Episode 25: Taylor Leonhardt: The Art of Collaboration
Transcript
Patsy: I’m Patsy Clairmont, and I’m a Boomer.
Andrew: And I’m Andrew Greer, and I’m a Millennial.
Patsy: And you are listening to Bridges.
Andrew: Spiritual Connections Through Generational Conversations
Patsy: And a conversation that we are having that is absolutely a charmer is a little tiny girl with a great big heart, and her name is Taylor.
Andrew: Taylor Leonhardt is a wonderful Americana singer-songwriter. She is a part of The FAITHFUL Project, which of course, we are highlighting all this month through each of our guests on this special series of Bridges episodes. Taylor was part of the younger generation that participated in that wide roster of wonderful artists in the book and the music, and she was really part of the songwriting process, bringing the stories of women throughout Scripture to life in song.
Patsy: The pictures of women that they portray are to help us see the long history of faithfulness in a woman’s heart and what she brings to the table. And this is done through the Scriptures but also through the current lineup of ladies that have come together under the FAITHFUL title. Friends of ours, many of them, Ginny Owens, Amy Grant…
Andrew: Sandra McCracken, Lisa Harper. The guests that we’ve had so far: Ruth Chou Simons and, of course, Ginny. So it’s another conversation, a great addition to this series of episodes, so here we go.
Patsy: We always talk bridges. I mean, it wouldn’t make any sense if we didn’t, why we would call it that. But I love that the word “bridge” automatically gives you a visual in your mind that I’m going to go from this place to this place, and what’s going to make it possible is this bridge. And I’m thinking that our guest today may have crossed this particular bridge because she’s a Texas gal, and on her journey toward Tennessee, I’m thinking she may have crossed the Tennessee-Arkansas Memorial Bridge. And that is one that connects Arkansas to Memphis, that halfway across you’re making a change and you’re about to head into Tennessee.
And I’m thinking that that type of connection, where you go from one thing to another, sometimes takes you to a destination that could be very exciting. And we’re going to hear about the journey for our guest and the excitement in it after Andrew tells us who she is.
Andrew: That’s right. We are so glad to have with us today Taylor Leonhardt, who is a wonderful Americana singer-songwriter and, of course, a part of a new project that we’ve been focusing on all month on FAITHFUL.
But indeed, Taylor, welcome as a Texan. I’m a fellow Texan. I grew up in Texas. I don’t know if we’ve talked about that.
Taylor: Oh, we haven’t gotten there yet.
Andrew: But you grew up in Texas. Indeed, you did get to where we live now in Nashville, Tennessee, but kind of circuitously, right? You got there through North Carolina, so what was that journey?
Taylor: Well, I had a very long layover in North Carolina. So I’m a new Nashville resident. I just joined you guys over here not even a year ago. Before that, I spent almost a decade in North Carolina.
Patsy: Beautiful state.
Taylor: It really is so beautiful, the trees, the ocean, the mountains. I mean, I still go back quite a bit.
I landed in North Carolina. I did something called the Fellows Program there, which is sort of a discipleship internship year, and I thought, I could live in North Carolina for a year. This was right after college. And then I stayed almost 10 years. So a testament to how wonderful it is there and the people who live there.
Some of the coolest things that happened… I mean, that’s really where I started my musical journey. That’s where I decided I want to be a musician and a songwriter, even though that had been part of my life before. But that’s really where I decided that, and that’s where I met some of my just mentors in music and eventually my bandmate Jess Ray, who we started a band called Mission House together, a duo that’s worship music and songs for the church.
So it’s kind of funny. This place I never meant to say very long ended up being pretty foundational.
Patsy: Now, does this mean that in your journey you never did cross the Arkansas Memorial Bridge?
Taylor: I have crossed that bridge many times.
Patsy: Oh, for other reasons.
Taylor: Sure. Well, I love a road trip. I drive home to visit my family a good amount because I insist on bringing my dog with me. So I put the dog in the back, and we have probably crossed that Arkansas Memorial Bridge too many times honestly. That’s a long trip. But always when I get to Memphis, I think, Okay… Well, and you might know this. If you want coffee, good coffee, you better stop on the Memphis side, because once you get into Arkansas, it’s about nothing for miles and miles.
Andrew: Really till Texarkana, if even that.
Taylor: Yeah. So I’ve learned that over the years.
