I typically fly to Washington DC twice a month. It was in 2014. I was chatting with a friend who, was telling me about worship services in the capital. There used to be worship services in the United States capital, Sunday morning services from 1800 to 1869. Thomas Jefferson would ride his horse from the White House down, to the capital.

These services would be held in statuary hall, which is this probably the second most significant room in capitol. Welcome to the Leveraging Success podcast. I’m your host, Jeff Gearhart. Every time that we’re together, I wanna help you work less, make more. And through the freedom that you gain and the margin that you store up, you’re going to be able to use that to be an incredible husband, wife, parent, and most importantly, an incredible kingdom leader living the life mission that God puts you on.

I’m here to help you get more freedom by leveraging the success of your business, to help you live an extraordinary life on purpose as a kingdom leader. Today, I have a very special guest, somebody that many of you know, Steve Amerson. Steve is known as America’s tenor and a true voice of encouragement in DC on Capitol Hill. Steve’s remarkable career spans across various musical realms. He’s performed as a featured soloist with major symphonies throughout the United States and abroad gracing prestigious venues like the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall.

In the world of film and television, Steve’s voice has left an indelible mark. He’s lent his talents to over a 175 feature films including blockbusters like La La Land, Star Wars, Rogue 1, and the Indiana Jones series, and that’s just to name a few. His voice can also be heard in numerous TV shows, video games, and national commercials. But Steve’s impact goes far beyond entertainment. Since 2014, he’s been a driving force behind Capital Worship.

A weekly service in the US capital for members of congress, staff and guests. His dedication to this work has earned him the title of the great encourager. From politicians on both sides of the aisle appreciating the incredible work that he does. Now Steve’s commitment to service is further evidenced by his work with the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation in Society as well as his support for the Gary Sinise Foundation, where he uses his voice to uplift veterans, active duty personnel, and first responders. For those interested in learning more about Steve’s work in Washington DC, you can visit his website at www.thewordonthehill.org.

The word on the hill dot org. Or you can follow him on Facebook. If you go to facebook.comforward/thewordonthehill, all one word, you’re gonna be able to find out more about the incredible impact that Steve has. And Steve lives in Southern California with his wife, Christine. They have 2 married children, and they’ve become grandparents to 6 wonderful grandchildren.

Please join me in welcoming Steve. Thanks, Steve, for coming and spending time with me here. Jeff, it’s great to be with you today. Well, Steve, you know, we share a a common mentor in Bob Schenk. So much of our life has been shaped by some of the things that have come as a result of the master’s program, and I want to be able to hear about your story.

In fact, for those of you who want to pick up copy, I’ve got a copy here with me. Steve’s book, A Tales of a Troubadour. Steve, I’ve read this and it helped me to get a sense of your whole life, and how God brought you from being a p k, being a pastor’s kid, growing up in gospel music. But one thing you said early on in in your story is that you knew you could sing from an early age. What was that like?

How did you know that you had that talent? Well, my dad was a United Methodist pastor, grew up in the pastor’s home. I sang, in the children’s choirs. I really didn’t have any choice about it. My mom directed the children’s choirs.

I have 2 older brothers, so we would, we sang in the choirs. And and so music was just part of my life from from the outset. I do recall, mom telling me with that when I was about 4 years old, we were, at a rural church, a country church out east of Indianapolis, Indiana. My dad was preaching for that. And as we were singing that evening, my mom looks down at me.

I was about 4, as I said, and she had this strange look on her face. I thought I was in trouble and was going to be disciplined. When we were in church, when we were smaller, if we got into trouble, you know, we’d get a we’d get a SWAT on the bottom. And, typically, the SWAT really wasn’t the issue. The issue was my mom would typically take us into the women’s restroom to to give us the SWAT, and that was, embarrassing enough.

But I wasn’t in trouble that night as my mom looked down at me. I was, making up a harmony part, and so my mom was kind of amazed at that. So from a very early age, there was some musical gifting that was evident, and, I’ve tried to hone that through the years. Sometimes people are jealous of other people with a talent. But what I, the way I have taken it on is that having a talent is a great responsibility.

So I’ve tried to hone that, and I studied music, both in school and privately. I’ve tried to take care of my voice and, take care of the instrument. So, I’m blessed that I, have been able to have a career singing, and I continue to to sing the next few weeks, next few months. In terms of singing, continue to be a busy time for me. Man, not many people find that talent so early and are able to say, okay.

