I was born in York, PA, the fifth child of Lloyd and Peggy Heiges. I grew up in a small (technically 2 bedrooms with an attic and 1 bathroom) duplex. That is where my sanctification process started! (Fortunately, being the “baby” of the family, by the time I was 15, I only had to share the bathroom with my parents.) We always went to church as a family, and, when I was five, I very naturally made the decision to believe that Jesus' death on the cross was sufficient payment for my many sins, and I started on the wild ride of a personal relationship with Him then that continues to this day.
The other life-changing event that happened when I was five was that our family started a band. My dad and one of my brothers played guitars and sang; my mom and one of my sisters and I just sang (although I later took up the maracas!). We were called, unceremoniously, The Lloyd Heiges Family Gospel Singers. Ever heard of us? Didn't think so. My father was a prolific writer, having penned close to five hundred songs, and we were able to minister using his original music. It was very evident that my dad was grateful for the way God saved him, a sinner, by sending His only Son to die on a cruel cross for someone like him. That showed up in almost all of his songs. Regarding our style, dad called it gospel; I call it country. Whatever it was, God used this music to minister to people from all walks of life. And I do mean ALL walks. Our first booking was the New Year's Eve service of a tiny church in Brickerville, PA, that didn't even have indoor plumbing at the time. Seeing the looks on the people's faces as we sang that night, and hearing their comments afterward, I became “hooked” on music ministry from then on. For the next ten years, we traveled around to nursing homes, rescue missions, churches, and hymnsings. If you don't know what “hymnsings” are, the best way I can describe them would be to liken them to a Christian southern-gospel Woodstock . We even had the privilege to videotape a Christmas concert for our local television station. What a unique environment to be brought up in! To me, it seemed so ordinary—some families bowl together and our family sings together. As I look back on that time, however, I am so thankful for all the time we spent encouraging people to walk with God through the avenue of music.
Despite the ways I saw God working through my family when we sang, I failed to see how He could work in and through me on a day-to-day basis. I didn't want to be “different” and cringed from the teasing I got for being a “Jesus freak” and a “holy roller” at school, so I sadly decided to keep that part of my life very private by the time I reached high school. I worshiped the approval of my friends more than I worshiped my Savior (Rom 1:25) and I spent those years involved in selfish pursuits and just trying to fit in and be “popular”. However, after I sang a solo in church one Sunday, an elderly couple who used to sing regularly at local crusades “back in the day” came up to me and said something I'll never forget. “Isn't it much more meaningful to sing for the Lord than it is to just sing secular songs?” I just stood there, nodding, knowing in my heart that what they said was true, but feeling hypocritical for secretly wanting to be the next Pat Benatar.
God mercifully continued to call me back to Himself and, while in college at West Chester University He pointed me in the direction of the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. It was there that I learned that God wanted ALL of me, not just what I could give on a Sunday morning or during times of desperation. I learned about spending time daily with Him, about developing a prayer life, and about letting that spill over into telling others about Him. I also saw college students really worshipping God with hip worship music and guitars! (I came from a more traditional church that used an organ only.) I learned so many great life-lessons there both from the day-to-day interaction on campus, helping with worship-leading, as well as through retreats and conferences. I also met my future husband, Joe, through my involvement in that ministry.
After college, I went on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and spent some time working on the campus of Towson State University and met some great people there, both staff and students. Then, Joe and I got married in 1991 and two years later, God led Joe to go to Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA. All the while, God was working in and through me at our local church. I learned much about worship through serving on a worship team, working for the worship leader as his assistant, and directing women's and children's worship. It was during this time that God began to speak to me about making a CD and possibly using that CD to minister to others in a more personal way.
Through a series of events that can only be attributed to God's hand leading us, we moved to back to Joe's hometown in New Jersey and became reacquainted with Joe's best friend from high school, Jerry Gaffney. Jerry just “happened” to have a recording studio in his house and he graciously offered to record me. This website and CD are the results of God's leading in my life and teaching me to submit to His voice and guiding hand. This project was five years in the making. Five years of learning about the recording process and learning how to watch God take my weaknesses and work through them to show me His strength. Sometimes, I just sit back and laugh at how little there truly is of “me” in this project. There were times when I'd have an idea about a song, and sit down and just watch the lyrics and melody pour out and say, “Wow! That is such a great song! I can't even take credit for writing it—I just wrote down what I heard in my head!” There were times when I was so sick I could barely sing, but I'd walk in the studio on faith alone and I would miraculously feel better for the time it took to record a song. There were times when all I had were words and a melody—not even a chord chart—and Jerry and the Lord would turn it into a great song! There were times when I didn't know who I would ask to perform certain tasks for this CD and God would lead me to the right people who had a desire to help me.
I continue to see God's hand working in my life, not just in the musical arena, but also in the day-to-day routine. God has showed me that how I view my life is essential to my walk with God. If I can see God's hand in everything and if I can trust Him for the results, I can continue to learn more about His character and how He can change mine. Besides countless talks with my husband who serves in a biblical counseling ministry (check out the website: www.godchangeslives.org ), I have found Jerry Bridges' book, “Trusting God” to be very helpful. I have been a wife for 14 years now and He is constantly teaching me how to love and serve my husband better. God has led me to develop strong honest relationships with other women that involve us sharing our observations of each other and encouraging each other in our areas of weakness. I also highly recommend Martha Peace's book, “The Excellent Wife” and Carolyn Mahaney's book, “Feminine Appeal” for anyone needing guidance in that area. I am a mother to ten- and seven-year-old girls and a four-year-old boy. One of the greatest books I've read on parenting is Ted Tripp's book, “Shepherding a Child's Heart”. This provided some of the inspiration for the song, “Little For Awhile”. I'm planning on re-reading Paul David Tripp's book, “Age of Opportunity”, now that my oldest is entering that almost-teen age. I have also been homeschooling for the past five years and, despite my previous assumptions that one must be very smart and organized to homeschool, God is showing me that He indeed can even work through me as He teaches me how to rely on Him and refine my character in areas where I am lacking. God has given me the desire to work on memorizing scripture and I have noticed that when I have those great pearls of wisdom tucked away, God uses them to correct me when I am in error. I'll hear Him remind me to “bear with one another in love” (Eph. 4) or “love is not easily angered.”(I Cor. 13) I'd like to close this testimony with another of those pearls of wisdom that God is using to renew my mind.
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Col. 3:1-4)
Grace be with you,
