Steph Andrews: Musician/Author Explains How Faith Inspires Work

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, welcome to the show, to all my listeners in the United States and around the world. Hey, we have 2 new countries. Well, one is a territory, Gibraltar, but we also have Egypt. So you know what I say, if there's only one person listening to this show, only one, you can make a difference in the lives of other people with disabilities. So You know, spread the news. Anyone English speaking, they can listen to the show also, and you will help them to understand it doesn't matter where you live in the world, never be ashamed. You're living with a disability. You all know I live with epilepsy and I'm hard of hearing, and I can tell you right now, I am not ashamed at all, and neither should you be. Also, hey, Richard Roberts, I know you're in the United States now, but you soon will be off to Brazil. Richard is with the State Department. And if an embassy is approached somewhere in the world by people from the country saying, "Hey, we need help." We need to meet someone that understands the employment of people with disabilities. I am frequently asked to go. So I've been for a week to South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Panama, and I'll be going this year to Brazil with Richard. So let me come back to Richard. He is a true dynamo. He is with the State Department. He is fantastic. I met him first in South Korea, then in Japan, and oh my, he is all about disability rights. And so is Gang Yong Cho in South Korea, my friend who is also with the State Department. And across the world, everyone I work with, with the State Department, is working to help people with disabilities. So, you know, kudos off to them. And I also have to give a shout out to Yoshiko Dart. If you're in the disability community, all you have to say is Yoshiko and everyone knows who you are talking to. And she has frequently been on the stage with different presidents or acknowledged by the president. She is the wife of the late Justin Dart Jr., who lived with polio and became the number one disability rights leader. Hey, he was a Jeopardy question. So, you know, when you become a Jeopardy question, I always say, okay, that's it, you've made it. But let me tell you about Yoshiko. She cares about high school students with disabilities. And you know, her and Justin, you know they're saying, "Lead on, lead on, no matter what." And Yoshiko, I know you are listening to this right now in D.C. and shouting back as loud as you can, and you know I love you. And Highmark. Highmark is the sponsor of this radio show, and this is our 20th year. Can you believe I've been on the air for 20 years? So thank you. I have such great listeners, um, and I've got to tell you, oh my goodness, like, I am so excited about our guest today, who is a writer, a worship leader, a songwriter songwriter, and when I said writer, I mean author, author of a book. She is a real dynamo, and what an honor it is to have an up-and-coming superstar in contemporary music, Steph Andrews. Steph, welcome to the show.

Thank you, thank you so much for having me.

Uh, well, let me just tell you, anytime she's singing anywhere in the Pittsburgh region, I'll be letting my listeners know. You will see what I mean. Oh my goodness, she has the most beautiful voice, and she's beautiful inside and out. She is just— oh, you don't want to miss out on hearing Steph Andrews. So Steph, As you just heard me say, I have listeners around the world, and often they will say, hey, tell me about that person, like where did they grow up, you know, where'd they go to school, uh, what do they do now. So how about if you share a little bit about yourself, your family, with our listeners?

Yeah. Well, first of all, thank you for that intro. Goodness, I feel like I need to bring you to every show I do to do the intro. I feel so honored by that. Yeah, so I grew up in Lancaster, PA, which is close to Philadelphia. Most people know it as like the Amish community. I did not grow up in the Amish community, but as soon as I say Lancaster, people always associate it with the Amish community. So I grew up in Lancaster. With my mom and dad and my younger brother, a ton of extended family. We'll probably talk more about that in a bit as I just talk about growing up with music. But yeah, it was a great place to grow up. I was super involved in a bunch of different activities at school. And then I came to Pittsburgh to go to the University of Pittsburgh initially thinking I would be pre-med, was very interested in genetics and like cancer cell biology. So that was kind of the plan initially. But when I came to Pittsburgh, I, you know, had my world turned upside down, which we'll probably talk more about too. And now here I am like doing music full-time. I met my husband here in Pittsburgh. We've been married now for 10 years, and we have 2 daughters who are 6 and 4.

Okay, first of all, this is news to me. I never knew you grew up in Lancaster.

I did.