God’s gifted me. I know this is who I am. This is what I should pursue. And then you spent your life doing it. I can’t help but mention how being in a church gives opportunity to try those talents out.

When you were young and when when I was young, my mom would be up in the choir. And God help you if her eyes found you while you were sitting out in the congregation. It was like Medusa in the Titans where she finds you and you’re like, I’m in trouble. But here you find your mom’s looking at you and she’s saying, you’ve got a gift. You’ve got something to offer.

So you start pursuing that. And I imagine it was somewhat of a a jump out, a risk to move your family, to California and start your career. I mean, how did that work? How did how did your career start to get traction as a musician? Well, I did an undergrad degree at a little school in Indiana called Taylor University.

Then I did a master’s degree in church music at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Christina and I had been married a year. There were several job opportunities, musical job opportunities around the country down in Georgia, one in Ohio, could have remained in Southern Indiana, but heard of a church position in Southern California. And Christine and I were young, and we thought, what the heck? Let’s go to California for a couple of years.

Stayed there for 2 or 3 years and then moved back to the Midwest. But it’s been 40 plus years. We never escaped. I served on a church staff for 10 years, a church, that had a very large and significant music program. The adult choir was over a 100 members and, 6 children’s choirs and lots of ensembles.

And so I became involved in that program. Eventually, I I led that program for 6 years, which was, quite demanding and all encompassing. But one evening, after being at the church for a total of 10 years, a couple took us out to dinner. And this person had had attained significant success, in the entertainment industry. They’ve become really good friends, and they took us out to dinner.

And all the way to dinner, my friend said, I don’t think you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing. And he said, I’m gonna give you some money, and you can do with what you wanna do. And this was multiple 1,000 of dollars, tens of 1,000 of dollars. And I knew that if I were frugal, I could we could probably live for 6 months or so. And then, you know, I could you know, if if it didn’t work out, I’d I’d find another job, but I resigned my position at the church.

I took that money. I I met with a a nonprofit attorney. I put that money into an account and stepped away, and I I I started, I founded Emerson Music Ministries, a 501c3 nonprofit ministry, and started to see if I could travel and sing. I thought of doing this, years earlier. And when I was talking, actually with a friend in the Christian music industry about doing this years earlier, I remember we were eating at a Coco’s restaurant on, Sherman Way in Van Nuys, California.

And my friend said, what do you have to say that’s different than anyone else that’s out there? And his question stymied me. There was I didn’t have anything really different to say or sing than anyone else out there. But at this point in time, now in 1988, I I knew, how I was different. I knew what I wanted to say, what I thought God was calling me to say.

So we stepped out. Our son, Matthew, was a year old, and so that was 1988. Began singing, traveling and singing primarily in churches. Through the years, though, other opportunities, and during that time also, I was doing some studio work here in Los Angeles. As you mentioned, sung in a lot of feature films, about a 175 feature films, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas sent for Red October, Home and 2, Sister Act, Men in Black, Fantastic 4, and La La Land, and so forth.

And so that it was it was great to be able to do that, to sing for some television shows, commercials, video games. But I was traveling and singing in churches, many weekends, in addition to that. So the career has been very, it’s been varied and, extremely broad. So all of those opportunities continue to open doors. You’re creating a career of this and would be for another 20 plus years of solid work across the entertainment spectrum while you’re also still you’re still singing in churches.

You’re still touring around. Is that right? I’m doing still singing in churches. Not as many as it used to be, but I’m also singing for nonprofit events, for I’m singing with orchestras around the country, with symphony orchestras doing programs of Christmas, Broadway, the patriotic, selections. So, every trip is different, and and it’s it’s been great to connect, sing for organizations like the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and Foundation, sing for events for my friend, Gary Sinise, who does just phenomenal work with with military active duty veterans, first responders.

I love supporting him. It’s it’s very, very broad, in terms of the spectrum. And some people ask, so, you know, what do you is it all the same? And every every trip is totally different. Sometimes I might be singing with an orchestra.

I might be singing, just with the piano. I might be singing to tracks. I might be singing an entire evening of music doing 12 to 14 songs, or I may be going into a place just to sing one song. So every every trip is is a different experience requiring different kinds of preparation. I’ve got a symphony date coming up soon, and so it was a matter of getting all of the orchestra music prepared, organized, shipped out to them.

This particular presentation is going to be a patriotic presentation with video backdrops behind, me as I sing, and so I’m uploading those files and making sure that they’re all set from a technical standpoint. So, I’m not just a tenor. I’m not just a pretty face. Well, I’m not a pretty face. But, it’s what what is required is beyond vocal ability or parade preparation in a in a vocal sense.

