Patrick Mayberry doesn’t consider himself special. In fact, he describes himself as a “normal dude who is just trying to follow Jesus and lead his family.”
But Mayberry, a worship leader, singer and songwriter, has written songs recorded by some of the top names in Christian music. His song “Holy Spirit Come” is about bringing revival — both corporately and individually. “No One Like You, Lord” is popular in many churches.
For this self-described “happy-go-lucky guy” who “lives on the surface,” Mayberry said God has cultivated depth in his life and faith as he’s gotten older.
“Easy to Praise” was written to show both the fun side of his nature and the spiritual depth that’s an ongoing process.
“The crux of this song, ‘Easy to Praise,’ is joy,” he explained. “It’s a fruit of the Spirit. Joy is a deeply rooted state of being that God invites us into as Christ-followers.
“The chorus talks about what Jesus did for us on the cross. When you start to think about the weight of that, and that invitation of the deepening of joy, what else can you say but ‘Hallelujah’? God truly has made it easy to praise,” he said.
Adjusting his view
Though Mayberry knows it’s easy to praise when we realize who God is and what He has done for us, living out that idea isn’t always easy.
Years ago, when his first song under contract was released, Mayberry was incredibly excited — at first. He knew the Lord had opened the door for this to happen. It was easy to praise Him at that moment, he said. But then his human, insecure side kicked in. He had worked very hard on the song and wanted validation that he could write a great song. When it didn’t become No. 1, he was disappointed.
One day while waiting in the car line at his son’s preschool, God reminded him of the true reason for his career.
“I was kind of just moping around, in this weird little funk,” he recalled.
He then got an email about a new comment on this song’s YouTube video. It was from a woman named Lisa whose marriage was on the verge of collapse. She had been inspired by the song and wanted to say thanks.
“The Lord was like, ‘Here, buddy, let Me adjust your view here,'” Mayberry recalled.
Focused on his music career, climbing the charts and providing financially for his wife and four children, Mayberry said he had lost sight of the ministry aspect of his work.
“God has called me into ministry. I’m not here to build this crazy music career. I want to do ministry and write songs for people like Lisa who are in a season in her marriage where she felt like it was an [irreconcilable] season,” Mayberry noted.
Reminder to worship leaders
As a songwriter, Mayberry has learned that God can use even a single line to speak to the listener. For example, the line “receive the freedom” from the song “Holy Spirit Come” is for everyone, but it originated from his own personal desire to remind worship leaders that they also need this freedom.
“How often do we walk through life on our own? We walk through our marriages, trying to figure it out. We try to raise our kids on our own. Really hard things happen in life, and we feel like we’ve got to be the ones who figure it out,” Mayberry said. “How often do we all forget that as Christ-followers, we have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling within us — our Comforter, our Counselor? The whole premise of that song is just asking for more and more and more of that, almost to bring more of an awareness to ourselves that the Holy Spirit is available to us,” he said.
As a worship leader, Mayberry acknowledges he can easily get caught up in the mechanics of the songs and transitions. At times he’s full of faith, and then in the same breath, fear can almost overcome him. Again, he strives to refocus his attention back to the purpose of worship through music.
“I just want to tell people that God actually loves them, and He actually likes them,” Mayberry said. “We’re all intimately made. We are known, and we’re loved as we are, not as we should be.”
Mayberry kicks off a new tour in April 2023. Go to patrickmayberrymusic.com for more information on his music and tour dates.
