Songwriting in Different Seasons of Life with Erica Violet

Erica Violet is a worship leader, songwriter, and recording artist with a deep passion for God’s presence and authentic connection. Her music blends modern worship with a vibrant, emotionally-driven sound, creating space for listeners to find peace in the middle of anxiety and to trust God in every season.

Serving as an associate worship pastor in the Chicago area and traveling to Nashville to write and record, Erica is rooted in the local church while also building a growing presence beyond it. Her journey as a wife, mom, and adoptive parent brings depth and relatability to her songs, reflecting the steady faithfulness of God through every high and low.

Whether leading worship or releasing new music under Erica Violet, her desire is simple: to help people experience the love of Jesus and the peace only He can give.

Erica is a featured artist on several Writing Worship Community projects, including commUNITY (2024) and reTURNing (2025).  

Listen to Filled With Your Glory (Live).

Listen to To Live Is Christ (Live).

Take the simple 10-minute Songwriter Personality Test.

Apply now for the Worship Songwriter Mentorship.  Our foundational course for all songwriters.  Over 700 worship songwriters have taken and graduated from the 9-week cohort-based mentorship program.  You can apply on the WritingWorship.co website.

Chapters

• 2:24 Songwriting Journey Before Writing Worship
• 7:23 Erica Violet Music Releases
• 11:20 Transitioning from Leadership to Prioritizing Family First
• 17:47 Songwriting in Different Seasons of Life
• 24:54 The Story of "To Live Is Christ"
• 35:29 Wrap Up
• 38:06 To Live Is Christ (Live) Full Song

Transcript

Erica: 0:35

Sounds good.

Eric Nordhoff: 0:38

Erica, violet welcome to the writing worship. Podcast I can't believe it. This is the 1st time you've been on this. Podcast I've known you for so long.

Erica: 0:48

It is. Yeah. I'm excited to be here.

Eric Nordhoff: 0:50

Yeah. So, Erica, you and I were in the mentorship together.

Erica: 0:56

Yes.

Eric Nordhoff: 0:58

You were this amazingly talented saxophone playing multi musician, multi-instrument phenom. And I was just this guy that was kind of just going through it to please his wife. No, not that's not true. I really did want to go through it as a student, and because I'd been promoting it and learning it, and it was so good for me. But you were super exceptional talent, and that was fun, wasn't it?

Erica: 1:31

Oh, my gosh! That was so fun! I remember feeling like honored that I was in it with one of the creators of riding worship, but I cannot believe that was 7. I can't do math. 6 years ago.

Eric Nordhoff: 1:44

Was it really.

Erica: 1:45

I think it was. Is that right?

Eric Nordhoff: 1:48

2019.

Erica: 1:49

Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 1:50

Okay.

Erica: 1:51

I think it was before Covid.

Eric Nordhoff: 1:53

I think you're right. It was Amanda Blankenship that led us. Through it. And gosh! That was so fun! It really was fun. We didn't get to co-write together. I don't think.

Erica: 2:05

No, we didn't.

Eric Nordhoff: 2:07

But yeah, you shared some great stuff, and that was kind of where were you before? As a songwriter? What was your journey? What were you looking for? I think you were just like maybe 23 at that time, or pretty young? Yeah. Still young now. But yeah, what were you? Where were you? What place of life were you in with your songwriting?

Erica: 2:31

Yeah, I think I mean writing worship honestly, really, springboarded like jump started my songwriting journey. I think the 1st song I ever wrote was at 5 years old, just for fun. I will not sing it for you now. Absolutely not.

Eric Nordhoff: 2:49

Will not.

Erica: 2:50

Nope.

Eric Nordhoff: 2:53

Come on!

Erica: 2:54

I feel like that's a dare. I feel like I I said it out loud, and I shouldn't have you know.

Eric Nordhoff: 3:00

But maybe the next time I'm on the podcast okay. When of warmth loosened up.

Erica: 3:05

Yeah, yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 3:05

That's you. Yeah, singing it.

Erica: 3:07

Perfect.

Eric Nordhoff: 3:07

What was it called?

Erica: 3:09

It was a song I wrote for my sister when she was born. So I was 5, and she was one. And yeah, that's that's all. This.

Eric Nordhoff: 3:19

Chrissy wrote a song when she was 5. Her 1st song, too.