But these days, technology, and for better or for worse, I manage myself. I book myself these days. So it’s a matter of of having my hands in a lot of different, a lot of different areas. I’m here with Steve Amerson. He’s America’s tenor, but that’s not the limit of your story, Steve.

I wanna get to what God’s doing through you as a result of so many open doors. And I I know what I know about you is that you’re actually coaching, advising, and providing input to many musicians that are trying to understand how to navigate the music business like like you have. And all of that process, has allowed for you to be able to manage this. You’re really an entrepreneur in so many ways, and that has been a combination of you and God being on mission together where doors open and then you follow through with that. Talk a little bit about some of the open doors.

I read about, you going to Mount Herman. Mount Herman’s got a, you know, special place in our family’s life, but, you know, your work with with people like Chuck Swindoll and others that have invited you in, those were more open doors, recognition of your talent and opportunity to continue to step up to stages that, allowed you to showcase more and more. Can can you tell a little bit of that story of just how some of those doors have continued to open through that process of success? It’s been fascinating, the the opportunities that I’ve had. When I left my church position in September of 1988, in fact, I think it was just weeks before I was going to leave, I received a phone call from a gentleman by the name of Cliff Barrows.

And Cliff had been 4 years the, musical, director, the the the choir director, the the musical kind of force for Billy Graham. Growing up in my home, there was there was the the holy trinity, and then there was another trinity. And it was Billy Graham, Cliff Barrows, and Bev Shea. And so for my phone to ring and, for this lady to say, Steve, this is Belmarooth. Would you hold on for Cliff?

Belmarooth, Belmarooth was Cliff Barrow’s assistant for years. And what I hadn’t known, there were there were there’s a couple of things in play set in play years ahead of time. I remember there’s an organization, the National Christian Broadcasters Association, and I had sung for a West Coast event of the the West Coast National Christian Broadcasters. I think it was downtown LA, and it was a 7 o’clock breakfast, 7 AM breakfast. This was while I was still on a church staff.

I wasn’t trying to travel, but I sang at this breakfast. A musician by the name of Ralph Carmichael, who is a a legend in in Christian music, Ralph called and said, would you sing at this breakfast at 7 AM in the morning? And I’m like, oh gosh. And I did. And what I didn’t realize is there was a gentleman there who heard me, who was bought television time for the grand, broadcast when they would be shown televised around the country.

This guy heard me, and then he, unbeknownst to me, years before, he said, Cliff, you need to use this guy, Steve Emerson. So singing for a breakfast at 7 AM in the morning years later turned into a phone call from Cliff Barrow saying, Steve, we’ve heard about you. Would you be willing to come to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and sing for a Billy Graham Crusade? And that was, in some ways an affirmation. This was this was just I think I left the church in September, and I think the crusade, my first grand crusade was in October.

So it was kind of a confirmation and affirmation. So that opened the opportunity to do 3, crusades with doctor Graham to get to know Cliff and Bev, to sing at their training center at The Cove on several occasions. It was around that time also that, a friend of mine, he was a drummer, and he played in a group called Brush Arbor that used to do a lot of events for Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll. And my drummer friend, Kevin, had recommended me. And so I get a I get an invite to sing at their camp at, at Mount Hermon, Northern California, which started a a, relationship with Chuck and Cynthia Cynthia and the folks from Insight for a Living that went for decades.

As I, would sing at Mount Hermon, I traveled with, with Chuck to, the Caribbean, Alaska, Australia. Went to Australia twice with him, went to the Holy Land with Chuck. We laughed our way through lots of continents because if you know anything about Chuck Swindoll, he loves to laugh. He’s got this great guffaw, and I would consider my work a success if I could say or do something that would get a great belly laugh out of Chuck, even though I was a singer. But, open doors to sing, for, with Insight for Living, had opportunities with, David Jeremiah, with Jack Hayford, who was a neighbor and a and a very close friend and encourager.

Part of what I began to do, was incorporate Broadway selections in my church concerts, and it it came from Chuck Swindoll. One time, Chuck said, Steve, do you know Bring Them Home from Les Miserables, the musical Les Miserables? I said, no. Chuck said, you need to learn and sing that song. And I did, and I discovered that this Broadway song was having as much impact as my Christian songs.

And it turns out that I recorded one album of all Broadway selections. It’s called front row center. All Broadway songs, but songs that have a spiritual dynamic to them, like bring them home, into the fire from the scarlet pimpernel, the impossible dream, from Man of La Mancha. Tonight, something’s coming from West Side Story. So it it led into that, and, I would sing.

