"Desperately" connects worship with intercession
By Becky Castle

A powerful worship leader whose desire is clearly to affect the nations with Christ's good news-this was my first impression of André Gonzalez.

I met the Tulsa-based worship leader two years ago when he led worship at the summer camp where I was a counselor. Recently, I caught up with him in his office to discuss his upcoming CD, "Desperately," recorded live at the Heal our Land conference in Tulsa last April.

His two previous albums, "Draw Me Closer" (1997) and "Capture Me" (2000), were recorded in studios, making "Desperately" a new-and sometimes stressful-experience for Gonzalez. However, the finished product was worth it, fulfilling Gonzalez's desire to capture what he has seen God do in live worship services.

"Desperately" is a cry to God, asking Him to "come heal the land of our hearts, the land of our families and our communities," Gonzalez said about the theme of the CD. "It boils down to: Every day I am in desperate need of God. I have to have God in my life to do anything successful, to make any difference."

Gonzalez began leading worship with a $25 guitar when he was 19 years old. Since then, he has served as a worship leader in many contexts-as a youth pastor, at youth camps and conferences, on mission trips and now through Knowing Him Ministries, which he founded in 2000.

Gonzalez combines his dual passions- worship and missions-in Knowing Him. "[God] shared with me a scripture many, many, many years ago which is the theme of Knowing Him Ministries," Gonzalez said, "and it's Daniel 11:32, [which] says the people who know their God shall be strong and do great exploits. And He's saying, 'André, the more time you spend knowing Me, you're going to be strong and I'm going to use you to do great exploits.'"

There lies the connection between worship and missions. "When you worship God, you draw close to Him," Gonzalez said, "and when you get closer to God you begin to like the same things He likes, and He gives you His heart, and His heart is missions, His heart is people…I get a little emotional when it comes to missions and worship because to me, the people that are the most missions-oriented people are the strongest worshippers. And number two, worship is a great source to intercede and for spiritual warfare over the nations."

Gonzalez often incorporates strong prayer into worship services. "One of the things I love to do is intermingle praise with prayer and worship with intercession, corporately and in my own personal prayer times." He strives for consistency between his personal life and his public ministry. "I can't get up there and be corporate and try to teach people how to do that if I'm not doing it in my own prayer time," he said. "It's totally different being on stage and doing worship and then living it. I want to be the kind of person that lives worship."

Because Gonzalez personally works to advance the Gospel throughout the world, he uses his music as a tool to impart that desire to others. "I really feel God calling me to be a mobilizer," he said. "When we have a city-wide worship conference…we pray for these nations and all of a sudden as they're praying, God just-Boom!-touches their hearts and they [go on] a mission trip."

Having worshipped under his leadership, listened to his music, and talked extensively about his vision, my first impression of Gonzalez is confirmed. He is a powerful worship leader whose desire is clearly to affect the nations with Christ's good news. "Desperately" is a strong step toward that end.

"It's my heart for a generation," Gonzalez said of his new album. "I'm believing for this generation of young people to get desperate for God…I think we've lost our hunger, and so if we just catch a little vision of how desperate [unreached people] are for Him and how God wants to move among the land, then God will use us to do it."

For more information about "Desperately," André Gonzalez or Knowing Him Ministries, go to www.andregonzalez.com.

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