Erica: 3:22

That's so cool. I love that. But yeah, so that was like the 1st time I ever wrote a song. And then songwriting kind of just stuck in my life in the background, for you know, throughout my life, until I started the mentorship. But it was always. I think, something that I never really took seriously, and something that was fun and outlet. It was something that filled me, but I was always doing the classical music stuff. I never really gave songwriting. Maybe the credit.

Eric Nordhoff: 3:58

Dessert.

Erica: 4:00

And I remember gosh! I don't remember how, but someone had told me if I was interested in songwriting you should get mentorship on it. I didn't even know that was a thing to be mentored in songwriting.

Eric Nordhoff: 4:12

Yeah.

Erica: 4:13

And I remember I came across Chrissy's like an advertisement for it. Maybe. Book and I. Months went by and I just saw the advertisement. And one day I was praying, and I just the Holy Spirit. Just okay. Come on, Erica. You gotta are. You gonna sign up for this or not? So I signed up for the mentorship, and then that, truly, and Eric did not pay me to say this, but really was what kind of started me on the songwriting journey.

Eric Nordhoff: 4:41

To take it more seriously. Yeah, you I mean, you were obviously skilled as a performer, as a player. How much you play piano. You play, you sing amazing vocalist, you! You played saxophone. Any other instruments.

Erica: 5:01

Guitar.

Eric Nordhoff: 5:02

Guitar.

Erica: 5:03

Acoustic.

Eric Nordhoff: 5:04

Yeah, yeah, how did that like, were you raised that way to to get that kind of training tutorial as a kid? And did you further develop that in college.

Erica: 5:17

Yeah, I grew up in a family of musicians, not professional musicians, but my both my parents and sisters are just kind of naturally, musically inclined, and then I all my whole life wanted to be a music teacher. I remember a vivid conversation with one of my mentors in high school, at my church. and he was kind of training me in like working in ministry and in choral stuff. And he was like, you know, I think you could work in the church one day, and you're a vocalist, and I said, Absolutely not. I will never work in the church, and I'm a saxophone player. And so I went to college to study music, education, which.

Eric Nordhoff: 6:04

Where'd you go?

Erica: 6:05

What'd you say?

Eric Nordhoff: 6:06

Where did you go?

Erica: 6:07

Oh, I went to Valparais University. It's in Northwest Indiana. Valpo. Yeah, I studied music there. I was excited to be a high school band director, and then around my junior year, the Lord started tugging on my heart towards ministry stuff and.

Eric Nordhoff: 6:22

Here we are. Lo and behold, your 1st job out of school was ministry.

Erica: 6:26

Yeah, ministry singing. So I was wrong.

Eric Nordhoff: 6:30

Leading Worship.

Erica: 6:31

Leading Worship yep.

Eric Nordhoff: 6:34

And then you you started taking songwriting seriously, did you? Already I think you already released some music before you took the mentorship.

Erica: 6:47

Yes, yes, I had released one song, that's another one that I won't show you. But yes, I had released a song before. Just kind of through like mutual friends and recording it and putting it together, and then writing worship sort of gave me the tools to maybe be a little bit more professional about it.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:07

Yeah.

Erica: 7:08

Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:09

By the way, I'm just looking at your website, I like these undeserving hats.

Erica: 7:13

Hey! Thanks!

Eric Nordhoff: 7:15

That's an old song, though, isn't it?

Erica: 7:18

Undeserving. Yeah. Released in 2022.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:22

Okay, well, that's not that old.

Erica: 7:24

I'm gonna get some new, some new merch out.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:27

Well, I like the Beanies.

Erica: 7:28

Thank you.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:30

Yeah.

Erica: 7:31

Classic, the Beanies.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:33

Oh, you can't lose with them. I don't know why. We never put out some writing worship beanies. Our brave beanies really were a huge hit.

Erica: 7:42

Oh, yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 7:43

But anyway, back to you, you also had some success with Throne Room was, I remember, that song being, I was very impressed with that recording, and that would that would you say? That's 1 of your top songs that you've released.

Erica: 8:02

It is. Yeah, that was yeah, I co-wrote that with Maddie Reid. And she and I met on. Gosh! It was April 2020 at a riding worship. It was like an online.

Eric Nordhoff: 8:17

Yeah, the writing day that was going to be in person, but it changed to.