Andrew: You introduced us kind of briefly to your duo Mission House, and we’re gonna come back and talk about that some. But first, I want to talk about The FAITHFUL Project and your involvement in it because out of this huge roster of women, many who we’ve been talking about this month on the podcast and many of our good friends, like Amy Grant and Ginny Owens, and your good friend Sandra McCracken, just so many wonderful names that have been part of both the book and the musical piece. And you were a really large piece of the musical component, but tell me this first. You’re kind of on the younger side of this roster of artists. You are on the younger side.
Taylor: I think that’s right. I’m gonna claim it. I’m on the younger side.
Andrew: So what was it like to be part of a project, one, that incorporated so many different generations, and I’m assuming probably some of your musical heroes as well.
Taylor: Yes. Well, I’m just gonna be honest. It was a little intimidating at first. So Jess and I were invited by our friend Andrew Osenga to this. He was like, “It’s gonna be great. Like a little songwriting retreat. We’re writing songs about women from the Bible.” And we’re like, “Sounds great.” And I mean, I think we kind of knew who would be there a little bit, but I remember still what it felt like to kind of walk into that room with so many women, both songwriters and artists, that Jess and I had both been reading and listening to and admiring for so long. And I remember us looking at each other like, How? How did we get here? Are we really supposed to be here? Are they gonna let us stay?
What was so funny about that is I feel like as I’ve gotten to know those women more, we were all feeling that way the first day, even the seasoned ones. And I think that speaks to really just… I think what we were responding to was the presence of that many creative, strong, Jesus-loving women in one room. We walked in and all of us were like, Whoa. Just the spirit of that meeting I think. And so it was funny talking later to people, going, “Oh, I was thinking the same thing.” And so I think from the beginning, it just felt like such a privilege to be there.
The first co-write I got assigned to was… They were like, “Okay, we’re putting everyone in groups, and Taylor, you’re going to be in a group with Amy Grant and Ginny Owens.” And I was like, “Yeah, okay. So that’s no problem for me.” I’m literally just rewinding, going, 14-year-old Taylor listening to Ginny Owens’ album, singing Amy Grant songs. And I remember walking in this little room they put us in and feeling — this speaks too just to the beauty of who Ginny and Amy are as well — but just right away felt like a seat’s pulled up for me to the table. We all were kind of leaning in talking about this story. We wrote about Mary of Mary and Martha, and just feeling like, No, wait. I do go here and belong here, and these women are making a space for me. And we wrote a song that would be on the project called “Holy Place.”
That’s something I would never forget. Getting to write not only with heroes but sort of realizing this is sort of the beauty of my life as an artist. I didn’t have to fight or hustle my way into this, but it’s been like a seat has been pulled up for me. So I’m so thankful for that time with them.
Andrew: What I love about that song “Holy Place” is that the idea at least that I derived after listening to it is that anytime we are seeking the presence of God, we’re seeking his direction, et cetera, that no matter where we are, no matter what the environment is, no matter who we are with, that that is in then essentially created out of that is a holy place.
Tell me about that. How has that translated in your own life? It was partially inspired by you as one of the songwriters. But this idea that this kind of every moment holy, right.
Taylor: For me, the idea of every moment holy or looking for these holy places is less about thinking about spaces where God either is or isn’t and more about our own vision and kind of this idea of, oh, if I could just open my eyes, then I would see that God is with me in all of these moments, in all these spaces. And the beauty of community, of friendship, I think is that sometimes when we have our blinders on, it’s our friends, it’s our neighbors who kind of help us see, Don’t miss this. God is here.
Patsy: Absolutely. Now, you’re a songwriter. You love words. You must. And you love music, and putting those words to a sound that forms a melody in our heart is such a joy to do. Talk a little bit about your journey as a songwriter.
Taylor: As a kid, it wasn’t my dream necessarily. I certainly was responding to music as a child and as a teenager. And it was more kind of in later high school and really in college when I kind of started… I’d been learning guitar. I’d sung in choir. I’d played at YoungLife. And then I started listening to more songwriters who were really storytellers, and I mean some of those people like Ginny Owens, like Sandra McCracken, that now I was like I get to meet and work with, so cool. I was really going, They’re able to say something. There’s something about the way the poetry interacts with the melody and all that that you’re really able to communicate something more.
