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Rebecca St. James: Radical For God
Half-hearted just isn’t good enough for 19 year old recording artist Rebecca St. James. It’s all or nothing in most everything she does, but especially when it comes to following Jesus.
In fact, in case anyone might miss the message, she’s entitled her newest CD simply God, and her newly published devotional guide for teens Forty Days With God. Forget cute and trendy marketing ideas: this young woman wants to make a statement.
“God is the perfect name and focus for my album,” says St. James, recently in Edmonton for a live concert. “He’s the only reason I sing...the only reason I live...and what my whole life is about. There’s no other way to explain it.”
Her conversation is peppered with strong images: total reliance, complete trust, entirely dependent, radically sold out...
Being radically sold out for Jesus has landed Rebecca and her family into some pretty harrowing life situations. She grew up as the oldest of seven children in Australia, where just 5 % of the population attends church regularly. Since her dad’s job involved promoting Christian concerts, it wasn’t the most secure life financially.
One day Rebecca’s dad found himself bankrupt, with a family to support. Offered a new job in the US, the family made the make-or-break move to Nashville in 1991.
Upon arrival they found there was no job waiting after all.
“All we had was a temporary house to live in, some towels, bed sheets, and the clothes on our backs,” recalls Rebecca.
The family gathered in the living room to pray about their many very immediate needs. “We simply had to rely upon God for everything -- beginning with our next meal,” says Rebecca. Their prayers were answered in amazing ways.
Neighbors brought over food, lent furniture, even gave them a van to use for as long as they needed it.
“I know it sounds strange, but there was great joy during those times of total reliance upon God,” she says. “It taught me to get out of my comfort zone and learn to trust Him completely.”
The kids raked leaves and did gardening for others, while Rebecca and her mom cleaned houses to make ends meet. In the meantime, Rebecca continued to hone her singing talents, performing in churches and youth rallies. That was how she met artist/producer Eddie De Garmo, who brought her together with some key people in Christian music. In 1994, they put together her first album Rebecca St. James, which launched her career.
Since then she’s done several tours, released her second album (a CD Rom version), written a book, established a home page on the world wide web (www.rsjames.com.), made a video, answered stacks of fan mail, cleaned some more houses...in other words, she’s led a busy life, and she’s done it for a reason: because she believes it’s what God is calling her to do.
“I’m a teenager still, and I feel God is calling me to speak to my peers,” says St. James. “My generation is bowing to an idol of money and drugs and self and MTV. We need to be radical for God. We need to stand before God with both arms raised.”
“There’s so much pressure for teenagers to have sex, to do drugs and alcohol. The message comes form everywhere, school, television, magazines. My music tries to counter that, to say there is a better way, God’s way. I’m here to serve others, it’s not about being a star.”
Rebecca shares her beliefs and the choices she’s made in life at her concerts, both through her music and testimony.
Virginity is one issue that has no ifs or maybes attached to it.
“I’m pretty ‘in your face’ about the things I believe in,” she says. “I encourage teens to wait, and I tell them that if they’ve erred, they can still make a decision to be a ‘recycled’ virgin.”
“I get a lot of letters from teenage girls, they need encouragement to walk the walk. ‘24-7” is the code we need to follow: 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’ve made the decision to live Biblically, I want to live God’s way.”
“I’ve had friends that went to college, said I’ll do it my way -- one girl came back pregnant. Now her dreams are gone, her boy friend won’t marry her. Just seeing things like that has taught me a lot.”
At every concert, Rebecca challenges her listeners to make the biggest and most important step of all, to give their lives to Christ.
“Seeing people come to the Lord for the first time is so exciting,” she says. “When I was 8 years old I made a decision to follow the Lord. Ever since then it’s been a growing relationship. The Christian life is so worth it, to live sold out to God is the only way to go.”
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Jaci Velasquez: The Next Amy Grant?
She’s cute. She’s talented. And she’s becoming a big name in Christian music. Already her first solo album, Heavenly Place has had three consecutive singles go to number one on the Christian music charts.
But Jaci Velasquez, the 17 year old who some people call “the next Amy Grant” also admits that she loves shopping, acting crazy, eating marshmallows and watching videos while sitting around in her bathrobe.
She also knows what it’s like to doubt yourself, to feel depressed, and to be lonely. In other words, she’s an ordinary girl -- even if her life is pretty extraordinary.
In the last year or so, besides cutting her own album, she’s toured in Europe and joined the groups 4HIM, d.c.Talk, Jars of Clay and Michael W.Smith in concerts across the United States. Yet in spite of it all, she seems to have her feet planted pretty firmly on the ground.
Jacquelyn Davette Velasquez is the youngest of five children, born in Texas to musical parents. Growing up, she accompanied them on the road as they conducted evangelistic rallies around Texas and New Mexico. When she was thirteen, she joined them on a mission of faith, as they set out on an extended evangelistic trip.
