Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, we read that God makes everything beautiful in its time. It is comforting to know that nothing is wasted in God's economy, but all of it will be used for our good and His glory. You're invited to join us for poignant conversations and compelling interviews centered on believing for His beauty in every season.
Shannon Scott (00:32)
Welcome back to the Everything Made Beautiful podcast. I couldn't be more excited to have you join me for today's episode where I'm sitting down with my dear friend, Christy Nockels Christy is a woman whose voice and heart have deeply impacted lives around the world. As a singer, songwriter, and worship leader, she has an incredible gift for inviting people into God's presence through her lyrics and melodies. Many of you may remember her as part of the beloved duo, Watermark, alongside her husband, Nathan,
or from leading worship at passion conferences where her powerful worship style helped shape a generation. Christy's heart for worship and her commitment to walking alongside others in faith truly sets her apart. But it's my friendship with her that I've enjoyed most over the years. And that's saying a lot because her music is second to none.
I've found in Christy a friend that sticks closer than a brother and who has the ability to bring grace, clarity, and a solid dose of humor to any situation we find ourselves in. I'll never get over the gift she's been to me in some incredibly pivotal seasons. Beyond her music and her friendships, Christy is also a devoted wife and mother of three kids, Noah, Eliana, and Annie.
She and Nathan, himself an artist and world-class producer, live outside of Nashville in a home filled with music, love, and faith. In today's episode, we'll explore her journey, her inspiration, and how family life has shaped her ministry. I'm honored to share this conversation with Christy as she brings a unique blend of wisdom and warmth to every moment. So settle in and join us as we dive into a heartfelt conversation about life, faith,
and the beauty of surrendering to God's calling.
Everything Made Beautiful (02:19)
Hi, Christy Hi. Or as I call you, CNock I'm so thankful that you're doing this. As soon as I knew I was doing it and I was thinking about the
everything made beautiful concept. I have learned so much about that from you and the way that you find God in everything and everywhere. And so thank you for being willing to share with us today. I know that I speak for so many men and women when I say that your music and your ministry over the last three decades has been transformational.
For me, it has met me in specific seasons that I didn't know I needed to be met in. And you, at some other time and at some other place, were writing lyrics and music that God would use to meet me exactly where I needed to be met with encouragement and with the Holy Spirit's comfort. And so I know that that is true of so many.
who are tuning in. So on behalf of all of us, thank you for your faithfulness. We are very good friends. We have done lots of life, two decades of life together. But I want people to get to know you. If you only know Christy on stage, then you don't know all of Christy. She is, first of all, hilarious. Like, so funny. She has such a funny side to her that isn't always
appropriate for the worship leadership moments you're so often in, but it is hilarious. Your whole family, Eric and his family, y'all are so funny. But you also, the thing that I want people to know is that you are offstage who you are onstage. There is not a gap. There is not a chasm between those things. You don't meet you offstage and get disappointed. You meet you offstage after
really admiring you on stage and it all clicks and you are that person. So I want you guys who know and love Christy to take comfort in that. She is exactly who you think she is. So tell us a little bit, like take us all the way back to the beginning. I'm kind of doing that with all of our guests because I want people to know where people came from, not just how they got where they are. So tell us about growing up, your family, your parents, all that good stuff. Yes, well.
I have to say thank you so much for having me. This is so exciting. You know I'm so excited for you. I've been just, you know, we kind of have this thing, Shannon, I will for years, Shannon will always tell me that she's putting on her cheerleading outfit. If I'm getting ready to release something, she's like, I've got my pom poms out ready to cheer for C-Knock. It just says C-Knock down the front. So, well, this is a moment where I have my cheerleading outfit on for you. So I'm so excited for you. And this is like a long time coming.
Anyway, thank you for having me. yeah, it's so sweet. I've been reflecting a lot lately. thinking back on just how I was raised is just fresh, I think, for a lot of reasons. But I'm definitely a country girl. You know this about me. I like just being barefoot and just being home. And a lot of that is from where I'm from. I'm from Oklahoma.
simple folks is like kind of where I came from. My dad has been a pastor my whole life. You know, of course, that means we didn't have a ton of money growing up. And I'm the youngest of three. I'm the only girl and I'm the only girl, you know, in our family, but also on both sides, I was the only girl cousin. So I had all boy cousins. that's fun. And brothers. So I was raised
playing with like Hot Wheels and GI Joe, things like that. I had a couple of Barbies too, but I climbed trees. Just life was really simple. And I think because of that, I think that at a very early age, I was pretty reflective. I remember some of the first times that I really feel like I noticed God's presence and I probably...
maybe didn't even know it then, but it was later that I looked back and it was like, I think that's when I first began to sense the lure. But it was, you know, I was probably six or seven on the back porch or making mud pies back in our backyard. And I think, you know, the simplicity just paved a way for that. You know, we had a tree house in the backyard that my dad built and I would often just sit in places like that and I would scribble down.
poetry and those were the beginnings of songs. Early lyrics. Yeah, for sure. I still have some of those pieces of paper where I just, you know, noticing creation and, but I think the simplicity, it really paved a way for that kind of creativity. And yeah, so I have two older brothers, one is still in Oklahoma and then I have the one in the middle, he's in Atlanta, he's got three girls and our three kids are super close to them. And so,
pretty tight with our family. then, yeah, as we'll probably talk about later, just lost my mom. And so that has been, I think, a lot where the reflection has come from. But she led me to the Lord when I was seven. And so it was kind of right around that time of, you know, me just noticing.