Erica: 8:21

Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 8:22

Online.

Erica: 8:23

Yes, and Anyways, she and I met through that day, and we co-wrote that song and got in touch with Kevin Weinberger, who produced it, and he's just so gifted. And that song he kind of just helped it breathe some life into it, and he's also super gifted with stewarding the songs through marketing. So it got on some playlists that had a lot of traction. And it, yeah, it ended up doing well. I think it's my most streamed song, if not my second. Most streamed song.

Eric Nordhoff: 8:55

Yeah, that's that's really fun, really awesome. So you're leading worship in church. You're you're starting to get serious. You started. I think I met you for the 1st time at the second Writing Worship Conference, or maybe the 1st one? Or did you come to the site? I don't remember.

Erica: 9:13

Think the second one.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:14

Okay.

Erica: 9:15

Sure.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:16

Yeah. And then how how many songs would you say that you've now written between? Now between, then, between when you started taking it seriously in 2019.

Erica: 9:29

Gosh!

Eric Nordhoff: 9:30

Until now.

Erica: 9:34

Over a hundred. I don't know how many exactly, but probably over a hundred.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:39

And what's your songwriter, personality.

Erica: 9:42

Melody and structure.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:44

Okay.

Erica: 9:45

Yep.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:46

Well, you have to be structured. If you're married to a German, you are.

Erica: 9:51

That's so true.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:52

Yeah.

Erica: 9:53

Yeah. A German engineer, you know.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:55

Yeah.

Erica: 9:55

So it's like double, straight.

Eric Nordhoff: 9:57

Oh, man, I'm so sorry, Erica!

Erica: 9:59

You know the Lord knew. We balanced each other out. The creative.

Eric Nordhoff: 10:03

Needs to be. Yeah, everything needs to be clean.

Erica: 10:06

Yeah, he's got like a creative side of his brain, too, which is really helpful, because then he kind of understands me. But.

Eric Nordhoff: 10:13

Yeah, he's really cool, like he looks cool, like he's a cool, especially with that undeserving hat on.

Erica: 10:19

Yes, I think he's cool. I'm biased. But yeah, it's the undeserving beanie that ups coolness level even more.

Eric Nordhoff: 10:26

Doesn't deserve it, but the beauty really makes it undeserving somehow. Anyway. All right, I'm just being silly today. It's the evening where I've had a full day of recording.

Erica: 10:40

I love.

Eric Nordhoff: 10:41

So let's talk about your your work at church, and then I want to dive into to live as Christ, which is one of the songs on our returning. Ep that we've been talking about because it released in June. But I really wanted to just kind of capture from you. That that song story a little bit. But before we do that you're you obviously led worship for a long time at one church, and you've just recently moved to kind of across town in the Chicago area, right? And what's that like? Because you were in leadership? And now you're sort of under under a larger church Nondenominational church. But is that kind of a relief.

Erica: 11:33

Hmm! It has been. It's been a relief to be honest, just, I think. for the season of life we've been in. I loved so the previous church I was at was a multi-site church. and I was the Director of worship arts kind of overseeing, you know. 3 worship leaders in this multi-site ministry, which was like a great, a great opportunity that I was grateful for. But as soon as we had our son Austin, the season of life changes. And just the level of responsibility was a lot in comparison with just everything we had going on being parents, my husband was commuting. So yeah, just. It's something we had prayed about for a while, and the Lord brought us into this season of transition, and the timing ended up to be right. and we felt like it was right to move. And he also provided this new job at a church. So yeah, now I'm part time. I'm the associate worship pastor at a bigger church. But I'm under the leadership of our worship pastor and our lead pastor. and it's funny in the interview they asked me, like, you know, how do you feel going from sort of a position of leadership to sort of a different role here? Kind of a supporting role? And that was like sounds amazing. Yeah. And just to be in a healthy, you know, wherever you're at, I'm grateful to have been in a healthy church, and now it is a healthy church still, that's like what makes all the difference. But it's been good for our family.

