Doe Jones is a passionate musical artist and communicator from Shreveport, Louisiana. She serves as the Youth Pastor at Shreveport Community Church with Pastors Denny and Deanza Duron and currently travels around the world singing, speaking and inspiring people to deepen and strengthen their relationships with God.
Her roots are music; beneath her individual ministry lies the foundation of her family, foreverJONES. Doe, her parents, and her four brothers and sisters all travel together and minister as a family band. To date, foreverJONES has been nominated for 2 Grammys, 6 Stellars, and 4 Dove Awards. They desire to see families transformed, changed and restored by their testimony, the power of God’s presence and prayer.
Camille Sutton, creative director at Clearpath.life, had the pleasure of sitting down with Doe and hearing her heart around music, worship and the new sound God wants to release in the earth.
CS: Who is Doe Jones? What do you do, and what excites you most at the present?
DJ: I am a singer, songwriter, musician, all-encompassing worshipper, motivational speaker, youth pastor, sister…lots of hats! What excites me most about the present is this question: “What in the world does God have next for me?”
And it’s an intentional excitement because it’s so easy to get worried about that, but I am excited about what God has for me and this next season. I think the body of Christ is coming back to a place of genuineness and worship. And I think it’s kind of being forced back there because there are so many dead ends that keep the Holy Spirit out.
CS: How would you describe God’s best for us to receive, observe and participate in worship and music? Could you describe some of his possibilities?
DJ: I love this subject because this is THE thing. Worship is a lifestyle. We have no business doing on stage what we aren’t already doing in private. It’s gotta be connected. Leviticus talks about sacrifice/burnt offerings being a pleasing aroma to God. More specifically, it instructs that “all” of the sacrifice be burned. If you can look at every area of your life, ALL of it, and say yes to giving those places up for Him, then it’s an acceptable offering, an acceptable gift to God.
As far as musical worship – I believe you get to a place in your walk with God, if you allow yourself to continue to grow, where you don’t care what song is being played, as long as it’s magnifying God. Mature believers don’t get to fold their arms when we hear a song we don’t want to hear. Music is a language. Other places speak it differently. All is acceptable; and the possibilities are endless when you say “all.”
CS: What has writing music specifically revealed to you about the nature of God?
DJ: God speaks many different languages and doesn’t just use words, and I believe music is one He speaks well. If you take music out of a scary movie, for instance, it won’t be scary, because music is a part of the language being communicated. It’s the same with God. Take out a part of His language and you can miss what He’s saying.
CS: How would you define the responsibility of singers/musicians to discern the voice/sound of God to the body of Christ?
DJ: I would say the responsibility for singers and musicians is to know Him and get your practice in the secret place, not just on the stage. Worship Him in secret, learn His voice there and then release what He says to the body.
CS: How would you define prophetic music and lyrics?
DJ: When I write a song, I’m sensing from God what He is saying to me. And then there are times when I hear a simple melody. The key is being able to know and discern God’s voice – being rooted in a relationship with Him. I think it’s His heart to speak to His kids and they know what His voice sounds like.
CS: In what lesser-known ways have you seen music minister to people?
DJ: I haven’t seen this story personally but I heard it from my friend. She went to Savannah, Georgia, and became friends with a young girl who told her a story about music therapy. A woman had a condition where she didn’t get enough blood circulation to her legs, so she was confined to a wheelchair at a young age. So they looked into music therapy. They would put this woman’s legs up against a piano and play the keys. It was the only thing that her body would respond to, and now she’s walking.
That’s a big deal because it also speaks to the possibilities of worship. Our worship can bring healing. Scientifically speaking, at the core, every atom is sound. I think this is so cool, because God spoke “let there be light” – and a word created! The possibilities are endless.
CS: Social media has been either positive or negative in its effect on culture…In sharing your music, which includes revealing yourself and your intimacy with the Lord, how do the internal processes of self-editing and social sharing come about? How do you keep it about God and not about you?
DJ: Sometimes it is intentional as me talking to the Lord. Other times, I just need to post something today because that’s my business. Sometimes I just pick a song, and other times, it’s something specific God’s laid on my heart. The thing that cancels out it being entirely fleshly, is that it’s true worship. There’s a fine line between doing it for man or doing it for God.
I really believe though that you shouldn’t feel bad for bringing joy to people by sharing your gift. If your heart’s in the right place, you’re not being cocky. Sometimes Christians, out of a desire to be genuine, look at people who share their gift and say, “you’re being so cocky,” or they limit themselves from sharing in order to stay humble. Just be used by God in whatever way it looks like for you!
CS: What’s the coolest feedback you’ve received thus far from your music?
DJ: The best feedback is: “I was ready to give up, I was done, and then your song came on. Right there in the car, I gave my heart to the Lord and haven’t been the same since.” Being able to contribute to life is such a gift.
“He Wants it All” wasn’t even a strong song in my thinking, but God has done so much with that one. I think that my weakest song making the greatest impact is such a great testament to God being made strong in our weakness.
CS: If you could improvise and sing anywhere in the world, where would you like to go sing/worship?
DJ: I’m thankful that my mother exposed us to every type of music because that allowed me to learn different sounds, not be confined to one sound. So I think really unique sounds from places like Dubai and Africa intrigue me. I would love to be apart of worship settings in these places. And places where people give more and have less than we do, places that would challenge my American lens/way of thinking.
CS: What is God’s invitation to the untrained musician/singer/songwriter in their personal spiritual practice?
DJ: Everyone is focused outwardly on imitating a sound that is widely accepted. God’s invitation is: “Come away with me to discover what I want to release.”
Nothing is original unless it comes from heaven. God releases new and original things that no one else has tapped into when we go away with Him.
CS: What is God’s invitation to the trained musician/singer/songwriter?
DJ: I believe the invitation is the same: “Come away with me and let me give you your sound.”
I wrote these words: “I don’t want to imitate a sound. I want to sing from a new place that I’ve found. I want to draw from the deepest well, and release heaven from my mouth.”
Everyone has their own well from heaven, but you can’t tap into it if you’re not digging.
