In every Christ-follower's journey of faith, there comes a point when he/she makes the important discovery about God's sense of timing, namely that our heavenly Father's wristwatch definitely has a tick-tock all its own.
But what often feels like lateness to oh-so-impatient mankind, however, is always right on schedule with God, a theme that runs particularly deep in the story of Fuzed Worship.
Co-founded by Daniel Meyer, CEO of US Operations for Joyce Meyer Ministries, and Nate Edmonds, a worship leader and songwriter, Fuzed Worship includes a revolving lineup of like-minded musicians unified by a singular cause. Rather than simply playing music for music's sake, they want to write songs like "Lost in You," "Forever You Reign" and "My Heart Burns For You" that inspire a generation to not only serve Christ, but also demonstrate His love in tangible ways.
Emphasizing a life centered around worship where justice is upheld and compassion is lived out, these core beliefs are naturally what fuel the songs from the group's stunning new album By Your Blood. Produced by Tedd T (Newsboys, Mutemath, Rebecca St. James) and featuring a bevy of talented musicians, the soundtrack itself may be diverse and full of intriguing textures, but the heart of the project is what Fuzed Worship has always been about.
"If the focus becomes more about building our momentary kingdom than uplifting the Kingdom of our heavenly father, we've completely missed the mark and settled for less than He intends," Nate shares. "For us, it's always been about taking the music and allowing it to breathe and encounter people on a daily level. We just create, stand back and watch God do what He wants."
The Origins of an Unlikely Partnership
In what's truly a testament to the mystery of God, Fuzed Worship began rather unexpectedly. Daniel Meyer had written lyrics about the injustice he'd seen while traveling around the world, while God was working in Nate Edmonds' life in a completely different way. After stepping away from Joyce Meyer Ministries to pursue his own musical dreams, Nate felt the call of God not only nudging him back to the ministry, but also asking him to lay down his own desires by fasting from the very thing he loved so much—music.
One Sunday afternoon, Daniel asked Nate if it was possible to put what he'd written to music. Even though Daniel wasn't a musician, he felt that song might be the right vehicle for expressing what he had experienced; an avenue for sharing what, in some ways, was too powerful for words alone. And sensing God's blessing in this unlikely partnership, Nate was more than willing to give it a try.
As strange as it seemed at the time—a guy who didn't have an outlet for expressing what was on his heart and the guy who hadn't sung or touched an instrument in a year—Daniel and Nathan started making music. Later that night, the duo had already written their first song, "Revolving Love." Inspired by a sweet five-year-old girl named Ababa who was suffering from malnutrition and countless others like her that Daniel has met along the way, it was a defining moment in Fuzed Worship's journey.
Since then, Daniel and Nate have been joined by numerous others in their vision for Fuzed Worship as an organization and collective specifically created for God's glory.
Looking Ahead
While it hadn't been part of Daniel and Nate's plan to connect Fuzed Worship with Joyce Meyer Ministries, it was a natural marriage that was "God's plan all along" even if they never saw it coming.
"We made it a point to have no lofty goals at all. We simply wanted to write songs from our heart to God," Nate says. "But when Joyce heard some of our rough demos, she felt God wanted to bring Fuzed Worship under their wings."
Now with the release of their third project, By Your Blood, Fuzed Worship will continue to lead worship at several Joyce Meyer Ministry conferences, but will also share their songs of hope and renewal in Christ in other capacities as well.
"Every song on By Your Blood focuses on the very tenets of our faith and has a message about worship," Nate concludes. "As we continue to focus on worshipping from the heart, we're always seeking God for what He has in store. In the meantime, we'll continue to create music to unite and inspire a generation to serve Christ and demonstrate His love."