the Lord and hearing truth. My dad would preach every Sunday, and most of time I was listening. Sometimes I would get in trouble for talking in church, and I don't know if this ever happened to you, but I got called down front a couple of times, like in front by your dad? In front of the entire church. it was... Just a couple of times, I it was like, Christy Lynette, I need you to come down and sit with your mom, please.
and I had to get up. In front of the whole church, walked down the aisle, but for a different reason. I will say, I know your dad, and that would have been very intimidating. So scary. But it only happened probably twice. But yeah, and I think my brothers too definitely got called out some, but yeah. I have to say, what a gift and a legacy though to be sitting under your dad's preaching. Yeah.
week after week. My dad was a pastor as well, and when he would preach, I would think, I just had an awareness, even young, of not everybody my age is having this experience. And it felt holy and sacred. And I know you felt that way about your dad as well. Tell the story about you and your mom in church. Yes. so some of the
decor that we had in our family. You know, again, so much was just simple. You know how, you know, my house, it's not, it's not, there's maybe a simplicity to it, but you know that I love like antiques. like to layer things. My mom just had things very simple and a couple of the plaques that we had in our home, there were several different ones that I love and some of them I have, but we had these ones going down the hallway of our house.
And each one of them had our name on it. You know, there were five plaques. mine said, you know, Christy, and then it had the meaning of our name, which my name means follower of Christ. And then we each had a Bible verse. so mine said, it was a paraphrased version of Psalm 37.5, commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him. I think it was actually King James, commit thy way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. And so of course, you know,
going down the hallway to my room and coming back and forth, I saw it every day. when, you know, look at that verse and think, you know, that's my verse, like, that's what my name means. And, you know, what does it mean to be a follower of Christ? Like it just spurred on questions at an early age. And then of course, I memorized that verse because I'm like, this is my verse and I would write it on everything. So one night when my dad was preaching, I wrote that little verse down on a piece of paper. I still have this little piece of paper.
I think it says, commit they way and do the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass. And I gave it to my mom and she was sitting next to me and she had the wisdom in that moment to turn a piece of paper over and she wrote me back and more passing notes in church. And she said, yes, if Christy gives her heart to Jesus, he will show her the way to go. And that is what the Holy Spirit used that night. I just, knew.
I need to trust Jesus. there was a sadness about my sin. I remember that. And my dad says that he remembers. That's how he knew it was real. There was like a grieving about my sin and that I needed Jesus. I wanted forgiveness. so I went down and I always say I took my earthly father's hand to embrace my heavenly father's heart. And... say that again.
I took my earthly father's hand that night to embrace my heavenly father's heart for me. Who's, who's Jesus. And, yeah. And so often I say, you know, it's just so sweet, you know, how as parents, our kids, have like the privilege of speaking into their lives and often they take our word for it before they, know how, before they know how to take God's word for it. So it's like, what a privilege, you know, that my mom was able to
teach me truth that night. And I took her word for it, you know, in the moment until I could like, I was like, I'm going to take his word for it. You know, I'm going to, I'm going to trust him. And I always talk about that as, as mothers, what a, what a privilege that is to be able to speak truth over our kids like that. But yeah. So, and it makes me think so as parents, you know, what are our kids taking our word for and do, are, are we
giving them the right things to take our word for. Because you're right, for so much of childhood, there's just this assumption that your parents know what they're doing and know what's right and know what's true. And so you take their word for it. so, yeah, what are we showing our kids? What are your kids taking your word for? It's a great question.
So when did you know in this childhood that music was what God had specifically given you, like along with words, along with like you said the poetry, when did you know that it was music? Yeah, probably...
Well, I started singing not long after that night. My dad had me sing probably once every three months on the stage. And it was one of those things where it would scare me. And I kind of dreaded it. But at the same time, I knew I was supposed to. I still haven't even been thinking about it on the way here. I still don't know if that was just the Holy Spirit or if that was how he wired me. But it was like, it's...
It frightened me, but it was like I just knew I just would do that scared, you know, and I didn't feel forced by anyone. I didn't feel like, this is what, you know, I'm supposed to do right now. But it was like, I'm supposed to do this right now, deep within me. And so I think it was more probably towards high school. We had a worship leader in our church. He's home with the Lord now, but
He believed in me and I was at the time probably barely 17. And he started asking me to lead worship on Sunday mornings at their church. then on Sunday nights, sometimes in front of a 200 voice choir, we were doing like Brooklyn tab songs and I was the lead, and I'm 17. And so I remember him just like pouring into me and just saying to my face,
you are made for this, you're gifted in this and don't let anyone look down upon you because you're young. You can carry this moment. so I think it was really in high school because of him, just the importance of having those leaders who will look at you and just say, you need to be doing this. This is part of what you're supposed to do. so yeah, it was probably early on, but then for real, probably high school. I didn't know what it was going to look like.