Eric Nordhoff: 13:15

Well, and let's talk about the different seasons of of your life. You know I know that, Chrissy, when she was young, younger, and we had young kids at home. and she was an independent songwriter like it wasn't till the kids were in their, you know, kind of close to 10 years old, or so that we started to see some things happen with her music and her songwriting. As a matter of fact, she kind of saw herself as a an artist before she even was a songwriter, but she realized pretty quickly that she was the reverse. It was more. She was a writer at her core and And then she went through a lot of seasons of change, and I saw that happen. And we adapted quite a bit. There are seasons where you just can barely find time to, you know. Sit down in front of a piano, and you know, with with a young family that you have. So talk about what's on your heart for other songwriters that might be going through different seasons. What does it look like to be writing in different seasons of your life.

Erica: 14:39

Yeah, I think the Lord's just been encouraging me that as songwriters, we're playing the long game, and we're going for longevity. And it's it's a marathon, not a sprint as songwriters, and of course there's something to be said for being disciplined for getting your rights in your calendar, for having consistency. and at the same time the Lord's been giving me so much grace. To be honest. the past year and a half. I haven't had the capacity to write as much as I would have liked with the move, and becoming a mom for the 1st time, and demanding job. And I sort of got to a point in my spirit where the Lord reminded me that He's called me to be a songwriter, no matter what it looks like in that season. All I can do is one that month or a few weeks that there's there's grace for that. Ecclesiastes says that he makes everything beautiful in its time. and so he's just been reminding me that yeah, that it is the long game. And people like Chrissy, who have such an amazing perspective inspire me so much she's been able to be successful through different seasons. And just I don't know. I think it's just. The Lord can give us a bigger perspective, and we can so often think that this next right like this hit. It's just this one song, and if I miss this one song, then I've I've missed it as a songwriter. But it's kind of how he's developing a song by song in the practice.

Eric Nordhoff: 16:30

Yeah. just finding rest and surrender in that. Chrissy calls it whenever and I and I agree with it. She calls it the one time chance. This is my one time chance to write this.

Erica: 16:42

So.

Eric Nordhoff: 16:42

Opportunity, and it's going to pass me by. And it's a very dangerous thought pattern. It starts off kind of innocent, but it can really steal a lot. How are you.

Erica: 16:54

And it can be, and I've been guilty of this. It can be a scarcity mentality, instead of a mentality of abundance, that God is the God of the overflow who's going to constantly be providing for us. And it's been really beautiful, too, to try, not perfectly to be obedient to the season that we're in. and sometimes that doesn't mean that means I don't get to write as much as I want. But now I'm just entering into a season where I'm going to be able to write a little bit more because we've been obedient in the past. It kind of brings that about in a new season.

Eric Nordhoff: 17:31

Yeah. So where? Where do you see this going? Now? What? What season are you moving into.

Erica: 17:38

I think it's a season where the Lord has been encouraging me to slow down a little bit to be a mom. You can maybe hear my kid crying in the background right now. Okay, good or for my husband to be a dad.

Eric Nordhoff: 17:54

-

Erica: 17:55

To slow down a little bit, and I do think it's a season that prioritizes my family, but is able to still do the things that I love so to do, some songwriting to lean into the artist side of things. Season, with a little more flexibility.

Eric Nordhoff: 18:15

So you have new music coming out as What? When will? When will we see that? And what is it? Tell me about the song or the songs.

Erica: 18:26

Yeah. So I've got a project coming out in the fall. Super excited about the title of it is slow miracle. There's going to be 4 songs on the project, and we're still finalizing the release date. But it was produced by John Strandel. He's just a genius, and just such an awesome dude. But yeah, the title track. This is so funny. Everything sounds like a plug for writing worship, but it's just the truth of what's happened. I'm not going to stop you, Erica. You know this is just what it is. It's part of the story. So the title track. Slow miracle. I wrote we had a break at one of the writing conferences in Franklin, and it was Allison Brose and Meg Ammons. We just took a break to write, and we're talking about this idea of a slow miracle. We were talking about some of the heartbreak of starting a family, and what that can look like for families that have a hard time. With that, and out came this song, Slow Miracle. So that's going to be one of the songs. And then there's another song called The Table, which is about how Jesus welcomes all of us at his table, welcomes us into his family. That's more of an upbeat song. The next one is called Deep Breaths, which is kind of.

Eric Nordhoff: 19:47

Co-write these other songs with others.

Erica: 19:49

I did. Yes, the table. I'm forgetting the names of my co-writers right now. Cut cut. Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 20:03

Edit right here. I'll edit this part out.

Erica: 20:08

Thank you. Shoot! I was like couldn't remember.

