Matthew Lawson: Hey Jonathan! Always a blessing to catch up. Since we last talked, there have been some major and exciting changes in your life. Could you share all that God has done in the past few years?
Jonathan Taylor: You’re right! So much has changed in the last couple of years…it’s hard to tell everything in just a few short sentences! I was married in October of 2018 to my dream girl, Lynsey. She’s the one who God made for me, so when I found her, I didn’t waste any time asking her to be my wife. Our first date was on May 3, 2018 and we were engaged on May 30th…it would’ve been sooner had her dad given me permission sooner! We had a beautiful, intimate wedding in Tennessee with our closest friends and family. Since The Taylors were already scheduled to sing in Europe right after our wedding, we went a few weeks early and our honeymoon was an epic journey across eight different countries! We started building our new home in February, 2019, moved in September and soon found out we were expecting our first child, Wesley Jordan. I’ve always known that I was supposed to be a father, so for it to actually become a reality seems like a dream sometimes! Wesley will be here in March, but Lynsey has had his nursery ready since October. God has done so many great things in my life since 2017…He’s blessed me much more than I deserve!
ML: That is amazing, man. I am so happy for you! Let’s talk a little about music… The Taylors just released a new project earlier this year. Could you share more about this EP and maybe tell us about a specific song you’re excited for everyone to hear?
JT: We are probably more excited about the release of this project than any of the others we’ve ever produced! From the musicians, to the lyrics, to the orchestration and vocals…this feels like a big step forward for our ministry. This is our fourth project produced by the very talented Wayne Haun of StowTown Records. We told Wayne we wanted to choose six songs that would really resonate with our radio listeners. We couldn’t agree on just six songs, so we ended up cutting seven instead. Recording at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles was an awesome experience, as always…there’s just something special about that place. We told Wayne that we wanted to have fun with this album. The result is an EP with seven very unique songs that will have our audience tapping their toes and singing along in no time! My favorite song off the album is a tune that Wayne wrote for us called “House of God.” I guarantee that you haven’t heard anything like this one before! The best way to describe the song is that it has a swampy, Cajun gospel feel. The theme of the song is one that we all need to remember: Church is a place where we need to come together, worship God and lift each other up.
ML: Many people don’t know that you enjoy writing, blogging, etc. In fact, I’m not sure many are aware that you are a songwriter as well. Where did your passion for writing stem from?
JT: I do enjoy writing! I went through a difficult season in my life a couple of years ago. I desperately needed to sort through some of my feelings. I found that writing them down was the best way for me to process how I was feeling. I bought on old WWII-era typewriter and just started typing my prayers out each morning. It was a difficult time in my life to understand, so a lot of those pages were filled with questions in the beginning. Over time, the questions turned into declarations of praise…and then the pages were filled with lyrics for songs and lines for poetry. Most of my writing will never see the light of day…and that’s okay because some things are meant to be just between you and God. I read through those pages every so often and it always reminds me of what God brought me through!
ML: That is incredible… Okay… As a minister of the Gospel, most people see you as a singer. However, most of your “ministering” occurs during the week – with being a husband, preparing to be a daddy, helping others who are hurting. Do you have a morning routine that helps you get in touch with God, before your day starts?
JT: Yes!! For me, a routine is very important. My wife thinks I’m a morning person because I always wake up and start opening the blinds and start singing. She’s not a morning person at all, so she hates that! The irony is that I’m not a morning person at all, I just force myself to be. I found out a few years ago that the success of my day always depends on how I start the morning off. If I lay in bed and think of everything that’s going wrong or all the things on my to-do list, it’s easy for me to get overwhelmed. So, to get my day started on the right foot, I name at least 100 things that I’m thankful for before I get out of bed. They don’t have to be big things…they can be simple. The point is that it’s important for me to start my mornings off with a heart of gratitude. I try not to check my phone until after I’m done thanking God for those things so that my focus and priorities are in the right order. After that, I get up and open the blinds and start singing! Obviously, coffee is a critical part of my morning too! I like my coffee strong, but Lynsey likes a little coffee in her creamer. In the colder months, we have our devotion together by the fire. We always thank God for what he’s done for us and for who he is! Then we start lifting up others who are on our hearts. I keep a journal of the people I’ve prayed for over the years, and it’s amazing to go back and see all of the answered prayers!
ML: What is God currently teaching you in this season of life?
JT: That’s a great question! I’m in a season of restoration right now. When I was in the valley, I felt forgotten. I felt like the enemy had stolen everything from me. The truth is, he had stolen a lot. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to be happy again, but that was a lie. The most important thing I’ve learned is that God is a restorer! He started restoring my life in 2017. I remember him impressing upon me that he wasn’t done with me and that he was going to restore joy in my life and give me more blessings than I’d ever dreamed I’d have. The thing is that my wife, the house, a new child; those aren’t my biggest blessings. My greatest blessing came when he restored my relationship with him and gave me more joy and passion than I’d ever had before. Everything else was just the cherry on top!