What a change coming from there to Pittsburgh. Wow. Yeah, it is known as Amish country. If you're in that area, you often see people, Amish people, you know, using their cart, buggy, what you want to call it, you know, as they're traveling. But I never knew that. Well, we're lucky you came here, so now we have you and you can't go back, not that you want to, but I'm glad we have you here. Now I have to know, and I always ask this question to artist. And one thing I want to say, hey, when you become really famous and you're getting a Dove Award or whatever it is, you better remember me.

Oh yes, I will, don't you worry. You're like the top of my, my PR team at this point. I feel like you've been sharing my name with more people than I have.

Okay, just want to make sure when when you're famous, you know, forget the little people like me. But I wanted to ask you, did you always sing? You know, like when you were a child, did you love singing right from the beginning? And then when did you realize that, you know, you could have a career singing? Because you must know, because I know, from when I was a child that I cannot ever have a career singing. So, um, what about you? When did you find this out?

I mean, I definitely always grew up singing, playing instruments. My mom's side of the family is very musical, and that was always like the centerpiece of our family gatherings. Like, we would have we would make all the aunts and uncles sit down, and me and my cousins, we would, you know, be putting on all these performances for them. But because I grew up in a musical family, it didn't strike me that like I was, I guess, more talented than the general population. Like, oh, I could actually like maybe do this with my life. It just seemed like, yeah, like I can kind of sing, but like everyone around me can sing. So it really didn't strike me as a real career option and something that I was going to devote my life to, really until college. And that was when, um, you know, I became a Christian. I got plugged in with Northway, which is the church that I work for now. It was really then that I realized, hey, I think I could actually do this with my life.

I can't believe that was hard for you to figure out. Here is what I have to tell you. I too go to Northway, and one day when I went to Wexford, there was this person up there. I said, oh, I've never seen this person on the worship team. And then she started singing. And I said, "Oh wow, where did she come from?" She has a beautiful voice. So I don't know how you didn't know that, but Steph, we all know it. We know it. So, you know, one time, I think it was at a woman's retreat known as The Well.

Mm-hmm.

