“The power to bless and to curse is in the tongue,” Christian recording artist John Waller tells a standing-room-only crowd at one of our events last July. “It’s so important for God’s people to speak blessings over our families and to allow our Heavenly Father to heal our wounds.”
John’s words go deep, and something amazing happens.
With the singer’s instruction, fathers in every part of the room place their right hands on their sons’ heads and begin praying the lyrics of “Ancient Words.” John filled this song with blessings from the Bible:
Lord, bless him
and keep him
Make your face to shine upon him.
Lift his countenance on You
and give him peace.
The moment is raw and real . . . and feels incredibly sacred. Afterward, many fathers and teens embrace. Some confess their own wounds, while others promise to “reverse a curse” by cutting back on painful cuts—daily words guys often use that can hurt instead of heal.
I scan the auditorium and smile. (Actually, I wipe a few tears from my eyes then smile.) As Breakaway’s editor and the Father-Son Adventures leader, I’m blown away by the depth and seriousness of the guys who have come on our trip. Jesus is at work here, I tell myself. These guys will never be the same—and it’s only Day Two!
John Calls for a Flood
With John on the scene, our experiences couldn’t be anything but deep. This Atlanta-based songwriter/worship leader—not to mention one of Beach Street Records’ newest artists—was named by Billboard magazine as a “face to watch.”
John has seen God move in a powerful way in his music ministry, but only after he had given up “the music business.”
“Before going solo, I fronted a group called According to John,” he says. “When the group ended, I closed that chapter in my life. I never had any intentions of being a recording artist again. I went about a year without writing any songs.”
After moving to Colorado, where he served as a worship pastor for several months, John gradually began to feel more inspired to write music and started sharing some of those tunes with his congregation. During a trip to his home state of Georgia, John wrote “Calling for a Flood.”
“I was feeling discouraged and was wondering if I would ever make a difference as an artist,” he explains. “I was praying and asking God to engulf me with His presence from the chambers of my heart to the portals of my mind—and every square inch of the room I was in. I needed to forget about myself and what I wanted and be flooded with Him.”
Uncovering “The Blessing”
While in Georgia, John met Casting Crowns' lead vocalist, Mark Hall. To make a long—but amazing—story short, Mark agreed to record a song with John called “The Blessing.”
A chain of circumstances led to John signing with Beach Street, which is owned by Mark Miller, lead vocalist for the award-winning country group Sawyer Brown. And the rest, as they say, is history. With the support of his Colorado church, John moved back to Atlanta and launched his solo career. “The Blessing” became the artist’s title cut on his debut record, not to mention the theme of Breakaway’s Father-Son Adventures.
Passing on the Blessing
John explained that with a strong circle of friends lifting him up in prayer, he was able to break the bonds of depression. He no longer found himself reliant on the medication that had become part of his life. This whole experience instilled in him the importance of speaking words that bless, not curse.
“It’s so important that we speak blessings into the lives of others,” he says. “I can’t say it enough: The power to bless and to curse is in the tongue.”
It’s this truth that guides his ministry today.
“God has called me to use my songs to help set people free. It could be from depression or some other stronghold,” he says. “I just believe it's about delivering people. I want to help give people a new legacy. God can create a new legacy in their life to pass on to their children. That's what I think my ministry needs to be about.” 