I think I’ve always felt the limitation of words really. You know when you’re like, This is what I really want to say, and you kind of try your best stab at it, and then you’re like, But that didn’t even quite get at what I really feel or what I really mean or I’m really looking for. And I think I’ve found in songwriting a way to kind of process my life, to tell my own story, to tell the story of people around me, to connect with God in a way that just words wasn’t really meeting for me. So there’s a mystery in it all, and I think that’s kind of what I have been leaning into this whole time.
Andrew: Yeah, there certainly is a mystery. We want to talk more about that mystery that we find in music and that you are finding in music as you share your story through your songs with other people when we come back.
You’ve been listening to Bridges. I’m Andrew Greer, the Millennial.
Patsy: And I’m Patsy Clairmont, the Boomer.
The FAITHFUL Project
Patsy: When women come together to support other women, things happen and lives change. And in the FAITHFUL group, we have an array of women like Amy Grant and Ann Voskamp and Ginny Owens and Kelly Minter, and on and on the names go. Women who are rich in understanding of who God is and are willing to impart it to others. So ladies, let’s make sure that we arm ourself with this faithful information, both in printed form and song.
Andrew: So hear the voices of authors and artists come together to tell the story of God’s faithfulness in and through the women of the Bible on The FAITHFUL Project. Get yours today at faithfulproject.com.
Andrew: I was reading, Taylor, in one of your bios, you said this: “I like to think when I’m singing you my story,” talking to whoever’s listening, “I’m also somehow mysteriously singing yours.” Talk about that translation, that kind of mysterious translation, you’re finding in your songwriting where you’re sharing maybe some of the details of your life but you’re finding that it’s also helping others chart their own path.
Taylor: Well, I probably just borrowed that a little bit from my friend, and I don’t know if she borrowed it, but I remember hearing from my friend Melanie Penn and she said, or maybe she even posted this on Instagram or something, but it really stayed with me. And she said, “A good artist tells their story. A great artist tells your story.” Oh man, I think it just kinda sunk down to a heart level for me, and I thought, That is it. That’s the hope for me.
There is maybe this idea sometimes that being an artist is all about self-expression, and certainly there’s an element of self-expression to being a songwriter or an artist. I like to think about it more you’re kind of a host and a servant really to people. To me, it’s not enough to just tell you how it’s been for me, but what I’m really trying to do is say… I’ll start there, but what I really hope is that I speak to something universal or I tell my story in a way that you can feel known and seen and less alone in the world.
It’s almost like translation, or it’s almost like let’s find a language so you can go and have that sort of C.S. Lewis moment of, Oh, I thought I was the only one who felt that way. So many of us have a memory of listening to a song or reading a book or something like that where it’s like… I think you feel an acknowledgement of who you are.
That’s what we really found even in The FAITHFUL Project. In writing those songs together, we were reading these stories about women in the Bible like worlds across from us, living in a different time, in a different culture. There’s really so much distance between our lives and the lives of these women, yet when we really looked and leaned in, I think we felt like, Wait, this is my story too. And it was just incredible to be in that room and knowing in that room that there were women who had gone through great loss.
Reading the stories of these women in the Bible I think really opened our own hearts to each other, just to share what it’s really been like. There was honesty that happened there where we could really see this is where God has shown up. This is how he’s shown up for Rahab, for Mary, for Leah, for all of these beautiful women and these beautiful stories. And then it naturally just flowed into conversations of, This is how God has shown up for me or how I’m hoping he will.
Andrew: I love that. The project’s focus, of course, is to highlight women’s role throughout the story of Scripture, throughout that ancient history all the way into modern days. And part of the opportunity of this collection of both words and music is saying that women’s voices indeed are still a part of sharing the gospel. But from your perspective, why do you think it’s important specifically for women’s voices, which includes your voice, to be a part of sharing the story of the gospel?
Taylor: I remember reading Brennan Manning. He wrote this book The Signature of Jesus, and he talks about Jesus being the capital-W Word of God. And so just by nature of who we are, his little brothers and sisters, we’re these maybe lower case-w words of God. He’s like, there’s something that you say about who God is, and your particular life, the particular container of who you are, there’s something of God kind of poured into that. And so I think women’s voices are important because we’ve seen and known and experienced something of who God is that isn’t just for us but is for the world.
Andrew: Yeah. I ask the question of you, Patsy, too, since you’re a woman. That’s no revelation today.
