March 12, 2025 • 22 mins
Join host Kahn Ellmers as he welcomes Laura Williams, a passionate singer/songwriter and recording artist who, along with her husband Ernie, dedicates her life to full-time music and media ministry. Laura shares her inspiring journey of using music as a powerful tool to spread the gospel, reaching hearts and minds in concerts, evangelistic meetings, schools, hospitals, and more.
Discover the story behind her song, "Bend Your Knees and Pray," and how it encourages listeners to find strength and solace in prayer.
Thank you for listening to Adventist Waves! It's truly inspiring to see how Laura and Ernie are using their gifts to serve God and others. Your support makes it possible for us to continue sharing stories of Adventist musicians impacting the world.
Listen to "Bend Your Knees and Pray" and connect with Laura Williams through her Linktree: https://linktr.ee/laurawilliamsmusic. Follow her journey and be inspired by her dedication to music ministry.
Next week on Adventist Waves, we'll be featuring another talented Adventist musician sharing their story and the inspiration behind their music - Kemy Ogendi
Donate now to support the production of our next season of Adventist musicians stories.
This episode was brought to you by Blue Vineyard Audio. It was produced, edited, mixed, and mastered by Kahn Ellmers. If you need help with your podcast or audio project, visit bluevineyardaudio.com.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Adventist Wives.
(00:05):
So, the one I picked is called Bender Knees and Pray.
There's only one thing I can say.
This is the very first song that I wrote by myself.
So I wrote one with Ernie.
No matter what life holds you away, just bend your knees and pray.
(00:40):
But a little bit before that, but he did the music for it. I did the words.
Welcome to Adventist Wives. I'm your host, Khan Elmas.
(01:02):
And be sure to stick around and subscribe to this podcast.
Today, you're going to hear from Laura Williams.
And so let's just dive into her story.
Can you share with us a bit about who you are and where you're from?
Well, technically, I guess I'm from Washington State.
I kind of grew up between Montana and Washington.
(01:24):
But I'm not home very often because I do music full-time, full-time music ministry.
And so my husband and I, who you also had on this podcast,
so some of the viewers might remember Ernie Hernandez,
we travel full-time doing concerts and music for different events.
So you said you're from Montana. You're currently living in Montana, right?
(01:49):
Washington.
Washington, right, okay.
And you spend a lot of time traveling around doing music ministry.
When was the first time that you felt inspired to be a musician?
Well, let's see, probably, well, my mom put me into voice lessons when I was maybe eight or nine.
(02:11):
And at that point, I had one of my biggest fears was singing in public,
doing anything in public for that matter on a stage.
And so the first thing I did when I walked into my first voice lesson was tell my teacher,
there's nothing you can do that's going to make me sing for you.
I will not sing out loud.
But clearly that didn't work out for me.
(02:32):
So I started out with like such a huge level of stage fright.
But I think where it started to shift when I was maybe 10 or 11 is when I first heard Josh Groban and his music.
He raised me up the prayer and that's kind of like, oh, like I kind of, I want to do that too.
(02:53):
Okay, take us back to that moment where you were listening to Josh Groban's music.
I believe the first song I heard was You Raise Me Up when his very first album came out.
And I was completely taken back by it.
I don't know, just something about his voice, the way he sang.
And so of course I started to follow all of his music and everything he was doing.
(03:14):
And that just made me eventually I was like, I want to do that.
I want to do what he's doing.
I want to be a singer too.
And at that point, I wasn't thinking Christian music at that point.
I was like, I want to do exactly what he's doing.
Yeah, that's cool.
So how did that end up evolving into you actually becoming a full-time musician?
Well, I started, I kind of just went with it and started singing whenever I could.
(03:40):
I joined a choir.
My mom actually did a, she taught a choir.
And so I joined that and started doing some solos here and there.
And it's kind of weaved into a much bigger story of me becoming very rebellious against Christianity in my early teens and trying to get away from it.
And in so doing also wanting to pursue a secular music career.
(04:04):
I wanted to run away when I was 14.
I wanted to go to Los Angeles, join the industry.
And then right in the middle of that, when I was at the point like where I just most wanted to do my own thing,
and my ultimate dream was to become a famous singer.
And honestly, my biggest dream of all was to sing with Josh Groban, which I will not, I still have that dream.
(04:26):
I still have that one.
So we can get him on the podcast next time.
Let me know.
Laura, what's the book about you?
I'll chase it up for you.
