If You Ain't In It

Gayleen Boren is the author of From Dusk To CROWN: Where Hope Takes Hold :A Collection of Poems,Prayers,and Words of Encouragement (The From Dusk to Crown Series Book 1). In addition to writing, She enjoys spending time on her other passions and interests. You can sign up to get updates about her writing here.

I was not raised in a Christian family, but my life took a profound and unexpected turn more than 30 years ago when my twin sister gave her life to Jesus Christ . Through her testimony, I accepted Christ

My journey of faith was later tested by the loss of my beloved twin sister. In a year that brought both immense joy and sorrow, I began writing my first book on January 1, 2020, just six months before my sister, who was ready to meet the Lord, passed away. This profound loss, along with a personal illness, gave me time to reflect deeply on my faith and the faithfulness of God through all seasons of life.

Since winning over millions of hearts on season 8 of American Idol in 2009, Grammy nominated Christian singer singer/songwriter Danny Gokey has been soaking up the essence of the human condition and pouring it into various musical expressions across five studio albums, starting with his 2010 debut album, My Best Days. 

Known for the “grit” in his expressive vocals that fuse “soulful, hopeful, pop,” the one-time truck driver from Milwaukee has amassed Billboard chart success, toured the country with big band acts like Sugarland, and earned numerous awards and accolades that confirm his mainstream appeal.

For the follow-up to his 2017 acclaimed album Rise, the Capitol recording artist released Haven’t Seen It Yet, on April 12th, 2019. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Chart.

Inspired by his father’s collection of Motown records at a young age, Gokey found his voice “when I was making my ‘Hope in Front of Me’ record in 2014.” Today, the accomplished musician stands stronger and wiser than he was when he recorded his debut album, and the heartbreak and rejection that tend to colorize the life of an artist also helps shape the experiences that “play into knowing what people like and what they don’t like” and how to translate that into songs and storytelling. 

“When you have a lot more experience, you have the ability to talk about more things from an experiential place. I think that’s what makes songs good, experience and telling stories, and I applied that to this record. Music that makes the most impact is when you are thinking about the listener, and you are thinking about how can they relate to the subject I am talking about; and all that growth has gone to the album.”

The married father of three with another baby due in August 2019 bounced back from tragedy in 2008 when his first wife died four weeks after his American Idol audition, and life after the music competition series proved quite challenging. Gokey achieved yet another milestone with his first number one single for the resonating song “Hope in Front of Me” - and it came 5 1/2 years after hitting the American Idol stage. 

“I can only credit God for making me get this far today.”

Gokey used his unwavering devotion to Christ to explore a different direction for his latest effort, which arrives in April; choosing to convey a wider array of emotions to “keep people motivated who feel like they are in a situation that’s tough.”

“Haven’t Seen It Yet is saying, hey, you are closer to the change than you think you are, so don’t give up yet. Don’t go bitter. Don’t get discouraged. There’s things happening that you can’t even see, and you are going to come out on top.”

“Fighter” is another track on the album which encourages those “going through a tough time” to keep the faith and never give up. 

This new project also explores for the first time “my love for my children, my family and my wife” which Gokey had not done on a previous album. 

“The sentiment of the record was to entertain and to bring hope.”

Gokey lends his free time to bringing “hope” to homeless families through his Better Than I Found It foundation. The organization is a “massive part of my career,” as is his eyewear line, Danny Gokey Eyewear. 

“My biggest inspiration has been life itself. Walking through circumstances and being around people who have just kept positive attitude to evolve through tough times.”

Gokey is currently on tour previewing his new material for fans while “starting to look at life from a different place because I want my children to have a good life. I want to be a good voice for people to follow when it seems pretty dark.”