Interview: Christa Black

I am so excited to do my FIRST interview on my blog in a VERY LONG TIME today.

I get the distinct privilege of helping you get to know the super awesome Christa Black just a little bit better today! Her book, God Loves Ugly, and Love Makes Beautiful released this month, and when I was approached to host an interview with her, my response was something like, “HECK YEAH!” Obviously I was a bit more professional in my email reply….

Christa has done such cool things in her life like tour with the Jonas Brothers, Michael W Smith, and others, as well as written some amazing songs!

She also has a pretty cool name too… just spelled wrong. HA!

Okay, I’ll stop gushing now. 

Without further adu…


K: God loves Ugly… and love makes beautiful. As a
kid who had a HUGE issue with thinking she was ugly (picture overweight, thick
glasses, tooth gap, hand-me-down clothes from my sisters that were cool 4 years
prior….) this title absolutely intrigues me. What’s the story behind such a
powerful title?

C: Oh girl, I was right there with you on the ugly
kid perception, except I was rail thin, red hair, freckles, with knobby knees.
 Not the picture of the blond cheerleader beauties I saw around me growing
up in Texas!

I found, however, that the lens I saw myself
through wasn’t just about my reflection.  It was about a heart that
believed it was truly unlovable.  My very first memory of life outside the
home was sexual, so every time I looked in the mirror, all I could see were all
the horrible things that had been done to me.  It wouldn’t have mattered
if I had looked like Angelina Jolie–I believed I was far too shameful to be
worthy of love, so ugly was all I ever saw.

Beauty isn’t just a reflection issue.  It’s
a perception issue.   

This led to years of addictions, depression,
eating disorders, perfectionism, control–anything to fill and numb a heart
that was in constant pain.  It wasn’t until I began allowing the medicine
of God’s unconditional love into the shameful places of my heart, healing me
with grace, that the fruit of my life began to change.  

When you know you’re loved, you look in the
mirror and see someone worthy of love.  Now, I see more and more beauty
every single day!
 

K: Wow! You have an amazing story, Christa! I think that line, “Beauty isn’t just a reflection issue. it’s a perception issue.” is just completely amazing and so very correct! 

Next question: I’m a fan of dreams. Not the crazy ones in the
night that you wake up and leave you thinking, “I really need to lay off the
Mexican food or something…” but the “Someday I want to ______”
kind. 

You have a fabulous career, a great guy by your side, and now a book out.
LOTS of dreams come true, I would imagine. So… how would you finish this
sentence now? “Wow, wouldn’t it be cool to someday __________?”

C: Be the next Oprah!!  (YEP, I SAID IT!)
 

Every time I would watch Oprah, I’d bawl like a
little baby.  She was always doing things so close to the heart of
God–helping broken families, funding orphanages, and pulling out the best in
people as she interviewed them.  I think it would be so fabulous to have a
show someday that just restores, heals, and brings hope!

K: You’d make a FANTASTIC Oprah! 

Okay. So, I know everyone goes ga-ga over the
fact that you toured with the Jonas Brothers. I, personally, think it’s more
cool that you worked with Michael W Smith. I guess that makes me old??? (No
offense Michael….) What was the coolest thing about being on tour with such
big names? Any fun behind-the-scenes stories to share?

C: Touring with the Jonas Brothers was like getting
sucked up into the biggest tornado you’ve ever seen and just holding on for the
ride.  It was fun, and fast, and crazy and I’m SO glad I did it, but I
don’t think I could ever do it again.  Every city we went to, there would
be hundreds of girls camped outside of our hotels, banging on our vans and
shaking the buses.  One time while in Mexico city, a girl pushed her way
into my hotel room screaming, “Neeeeiick!  Neeeeick!!!  Where are
you, Neeeeeick??”  After physically picking her up and placing her back
outside, I looked at her and said, “I mean, come on.  Do you think I have
him hidden under my mattress or something??”  It was definitely an
adventure, and one I’ll always be glad I took.

Smitty (or Michael W. Smith) is way more than
just a boss.  He hired me out of NYC, so when we’d have days off in
between touring, he would just bring me home to live with his family in
Franklin, TN.  In fact, I was just a bridesmaid in his youngest daughters
wedding on Saturday!  His girls are the sisters I never had, his sons are
my little brothers, and his wife Debbie is literally the kindest, most servant-hearted
woman I’ve ever met.  I adore that family, and they’re even more amazing
than you might imagine.

