-
10 Questions with ... Jared Anderson
November 5, 2012
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Discography
- 2001: 12 Off the Shelf (independent)
- 2006: Where to Begin (Integrity Music)
- 2006: Arise: A Celebration of Worship (Integrity Music)
- 2008: Where Faith Comes From (Integrity Music)
- 2008: Two Days In the Same Place (independent)
- 2009: People of Troy (independent)
- 2009: Live from My Church (Integrity Music)
- 2012: The Narrow Road (Integrity Music)
1. Give us a brief recap....birthplace, childhood, schools, jobs, current hometown
Born in Minneapolis, MN. Lived in Elk River, MN till age 5 not far from where my father grew up. My parents went with YWAM for missionary training in Hawaii before moving to Malaysia to start a YWAM training center there. Left Malaysia at age 9 for Colorado where we began attending New Life Church. My father was a home-builder by trade and my mom a nurse. Other than a 10-month stint back in Malaysia, we were in Colorado for the rest of my upbringing. I went to Oral Roberts University '97-01 to study music composition. I came back to Colorado and began working at New Life Church where I met my wife Megan. We married in 2003. In 2009 our family of 5 moved to Nashville for a year. Lyla Lee from Tennesee was born there. In 2010 we moved back to Colorado and built our forever home with my dad.
2. What does a normal day at home look like for you?
Typical day is get up at 6 and have coffee with my wife. Kids get up at 6:45 for school. I run them there at 8. Then take care of errands, calls, appointments, and meetings before 3:30 when they get out school. A good day is getting in the classroom for reading groups with my kids or grabbing lunch and hitting a thrift store with my wife. After school its play till dinner at 5:30, family worship at 7, and bedtime at 8. Each of our 4 children get a special day each week (Everett Monday, Beckett Tuesday, etc.) They get to stay up 30 minutes later than every one else and pick an activity, usually UNO or ping pong. Megan and I do finances, paperwork, and take care of the dog till bedtime.
3. What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now? Why do you like it so much?
"Never Gonna Leave Me Dry" by Cory Asbury. I love the attitude and dramatic changes of intensity in the song.
4. How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home? How much do you travel, what are the challenges?
We're gone about 80 days a year. I try to make my kids a part of it. Include them on trips as much as possible. Making time for my wife and I to recreate is high on the list. This is a family effort. The family can't give what it doesn't have. It's a sacrifice for us to be apart so we have to maximize the time we're together.
5. What's the biggest "God moment" that you've ever experienced, personal or professional?
Watching my kids worship Jesus. It's so pure and I feel so put-in-my-place with what priorities are and what success is.
6. What's the last book you read?
This is My God - Herman Wouk. It's a tour of Judaism by a modern, gifted writer. He describes the 6,000 year history of the people of God and what's been kept of the tradition and what's been tossed and why. Very insightful.
7. Tell me about how you became a believer. What caused you to want to serve God in full time ministry?
I've always known the Lord. I prayed for salvation at age 4. I was pretty set on not going into ministry. It was kind of the thing to do at Oral Roberts University and everything my parents would have loved---which was why I ran. I felt the Lord revealed to me that He was going to call me to serve the people I despised. I had glorified the world in my sheltered, Christian life.
8. Take me through the songs on your new project, THE NARROW ROAD.
Bless the Lord - An oil man in TX heard from the Lord that he was supposed to help a worship leader in his church do a CD. Through a chain of events, I and two other friends were writing with this worship leader who didn't know a thing about songwriting. I'm thankful to the oil man and the worship leader for hearing from the Lord.
Impossible Possible - A proof-positive call to worship. A call to call. A call to taste. A call to see.
The King is Coming - A song that I wrote with the Newsboys producer. I was thinking of the triumphal entry happening at a Walmart down the street. Maybe Jesus would ride in on a grocery cart. (Just kidding. :))
Great I Am - This song sat on the shelf for 2 1/2 years. I never thought it would do what it has done. The first half of the song draws you in. The second half of the song hunts you down.
According to His Word - I wrote the chorus of this song while driving the Penske truck from Nashville back to Colorado Springs. I was pretty convinced I was committing career-suicide. I was coming back with more questions that I had left with.
Behold Your God - A song that Jennie Riddle and I finally put to rest. It's kind of a "Circle of Life" song about worship rising from four corners of heaven and earth.
Pouring it Out for You - We had to go back and add this one to the record. Maybe its just a good offering song.:)
Call on the Name of the Lord - We usually open with this song a capella. Feels really old. I don't think we write new songs. We just rewrite old ones.
The Narrow Road - Everything we do is in worship of something. But the Father is seeking those who worship in spirit and truth. This is a pretty tall order.
When the King Comes - I saw of video where Kathryn Scott said these words, "When the king comes, so does the kingdom." I sat on that for 2 years before the song took shape.
35 Lines - Larry Stockstill came to our church and spoke a sermon on missions. If all the people in the world who have never heard the gospel were put into a single file line, that line would stretch around the world 35 times. That wrecked me.
Go Ye - I was in Singapore late at night looking to find a taxi back to my hotel after getting some souvenirs for my family. I saw a sign high above me for a hotel a short ways away. I headed that way only to find I had entered a rougher area of town with prostitutes on the streets. Of all the people that need baptizing in the name of Jesus, I couldn't think of better candidates.
I Am Free - Jon wrote an extra lyric to the song. "We will dance till the chains fall off." We do this song live every night and couldn't resist recording it.
9. Favorite cereal, favorite comfort food, favorite ice cream flavor?
I'm on a weird diet called Paleo... so cereal and ice cream are out:( Bacon and eggs are so in, though.
10. Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead... deities are excused from this question.
Leo Tolstoy
Bonus Questions
1. Favorite Bible verse/life verse. Why?
Psalm 1:3 A great picture for the Christian life. "So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream-a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful."
2. Funniest or most embarrassing moment?
The two ushers trying to get the aisle runner down the aisle at my wedding. Outstanding.
3. If you could go back and change three events/decisions in your life, what would they be, and why?
Wouldn't change a thing. No regrets.
-
-