I appreciate it.
All right.
So yeah, so I do still have that dream, but right in the middle of all that,
I got sent to this place called Fountain View Academy.
(04:49):
And I don't know.
Fountain View Academy.
Okay.
Tell us about that.
Fountain View is a boarding school up in British Columbia,
and they're known for their music.
So they have a huge orchestra, a big choir.
They travel all over the world.
They do DVDs.
I think a lot of people have probably seen their music on 3BN, Hope Channel.
(05:10):
And I got sent there, which turns out was exactly where I needed to be.
And it really kind of shifted it.
It only enhanced and deepened my love for music, but it shifted my focus.
And it was there that I really saw the impact that sacred music has and how it's so much
(05:33):
more satisfying to focus on that kind of music because it can really change a person, you know,
have long lasting eternal effects even.
Let me see.
So you've kind of incorporated that into your own music that you have developed over those years too.
Can you tell us a bit about like, okay, say if I have never heard of your music before,
(05:54):
how would you describe your music to me?
What it's leaning toward now, I would call it sacred Christian music with a cinematic
orchestral type feel.
I asked you if you could tell us like one piece that kind of described your music.
(06:16):
And could you share with us a bit about that piece and just tell us about how that piece began.
So the one I picked is called Bender, Knees and Pray.
This is the very first song that I wrote by myself.
So I wrote one with Ernie, but a little bit before that, but he did the music for it.
(06:41):
I did the words.
When your days are dark and bleak, when your strength is growing weak, when you feel there's no relief.
And so this was the next song after that, but it's the first time that I've written one completely on my own music and words.
(07:09):
And I say that, you know, obviously I don't truly think I did it on my own.
I do believe that God gave me the song and inspired it.
Wonder will it ever end? Will it ever end?
(07:35):
It's especially special to me because it was the first.
And it's also the one that I've seen had the most impact on people.
It's the one that I get back, you know, the messages because the song is all about how, you know, no matter how dark life gets,
no matter how much you feel like everything's just caving in on you and like, you know, when's it going to end kind of thing?
(08:03):
It's basically saying that, you know, there's one thing I know for sure, and that is that if you will just go to God in prayer, he will be there.
Find a friend in Jesus Christ, cause all for you, he's sacrificed.
He sees each tear fall from your eyes. He hears you asking why.
(08:36):
And so I do get responses from people a lot for that song, you know, saying that, you know, while they battle cancer, that's the song that pulled them through later.
Just different things like that. And so that one I think will always have probably like the most special place in my heart, you know, of all the songs we've done.
Your knees and pray, you'll never be alone.
(09:07):
Can you tell us a bit more about those other ways that people have been impacted by the song?
Let's see. I've had some people say, you know, one person in particular, she went through a cancer or a deal and, you know, she was playing it every day, all day long.
Other ones, you know, I have somebody let me know that they shared the song with somebody who was going through something really bad and they would, they were next door neighbors and they would hear the song being played every day over and over.
(09:42):
I'm trying to think there's, like trying to go back into like all the messages and things.
Yeah, one thing that is really neat to me is that like one of my dreams when I was young was to write music that other people would sing.
And I never thought it would actually happen, but that's just something I always hoped would happen. And you know, the Bible verse that talks about how like God will give us the desires of our heart.
(10:07):
Yeah, yeah. That's what I really think he did with this song because I held on to that dream for a long time, but I don't read music or anything like that.
So even writing music isn't something I thought I would do, especially music that other people would want to do.
But that song, like every time I check YouTube, there's another cover of it, or I'll get videos from little kids singing it.
(10:29):
And I have like a whole folder of videos of collected of people singing that song. And so to me, that's just like God bringing it full circle and saying, you know, I will give you the desires of your heart when you are working for me when you're serving me.
And so I, yeah, it's really cool.
Yeah.
(10:57):
There's nothing better as a musician to see that your work is being appreciated, isn't it? Yeah.
Do you have any other reflections on that song? Maybe you could share with us a bit more about like the details of the content of it, what led you to write and if you have any personal experiences with that.
Right. So the reason that I wrote it is because when you do full time music ministry, or not even just music ministry, when you do full time ministry and you travel full time, you meet a lot of people
(11:31):
who are going through things that are just like unbelievable, like things you can't even imagine.
You know, we'll be standing there on stage doing a concert and you're looking at this audience of people that are all smiling and they look like they're just happy to be there.
