Life is about knowing God. It is not about what you do, what you accomplish, what you have, what you know, or where you are. It is ultimately all about knowing and drawing closer to Jesus Christ. With this conviction, worship leader and singer/songwriter, Blake Gosnell, aspires to love other people through music, moving them closer to God as they journey through life.

As early as age 12, a desire was planted in Blake to one day use music as a tool to point other people to God: “I remember this one particular student conference I attended with my church youth group when I was in middle school. I enjoyed the music all weekend, but there were a couple of moments that really stood out when the music would stop and everyone continued worshipping. The auditorium was filled with the most beautiful sound of hundreds of people singing to God. I remembered thinking . . . wow . . . that is what I want to be a part of one day, leading others in lifting up the name of Jesus Christ through song. If I ever had a chance to be on stage, I wanted to be there not for my own glory or my own name’s sake, but to lift up His name and to point people to His glorious renown.”

At that time, besides the desire, all he had under his belt were a few years of piano lessons and one year of clarinet in the middle school band, but one step at a time God began to develop Blake’s talents and abilities in music. At age fourteen, he received his first guitar as a Christmas present from his parents. “I didn’t really even ask for a guitar that year,” Blake recalls, “although it had been something that I had considered trying for a long time. It ended up being the best Christmas present I ever received. It was a landmark in a way, especially because my parents had written on the inside of my beginner guitar book how they hoped and prayed that I would use my talents and gifts in music for God’s glory.”

Step by step, doors opened for Blake as he developed his musical skills and more importantly, his relationship with the Lord. During his junior year of high school, Blake’s youth pastor gave him the chance to lead fellow students in worship during Wednesday night student gatherings: “Looking back on it now, it is kind of funny because I think there was a stretch of one or two months where I played the same three songs over and over again . . . but hey, it was a start. And that was one of the small goals I had set for myself that boosted my confidence to keep developing as a musician and a worship leader.” Until he graduated from high school, Blake continued to lead his youth group in worship and continued to seek the Lord’s direction in his life.

While attending college in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Blake continued to lead worship for student groups on campus, but he also began to rekindle an interest that he had in songwriting: “I had tried to write a few songs while I was in high school but didn’t really give it much effort. When I arrived at college, I was surrounded by a community of talented writers and musicians and that inspired me to try again. Eventually, I began performing my own material for people and I loved doing that! People began responding in positive ways and I received lots of encouragement to continue both writing and performing my songs.”

Shortly after finishing college, Blake began expanding his ministry as a musician. After receiving encouragement from friends and sensing God’s prompting, Blake decided to begin his own independent music ministry. “I had always dreamed of being able to travel to different places, sharing my music with other people and leading them in worshipping the Lord,” says Blake. In the days that followed, he began living that very dream, taking his music ministry to several different states, leading worship and sharing his songs at various conferences, retreats, and summer camps. I felt like writing and performing gave me a great way to encourage and build others up, allowing people a glimpse into my life as I expressed how God was working in and through me.”

And that is what Blake continues to pursue through songwriting. With influences of thought provoking singer / songwriters like Derek Webb, Chris Rice, Bebo Norman, and Sarah Groves and worship artists like Charlie Hall, Chris Tomlin, Jami Smith, and David Crowder, Blake crafts songs that explore many of his own experiences, stories, and emotions in relation to life with God: “I want people to identify with music that is genuine and authentic, but I also want go a step further. I want to inspire people to worship God and seek Him in the midst of their own valleys, and mountain tops, mysteries, and adventure of life, so much so that their own stories and purposes become very small in light of the magnificent story and the great purposes of God.”

Currently, Blake resides with his wife Jessica in South Georgia where he is a Worship Pastor at GracePointe Church in the city of Douglas. Although he still plays and leads at various venues around the South Georgia area, his focus as a pastor is leading a local body of believers in corporate worship gatherings each week. “I think that leading people in a congregation in worship every week has further deepened my convictions that worship is so much more than music. . . worship is life,” says Blake. “The church doesn’t just need songs, but they need to know Jesus right where the live, work, and play. I simply want to use my talents as a songwriter and worship leader to inspire and encourage a lifestyle of worship in the people that God has entrusted me to lead.”

Though, hopeful that this adventure in ministry as a worship leader and singer/songwriter will evolve into a lifetime career in music, Blake is quick to point out that he wants much more than that. “Yes, I would love to see this ministry develop into a lifelong career as a musician. That would be great,” says Blake. “But ultimately, I want this journey to be more about a calling on my life than about a career choice. I have been given the opportunity to use the talents and abilities that I am entrusted with to serve the God of the universe and to further the work of His Kingdom. That will always hold more purpose than merely plugging away at some career that I hope will make me happy. As far as where this journey will ultimately take me, I really have no idea. It is always a mystery, and often you can only see the next step. Wherever this road leads, though, I want to be faithful to continue seeking Him first in everything I do and to use my music as a tool to draw others closer to Jesus Christ.”