I'm not sure. It was somewhere that I heard you talk about the mental health crisis that you went through. And many, many of our listeners, many deal with this every day. And I think seeing someone as successful as you, that you were able to make it through all of that, is inspirational to them. So let's hear your story when you went to Pitt.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, well, first of all, I love just listening to your intro, just talking about living unashamed, because I think so much of mental health is that stigma of shame. And, you know, the more I try to appear put together and, you know, I've got everything figured out on the outside, the more I felt like I was internally struggling. So, I mean, there's, there's so much power in telling stories, and I think that is really important. And hopefully just being vulnerable and sharing a bit of mine today helps people realize that they, they can share and not have to walk through those things kind of in silence by themselves. So, like I said, I came to Pitt, and when I came to school, I had 60 credits under my belt through like AP testing and things like that. So as soon as I arrived, I was already a bit of the way into my course load. So it wasn't like this slow transition into college, like, hey, you're on your own for the first time, let's take a few classes to kind of warm up to the idea. It was like, hey, welcome to class, like here's this heavy workload, do the work kind of thing. And I was a good student in high school, but I quickly realized that college was very different than high school. And high school was kind of like, I'm giving everyone the answer that they expect. And then you arrive in college and it's kind of like, well, who are you? What do you think? How do you support your position? You know, on whatever it is, whatever you're learning about. And I felt completely overwhelmed by the pressure. It was also the first time that, you know, you, you leave home, you're not living with your parents or, you know, whoever your guardians are. You are responsible for yourself. You are responsible for going to class, for cooking for yourself, like all of these things. And the anxiety started to mount. Like, over the first semester of school, I mean, I just felt like I was drowning. But I was the model student. Like, I had always been the good student. On paper, I did amazing my first semester of college. And I was really good at faking it. I had been faking it for a long time. Like, even in, you know, junior, senior year of college, I think my personality has always aired towards perfectionism, even in the way I approach music now. Like, I want everything to be an exact way, and if it's not that exact way, I have a really hard time coping with it. And I've gotten better at that as an adult, but as a teenager, again, who's on their own for the first time, It just started getting really intense. And at that point in my life, I had two friends growing up who brought me to church with them and kind of like introduced me to God and Jesus. But it wasn't something that I really believed in for myself. Like, it was a nice thought, but that's kind of all religion was to me. So, I start to kind of drown in the weight of all this pressure and simultaneously feeling like, oh my gosh, I've said this whole time that, you know, I want to pursue med school, that it's what I want to do with my life, but like, is this actually what I want to do with my life? And because I had nothing else to anchor myself in, I didn't have this like greater faith or hope or even this sense of identity, like, hey, Steph, you are worth more than your grades. Or you are worth more than any kind of like academic achievement you get. I really just fell under the weight of depression. And I remember by January, February of that first year of school, really it was like I would leave the room to go to class, but that was kind of it. I started to really isolate a lot, and I didn't want to admit to people that for like the first time in my life, I was really struggling with the academic course load and really struggling with like, hey, I presented a plan of who I am and what I want with my life, but I'm not sure that that is really what I want. Because I was always the person who had the answers, you know. I was like, got a perfect SAT score on like the math test, and I was like always so proud of that. And now it's like, I don't have the answers, and I don't know if I can actually measure up to what is being asked of me. And I mean, those were the month, the weeks and months where I really started to like wrestle with those bigger questions of identity and like, hey, like, why am I here? Like, what is my actual purpose? And if I wasn't here, I mean, in the darkest moments, like, if I wasn't here would that loss really impact anyone. Wow. And yeah, like, terrible. So, and it was during that time too, like, I really struggled with voicing this to anyone around me. And I mean, Pitt has like wonderful counseling department. You can go to counseling services for free. Like, they have all of this these services and these things, like, to equip their students. But again, it was really hard for me to admit that I needed any kind of help, because that's just not who I had been up until that point. Again, it was like I was the person with the answers. I wasn't the person who needed anything. Like, I was so self-sufficient. And we got to March, so now we're like halfway into spring semester. And I mean, it was just like the suicidal ideation and depressive thoughts were so consuming that it was like, I mean, I guess on the outside I was going about my, my day and everything seemed fine to people who knew me, but just really struggling with like, what is the purpose of all of this? And I hadn't— you know, I've heard people refer to it as kind of like the dark night of the soul moment. And that was the night that I cried out to the Lord and I said, "Hey God, you know, I've heard about you, but if you're real, I need you to make yourself known to me in a way that my like scientific, rational mind can't explain as anything else." And I don't know that it was— audible, like the audible voice of God, or if it was just this moment in my head. But I heard the Lord speak John 10:10, which has been like my kind of life verse since then. But he called me by name and he said, "The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and have life abundantly." And I literally was led into Northway and they were having this worship night. I stood there in the back and I realized like these people know God. They don't just like fear God, but they are singing to him and they are worshiping him like he is this close like father and friend. And that really opened my eyes to like, hey, faith is more than just, you know, living in fear of this higher power, but really like coming to know Him and being known by Him. And I mean, from then on, it was really just a matter of like, wow, like my life has completely just turned around. So Lord, like whatever it is You want from me, like I'm gonna, I'm gonna pursue it for sure.

Wow, what a great story! What a great story! I think that is so powerful. For many reasons, but one is when you talked about that scientific mind, because, you know, this is what I run into with people. That is not possible. I cannot rationalize that. And it goes through all the millions of things. And when people say that, you know, no, it was just the Big Bang, I say Well, where did that come from?

Yeah, yeah, I think that's a struggle for a lot of people that have a personality that is like more analytical. Um, I mean, that's something I've wrestled with even since becoming a Christian, like feeling really ashamed like whenever I doubt the Lord, and then, um just kind of realizing like he has wired me to be really inquisitive and to really like ask questions. And I think that has actually deepened my faith. I don't think, um, like pursuing God with my full mind and not just kind of like— I don't know, I think people believe that like once you become a Christian, it's just like, I'm a blind sheep and I'm just gonna follow. But I think like I mean, we read— wasn't it Jacob who like wrestles with the Lord through the night? And in like wrestling with God through those like more analytical questions, like, I think it really has honestly deepened my faith and not caused me to kind of step away from believing in him.