Because I listened to you and I both, tons of like CCM artists back then. And I liked elements of that. And of course, back then, the worship leaders back then, it was just different. So it was like, knew it was like something in between, which is kind of probably where I landed. Yes, it is where you landed. I mean, just to be clear, listeners and viewers, we still text Sandy Patty clips back and forth to each other.
because we were both huge fans. But I love what you said and I want to go back to it because I think it will be encouraging for people who are watching or listening, which is you were afraid, but you knew that you were supposed to do it. And so the knowing kept you from running in fear. And so you just do it afraid and trust the Lord. And so if you have something that you
are afraid of, but you kind of know that you know that you know. Do it. Like, do it because the Lord has you. That's the commit your way to the Lord part of that scripture that Christy was talking about. But also how important it was for someone further down the road than you to be speaking life into you and seeing your gifts. And so for any of us who are doing anything we feel like God's made us for, along the way there have
absolutely been people who have given voice and affirmation and encouragement to those gifts. But I would also say it's a good reminder to me as a 40-something year old and you as a 40-something year old, who are we seeing coming behind us that we can be saying, hey, I see this in you, lean into this, or I see this in you, hey, come this way, not that way. And for you who are
watching, who do you have coming behind you in your field or your area of expertise, or maybe not even that, God's just given you eyes to see something in someone. Do use your words for that because all of that is confirmation along a path that we're always trying to discern what does God want us to do, and those things are confirmation of that. And so I'm grateful that people spoke into you and that you did it.
You've been afraid. So tell us about Nathan. When did Nathan come along? Yeah. OK. So we had mutual friends in college. My freshman year in college, I think, is the first time maybe that I met him and thought he was darling from afar. I heard through the grapevine that he was dating someone. And currently, I was dating someone too. But I'd heard how talented he was. And then, of course, I had gotten a hold of
this album called Nathan and Charlie. And I listened to it all the time. And they had done a couple of records together. I think at that point just one, but they were working on an album when I met him. And so I would listen to that. And I would think, he's just so talented. I'd kind of try to pick out the parts where I could hear him and like, is he playing the piano? I just wasn't sure what all of it.
He was producing those and playing on them and stuff. And they kind of had like a following in like the tri-state area, like Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas. And so that was fun to kind of hear the buzz about that. And we didn't see each other or we didn't actually like, you know, begin to really talk until the summer after my freshman year. We saw each other out at this thing. I don't think they do it anymore, but it was called the Christian Artists Seminar in the Rockies. yeah.
And it was out in, I think it was not Telluride, it's Estes Park. And I went out there with my parents and you could enter your songs into songwriting. You could just get your songs critiqued if you wanted. You could enter them into a contest. There was a singing competition. And again, that was another thing I just did afraid. For whatever reason.
I just felt like I was supposed to be a part of that. And you know how actually shy I I was going to say, I did not see you being on the Christian version of American Idol. I'm just so shy. And even look back then and I just think that had to have been like the Lord just like causing this like divine appointment to happen. I saw Nathan and Charlie out there and I already knew Charlie actually. Charlie and I had met the summer, like the summer, I think maybe
before my senior year of high school at church camp in Oklahoma. And in fact, I dated one of his friends that I met with him that night. But I remember just like standing in the snow cone line, literally, at summer camp with Charlie and just thinking, this guy is hilarious. And they sang at camp that year. I sang at camp.
And so Charlie and I had kind of this connection. I saw Charlie from afar out, you know, we were at this thing in Estes Park. And I saw, was like, that's Nathan Knockel standing next to Charlie. I'm like, my gosh, they're friends, you know? And so that week, Nathan and I, we would take walks in the morning. I would have my parents, like we stayed off the campus, but I'd have my mom and dad like drop me off earlier and earlier and then come get me later and later. week, because Nate and I would do like a, you know, after dinner.
walk to like, because there's mountains all around and we were just like talking all things life and music and the whole time I'm like, I got to go home and break up with this guy. Sorry, guy. Because if anything, I'm like, even if Nathan wasn't the one I'm like, this guy is setting an expectation that I'm just like, I love this. I think that
I want to share music with someone, you know, and in that way. And so who knew that, you know, the Lord was like just planning like the sweetest partnership in so many ways. But that time in my life, you know, I really do feel like I was running from the Lord in a lot of ways. And I'll never forget that night. Rich Mullins was there that week leading and like there were just a lot of different
moments in that week that were like just spiritually impactful to me. And I remember one night, whoever did the message that night, it was powerful. And I stood up. they asked people just to stand. If you want to, just consecrate your life to Jesus in a new way for in this season. And I did that. And I remember thinking like, Lord, I don't, I don't feel like I deserve Nathan. Like I feel like this is, he's such a gift. In fact, his name, like the name Nathan means like gift.
And I just thought, I don't feel like I deserve this. I feel like I've been running. And the Lord just said, I'm giving you a green light here. remember just sensing that this is it. And yes, there's some things in this season that maybe there's going to be some consequences for that. But I'm giving you a green light here. And so it was off to the races really, like when Nate and I just connected that week. And I think it was the next week that I got home.
