I left off yesterday where I was telling you about an important phone call that Kate received back in October. We were doing an online Bible study with a group of ladies at the time. Pat Layton, who was also doing the study with us, sent a message to Kate one day asking if she could call her. It’s a long story, but basically the call went something like this:
Pat: I’m starting a new conference, and feeling like I need to partner with a worship leader. God has placed your name on my heart. Would you like to join me in this journey?
Check: _____Yes ______No _______ I’ll pray about it.
Kate: I’ve been praying about this for years. Definitely.
No, I’m kidding. A little bit. Honestly, Kate and Pat talked at length on the phone. Kate told her she would pray about it, but when she got off the phone, she already knew. God had already prepared her heart and mind for this day way ahead of time.
The Lord had shown me years ago that Kate would someday lead worship for a women’s conference. At the time, I did not really know if it was Him speaking to me or my own desire for her, so I kept it to myself. Later, as she began to express what she believed she was called to do, I shared this information with her. When Pat called, it was a piece of the puzzle beginning to fall into place.
Interestingly, Pat did not really know Kate, nor had she ever heard or experienced Kate leading worship. She and Kate live hundreds of miles apart, and their paths had never crossed except briefly in the online Bible study. She was taking a huge leap of faith and trusting God in this, too.
The next month, Pat was in Nashville for a Lifeway event. She and I talked over lunch one day. Then on that Sunday, we picked her up from her hotel, and took her with us to the church where Kate was leading worship. Tears rolled down Pat’s face as she worshiped with Kate that day and received the confirmation she needed. God is so good!
Pat and Kate are now working closely together to bring this freedom ministry, Imagine Me Set Free, to women (and a few men) all over the United States. As a mom, I am so thankful for Pat’s leadership in my daughter’s life. She is pouring into her and mentoring her in a way that I cannot do. Well, actually, she is doing the same for me. Her passion and enthusiasm for seeing women find freedom in Christ is contagious, and I’m grateful to get to travel with the team as well.
So, anyway, back to Kate. Once Kate began working on the set list for this conference, a desire began to stir in her to write some songs specifically geared toward the message that Pat would be bringing. She also began to realize that many of the women wanted to leave the conference with some of the music in their hands. She knew that making a CD was going to be inevitable, so she began to pray for God to show her how that was supposed to happen.
I really did not intend for this to be a 3 part ordeal. This story is just LONG! Tomorrow I will try to wrap things up and share with you how this CD actually came to be.
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So so happy for that precious child!!!! Ok, she's not really a child, but you know what I'm sayin.
She's still my child.
Thanks Fran!
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