Yeah, the other thing that helps me is I heard this sermon once about, you know, Adam and Eve and where the enemy that you were talking about did not say, "Do not, Eve, do not do that. Do not eat that apple. Do not do that." Instead, he said, "Is that really?" I mean, is that really what he said? I mean, would that really hurt you? Would that really? And you know what? That's how it is. That's where that doubt comes in. I don't think there's anything wrong with doubt about this, because if you don't ask or think about it, how are you going to figure it out? Or how are you going to gain more faith? But I'm glad you said that also, because that is what people think. Oh, now that they're a Christian, wow, they never, you know, they don't doubt anything. And, um, I'm gonna tell you, Christianity impacts everything, including civil rights, because Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King talked frequently about Jesus and the impact he had. And now Reverend Dr. William Barber does the same thing. So like, I think people just see it, here they are, they just leave the house, go to church, go home, you know, don't interact with people, don't do anything. And just so you know, that is not true. But I also like when you told, you know, about the shame and the stigma, because that is what we are fighting against. As you all know, my listeners, They all know I own Bender Consulting Services, a for-profit company that focuses on the employment of people with disabilities, because people with disabilities, which I find jobs for them in IT, finance, accounting, but there is still that stigma. When I first talked to a company, really? Really, would they be able to do it? And then I say, really, do you know some of your top performers have disabilities? It's just they aren't telling you. They have depression, bipolar disorder, diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder. I could go on and on. You already have hired people. It's just you don't, you know, realize that. But it's that stigma. So then After doing 20 years of volunteer work helping high school students with disabilities work for job preparation, how to deal with bullying, you know, all of this, same thing with all these young people. They're ashamed. They don't even tell their parents. But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that that suicidal ideation becomes suicide because kids with disabilities are so bullied. And then many of them are gay, but also have a disability, and now there's double the bullying. So we started a national program, #NotAshamed. And I'm gonna ask all of my listeners Joyce Bender leadership dot org. You'll see where to go to make a small 30-second video that says, hey, my name is, I'm living with a mental health disability, not ashamed. Or, hi, my name is, I support young people living with disabilities not ashamed. That is the problem. And when people are ashamed, that's when this can go to a very dark place. Thank goodness you learned that.

Yeah.

When you— yeah, thank goodness, uh, God came into your life. But do you believe for young people right now listening to the show that have mental health disabilities, that they can overcome this and they can succeed, Steph?

Oh yeah, I mean, I believe so, absolutely. Like, it's amazing to me what God has done in my life since that day. I mean, that was what, 12, 13 years ago now? And It's— I think for a long time, like, I thought depression was— like, I was giving it more weight than I needed to. Like, in my mind, it was like, all I am are my negative thoughts. And it was almost like this kind of fog in front of my face where I wasn't able to see clearly, like, all of the other things that God had gifted me with to help and serve other people, like how I could contribute to the world around me, because all I could see was, you know, the negative thoughts in my mind. And for a long time, like I said, I, I didn't really want to go out and do things. I wanted to just stay inside. And at the end of the day, like, even if we are living with a mental, um, a mental health illness, or if we have some other kind of disability or illness, like, that is one part of us, but that does not determine our full identity. I believe that God has gifted each and every one of us with different skills, different character traits that ultimately reflect His nature, that we have been designed so carefully and beautifully to contribute to this world around us. So I know like there are rhythms of it, and there are times when we went through COVID, like that was another time where I was like, this is so dark and I don't know how it's going to get better from here. But at the end of the day, like God has used me over and over again in seasons of mental, like, great mental health and in seasons of poor mental health. And that hasn't limited me from being able to, you know, show up as a wife, show up as a mother, do the work that I believe that he has called me to do. So, I mean, I definitely believe that there is hope for anyone who finds themselves in that situation.

And I just want to say to you, young people, adults, whatever, you know, having a mental health disability is a physical disability, in case you don't realize that, with chemicals and different issues physically. It's not, "Oh, what's wrong with me? There's something just wrong with me." Yes, it's not that there's something wrong with you as far as, oh, what's wrong, I'm just out there. No, it's physical. You have to understand that with medication and, uh, meditation, God, you know, You can break through this, but I just wanna say, no matter whether or not you believe, there isn't anything wrong with antidepressants. There isn't anything wrong with going to a therapist, regardless of your background, Jewish, no matter what it is, there isn't anything worth you taking your life because this is a mistake. You cannot change. And with that, hey, we're getting ready for the news, and I have some news to talk to with my manager of talent programs, a true disability rights leader, Gerald Helmy. Welcome to the show.