And then at the end, they come and just tell you the stuff they're going through in that moment and you're like, how are you even just sitting here smiling like nothing's happening.
(11:57):
I mean, you know, like one person, their house just burned down or another, just all these things.
But also, you meet a lot of people who just who really need help and encouragement all the time, all over the place.
And so I wanted to write a song that would basically sum up what I would want to tell these people that we meet all over the place.
(12:23):
And so that's what the song is about. It's basically starting out by saying like when your life is dark and bleak, when you feel there's no relief,
when your life is caving in and you ask yourself, you know, is it ever going to end?
Then it would be the chorus is there's only one thing I can say. One way I know you'll be okay.
(12:50):
No matter what life throws your way, just bend your knees and pray.
And that's basically in essence what I wanted to share as a whole to all these people that we meet.
And so putting it into a song, you can, you know, make it go further.
(13:11):
Yeah, I can really see that you have a heart for mission and for people as well.
Which to me, to me, it is the most important part of doing ministry and especially doing music ministry, right?
Yeah.
It's so inspiring to hear your story. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing with us, Laura.
(13:35):
Before we finish up this podcast, I'd like to know if you have any thoughts about how people could support musicians and creatives like yourselves.
Like, can you elaborate a little bit?
Sure, sure.
How could people help musician, music ministry, people who are going around and singing and producing music like yourself full time? How could people support your music?
(14:08):
I think one of the best ways to support music ministries in general is to understand, a lot of the times music ministries are treated more like entertainment.
And sometimes I'm sure that some musicians, you know, they do treat it that way, unfortunately.
(14:29):
But for the most part, we, one of the biggest things that we want to change the perception of is we're not here for entertainment.
Music is very powerful and it can recharge that sometimes sermons or words can't.
And so a huge way that it can be supported is by, you know, valuing it basically for what it is.
(14:53):
Yeah. I don't know if that answers your question though.
It does. It does. It's a really good point though. And it's something that I had actually not thought about.
But I think it's worth exploring some more because I think that you're completely right.
There is, yes, the question is, what is a balance?
So what I normally would say is, is treat your musician like you would your speaker.
(15:19):
You know, people are very good with, you know, when you bring in a speaker, you pay them, you take care of the travel lodging, all that kind of stuff.
And so I would say, but then on the other hand, you know, for the musician, it's more like, oh, they're the entertainment.
This is more of a hobby for them. Like it's kind of seen more like that.
So they should be on a volunteer basis. But the reality of it is, you know, your musician and your speakers have the same same standards for them both.
(15:51):
That's very true. I like that idea of treating them as a speaker. I didn't think about it like that.
That's quite a good point.
So have you had any experiences like where people have done that? Like they've treated you like that before and how has that helped your ministry?
(16:12):
Yeah, there's definitely some that have and you can kind of tell really quickly, like how it's going to go.
But the ones that usually do that are the ones that like there's a lot of pastors that are also musicians and they get it.
They understand. And so, you know, they want to make sure like they would treat you as they would want to be treated when they were also traveling as musicians.
(16:39):
So it makes a huge difference.
I see. So it helps to have somebody who can relate to you.
Yeah, ones that can relate. And then there's other churches that have just experienced it before and they understand how impactful music can be.
And then they will also they really, you know, want to take care of you and make it work out well.
(17:02):
Well, I guess you get to explore around the country. So you've had many interactions of people.
So, you know, very, very well that the difference between someone who is, you know, treating you just for entertainment and or if they're really serious.
Yeah, right. Like they actually are in it for the souls and not just getting you in and out the door.
(17:26):
Exactly. And and being consistent, I've learned to just be consistent because, you know, this is unless, of course, it's a church that just, you know, you just know that they would love to have you.
But they can't quite afford it. Like I'm more than willing to work with that.
But I've learned to stay consistent as far as like this is what it's cost. This is what I do.
(17:47):
Being consistent with what you're offering helps them to value it more.
What you're offering, offering in terms of your singing?
In terms of like, like, for example, you know, having a church that wants us to come, they want us to be there, but they will not pay for it.
They want us to cover the travel. They want us to cover the lodging and it's they view it more as like we're doing you a favor by letting us come here kind of thing.
(18:15):
But if I stay consistent and say, I'm sorry, like this is what I charge.
This is this is what it costs. And I that's what I'm at. I can't, you know, charge someone else this, but then you I'm not at all.