“On that trip we took $150 and left in my mother’s 1986 Honda Accord -- but those were the happiest years of my life,” she remembers. ”Sometimes we wouldn’t even have enough gas money to get to the next church, but I loved it -- driving around lost in the deserts around Las Vegas, with the radio and the air conditioning not working. It was an adventure.”
Gradually, she moved from joining her mom as back-up singer for her dad’s solos, to center stage. Along the way, she won a talent show over 3,000 other young contestants and even got to sing at the White House. Then, when just fourteen, she was “discovered.”
A booking agent for the all-female pop group, Point of Grace, heard her sing at a church service and invited her to open the next show for the group. That event was taped and sent to Nashville, where Myrhh Records offered her a chance to record her first solo album. That meant she and her parents would have to move to Nashville, where she became caught in a whirlwind of change.
“When I moved to Nashville I left everything I knew, all my friends in Texas and New Mexico. I was a 15 year old in a grown up world...I had to grow up fast,” she remembers. Her world of friends and fun was replaced with a world of adults in the music business.
“I went straight into recording, putting all of myself into the album. I was a zombie after 12 hours everyday in the studio. I went into something like a depression,” she said.
It was only with the help of God, family, and friends, that she gradually began to feel more like herself again. Despite the pain, Jaci feels that even the down times are worth it, because she is doing what God wants her to do: sing songs and reach out to young people that “even a youth pastor can’t reach.”
“It scares me to death, but I know where I stand with the Lord.” Singing and speaking about Him is now her ministry in life.
Today she’s kept busy with her touring appearances (she’ll be at YC ‘97 in Red Deer May 16-19), and recording sessions for a new album with a Spanish flair.
She seems so sure of herself on so many issues and concerns, that observers might doubt that anything could rattle this self- assured young women. But that wouldn’t be true. Jaci admits to being lonely on the road and when the big word (date, that is) came up in conversation, Jaci squirmed uncomfortably as she recalled a recent experience.
“This guy I know, he’s in our youth group. He’s always coming over with everyone else for pizzas and movies, and he asked me if I wanted to do something on Friday night,” she relates. “I said sure, of course, but I didn’t realize that something really meant, SOMETHING --like a date! It was so nerve-racking, he came and called for me and held the door open for me and everything. I was so nervous and embarrassed!”
“Your teenage years are like maybe only 2 inches of life, while your years of marriage and family would be like 15 inches, so you want to enjoy that time when you’re young, and not mess it up with problems,” says Jaci who knows full well about the problems that can stem from wrong decisions. One of her friends who got involved with a guy is now a mother -- and both mother and baby are suffering from AIDS. It’s shown her that there’s no such thing as ‘safe sex’ and she is very open about proclaiming that message. In fact one of the songs on her album is a personal promise to God that she will stay pure until she’s married.
She introduces the song “I Promise” by telling the audience the only way to avoid the emotional pain and anguish, as well as physical risks, is to promise to save one’s self for one’s spouse.
For the teenager out there who may be struggling with a lot these issues she offers some words of encouragement: “We all have a place on this earth. Everyone goes through dry times. I know I have. But you know what? God gives you a hug when you go to Him, and comforts you. He really is there for you.”
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Words of Wisdom & Grace
Point of Grace, the award winning female Christian pop quartet, figured anything they wanted to say, they’d be able to get across in their music.
But then they figured, “there are some things, even for four singers, that can’t be said in three verses, two choruses, and a slow fade.”
So now, their pictures grace the cover of their first book Life, Love, and Other Mysteries. They figure what they have to say is important, and they want to share it with a wider audience of teens.
The book consists of biographies of Denise, Terry, Heather and Shelley, as well as specific chapters where they answer the most common questions they’ve received in fan mail and concerts.
Questions like, “TV, movies, music and sex is everywhere. Where should I draw the line?” and “Sometimes I feel like God doesn’t hear my prayers, How can I be sure that He does?”
The answers are presented in an honest and forthright manner. These are four young ladies in their twenties who have been there themselves. They’ve dealt with the temptations, they’ve had times of trouble and stress in their lives, and they’ve made mistakes that they’ve learned from.
“We’re living proof that you can come out with less heartache if you stay away from all of that (sex, drugs, alcohol),” Terry told Release magazine.
Each of their biographies tell a story that may help a struggling teen. For instance, Terry talks very openly about the pain her family suffered when her father was sent to jail for committing fraud. Heather’s childhood was marked with frequent moves around the country. As the last single member of the group, she wonders if she’ll ever get married. Denise talks about the conflict she and her mom went through during the turbulent junior high years. And Shelley discusses the doubts and worries that kept her awake at night when she struggled with her faith.
While their lives haven’t been perfect, each member points to God for seeing them through the struggles of life and in their book they gladly share His grace for the benefit of others.
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