Patsy: This whole time as she’s talking I’m thinking about how music invites people to the table, that we start telling our story through the words but there’s at some point where it invites them to tell their story because we’ve had the joy of bringing the right words that ignite them into an understanding. Women bring so much. They bring insight and strength and wisdom and gentleness…
“Music invites people to the table.”
Andrew: Feeling
Patsy: Sanity. We are a compliment to the amazing strengths of a man, and so both of us together make quite an impact. But sometimes we forget some of the qualities that resonate for all humanity that help us to stay more vital and have a greater depth of character and integrity.
Andrew: Well, and it’s interesting. When you say kind of the fullness, that full picture, it reminds me of Gillian Welch song, which is called “Orphan Girl.” The first verses and chorus are saying I have no mother, no father, no sister, no brother because it’s talking about I am an orphan. In the end, it’s talking about how our aloneness is remedied in communion with God, and in speaking to God, it says, “Be my mother, be my father, be my sister, be my brother.”
You sing that under some denominational influences and people get a little weirded out to say to God, “Be my mother, be my father.” But from what I was taught growing up by my parents and from what I’ve experienced by being in relationship with all people, with women and men, is that indeed if we are created in the image of God, then the fullness of God, from what I understand, is born out in the complementary relationship of men and women, that men kind of lean toward these strengths and they also have some of these strengths you might find in women. And women tend toward these strengths but also have some of these strengths you find in men. So if we ever discount or diminish one part of that equation, as represented here on Earth in our finite human bodies, I think we’re missing out on an element of God. Don’t you think?
Taylor: Oh, I think so. I think of the verse when Paul says, “Now we see in a mirror dimly. Then we’ll see in full.” And that that’s kind of what we want to do as artists, I think, is go how has the mirror maybe been obscured or fogged up, and can I bring my gift, can I bring my language, my voice, my experience to make that image clearer?
It’s a beautiful thing, and I think for so long… And there’s different experiences across the board with this, but historically, women’s voices haven’t always been invited and heard and made room for. It’s really beautiful to be a part of something where really we felt just all the freedom in the world to be heard, to tell our story. And I think really the hope is that it wouldn’t just be here’s this one little amazing, beautiful thing we did, but that really that would kind of inspire women everywhere to share their story and inspire the men who are around them to say, “Hey, I want to know what you’ve seen. I want to know what you’ve heard.”
Andrew: Absolutely. I know, Patsy, you’ve talked about this, and you can tell this, but in your tenure with Women of Faith, which of course was a conference for hundreds of thousands of women but you would have men who were helping work or volunteer or work the concourse or be a part of the arenas or whatever, and often what you had to deliver, the men wanted to be a part of. They wanted to hear Patsy.
Patsy: I was fortunate that I had a nice response from people, but all the speakers on that team were very powerful communicators and very appreciated by the men. And we appreciated their appreciation.
Andrew: Yeah, it was mutual appreciation and love.
I think exactly what you’re saying, that The FAITHFUL Project is not just an invitation for women but it’s also an invitation for men to pay attention and to listen and to ask new questions and also to see… Oftentimes, this will get maybe a little academic, but I was talking to a friend of mine who has done a lot of… His experience with Scripture goes very, very deep, both from just a personal desire to be a part of Scripture but also to want to understand more about the time and the place that Scripture was written in and who it was originally written for, even though it’s translated into all of time. And someone asked him a question, I think, who had had a little hurt from the church and said, “Well, isn’t the point of Scripture just to subjugate women or minorities?” And he said, “Well, it was written certainly in a patriarchal society, and the context we’ve always lived in has been fairly patriarchal. It’s rare to find a time where it was not a patriarchal society.” He said, “But that is the revolution of Scripture, is that if you actually study it, it is in all the ways that they could still slip in the message.” Like God and Jesus through Scripture and through the writers of Scripture are continually highlighting and elevating women in ways that they could within their place and time that would not be shut out.
And so essentially that the story of God is the story of equality, and that we all indeed are created in God’s image, which creates this plain where we’re all equal, and that even when society is not about equality or is oppressing one group or another, that God will still slip underneath that and raise it up. And so I think that’s really powerful that this book and this musical piece really used Scripture as this kind of highlight for women.
“The story of God is the story of equality.”