My favorite Smitty story was during a show
somewhere in Australia.  It was the beginning of the last song, the lights
dimmed, the music intro began, and all of a sudden, someone began hopping past
me on the stage out towards Smitty.  I looked down, and Nick Vujicic (who
wrote the amazing book Life Without Limits) had been pushed onto the
stage and was hopping up and down with a DVD in his mouth next to Michael!
 (For those of you who don’t know, Nick was born without arms or legs).
 We all danced around during that last song “I Am Free” with Nick just
hopping around with us!

Touring the world with amazing people for the
past 11 years has been the greatest privilege a girl could ever ask for!

K:  Okay, the girl in the hotel room… that is HILARIOUS. And how fun that Smitty and family welcomed you so wholeheartedly! Debbie IS a sweet lady… I met her a few times when we went to church at New River Fellowship (although it’s been a few years, so I’m certain she’d have no clue who I am now, ha!

I just took a peek at the song-titles that you
wrote. OH MY GOODNESS! Those are some amazing songs that I’ve sang in worship
many times and LOVE! If you had to pick one, which would be your favorite?
(Okay, you can pick two if you are really indecisive!) 

C: I think my favorite song is definitely One
Thing Remains.  Years ago, Jeremy Riddle, Brian Johnson and I started
a songwriting group together while living in Redding, California.  We were
just 3 friends who loved to worship and wanted to write great songs to lead on
Sunday.  We’d all been radically impacted by the truth that God’s love
never runs out–no matter what we’ve done or are currently doing.  His
love never gives up on us becoming the best we can be.  And in death and in
life, we were absolutely confident and covered by this violent, radical,
neverending love.  When I started getting tweets that 40,000 people were
singing our song at Passion this last year, I just lost it.  All we wanted
to do was write a song that led people into an encounter with that radical
love, and it was happening.  A truly humbling experience.

And then, of course, I love God Loves Ugly
because it’s simply my testimony.  When I wrote it and Jordin Sparks
called asking to cut it, she said, “Christa, this isn’t just your story.
 It’s my story and the story of so many people who don’t believe they’re
worthy of love.”  I believe that listeners can be led into the same
experience I was having when I was writing that song, and have watched thousands
of people ‘get it’ while hearing that God truly does love the ugly places of
their lives, and continues to love them until beauty rises from the ashes!
K: Amazing songs, Christa! Well done!

So… my husband is a songwriter (in the book
business we’d call him unpublished… not sure what title that is in the music
biz besides a-dime-a-dozen) What advice would you give him–er– someone who
wanted to break into the music industry? *wink* 

C: Be faithful with what’s in your hand.  I
didn’t even try to push my way into the industry.  I began writing songs
in treatment for my eating disorder as therapy, a publisher heard the songs
through a friend, and I found myself in Nashville with a deal!  Now, the
deal was terrible and I didn’t take it, but it got me to Nashville, where I got
my first gig with Jennifer Knapp after playing violin in church one Sunday.

There’s no map, there’s no formula.  Be
faithful with the talents that you have wherever you can.  If that means
in your little hometown church, then do it with all your heart.  If that
means at your local coffee shop with 3 people, sing your guts out.  James
4:10 says to “Humble yourself before the Lord and HE will lift you up.”
 So many people try so hard to exalt themselves, but when you’re faithful
with what’s in your hand, when you’re seeking to serve and love the people
around you, God will open doors that no man could have ever opened.  

You might not find yourself on tour with The
Jonas Brothers, but the success of God is measured much differently than the
success of man.  Be faithful with the ONE.  Be faithful with the
people in front of you right now.  Find contentment and joy in releasing
what God has given you, and leave it up to HIM to promote in due time!  

(And you get rest and relationship and peace and
joy in the journey!)

K: FABULOUS advice!!! One us “book writers” can take to heart as well.

I make it no secret that I’m a romantic at heart
(thus the reason I write Christian romance… it works, huh!) I have it on good
authority (your website…) that you’re married to a fantastic guy. Care to
share your real life romance story with us? How did you all meet? Was it love
at first sight?