After reviewing her album, I had the opportunity to ask Joy some questions about her music. I was very intrigued by the responses and glad to share them with you.
If you could tour with one Christian musician, who would it be and what song(s) (of yours or theirs) would you like to perform with them?
Hands down…Jennifer Knapp. I think she would be awesome on Cost of Being Free and Testify. It would be a joy to sing any of her songs, but if I must choose….The Way I Am.
The song “Testify” seems to reflect glimmers of Jennifer Knapp. What do you appreciate about her music?
You can really tell by listening to her records that what you see is what you get. She was the most real writer, in my opinion. And still is. She put a voice to some of the things that were unspeakable in my heart.
If you could tour with one non-Christian musician, who would it be and what song(s) (of yours or theirs) would you like to perform with them?
I really like Ben Harper’s music. A cool song to sing would be Roses From My Friends.
The song “Your Face” is perhaps the most “acoustic” song on the album…would you enjoy doing an “unplugged” album or acoustic concert?
I think an unplugged album could be really cool. The majority of my shows are acoustic, so it wouldn’t really be anything out of the norm to actually record an acoustic album.
Spiritual Questions:
At the end of “Faith Don’t Fail”, you ask, “You’re faithful aren’t You?” How do spiritual doubts or questions affect your relationship with God?
A lot of the time doubts and questions hinder me, to be honest. I would love to give the spiritual answer and say, “Oh they make me so much stronger”, but I can’t. It is so hard for me to separate emotions from reality sometimes.
After a concert, what do you want people thinking about as they leave the building?
Eternity.
To what extent do you seek to evangelize during your concerts?
I hold nothing back when giving my testimony and sharing the gospel. I even use the words ‘sin’ and ‘hell’!
Music Industry Questions:
Have you ever been asked to change or tone down your lyrics? If so, why?
Only once has this happened, and it was completely harmless. In the chorus of Faith Don’t Fail, the line was originally “These memories are like hands around my throat”. When the record label decided to give this song a shot at radio, someone thought that “hands around my throat” might be misconstrued…too violent or something. So, I changed the words to “These memories won’t let me go”.
And it worked out really well. The melody kind of changed with the lyrics and I really liked it. I was given the option to have the original lyrics on the album, though. But I liked the new melody so much that I decided to let the change stay. I don’t think anything was lost by replacing those lyrics. Although they are more vivid.
What obstacles does a young, Christian, female musician face in the CCM world?
I’m not so young anymore. When I first started this journey, I was 24. Now I’m pushing 29. So, the age thing may be an obstacle. The obstacle I am quite familiar with is all about radio. Some new artists just can’t break into that box. It has been really tough to get one of the songs from the album to pass all the “tests”. I’m still trying to understand it myself.
Random:
What inspired you to ask a Rabbi to play the shofar on your song, “Day of the Lord”? Was the Rabbi a believer? If he wasn’t what was his response to your request and your song? I thought that was a very interesting touch.
Well, the shofar was my idea, but I didn’t know anyone who could actually play the thing. My producer’s wife knew a Rabbi who just happened to own a couple and could play them, as well. The Rabbi was not a believer in Jesus. I have to be honest, it was quite awkward. He was happy to oblige as far as pitching in on the song.
He came to the studio and we met and chatted about nothing for a few minutes. And then came the question I was fearing….”so what is this song about?”. I have a great respect and love for the Jewish people and I did not want to offend this man. Plus, who was I to engage in theology with a RABBI?! Just sounded silly to me. But I proceeded to tell him that it was about the day that Jesus Christ returns…in wrath…to judge a sinful world….as King of Kings. You could’ve heard a pin drop. At the end of it all, I think it went well. 🙂 He asked to hear the song beforehand, and I watched him as he sat there nodding his head to the beat of the song with his eyes closed.
Truly, I am not sure what he thought. I know for a fact that he noticed all of the Old Testament terminology that I used. He had to…the song is full of it. So, maybe I connected with him in that area. But I don’t know. Maybe, just maybe, he will be one of the 144,000. I really hope so….
Thank you, Joy!
For full explanation of the Shofar and its sacred uses and history, go to
Shofar WebPage
http::/www.geocities.com/afinkle221/
Shofar WebPage II
http::/www.geocities.com/shofar221/
“Only once has this happened, and it was completely harmless. In the chorus of Faith Don’t Fail, the line was originally “These memories are like hands around my throat”. When the record label decided to give this song a shot at radio, someone thought that “hands around my throat” might be misconstrued…too violent or something. So, I changed the words to “These memories won’t let me go”.
And it worked out really well. The melody kind of changed with the lyrics and I really liked it. I was given the option to have the original lyrics on the album, though. But I liked the new melody so much that I decided to let the change stay. I don’t think anything was lost by replacing those lyrics. Although they are more vivid.”
truthfully, when I heard the original lyrics and I sing along I was much more touched because of the angst I felt being fully revealed, explained….I think it is best the way you originally intended…unedited things come from the deepest parts of our hearts and souls…when we edit we tend to wash down our beliefs so others aren’t offended or whatever and way too much of that has happened for christianity since they stopped prayer for “moment of silence” and all those kinds of things…
anyway, blessings and peace in Christ’s love!
Read the article concerning the transformation of John Macarthur’s church at the link following this excerpt:
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Of interest, Grace Community Church elder and executive director of Grace to You, Phil Johnson, is a Baptistic Calvinist. This statement appears on his website: “Theologically, Phil is a committed Calvinist—with a decidedly Baptistic bent.” (Who is Phillip R. Johnson?) Even more interesting is this statement: “He…is a member of the Fellowship of Independent Reformed Evangelicals (FIRE).” The slogan of FIRE is “In essentials Unity, In non-essentials Liberty, in all things Charity.” (FIRE) Why is this interesting? FIRE’s slogan is nearly identical to the slogan of Phoenix Freemasonry! “It is the glory of Masonry to teach Unity in essentials, Liberty in details, Charity in all things; and by this sign its spirit must at last prevail.”
http://www.watch.pair.com/macarthur.html
time to update the blog david!