At 21-years-of-age, one of the qualities that makes
Rebecca St. James unique is the perspective she
brings to her ministry. Rebecca speaks to her own generation.
With a wisdom beyond her years and a
keen sense of understanding of the issues that young
adults face today, Rebecca St. James is
committed to encouraging and challenging her generation
to live a life focused on God.
Living the gospel hands-on is the heart of Rebecca
St. James. Her message is bold. Her message is
simple. "Live radically for God. Read the Bible.
Pray. Stand up for what you believe in and make a
difference in your world." These words have clearly
become infectious for thousands of teens and
young adults, as evidenced through numerous sell-out
concert dates throughout the country and the
world.
Beginning on August 21, Rebecca St. James launched
a new nation-wide tour in support of her
recording, PRAY. "The title is based on 2 Chronicles
7:14," says Rebecca. "It reads, 'If my people,
who are called by my name will humble themselves and
pray...then I will heal their land.'
Many of the songs on PRAY were written by Rebecca
and producer Tedd T. Other writers include
Michael Quinland and Rebecca’s brother Daniel.
"I think one of the main differences on this album is
that we’ve experimented with some European programmed
sounds and drum loops mixed in with the
live sounds as well," comments Rebecca.
"The first single from the record, "Mirror",
has recently released to radio. "Mirror is very much a
prayer," she says. "The verses sum up my
desire to please God with my thoughts and heart. The
chorus is a cry to God to help me to be able to do
so!"
The album also features a cover of Rich Mullins’
"Hold Me Jesus" and Keith Green's "Lord, You’re
Beautiful". "I have loved both of these songs
for years. I truly identify with Rich’s words, 'Hold me
Jesus, 'cause I’m shaking like a leaf...' I remember
once listening to that song four or five times in a
row. I know what it is to be 'held'. 'Lord, You’re
Beautiful' is a song I’ve known since childhood. It’s
a
fabulous worship song."
Born in Sydney, Australia, Rebecca got her first
taste of Christian music early on from her Dad, who
was a Christian concert promoter. She performed by
invitation with Carman on his Australian tour
when she was only 13. After her family moved to the
U.S., she began recording at age 16 for
ForeFront Records. That first effort, a self-titled,
energetic Christian pop release earned her the
distinction of being the youngest artist ever to be
Dove Award-nominated as New Artist of the Year.
Her second album, simply titled, "GOD",
thrust Rebecca full-force to the top of Christian
alternative/pop, earned her a Grammy Award nomination,
a Dove Award nomination for Female
Vocalist of the Year and a string of radio hits. Readers
of Campus Life, Lighthouse and CCM
magazine named her Favorite Female Recording Artist
in their respective polls. Last year, Rebecca
released "Christmas", and her second best-sell-ing
devotional book, "You’re The Voice - 40 More
Days With God", a follow-up to the successful
"40 Days With God" devotional book. While her music
is
filled with a passionate message about life with God,
it also reveals a talented and creative musical
force on the rise.
As hectic as the pace can sometimes be, Rebecca
is not alone in her efforts. She always refers to the
ministry effort in the plural. "We" is a
term heard far more than "I" in her vocabulary, and
for a good
reason.
"I’m part of such a big team of people,"
Rebecca explains. "And none of us could do without the other,
and so I just see myself as one of the pieces of the
puzzle." The team she refers to includes her entire
family. From the very beginning Rebecca St. James’
ministry has been a family affair and now from
top to bottom, her parents and six siblings all play
a role.
Rebecca’s love for and reliance on family ties
is not lost in her message to audiences. "One of the
specific things I’ve felt strongly about lately
is to talk about the fact that our families are in crisis,"
says
Rebecca. "We’ve all got to work on our family
relationships, especially parents to teens and teens to
parents. I believe that if young people really work
at finding love and acceptance in the home and in
their relationship with God, then they won’t be
looking elsewhere."
Another strong stance and ongoing admonition Rebecca
gives from stage deals with her own
commitment to remain a virgin until marriage. "A
lot of teens come up to me and say, 'Thank you for
talking about not having sex before marriage, because
I feel like I’m the only one out there,'" she
relates.
"Another thing I talk about is if they have
already made a mistake they can become recycled virgins
through God’s grace. People have told me that
message really gave them hope."
She excitedly relates a story from a youth pastor
she met at a concert. "He told me that four of his
students came to the concert and gave their lives to
God. Then they went home and six of their
friends came to God as well! That’s really what
this ministry is all about," she concludes.
"When Christians go away from a Rebecca St.
James concert, our prayer is that they will go to their
friends and take up the challenge to be bold, share
their faith and start a chain reaction of people
coming to Christ. I truly hope that through this new
album and tour, people will be encouraged to pray
- to worship God and to ever focus their eyes on Him."
