What was your earliest memory of playing in Rend Collective?
It was at the Black Box in Belfast in 2008. It was our first ever gig. I distinctly remember spending about two hours after the show looking for Chris’ car keys. He was totally freaking out. They turned out to be in my pocket. He was so mad.
How did you feel about going on tour initially? Describe your feelings going into that first tour?
Initially I was offered another tour with another band for three months, but I turned it down because I didn’t think I wanted to be away from home for that long. I was 17. But when Chris Tomlin invited us to join him on the And If Our God Is For Us Tour in 2011 I was really excited. I found I was way more invested in Rend then even I thought I was. I could sense this was the direction God had for me, and he was calling me. And it felt less daunting going into touring with people who felt like family.
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What’s the most challenging part of living on the road?
Being away from family, my girlfriend and friends. You spend most of the year away from people you wish you could spend all your time with but can’t.
What’s the best part of being in Rend Collective?
Getting to travel and worship with the church around the world has opened my eyes up to how big, diverse and creative our God is. It’s an honour to get to be a part of something bigger than me, bigger than Rend, or even worship music. Getting to experience all of this with friends who feel like family is pretty special. And playing music’s pretty good as well.
How have you found being involved in a highly relational form of ministry as an introvert?
A challenge. On the road not only are you constantly meeting new people and entering into new social gatherings, but most days you come home to a bus full of people. Some days do take a bit of a toll, however, there’s probably no one else I could do this with. Our band family is tight-knit and we’re been through a lot together. There’s always grace. In any other scenario with any other people it would be near impossible. We are all different but we complement each other. We know each other so well at this point we don’t try to force anyone to be who they’re not.
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What do you do to recharge?
Whenever I’m alone I never really do that much. I might sit and read, or go to Mellow Mushroom (a pizza chain in America!) by myself. But I think what actually relaxes me is doing menial everyday jobs, cleaning my house, making coffee, errands, listening to music. Just getting to be alone doing normal life things.
What are the ways you’ve grown as a worship leader in the past five years?
Some people say that preparing what you’re going to play, say and how you sing songs isn’t as spiritual as letting the Spirit lead in the moment. But the Holy Spirit can be present in the planning, in the details and guide you as you prepare for a worship service. There’s nothing non-spiritual about planning in advance. You can ask God to speak into your preparation the week before you lead and he’s going to speak just as much then as he would if it was in the middle of a worship set.
What kind of advice would you give to introverts going into relational ministry?
Community is nothing to be scared of. To do relational ministry just requires the self-awareness to know when you need to be alone, while pushing the boundaries of what you think you’re capable of doing. I’m very intentional about seeking out time by myself. In the morning I lie in my bunk until everyone else is up and off the bus before I get up, make coffee and read my Bible In a Year App. This is critical for me.
But on the other hand it’s just as critical to seek community because we’re made for community, with one another, with God. We’re made to live, and trust and journey with people. If you’re not seeking that already then you need to start. You can’t do this alone.
Where do you hope to be in the next ten years?
I would love to still be serving and working with Rend Collective if God would have it. But it would be great to have more time for family back home, be more involved in my local church. It would great to arrive at a point where we get to not just show up for one night of worship, but get to walk more tangibly through life with people. I miss that.
What’s one word you would use to describe yourself?
Traveller. I’m always on the road experiencing new places, people and things. And I’ve come to love it.
What has God been teaching you this year?
He’s teaching me that he’s been faithful even though I often forget that. These past few years especially, God has continually shown up and reminded me I can’t do this without him. I like to sort things out and fix things myself. But he keeps reminding me he has held me, he is holding me, and he will continue to be ultimately in control. We’re asked to trust he’s moving and working even when we can’t see it.