I have to stay consistent. This is what I bring to the table. And that kind of shows them they have to value, you know, what they're getting in order to move forward.
(18:40):
And usually when you stay firm like that, they will they will value it.
I don't know if that makes any sense. No, that makes complete sense. Yeah.
And I for somebody who is just starting out in music ministry, maybe they don't have as much value on their work to begin with as well.
(19:01):
And so it's good to hear from somebody like yourself who has been doing this ministry and for our listeners who are out there who are just starting in the music ministry.
They should put value on their music, right, and not just not just do everything for free, although they may not have they may have few and far between opportunities in order to sing on their music, which we may not all have access to, which is opportunities, right?
(19:29):
So how do you find your opportunities to do ministry? I'm completely going off record here. I'm just completely curious. How do you actually find your opportunities?
It's mostly word of mouth. Of course, when you're first starting out, you know, you you call churches and, you know, give them a bio and things like that.
Okay.
(19:50):
But it's mostly going to be word of mouth. And so how I started was one of the parents of a fellow student at Fountview was a pastor.
And he attended some events at Fountview, and he approached me and said, I'm doing a series about I was like three months after I graduated.
(20:12):
And he was like, would you be willing to come and do the music for the series? I had no idea what I was getting into.
No idea how he was going to do that.
But, you know, it took him, you know, being willing to, you know, take a chance on someone that was brand new. And he gave me that opportunity. And because of that, it just kind of started to go from there.
(20:33):
And I've really not stopped since.
But yeah, bringing the highest quality that you can is going to people are going to talk about it and they're going to continue to share.
And then you just, it takes time to build up though to pick up speed and time and effort and investment.
(20:55):
Just like anything it takes to develop, you know, you got to get to work on your craft and sooner or later that people would take notice of it.
Right.
And this is encouraged our listeners to continue on in their journeys or whatever they may be if you're into singing or if you're into your musician, violinist, whatever you're doing.
(21:16):
Keep trying and making music for the Lord.
And if you have any questions or anything that has inspired you from this podcast, I'd like to invite you to drop it in the comments below.
Wherever you listen to your podcasts, share it with a friend.
This is Adventist Waves.
(21:38):
We interview musicians and tell their song stories one song at a time.
And you can be a part of this journey as well.
So thank you so much for coming into the podcast, Laura.
Thanks for having me.
Really appreciate your time.
And that's a wrap.
We hope this episode of Adventist Waves has given you a fresh perspective on how media can be a powerful tool for ministry.
(22:06):
If you enjoyed today's conversation, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and connect with us on social media.
You can also support our work directly by becoming a patron at patreon.com.
Your generosity enables us to produce more high quality content and reach a wider audience.
(22:29):
Special thanks to our production team at Blue Vineyard Audio and our producer, editor, mixer and sound designer, Khan Elmas.
We'll see you next week as we continue to explore the art of sharing the gospel through sound.
Adventist Waves.
Welcome to Adventist Wives.
(00:05):
So, the one I picked is called Bender Knees and Pray.
There's only one thing I can say.
This is the very first song that I wrote by myself.
So I wrote one with Ernie.
No matter what life holds you away, just bend your knees and pray.
(00:40):
But a little bit before that, but he did the music for it. I did the words.
Welcome to Adventist Wives. I'm your host, Khan Elmas.
(01:02):
And be sure to stick around and subscribe to this podcast.
Today, you're going to hear from Laura Williams.
And so let's just dive into her story.
Can you share with us a bit about who you are and where you're from?
Well, technically, I guess I'm from Washington State.
I kind of grew up between Montana and Washington.
(01:24):
But I'm not home very often because I do music full-time, full-time music ministry.
And so my husband and I, who you also had on this podcast,
so some of the viewers might remember Ernie Hernandez,
we travel full-time doing concerts and music for different events.
So you said you're from Montana. You're currently living in Montana, right?
(01:49):
Washington.
Washington, right, okay.
And you spend a lot of time traveling around doing music ministry.
When was the first time that you felt inspired to be a musician?
Well, let's see, probably, well, my mom put me into voice lessons when I was maybe eight or nine.
(02:11):
And at that point, I had one of my biggest fears was singing in public,
doing anything in public for that matter on a stage.
And so the first thing I did when I walked into my first voice lesson was tell my teacher,
there's nothing you can do that's going to make me sing for you.
I will not sing out loud.
But clearly that didn't work out for me.
(02:32):
So I started out with like such a huge level of stage fright.
