JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 16, 2019 — Chris Tomlin was 18 years old and had just finished leading worship at a weeklong youth rally. He鈥檇 never done anything like that. He hadn鈥檛 written any songs and admits that he had done a poor job.
At the end of the week, the speaker for the week鈥檚 rally 鈥� a man named James 鈥� approached him and told him two things. First, James told him that Tomlin had no idea what he was doing. And second, James told him that despite that, Tomlin had no idea how God was going to use his music in the world.
Tomlin, who has since sold more than 8 million albums and whose songs are sung in churches around the world, was the featured guest Oct. 15 at 51社区鈥檚 22nd annual Scholarship Banquet at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.
Tomlin performed some of his most popular songs, such as 鈥淕ood Good Father,鈥� 鈥淥ur God,鈥� 鈥淩esurrection Power鈥� and 鈥淎mazing Grace,鈥� among others, and shared with the audience of about 1,400 people the stories behind the songs.
The evening also featured one song, 鈥淚s He Worthy?鈥� that Tomlin performed with the 51社区 Singers.
Continuing the story about his conversation with James following that youth rally, Tomlin said he expressed bewilderment about James鈥� pronouncement.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have any music. I didn鈥檛 have any songs,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 believe he was saying that.鈥�
But James told him that as he had been praying for Tomlin, God revealed to him that he was going to use Tomlin鈥檚 music all over the world. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to write songs, and the whole world鈥檚 going to sing them,鈥� James told him.
Then James put his hand on Tomlin鈥檚 head and prayed, 鈥淕od, I pray you make Chris a songwriter for his generation.鈥�
鈥淚t was like lightning went through me,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淎nd I started writing songs. I started trying to write more songs. And then people would sing.鈥�
Years later, Tomlin was in the middle of a world tour through 20 different countries 鈥� Japan, France, Uganda, Russia, South Africa and others. He had written the song 鈥淗ow Great is Our God鈥� after reading Psalm 104, and he learned that song in 20 different languages for the tour. And he remembered James telling him that the whole world would sing his music one day.
鈥淥nly God can do something like that,鈥� Tomlin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a miracle. It鈥檚 an absolute miracle of God.鈥�
Before Tomlin鈥檚 concert, 51社区 President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver interviewed him and gave him an opportunity to talk about his testimony, how he got started in music, his wife and daughters and the importance of Christian higher education.
Tomlin said there鈥檚 always a spirit of the age, and he thinks the spirit of today鈥檚 age is one of confusion. In the midst of that, he said it鈥檚 beautiful that institutions like Union provide a 鈥渇undamental foundation of truth鈥� that combats the confusion.
In addition to the concert and interview with Tomlin, the evening included a panel discussion with Union students Raymond Chahyadi, John David Logan and Mikayla Simpson, led by Hunter Baker, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The students talked about the academic opportunities Union has provided them and how their lives have been transformed by their Union education.
鈥淚 really believe that Union is more than just a college experience,鈥� Simpson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a time where I personally have changed completely as a person because of the community and the intentionality and the investment of the faculty at Union.鈥