Oftentimes, I would sing over Jack Hayford’s home. He would host these events, monthly. 10 months out of the year, he would have pastors come from all around the world, all different denominations, and pastor Jack would have me stand in his living room and sing for a group of 35, 40 pastors. I did that for 10 years. And Jack primarily had me singing Broadway songs because he wanted these pastors to think differently and to see messages of redemption that could come, from the Broadway stage.

And as I recorded my, second project of Broadway songs for or center 2, took me a lot to come up with that title. Jack was deeply involved in selecting the songs. He was recommending certain Broadway songs that had, had a redemptive message to them. So it was quite fascinating that here, 2 of these pastors, Chuck Swindon and Jack Hayford, were really forcing me, not forcing, but encouraging me to step beyond the walls of the church into the marketplace. And that led me then to be able to sing with more orchestras.

It led me to be able to sing for the Medal of Honor Foundation and get to know those men and honor them. So it just broadened. It it it broadened my territory. You know, I think back, to that book, the prayer of Jabez from Bruce Wilkins. And I it’s it’s it was great to be able to do some events with Bruce also.

Just what a phenomenal gentleman. What a phenomenal thinker. What a what a person to challenge people, to think way beyond, what they can do. But reading that prayer of Jabez and then praying that prayer for God to expand my territory, that’s actually what has happened to me even in the present day. So I’ve tried to be faithful to the opportunities and doors.

I love singing churches, but quite honestly, I love singing, in on on stages outside of the church also. I gotta ask you about that, Steve. Now first of all, I’ve had the opportunity to be with you at events where you’ve performed. It’s fantastic. My favorite part, honestly, is when you sing those Broadway tunes because, our family, we we love Broadway.

And so when you do those songs that they’re wonderful in that they tie it together, as you say, redemption stories, and they’re so perfect for the events. In fact, I highly recommend if if you haven’t ever heard Steve or or you’re considering someone for an event, you could not have you could not have a better musical guest than Steve Amerson. But Steve, I wanna ask you about your singing on these big stages, because any musician dreams of playing in front of tens of thousands of people. And whether you were at the Hollywood Bowl or doing gram events, what is that like to go out there? How do you steady yourself and and deliver when there’s that many people and you’re you’re with the spotlight directly on you?

What’s that like? 1 of my, first significant performances here in Los Angeles was at the Hollywood Bowl. It was with a conductor, a well known conductor by the name of Michael Tilson Thomas. It was, a work, that’s not, extremely well known in the classical repertoire. It’s, it’s called.

It’s by Stravinsky, Igor Stravinsky. And the tenor solo, that opens that is brutal. It is anyone who understands music, the meter, the the time signature changes virtually every bar. Sonically, tonally, the the melody is not a traditional kind of harmony, lots of leaps, lots of very strange intervals. That was challenging to to sing that there at the Hollywood Bowl, but I had, inside my score, I had written for he had not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind.

So as I opened that standing there on the stage, I was 20 something, I don’t know, 23, 24. It, as I began to sing, the adrenaline just dropped, and my stomach was burning. And after about 20 seconds, I, I got over that and kept plowing through. Working with Tilson Thomas was an amazing he’s a phenomenal conductor, and he guided me through all of those meter changes in his conducting. And, you know, someone probably needs to be a musician, but to understand just a little, little movements and little cues to help with the syncopation that’s there.

So he guided me through that, but that was, that got my attention. And that turned out well. My first time singing for a grand crusade there in Hamilton, Ontario, I arrived in Toronto a couple of days early. I was singing at a church there in the Toronto area, and I got sick. My vocal cords and it’s it’s just something that happens occasionally.

You know, singers can get sick like anyone else. And, I was away from I had a great, ear, nose, and throat guy back in Los Angeles, but that wasn’t really gonna help me in Toronto very much. I did call him, but there was very little he could do for me at that time. And I I ached my way through singing for my first grand crusade. And, it was it was challenging, but I did it.

A few weeks later, I was with Cliff Barrows then in, in Pennsylvania singing for event. He’d asked me to come and, assist him in another event. Bev Shey had gotten sick, and he said, would you come and fill in for Bev Shey? I’m like, I’m filling in for Bev Shey. And, after I finished singing that night, I sang one of the same songs, and Cliff says, you sang that song differently tonight.