Eric Nordhoff: 20:11

We won't even ask, so keep going. So we'll we'll talk about the songs. So start. So I'm just going to ask you again. Tell me all the songs on the on the record. Slow miracle. Yeah. What? What else.

Erica: 20:25

Slow miracle, and then the second one is called the table. And then we've got deep breaths. which is kind of a response to anxiety, as if Jesus were leading you through a breathing exercise kind of a unique spin on a song. deep breath.

Eric Nordhoff: 20:44

Have you ever done breath, work.

Erica: 20:46

I have.

Eric Nordhoff: 20:48

Do you follow a specific one.

Erica: 20:51

Not necessarily just kind of in.

Eric Nordhoff: 20:54

Breath. Yeah, and I don't know. Calling.

Erica: 20:59

Yeah, like intentional breathing exercises to restore your breath in moments of anxiety. So.

Eric Nordhoff: 21:06

Yeah.

Erica: 21:06

I can't imagine you having that anxiety.

Eric Nordhoff: 21:10

You just seems pretty chill.

Erica: 21:12

That means a lot to me. You know. The Lord has made me a new person, but it's something I've struggled with a lot in the past, and still every once in a while. But the Lord.

Eric Nordhoff: 21:24

Dealt with it a lot during probably my lowest season, the the anxiety and the the difficulty. like panic attack type, things happened because it was all spiritual, like. There was so much spiritual stuff that I was allowing into our lives and my family that it just couldn't help but come out in a physical way. and it showed itself with these unirational panics. Yeah, about things that I would never, ever experience. But yeah, it. And once I dealt with the spiritual. And I learned some some practical things like breathing that that really helped to bring everything back into the prime. The primary focus of my life really helped me to realize where Jesus was, in that, you know.

Erica: 22:31

Yeah, I think that's something so many people have experienced. And I've had the same thing with panic attacks. And so it comes out of my music, another one of my songs, peace! I was actually struggling to breathe, and I started singing peace, and that turned into a chorus of a song. So it's funny how this idea of breath and peace in the midst of the actual struggles finds its way into the music.

Eric Nordhoff: 23:01

Oh, yeah, well, no, I think your people are going to really relate to that. And I would encourage you to. because I think you're also one of the things I love is what you do on social media. You really make your. you know, opportunities in the car, or whenever you have a moment or a thought, you really just stop and share and give to us something that is valuable. And so I think not only what you do on social media to talk about these songs. But I would encourage you to find other podcasts, maybe a campaign because it seems like there's a theme. There's 2 themes that I'm hearing. There's the slow miracle. the trusting the Lord for that miracle. It's. It's the waiting. I think there's a lot of podcasts and and people that would love to hear your perspective on what you learned from that, but also the anxiety and slowing down, you could get on and talk with people who focus on that from a faith-based perspective. That would be really fun to see you on these. to share your heart and your message.

Erica: 24:23

I love that idea. Yeah, that's super. That's really good advice, because something I'm passionate about. And so it does flow through my music. But then it it also flows through. Just yeah, the little 1 min teaching moments on Instagram, or if the Holy Spirit's encouraged me with this, he can encourage you with this today. And just kind of those teaching things. Cause it's funny when I'm encouraging someone else or teaching on a topic. It's it's also for me. It's also so preaching to myself and encouraging myself. So I need that too.

Eric Nordhoff: 24:59

yeah, well, do more of that, because you carry it. Well, I think you have a lot in you to support what you're singing about.

Erica: 25:08

Thank you.

Eric Nordhoff: 25:10

very cool. Well, I'm I'm really excited to hear these songs and we'll, we'll definitely put them on the writing worship playlist when they're out, and help promote them every way we can.

Erica: 25:24

Thanks. Yeah, I'm excited for y'all to hear him.

Eric Nordhoff: 25:27

So now I want to talk about the to live as Christ, which is the the 1st song. On our returning Ep. We open up with this song. It's actually the last song that we sort of released on video. We're actually about to put out the behind the scenes. We're about a week late on the behind the scenes version. So where we talked about the song, but that's coming. it will be out once we. you know, by the time we release this podcast but I want to hear in your own words sort of how that song developed. And I'll kind of interject some some thoughts about our perspective as a label team, and why we felt that song was so important.

