A week with Mark Schultz: Renaissance (Part 5)

NASHVILLE (WordNews.org) Dec. 16, 2011 — It was a whirlwind trip to Europe last year that filled Christian recording artist Mark Schultz with the inspiration to try something new.
Actually, some things new.
First, there was the instrumental album, “Renaissance.”
That was followed with a recently released book, “Letters from War,” which was inspired by the song by the same name. (More on that later)
“My wife and I went to Europe and I did a tour over there last year and it was awesome,” Mark tells WordNews.org.  “We were in Normandy where my grandfather served,” Mark says, “walking up and down the beach and climbing up the cliffs and going to see the cemetery.
That’s when it started to happen.

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A week with Mark Schultz: The voice for the orphans (Part 4

NASHVILLE (WordNews.org) Dec. 15, 2011 – Recently, Christian singer/songwriter Mark Schultz did a benefit concert for a clinic that helps unwed mothers-to-be.
“They can come in and get counseling about adoption as opposed to abortion,” Mark says.
During the night, he heard a presentation that left an impression.
“I heart a staggering figure—One and a half million abortions happen each year, and 15,000 adoptions.”
It hit home for Mark.
“I was adopted when I was younger,” he says. “I’m really realizing how grateful I am to be here, to have been able to be on this earth and to live to do these songs and perform and do what I love.”

A week with Mark Schultz: Early musical influences

NASHVILLE (WordNews.org) Dec. 14, 2011 – Mark Schultz, the Dove Award-winning Christian recording artist, says his biggest musical influence may have been his boom box.
“When I was growing up I grew up on the radio because I lived on farms and stuff and your only friends were the box and earphones and listening to the radio,” Mark says. “I think that’s what got me decent at writing radio songs because I’ve been listening to them my whole life.”
What’s he listening to these days?

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A week with Mark Schultz: 'What's real resonates'

NASHVILLE (WordNews.org) Dec. 13, 2011 — The songs Christian recording artist Mark Schultz began to write got a little more personal than ski outings and mission trips.
“There was a kid in the youth group who got cancer and the youth pastor was like, ‘Hey, why don’t you write a song about that?’”
Mark did.
“I wrote a song called ‘He’s My Son’ about a dad praying over his son who has cancer and that became not only a Christian hit but a mainstream hit.”

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A week with Mark Schultz: How it all began

 NASHVILLE (WordNews.org) Dec. 12, 2011 – Mark Schultz’s songs are filled with stories.
But the Platinum recording artist known for such songs as “He Is” and “I Am” sort of eased into the whole story-telling song approach.
“Where it started for me was when I came to Nashville I got a job as a youth director at a church,” he says. “I didn’t mean to. It just happened. I lost a bet with a youth minister and ended up going on a retreat with a bunch of kids and got duct taped to a bed and, you know, stayed with the kids until they graduated from college.”

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