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10 Questions with ... Eva Kroon Pike
January 21, 2013
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Discography
- 2010 Grace That Chose Me
- 2012 Christmas Revolution
- 2013 It's All About You
1.) Give us a brief history (birthplace, childhood, schools, jobs, current hometown)
I was born in Lakeland, FL and grew up in a wonderful Christian home where we all were very involved in our local church. Dad serving as deacon, mom as church pianist and me and my brother involved in Sunday school, mission groups, choirs, children & youth activities. I was adopted into my forever family at 10 weeks old and given a life I may not have had if I hadn't been adopted. I had a wonderful childhood and enjoyed traveling with my family (which we do often). I grew up in Christian schools all my life until my senior year where I made a bold decision to attend a local public school. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made for my life. It taught me so much about myself and my faith in Christ. My very first and most favorite job was a bridal store consultant. I transitioned from that job into the family business working with my parents alongside my husband. We currently reside in Lakeland, FL but our home away from home is in Burnsville, NC where my parents own vacation rentals we have been traveling to since I was 6.
2.) What does a normal day at home look like for you?
Busy doesn't even begin to describe my life as a Kroon and now a Pike. The day begins at 7/7:30am getting ready for a packed day of who knows what and when and where!! We try to keep some kind of schedule for our 4 year old who attends preschool so he starts at 9am and then I head on over to my parent's office at their home to begin working with my mom. I never know what the day will bring. Some days I'm restructuring the family business website, some days I spend cleaning the office and running errands for the business. Our duties involve owning and managing an industrial warehouse rental business and all that entails. Answering phones, typing e-mails, making invoices, paying taxes!! It's never the same! Every day is a challenge but fun. It's a great way to work because at noon I pick up our son and bring him to the office where we continue the routine WITH a 4 year old until 5/5:30pm when I head home and begin the second part of the day. Once home we catch daddy up on the events of the day and begin to prepare dinner, eat, clean up and then hopefully have some fun time together with Jonathan walking around the neighborhood, singing a few songs or reading a book or two or three before bath, prayers and bedtime for Jonathan. Then, my husband and I can concentrate on tying up loose ends before our bedtime. That might be paying bills, working on my music, assembling parts for a small real estate sign business that we own, cleaning house, washing clothes, or generally getting ready for the next day. Then we have our nightly prayer and quiet time with God before lights out around 11pm. Ahhhh..Zzzzzzzz!!!
3.) What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now? Why do you like it so much?
Because I just finished the third album of my own original music those songs are closer to me than anybody else's and I'm continually singing them over and over in my head. The one that's stuck in my head the most is going to be the title song "It's All About You". I love this song because it reminds me that life is not about my plans, my wishes, my dreams but it's about His plans for my life and I need to be reminded of that every day. After I hear the song it calms and comforts me to know that everything is in His hands and I don't have to worry about making a plan because He's already made one for me and I have complete faith that He'll do what's best for me.
4.) How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home? How much do you travel, what are the challenges?
I love to travel!! That's a huge benefit to traveling on the road a lot with my ministry. I have traveled a great deal since I was born because my dad is from Holland and we would visit our family there often. Because it was such a long trip, my parents always tried to arrange for us to visit several other countries while we were visiting family. So I've seen a lot of Europe in my short life so far! In my family growing up, we also vacationed by traveling to different places and experiencing different parts of America. Really, being away from home doesn't bother me and when I'm away I count my blessings to be able to travel and share my ministry with others. When I'm home I'm usually looking for ways to travel more. I enjoy being on the road but I also like to be home. It's a great blend for who I am and for the family God placed me in. It also helps that I have the privilege of traveling with my family so it makes it easier to be on the road!
5.) What's the biggest "God moment" that you've ever experience, personal or professional?