Patsy: Yes, and the rhythms of the book sing its own song, and then to back it up with the music is really quite lovely. I think it is a great opportunity for you as a young woman to be able to be encircled with such sweet fellowship of others who get you and hear you and applaud you because we all need that. We need the building up and the calling out of our gifts and the appreciation of what you bring to the table. So thank you for your effort and what you’re doing, and I am really impressed with the quality of the whole team of FAITHFUL and the lovely book that’s now available too.
Taylor: Oh, thank you. That was kind of the bonus gift for all of us, I think, was that we were so excited about what the project was and the mission was. I think we all had a hunch, I think we’re going to enjoy this. But really, even what’s come out of it, I think just getting to kind of return to that room several times, both for the writing, for recording the album part of it, and then we came back to sing some background vocals with our masks on. And then recently we recorded this live stream, which I think just the richness of returning and being together after the year of separateness and isolation and quarantining that we all had, there were tears in all of our eyes that day. I think I realized, Oh, it’s not just a project. Some really powerful, long-lasting, long-reaching relationships have been formed in this room.
I certainly felt that and felt like what a gift it is as a, as you said, on the younger end, what a gift to have friendship with women who have been at this 10 years more than me, 20, 30 years longer than I have. And I mean that musically and spiritually. Faith is a long game and a long road. It’s kind of tough to stay in it, but I’ve found that it’s been really helpful and almost essential for me to have men and women who have just been on the journey. Tell me what you’ve seen. Tell me how you navigated this because I’m struggling.
The women in that room have been that already to me, and I’m so thankful. I’m excited to see what other projects, what other collaborations, what other art is created, what stories are told out of that time.
“Faith is a long game.”
Andrew: And indeed, it is a beautiful book. We’re talking about FAITHFUL, a beautiful music project and, as Taylor mentioned, a wonderful live stream event that you can’t find all that at faithfulproject.com.
Taylor, we’re not quite done with you. I want to talk a little bit about Mission House, so we’ll be back in a second to talk about that. Hang tight.
I’m Andrew Greer. I’m the Millennial.
Patsy: Patsy Clairmont, the Boomer.
Andrew: We’ll be back.
The FAITHFUL Project
Patsy: Andrew, what I have loved through the years of my life is that God has sent women to me in just the right moments to help me bridge a lot of my misunderstanding about what it means to be a woman of God, what it means to be a woman for heaven’s sake. Girlfriends help each other in those ways in personal issues. My husband was so grateful — “Oh my goodness, go talk to your girlfriends about that. I don’t know anything about it.” There’s just some things that women need other women to speak life into them about.
So I’m thrilled that this group called FAITHFUL has been brought together because it’s full of such quality ladies talking about women in Scripture in ways that are meaningful, that are going to bring hope to other gals who are out there questioning.
And when I say quality women, we’re talking about gals like Amy Grant, who you and I both adore her. She is just so lovely at the very core of her being and so peace-giving and gracious. I love Amy Grant, and she kind of embraces all these women in this circle of faithfulness. I like that a lot.
Lisa Harper is in there. I’ve known Lisa for 30 years, and she is a bundle of energy and insight. She’s smart, she’s witty, and she’s wild, honey. She’s got more energy than anyone I know.
We’re just barely scratching the surface of what’s happening. I think FAITHFUL has all the potential for legacy because they’ve got a book, they’ve got music, they’ve got gathering. I mean, hello. We’re talking about a full circle waiting to happen for the good of gals. I like that.
Andrew: I love the creative side of it, what you’ve mentioned already — names of authors and musicians — and the multigenerational relationship that is represented in this book, which of course we love here on Bridges.
Some of my generation, some of the names I love seeing in there are people like Sandra McCracken, who’s an amazing singer-songwriter, podcaster, author herself. Ellie Holcomb, an amazing songwriter and just communicator. Her expressions of faith are so poignant. I think of our good friend Ginny Owens. Everyone loves Ginny. She’s like an Amy, right? Can’t get enough of her. So I love that there’s that multigenerational aspect as these women…
The creative side of it I wanted to mention was that there are authors who are co-writing songs — you know a little bit about that — and then there’s songwriters who are authoring chapters, again, all about the integral role of women in the Bible.
I see this as an empowering thing. That word sometimes can have a lot of layers to it, but what I feel is empowering about this book, for women or for anyone who happens to trace the words on these pages, is that it is showing how God sees women and how he has continually through time, beginning in the beginning of time through the pages of Scripture, and I think is an indicator of how God is still using women today to tell his story through the ages. I think that’s faithful.
