Name: Chris Nesbitt
Gender: male
Location: Presently Arrington TN, Originally from San Clemente CA

Age: 42

I’m a disciple of Jesus. I also happen to be a worship leader and psalmist. For nearly twelve years, I led worship at Heritage Christian Fellowship in San Clemente until the Lord called me and my family to the Franklin TN area in the Fall of 2007.

To date, I have two worship albums: Silent Stones (“Your Song,” nominated 2006 CCM Song of the Year) and Liquid Worship (CMcentral.com’s “Ten Best Albums of 2007”). Liquid Worship, produced by Phillip LaRue, won national notoriety when I decided to give it away at my website shortly before its release last October. (The entire album is still available, completely free, at chrisnesbitt.com.) Through my record label, Silent Stones Records (silentstones.com), I recently partnered with Worship Leader Magazine and Just In Time Digital to create a digital distribution channel into retail stores for indie worship artists. I’m married to a Proverbs 31 woman (Tiffany), and we’ve been homeschooling our four children for over ten years.

1. What does worship mean to you?

Surrender and obedience:  surrender, in terms of who you are, and obedience as far as what you do. The more practical manifestations of “worshiping” or being a “worshiper” are simply the fruit of living obedient and surrendered lives.

If we’re talking about worship in song, what happens and what should happen are, unfortunately, two different things much of the time. What should happen is transformation. It’s similar to a microcosm of what happens to me during a long fast—20 to 40 days, for example. It starts out like a treasure hunt. I’m on a quest for answers, direction, or circumstantial changes. “Lord, bring breakthrough in my job, marriage, finances, kids, addictions, et al.” Along the way, and as hunger truly begins to kick in, I can’t help reminding the Lord what a great guy I am – a real asset to the Kingdom. Sure, there’s plenty of repentance and even genuine humility going on, but underneath the surface, I’m conflicted, at least on some level. “After all, Lord, have you considered my obedience and sacrifice? Aren’t you now compelled—even obligated—to act on my behalf?” Of course this is pride, but it creeps in under the auspices of sound Biblical principals. Eventually, though, at some point, a paradigm shift occurs, and agenda gives way to desperation. I begin to care less and less about my petitions, and cry out simply for Him. Soon, all I want is His presence. His love is my very sustenance, better than food itself. By the end of the fast, everything has changed, but not necessarily in my circumstances. I’ve changed. I’ve moved from leach to lover. This is what should happen, to some extent, when we worship. And whether we worship in song for 20 minutes or 2 hours, the depth of the worship is directly correlated to how soon we can make that transformation.

3. What causes you to worship?

Just as blessings cause us to praise, I believe suffering causes us to worship. It seams to me there are only three possible responses to suffering: curse God, doubt God (i.e., His goodness/faithfulness), or worship God. Even if we choose the later, it’s usually laced with agenda, at least initially. Over time (and prolonged suffering), the soul learns real worship. I’m not saying you have to suffer in order to really worship, but it [suffering] is certainly a significant breeding ground for authentic worship.

4. How is worship displayed in your life?

(See #1)

5. What is your favorite song and why?

Okay, here’s my chance for a shameless plug of one of my own songs!  Alas, I have to answer truthfully that my stuff is not topping the list right at the moment. But I would like to subdivide the answer into a couple categories: Favorite song for corporate worship, and favorite song to listen to.

The first is How He Loves by John Mark McMillan. Something unexplainable happens in my soul, at a very deep level, when I sing this song. The best I can do is to say it’s like the Lord peels back or unveils layers of His love even as scenes of personal hardship and suffering replay through my mind. For the sake of analogy… when my first-born was a year old, he got his toes severely wrapped up and tangled in some loose hair until, by the time we discovered it, it was through the skin. The doctor needed my assistance in holding down my son while he worked at unraveling the mess. I remember my baby boy screaming and crying and looking at me like I had betrayed him. Even if I could somehow communicate to him that it was my love for him that was allowing the pain, it would take a supernatural experience for him to truly understand and embrace that truth. A little bit of that miracle happens when I worship with this song, and so far, I’ve not been able to sing it without crying, sometimes weeping.

The second song—favorite to listen to—is Starfield’s Great is the Lord, from their second (and FANTASTIC!) album, Beauty in the Broken. This song is the cry of my heart at this particular season in my life. Here’s part of it:

If all I've done, at last should come to nothing

And all I love, like sand be washed away

Still I will sing of Your unfailing glory

On bended knee I'll lift my voice and say

Great is the Lord, Great is Your name

Till my last breath I will proclaim

Great is the Lord, Great is Your name

I give my life to sing Your praise

Great is the Lord

If You should speak, or should remain in silence

Should give me light, or lead me through the dark

Whatever the cost, whatever joy or sorrow

I'll worship still, because of who You are

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