In mid November 2010 my husband, myself and our 2 year old son set out that day driving behind my parents on our way to North Carolina to work on our rental houses and then my mom and I would travel to Nashville to complete some recording necessary for the radio release of 2 of my songs January or February 2011. My husband and I and our son had stopped for gas so we were separated from my parents by about 10 miles. We were in South Carolina on I-95 when traffic began to slow down. As we approached the mishap we saw a semi truck parked on the side of the road with wreckage scattered all around it. When we neared the semi and were beginning to pass by my husband recognized that the vehicle involved in the terrible wreck was my parent's. He pulled over and I immediately ran towards the scene where my dad was standing over my mom's body lying on the ground outside their vehicle. I couldn't believe my eyes! My worst nightmare had come true! Was my mom even alive? What should I do? What could I do? My first thought was, "I must get the prayers going and fast!" Paramedics had arrived and I began to pray asking God to give me strength and help me know what to do. I called my home church in Lakeland and then my parent's church, then their former church and friends and family asking for prayer. Immediately the prayer chains began. The wreckage was incredible. Their vehicle, and a trailer they were pulling lost control and struck the parked semi, it then began to spin, then it flipped and finally landed against a tree. How could things ever be the same with them? If they survived, the injuries would have to be permanent. No one could escape a wreck like that without great physical injury. Minutes seemed like hours and as they rushed my parents to the local hospital I cried out for God to spare them and allow us more time together. I soon learned they would airlift my mom by helicopter to a trauma hospital in Charleston an hour and a half away because her injuries were too severe for them to repair. We would have to drive to meet her and believe me, that was a LONG drive!! My dad's injuries were not life threatening but he was very distraught as you can imagine and he had multiple bruising with scrapes and scratches. What would we find when we arrived in Charleston? A trauma hospital.....I prayed....please God, hear our prayers. When we arrived the testing had begun and soon we had word that mom had sustained a brain hemorrhage, fractured vertebrae in her neck, broken collarbone and clavicle bone, 2 small fractures of her pelvic bones and multiple scrapes and bruises. How could I be strong for them? Only through God! This day would surely change our lives forever. God was already working miracles and blessing us with mercy. Within several hours the doctors told us mom was doing very good and would need to be monitored for 48 hours regarding the head injury and if all went well, she would be fine!! PRAISE GOD! OH MY! MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE!! After the accident I began to think back on our journey and why we were traveling in the first place. And then God reminded me of one of the songs I recorded for my album, Forgettable. When I chose the song I never realized it would play a huge role in my ministry but the words speak more than I could ever say myself...Miracle, miracle, after miracle, fill up my heart and soul, with you 'til it overflows. I can see, I can see, You in everything and everything else is so forgettable. The first verse says "I was only looking for a river, but You gave me an ocean wide. I was only looking at this moment, but You gave me love for a lifetime. I was only looking for a candle, but You gave me a fire blazing. I was only giving You the simple and the easy, but it never fails You give me more than amazing." And God did. Not only were my mom and dad going to be ok, they were GREAT. Mom was in great spirits, happy, thankful to be alive, joking with the nurses, loving the hospital food and making friends with everyone she met. Dad was so grateful his injuries were minimal and very thankful no one else was involved in the accident. Although it has been a slowing down period for us as they heal and mend, it has given us all much time to reflect and concentrate on God and who He is and how He protects, shows mercy and grace, heals and blesses. Christ has truly been our Rock through these difficult days. Prayer makes a difference. A big difference!
Our miracle has reminded us too of the miracle of Jesus, His birth, death, resurrection and how He gives us a second chance at life. How can we not honor and worship, bow down and praise the miracle of all miracles....Christ and His Love for us. Our family is so grateful for all the prayers and acts of kindness that have been offered up but especially for what Christ has done to protect us and give us more time together. I thank God that good has come through this in my ministry too. Of course, my goal and prayer for the new album was for it to minister to others not realizing that I would be blessed and ministered by the songs first hand through this miracle!
6.) What's the last book you read?