Patsy: It is, it is. And the book is lovely. It’s hardcover, it’s well designed, and it’s full of photographs. I love to go through people’s mail, and photographs is one of the ways we can do that. We can see what’s going on, what their outfit looks like, who they’re talking to, imagine what they’re saying one to another. I can tell you this much: There’s a lot of cheerleading going on from one heart to another.
Andrew: And isn’t that important not just among women with women but today to see people who are across generational lines, who have different life experiences, different influences coming together around the same purpose. And of course, that’s what I believe the Spirit of God is about. It’s about unity, and these women are representing that on these pages. And you can find your copy of The FAITHFUL Project book format, music format, whatever you want, at faithfulproject.com.
Patsy: Music, music, music — I love the sound of music. It’s been a part of my life all my life, and that’s a long time, Taylor. But I think it’s true of everyone’s life, that you start off even with mamas and grandmas singing lullabies right up to the church hymns, the great old hymns, and now the beautiful new, fresh worship songs. So there’s a lot going on, and you’ve got something to say about worship songs and Taylor.
Andrew: I sure do. Taylor, you’ve been a part of a worship outfit, if you will, a worship duo, with your good friend Jess Ray, who’s also a wonderful singer-songwriter, who was also part of The FAITHFUL Project. But you two together have a duo called Mission House that specifically is about providing songs, songs that you guys have written and written with others and then recorded on these projects, for the church to sing together. Tell me a little bit about Mission House, and tell me how it was inspired because I love the genesis of it.
Taylor: So this great thing happened. I’m in North Carolina and just figuring out for me that I want to do music. I want to give my, I guess, life to this, at least for a time. I didn’t have to wait too long before just meeting some really influential people. One of those was a woman named Christa Wells, who’s a songwriter, and she introduced me to… I think I remember complaining to Christa at one point like, “I don’t have any friends my age who are kind of into the same things as me.” And she’s like, “Have you met Jess Ray?” And I had actually heard Jess Ray’s name a ton. We had both kind of heard of each other.
In Raleigh, there’s not a ton of people doing music and writing songs, and so I was like, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to meet her.” So I meet Jess, and we’re kind of fast friends. We’re about the same age and just in the same stage of life and both kind of write these sort of folky songs about God.
Jess has this great idea kind of early on that she wants to start inviting people into a room. She’s like, “I have this vision. I think we should cook dinner. We’ll do it once a week. We’ll always eat dinner together, and then we’ll always sing together. We’ll always worship together.”
In our little group of friends, a lot of us were very involved in church and then kind of stuck in some little young adult small groups and things like that and just feeling like missing something Kind of like, Man, this is not the experience of community that we’re really wanting, but we don’t want to leave where we are.
We just start this thing on Monday nights, and we eat a meal together, we sing together, and that quickly… I remember us thinking, Let’s keep it really small. Like don’t tell anyone about it. And it just multiplied. We really tried to hide it, and then people came and that was a wonderful thing.
So Jess and I would sing songs together for this, and we’d been touring together as independent solo musicians. But we start leading church songs together, and we quickly are kind of like… I think we’re just around all these people and hearing their stories and knowing what they’re going through, and we just start going… Jess would say, “I was getting ready, I was planning some worship songs, and I actually started writing one because I was thinking about what our friend shared with us last week and what she was going through. And so I wrote this song about that.” And the same thing would happen to me, and I’d be preparing a set and then think, Oh man, I’m really wanting to sing about this. And so all of a sudden, we had this stack of songs that was really written for our community. We taught them the songs and we’d sing them together, and it felt so special, like this language we had together.
I love our partnership because she is such an idea generator, and then she has so much follow-through and she can do everything. So she’s like, “We’re going to make an album, and we can just do it at the house.” She’s an amazing producer, so we just did this thing at her house and her husband Kyle helped. We just packed everyone in there and sang the songs together, and we’re like, “This’ll just be for our friends to listen to the songs we wrote for them.”
And then our friend Andrew Osenga at Integrity, we had dinner with him one night, and he’s like, “I’m looking for worship songs. Do you know anyone who has any?” And we just said, “Oh, yeah, so we actually have some.” That was a beautiful thing because we didn't really go into it thinking, Let’s be a worship duo or a worship artist. I don’t even know that that was ever a part of the inspiration of it, but we had the songs and we had the community and someone else from the outside kind of looking in going, “I think what’s happening here might be for more people. These songs might serve a larger audience.”
