Christian singing contestant Jordan Smith, 22, has just won the 9th season of the popular singing competition "The Voice," and his school Church of God Lee University is extremely proud not just of his vocal prowess, but also of his commitment to God.
"For all of us at Lee this has been a fun experience, watching the world encounter Jordan's talent. It's also been a source of pride that Jordan has stayed true to his calling. That is something we try to model for our students every day, so watching Jordan live it on national television has been deeply gratifying," Lee University Vice President for University Relations Jerome Hammond told Charisma News.
Smith is part of the singing group called the Lee Singers while he was still in school. His director Brad Moffett believes that Smith's talent goes hand in hand with the development of his Christian faith.
"(Jordan's) singing gift was really honed because of his faith," Moffett said. "Singing in church is where he first started singing, and in a lot of ways, you can't separate Jordan's singing from his faith, no matter what he's singing. For someone like Jordan, singing is an expression of Jordan's spirituality, so much a part of who he is [is] tied directly to his faith, it's hard to separate his craft, his artistry from his spirituality and faith."
When Smith auditioned for "The Voice" earlier this year, he chose to sing Sia's "Chandelier." The judges were awed by his performance, and Maroon 5 frontrunner Adam Levine even went as far as declaring him as the "most important person to ever be on this show."
For his part, Smith is overjoyed by his recent victory and thanked God for blessing him with a wonderful opportunity. "I cannot accurately express in words just how I'm feeling today. The only thing I can say is that God is good," he writes on his Facebook page. Last night I proved to myself and the world that what's on the outside isn't important. Instead, it's what's in your heart that matters. Music is in my heart. Love is in my heart. Dreams are in my heart. And those things reach far beyond what our society tells us should matter."
Smith says he will be stepping into his calling and allowing "God to show me the big things. Be faithful in the small things, because those add up to something big."
