On July 8th, 1985, I was born to my wonderful parents, Jerry and Linda. At the time, my father worked at a hospital in Oklahoma. It was my parents hope that I would be born there, as the delivery would be much cheaper. Of course I couldn‘t wait, and that is why I was born in Illinois. I lived the first 4 years in Oklahoma City, during which time my first sister was born. In 1989, my father accepted an administrative pastor position at a church in St. Louis.
When I was about five, my parents led me through “the prayer”. I believe this was genuine, but I don‘t think I fully understood what it meant until much later. Grade school was a mix of excitement of following my huge ambitions and being made fun of for it. Looking back, I probably would have made fun of myself as well. But either way, it still was difficult, and I found fitting in, especially at school, to be anything but a strength of mine. One highlight for me was the birth of my youngest sister, Anna.
School days rarely passed in which I didn‘t bring home elaborate inventions pieced together from the scrap box. I remember on more than one occasion meeting complete strangers and saying, “I think I can build a perpetual motion machine” and proceed to explain in detail my plan.
I also started playing the piano, under the instruction of my mother. I entered two of the school‘s talent shows, playing both of Bach‘s “Minuet in G Major” pieces. My interest in piano at the time was not great, so I quit as soon as my parents would allow.
Middle school was much the same as grade school to me, except I developed a keen interest in computers. I learned the ins and outs of building and repairing them, and began to do basic web designs. You know, those pages that have the cheap midi music files and the animated icons? Yeah, that was me. I was also in the band at school, and played trumpet for two years. But, much like piano, I lost interest pretty quickly because I wasn‘t a huge fan of structured learning.
It was in seventh grade that I think I really began to grasp what it meant to be a Christian. I had a close friend and mentor, Andy, who invested heavily into my life. I think that growing up in a Christian home and being a pastor‘s kid had numbed me to the depth and joys of the Christian walk. I remember on many occasions telling my mother, when asked, that I didn‘t read the Bible because it was boring, and I didn‘t need it. I think this is the about the time that I started to shut myself off from my family. It was probably how I coped with how hard school was for me, and I wanted to redefine who I was. So it took someone outside of my own family to really impact my life, and Andy did just that. Weekly he took a couple friends and I out to get ice cream, smoothies, burgers, pizza, and to play various sports. He also taught us the importance of scripture, something that has stuck with me to this day.
Around this same time I really liked a girl. I thought that playing guitar would be a good way to impress her. However, when she moved away the following summer, I knew that it was a lost cause. My desire to learn the instrument, however, stuck with me. A man by the name of Tom offered to teach me guitar, as he lead the music in the youth group. I distinctly remember the first time I was able to switch between an “A” and a “G” in a simple song, and actually keep up, somewhat. The following week, I helped lead the music for the first time, and I was extremely nervous. Over the next two years I continued to help lead the junior high music worship on a sporadic basis. While I maintained a huge interest in music, I didn‘t actually do much with the instrument, even though I received a Seagull S6+ guitar for Christmas. Guitar took the back burner as my interest in computers and business grew.
In high school, I joined an up-and-coming website dedicated to videogame news. This was around the time of the whole internet boom, and I got caught up in it as well.
At age 15, I had plans to cover a large gaming convention for our website, and had funding to back the venture. I can say for certain that my aspirations were not kingdom bound. No, I was focused on making money and experiencing all of the joys the world offered. It certainly was a source of pride to me, to be doing this so young. My self worth was wrapped up in this, and when it all fell through, I was emotionally devastated. At the same time, I had my own “love issues” to deal with. The combination of these events really caused me to examine my life. I quit my high class job as a stocker at Wal-Mart to get out of an environment that was affecting me very negatively, and began to deeply examine my faith and my priorities.
A month went by in which I wasn‘t even sure I was a Christian. This was one of the most difficult times in my life, as I realized the gravity of this decision. I had been raised in a loving, caring, Christian home, and turning my back on this would most certainly make life much different. Thankfully, God carried me through this time. I think this is when I really did solidify my beliefs, and have not seriously looked back since.
It was during this time that I started picking up the guitar more seriously. In late 2002, I wrote my first complete song. A secret fear of mine growing up had been singing in front of people. I think it was probably my largest fear, so it took me quite awhile before I was willing to try singing. Over the next couple of years two people would influence and support me in this: Chris Baker and Dan Hartke, the music worship leaders of my senior high youth group. They believed in me and gave me opportunity after opportunity to learn leadership.
I finally started to realize as well that I had been shutting off my family, and began to grow very close to my mother and father. (And my sisters as well, but this took a bit longer).
