Interview With Christy Nockels

– September 2, 2010
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Hi Christy! Thanks for making the time for this interview with Women In Worship… I know you’ve just landed in Brazil with the rest of the Passion gang, so thanks for taking the time to do this!

Here we go…. Why don’t you start by telling us how did you get involved in sung worship ministry?

Well…there’s a part of me that feels like I’ve been a part of it all my life.  I owe much of my heart being steered that way to my mom and dad.  I grew up as a pastor’s daughter in a small town.  My dad was a worship leader before he was a teaching pastor and my mom has been the church pianist since I can remember. It really made for an amazing mix of learning to love truth and music and eventually the two came together for me and I learned to express that at a really young age, probably 9 or 10.

I remember my dad would periodically ask me if I had a song that God was using in my life and if I’d like to share it with the church. I think that’s great training ground for a child as I look back on it…  It prepared me to think outside of myself when I would learn songs and sing them, causing me to realize that there’s a great opportunity for ministry each time I’m leading.

I continued to lead in our church through high school and college and eventually met my husband, Nathan Nockels and it was with him that I really began writing songs.  When we first married, we were a part of a church plant in Oklahoma City with our friend Charlie Hall.  Nathan and I worked with the band and singers every Sunday, quite a learning experience for a couple of newlyweds!

We ended up making an independent record with Charlie during that time.  We were called “Sons & Daughters” and the record was entitled “Holy Roar”.  It was actually the way that Louie Giglio, founder of Passion Conferences, first heard of us.  He tells the story of driving in his car and having to pull over in tears because the songs we were singing were the very prayers he and his wife Shelley had been praying for what is now…Passion.  We were invited to the first Passion Conference in 1997 and that’s pretty much how we began this journey we’re on!

In the Passion movement you are surrounded by (fantastic) male worship leaders & band members.  Do you ever find it hard being one of the few females?  Any advice for girls/women in churches where they are sometimes the only female involved in sung worship?

Again, it’s so amazing to me how God prepares us as little children for what we’ll encounter as we begin to walk in our calling.  I was the youngest of 3 children, the only girl.  I was the only girl cousin, on both sides, for 20 years…  I have lived my life with boys!

I learned to keep up, stay strong, have a sense of humor and roll with the punches…literally. I think it’s easy for us girls to get insecure about our place in it all, but I’ve learned over the years that there’s a real specific calling that women have and what we bring to sung worship is different, valuable and beautiful.

It’s especially beautiful when we can walk in complete confidence in the Holy Spirit, and lay down any thought that says it’s about what we bring in the flesh… It’s not about who we are as females that makes us different, it’s about what the Holy Spirit can do through women in the Body of Christ when we are completely surrendered to Him.

Ask the Lord to help you be a blessing in every setting and to serve your leaders…yes, even the men! You might have to build trust with your male worship leaders, and that might take time.  Don’t take offense at that, rely on the Holy Spirit to help you follow and lead appropriately.  God is the one who gifted you, therefore He is the one who will uphold your gift and your calling…and promote it as He wants.

Humble yourself and serve your male worship leaders, but look to God for your validation and approval in all things. You belong to your Creator and what His Spirit can do through your humbled and surrendered heart is amazing.

How do you write a song? Words first, melody first or a bit of both?

Every song is different, I guess… I used to write more in a poem form with words first, but over the years that has changed into a free-for-all process really…anything goes!
One thing that is a must for me is a current journal to keep thoughts and themes in and a voice recorder.  I use my iPhone now because it’s always with me and I can back it up on my computer and not lose anything.  Being a mom of 3, I have to make sure that the ideas in my brain get recorded, otherwise they are gone forever!
Lately, I’ve loved writing with no instrument, in complete silence or in my car.  Sometimes if I’m stuck melodically, that’s the best cure!  I also co-write a ton with my husband Nathan and rely allot on his melodic ideas and arrangements.  He’s so gifted!  I love co-writing with other artists as well.  It’s something I’m learning to do more of and I can see so much growth in my songwriting because of it.
Songwriting has always been intensely personal for me, so co-writing has been a great way to open up a little bit.  I still have those songs I write that mean something to me personally and I have the need to just pen them on my own.  Overall, it’s a growing process for me and ever-changing really.
You have an incredible voice!!! If I could choose a different voice to mine, i’d choose yours! :) Any advice for singers about how to care for their voice and grow vocally?
Oh wow…you are too kind!  I wish I could say I had a routine to take care of my voice.  It’s definitely something I’ve had to think about more lately!  I think it can sneak up on you if you’re not careful…  I sing in the shower allot…really loud. That way if I’m not on the road singing everyday, I am still keeping my instrument warmed up.
When I’m on the road, I do have some funny warm-ups that I start doing about an hour before I sing.  It’s hard to explain while typing, but I yell in my head voice, “It’s a nice day today”…over and over.  It’s a little thing I learned in vocal school in college. Yes, I do get made fun by my band.
Anyway, as far as growing vocally, I find that I really can stretch myself by emulating others or singing along with other singers. This works best when it’s a completely different style of music than I’m used to singing.  This is not to change the way I sing, but just to challenge me to try new things and be in the practice of singing outside of my comfort zone some.
It’s funny to say, but I think you have to learn to sing songs…even ones you write.  I remember first singing the song, “Healing Is In Your Hands” and it was so hard for me to sing because it was unfamiliar and in a new place in my voice.  Even though I co-wrote it from it’s beginning and even recorded it in a live setting, I still had to learn to sing it over time.  Every time I sing it, I get more and more comfortable with it and I grow in it.

Thanks Christy! We’ll all be praying for you as you continue to tour this fall and winter. If anyone doesn’t have Christy’s latest album, yet – go get it! You can hear it and buy it here!