But I think where it started to shift when I was maybe 10 or 11 is when I first heard Josh Groban and his music.
He raised me up the prayer and that's kind of like, oh, like I kind of, I want to do that too.
(02:53):
Okay, take us back to that moment where you were listening to Josh Groban's music.
I believe the first song I heard was You Raise Me Up when his very first album came out.
And I was completely taken back by it.
I don't know, just something about his voice, the way he sang.
And so of course I started to follow all of his music and everything he was doing.
(03:14):
And that just made me eventually I was like, I want to do that.
I want to do what he's doing.
I want to be a singer too.
And at that point, I wasn't thinking Christian music at that point.
I was like, I want to do exactly what he's doing.
Yeah, that's cool.
So how did that end up evolving into you actually becoming a full-time musician?
Well, I started, I kind of just went with it and started singing whenever I could.
(03:40):
I joined a choir.
My mom actually did a, she taught a choir.
And so I joined that and started doing some solos here and there.
And it's kind of weaved into a much bigger story of me becoming very rebellious against Christianity in my early teens and trying to get away from it.
And in so doing also wanting to pursue a secular music career.
(04:04):
I wanted to run away when I was 14.
I wanted to go to Los Angeles, join the industry.
And then right in the middle of that, when I was at the point like where I just most wanted to do my own thing,
and my ultimate dream was to become a famous singer.
And honestly, my biggest dream of all was to sing with Josh Groban, which I will not, I still have that dream.
(04:26):
I still have that one.
So we can get him on the podcast next time.
Let me know.
Laura, what's the book about you?
I'll chase it up for you.
I appreciate it.
All right.
So yeah, so I do still have that dream, but right in the middle of all that,
I got sent to this place called Fountain View Academy.
(04:49):
And I don't know.
Fountain View Academy.
Okay.
Tell us about that.
Fountain View is a boarding school up in British Columbia,
and they're known for their music.
So they have a huge orchestra, a big choir.
They travel all over the world.
They do DVDs.
I think a lot of people have probably seen their music on 3BN, Hope Channel.
(05:10):
And I got sent there, which turns out was exactly where I needed to be.
And it really kind of shifted it.
It only enhanced and deepened my love for music, but it shifted my focus.
And it was there that I really saw the impact that sacred music has and how it's so much
(05:33):
more satisfying to focus on that kind of music because it can really change a person, you know,
have long lasting eternal effects even.
Let me see.
So you've kind of incorporated that into your own music that you have developed over those years too.
Can you tell us a bit about like, okay, say if I have never heard of your music before,
(05:54):
how would you describe your music to me?
What it's leaning toward now, I would call it sacred Christian music with a cinematic
orchestral type feel.
I asked you if you could tell us like one piece that kind of described your music.
(06:16):
And could you share with us a bit about that piece and just tell us about how that piece began.
So the one I picked is called Bender, Knees and Pray.
This is the very first song that I wrote by myself.
So I wrote one with Ernie, but a little bit before that, but he did the music for it.
(06:41):
I did the words.
When your days are dark and bleak, when your strength is growing weak, when you feel there's no relief.
And so this was the next song after that, but it's the first time that I've written one completely on my own music and words.
(07:09):
And I say that, you know, obviously I don't truly think I did it on my own.
I do believe that God gave me the song and inspired it.
Wonder will it ever end? Will it ever end?
(07:35):
It's especially special to me because it was the first.
And it's also the one that I've seen had the most impact on people.
It's the one that I get back, you know, the messages because the song is all about how, you know, no matter how dark life gets,
no matter how much you feel like everything's just caving in on you and like, you know, when's it going to end kind of thing?
(08:03):
It's basically saying that, you know, there's one thing I know for sure, and that is that if you will just go to God in prayer, he will be there.
Find a friend in Jesus Christ, cause all for you, he's sacrificed.
He sees each tear fall from your eyes. He hears you asking why.
(08:36):
And so I do get responses from people a lot for that song, you know, saying that, you know, while they battle cancer, that's the song that pulled them through later.
Just different things like that. And so that one I think will always have probably like the most special place in my heart, you know, of all the songs we've done.
Your knees and pray, you'll never be alone.
(09:07):
Can you tell us a bit more about those other ways that people have been impacted by the song?
Let's see. I've had some people say, you know, one person in particular, she went through a cancer or a deal and, you know, she was playing it every day, all day long.
