connected

Oct. 2007 myspace entry from Christy Nockels titled " He gives a new song..."

Christy Nockels writes:

You know, there has been much confusion over our "retirement". I think that word is hilarious by the way - at least when it's used to describe Nathan and I. We're in our young 30's - we can't retire! I WISH we would have sold that many Watermark records! What we did was recognize that a season had come and gone...and it was good...both the beginning and the end. We needed to lay some things down and start over...and that's what we did. It has been the most freeing time in our lives...just to be available again! I was clear at our live farewell concerts to say we ourselves are not "retiring" because when you are called to further the Kingdom of God, you're called for a lifetime. You never "retire" your gifts. But I guess our industry needs an explanation for the process we're in - a definition of sorts - so that was the ending verdict - "retired". And you know what? That's okay. As much as I wish I could explain every facet of this process with everyone and make them understand me , I can't! I can't expect everyone to understand the heart process of where we've been for the past few years. There's a point where I have to just leave it up to God. We retired the Watermark "brand" and the name, but not the heart or the song behind it. As long as I live and breathe I'll be ready to sing a new song unto the Lord - I've been doing it as long as I can remember. But by retiring the Watermark journey, it did give us a chance to breathe...for me to be more present with our children..mind,body, soul...and it was worth it. What hasn't stopped though is my desire to see God move in the lives of young women & college students.

So...with all that said, it's with joy that I start praying and writing towards this new recording. You might say, "what's the difference?" Two things - the approach and the target. I'm approaching this purely from a resource standpoint. The target is young women who attend the various conferences that I lead worship for - they simply want to leave with the songs that God powerfully uses to stir and change them during our time together. There's really nothing complicated about it...there's just a simple need. If God chooses to use it beyond that approach and target, He has the freedom to do that because it's His! Here's the best way I know to describe it.. A dear friend of mine approached me about a year and half before we felt God telling us to close our Watermark journey. She told me that she wanted to share something with me that she felt like the Lord had put on her heart for me. She shared with me that God had shown her a picture in her mind of concentric circles - a "target sign" basically. There was much more to the conversation but basically I wrestled with this idea of "concentric circles." For the next several months God began to confirm this "word" over and over in literally every way I could imagine. Eventually I would realize that God was using it to comfort me throughout the process of ending our Watermark journey. You see, He showed me that the focus of my life really only needed to be a few things...my heart towards Him, my husband & my children. This is a much smaller list than I had been carrying (like the weight of the world) on my shoulders. I was overjoyed!

This past year I have experienced the joy of just staying focused on those few things and that HE will take care of the outer rings of the "concentric circles". I don't need to worry about each layer or the impact they will have on the world...that's His job! Before, I was too involved in every layer... After 5 records with our label as Watermark, the layers were thick, the expectations high, the focus much too broad...so tired and frustrated we felt as if we weren't hitting any target at all! Now, even though I consider this next step of making a record, I still just lock in to the core of where I'm supposed to be...God & family. He's so faithful to show me that He has the next layer already covered and it's His to use as He pleases...I can relinquish that burden.