So that’s just been a blast, writing songs with one of my best friends in the world. I think that’s the beauty. A lot has already been said when you think about hymns. There’s a humility it requires because it’s like I don’t dare to believe that I’m gonna say something no one else has ever said before. But at the same time, I think that still God invites us to respond to the people we’re caring for and to write songs for them to sing in a way that feels, in a way they can grab on to. And so that’s what’s been so fun is we’ve both done the indie songwriter, let me kind of tell my story. Let me tell a story. And now we’re going, “Hey, let’s write songs that really invite people to sing along and to be together.”
“God invites us to respond to the people we’re caring for.”
Andrew: You may not be saying something brand new in your songs, but you are writing new songs in an era that those songs have not been written in before, if that makes sense. So the hymns were written in a certain time and place with a certain context and, of course, with very personal stories that inspired. And our personal stories continue as long as there’s life on this planet, and new life being born, there are new stories being lived. And so to have a collection of music that can express those stories that are being lived can make it relevant or can make it resonate in a different way sometimes, maybe, than one can that has a little history to it. And then at another time, we need to dig into that history. So I think there’s room for all of it.
I love reading people’s words, and so I’ve already told you some things you’ve said, but I’m going to tell you another one I really liked and something you and Jess said. “What we hope more than anything is that our music brings the reality of Jesus into people’s lives.” What does that look like?
Taylor: Well, what does it look like? I think what I hope it looks like is when I think about how Jesus interacted with people — we have some of those accounts — I can’t wait until we know every account of that. But what I see is that he always interacted with people, not as they wished they would be or hoped they were but he always found them right where they actually… He always spoke to the person just as they are.
So people walking in shame, he said, “Oh, actually, you’re loved and esteemed.” Or maybe people who are too puffed up, he said, “Hey actually, it’s this.” He just somehow found a way to say, “The way I want to engage with you is just no pretense.” We all have these stories that we tell ourself or these people that we think we should be. We all have kind of a vision of maybe how our life should’ve gone. I think what we so want to do with our music is sing songs that help people be honest about who they are and where they are, and then in that, find that that’s where God meets them in love and mercy and kindness.
Patsy: I was reading about the stars and how each one is different, and I read how there are a hundred billion stars just in our Milky Way, not counting all the others, and that he gave each one a name and that he allows the stars to sing. I think you’re a star. And I think he’s given you voice for this time and place, and I’m so glad that others have found room to invite you to the table because you bring a lot. You bring a very sweet spirit and a very clear mind and a heart full of melody, so bless you, Taylor, and I know that God will use your voice and your words to bless others.
Andrew: I concur. It’s been delightful to have you on. You know, one of our hopes of this podcast is to have people of all walks and places of life, and so you represent that, Patsy represents that, I represent that. Jesse, who’s recording, represents that. And when we come together and we have conversation, we get to experience new things, see new things, hear new things, discover new things, and indeed, as Patsy said, I think you’re one of those discoveries for us in this conversation, and I think for many of our listeners.
Find Mission House everywhere you stream, download music. You can find Taylor Leonhardt and also a new record that’s coming at some point.
Taylor: Yes, this summer.
Andrew: This summer. There you go.
Taylor: I wish I had a specific date for you, but a few more tweaks on that. But yeah, singles will start coming out in June, so I’m so excited to share that.
Andrew: Well, that’s perfect. So when you’re hearing this, then you can already find some of that streaming. So discover her. You can also just google her and find her. And of course, The FAITHFUL Project, which we’ve been talking about all month long — faithfulproject.com — wonderful book, wonderful piece of music, a live stream event. And that’s from our friends at David C. Cook and Integrity Music and, of course, Compassion International.
Thank you, Taylor, for being here with us today.
Taylor: Thank you so much for having me. This was fun.
Patsy: Bridges is co-produced by Andrew Greer and myself, Patsy Clairmont.
Andrew: And our podcast is recorded and mixed by Jesse Phillips at the Arcade in Franklin, Tennessee.
Patsy: Remember, don’t forget to leave us a rating, a review, or a comment. It all helps our little show get going.
Andrew: To find out more about my co-host Patsy Clairmont or myself, Andrew Greer, or to read transcripts of our show, simply go to bridgesshow.com.