I sang on the album that they were working on, on the next Nathan and Charlie album. I remember I had just got my wisdom teeth pulled, I was 19 and I could barely open my mouth. And I sang on a song called Fire in My Heart. And I never sang in a microphone in a studio before. And it was just the beginning of like a lot of things. Yes, I would say so. And that Charlie is Charlie Hall. And so Nathan and Christy and Charlie Hall went on to be sons and daughters.
with so many, you know, now the kids call them bangers, Christy. I don't know that I would call them that, but they were amazing. And just for that time, there were not a lot of people writing such profound lyrics and such depth of content. so such good songs that we actually,
got to hear a few after the fact and some got remade in another context, that was sweet. So I love that you said that you felt like you didn't deserve Nathan, but felt your heavenly father going. It's not about that, basically. I think a lot of us can relate to maybe feeling undeserving of the gifts that God gives us, but he does not look at us in a deserve or not deserve context.
He looks at us as beloved children and he loves to give good gifts. So you and Nathan were off to the races and had a really sweet career with Charlie doing sons and daughters. And then along came the opportunity for Watermark, which may be where a lot of people kind of jump into the story.
and first knew of you. And so you and Nathan formed Watermark and were signed to Michael W. Smith's label, Rocket Town here in Nashville. So tell us a little bit about that season. Yeah, well, it's fun because I've revisited this a lot lately too. But yeah, just kind of the timeframe between Sons and Daughters and Watermark was so like a bloom where you're planted moment because
When we first found out that Michael was starting a label, I had read it in a CCM magazine actually, and it was in our first department, was right when we just got married. I showed Nathan, I was like, do you see this? Like he's starting a label. And of course, you know, we were raised, both of us. We were raised on his music and we just thought, wow, this is incredible, you know? But instead of, you know, let's try to figure out how to move to Nashville and kind of just bust it and like figure it out.
Which is what a lot of people do at that age. Especially in this city. Yeah, that's kind of the norm. But I'm so thankful that the Lord just gave us discernment and wisdom in the moment to just wait because the entry point to that label and watermark is just such a sweet God story. And it's such a testament that His way and His timing is perfect. sometimes it's like, sometimes you might even know it's a yes, but it's like,
but it's not yet. And there's just, there's this, those really that there's such nuance to have like just walking with him and waiting on him. And so it was a little bit of like, it's, it's actually a story that, you know, often when young people ask you like, how did you get started? We'll start telling this story. And they're like, they like just start yawning. It's not like the exciting story that they want to hear. But yeah, it was really just through waiting on the Lord and
At the time Nathan was finishing his actual degree, it took him like seven years because we were, you know, doing church camps and traveling. And even in the fall, we were like doing a lot of traveling in a van and leading worship places. took Nathan a long time to finish. I was teaching preschool at the time. And so, but really the way that it all kind of fell was just that we were invited to come lead at this Bible study called Metro Bible study in Houston. And long story short, an artist,
their first artists actually, Rockatown Records, their first artists came through and sang at that Bible study. Well, the group heard us lead that night, invited us for a meeting. And then of course, I'll never forget that night of just sitting in the little house. It's not too far from where we are with Michael and us playing these songs that you're talking about, you know, that we, you know, had just had already been stirring in us. And, you know, Charlie stayed in Oklahoma, but Nate and I felt
like we were called to keep traveling and that the Lord had something for us beyond where we were in Oklahoma. And so we had kept writing and a lot of these songs, just for a long time, it was like we're writing these songs in our apartment. We're like, what are these for? Like it just felt like there was such depth and it felt like they were even, you know, these kind of...
things that we were stirring in us that it was like, Lord, this feels like it's for something, but it's just like happening in our little apartment, you know? And so a lot of it we couldn't make sense of at the time, but it was so sweet to just be able to like sit with Michael, guy we had admired our whole life and get to play those songs and tell the stories behind them and watch that whole connection happen.
It was just such a beautiful time. in fact, when we signed with them, we still didn't live in Nashville. We were still at the time we were in Houston. And finally the Lord did move us here. But that was just a sweet little, just thing that we can still look back on and still encourage people with of like waiting on the Lord and His timing and how that does, you know, when He does open the door, it's so clear that it's Him. So that was just such a...
That whole season was like that. It's beautiful to look back on. Well, and the beauty of knowing it wasn't that you hustled or pounded the pavement or, know, not that there's anything wrong with hustle, but there's something so sweet about knowing your responsibility was be obedient with what...
God was putting in you and stirring in you. You weren't sure what it was for, but bloom where you're planted, be faithful where you are, because everything is preparation for the next thing. eventually the world would go on and hear those songs, which is amazing. Now, what year was this that you signed with Rocket Town? Yeah, 98. 98.
So in 1998 is where our stories intersect because my Jeff was in the original Passion Band with you and Nathan and so many other people that I shouldn't start naming or I'll forget somebody. But Louis and Shelley Giglio had in 1997 test drove a college
conference. And in 1998 was the first official launch of that conference and all of you guys led worship. And it was the start of something so beautiful. We'd go on. I was the official girlfriend at Passion 99 because Jeff and I had started dating and then we got married that year. And then we did One Day 2000 out on this field. And so you and I had goodness two decades with Passion.
