INTERVIEW – DAVID GATE

Here is another interview, this time with my new friend David Gate.

Please can you tell us about yourself and what do you do?
My name is David Gate…. I am a husband to Emilie, father to Ethan, Zach and Lucas, a worship pastor at Trinity Cheltenham and a songwriter amongst other, not so relevant, things.

How and when did you become a Christian?
I grew up in a Christian home and decided when I was 12 or so to make it my own faith and not just my parents. Then I had a typical teenage ’summer seasonal’ faith until I was 14 when I started to go to some of the events Soul Survivor were running and through the worship and ministry times I encountered God in incredible new ways which fueled a more passionate and determined faith. And I’ve not looked back since!

What song personally means the most to you and why?
That is a tough one. In terms of worship songs I’d have to plump for ‘Here I am once again (Pour out my heart)’ – that is one song I wish I’d written! – from my own songs I’d have to say ‘Led to the Lost’ or ‘Extravagant, Magnificent’ which I wrote for our wedding. My favourite song of all time is Rufus Wainwright’s ‘Dinner at Eight’ – a song about his fractured relationship with his father – always brings a tear to my eye!

What books would you recommend as ‘must reads’?
Another hard question! Anything by AW Tozer (and I mean anything) but particularly ‘The Pursuit of God’. ‘The Divine Conspiracy’ is also a fantastic, though long, read. I recently read a book called ‘The Fountainhead’ by Ayn Rand which I totally loved – it is a piece of classic fiction, and certainly not one to build your theology around, but a fascinating peon to individualism, objectivism and integrity in creativity – it challenged, sharpened and inspired me no end – and is also a brilliant story about architecture too!

Who inspires you?
Almost anyone can be inspiring on their day but I regularly find Thom Yorke an intriguing and inspiring character – accessible yet always creative, socially and politically aware but rarely pious. For me, he is like Bono – but a lot, lot better.

What are the most important things you think every worship leader should know?
Be obedient – do whatever God asks you, whenever He asks you to do it
Be passionate – ‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and mind and strength’
Be yourself – he made you to be you – and he doesn’t make mistakes

Any other words of wisdom?
Just my two favourite CS Lewis quotes:

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” C.S.Lewis

“A man who is eating or lying with his wife or preparing to go to sleep in humility, thankfulness and temperance, is, by Christian standards, in an infinitely higher state than one who is listening to Bach or reading Plato in a state of pride.” C.S.Lewis

Be sure to check out David’s website www.davidgate.com