It’s not about writing a great song everyday. It’s about writing faithfully.

Songwriting – an art, an expression of one’s heart, mind and soul. Is it difficult to do? “I think it varies from person to person,” said Kyle Cummings, the Artist Development Instructor at Ocean’s Edge School of Worship. “Some people are incredibly imaginative and are bursting with ideas, but they have a difficult time organizing their thoughts on paper. Others are great with organizing and crafting lyrics, but they sometimes tend to over-analyze their songs. And some people can write beautiful lyrics and melodies all day long, but struggle to find the music that fits it.”

Each songwriter needs to discover a healthy balance in finding the right lyrics that fits the right music. That’s why it’s good for songwriters to craft their music with other musicians in order to fill in the voids found in some of their songs. Kyle explained that having “the ability to take an artistic expression and craft it into a song that people are going to enjoy and want to listen to over and over again is a gift from God,” but sometimes in the midst of crafting the art, you can find yourself struggling to enjoy the process.

That’s one reason Kyle invited Jeremiah Jones, a professional songwriter, to share with the students in his class.

Jeremiah and Kyle met a few years ago at a church called Radius where Jeremiah was leading worship. Jeremiah has been a successful songwriter, recording three projects over the past six years. Laura Story recorded his song “What A Savior”, and it successfully made it into the rotation of songs in over thirty stations nationwide. He has faithfully served the church as a worship leader, songwriter and pastor, planting a number of churches in the past fifteen years.

On October 18, the college-age students at Ocean’s Edge School of Worship received the privilege of hearing Jeremiah Jones share wisdom and inspiration. He shared that you need to remain diligent to your God-given calling as a songwriter for the church.

It’s not about writing a great song everyday.  It’s about writing faithfully everyday. It is in the act of selflessly and faithfully investing in your gift that God receives glory.

Songwriting takes discipline, practice, and creativity. Jeremiah explained that out of those moments, you might encounter bad songs; however, somewhere in between, good songs are written, and out of those good songs, come great songs.

As a Christian songwriter, you need to remember that the art is not about creating good songs each day, but it’s about remaining faithful to writing songs each day. God will do the rest. He only asks us to write and sing a “new song” to Him.

Jeremiah really encouraged the Ocean’s Edge students by explaining that not every song has to be a “big hit”. He shared a contagious love and true devotion to the craft of songwriting, which inspired every student. He is more than a songwriter and worship leader, he is a guy who cares about people.

In the next few months, Jeremiah Jones will be recording his next project with Grammy nominated and Dove award-winning producer Ed Cash in Nashville, TN. For more information on Jeremiah Jones, visit www.jeremiahjonesmusic.com. For more information on Ocean’s Edge School of Worship, visit www.oceansedgeschool.com.