{"id":1262,"date":"2024-05-08T10:31:33","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T14:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/?p=1262"},"modified":"2024-05-08T12:23:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:23:42","slug":"how-god-called-worship-artist-sarah-kroger-from-the-shadows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/05\/08\/how-god-called-worship-artist-sarah-kroger-from-the-shadows\/","title":{"rendered":"How God Called Worship Artist Sarah Kroger from the Shadows"},"content":{"rendered":"

Integrity Music artist Sarah Kroger<\/a>, who previously released \u201cYour Time,\u201d \u201cHallelujah Is Our Song\u201d, and \u201cLondon Sessions,\u201d returns with a new collection of personal and corporate worship songs on May 17. \u201cA New Reality\u201d is the singer-songwriter\u2019s first release in four years and a testament to not only the enduring power of worship but the prophetic calling of God.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Sarah Kroger image courtesy of Integrity Music.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Songs like \u201cStill Yours,\u201d \u201cGlory Be\u201d and Communion\u201d help accomplish Kroger\u2019s goal of creating a \u201clife soundtrack\u201d that listeners can use during normal day-to-day activities or personal prayer time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fun vibe and you’re driving down the street or you’re washing dishes,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of meant to be a soundtrack for just life. So, it’s kind of a mix, which I was hoping for, and I feel like we actually kind of accomplished that.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Collection of Her Own Psalms<\/h3>\n

Kroger says that \u201cA New Reality\u201d feels like a collection of her own psalms, varying between moments of total trust and surrender, full of faith, and then calling out to God in the pits of despair: \u201cI\u2019ve recognized in the past couple of years as I\u2019ve been walking through my own ups and downs of faith and wrestling with faith at times for the first time in my life that it\u2019s just the journey of faith and there\u2019s no shame in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music has not only been a backdrop but also a lifesaver for the singer-songwriter. As a young girl with parents involved in worship ministry, Kroger always had a love for music, but faced intimidation and harassment from bullies at school.<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic was like a gift to me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was precious to me. And because I was bullied, it was one of those things that I just kind of started building a wall up around it to protect it. I didn’t want them to tear that down like they had torn me down. And so, I hid that for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connecting With God Through Music<\/h3>\n

The catalyst for Kroger\u2019s musical debut was in response to a conference she attended in high school. Growing up on the classic liturgical music of the Catholic church she attended, the event was the first time she had ever encountered contemporary worship music. She remembers it being like a \u201cprayer that captivated me in a way that nothing else did at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the music, the event taught Kroger how to connect with God in a personal way for the first time, culminating in a prophetic moment where she felt directly addressed by a speaker onstage.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said, \u2018If you have a gift from God and you\u2019re not using it, you\u2019re denying the glory of God within you\u2019,\u201d she remembers. \u201cI felt called out. I felt He was tapping me on the shoulder and speaking right to me, inviting me to step out in faith and courage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon, Kroger returned to her church and began volunteering, overcoming her fear through leading worship until other churches started extending invitations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings just kind of snowballed from there, but it all started because of that conference, in that moment,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

God Still Calls<\/h3>\n

For someone too intimidated to sing in public to a renowned worship leader, Kroger\u2019s story is proof that God still calls people, regardless of experience or confidence, to a life of ministry and service. As she prepares to tour in support of the new record later this year and early 2025, she continues to pour herself out musically at a local church where several other worship leaders take turns leading each Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really simple, just me on a piano and the same with the rest of them,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s really sweet and lovely and small and kind of perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of the new project, Kroger hopes that \u201cA New Reality\u201d gives hope and comfort to listeners at whatever stage of the journey they may find themselves in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope people hear the faith in this record along with the wrestling. I hope people feel encouraged to bring their imperfect, questioning, doubting selves to God,\u201d she shares. \u201cI want people to be reminded of the beauty of His presence in the world. He\u2019s more real than we can comprehend. The truth this project continues to reveal to me is that despite the ups and downs of life, I can choose to believe that I\u2019m still His.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Integrity Music artist Sarah Kroger, who previously released \u201cYour Time,\u201d \u201cHallelujah Is Our Song\u201d, and \u201cLondon Sessions,\u201d returns with a new collection of personal and corporate worship songs on May 17. \u201cA New Reality\u201d is the singer-songwriter\u2019s first release in four years and a testament to not only the enduring power of worship but the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":683,"featured_media":1265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[119],"tags":[374],"class_list":["post-1262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-news","tag-christian-music"],"yoast_head":"\nHow God Called Worship Artist Sarah Kroger from the Shadows<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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