I’m like, Cliff, I had voice. I could actually sing tonight. But it was great to be able to, participate in in those, those stages. Working in the studio is also has provided a lot of challenging things. I sang, in a group of about 24 singers for, Hunt for Red October.

We sang 5 days in Russian, very challenging. I did demos over 16 years. I would do demos for the 3 tenors, for Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras as they would do their 3 tenors concerts around the world. And for that, I had to sing in English, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Italian dialect, Japanese, Korean, couple other line was, for demos for them because Pavarotti did not read music. So we would record these, these pieces that had been arranged by Lalo Schifrin, and, then the tenors would listen to us, especially Pavarotti, to learn their parts, to learn the song, to learn the pronunciation if they didn’t know it.

That also was a feat, something I’m, I I I don’t wanna say proud of, but but I, I’m I’m glad that I was able to do something that required taking, it’s it’s not just about a singing voice. It’s about your brain. And, I’m glad that I could deliver, as I did those for for many, many years. For those of you who are listening, if you were an entrepreneur or a musician, getting to hear Steve tell his story is a real treat because you’re getting to hear, you know, his whole arc. Now, Steve, 10 years ago, roughly, the door started to open for you on the other side of the country, which has been an incredible ride.

I know some of what you’re doing, but the impact is incredible and the opportunity is incredible. Steve, you’re now going to Capitol Hill where you’re getting to freely roam, the halls of Congress, as a guest. And while you’re there, you’re, as I read, writing 200 notes of encouragement on every trip and you’re going and passing those out as a way to make connection and offer prayer. And then you get to sing and and be there as a an integral part of encouragement, to both sides of the aisle there in DC. Tell me all about that.

Tell us all about how that works, and and would you say a little bit about how it started? I mean, how did that all work out that you ended up there? Well, I I mentioned the prayer of Jabez. Never could I have anticipated that God would expand my territory in the United States capital. I do live in Southern California.

And for these all these years since 1988, I fly a lot. I rarely sing in California. Some people think I sing here all the time. I most of my, engagements are around the country. So it’s it wasn’t unusual to to fly, but it was unusual to make a commitment, that I have now where I typically fly to Washington DC twice a month.

It was in 2014, I was chatting with a friend who, was telling me about worship services in the capital. There used to be worship services in the United States capital, Sunday morning services from 1800 to 1869. Thomas Jefferson would ride his horse from the White House down, to the Capitol. These services would be held in statuary hall, which is this probably the second most significant room in the capital. It’s the old house chamber.

They were held there because it was probably at that point in time the largest assembly room in the Washington DC area. Thomas Thomas Jefferson, he just would say he complained that the sermons weren’t loud enough and long enough. The the marine band, there’s a there’s a small little balcony surrounding statuary hall, and the marine band would sit in the balcony and play for the hymns. So in 2014, my friend who was helping to, reinitiate worship weekly worship in the capital said, we’re gonna have this first service on July 30, 2014. Would you come and sing and lead worship?

I don’t have any money to pay you. Nothing for travel, nothing for hotel, nothing for anything, but would you come? Sounded like a great deal to me. And, I discussed it with my board, and the board said, yeah. Why don’t you go and do one?

And we have that first service in the basement of the capitol in room HC 5, which is a caucus room. Many of the, meetings weekly meetings that are daily meetings, in fact, that members of congress have would be an HC 5. So we did a worship service that that night in HC 5. And following that first service, my friend who was organizing it said, would you come back twice a month? And I went, woah.

I discussed I I discussed it with my board, and they said, keep going back a few more times. And I went back probably 4 or 5 times. And on one of the trips, heading home, I was emailing, I was writing an email report to my board. I would do that after every trip. And I’ve got it as I’m flying, I get an email from my assistant saying that a church had called and had heard what I was doing, and they were gonna send a contribution, to, Amerson Music Ministries for what I’m doing.

We didn’t know how much, but they said they’re just gonna send a contribution. So few weeks later, we opened this check for $10,000, from this church. And I was I was I was riding though my board as I was flying home. I said, I don’t think we can keep doing this. I don’t have the bandwidth.

We can’t afford this. We can’t flights, the hotel, just my time. And with that $10,000 kind of, seed money, the board said, let’s see what we can do. And within a matter of weeks, we had, I think this was probably so maybe September or so, we had raised enough money. People had heard, and they were sending in money for me to continue going to DC for the rest of the year.

And then that has just expanded. People, we we’ve recognized that people want to know. I think what I’ve turned into is is 2 things. As you mentioned, I’m an encourager. One day, I’m walking down the hall and I see a member of congress, and he sees me.

