What’s Your Songwriting Story?

Every songwriter has a story. We all bring all we are to the songwriting process. If we’re depressed, we write sad songs. If we’re still processing a lot of pain, we bring all that pain to the process of songwriting and it’s expressed in the song itself one way or the other.

Our stories are vital to becoming successful as we learn to use them in our writing instead of being driven by them and recognizing that God is present everywhere in our stories for His glory.

In this episode, John Chisum shares his own songwriting story and how God “tricked” him into coming to Nashville with only $40 and no place to live, only to wind up with a thirty-year career in Christian music songwriting and publishing. He helps you see God’s hand in your story and gives you three powerful tools to use in writing your best and using your story to empower and help others in theirs.

John Chisum

John Chisum is a pioneer in the Christian music business, serving alongside people such as Bill & Gloria Gaither, Twila Paris, Paul Baloche, Don Moen, and many more. As President of Nashville Christian Songwriters, John seeks to empower Christian songwriters worldwide to discover and fulfill their call to write.

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Yvonne Meek

    wow … what an inspiring story! i have been refreshed and blessed by your ministry. i hear tenacity and fearlessness in your story. i was a member and Colorado chapter leader with NSAI for several years, but this ministry is more relevant to the direction i hope to move in. i simply want to re-awaken the gift i am certain that God had given me; it’s been buried for so long i was afraid that He’d forgotten me or can’t use me again. i don’t know what the future holds other than pursuing Jesus more and more. i started writing songs of faith, songs of worship but church struggles got in the way and i left to lick my wounds and heal. instead, i drifted away for a few years, wrote and produced a secular CD in Nashville, but i stopped before i even got started.

    i’ve returned to walking closely with the Lord for several years now, but i don’t desire to go back to church quite yet. but music, singing/worship, never leaves me, it never goes away … even if i wish it would sometimes. but … i truly miss corporate worship. i truly miss being in the middle of worship/music life. i just want to be in the middle of God’s call … to be certain that this – writing, songwriting, singing – is what i’m called/created to do … or discover the thing i should be doing.

    that’s my story …

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