Shadowed and Interviewed by a 14-Year old

Some time ago, I received an email from a mom who wanted to see if her daughter could shadow and interview me for a school assignment.

Here’s an excerpt from her email:

My daughter is in 8th grade and is supposed to spend a day job shadowing for a school project. Her goal is to become a worship leader and she has asked me for months if there is any possible way to job shadow someone at IHOPKC.”

Before I even met this girl, my heart was so moved. How many eighth graders do you know whose dream it is to be a worship leader? We sat down several weeks later for a half-hour chat that consisted of her asking me three questions and me asking her about fifteen. I was so intrigued as to who this girl was and why this was the dream of her heart. As she and her mom shared with me, it quickly became apparent that she wasn’t just a talented singer or musician, but that she possessed a genuine heart of worship. She had the conviction in her being that worship is about a man - a man whose name is Jesus. This eighth grade student asked me questions like when I knew I wanted to be a full-time worship leader and how much money a worship leader makes. I gave as concrete of an answer as I could - mostly resting in the belief that God leads us in mysterious and beautiful ways.

Why do I share this story with you?  The reason is twofold:

1) I believe that there are young people all over the world today just like this girl. The Lord is continuing to awaken desire for a lifestyle of worship within this generation.

2) You have no idea who you’re influencing, whether from a stage, cubicle, or social media platform. When you feel weary, take heart; your worship is moving the heart of God and God is moving the hearts of young worshipers.

I hope this encourages you to press on with strength today.Huge thanks to my friend Jordan Vanderplate for letting me use this photo of Lochailort, Scotland. Check out more of his work here.