Erica: 26:11

Hmm, yeah. So we 1st sat down to write the song. In July 2023. It was also a writing worship day. Everything was a writing worship day it all began at some writing worship, event. God.

Eric Nordhoff: 26:28

I had no idea we were so pivotal to the, to your music and to your life.

Erica: 26:34

It really is true this is not sponsored. But I was. This is funny. I was scheduled for a co-write that afternoon, and I texted who was organizing it at the time, Nick. that I was not going to be able to make it to this co-write because I had something come up. It was a crazy day. and quite literally 10 min before the co-write. I was like, what am I doing? I should just go to the right. So the Lord did not give up on me, and got me into that co-write, and then.

Eric Nordhoff: 27:06

But did you just think you couldn't handle it?

Erica: 27:09

I don't remember what was going on, but I just remember it being a crazy day with a bunch of plans that we were juggling schedule, and thought it would be.

Eric Nordhoff: 27:20

One too many things. It would be too much.

Erica: 27:22

And then I sort of realized that my priorities were a little out of whack.

Eric Nordhoff: 27:28

So you said, What am I doing? I can make this work.

Erica: 27:31

So I said, I'm going to make it work. So thank the Lord that I went to the right. And I went into the right, and it was Jodi Jewell and Hannah Stott. They are amazing, and Hannah had just come out of I believe it was sort of a season of discouragement and dryness in her writing and in between the 2 rites. The Lord just downloaded this verse idea on her. and it was so beautiful we decided to go with it, and that got us talking about Philippians. One which says, to live is Christ to die is gain this kind of exchange in God's kingdom. And then Hannah or Jodi said, How interesting would it be to say. to live is Christ to die is life, and that kind of made us take a step back for a little bit, because it's not necessarily what the text explicitly says, but it's kind of what the text is teaching us through that whole passage. And I remember just you know, I was messing around on the piano, and I started singing this. to live is Christ to die his life. When we count as loss we'll turn to gain, and that sort of ended up being the foundation that for the song. And it took on this modern hymn sort of a character which we weren't planning to write. But we really enjoyed. And what I love about that is, hopefully, it will fit in a lot of different types of church contexts. But this was one of those songs I know. Chrissy talks about the songs that feel like they just fall from the sky, or the songs that you really have to dig for, and steward.

Eric Nordhoff: 29:36

Treasures.

Erica: 29:37

The treasures. This was the treasure one, and Chrissy.

Eric Nordhoff: 29:43

From the sky. That day.

Erica: 29:45

Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 29:46

But it didn't. You didn't finish it until you've really dug in.

Erica: 29:52

Yes, and you and Chrissy and the team gave us such helpful feedback on it. and didn't give up on it. And it was one of those songs where we knew we had to fight for it, to serve what it needed to be, that it was worth it to get every word right, and both Hannah and Jodi are so gifted at lyrics that they just, I don't know made it come together.

Eric Nordhoff: 30:21

Crafted it. They may you know it to me. It's 1 of those songs that will. It's important that you get the Biblical references, right? You know that it's biblically accurate that it's theologically sound. because it even though you're not singing straight Scripture, you're you're really intonating what the Scripture means to others yeah.

Erica: 30:54

It feels weighty if.

Eric Nordhoff: 30:55

Yeah.

Erica: 30:56

In a good way, weightier than other songs.

Eric Nordhoff: 30:59

Which is, which is a surprise. Why we started it. I originally wanted to start with something upbeat like a church service. but I think it was Kara Hammond's gave a on the label team. As we were deciding the song order she gave like a dissertation in one of our many many text threads about. Okay. I listened to it from start to finish in with this song order. And this is why? Because we're to. We're beginning and ending. We're bookending the song. the the record, as if it's like a journey, and where it starts and it's rooted in Christ as the the firm foundation that we have. And it's from Christ that all of these other songs come to be. And it it really does make a lot of sense the way we structured it, those 4 songs together. It was to live as Christ. and then tenfold is about what He redeems, that we may have lost along the way. and a reminder again pointing to Who is the Redeemer Christ? Then we move into never fail or fade away. And it's it's it's kind of more of a slow, somber start with to live as Christ. We go up tenfold, back, down, like a wave. back, down, to never fail or fade away, and we finish with a party of with all I've got. I'm going to give it because of Christ. I'm giving it all I've got. I don't know to us. She said it way better. I wish I could. I should probably like I don't think it was a voice memo, but it was like more of a long text, and we were all like Whoa, and we tried in all the different orders of which song should be first, st and originally I thought that song would be last your song, but I'm really glad we start off with it. It just sets the foundation for the rest of the experience of listening to those 4 songs.

