Artist: Ian Zumback
Song/Video: Arise
Album: Arise Single
Upcoming News/Projects:
Ian is going to Nashville in March 2014 to record an EP (for Spring 2014 release) with Daniel Ornellas (Worship Republic, Brenton Brown, Tree63). Ian just launched an IndieGoGo campaign with a difference to fund his new worship record and you can find out much more about that here. He’ll also be touring regionally leading up to the recording as well to support the project.
Daniel Ornellas, formerly a part of the group Tree63, recently talked a bit more about Ian Zumback’s upcoming worship album…
When I began to write the lyrics for “Arise,” my family was facing the most challenging season of our lives. I remember asking God – “why are You allowing this to happen to us?” In those moments of prayer I began to reflect on prayers that my wife Susan and I would pray early on in our Christianity. One of the more regular prayers that we would pray would be, “God use our lives, use our marriage, use our family to glorify Your Name.” I used to think of God’s glory as this sort of weighty presence, mystical sort of experience – and at times the Bible indicates a manifest presence that can be identified as the glory of God. It has been my personal experience that in addition to that glory, that God’s glory shines bright when He takes and redeems impossible situations by working in and through people to bring hope and possibility. Charles Spurgeon said when a jeweler shows his best diamonds, he sets them against the dark velvet to bring out the luster. I started to understand that God’s glory shines brighter, when He contrasts His redemption and salvation against a backdrop of loss and impossibility. And for me personally, if I began to catch a glimpse of what God was doing in my personal situation from His perspective – He was honoring the prayers that I prayed by allowing for this situation to be a set up to glorify Himself in the outcome. Trust me, I’m not discounting the pain that I felt – but what was seemingly hopeless and dead – God was breathing life and hope in to me through the processing of my pain in developing a lyric. As the song was developing, Hurricane Sandy was hitting New York (my home state) and bringing terrible devastation and loss to so many people.
As I was watching the aftermath and responses of people, though the devastation was great; God was using the situation to draw a rich quality of community building and love among people. God was able to take a tragedy and bring people together, to work together to accomplish a common goal in rebuilding what was lost; comforting others; and bearing one another’s burdens.
It helped inspire me to break through a writer’s block and finish co-writing the song with my wife. I decided quickly that though I was restricted to be able to go to downstate to help directly with the relief efforts, I wanted to do something for my fellow New Yorkers – so I recorded the song with intent to release as a single to help in any relief efforts that I could.
I was approached by one of my pastors to develop a video for the song so we made arrangements to shoot a video. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 4 And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:4 AMP). I spent much of my life not living for Christ, and as a result damaged the fiber of the community that I lived in. When I came to faith in Jesus, I wanted to help rebuilding and strengthening the community I lived in with God’s help. When praying about the direction for the video, I had an idea that I wanted to meet members of my community, share what God had put on my heart to do, and distribute the ‘I love NY’ buttons as a representation that we were standing together with our fellow New Yorkers as members of a community in these trying and difficult times. I had the wonderful privilege of meeting a lot of members of the city that I live in, and share the love that Jesus has for New York and for them. It was a great experience. I hope that inspired hope and possibility in those that viewed it.
Ian Zumback Bio (from artist):
I have a ‘Saul to Paul’ kind of story, with a musical twist.
I had a passion for music from a very early age. I started learning to play the guitar when I was 8 years old. By age 11 I had formed my first band and at age 15, released my first recording with a hardcore band that was picked up by a hardcore label in Albany, NY and released on a 3 band compilation. I continued to perform, songwrite, and record with hardcore bands. At times, I’d tour as a roadie for various regional hardcore acts in the northeast and midwest. Though I had a passion for music, eventually it became a coping mechanism for stuff I was going through personally at home. So as I was processing hurts through music, writing and performing became a vehicle for pride, self indulgence, and sin. After years of doing it, I felt empty and purposeless on the inside, though on the outside I was wearing a mask to protect myself from seeming vulnerable and weak. After years of trying to satisfy a desire to find purpose and direction, and as I was feeling personal strains in my now married life; I was open to an invitation from a friend of my wife’s to attend a church service. It wasn’t long after that I had a life changing experience, and realized my need for a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
Since surrendering my life to Jesus Christ, I have found the purpose and direction that I longed for, especially in the area of music. I used to promote myself. Now I want to promote Jesus in my life and in my music.
I currently serve as worship leader for Real Hope Ministries in Glens Falls NY, and am happily married to my lovely and supportive wife, Susan; and happily fathering my awesome son, Jonah.
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