And that is really where you went from, we're kind of writing these songs in our living room and we're not sure what they're for, to now we're starting to see what God's gonna do in a generation through a move of Him, through the obedience of Louie and Shelley and the willingness to create space for God to move. think that's, when I think back to those early days, what was so impactful about Passion,
But you had the interesting female perspective on it all. You were one of very few female vocalists at Passion, and you were able to carry some really, really transformational songs that were still singing, that people are still singing. I would just love to know the difference between what you were saying, traveling around in a van with you and Nathan and Charlie and doing camps.
versus now we're standing in arenas and there's 60,000 college students going hard after the face of God. What was that like? mean, it's a little bit surreal, but speaking of someone who's generally shy and you don't self-promote and you're not big and expressive in that sense, God gave you some really pivotal things to carry in that season. Yeah, I can't help just, I mean, not...
say, like, I remember talking about writing those songs in our little apartment. I'll never forget one afternoon Nathan was just playing something on the piano. It was just an instrumental type thing. And I remember shutting my eyes. I think I was on my knees because we were, I was praying that it was actually the song, Holy Roar. And it wasn't really named Holy Roar yet, but he was playing the intro for that. And I saw, you know, I was
little Baptist girl at the time, visions weren't like something that wasn't something we did. It wasn't normal to me then. But looking back, was like, God gave me a vision. Like, I will never forget, I was on my knees and I saw a stadium full of young people making like a holy roar, like a roar.
And I just started weeping and Nathan didn't even know I was on my knees. He turned around and looked at me was like, are you okay? And I was just like, just tears streaming down my face because as you and I both know me back then, that had never occurred. There were no stadiums filled with young people, you know, worshiping the living God. I believe it was like the Lord gave me a deposit in my heart in those early years of what those songs really were for.
And so again, I think just standing in that moment, was just like when I was little, it was just, it was like, yeah, some of it was do it afraid. I've never done this before. I don't know that I, I've thought about this a lot lately because people have asked me, but just, don't know if I so much thought I'm the only woman doing this or, or, you know, one of few that really didn't.
occurred to me, was more just, I think it was so new to all of us that we, like what was stirring in our hearts at the time wasn't, it's going to be this new genre of music. was like revival and renewal. mean, that is what we were hungry and thirsty for. so it wasn't, wow, I'm getting to be the first, one of the first women to do this. was just like, God, what are you?
doing like, my goodness, like, we're so humbled to get to be a part of what you're doing. And so I think that was what was so incredible to us. And that was the prayer. It was like, Lord, you know, show us what you are already doing and, and, then help us to like align ourselves in orbit around you and what you are doing. And I think through that kind of heart posture in those early years, because
You and I, you know, we were in the backstage moments where we were taking communion and we were prepping to be on stage and praying and many times on our faces or knees. was just those moments of, we really wanted God's glory to fall in a way that changed the trajectory of those students' lives. And I believe that happened over and over because our lives and our, the trajectory of our lives were changed because of it. And that,
We never took that lightly. It was always just like, wow, we are getting to lead the next generation. We are getting to help, you know, ask God for songs that would be in the mouths of His people, especially that age group of, you know, 18 to 25, and just how life-changing it can be. Like, the right song in the right mouth, I really believe, can change the world. And we were able to just...
be vessels of that happening year after year. And we still to this day just, it was just such an honor and a privilege to get to be a part of that. I mean, obviously, passion is still going strong. But it is rare that you get to be on the front end of something so dynamic and transformational in a generation. And we got to do that. And I think there is not much about my life that
isn't impacted because of that season. And like I said, that would be a two decade long season. So along in there, we also got Noah and Ellie and Annie Rose. You and I have three kids and we have three kids the same ages. So you have boy, girl, girl, and I have girl, boy, girl. But our youngest two daughters, Annie Rose and Allie have
really done their whole lives together. They actually were in preschool together. And we were just saying before we hit record that we've got a picture of them in caps and gowns at their preschool graduation. And little did we know that come next May, we will have pictures of them together at their high school graduation, because they are in school together as we speak. So it has been a sweet season. Tell us a little bit about Noah, Ellie and Annie Rose.
Yeah, my goodness. Well, we always say that they are our favorite adventure. We just, we not only love them, but like we really, I know you feel the same about yours, but we just really like, we like our kids. It's just such a joy to get to still sit around a table with them and just be able to talk to them and be able to like enjoy.
each other's company and Noah is 23 now. He's living here in Nashville, which we love. And so it's, it's fun to have them, you know, where they can still come to dinner, you know, and, and get to wash and dryer every once in a while. then Ellie is 21 now and she's in town as well, which is just such a gift. And then as you said, Annie is a senior.
this year, And we're all creatives, all five. So Lord help us. are, I think, you know, often our kids will say, you know, they're like, you know, like we're weird, right? Like our family's weird. We're like, what? You know, and then, you know, the more I've...
just that they have friends and they go to their friends' houses or they're dating someone and they go to their house and it's like, I think we really are kind of weird, but we are very quiet. You know, our house is just, it's quiet. Very quiet, very peaceful. But we love loud people. I mean, we don't, we're not looking for everyone to just be like us. We like loud people and we enjoy that as well, but we do, laugh a lot of just how.