He kinda gives a sigh, and he says, the great encourager. I was like, oh. And as I as I make these trips, I afterwards, I always write an update, from my perspective and let people know what I’m seeing and what I’m experiencing, and and people around the country now are signing up. They wanna be, they wanna know from my perspective what a person of faith is seeing there, and that’s how we’ve now initiated what we call the word on the hill. The word on the hill dot org.

And I I send out, updates after each trip. I don’t always mention names. Don’t always give the details. But, for the past 10 years, I normally fly to DC twice a month. I typically arrive on a Tuesday evening.

My plane lands at DCA around 4, and by 5 o’clock, I’m in the Cannon House office building delivering notes. I take a taxi to my to my hotel, drop my bags, and I head out. And I typically hit, about 40 or 50 offices in the Cannon House office building, which is a block from my hotel. There are 535 members of congress when all the seats are filled. There are 3 empty seats right now.

I never followed politics for years, but now I do basically so I can be, intelligent about when I when I get there. But I write 200 notes each trip, and I deliver those to the offices. I don’t they’re not random notes. They’re notes written to a specific member of congress, both sides of the aisle and both in the house and the senate. So Tuesday night, I hit, whatever, 30, 40 offices in the Canon House office building, then I will normally go to the Capitol, see members, engage with them, welcome them because typically Tuesday, sometimes it’s Monday, But Tuesday is typically the fly in what they call the fly in day where they’re flying in.

1st votes on fly in day, there may be business going on throughout the day, but first votes are typically set for 6:30 PM, which allows for people coming from the West Coast to get there in time. Most of them can land by by 4 to 5 o’clock, and then they go to the capital for the house goes to the capital for first votes. So I’m engaging there on Tuesday night. May have a dinner with, someone Tuesday night after I’m there for votes. I get up Wednesday morning, and I hit it.

And between, I mean, I start walking. Normally, I start on the senate side, visiting the Hart and the Russell and the Dirksen building, hitting offices there, hitting the leadership offices in the capital, and then I finish up Wednesday afternoon my work in the Longworth and the Rayburn buildings, delivering notes. Between those 2 days, I walk 12 to 14 miles, visiting these offices, so it’s a bit of a workout. I get my steps in. And along the way, there are divine encounters.

And it may be a divine encounter with a member of congress. It might be with a staff person. It might be with a capital police officer, or it might be, with a member of the custodial staff because they’ve become my friends. And they look forward to seeing me, and that’s part of what I’m doing. So I’ll spend, normally, 2, 2 weeks a month, for those days on the hill, and then see what other, singing opportunities might come up in the other time.

A lot of times, I’ll go from DC to a singing opportunity or from a singing opportunity to DC. So I’ve had lots of, what I’ll call divine appointments on Capitol Hill. It’s an amazing time for you to be there. Of course, all of us are looking, towards November, considering what’s going on in the political landscape. And for those of you who are listening, if you want to have a point of view from someone who’s participating as a chaplain, encourager, prayer partner, and really touching so many in the leadership of the United States, you wanna go to word on the hill dot org.

You can subscribe to Steve’s newsletter and consider giving, because your ability to give to a ministry like this is something where you’re having direct impact on somebody that’s bringing the love of Christ, to the US Capitol. Steve, you you must have I hope maybe you might have a story where you could share just some impact, with a congressman or woman who is, said to you, you know, hey. I’ve got the situation, or I’m struggling. Or, Steve, what do you think? Maybe even, what what’s that like?

Could you tell a story around that? I could tell you lots of stories, and they’re true. And and and my work there, like I said, it’s it’s, it’s bipartisan. Look. I’m not gonna make any bones about the fact that, well, I’m a registered independent, but but I am I approach life from a a conservative point of view.

But there are lots of people, members of congress on the hill that don’t know where I’m coming from. Because my yeah. That that’s my my purpose is not policy unless they ask, and then I’m ready, to to share my my opinion, But I’m there as an encourager. Most people on the hill that go there, lobbyists or people from different, different business groups, they have an agenda. And what members and especially these young staff, most of these staff are in their twenties thirties.

They know that I I’m just there to encourage. I remember one evening, I was we ended the capitol. I was, it was when we were holding our services down in the basement. Now we actually hold our services on the first floor of the capitol in room 122, which is the speaker’s private dining room. And over the past 3 speakers, we’ve been given permission, by miss Pelosi, mister McCarthy, and now mister Johnson to hold our Wednesday night worship services in in their private dining room.

