Misty Edwards ~ Only a Shadow

Misty Edwards’ music has impacted thousands. As a worship leader and songwriter at the International House of Prayer since its inception in September 1999, her songs and performances have been streamed live 24/7 around the world.

Her new Praise and Worship CD/DVD, Only a Shadow, recently debuted in the Top Ten on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, at #2 on the Soundscan Digital chart, and reached #1 at iTunes.

In December, Misty also released her first book, entitled What Is the Point?

When did you know music would become your life’s work?

I never intended for music to be my life’s work or even my full time occupation. But when the International House of Prayer of Kansas City started in 1999 we set out to do perpetual prayer twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and we combined the spoken prayer with music. The music literally never stopped. Fourteen years later, it still hasn’t stopped! Both day and night the music carries the intercession and the worship, and in my desire to live a life of prayer, I found this was the most enjoyable way to sustain corporate prayer. Music became my vocation by accident because it is the backbone to day and night prayer.

Has God ever provided an unexpected “detour” in your life that turned out to be positive?

My life is full of unexpected detours. I trust in the Sovereign leadership of God in a massive way. I could never map out my life with the wisdom that He does. I trust when things do not go as I planned or as I thought they should go (that) it is His hand intervening or His hand being lifted in a time of testing. Knowing that His aim is to form love and humility in me is what helps me make sense of the detours of my life. His goal is my heart when, often, my goal is other things. Learning to trust the Potter and yielding to His hand even under pressure is a huge part of walking with Him.

What prompted you to write a book?

I was approached by Charisma Books with the idea of writing and my first answer was “no way.” I was extremely intimidated and hesitant. It was a daunting task but I enjoyed the challenge.

Let’s talk about What Is the Point? (Passio, December 2012). Please tell us about it.

What Is the Point? explores the questions that I wrestled with from my childhood—questions concerning the meaning of life and the purpose of creation. It is a bit of my own story intertwined with the truths that I have learned over the past decade of searching out the Invisible One.

You’ve just released a new CD/DVD, Only a Shadow (Forerunner Music, March 2013). When and where was it recorded?

Only a Shadow was recorded live at our end of the year conference, called Onething, where we host about 25,000 young adults here in Kansas City. We did a prophetic worship concert late one night and hit “record.” Only a Shadow is the result of that evening.

How did you go about selecting the songs?

I wanted to choose songs that combined themes of the fragility of life, our eternal destiny and the significance of our lives today, all in the midst of the routine and the small. Keeping Jesus at the center and seeing our story wrapped up in His, both now and forever, is what helps us make sense of our lives today. This album weaves in and out of these themes.

Tracks like Ezekiel 1 and Baptize My Heart might best be described as “spiritually electric.” Who were your early musical influences?

I honestly do not have a lot of musical influence(s). I grew up in a household where we couldn’t listen to anything that had a rock beat in it. Now, I love intense music, I love passionate sounds and sounds that make you “lean in.” So, when describing mysterious things like on “Ezekiel 1,” I try to create a landscape of mystery through the music.

A few fun questions…

What is your favorite comfort food and why?

My favorite comfort food is chocolate. Probably because it feels like I am getting away with something sneaky.

This website features literary as well as music guests. What’s the title of the last GREAT book you read?

The last book I read that I loved was the Life of St. Anthony of Egypt.

What verse or story in the Bible best describes your personal faith journey?

There are too many to list. I relate to different aspects of many stories in the Bible. One I often return to is the story of Mary of Bethany and her extravagant devotion. Whenever I feel like I am wasting my life by giving myself to a life of prayer and serving I remember Mary and hear the words that Jesus spoke over her life and I want to be like her.

In the story that is your life, are you the strong, female lead; the girl next door; the mysterious woman behind dark glasses; the super heroine; or the little girl trying to walk in high heels?

I’m probably the mysterious woman behind the dark glasses.

I’m a dog lover. Please tell us about your pets, if any, or your favorite pet as a child.

At the risk of being offensive… I’m not much of an animal lover. I appreciate the beauty of animals in the midst of all of the created order and I am fascinated by animals but don’t really have a personal affection for them. I had a Persian cat when I was growing up and he was a bit on the crazy side.

Thank you, Misty! It’s a pleasure to have you as a guest at DivineDetour.

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For more information about Misty, visit her website. To view Misty’s recent 700 Club interview, logon here. To view a generous sampling of the Only a Shadow DVD, logon here.