Similar, we all are in a lot of ways. just, so Noah's in full-time music. Eliana paints like she's 70. I say that just because of her skill. Like she paints like she's been doing it that long. Like she's just so beyond gifted. She creates, right now she's working for us too. She does graphic design and she just created this thing even for Nathan has, my husband has a new instrumental project coming out and she just.
know, whip together some comps and we were just like, they're stunning. Yes. And then yeah, Annie Rose, she's just kind of a mix of all of it. Like she, she, her, she has this voice. my goodness. Can play and sing. And so yeah, it's just, it's so much fun. I, know, we just led together out of the church for Mother's Day, which I kind of can't believe I said yes to being my first Mother's Day without my mom, but it was just such a comfort.
to have them with us and up on the stage. you know, we told the people right before we sang, I just said, I just want y'all to know we're a very normal family. We have to have hard conversations. We still have teachable moments. But what I did say was that we are genuinely having conversations where we are looking to Jesus together. Like, it's like, okay, let's, okay, we've talked about that. That's hard. Okay, let's look.
to Jesus together and that is very precious to have that. So good. I want to take you back to 2008. you were on tour with Chris Tomlin at the time and you decided to just blog during the tour. And you know, you and I had known each other, like I said, in the backstage moments and the we're all here at Passion Together moments, but
I was, Jeff and I were living in California at the time and I was still working for passion doing registration for all the conferences, but I was a young mom and I had littles and obviously your kids were the same age. And so you were out on tour and you decided to blog. And so each night you'd come back to the bus and you'd just blog about the day and say something profound. And I would just sit in front of my laptop.
crying and Jeff's like, what is happening to my wife? And I just was like, I've just never heard somebody like put language around this season, but the tensions of it and the push and the pull. And so we then had an opportunity at one of the next Passion Events for me to just tell you that.
You have talked publicly about it, but you also told me, and so I'd love for you to tell everyone about what Lauren Chandler said to you and spoke over you that is so helpful for all of us, no matter our season. This isn't just about moms with young kids, but whatever season we're in, this principle of
concentric circles and the bullseye. So just talk a little bit about what she said to you. But then the way you have just seen God kind of expand that in your life. Yeah. Well, again, it's kind of funny. It's just two Baptist girls with like a vision that we didn't really know what to do with. But like I had led one night in Texas and she came up to me afterwards and she was like, you're going to think I'm really weird because we didn't know each other that well. This was like when we, I mean, was,
20 years ago, probably. she said, I'm being obedient right now, but she was like, as you were leading, every time I shut my eyes, she said, I saw a bull's eye in concentric circles. And I was just kind of like, okay. And she said, and then Philippians two, I have no idea. She was like, but I just feel like you should take that to the Lord. And so I said, okay, I'll do it.
Well, fast forward like a few weeks, maybe, maybe a couple of months. I'm not sure the timeframe, but I was home, you know, taking care of littles in the middle of everything, probably like, truthfully, like, between trips. I was like between tour dates and trying to clean the house, you know, just repack, do all the things. I was upstairs and I was cleaning a toilet of all things, the most mundane task ever. And I don't know how to explain it, but I sense that the Lord was just
there. I mean, with me, he's always with us, but like, it was, it was more than ever. And I just had this ache. I'll never forget. And that moment was just like, I want to come home. I want to, at the time it was, I want to come off the road and I wish, you know, I could be more grounded here. I wish I could be, a better mom. just remember there was this ache. I wanted to be able to be more present with my kids and
I remember the kids were napping. went downstairs. I sat at my farm table that I still have to this day, and I just sat there quiet. was like, okay, Lord, I know you are here and you are speaking to me. And I did that thing where you let your Bible fall open. And I just let it, I let it fall open. And of course it fell open to Psalm 37. the, the, then the verse how I was saved when I was seven, I like to say that he brought me back to my gospel story in that moment.
So I read verse four, know, delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart. And then that verse that changed it all so many years ago, commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. And then it goes on to say, He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn and the justice of your cause like the noon day sun. And as soon as I read that, I remember just the word give jumped out on the page at me like I'd never seen it before. And it was like twofold. It was like,
for the first time I saw it as like, will show you what your desires are. He will give you the desires of your heart. And then I also saw it as he's also the fulfillment of those desires. And so it was like twofold. It was like he's the instiller and the fulfiller. And I'd never seen it like that before. There was just like this fullness. And then I'll never forget him saying, Christy, do you trust me with your cause?
And at that time in my life, could truly say that like, talk about hustling. I got into a place where I really wanted so much to make the Lord known through my music. But that began, you know, that turned into a lot of touring, a lot of running, a lot of calendar dates, like just, you know, because it was like, this is what I'm supposed to do, you know? And I could honestly say in that season, like I knew how to sing for him, but I didn't really know how to just sit with the Lord.
I didn't know how to receive. had really started to get my career entangled with my identity. And the Lord wanted to bring me home, not just physically, but it was truly, I think that ache to come off the road was an ache to come home to His heart and learn how to be His beloved, like learn how to be His kid, His daughter. And so it was this...
beautiful moment and I remember just sitting there and he said, Christy, just hit the bullseye. He was like, if you just hit the bullseye with me, and I really do believe if I could just say, you know, there's a lot of words I could put there, but if it's just abide, just come abide. If you hit the bullseye with me, I will take care of all the outer rings of your life and I will show you my glory. And I'll never forget just like being stunned and sitting there with him. Of course, like,
you know, I wrote about this, ended up writing about it a lot of years later. And what I love about the book really is it's called the life you long for learning to live from a heart of rest. And what I love about it and what I loved about writing it is that it's really a reflection of how he did just that of how when I chose the bullseye who is him really, and just to abide in him, the book is really all the ways that he really did.
show up in the outer rings of my life in ways that like, of course he's showing up in the bullseye, but I mean, I'm telling you like he orchestrated things that I could have never even, I wasn't dreaming big enough. I found that out. And then just watching him open doors and show up in those places in ways that I never could have arranged for myself. And I think there's a lot of ways, even, even now,
you know, that I will find myself arranging things for myself or I will find myself back in the outer rings and just kind of hustling. And sometimes that happens a couple of times a day. But what's so beautiful since that season is the Lord has just taught me to just come right back, to come right back to His heart, come right back to the bull's eye. And yeah, beautiful disruption of my life that I'm most grateful for. Well, because it's counterintuitive to think.
