Heath Houston Bio
Hey I’m Heath Houston, in case you didn’t catch that already. I am the creative arts pastor here at the Journey which is a fancy way of saying I oversee all things music, media, and artsy stuff. None of it’s easy, but every second is a great source of joy in my life because it is the culmination of a dream Jason and I have shared for over 10 years and the fulfillment of the calling God has on my life.
I was born in 1973 and grew up on a farm in Blakely Georgia, a small town in the Southwest corner of the state. I was a child of the 80’s, parachute pants and all.
I was raised in the country. I know how to take care of all sorts of animals and crops. I have bogged down all manner of vehicles including two trucks and a tractor in one afternoon. I once drove my four-wheeler into a pond to see if it would float…it didn’t. So growing up was fun and very different than the life I am now living in west Atlanta.
The greatest interest in my life was music. I sang in choirs and quartets. I sang solos in church and in the community. I was even a member of my high school show choir. I know, it’s kind of weird now but back in the day, the chicks at our school dug it.
I also grew up attending church regularly and even committed myself to following Jesus when I was 11 years old. I was baptized a couple of weeks after I made my commitment public. My decision was the first step in a long process of truly understanding the true depth of my commitment. This first step was rooted in fear, but it was this fear that God used to draw me to himself.
After my faith confession, I had moments of spiritual progression but they were few and far between. I would feel convicted about things at times but for the most part I lived my life no different than others around me who hadn’t made the same commitment to Christ as I did. I was a bit of a wild man and pursued my own pleasures recklessly.
My wild ways got me into trouble. They even propelled me to marriage at the ripe old age of 19. It was during this time my beautiful daughter Hannah was born. The marriage did not last and I found myself in a miserably, depressive state.
It was during this time of despair and depression that God showed me grace. He showed me I wasn’t worthless and that he had a plan for my life. A pastor and a close friend walked with me through this hard time and God began to show me the great sense of freedom you receive in a fully-surrendered, submissive life to Him. I slowly began to understand this and other deep truths of the faith…God was maturing my faith. It’s almost like he took blinders off my eyes and allowed me to see things in a different light.
It was during that renewing time in my life, that God opened the door for me to pursue a great love of mine again, music. I began to sing in church and lead a small choir. God began to teach me about worship. He also gave me a passion to play piano and bass guitar. It wasn’t long before I felt God calling me to pursue music with a more focused effort. I enrolled in college studying music and graduated.
After I had graduated college, I found myself wondering what exactly to do with my life. God seemed to have put me in a holding pattern and I didn’t understand why until one summer night in 2002. That’s when I met my future wife Catea. Like me, Catea had lived a prodigal life but had recently turned her life back to God. God brought our paths together and I could have never picked a better friend and wife. We have spent the last six years ministering together and building a great family. We have 5 kids: Hannah, E.J., Riley, Kaden, & Audrey .
During this time as Jason and I were both ministering in different churches, we would talk and dream about one day pastoring together. Over the years that conversation evolved into one day starting a new church together. This conversation went on for years. The opportunity never presented itself until about a year ago. Then God in his sovereignty, began to put together an incredible plan for the birth of the Journey. It was incredibly joyous and terribly frightening all at the same time. He slowly worked out the details and in 2008 Catea and I moved to Atlanta to be a part of The Journey.
Now the Journey has begun. It is still incredibly joyous and terribly frightening but now, it’s a reality and no longer a dream.