Thank you, Joyce Bender, for having me on the show, and Steph, great to hear you on the show. Love your music and great to hear you talking about your advocacy as well.

Thank you so much. I'm glad to be a part of the show today.

Yeah, just today I played one of your songs for Gerald because guess what? He's that person I was talking about that has those albums out. Um, and yes, yes, and he plays the sax, and his father who works for me also who is blind, plays the keyboards. So they are quite a jazz group together. Gerald, how long have you played the sax?

Oh, I don't know, it's since like the 4th grade and now I'm in my 30s, so a long time. And studied music composition and technology in school and play all around the city and have your CD playing in my car when I'm driving right now, Steph. So the physical copy.

So, oh, the physical copy, that's a real fan right there.

I still have a CD player in my car, so that's awesome. Yeah, uh, like you, I also have a mental health disability, so there we go.

But, uh, yeah, I want to talk about that with you in a minute. But first, Gerald, uh, the American Association of People with Disabilities, because we don't have Perry on today, our newscaster that we have on ever on the half hour. 14, 14 from the Fair Labor Standards Act, that believe it or not was signed by President Roosevelt in 1938, allows companies to pay beneath the minimum wage for people with disabilities to do work, which is just so shameful. Uh, it's the average salary in the United States is, I think, $3 for someone working with subminimum pay. So what happens is a not-for-profit gets a contract, we'll say to make business cards. And the CEO and people at the top are paid all this money. And what 14 says is this person can do the job, but they can only be this productive because of their disability. They are subpar. They can't work at the highest level. Whether they have Down syndrome or some other intellectual disability or, or a developmental disability, whatever it is. And we are working nationally to end that because it provides a loophole for workers with disabilities to be paid as little as pennies an hour. So Gerald, what do you think about that?

Oh, this is terrible. This is against everything we stand up for here at Bender for competitive employment for people with disabilities. And it doesn't allow people to participate in society in the United States. You can't live the American dream on that salary. And you're right, Joyce, between 2017 and 2018, the average wage of a person with a disability under 14 was $3.30. $1.34 an hour, and that's based on research done by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. And, you know, it's a lot of different people with disabilities are affected by this. You know, a lot of people who are blind, like my father who works in information technology, end up in roles like this. And a lot of people who gain disabilities later in life are led to believe that this is all that— you know, that are struggling with grasping the idea of disability for the first time and aren't aware of the civil rights movement of people with disabilities are led to believe that this is all that they can do. And it's terrible because we know people with disabilities can do everything from up to leading our country like FDR. —so, you know, it's not right. People with disabilities should be paid equally to people without disabilities for the same job. And there should be no subminimum wage for people with disabilities. So everyone needs to know about this. And still to this day, anyone I talk to about this when I'm out and about in the community is shocked that this is something that still exists in today's America. And it's, you might think, oh, this must not be that common. It must not be something that happens very often. It is a widespread issue.

And you know, Senator Casey and many others are working to end this. And if you go to AAPD, AAPD.com, which is the American Association of People with Disabilities, you can read about the ongoing fight. AAPD, as most of you know, is a policy organization in Washington, D.C. that is the convener that the White House goes to. So right now, they are working on ending 14c. Again, AAPD.com. Go to AAP.com and you can read all about it.

And if I may, Joyce Bender, I'd like to give a couple relevant stats that I think illustrate this point for you. Right now, there are only 16 states that have passed legislation eliminating subminimum wage in the United States, and 6 that have introduced legislation eliminating it just within their chamber. So that means the majority of states in the United States allow this to continue. So that is the majority.

Steph, I'm going to have you sing A Christmas Carol, but first, how, how can people download—

I'm sitting over here just like listening to these stats, like goodness.

I know, shocking, huh? Really shocking. Steph, before I go on, how can people download your music and what are the albums that they should look for?