Other ones, you know, I have somebody let me know that they shared the song with somebody who was going through something really bad and they would, they were next door neighbors and they would hear the song being played every day over and over.
(09:42):
I'm trying to think there's, like trying to go back into like all the messages and things.
Yeah, one thing that is really neat to me is that like one of my dreams when I was young was to write music that other people would sing.
And I never thought it would actually happen, but that's just something I always hoped would happen. And you know, the Bible verse that talks about how like God will give us the desires of our heart.
(10:07):
Yeah, yeah. That's what I really think he did with this song because I held on to that dream for a long time, but I don't read music or anything like that.
So even writing music isn't something I thought I would do, especially music that other people would want to do.
But that song, like every time I check YouTube, there's another cover of it, or I'll get videos from little kids singing it.
(10:29):
And I have like a whole folder of videos of collected of people singing that song. And so to me, that's just like God bringing it full circle and saying, you know, I will give you the desires of your heart when you are working for me when you're serving me.
And so I, yeah, it's really cool.
Yeah.
(10:57):
There's nothing better as a musician to see that your work is being appreciated, isn't it? Yeah.
Do you have any other reflections on that song? Maybe you could share with us a bit more about like the details of the content of it, what led you to write and if you have any personal experiences with that.
Right. So the reason that I wrote it is because when you do full time music ministry, or not even just music ministry, when you do full time ministry and you travel full time, you meet a lot of people
(11:31):
who are going through things that are just like unbelievable, like things you can't even imagine.
You know, we'll be standing there on stage doing a concert and you're looking at this audience of people that are all smiling and they look like they're just happy to be there.
And then at the end, they come and just tell you the stuff they're going through in that moment and you're like, how are you even just sitting here smiling like nothing's happening.
(11:57):
I mean, you know, like one person, their house just burned down or another, just all these things.
But also, you meet a lot of people who just who really need help and encouragement all the time, all over the place.
And so I wanted to write a song that would basically sum up what I would want to tell these people that we meet all over the place.
(12:23):
And so that's what the song is about. It's basically starting out by saying like when your life is dark and bleak, when you feel there's no relief,
when your life is caving in and you ask yourself, you know, is it ever going to end?
Then it would be the chorus is there's only one thing I can say. One way I know you'll be okay.
(12:50):
No matter what life throws your way, just bend your knees and pray.
And that's basically in essence what I wanted to share as a whole to all these people that we meet.
And so putting it into a song, you can, you know, make it go further.
(13:11):
Yeah, I can really see that you have a heart for mission and for people as well.
Which to me, to me, it is the most important part of doing ministry and especially doing music ministry, right?
Yeah.
It's so inspiring to hear your story. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing with us, Laura.
(13:35):
Before we finish up this podcast, I'd like to know if you have any thoughts about how people could support musicians and creatives like yourselves.
Like, can you elaborate a little bit?
Sure, sure.
How could people help musician, music ministry, people who are going around and singing and producing music like yourself full time? How could people support your music?
(14:08):
I think one of the best ways to support music ministries in general is to understand, a lot of the times music ministries are treated more like entertainment.
And sometimes I'm sure that some musicians, you know, they do treat it that way, unfortunately.
(14:29):
But for the most part, we, one of the biggest things that we want to change the perception of is we're not here for entertainment.
Music is very powerful and it can recharge that sometimes sermons or words can't.
And so a huge way that it can be supported is by, you know, valuing it basically for what it is.
(14:53):
Yeah. I don't know if that answers your question though.
It does. It does. It's a really good point though. And it's something that I had actually not thought about.
But I think it's worth exploring some more because I think that you're completely right.
There is, yes, the question is, what is a balance?
So what I normally would say is, is treat your musician like you would your speaker.
(15:19):
You know, people are very good with, you know, when you bring in a speaker, you pay them, you take care of the travel lodging, all that kind of stuff.
And so I would say, but then on the other hand, you know, for the musician, it's more like, oh, they're the entertainment.
This is more of a hobby for them. Like it's kind of seen more like that.
So they should be on a volunteer basis. But the reality of it is, you know, your musician and your speakers have the same same standards for them both.
(15:51):
That's very true. I like that idea of treating them as a speaker. I didn't think about it like that.
That's quite a good point.
So have you had any experiences like where people have done that? Like they've treated you like that before and how has that helped your ministry?
(16:12):
Yeah, there's definitely some that have and you can kind of tell really quickly, like how it's going to go.