Erica: 33:15

Oh, thank you, I it's I love the way you guys constructed that narrative so intentionally. I think it does make a lot of sense just I love tenfold the message of that song coming after to live is Christ like.

Eric Nordhoff: 33:32

Well.

Erica: 33:33

Count is loss, you will turn to gain. Yeah, tenfold. We talk about everything that we get to gain through Christ, and then how we're changed through the the rest of the songs. But I just love this whole project.

Eric Nordhoff: 33:48

Yeah, I do, too. And it was kind of cool because you kicked off the community album.

Erica: 33:54

Yeah.

Eric Nordhoff: 33:55

The 1st song on the community album was yours. So your voice has opened up the last 2 albums of ours. So it's an honor. Yeah, it is. Well, you you carry it well, and it's it's really a joy to just be in this journey with you. And, by the way. Looking back, I think you came to our very 1st conference. Was that was that hope you see, in Thompson Station.

Erica: 34:23

Oh yes!

Eric Nordhoff: 34:24

Remember, we went to Thompson Station Church to write, and you were put into some of these rooms.

Erica: 34:29

Do you remember that.

Eric Nordhoff: 34:30

I don't know why I remember that, but I do remember seeing it. It's so fun to So just a side note. It's super fun to meet people online. yeah, and to see them in those 2 dimensions. But then to meet them in person. it just brings such a robustness to the relationship. And it's fun to see people in action like in real life, co-writing. And it's fun to see the fear in people's eyes sometimes like, oh, my gosh! I'm being put in a right, an actual right with somebody, and I don't know these people and have no idea what's going to come out of it. But then to see see the fruit of that when you put good people together with good people, who've who are all on the same foundation of trying to do something together.

Erica: 35:27

No.

Eric Nordhoff: 35:28

I love what we get to do, and it's people like you, Erica, who always just has a great countenance about you, and you have a a genuine love for Jesus. You just seek to honor him and please Him, and just to have a purity of heart that just really encourages me, and makes me very proud to to promote anything that you do. And and we're just fans, Chrissy and I so.

Erica: 36:02

Oh, thanks, Eric, that means a lot. It's it's crazy. This community has really become family and just something that's been so formative. And it is fun because you've got all these close friendships from people across the country, and then every once in a while, when you get to see each other in person.

Eric Nordhoff: 36:23

Yes.

Erica: 36:23

It's the most beautiful thing. But I'm remembering now at that 1st conference, that hope. You see, I don't even know if you remember this, but there was something. We were all kind of conversing after the conference, and you just looked at me, and you were like Erica. Be bold, be bold Erica, and that was like the 3rd time that idea of boldness had come up that week. and that's been something the Holy Spirit was speaking through you, and that's been something the Lord has continued to kind of press into me since then. So I remember in that word now, and remembering that conference.

Eric Nordhoff: 37:03

Oh, wow!

Erica: 37:04

See the 1st one.

Eric Nordhoff: 37:05

Yeah, yeah, there was just more boldness because you you've done so much work. I do remember that I just remember just overwhelmingly wanting to make sure you just embrace it. And you have done that. You've been faithful in that. You've been bold. and you've declared things and trusted Jesus for things that I've seen it just from a distance, you know I'm it's not like I'm in your world all day long. But yeah, it's definitely we've seen it, and you carry it well. So keep being bold. Erica.

Erica: 37:42

Thanks, Eric.

Eric Nordhoff: 37:44

Yes, all right. Well, let's wrap this up by playing to live as Christ. and we get to listen to this. Just soak it in, and may it Help you help you! The listener build a foundation in worship to just trust Him, because it's such a great trade-off to trust Jesus for your life, because that is where real life comes from. It might seem like death. but it is not. It is actually this great miracle, slow miracle sometimes. But it is truly you can trust in him. So thank you, Erica. bless you, and get back to your kiddo. All right.

Erica: 38:36

Alright, thanks, Eric, appreciate it.

Eric Nordhoff: 38:38

You bet! You bet!