Known for writing the worship songs "Great I Am," "Amazed," "The King is Coming" and "Rescue" in addition to his work with Desperation Band, Centricity Music's Jared Anderson has released a solo 5-song EP, Where I Am Right Now.  

"During the songwriting and recording of this project, I've come to realize that a genre of music exists because a lifestyle exists," Anderson has said of the album.  "People who write country music don't just write it, they live it. Christian music is the same. Our ears respond to our values. To be a disciple of Jesus is the highest job description anyone will ever have. I pray that my music will expand people's imagination about God."

The album holds both new tracks and songs penned by Anderson and previously recorded by other artists. Boasting both vulnerable ballads and energetic upbeat songs, Where I Am Right Now is a dynamic release full of worship for a loving God. I had the chance to speak with Jared about the title track "Where I Am Right Now."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

I'd been having a lot of conversations and doing a lot of soul searching within myself about disappointments in my life. I thought it was supposed to be different. I was maybe having some unfulfilled expectations and not knowing what to do with those. They are kind of rooted in that modern fear of missing out. 

We know so much about what other people are doing, and it makes us compare. Comparing often leads to despair, which is not anything God wants for us. I was talking with a friend about being further along than I am and saying "I know how to get there, I just need to take the step." It sounded like the world to me and how the world is, not how the people of God are. 

I know how to get through to my kids. If I need them to be somewhere, I can move them. That's how God is with us. If we were supposed to be anywhere else, we would be there. He is powerful enough to get us where we need to go. If He hasn't moved us, then this is the spot for us, and this is the training ground for our story. That's where the soul of the song came from. The present moment is so valuable. I can look at the past and where God was, and I can trust that the future is in His hands. I really need to believe that this moment is valuable if I'm going to maximize both the past and the future. It's really looking at the present tense of God.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Jeremiah 29:11 (VOICE): For I know the plans I have for you," says the Eternal, "plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope--never forget that.

Romans 8:28 (NIV): "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Philippians 1:6 (NIV): Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV): "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

What is the takeaway message of the song and album?

Relative to Psalm 1:3 which talks about being "like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bring forth fruit in its season," a lot of people will say "I'll be fruitful when I'm planted in the right place." We are being told by God that we are to be planted now, even in the midst of where we are right now. People will say "but the soil is rocky." God says we can still be planted here. 

The project as a whole is a little bit like a dog off of its leash. I got to go a little further and be more creative than I've been before. A song that will come out later is "Wholehearted," which describes that we're not going to withhold any part of the human experience, but offer all of it to God and all of it to each other in hopes that God can use all of it. I'd like to say as an artist that we should have a filter of what goes into our soul, and no filter of what comes out so that we can be completely free. 

I feel like that's what we did with this project. Where I am right now is that some of the criteria in the past for my music has been "does it work on a Sunday morning?" I'm stepping away from that criteria and into a connection with the Lord and a connection with people. I think the highest job description any of us will receive is as a disciple, and that is a daily walk. While I love the congregation and I think David sings about the congregation a lot, the soil that I am called to dive into is "what are the building blocks and path of the disciple, and what is that soundtrack?" The fear of God is the only kind of fear we should be having, and it's about overcoming ungodly fears and beliefs.

Lyrics:
Where I am right now 
God, Your plan is the best
But, my heart is a mess
I'm wondering why You have me here
I'm so ready to be moving on
In my head I'm already gone
But, Your voice is crystal clear

I am called to be where I am right now
In the middle of a storm, but I have no doubt
You are here with me
You are here with me
And I won't give in or second guess
I'm trusting You with every step
Father, You are here with me
Where I am right now; where I am right now
Where I am right now
Is where I am right now; where I am right now
Where I am right now
 
I don't want to spend a day
Looking a hundred ways
Lord, make me single-minded
Come and be my one desire
And even if my world's on fire
Make me un-divided

And the enemy tells that lie
That I'm missing out on a better life
You know where I need to be
And I am Yours, and You are mine
You can move me anytime
I'm resting in Your perfect peace
Where I am right now; where I am right now

Where I am right now; where I am right now
Where I am right now
Is where I am right now; where I am right now
Where I am right now

This song is a great example of what it means to live out the story of faith. That's so much of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. We learn throughout God's Word that dealing with adversity and allowing life's trials to remind us of our never-ending need for Jesus leads us into a deeper relationship with God and reliance on Him for His endless grace and mercy. What's cool as I listen to the sincere yearning being prayed and proclaimed by Jared is that I'm hearing a modern day version of David crying out to God, like in the Psalms. 

God calls us to have the type of faith expressed in this song. This song includes a heart cry found throughout Scripture, where the saints who have gone before us expressed doubt and frustration. God wants us to speak to Him what we are struggling with and ask Him to help us overcome whatever we are facing. The song is about faith and letting God's plans be revealed in your life. A quote that connects to this song is "comparison is the thief of joy," as stated by President Theodore Roosevelt.

"Where I Am Right Now" delivers a powerful message of being content where we are at the moment. Jared's disappointments have helped him better understand that God's plans don't mean we won't also have trials, but we can sing along with all our might "I'm called to be where I am right now / In the middle of a storm but I have no doubt / You are here with me / You are here with me. / I won't give in or second guess / I'm trusting You with every step / Father, You are here with me." Amen to that!

(Watch the lyric video here.)