Walking in Freedom: Jenn Chenoweth’s Journey of Faith, Worship, and God’s Unfailing Love

Multi-faceted singer/songwriter, worship leader and SEU Worship alum Jenn Chenoweth delivers her highly anticipated debut EP, Out To Get Me, August 29. A glimpse into God's loving pursuit of her heart, the autobiographical set features seven tracks all co-penned by Chenoweth and produced by Seth Ready (Seth & Nirva).

Drawing inspiration from Galatians 5 and Psalm 23-passages foundational to Chenoweth's journey-Out To Get Me is hallmarked by a range of synth-pop anthems, reflective ballads and intimate moments of worship. Highlights of the project include "Light As A Feather (Good Shepherd)," a heartfelt expression of thankfulness; the earnest "I'm Learning," a song of surrender co-written with JJ Hasulube and Nirva Ready; and "Closest Friend" (feat. Clarence Monestime), a tender worship ballad celebrating the King of Kings as a faithful, loving and personal companion.  

Q: Jenn, thanks for doing this interview with us. Please share with us a little about yourself and your faith journey.

Thank you so much! My personal relationship with the Lord began at the very young age of 7. Growing up as a pastor's kid, faith was always a part of my life, but it was a transformative experience at a children's service during the summer that helped me see that God really loved me with an everlasting kind of love. At the time, I had been struggling with night terrors and terrifying dreams but when I called on God, He intervened, and the night terrors stopped. I had so much fear and God showed me I could put my trust in Him.

At 9 years old, I began leading worship in kids' church, and at 13, I realized that God had called me to worship ministry in a deeper capacity. That calling has guided much of my life ever since.
My journey hasn't always been easy. I've faced low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia, as well as health challenges like TMJ disorder and endometriosis.

Through it all, God has been faithful, walking with me through a healing process that continues even today. I am especially grateful for my husband of almost 10 years, who has prayed and walked alongside me through the difficult and joyful seasons. I am thankful for my family and friends that reminded me who God is and who I am. At times, chronic pain threatened to steal the purpose I knew God had called me to, but He is so good to use those things to refine us and shape into who He has made us to be.

Worship has been an anchor through it all. I graduated from Southeastern University, and I was able to grow more spiritually, academically, and creatively. Being a part of Southeastern Singers and SEU Worship were life-changing experiences that deepened my love for the Lord and leading others in worship.

Through my story, I hope people see that the love of Jesus is greater than fear, pain, and insecurity. My prayer is that others would find hope and freedom as they encounter the Lord!

Q: You've drawn inspiration from Galatians 5 and Psalm 23 in crafting your new EP. Can you share how these passages specifically influenced the songwriting and overall message of the EP?

Galatians 5:7-8 - "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you."
v. 13 - "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free."

This passage of Scripture talks about the freedom that God has called us to. There are times we feel confused in our faith. For me, I realized that I was looking at God and people through the lens of fear and not love. I had felt cut off in my race because I was given some bad ideas about God, but the truth remained. God had not cut me off. God called me to freedom. God wasn't out to get me like I thought. He was out to get me, to find me, save me, and bring me in. People may intentionally or unintentionally derail our understanding of who God is with false teaching, but God has called us to freedom in Him.

These Scriptures profoundly impacted the tracks "Truth Comes Running" and "Remembering." If you look closely at the lyrics, you will see why.

"If I mess it up, will you be disappointed?" reveals the core of my confusion and questioning. I thought God was waiting for my failures, to call me out, like an angry Father. The song continues with the questions then moves to asking God for help in the pre-chorus. In the second verse, you sense the change and the scales falling off. The chorus talks about God's truth running after us, through it all!

The bridge is the heart of the album: "You're not out to get me, but to set me free."
In the EP's opening song, "Remembering," we also see more of this truth: "I'm remembering...the times I thought that you were out to get me, you were reaching out to bring me in." This track was fueled by repetition. I wrote it with Riley Freeman. We started repeating that lyric, "to bring me in," and I kept wanting to sing it more because I know the power of repetition. Sometimes it sinks in more the fifth, sixth or seventh time we sing it.

Psalm 23:1-4 - "The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right path for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

This passage is life-changing for all of us. We focused completely on this passage when writing the song "Light as a Feather (Good Shepherd)."

"I want my independence, but my life is in your hands." This lyric is referring to the sheep, running and running but getting lost, and the Good Shepherd bringing the sheep back into the fold.

The chorus and bridge are grounded in Psalm 23 as well: "Good Shepherd, I'll walk with you through the weather. You lead me to greener pastures."

The bridge sounds a little darker because it's talking about the shadow of death: "In the heights or in the depths, my soul has a comfort in the shadow of death."

