Twila Paris has experienced a lot of success since the release of her first album, scoring thirty-two No. 1 songs on Christian radio, earning five Dove Awards, and selling more than two million albums. Yet after twenty-five years in the music business and being regarded as an important worship songwriter, she's only recently released her first live worship album, He Is Exalted. Paris shared with us what the experience was like and how she feels contemporary worship music has evolved over the years.

What took you so long to release a live record?

Twila Paris: Probably because the studio is a comfort zone for me. I tend to be a perfectionist, and you're allowed to be that in the studio by tweaking and tweaking. When it's live, you can still come back and overdub over mistakes, but you also want to hold that to a minimum because it won't feel live anymore. It took some encouragement from my manager and the folks at the record company, but I realized this was an album I should do.

Is there more stress doing a live album, since there's only once chance to get it right?

Paris: Oh, sure. I enjoy being onstage, but it's never been my natural domain. It's not like I was backstage hyperventilating into a bag all these years, but I had to learn to be comfortable onstage. I was just more at home writing songs and recording in the studio.

It is also different to sing brand new songs with a live audience rather than to sing songs I know like the back of my hand. We had some rehearsal, but it was still like taking the first night of a tour and recording it. It leaves you kind of breathless, like doing it without a net.

What was the first live recording experience like?

Paris: Although the project was recorded live, it happened in a studio. We had about 50 people active with worship teams and choirs sing along. They had learned the music previously. We recorded over a two-night period—for the sake of those who have to listen to it over and over, you do live albums over at least a couple of nights in order to pick the best takes and edit out the talking. Still, it doesn't take much longer than the actual time you spend singing. Even if it's not the easiest thing to do, when you step up, God gives you the grace to do it.

Many people consider you to be a modern hymn writer, a key songwriter for the worship movement. How do you feel about that designation?

Paris: I always appreciate encouragement and never take it for granted. But I don't take to heart those kinds of designations. It's like the old saying about not believing your own PR. I don't go around thinking I'm a modern-day Fanny Crosby. Each song is a gift from the Lord. Having had the privilege to write some worship songs that have found their way into the body of Christ over the years is an incredible privilege for me. Romans 11:36 says, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever." That has become a life Scripture for me.

But you do primarily write songs for the church. Why is that important to you?

Paris: This is what I was called and enabled to do. It's what's in my heart. When you write and record worship songs, it's the way you offer them to the body. Sometimes they want to use them in corporate worship, sometimes they don't. When they use a song, they offer it back to God. When God gives me a song and I give it to the body and they offer it back to him, it feels so right. It's this appropriate cycle of giving. It's that same "from him, through him, and back to him."

Does your music ever connect with unbelievers?

Paris: I used to think there wasn't much that was evangelistic about what I do. But I've received letters from people over the years saying they came to the Lord by listening to my albums. I was surprised by that at first, because none of the songs said, "You need to come to Jesus." My songs may not invite people to join "the club," but they do allow people to sit down and listen to our "club meeting" and hear what goes on. Maybe a smaller group gets it at that level, but for some people, I think they need to sit and listen to a meeting rather than being invited to join. It's ministry to the body, but I've found that in a quiet way, people do end up being drawn in.

This is your second worship album in a row. How has your own life been impacted by corporate worship music?

Paris: God has used corporate worship music to bring healing to me, spiritually and emotionally. I've come to church with my priorities completely out of line and then instantly got back in line in the presence of God. I was 18 or 19 when I was first asked to lead worship on Sunday evening. I had to be nudged, because I'd rather sit on the back row. But I did it, and there did seem to be an anointing. Shortly after that, I began recording.

From the beginning, I felt worship was to be an important part of that, even if there was just one worship song on any given album. I still have times of corporate worship in my concerts, since I want my concerts to be an environment of worship where people can open their hearts and hear the Lord.

It's also your first album with Integrity. How do you feel about a new label home after all this time?

Paris: When you've been around as long as I have, things just evolve, morph, and change, not just with artists but also with labels as they are bought and sold. Still, being with Integrity is almost a homecoming because we have similar roots. I started out feeling I was called to make worship an important part of what I do. Integrity started out a little after I did, and they felt called to facilitate worship for the body. It's like buying a new garment that fits and feels as though you've had it forever.

You're celebrating your 25th anniversary in Christian music. How has recording an album changed between 1980 and 2005?

Paris: The technology is so small now that anyone can make an album in their basement if they have the talent and the basic equipment. Before, you'd need a board the size of a long, full-sized bed. Now it's not much larger than your personal computer. I can record some things at home now, which makes life simpler since I have a four-year-old son. Instead of staying in a city for an extra week waiting to hear a song after it's mixed, they just send me an MP3 file.

What most notable changes have you seen in Christian music in these past 25 years?

Paris: Maybe the most notable change is that because of some rough patches that were hit and some artists taking hard falls, everyone began to see two things were mission critical—being accountable and plugged into a local body, and having that daily walk and relationship with the Lord that reflects what you sing in your songs. That's what I've sensed in the lives of people in the business. They really began to see that they were role models and that what they do outside of the music is more important than the music.

Have you seen growth in your songwriting over those years?

Paris: Part of what I was called to do was chronicle a growing Christian life. There are successes and there are things that need to be changed and repented of. The "one step forward, two steps back" that has been a reality in my life is reflected in the songs. I think that's valuable, because we all walk a similar journey. We come to the same places at different times and in different ways.

In the last 25 years, you've faced some significant trials. Your husband contracted a chronic, disabling illness (hepatitis C). You've battled infertility, but finally were blessed with your first child at 42. How have complications like these affected your outlook?

Paris: Exhortation has always been my motivational gift. If I wasn't really careful, I could be a finger pointer. I had the benefit of growing up in a Christian home and having an easier time with certain decisions. So, I could be judgmental, but instead I've gained an element of compassion through everything. One of my friends with a chronic illness told me they have whole new rooms in their life now that weren't there before. It's the best way I've heard anyone put it. I went through a time where I almost resented things, but there are songs of encouragement, empathy, and compassion that would have never existed had it not been for these things. All things work together for good. If we lean in to Jesus and stop struggling, God uses everything.

Learn more about Twila Paris by visiting her artist page on our site. You can read our review of He Is Exalted by clicking here. To listen to sound clips and buy the music, please visit Christianbook.com.

© Maryann B. Hunsberger, subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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