One sunny afternoon in late December 2018, I sat down, face-to-face with Suzy Yaraei in Johannesburg and recorded this interview. She was in SA from North Carolina on a sabbatical at the time and she generously gave me an afternoon to chat and record. I remember laughing a lot. I remember having a cry afterwards too - she has a way of unearthing things - deep things in your heart.
Suzy is a force. She’s trained and raised up some of the world’s most influential worship leaders and songwriters. The Helsers, John Mark and Sarah McMillan, Misty Edwards, Kim Walker, Josh Baldwin…the list goes on. She’s a mother and a leader in the worship movement. She has a trail of trail blazers behind her - all making and leaving a legacy behind them. I’ve heard many of them honour her for the key role she has played in their lives. Prior to co leading the Worship Department at MorningStar Ministries with the legendary Don Potter, Suzy was a backup singer for Reba McEntire, Wynonna Judd, and several other successful recording artists out of Nashville, Tennessee.
Suzy is married to the most wonderful man, Kamran. Kamran is a former Shite Muslim. He oozes love and peace and just being around Him you want to know and love Jesus more. Thats for another podcast! Together they are dynamite. In our chat she shares about their latest project - a television show broadcast into The Middle East, Europe and North Africa. Suzy gets so excited talking about what she describes as their great honour of ministering to millions of Muslims in the fastest growing church in the world - the Iranian Church. Together they are using their platform for all the things worship platforms should be used for - to draw people to Jesus. Their stories are wild. And true. You will be inspired and encouraged.
What I love the most about this episode is the strong thread that runs though it. It’s a thread that only The Holy Spirit could weave. This thread is bold and brave and requires that you be you and I be me. And in that we become more like the true sons and daughters we were created to be.
Anyway - in a perfect world this would have been the first episode of 2019. Oops. Here we are in April 2020 and I am FINALLY releasing our lengthy, weighty, and very precious conversation. The world as we know it, is far from perfect.
Why my delay? In 2019 I chose to homeschool our eldest, Sam. He was doing Grade 2 at the time and I was over ambitious as to what would be possible that year with that on my plate. My yes to Sam and the demands of homeschool, plus the other commitments in our life with family, business and ministry - meant that I had to say no to some other things. Many times I felt stretched too thin and had lots to learn about rest. There was just no headspace to podcast. But, I was on my own beautiful pursuit…
There were days in 2019 when I thought this episode would never come out. That I wouldn’t be able to edit it, ever, and that I would have to write Suzy an email one day and apologise for my fail. I am so grateful I pushed through and that Suzy is so gracious - never once putting any pressure on me. In fact, she sent me a message one day saying she would not be phased if the interview never came out. Instead she has pursued a connection with me and for that I am deeply impacted and grateful. She is the real deal.
I am grateful that the Lord locks truth up in timeless packages - that even though we chatted in December 2018, this podcast has its place in April 2020 when the world feels upside down. I was jogging one morning in December 2019 and I felt the Lord say that 2020 would be a year that would establish deep things in us - things that would change our lives forever and mark us into eternity. Fast-forward to another morning jog in January 2020 and I was asking the Lord if I’d ever record another podcast and where to even start. He told me to return to the audio with Suzy because there was gold there. To finish that one. To release it and to know that He was on it and in it. Yay God!
Enjoy! Please rate this podcast on iTunes - its the best way to spread the love and help us grow.
Much love, Ant.
Here’s a link to Kamran and Suzy’s Ministry - https://www.ksministry.org/
A link to Suzy’s amazing book, War and Paradise https://www.amazon.com/War-Paradise-Suzy-Yaraei-ebook/dp/B006ZAXBQY
And some YouTube links you want :) https://www.youtube.com/user/Kamranyaraei
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmG5bo92Cd4
Suzy mentions some remarkable people in this episode - check them out…
Stephen Roach - http://www.thebreathandtheclay.com/stephen-roach
Luke Skaggs & The Cageless Birds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-SR7Xc0yhM&t=671s
Jonathan & Melissa Helser - https://www.jonathanhelser.com
John Mark McMillan - https://www.johnmarkmcmillan.com
Don Potter - https://www.potterschoolhaus.com