You will also see hints of Psalm 23 in "Truth Comes Running" and "Remembering."

Q: The single "Truth Comes Running" speaks powerfully about God's kindness leading to repentance. What was the songwriting process like for this track, and how does it resonate with your own story of faith?

This was the first song we wrote that ended up on the project. I wrote it with Hannah Cheshire and Nirva Ready, and it was one of my favorite writing experiences. I told Hannah the name of the project and how I wanted a song as the heartbeat of the album. After sharing part of my story, she sang the first line, and it took off from there into a beautiful and collaborative experience. I'm so grateful.

I knew I wanted the bridge to declare that God isn't out to get us but to set us free, and that's exactly what it was. It was cool to see how some things just need to be said and sung, simple and straightforward. Nirva Ready sang that bridge melody to those words and it clicked right away!

This song is about God's truth running after us when we've been captured by false ideas and tangled up in them. The lyric, "Your kindness is enough, leads me to repentance and I won't walk away, Lord, I wanna stay," is the truth of what God does and then the decision we make. How am I going to live now that I realize what it really means that God's kindness leads us to a place of repentance? It's not fear and it's not manipulation - it's His kindness. Now, I'm going to walk in that and get untangled from this bondage.

Q: Your 2019 accident and struggle with chronic pain were pivotal seasons in your life. How did that period of suffering transform not only your faith but also the way you approach worship and music today?

I had been singing and leading worship at a conference. I went home and while I was eating, my jaw locked open. It was one of the scariest moments in my life and it's still hard to talk about. I had MRIs, saw specialists and had countless consultations to find the right doctors, and I ended up having a couple of surgeries that helped. During that season, I was in pain all day, every day. I really came to the end of myself. And like God's word says, He truly lifted me out of the pit. It got darker than I ever could've imagined. Covid was also going on during these three excruciating years. Now, I am in a much better place. I still have painful days sometimes, but they are few and far between now. I never thought I'd get out of the deep depression I was in. I thought my life was over and I could see my purpose floating away.

One night, I was shifting through channels on TV, and I came across a live feed of a man named Nik Wallenda who is a strong believer in Jesus. He was walking a tightrope in New York City. I watched in awe and shock as this man walked the wire. God spoke to my heart so clearly, "That's you, Jenn. You've been walking a tightrope your whole life." I froze, coming to the life-altering realization that God called me to a narrow road, not a tightrope. I had made everything so complicated, tangled in legalistic standards. I had been told to run from sin and darkness and hell by so many people, but what was I running to? This jaw disorder and chronic pain went so much deeper than the physical - it revealed a flaw that had kept me from freedom. I had been carrying a tension my body could not sustain. I was brought to tears and got on my knees, and God met me there with His Truth.

I don't worship the same now; I can't worship the same. God transformed me from the inside out. Everything came full circle with this EP. Now, I want to help those that need this message. I'm walking in the very purpose I thought was taken from me.

Q: You've collaborated with incredible writers and producers, including JJ Hasulube, Nirva Ready, and Seth Ready. What did these collaborations bring to the project, and how did they help shape the sound and message of the EP?

I could not have done this project without all the amazing writers, musicians, engineers, and my wonderful producer, Seth Ready. Seth and Nirva Ready were my worship directors at Southeastern University. They also became mentors and friends to my husband and me. All these years later, I had the honor of working on this project with them. They didn't just help me make the project happen, they also encouraged me and walked with my husband and me through our doubts, insecurities and reservations. They helped give me the courage to step out in faith.

Every writer I got to work with - JJ Hasulube, Hannah Cheshire, Nirva Ready, Michael Boggs, Riley Freeman, Clarence Monestime, Tatyana Monestime, and Seth Ready - was so attentive to how God would speak through these songs to the listener. We had the best time writing together. Some songs came easy and some took more time, but every song is filled with truth, honesty, hope. They all captured the heart of this project, and I'm so thankful for each person who had a hand in anything to do with this project.

Q: Looking ahead, what impact do you hope Out to Get Me will have on listeners, especially those who may be struggling with anxiety, misconceptions about God, or feelings of being far from Him?

I hope that everyone who listens to Out to Get Me will be amazed by God. I pray that they will look more closely at the way they think about God. I hope they will be challenged and encouraged to look through the lens of love, not fear. I pray they walk out the truth that God's not out to get them like they think. He's not a taskmaster, waiting for us to fail - He is our Father, Friend, and Shepherd. God's out looking for you, to bring you in and to set you free.

For further information, visit turningpointpr.com. Follow Chenoweth on Instagram and Facebook. 

 

Tags : Jenn Chenoweth Jenn Chenoweth interview Out To Get Me