Yes. So, my music is available on whatever platform you use to listen to music. I will say my name is oddly quite popular. I've encountered several other Steph Andrews, but there's only one of me. So I have one album that was released in 2021 that is called How Long, How Lovely, and that really chronicles my like COVID story and then coming out of that kind of heavy period. And then I'm currently in the middle of a second album right now. So there's 3 songs that have been released from that album. The full album should be coming in like late spring, early summer, and that is called Dare to Behold. So you'll find 3 songs from that that have already been released, which are Wounds, Holy, and The Old Man. My favorite is Holy.

I have to tell you, I love that song. Yeah, they're all good, but that is my favorite. But please keep on looking, and I'll keep you, all you listeners, apprised on the show. So, you know, we have the next Lauren Daigle right here today who promised she's going to know me even when she's famous famous. But right now, go to Spotify or whatever you use for your venue, your social music venue, uh, and download that. And one other thing, call K-LOVE and tell them they should be playing the music of Steph Andrews. K-LOVE, K-LOVE Radio. And with that, would you mind just sharing your wonderful gift and bless our listeners here and around the world with "O Holy Night"?

Yes, I would love to. O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till he appeared and the soul found in his word a thrill of hope. The weary world rejoices Hoi An, the brave, a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voice say, oh, life Divine, oh night, when Christ was born. True.

You want me to keep going? No, keep going. I'm just giving you a woo as you're singing.

Go ahead. You're like, I'm the Joyce Bender. I love it. I am. Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and his gospel is peace. Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name all the creations are free. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we. Let all within us praise His holy name. Christ is Lord. Oh, praise his name forever. His power and glory. Woo! Now I can do that!

Woo! Do you know how hard that is to sing O Holy Night a cappella on the radio with those high notes you have to hit? Gerald, are you there?

Oh, I'm still here. That was an amazing performance. I'm glad I got to stick around for it. Wow, thank you.

That was my favorite Christmas song. I love it.

Oh, it's Joyce Bender's favorite Christmas song.

Yes. Yes, but you know, do you know what I mean, Gerald, how hard it is to hit those high notes? Oh yes, absolutely. Yes, and, uh, what a great job. Okay everyone, call K-Love right away. Call K-Love, get her, because she did that a cappella. Oh my goodness, such a hard song. Uh, Stephanie Steph. Yes. Steph, you are just so awesome. I have to ask you though, um, are there any artists that influenced you? Any Christian artist?

Well, it's funny you mentioned Lauren Tagle because I don't know if I have told you this before, but we were literally born on the same exact day. So it's interesting, like, I have— I've covered a bunch of her songs. Like, when I sing live, sometimes I'll sing her songs because, you know, I like to hit those super low notes and she likes to hit those low notes. And I mean, I grew up— my parents love jazz music so much, and I think jazz has really informed a lot of the, the choices that I make with my own music. So she's always like the person that kind of first comes to mind. But honestly, like, I, I'm very heavily involved in a lot of indie music spaces, and it's been such a joy this past, especially year and a half, to be in community with so many different indie artists who— I mean, we might sound different, but it's just been a joy to write with them and work alongside them. I mean, there's, there's a group of about 8 of us women who we were texting literally right before I jumped on this call. I'm like, pray for me, ladies, I'm about to have this radio interview. And it's just been a joy to be inspired by— when you're an indie artist, I think you can get away with maybe being a little bit more poetic or saying things that maybe you don't get the on a big label. So it's been really inspiring for me to just listen to the way other people present the gospel, or the way they, you know, sing about how sometimes it's really difficult to, to follow Jesus. Um, I don't know, it's hard for me to like pin down exact people because I, I feel like if you looked at my Spotify right now, it's like Crazy, because there's so many different artists that I'm listening to all the time. Um, another big one, like, indie artist for me has— her name is Aryn Michelle, and that's Aryn, A-R-Y-N, who I ironically also share a birthday with. Um, but she has been amazing to just see how she's willing to try out all these different genres still singing about faith, um, but maybe taking some risks here and there. And it's been really cool to just watch what she has released over the past few years.

