I can’t remember a time when being involved in worship wasn’t part of my life – that’s what happens when you grow up in family where music and faith are so important. Some of my earliest memories are of shaking a tambourine in church with my Mum up the front leading worship – I must have only been about 3 at the time.

From that early start, my love for leading people in worship just grew and grew. My first time leading a congregation was when I was about twelve, and from my early teens I knew that helping people connect with God through music and lyrics was what I wanted to do with my life.

At the age of 18, I couldn’t figure out whether to go to University and study theology, or hit the road and start full-time worship ministry. God, in his great sense of humour, had a wonderful plan for me that included both. It turned out that my theology degree at Oxford would be my training ground as songwriter – shaping my mind and taking me deep into God’s word. It’s often said that songwriters are the theologians of our day as people remember songs far more than sermons. Songs literally are the soundtrack of our lives – so getting good theology into songs is vital.

Over the years many people have influenced me – my grandparents who were missionaries in Africa, have been a major influence and their lives inspired me to write ‘The Wonder of the Cross’. I’ve also been fortunate to work with Vineyard and Soul Survivor in the UK at the same time as Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, Mike Pilavachi, Brenton Brown, and Brian Doerksen. Spending time with those guys really helped mentor me in worship, songwriting, musicianship, and pastoring.

When I was growing up, there weren’t too many women leading worship. My Mum led the songs in our local church, so thankfully I had a role model to watch. Many young girls say to me after I play “I’ve only seen guys leading worship on platforms, until I saw you. I feel called to worship leading, but didn’t know if girls could do that. Now I’ve seen you up there, I know God can use me to lead worship someday too”. When I hear that, it really motivates me to keep going. It’s important to me to inspire younger girls – and guys – to step into the calling God has for them.

I’m also really passionate about the link between worship and justice. Much of this comes from the stories my Grandparents have told me about their time as Missionaries in Zimbabwe. I went to visit them for a month when I was ten years old. Watching how difficult life was for the children over there really impacted me. When you see firsthand how hard life can be in the developing world, it challenges you to the core of your being. I realized as a ten year old that Jesus wants His followers to bring justice to people who are in need, and that doing so is a crucial part of worship.

Another passion of mine is using technology to impact people. I’m always clutching my iPhone, using it to Twitter, snap photos, or to write a new Blog post! I want to share my life with others – to be part of a global tribe of Jesus-followers, all communicating about our daily experiences. Speaking of gadgets and gear, I often get called a ‘rock chick’ because I love guitars, amps and pedals! For me it’s just about expressing my heart to Jesus – the kind of music I most enjoy involves electric guitars, so my most authentic expression of worship is to play my electric/pedals/amps to Him. I love working on tones, parts and new gear set-ups, believing that sound has a spiritual quality and that the Holy Spirit can use it to touch people.