#WCW Jamie Grace: Holding On…

All the signs of life
They’re all around me with every heartbeat
I feel so alive,
I am joy and sadness,
Peace and madness
If only I can fight just a little longer
I know It’s gonna make me stronger

I just keep holding on to what I believe
Oh, I believe in you
Give me the strength to fight
And the heart to believe
When it’s hard to believe in you

Oh and these are the times when doubt’s tryin’ to creep in
And I need a reason that’s larger than life when hope seems hard to find
If only I can fight just a little longer
I know it’s gonna make me stronger

The above rendition is an excerpt from a song titled “Holding On”, from the album “One Song At A Time (2011)” by musician, speaker, actress, Jamie Grace Harper, which was her first.

Born November 25, 1991, to the family of James and Mona Harper, who founded and are the pastors of Kingdom City Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, Jamie Grace is an American Contemporary Christian musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. She has an older sister named Morgan and brother-in-law named Patrick.

In 2010, she was discovered (via her YouTube channel) by TobyMac and signed to his label Gotee Records. Landing her a nomination at the 2012 Grammys was the release of her song “Hold Me”, and she also won the 2012 Dove Award for New Artist of the Year. Jamie has come a long way since being “discovered” by TobyMac years ago – something she is still trying to wrap her head around. “I’m still having a hard time processing the response to ‘Hold Me,’ the song I started in my dorm room,” says Jamie. “The past few years have been absolutely incredible and I feel so blessed to have the privilege of sharing even more music.” 

Jamie can also be seen on the big screen in the 2013 film “Grace Unplugged”.

In 2014, Jamie took home the award for “First Christian Artist to Appear on 7Up Can,” as part of the 2014 K-LOVE fan awards.

Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety and ADHD at the age of 11 she lives life with a streak of resilience and dedication that is well beyond her years. “It took our lives for a spin,” she explains of the diagnosis. “I learned early on that Tourette’s is not life-threatening, but it is life-altering.” 

Jamie performs and speaks throughout the country, despite the diagnosis. She continues to impact listeners with her latest song “Do Life Big” off her album Ready To Fly (2014). “Do Life Big,” follows her hit tune “Beautiful Day,” which Jamie says is more than just a fun, catchy tune. “It has a message saying that in spite of what we’re going through, every day is a good and an incredible gift because God made it,” she says. “In my young life I learned that every day can begin with worshiping my creator.”

A standing ovation for this week’s  #WCW, Jamie Grace Harper. She’s the role model of a resilient spirit, with her life, portraying the fact that we don’t have to have our whole life figured out to start our journey. We don’t have to have everything perfect to make a mark. We don’t have to be entirely strong to strengthen others. We simply need to be in the waiting with God. Yet while we are waiting, we are ready to move – ready to fly- when the timing is right.

In her spent years, she has spread, and she keeps on spreading the word, saying,

“The greatest love I ever knew had nothing to do with a blanket with sleeves, but everything to do with a God that was holding me and would never let me go.” – Jamie Grace Harper.