The Jason Lovins Band
www.jasonlovins.com
www.myspace.com/jasonlovinsmusic
When Jason Lovins, leader of the Jason Lovins Band, was five years old, his mother and grandmother sat him down to explain why he didn’t have a daddy.
As gently as possible, they shared how his mom, who at only 15 years old, was assaulted on her way home from the community swimming pool. She was raped.
The youngest girl of five children, the naïve teenager told no one. She later started experiencing regular bouts of sickness, only to discover that she was pregnant.
With him.
“I shouldn’t be here,” Lovins now recognizes. “I shouldn’t have what I have. I can think of a million reasons why my mom could have had an abortion, but she didn’t.”
Instead, his faithful parent chose to raise him, with the assistance of his grandparents, in a strong Christian family environment. His mom chose to make good out of the negative situation.
And looking back on his childhood, Lovins says he only has good memories. His earliest memory is his mom’s high school graduation, where he remembers the black and white caps flying in the air.
He didn’t miss having a father, but instead remembers constantly feeling loved and wanted.
At the age of 8, he became a Christian while attending an old country church in Kenova, W.V., where his grandmother sang in a Southern Gospel band. He, too, loved to sing.
Invited to First Baptist Church, Kenova, Lovins was introduced to the “old school” praise and worship music, championed by fellow hometowner, Michael W. Smith.
Though family members had gone to high school with Smith, Lovins “never knew who the guy was” but has since met him. “It was crazy,” he shares, with an easy laugh in his voice.
Lovins sang in church, but it wasn’t until his college years at Morehead (Ky.) State University that “the Lord got a hold of him.”
Heavily involved in the Baptist Student Union (now called Baptist Campus Ministries), the easygoing student became best friends with other guys who wanted to be “rock stars for Jesus.”
Out of that camaraderie, Lovins and the band became the worship leaders for Centrifuge, the summer camps sponsored by LifeWay Christian Resources.
“We had no idea that it was the largest Christian camp in the world,” he now confesses. “Our whole band was green. We were so clueless.”
He acknowledges that he knew how to stand up and play songs for people. But to lead them in worship was a whole different challenge.
Lovins credits God for using Tony Merida, then camp pastor, to change his life. “That summer [in 2002], I left as a worship leader,” he affirms. “Tony helped me understand what it meant to really worship God.”
Yet, as Lovins has grown older, he confesses he often wonders why God allowed his mom to be raped.
“I’ve always believed that God was big enough to keep this from happening. I couldn’t understand why He let it happen,” he says.
But a little old lady who heard him lead worship provided his much sought after answer, “Why, you wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t have happened,” she wisely shared.
A naturally gifted singer, Lovins began putting the pieces together. He began to see his love of music and love for Jesus as something he could offer to others. He could see how his story could bring hope to others.
“I’ve always been different. I knew that God had something for me,” he realizes.
With this realization, the former AFLAC insurance salesman recently took the leap of faith to become a full-time worship leader. His first project is entitled “Songs from Sunday,” which includes his original songs as well as mainstream worship songs.
In addition to the Centrifuge camps, where he serves alongside his wife Jana, he and his band mates, Anthony Tackett, Philip Abbott, Levi Castle, and Hillary Chaney, are scheduled to serve at several student events, churches and conferences across the nation.
