I recently traveled to LaVergne, TN to interview a bright young artist, Jenny Engel, a fantastic alto voice with a little country flair to it. And can she ever belt out a song with feeling.
From Bartelsville, OK, Jenny says she started singing seriously for the Lord at the age of 25. Though she has been singing since the age of 5, she didn’t sing her first song in church until she was 13 years old. After college Jenny dreamed of being a country singing star. She was living in Nashville, pursuing her country music career when she was confronted by a sign in the parking lot of Hermitage Hills Baptist Church that read, "REVIVAL." She got out of her car went into the church, where she gave her heart to the Lord and came out a different person. Shortly after that experience, she and her husband, Brian, moved back to Bartelsville and for the past 10 years she has been singing with Jenny Lynn and Greater Faith. She has only recently considered the idea of ministering as a soloist. Jenny credits her Pastor in Bartlesville though for planting the seed that led her to that Hermitage Hills church and her decision for the Lord.
Jenny is not only a powerful singer, but also a very good songwriter. She has written five of the songs on her first solo project, Greater Faith. She says inspiration for her writing comes from many different places. She was even inspired by a slogan on the T-shirt I was wearing that day, although it is mostly life experiences that touch her heart.
While Jenny is at home on any stage - she has performed on many benefit concerts, fundraisers, and even with Ronald McDonald on the WalMart parking lot - her first love is to sing in church. "In church," Jenny says, "I can touch many people from the stage and still have the opportunity to touch individuals on a one on one basis." She hopes to increase her ministry boundaries by including women’s retreats, meetings, Missions and any door God opens for her.
Jenny related one of the most unique experiences I have ever heard happen to a singer while on stage. She was singing at the county fair in one of the great metropolis’ of Oklahoma. It was raining and things just weren’t going great to start with, when suddenly a man jumps on the stage, grabs the microphone from her hand, and proceeds to say... "Joe Bob to the dunk tank…... Joe Bob to the dunk tank." While packing her CDs and tapes to leave, a nice lady preceded to add insult to injury when she walked over to Jenny and said, "I have some great diet products at my table, would you like to try some?" Needless to say, she was glad to get out of that place. It was clear to see that Jenny has a great sense of humor and took it all in great fun.
Jenny has performed to more than 10,000 people in some of her country performances but she says none of that compares to the concert of 75, when over twenty souls moved to the altars and responded to their need of salvation. "That", she says, "is why I love to sing Gospel music." Most of all, Jenny just wants to sing about the Lord.
You can find out more about Jenny by going to http://www.jennyengel.com .
Author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Written: 03/01/2006
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Category: Feature Articles
Comments: 3
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Hang in there sweetie, God will open doors. Sometimes the wait is hard.
Praise GOD for HIM being willing to open up HIS doors for us! AWESOME testimony!
Thanks for sharing.
Johnathan
I believe the LORD will show you HIS way. There is a song that says START WITH JUST A FEW CLOSE FRIENDS and word of mouth spreads like wild fires. Hang on the Lord is faithful!
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