Christian singer-songwriter Jason Gray to perform Thursday

Christian singer-songwriter Jason Gray to perform Thursday

PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — American contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Jason Gray will perform in concert, Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Ludington, 5810 Bryant Road.

Admission is free. A free will offering will be taken.

The southwestern Minnesota native was a youth pastor before going into music ministry in 1999. He signed with Centricity Music in 2006 and has been releasing records since. He moved to Nashville in 2015.

Gray has won two ASCAP Performance Awards for “More Like Falling In Love” (2011) and “Good to Be Alive” (2012).

He has shared the stage with major artists such as Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman and Sanctus Real. His first No. 1 single, “Nothing Is Wasted”, spent nine weeks on the top spot on the Soft AC Chart in 2013.

In January, Gray released a new single, “Be Kind,” that he told TheChristianBeat.org is one of his favorites because of its “message, ‘80’s vibe, the friends I wrote and recorded it with.”

“I’ve had the opportunity to hear Jason in concert several times over the years. What always strikes me every time is how vulnerable, tender, and hopeful he is. His songs make being human a beautiful thing and God’s grace a present reality. I hope that everyone who attends the concert will leave inspired.” said the Rev. Hillary Thurston-Cox, UMC of Ludington pastor.

Gray, who has worked to control a stuttering problem, told one interviewer, playing guitar and singing made it easier to communicate the messages from his heart.

“When I sing, it automatically clears up, and the idea behind that is that when you sing, you automatically breathe properly. You’re (communicating) from a different part of your brain,” Gray told the East Idaho News. “I could sing everything, but I think that would be more awkward than the actual speech handicap, so I just (embrace) the speech handicap.”

He said that wasn’t easy or natural and it took years for him to determine stuttering is an asset to reach people in a way few can.

“Maybe this thing I’ve always imagined is a liability is really a gift,” he told the interviewer. “Maybe God doesn’t intend to heal me of my speech impediment, but maybe he intends to bring healing to others through it.”