Okay, God's made me to write and sing songs and lead people, so I'm gonna come off the road and drive a minivan and clean my toilet and order chicken nuggets and all the things. you know, He will then do what He desires. When you just pay attention to the bullseye, it has been transformational for me.
you guys want to get Christy's book, it will be in the show notes for sure because she does a beautiful job of just walking you through what it looks like to find the glorious in the mundane of life. She's got a podcast, The Glorious and the Mundane. You should listen to every episode. Her singing voice and her speaking voice will soothe your soul.
And of course all of the music that she and Nathan and Passion and Sons and Daughters and Charlie Hall have done over the years. It's all worth your time. As we get to the end, I'd just love to talk about your sweet mama. I love her. I've lost my dad, as you know, and so any time you lose a parent, everything about your life is marked and different.
going forward from there. Nothing is ever the same again. But the title of the podcast is Everything Made Beautiful. And I know that you have seen ways that God is making what was so hard in losing your mom to cancer beautiful, even already. But I also know that the veil is really thin when we have somebody on the other side of it already who we love so dearly.
I'd just love for you to talk a little bit about your mom and her legacy and what God has been doing in you and cultivating in you through that journey of her loss. Yeah, my goodness. I'll never forget sitting, Noah was actually at the piano, which I think I have it recorded actually. I just pushed record as he was playing and I needed to write something because my dad had asked each of us kids.
to share something at her celebration service. And as Noah was playing, it just felt like it was so easy for me to see the things that were her legacy. so they quickly came to me in that moment. And the first one is seek first the kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you like that.
if I could say even one thing about her life, like I saw her live that. you know, as we talked about before, just any time there was any kind of direction, she was pointing me to the Word of God. She was pointing me to this unseen kingdom, you know, that I belonged to. And then the second one was see the needs of others and respond. And I can't tell you how many times when I was little, of little
kind of adventures I went on with her of people in our church that she knew had needs. And one little girl I remember for Easter, she always made my Easter dress, but one year we made, she made an Easter dress for a little girl in our church and I got to go with her to like measure her. You know, we kind of asked what fabric she liked and I got to watch my dress come to being, but like also this little girl's dress and I got to help deliver it.
the night, this Sunday, or the Saturday before Easter. And then the last one is, suffer well for the kingdom of God and for the glory of God. And I'll never forget when she called me to tell me that the cancer diagnosis was for sure. And it was almost like in one breath she told me and she said, but I was reading this morning that this is the day that the Lord has made.
and we will rejoice and be glad in it." And she began to say, you know, it doesn't say, it's not talking about yesterday, it's not talking about tomorrow, it's talking about today. And she said, that includes this day. And God knew all those, you know, all those years ago, even before I was born, like the day, she's like, all my days are numbered. You know, He is my portion. I know that He loves me. I'm in His hands. Like she was just preaching to me on the phone.
And I watched her carry that out through her entire battle and watched her worship till the very last day. I watched her rejoice and be glad. There were so many times where she could have complained and I just, I never saw it. And it was beautiful to watch someone and what a precious legacy to suffer.
suffer well. Yeah, there's a holiness to suffering well. My dad was exactly the same. I never saw a minute of complaint. know, Parkinson's and all of its things are brutal. But he never complained. But I got a little mouthy about it, I will confess. But I remember saying, you know, just my frustrations at God choosing this way with my dad. And he said,
Shannon, if this is how God has ordained that He gets the most glory from my life, then so be it. And I never said another complaining word because what an example. Yeah, it's incredible. And your mom was the same way. I can't remember what we were doing at your house or while we were all there. Maybe something from Molly, I'm not sure. But she came up to me and she was so much shorter than me and just tucked right in the hug. she said,
Christy just loves you. And I said, I just love her and I just love you. But I know I'm so grateful that she is healed and whole and rejoicing. And Christy McClellan was on the podcast and talking about losing her dad and she said, we're closer to them. We're not further now, we're closer to them because we will see them.
soon and so everything is heading toward them. They're not behind us, which I thought was sweet and I've just been mulling that. Thank you for sharing about your mom. I honor her and I honor you and the way that you honor her so well. So I'm grateful for her legacy in you as well. And so now you've decided to release a record.
You know, why not? And so the great thing about this record is it's kind of a throwback of the classics. So a lot that we've talked about from the various seasons at Passion and even before that, what made you want to kind of go back and revisit all the sweet things that God has done musically with you and Nathan?