I'm currently reading "Dare to Discipline" by Dr. James Dobson. As I'm trying to balance being a wife, mother, daughter, employee, etc. life can get stressful and lots of times I can take that stress out on my son. He's a very busy rambunctious little boy and he is a challenge daily when it comes to discipline. Reading this book has helped me take a deeper look in how my spiritual life can flow over into my personal life as a wife, mother & daughter and how important it is to have Christ in my life daily to remind me of His promises and teach me His ways.
7.) Tell me about how you became a believer. What caused you to want to serve God in full time ministry?
I accepted Christ as my personal savior when I was 6 and was baptized. However when I was 16 was when I felt God tugging on my heart for ministry and knew that even though I wasn't a bad kid that I should get my life straight with Him so I recommitted my life to Christ with a desire to serve and work for Him in a path wherever He would lead me. I LOVED to sing and share music with others but I knew that God didn't want me to just sing for my family & friends for fun. He wanted me to use the gift He gave me to sing in churches and travel and share my testimony.
8.) Take me through the songs on your latest project.
A Whole Lot More of You: I wanted a "just for fun song" on my album and this is it. We are always striving for happiness and we try everything else but what we really need is a whole lot more of Him!
Perfectly Imperfect: This was the very first song we wrote for the album and the very first song I had ever co-written. It basically comes from the fact that I tend to be a perfectionist but in the process of songwriting I learned that I'm not perfect but that God has allowed me to be that way so that He could complete me, maybe not here on earth but one day in heaven.
Take Me to Holy Ground: This has been the song on my album that has always brought me (and those listening) to an ultimate place of worship. It's a plea to God to strip me of all my outside influences and distractions of this world to where I can lay them at His feet and I can be totally focused on what He has called me to do. If I can do that I can reach my ultimate place of worship, Holy Ground.
Let Me Shine: This song has been such a great song for my album. We wanted to write about the significance of God and His creation and the insignificance of who we really are. We are like a grain of sand in the ocean, one of endless stars and I realize that there are days where (especially in ministry) I feel like I can't accomplish much but I can because I have the promise from God that I can be a light that shines for Christ and I can radiate His love.
Save the Day: This is the pop/rock side of me. I loved it from the minute I heard it! We took a song that was only acoustic guitar with lead vocalist and built it up to what it is now...a captivating plea to God to save us for ourselves daily.
Honestly: Sweet, moving, inspirational, a song that speaks truth and reminds us that we need to be broken, lay it all at His feet and that all we need is Jesus...Honestly.
Sing: All I've ever wanted to do my entire life was sing and this song brings alive my soul heart's desire to sing from the top of the highest mountain for all to hear, without holding back anything...SING!
Free: This song is freedom from past mistakes and regrets and the promise that I won't be held down by those things and I can be free to live for Him because He's already paid the price for me, completely.
Forgettable: We chose this song originally for the title because it was so...unforgettable. Little did we know that God would use this song for something we would never forget...a bad accident that my parents were involved in that my husband & I drove up on (probably one of the darkest moments of my life). God gave me this song because He knew what I would be going through and knew that the song would minister to me and my family when I recorded it to minister to others. The lyrics were just exactly what we needed to hear in knowing that we had just experienced a miracle when all we were asking for was for them to survive and God did so much more by allowing them to be alive and well with minimal injuries that would heal completely!
Grace That Chose Me: This song has made the most significant impact on my life and my ministry. This song is about my adoption and we wrote it as an ultimate thank you to my parents for choosing me, loving me, giving me life and making me a part of their forever family. Grace touches people. My prayer is that it moves them to think about being adopted by Christ and experiencing His love which is even greater than a parent's love. There is so much more I could say about this song but ultimately I know that I will be singing it for years to come. The stories that I will hear from others about their own adoptions or those they know that are adopted have blessed me more than I could ever imagine in my lifetime!
9.) Favorite cereal, favorite comfort food, favorite ice cream flavor...
Lucky charms, grilled cheese and Ben & Jerry's Phish Food!
10.) Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead?
Carrie Underwood. I have always admired her and thought she was beautiful. She's been very successful and yet she stays humble in how she holds herself. She seems like she came from a simple background and realizes how she has been blessed through all of her fame.
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