Well, speaking about jazz, Gerald, how do you like jazz, Gerald? We may not have Gerald. I think Gerald may have had to leave us. So I'll tell you, jazz is him. He and his father play a lot of jazz, and Gerald is the person that has introduced me to so much jazz. So that's something that your family, uh, grew up, you know, with jazz. And even jazz vocalists like Al Jarreau— I mean, I like them all, And I can see how that influenced you in so many ways. So another question that I have is, yeah, how do people know about an upcoming engagement, or how does someone reach you if they have a concert and want you to be the key star of the show.

Yeah, I mean, you can pretty much find whatever information you want on my website, so it's just stephandrews.com, and that's Steph, S-T-E-P-H, andrews.com. That has, you know, you can find the songs that I've already released on there. Usually if I have— if I've announced like that a song is coming out, I'll put like, hey, this song I have my upcoming show dates, which we're just kind of starting to build out the beginning of next year. And then there's a contact page as well if people wanted to reach out and, yeah, start that conversation of me coming and singing or doing whatever it is they want me to do.

They're gonna call K-Love. Call K-Love, call K-Love. By the way, Gerald got shut out somehow. He— I guess the satellite in Arizona, I don't know what happened, but, um, he had an issue. So that's why, with his computer, that's— he apologizes, Steph. That's why we lost him there. Doesn't happen often, but hey, when you're heard around the world, that internet system, you know, anything, anything can happen. Well, I want to make sure people are able to reach you and know how to download your music and call K-Love. You know, you said you have— oh, almost forgot, you're an author. How about your book?

Yes, I was just talking to my husband about that earlier today. I'm like, I feel like I've gotten so caught up in making music that I forgot that I wrote this book like 3 years ago. So my book is available on Amazon. It's called I Love You, I See You, Be Careful, and it really breaks down how God's love is unique, how His presence is always with us and leading us. And then the last part of the book is moving away from this sentiment, this like, "Be careful" sentiment that I always speak to my children, kind of to myself, and moving into the, the "Be strong and courageous," which is what we hear from the Lord over and over. In the Word. So it kind of looks at 4 things that I see as those like big hurdles to overcoming this careful life and really living courageously in the life that God has called us to. So that is on Amazon.

And the name again?

It's called I Love You, I See You, Be Careful.

Well, that's— I have the book. That's one of the first things that I got from Steph, even before I got to know her well. And let me just tell you, she's the real deal. You know how you meet people and they say all of this, but, you know, they don't live it? She does. And I really hope you'll take time to download an album. I wanted to ask you Steph, I've got to know, so what is your favorite song from the work that you've done?

Man, it's interesting, right? Because I feel like songs can be very situational, very seasonal. And especially with the album I'm working on right now, between me and like all my co-writer friends, we wrote So many songs on this album. And having to choose one— from my first project, it's definitely "Aware" from my first album, "How Long, How Lovely." "Aware" was the first song I wrote. We had been living in New York City. During COVID and had made the decision that we needed to leave the city. And that was the first song I wrote in my house in Pittsburgh. And that song was just a reminder to me that God's presence hadn't left, that even though I wasn't really sure what he was doing, you know, taking us out of this city that we loved, in this place that seems like, hey, if you're going to pursue music, like, you better be in Nashville or New York City just to bring us to Pittsburgh. But the song was a reminder that he was with us and his presence hadn't left. So that one is definitely like— that's, that's the easy thing for me. When I look at the first album, I'm like, it's very easy for me to say that's my favorite. When I look at the one we're working on now, it's a little bit harder. I would say "Holy" is probably up there because it was the first song for me where I kind of was embracing all of the musical influences that I grew up with instead of trying to give people what I thought they wanted. It felt like the first song where it's like, I'm gonna be me fully. Like, here are all these chords that are you know, maybe a little funkier than what you would sing on Sunday morning at church, but it just felt like the first song that was really like, this is me, kind of unashamed. Well, don't forget, that's also—

yeah, that's my favorite too. Well, hey, we had today Steph Andrews, contemporary Christian singer, author, songwriter. You know, you need to go Download today, Steph Andrews. And with that, we have come to the end of the show. We always end with a quote, so it has to be Psalm 101: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord," just the way Steph Andrews is doing it. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters voiceamerica.com. Talk to you next week, and in the words of Mary Brocker, remember, when you go out today, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.