Stephen McWhirter on songwriting, authenticity as a worship leader and leading people out of your overflow

It’s a story about addiction to redemption, from meth addict to worship leader. Stephen McWhirter has an amazing testimony but even more amazing is how God is using that testimony to mold and shape him into the worship leader he is today. It affects the kinds of songs he writes or how he leads a group in worship, whether that’s a part of Iron Bell Music or now on the road under the name of Stephen McWhirter. In this conversation, we talk about his story, authenticity in worship and the importance of leading people out of the overflow of your private worship. We also talk about songwriting and how songs like God That Saves, Belong To You and his latest song Grave Clothes were written.

It's a story about addiction to redemption, from meth addict to worship leader. Stephen McWhirter has an amazing testimony but even more amazing is how God is using that testimony to mold and shape him into the worship leader he is today.

Find Stephen McWhirter online:
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenmcwhirter
Facebook: facebook.com/stephenmcwhirtermusic
Twitter: twitter.com/stephenmcwhirte
Web: stephenmcwhirter.com

Check out the latest song Grave Clothes from Stephen McWhirter.

Belong To You (Enemy Can’t) is the first song I remember from Stephen McWhirter back when they were Iron Bell Music.

Stephen McWhirter has his own podcast called the God Is Real Podcast where he shares what God is teaching him and interviews others in the music industry on how the reality of God shapes their lives.

The book that Stephen mention that someone gave him that ultimately became a part of his testimony is The Case For Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel.

The book that Stephen mentions in the bonus round is Envy: The Enemy Within by Bob Sorge.

One of my recent YouTube videos features several industry thought-leaders on the topic of learning from failure. You can watch it here.

The product of the month is Church Motion Graphics. This is the library we use exclusively at our church for motion backgrounds, countdown videos, welcome slides and more. You can get one pack just to test the waters or you can get a yearly subscription and get a new pack every month. When you’re trying to establish an atmosphere for worship, to set the table for people to have a real encounter with God, details matters including what visuals you use and how you use them. Learn more and check them out for yourself.

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Kurt Von Eschen on creating moments in services for people to engage and have an authentic encounter with Jesus