gifts that Christ has so generously given, answer His call. It is a privilege and an honor to be a vessel for our faithful Shepherd.

Home 

Wandering, wandering through the hills
Searching, searching to fulfill
Stumbling, stumbling in this race
Desperately, desperately in need of grace

Broken and bruised, greatly confused oh God
I’ve heard many things, but I need to know who you are, who you are

I ran off on my own
Lost and all alone
But God you called me close
The shepherd brought me home

Wondering, wondering where you are
Worrying, worrying, I’ve gone too far

Caught in my ways, to my sin I’m a slave, oh God
God, you made a way and my sin is erased, and it’s paid, it’s all paid

I ran off on my own
Lost and all alone
But God you called me close
The shepherd brought me home

Amazing love, how can it be, that you would bleed and die for me
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, was once in chains, but now unbound

Amazing love, how can it be
I once was blind, but now I see
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, I once was lost, but now am found!