But the ones that usually do that are the ones that like there's a lot of pastors that are also musicians and they get it.
They understand. And so, you know, they want to make sure like they would treat you as they would want to be treated when they were also traveling as musicians.
(16:39):
So it makes a huge difference.
I see. So it helps to have somebody who can relate to you.
Yeah, ones that can relate. And then there's other churches that have just experienced it before and they understand how impactful music can be.
And then they will also they really, you know, want to take care of you and make it work out well.
(17:02):
Well, I guess you get to explore around the country. So you've had many interactions of people.
So, you know, very, very well that the difference between someone who is, you know, treating you just for entertainment and or if they're really serious.
Yeah, right. Like they actually are in it for the souls and not just getting you in and out the door.
(17:26):
Exactly. And and being consistent, I've learned to just be consistent because, you know, this is unless, of course, it's a church that just, you know, you just know that they would love to have you.
But they can't quite afford it. Like I'm more than willing to work with that.
But I've learned to stay consistent as far as like this is what it's cost. This is what I do.
(17:47):
Being consistent with what you're offering helps them to value it more.
What you're offering, offering in terms of your singing?
In terms of like, like, for example, you know, having a church that wants us to come, they want us to be there, but they will not pay for it.
They want us to cover the travel. They want us to cover the lodging and it's they view it more as like we're doing you a favor by letting us come here kind of thing.
(18:15):
But if I stay consistent and say, I'm sorry, like this is what I charge.
This is this is what it costs. And I that's what I'm at. I can't, you know, charge someone else this, but then you I'm not at all.
I have to stay consistent. This is what I bring to the table. And that kind of shows them they have to value, you know, what they're getting in order to move forward.
(18:40):
And usually when you stay firm like that, they will they will value it.
I don't know if that makes any sense. No, that makes complete sense. Yeah.
And I for somebody who is just starting out in music ministry, maybe they don't have as much value on their work to begin with as well.
(19:01):
And so it's good to hear from somebody like yourself who has been doing this ministry and for our listeners who are out there who are just starting in the music ministry.
They should put value on their music, right, and not just not just do everything for free, although they may not have they may have few and far between opportunities in order to sing on their music, which we may not all have access to, which is opportunities, right?
(19:29):
So how do you find your opportunities to do ministry? I'm completely going off record here. I'm just completely curious. How do you actually find your opportunities?
It's mostly word of mouth. Of course, when you're first starting out, you know, you you call churches and, you know, give them a bio and things like that.
Okay.
(19:50):
But it's mostly going to be word of mouth. And so how I started was one of the parents of a fellow student at Fountview was a pastor.
And he attended some events at Fountview, and he approached me and said, I'm doing a series about I was like three months after I graduated.
(20:12):
And he was like, would you be willing to come and do the music for the series? I had no idea what I was getting into.
No idea how he was going to do that.
But, you know, it took him, you know, being willing to, you know, take a chance on someone that was brand new. And he gave me that opportunity. And because of that, it just kind of started to go from there.
(20:33):
And I've really not stopped since.
But yeah, bringing the highest quality that you can is going to people are going to talk about it and they're going to continue to share.
And then you just, it takes time to build up though to pick up speed and time and effort and investment.
(20:55):
Just like anything it takes to develop, you know, you got to get to work on your craft and sooner or later that people would take notice of it.
Right.
And this is encouraged our listeners to continue on in their journeys or whatever they may be if you're into singing or if you're into your musician, violinist, whatever you're doing.
(21:16):
Keep trying and making music for the Lord.
And if you have any questions or anything that has inspired you from this podcast, I'd like to invite you to drop it in the comments below.
Wherever you listen to your podcasts, share it with a friend.
This is Adventist Waves.
(21:38):
We interview musicians and tell their song stories one song at a time.
And you can be a part of this journey as well.
So thank you so much for coming into the podcast, Laura.
Thanks for having me.
Really appreciate your time.
And that's a wrap.
We hope this episode of Adventist Waves has given you a fresh perspective on how media can be a powerful tool for ministry.
(22:06):
If you enjoyed today's conversation, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and connect with us on social media.
You can also support our work directly by becoming a patron at patreon.com.
Your generosity enables us to produce more high quality content and reach a wider audience.
(22:29):
Special thanks to our production team at Blue Vineyard Audio and our producer, editor, mixer and sound designer, Khan Elmas.
We'll see you next week as we continue to explore the art of sharing the gospel through sound.
Adventist Waves.
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