Yeah, well it's funny, a lot of our friends are kind of, this is happening in a lot of people's lives right now as songwriters is that we're just, we're all getting reflective. And I think it's because, you know, movements I think have like an arc and I think we really are seeing, I think there's a new sound coming. I think that there is like just all of you know, that, that place of like,
that longing for renewal and revival. I know that that is happening again in hearts and especially songwriters. And it's beautiful to think like what even is coming. I think there's a new sound that happens with that longing. And that makes me excited. But I think even for us, we know that there's new music coming. But there's something so precious about pausing. I think coming around it with gratitude of what all
like, look how you've led us this far Lord, like is this Ebenezer moment for us? We started having this idea stirring before my mom even got sick this last time. And so she was doing really well. And we had even thought like, we'd want my mom and dad to be there. You know, we wanted to do like a live actually like a community kind of a thing where we all come together. We do this live record. Well, of course that didn't happen. And the Lord had other plans. But the
but we still decided to move forward with just pulling together some of the songs that meant the most to us. And, we've been doing this long enough where we've already done some of these records. mean, we've already, like for the Watermark record, we've already done a record that like reflected on five albums as Watermark. But so it was sweet to just kind of pick some. There was one like, Lord, I need you that I'd never recorded, but I wrote on. And so it was fun to just, you know,
commemorate things like that and even had, you know, Chris Tomlin come lead with me, Matt Maher and then Stephanie Gretzinger and had some just, you know, fellow worship leaders, friends just come join us. And it's just been beautiful. Like I said, when I first sat down, it's just a time of reflection, especially with losing my mom. And it's been a beautiful pause before the new comes and
Yeah, it's also been sweet to hear the stories of how these songs met people a long time ago and how they're meeting people now. And then even that they're new to some people. One of Annie's friends, our youngest, told me, know, her friend has been listening to Captivatus and they'd never heard it before. And she was like, yeah, I listened to it all night. Annie's on that one. Her voice is on that song. And I just thought how precious, you know, like.
an 18 year old is listening to that song for the first time. So that's been like really fun. Yeah, that's so sweet. Yeah, my daughter, listen, Christy Nockels sings Ali Scott to sleep every night. She plays the lullaby record on repeat all night long. Amazing. So yeah, well, I'm just I'm so grateful for you. I'm grateful for our beach trips and our hangs at Keepers Branch, which is what we affectionately call your home.
your investment in me and your, like I said at the beginning, your stewarding of your gift. And you are one of the gifts from the Lord that I am grateful for often and out loud. And thank you for letting this loud person be in the Nockels orbit, because we loud people like to come into the peace and tranquility.
I'm actually very introverted and quiet at home as well, but our personalities are definitely yin and yang in some ways and exactly the same in others. So thank you for doing this. I'm so thankful to you. Okay. So the question, are you ready? This I ask all the guests. Okay. If you could design your perfect, beautiful day, what would it look like from start to finish? my goodness.
Okay, so I think I've definitely experienced all these things. I just don't think I've ever experienced them all in one together. Great. Okay, so. Yeah, there's no limits, by the way. Like if you, another guest had a gluten allergy, but she doesn't in her perfect day. So it is whatever you want it to be. Okay, so I think that, so one of my favorite things, this is so random, but I think breakfast out at some kind of just great little
breakfast place that has like really great little coffee cups. There's something about getting your coffee away, like, but you're with a mug. Yes. It's not a plastic or a paper cup. Yes. There's just something about that with having like your little sugar. I was just in England and I mean, this is everywhere. So you're just a little sugar and everything's an experience when you're sitting down to have your coffee. Love that. And then I think it would definitely include my family, but also just my soul friends. And you are one of those people.
us being like away together. think somewhere where there's like beach and mountains, which Cape Town is the only place, Cape Town, South Africa, that's probably, that's one of my favorite places I've ever been where you could, it's like they have vineyards, they have beach, they have mountains. It's probably a little too far. So maybe like the Caymans, mean, there's some kind of like.
Yeah, was thinking even like Mendocino in California, like there's some cliffs on some beaches. Yeah, we can we can definitely work it out. Yes, but definitely like just time with my soul friends. You know that I love. I don't love restaurants at night. I would love either. You know, we love to cook when we go on our trips like that, like companionable silence when you're just like cutting veggies. You got some music going. Cook a meal, share a meal together around the table.
And then this is like a little like a zinger, but like a horse ride, a horseback ride in the sunset. And then just probably like a great like Jane Austen film just to like snuggle in. Yes. 830. Yes. just took has introduced me to all the Deepfeeler films that I wouldn't have watched. on our trips, now all in on the Jane Austen type.
genre of films. So that sounds like a perfect, beautiful day. I'm excited for when we create it. It's possible. Everything in that is possible. Totally. I the horse thing's a little out there, but it could happen. It could happen. Yeah. Well, thank you, CNock I love you. listener, viewer, I hope that you have been encouraged.
There's so much wisdom here. Christy is a fount of deep wisdom from the Lord. And so I highly recommend that you internalize it, pay attention to that bullseye, do things that you're afraid of, but that you know you're supposed to do. Trust that the Lord, when you commit your way to Him, that He will establish it, that He will make the justice of your cause shine like the noonday.
and he does that better than any hustle on our part could ever hope to obtain. I also hope you will be finding all of the ways that God is continually, purposefully making everything beautiful. We will see you next time.