We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tori Gay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tori, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
More than once, I’ve been told that I’m backwards. When I got started in ministry, I had no business being in ministry, but thankfully, the Lord can change us in unimaginable ways.
Being in ministry is an honor, but with it comes great responsibility…to God, to do the work He’s called you to; to others, to be a close representation of Jesus; to yourself, to always be growing, spiritually. When I began this ministry journey in 2005, I was ready to do the work, but representing Jesus needed some attention, and spiritual growth was basically non-existent, even though I’d been saved for about 20 years. In a detail-laden turn of events, which I’ll bypass, the Lord put me into a place where my spiritual growth exploded. I literally couldn’t believe the person He was changing me into!
As someone in the music ministry, I go to different venues and sing. I talk a little, but mostly, people are there for the music. So, as a singer, you want to use the songs to get your message across to people. How do you do that? You *communicate* the song. And in order to communicate that song, you have to have confidence and self-esteem. Otherwise, you’re merely singing some words to the audience. When I started, I had neither. I was just throwing words at the listeners. But when God changed my circumstances and I started really growing as a Christian, confidence and self-esteem were two of the characteristics that I developed. (Side note – lacking in those areas was related to being a people-pleaser.) As I spent more time with the Bible, naturally, my relationship with God became stronger. I began to realize that God had given my life this purpose of telling others about Him, and that gave me greater confidence as a communicator and more self-esteem as a person. It didn’t happen overnight, though! It was definitely a process. And, of course, getting in front of people over and over helped those things to evolve. So, even though I started out backwards, it’s all worked out pretty well.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
What do I do? Well, the short version is this – I share Jesus through music and laughter!
I’ll never get over the fact that I’ve been called to a public platform of telling people about Jesus, it bewilders me. When I do a program, I just want to help people forget about the world, for a little while. Music, in general, is a healer, but when you’re reminding people that there is peace, hope, and joy available to them, that just adds an extra layer to that healing! I try to have a good mix of songs the audience would know and some originals that they probably haven’t heard. But before I come out, my friend Lula Bell makes her entrance. She talks a lot about being old and being Southern, because that’s what she knows. It’s a good way to loosen up a new group of people. And let’s not forget that laughter is the best medicine!
My overall ministry has changed so much in the past 18+ years! Singing was first, but then came songwriting (other writings, too) and comedy. Over the last several years, I’ve tried to be more intentional with encouragement, because that’s something we all need! I’m getting ready to add some other components that I think will be helpful to others.
This year has already brought some bigger steps for the ministry, and I’m so grateful! A few months ago, I released a hymns album that I recorded at Daywind Studios, in Nashville. Just getting to be in the studio where so much great Gospel music has been captured was a years-old dream! Let’s top that off with my producer having worked with ELVIS! And, after years of attending the National Quartet Convention, this will be my first year to really be involved in it – I’m part of the Saturday morning lineup for the convention’s Artist Showcase series! Another years-old dream! While I am beyond grateful for these things, I want to share them to encourage others! Follow God, trust His plan for your life, share Him with your world, and just enjoy the journey!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Realness…Whatever you’re pursuing, be yourself with people. Don’t try to be someone you’re not in order to get bookings, or sales, or anything else you have to offer. Whether you’re in ministry or not, people want to deal with genuine people.
Communication…Again, you don’t have to be in ministry for this to be an asset. Communication is valuable from your home life to as far as you can go in life. Get your point across, anticipate questions, don’t leave room for assumption, etc – communication means more than one thing.
Learn from others…Self-explanatory. Take the knowledge you can get from others who’ve been doing what you want to do and make it your own. Never try to emulate somebody, just pick attributes from different ones, meld them together, and create something that is yours. And learn from their mistakes, too!
How would you describe your ideal client?
I’ve gotten to go to a lot of different places with this ministry – churches, retirement homes, Senior Adult groups, festivals, benefits, etc. (Surprisingly, I’ve been asked about bringing Lula Bell to a children’s camp!) Even though the venues and time slots were different, what I share when I go is always the same, Gospel music and comedy (after Lula Bell joined me). If you contact me to come, you’re getting music about Jesus and the Christian life and comedy that’s centered around Southern Seniors, lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.torigay.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/tori_gay_
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/torigaymin
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/torigayministries
- Other: Spotify iTunes Apple Music Amazon Music Pandora …and more
Image Credits
Pat Hutchings Betty Jones Mary Anne Johnson
