Deeper than surface-level worship, Ovation Worship—the band for Cornerstone Church in Midwest City, Oklahoma—dives into the Lord’s presence. In each song they release, there is a message of truth, one meant to encourage everyone listening. Ovation Worship is led by worship pastors Colt and Kasey Straub.
Ovation Worship’s music contains everything from guitar riffs to rap. This diversity gives the band its own unique footprint, which sets its music apart from other contemporary worship bands. It also allows them to preach the Word of God to an even larger audience.
Each song has a story, and their latest single “Sing (Miracles Keep Happening)” is no different. In this NRT exclusive interview, we got a chance to hear that story along with other fun facts about the band, not to mention learn inspirational messages.
Tell us about your new single, “Sing (Miracles Keep Happening).”
We’re so excited to have our newest single available on every streaming platform. This song came from a place of deep anxiety. Following the birth of our youngest child, my wife, Kasey Straub (who leads the song), fell into a long season of fear, depression, and anxiety.
These difficult emotions really weighed her down for a significant amount of time. However, it was during this time that she was reminded of the grace, peace, and joy of the Lord. She found that as she got into the presence of the Lord, that the anxiety would fade away. She began to crave His presence and His Word.
Eventually, she was completely set free by the power of the Holy Spirit through her praise. This led her to sit down and write the song that would eventually become “Sing (Miracles Keep Happening).”
This song speaks to the miracle-working power of God that moves in our midst when we lift our voices and praise Him. Miracles keep happening every time we lift our voices and sing.
We don’t hear many electronic guitar solos and rock-flavored congregational worship. It’s a great and unique combination. Where does that inspiration come from?
One of our biggest desires in putting out music for the Cornerstone Church was that we would continually put out new music that felt authentic to our members. The musicians on our team are a very musically diverse group of players and singers. Some like rap, others like heavy metal, and others like pop or traditional contemporary music.
As we wrote the music, I felt like we needed to aim to make it something that was not only appealing on a broad scale, but that was truly authentic to our people. I wanted them to be proud of the music. So proud that they would pass the music on to their circles of influence.
Some of our songs have guitar solos. Some have rap. Others follow the standard templates of praise and worship. But, above all, they speak to our hearts and show gratitude for the work of the Father in our lives.
The single was birthed out of a time of anxiety but didn’t make your last album. I felt the time was right to release this now. What are some of the best ways you’ve found to combat anxiety?
1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our cares on to the Lord for He cares for us. It might seem like an oversimplification, but we serve a God who has given us hope and peace that defies understanding.
So, amid stress, worry, and basic concerns, we can remind ourselves that we’re not alone. God is on our side, working everything out for our good.
In Matthew 6, Jesus told His followers not to worry about what they would eat, what they would drink, or where they would sleep. (This is ultimately the source of most of our worries even in the modern era: provision and protection.)
He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all of these things would be added unto you.” So, during times of anxiety, get into the presence of God. Praise your way into the inner courts of our heavenly Father. Seek His face and He will work everything out on your behalf.
The past year was long for all of us. What are you taking from this past year into 2021?
I remember stepping into 2020 with so much incredible optimism for the future. We were just about to release our first EP and gearing up to do great things for His kingdom.
While we were able to release two singles and our self-titled EP; our promo was cut short due to the pandemic. It pretty much halted everything related to Ovation Worship for the majority of the year.
At that point, we went back to our primary call to care for our community. We focused on what God was doing in and through our local church. The pandemic was a reminder that God never promised us a perfect life. But, He did promise He would never leave us, nor forsake us. God walked through the storms of 2020 with us. And, I know He will sustain us moving forward.
What’s next for Ovation Worship?
We’re hard at work on our next single and video that will be released in early summer 2021. Our goal is to produce three more singles this year—and possibly an album next year.
Our ultimate goal is to connect people with the presence of God on a day-to-day basis. We’ll continually release songs that speak the word. And, we’ll continually insert hope-filled God moments into their day-to-day lives with our music. Because we know that God is showing up and changing lives and hearts by His Holy Spirit. To this cause, we’re just going to keep going.
How can we be praying for the group?
Please pray that God would continually stir up a passion for His presence and word within our team and church. Life gets busy and sometimes it becomes easy to set God aside and focus on the task at hand. However, with the message we want to share, we’re completely desperate for an outpouring of God’s presence in our lives.
Pray that God would continually reveal himself to us and inspire us with songs of worship and praise that can connect people everywhere to His incredible presence.
Kevin McNeese started NRT in 2002 and has worked in the industry since 1999 in one form or another. He has been a fan of Christian music since 1991.
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