I continued to write, and in 2003 started performing in coffee shops, and in a few churches. You can see my list of shows goes back to the first time I played, at my school in December, 2003. I was very surprised by the response. This prompted me to hand out a cd with some songs I had recorded in November. To my amazement, I had been able to give away 200 copies of my music. Granted, looking back I really laugh at what was recorded, but it amazed me that God would use some songs I wrote in my basement despairing about my business failures and strange girl problems. I also began to grow much more comfortable singing, as I had just joined the high school choir. It amazes me to this day that I was actually allowed to sing in the chamber choir, as I had no previous choral experience. Learning to sing in this environment helped me immensely, and I think it has been one of the key factors to my song writing.
My love and fascination with scripture also grew a lot during this time. I attribute this growth to a Bible study led by a guy most of us called “Big-O”. We went back to historical context to really understand scripture. A lot of my writing during this time was influenced by the things I learned through these studies, both together and on my own.
My parents have been my biggest encouragers and supporters. Mom & Dad helped foster interests in science and music whenever I showed it. College would be the first time without their support on the home front. On June 8th, 2004, my family moved to Chicago, as my dad decided to take the executive position of a city church. I stayed in St. Louis to work and be with my friends before the big move to college. I had chosen to attend John Brown University, in Arkansas. In August, I packed up all my things and embarked on the journey of being on my own.
In college my freshman year, I would meet a close friend, Roger Ginnett, when I tried out for the school talent show. When asked if I would be interested in doing music as a career, I responded with a resounding no. He encouraged me to read a book called, “You Are Talented”. So I graciously took the book and secretly vowed only to skim it. I never felt that a music career would be something for me. I wanted to have a family some day and live a normal life. My girlfriend at the time, now wife, encouraged me to read the book and to listen to Roger. If she had not encouraged me to do so, I think it likely I would have ignored this opportunity. So between her and the work of God in my life, I took Roger up on his offer to manage me. In May of 2005, I recorded my first self titled album using any equipment I could get my hands on. I spent the summer in Siloam Springs pursuing this music career idea. So this brings us up to now, 2006.
I married my beautiful wife, Hannah on July 1st. We had a small but special wedding in Los Angeles, and returned to Siloam to set up house. (Apartment). Hannah is very supportive of this ministry, and she is the reason I am able to get so much done. Thank you, my love!
In January of 2007, I met Lendell Black, a producer and very talented piano player. We became close friends off the bat, and have teamed up to do an album entitled “The Sun Still Rises”. Lendell has worked with several ministries, and currently writes for the Oprah Winfrey show. I never envisioned myself doing this, and it is only by God‘s grace and His strength that I am. Thanks for the support from all of you, my fans and my friends. (Especially Alex, Tyler, Roger, and Lendell!) Thanks for reading all this, I hope this website can be an encouragement to you.
Jeremiah
When I was about five, my parents led me through “the prayer”. I believe this was genuine, but I don‘t think I fully understood what it meant until much later. Grade school was a mix of excitement of following my huge ambitions and being made fun of for it. Looking back, I probably would have made fun of myself as well. But either way, it still was difficult, and I found fitting in, especially at school, to be anything but a strength of mine. One highlight for me was the birth of my youngest sister, Anna.
School days rarely passed in which I didn‘t bring home elaborate inventions pieced together from the scrap box. I remember on more than one occasion meeting complete strangers and saying, “I think I can build a perpetual motion machine” and proceed to explain in detail my plan.
I also started playing the piano, under the instruction of my mother. I entered two of the school‘s talent shows, playing both of Bach‘s “Minuet in G Major” pieces. My interest in piano at the time was not great, so I quit as soon as my parents would allow.
Middle school was much the same as grade school to me, except I developed a keen interest in computers. I learned the ins and outs of building and repairing them, and began to do basic web designs. You know, those pages that have the cheap midi music files and the animated icons? Yeah, that was me. I was also in the band at school, and played trumpet for two years. But, much like piano, I lost interest pretty quickly because I wasn‘t a huge fan of structured learning.
It was in seventh grade that I think I really began to grasp what it meant to be a Christian. I had a close friend and mentor, Andy, who invested heavily into my life. I think that growing up in a Christian home and being a pastor‘s kid had numbed me to the depth and joys of the Christian walk. I remember on many occasions telling my mother, when asked, that I didn‘t read the Bible because it was boring, and I didn‘t need it. I think this is the about the time that I started to shut myself off from my family. It was probably how I coped with how hard school was for me, and I wanted to redefine who I was. So it took someone outside of my own family to really impact my life, and Andy did just that. Weekly he took a couple friends and I out to get ice cream, smoothies, burgers, pizza, and to play various sports. He also taught us the importance of scripture, something that has stuck with me to this day.
