Faith Filled Family Magazine August 2016 | Page 52

ning.
Your music is described as
an energetic hybrid of dance,
pop, Latin and a splash of
reggae.
And after listening to your
album, I tend to agree with this
analysis. With such a distinct
style, do you consider yourself a Contemporary Christian
artist?
)I am definitely like a piñata;
there is something in it for everyone! I consider myself a world
singer who is a Christian. I’m
probably a little more modern
than the CCM market is used to
but I’m not just trying to reach
the already reached Christians
but also the commercial lost
crowd that may do a double take
hearing some of my tracks and
find themselves listening to a hot
beat with a positive message.
Now, you were a Praise and
Worship Leader for fifteen
years and now you have ventured out into a music style
that is totally the opposite of
such. What brought on such a
transformation?
My first heart will always be
worship and I am still a worship
leader to this day. I will definitely
be doing a Spanish and English
worship album very soon. I just
also love to have a great time
and dance and love people and
thought I’d bring the fiesta to
them where they are at. I made a
pact with the Lord that no matter
where I am on the road at least
once a month I’ll be leading worship in church and will always be
part of what my friend Timm Allen
calls “the back pew club.” Sometimes you need to not be the one
in the front and refuel from the

back pew so that there’s not a
constant drain and I’m fresh for
what comes my way outside the
church walls.
I like the statement: “Life can
be hard and people can be
messy.” Certainly, life doesn’t
come without adversities, disappointments and unrelenting challenges. As Christians,
how should we handle such?
How much does praying
and faith in God help us get
through such times?
We’re Christians but we’re also
imperfect humans that have
moments of doubt, moments
where it’s hard to keep the faith
even when we know that God is
with us. If even Jesus’ very own
crew who rolled with him everywhere could doubt and fear in
the middle of the storm, it’s ok if
that happens as long as we don’t
stay there. Falling in the ocean
won’t kill anyone, but not getting
back in could drown you.
To avoid situations like that I
make sure that I surround myself
with select giants in the Spirit so
that th ey can hold my arms up
like Aaron did for Moses when
he got tired.
It’s also important to know the
Bible and all the amazing promises that God has given us,
knowing that if He said something, He will complete it and like
it says in Hebrews 12:2 He is the
author and finisher of our faith.
So if we use that tiny mustard
seed of faith that He gave us, He
will take it and grow it, and get us
through the storm.
Though the disciples were in
that huge storm and in great
fear, even in the presence of the

Savior, they did make it to the
other side and so will we if we
keep our eyes on the prize.
Prayer and communication with
God changes everything. My
Pastor, Russell Hodgins always
says “Some things happen when
you pray, that don’t happen when
you don’t pray.”
Ushers you may come forward
now...lol we just had church!
Now, you spoke briefly about
having gone through some
struggles and an illness
in your life. Do you care to
elaborate about any specific
struggles? And how did you
overcome such?
Just last year after finishing the
recording of my album, photo
shoots, music videos, boom....I
got sick with a mystery illness. I
was losing sensation in my body,
numbness and tingling. The right
side of my face slid and I could
barely walk. I was told many
pretty horrid possibilities, but no
matter what it looked and felt
like, I chose to believe the report
of the Lord and declare life over
myself through healing scriptures. After many hospital visits,
specialist, and numerous blood
test the doctors were stumped
and I felt like I was dying. At that
time I truly had to cling to Jesus
and remember that the lyrics He
had previously given me to my
songs before the illness were
my gift and promise that I would
be ok. Songs such as ALIVE
that says “felt I had died, but He
kept me alive.” Physically and
momentarily spiritually I felt that
way. I BELIEVE IN JESUS says
“I gotta have faith in the things
unseen, hope in what I believe.”
It’s like He gave me those promises and lyrics ahead of the ill-