It’s a room that we can, probably get about 40 people in, 40, 50 people in. But early on when we were doing our services down h c 5, one evening, I’m taking the elevator down to this to the basement where that room is located. I step in the elevator, and the next thing I know, this, member of congress steps on. And it’s just the 2 of us. And the door closes.

I’m going to the basement. This member of congress is going to the subbasement. And I just turned to the member of congress, and I said, what do you need God to do for you today? She said, what? I said, what do you need God to do for you today?

And she said, I need prayer for my adult son. And I began praying, and the member of congress just grabs hold of me. As I pray, I missed my floor. I didn’t get off of the basement. I went on down to the sub basement.

And, before the member stepped out of the elevator, they said, God put you here for me today. So I said I’m coming back in in 2 weeks, and the member said, please come see me. I walk into the office of one member one time. He invites me and closes the door, and he said, I am so lonely. Said I’m lonely here, and I’m lonely when I go back to the district.

I have a member of Congress, wonderful man who has a son who’s a methamphetamine addict, who was just sentenced. Pray for 1 sinner one day, and he goes, I finished praying for him in the hallway, and he goes, would you pray for my wife now? She’s she’s not recovering, as quickly as we’d like from an accident she had had. So it’s though one night, I’m leaving the the capital. It’s about 9 o’clock at night, see some of these young bucks that work on the hill, and they there was a young girl with them, and, I introduced myself.

She goes, oh, you leave notes for my boss. And I said, yeah. I do. She goes, there’s one that you left that really meant a great deal to me. See, when I leave my notes, they’re not sealed.

If they were sealed, they probably wouldn’t be open for security reasons. So if I don’t hand my note directly to the member of congress, I hand it to the staff person there at the reception desk or the the staffer that I know in that office, whether it’s the scheduler or the chief of staff or whoever. But, so I leave my note, I walk out the door, and the next thing that happens, these staffers open my note because they need to know what to do with it. So not only have I, do I have engagement with well over 250 to 300 members of Congress? I’ve got staffers all over the hill who now know who I am.

I walk in. They go, Steve, mister Emerson, how are you doing? I walked in a couple weeks ago. I leave my note, and this young man at the reception desk says, you sing, don’t you? I said, why?

I sing a little bit. And he goes, you’re Steve Emerson. And I’m like and he said, I grew up listening to your music. My parents are huge fans of yours. Just to have those kinds of engagements, but but I so I’m I’m outside the capitol.

I’m speaking with this young staffer. She’s 25, 26. I get to know her, and she goes, yeah. There’s this note that really meant a great deal to me, and I said, oh. And I called her by name, and I said, god loves you so much.

And she looked at me and she said, I hope so. And, that’s one office that I hit every time, every trip. I’m in there, and I walk in. Her her desk is behind the door, and she just lights up, just to be a source of encouragement, of hope, just to pray for some of these kids. The phone calls that, these kids and when when I say kids, some of them are interns there for 6 weeks.

They’re right out of high school or they’re in college, and they’re answering phone calls sometimes from people that are just vile, just just horrendous. So I’m glad that I by members of congress and by staff and police. Oh, gosh. There’s this, one officer, great guy. He’s he’s finishing up his online degree from Denver Seminary, and he’s Marcus is always thrilled when he sees me and to tell me how his school work is going.

There’s there’s one custodial worker in the Rayburn building. Every time, she just she she she wants to give me an update. One day, I’m walking down the hall. I see this custodial lady pushing her cart, her cleaning cart. And I just I just was, you know, god just said talk to her.

And her name is Precious. And I said, Precious, what do you need god to do for you today? And she said, it was 2 years ago that my son was killed. And just engaging with people like that, everybody I I heard this several years ago. It’s been attributed to different sources, but the phrase and the thought is everyone we know has a battle we know nothing about.

And so, it’s a ministry. Music opened the door, got me on the hill. But now it’s a continuing ministry of kind of a pastoral encouragement opportunity to engage with members of Congress who readily invite me into their offices where the staff are normally trying to protect them. Members will see me, they go get in here. And, so I have an open door.

I have a congressional ID through a a member of congress, which allows me, of course, through the house and senate office buildings, but into the into the capital. I can go virtually any place in the capitol. And, to be able to engage with members and staff, and it’s it’s part of how God has enlarged my territory. And I bet for many of you listening, you had no idea that this was even happening at the capitol. And with the kind of effectivity that Steve is telling you, what a great tool, Steve, that I wanna carry around, that anyone should wanna carry around is just a simple question, what do you need God to do for you today?