Around this same time I really liked a girl. I thought that playing guitar would be a good way to impress her. However, when she moved away the following summer, I knew that it was a lost cause. My desire to learn the instrument, however, stuck with me. A man by the name of Tom offered to teach me guitar, as he lead the music in the youth group. I distinctly remember the first time I was able to switch between an “A” and a “G” in a simple song, and actually keep up, somewhat. The following week, I helped lead the music for the first time, and I was extremely nervous. Over the next two years I continued to help lead the junior high music worship on a sporadic basis. While I maintained a huge interest in music, I didn‘t actually do much with the instrument, even though I received a Seagull S6+ guitar for Christmas. Guitar took the back burner as my interest in computers and business grew.
In high school, I joined an up-and-coming website dedicated to videogame news. This was around the time of the whole internet boom, and I got caught up in it as well.
At age 15, I had plans to cover a large gaming convention for our website, and had funding to back the venture. I can say for certain that my aspirations were not kingdom bound. No, I was focused on making money and experiencing all of the joys the world offered. It certainly was a source of pride to me, to be doing this so young. My self worth was wrapped up in this, and when it all fell through, I was emotionally devastated. At the same time, I had my own “love issues” to deal with. The combination of these events really caused me to examine my life. I quit my high class job as a stocker at Wal-Mart to get out of an environment that was affecting me very negatively, and began to deeply examine my faith and my priorities.
A month went by in which I wasn‘t even sure I was a Christian. This was one of the most difficult times in my life, as I realized the gravity of this decision. I had been raised in a loving, caring, Christian home, and turning my back on this would most certainly make life much different. Thankfully, God carried me through this time. I think this is when I really did solidify my beliefs, and have not seriously looked back since.
It was during this time that I started picking up the guitar more seriously. In late 2002, I wrote my first complete song. A secret fear of mine growing up had been singing in front of people. I think it was probably my largest fear, so it took me quite awhile before I was willing to try singing. Over the next couple of years two people would influence and support me in this: Chris Baker and Dan Hartke, the music worship leaders of my senior high youth group. They believed in me and gave me opportunity after opportunity to learn leadership.
I finally started to realize as well that I had been shutting off my family, and began to grow very close to my mother and father. (And my sisters as well, but this took a bit longer).
I continued to write, and in 2003 started performing in coffee shops, and in a few churches. You can see my list of shows goes back to the first time I played, at my school in December, 2003. I was very surprised by the response. This prompted me to hand out a cd with some songs I had recorded in November. To my amazement, I had been able to give away 200 copies of my music. Granted, looking back I really laugh at what was recorded, but it amazed me that God would use some songs I wrote in my basement despairing about my business failures and strange girl problems. I also began to grow much more comfortable singing, as I had just joined the high school choir. It amazes me to this day that I was actually allowed to sing in the chamber choir, as I had no previous choral experience. Learning to sing in this environment helped me immensely, and I think it has been one of the key factors to my song writing.
My love and fascination with scripture also grew a lot during this time. I attribute this growth to a Bible study led by a guy most of us called “Big-O”. We went back to historical context to really understand scripture. A lot of my writing during this time was influenced by the things I learned through these studies, both together and on my own.
My parents have been my biggest encouragers and supporters. Mom & Dad helped foster interests in science and music whenever I showed it. College would be the first time without their support on the home front. On June 8th, 2004, my family moved to Chicago, as my dad decided to take the executive position of a city church. I stayed in St. Louis to work and be with my friends before the big move to college. I had chosen to attend John Brown University, in Arkansas. In August, I packed up all my things and embarked on the journey of being on my own.
In college my freshman year, I would meet a close friend, Roger Ginnett, when I tried out for the school talent show. When asked if I would be interested in doing music as a career, I responded with a resounding no. He encouraged me to read a book called, “You Are Talented”. So I graciously took the book and secretly vowed only to skim it. I never felt that a music career would be something for me. I wanted to have a family some day and live a normal life. My girlfriend at the time, now wife, encouraged me to read the book and to listen to Roger. If she had not encouraged me to do so, I think it likely I would have ignored this opportunity. So between her and the work of God in my life, I took Roger up on his offer to manage me. In May of 2005, I recorded my first self titled album using any equipment I could get my hands on. I spent the summer in Siloam Springs pursuing this music career idea. So this brings us up to now, 2006.
I married my beautiful wife, Hannah on July 1st. We had a small but special wedding in Los Angeles, and returned to Siloam to set up house. (Apartment). Hannah is very supportive of this ministry, and she is the reason I am able to get so much done. Thank you, my love!
In January of 2007, I met Lendell Black, a producer and very talented piano player. We became close friends off the bat, and have teamed up to do an album entitled “The Sun Still Rises”. Lendell has worked with several ministries, and currently writes for the Oprah Winfrey show. I never envisioned myself doing this, and it is only by God‘s grace and His strength that I am. Thanks for the support from all of you, my fans and my friends. (Especially Alex, Tyler, Roger, and Lendell!) Thanks for reading all this, I hope this website can be an encouragement to you.
Jeremiah