And then that just opens up the opportunity to care for, pray with, and have the kind of God conversations that we’re all that we’re all after. Steve, as you’ve been telling your story, a lyric came to my memory from the movie, That Thing You Do. I don’t know if you remember it but some years back. And, from the album there was a lyric that said, I never thought my life would end up quite this way. And, for you looking back from where you started to having, gospel patrons come alongside of you and say, I believe in you.

I see God working in you. Could you have ever imagined that this would be the story that God would paint by your faithfulness saying yes and then praying that prayer of Jabez to end up here? Could you have imagined that? No. I I I could not have, my board and I, and I’m I’m really, happy that I have some great people, some gentlemen, and and one lady on my board that, believe in what I’m doing, that that get it.

The first time that I was going to record a, my the first I was gonna record my 1st Broadway CD, and I told the board about it at the end of the board meeting and said, I I think I’m gonna try to find a way to do this, but I’ll do it separate and apart from Immerse Music Ministries. And one of my board members said, no. You’re not gonna do that. If you’re gonna do if you’re gonna you’re gonna do this as a part of the ministry. And they got it.

They understood, how I could have impact in in in the, whatever you wanna call it, the secular world. I don’t believe I don’t like the word sacred and sac sacred and secular. It’s all secular. It all belongs to God. But there are just some things in the marketplace that have yet to be redeemed and that have yet to be touched, by the sacred.

They said you’re gonna do this broad 1st Broadway CD as a part of the ministry. So God has opened up those kinds of opportunities. I never would have anticipated that it would take me there, that music would open the door and give me opportunities to speak words of life, to people. And you’re right. Whether it’s in the capital or whether it’s, golly, at at at checking in for a flight or with, with a a server at a restaurant.

Just that simple question. What do you need God to do for you today? My my job and I I love my friend, Barry McGuire. I I he is just passionate to share faith with people. And, Barry’s thought is we’re just our job is just to move people a little closer to Jesus every day.

And that’s what I’m about. I don’t have to close the deal many times. I just have to open the door. And that’s what I try to do as I travel, and that’s what I try to do on Capitol Hill, just to open the door with some of these people regardless whether they’re Republican or a Democrat, whether they’re godless or or where they are whether they are people that feel that they’re called, to be a missionary on Capitol Hill. I’m just there to try to nudge them along to help move them closer to Jesus.

Steve, what a great story. And what we all hope to emulate is to imagine that we’re going to have a life of impact. Now, if you’ve been listening again to Steve and you’ve been hearing these stories and you’re interested in what’s going to happen this fall and what’s happening on a regular basis in the government, I suggest you go to Steve’s website and on there, it’s in the show notes. So if you’re looking for the link, it’s in the show notes. You can click on that.

Go there, subscribe to that newsletter, and you’re going to get updates. Now, Steve’s updates updates are meant to be an encouragement to you and a and a, a way with which that we can model in our own life with that simple yet powerful question. What do you need God to do for you today? And to carry that everywhere we go, Steve, I’m adding it to the repertoire. I mean, I think that’s just something that I’m going to carry around with me as well.

It’s such a great, great question. And I’m so grateful that you were here and grateful for you that are listening. Thank you so much for joining me for another episode of Leveraging Success. You can hear Steve and his story, incredible music success, jumping out, trusting God, building his musical business and ministry all in in one. This is what we’re after.

So I’d love for you to be on this journey with me. Please follow this podcast. Subscribe on YouTube so that you don’t miss an episode. Also, I love hearing your feedback. So please leave me a review or email me at jeff@leveragingsuccesspodcast.com to tell me what you think of what we’re doing here and what maybe you’d like to hear more of.

And I would love to address some of these questions live on the show. Finally, I’ve got a free offer for all of our listeners in the show notes. You not only have the ability to get to Steve’s website, you’ll have the ability to see his book, but if you’d also like to be on a process that would live and and follow the life that Steve has demonstrated. You want to have a life of life mastery. And there’s a 6 part e course that I’ve put into the show notes if you’d like to, get a email from me every day that will tell you some ideas on how to get and master life, you’ll be able to do that.

Again, Steve, thank you for joining me. I’m so glad that you all are here. We’re after finding leverage and that means working less, making more and taking the margin and gain in our life to be incredible. Have a life that will matter forever. I’m your host, Jeff Gearhart here with my friend Steve Amerson.

Until next time. God bless you.