Tauren Wells Interview- Video

Hey everyone, thanks for watching this special episode of the Ordn Praise podcast. My name is Aaron and I'm joined today with Mr. Torren Wells. - What's happening, Aaron? - You're about to perform in a few hours here in Virginia Beach at Regent University. And we're so blessed to have you. This is actually a kind of a makeup event. - Yeah. - For our tropical stormed out sunrise festival. - Yeah. - That wasn't able to happen last year. So thank you. - We've been looking forward to it. It's been on the calendar. Glad to finally get back to you. I was so excited to get the chance to see you and talk with you over the summer last year. And was super bummed out when it didn't happen. So I'm very excited that you're here now. And this is a little different too for those who follow our podcast and all that. 'Cause I'm not normally this close to you when I talk. So that's gonna take some getting used to for me. I work in radio, not behind a camera. - Yeah. - Very good. That's all right. - Torren, you've been at this now for how long? - Oh gosh. I don't know. - I started with Royal Taylor. - Yeah, Royal Taylor. We got signed in 2011. - Okay. - Okay. - Would you believe what I told you? I used to watch Royal Taylor videos on JCTV. - Let's go. - Juice TV. - Yes. - Come on. - Come on. - That's amazing. - Yes. - Yep. Those were the good old days. Loved it such a fun season of life. Struggle season too. But yeah, thankful to be where we're at now. That's for sure. - Yeah. And where you're at now too is you know, to go from 2011. We're in 2024. You, how many albums now? How many top hits? And we could go over the numbers and all that. But I think the biggest thing that I've seen in you is not, it's outside the music. Is you started a community of believers. You started this church. - Yeah. - And I really want to talk about that because that I think is so unique. Now you see some singers who are pastors already. You know, we had them. I don't know if it's Greg and Dean, you know, Mark Hall. But to see an artist who starts a church with his family and this is in Houston. - It's in Austin. - Austin. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Tessa. - It's okay. We lived in Houston for 15 years. - Okay. Yeah, but we moved to Austin last summer and started just hanging with people, meeting with people. And we launched the church in January of this year. - That's amazing. Yeah. - And you also, I mean, you started a church, but you also went to Bible college. - Yes. - I mean, that's where you started in music. - Yep. - Was through Bible college. So that interest me. I'm a Bible college student. So like, I love it. - Yeah. - A quote that you had and I'm going to have to get up. So it's going to look weird. I'm going to read it because I want to ask you about it because I saw it and it hit a few things in me and I was super excited because I'm not on social media. - Okay. - So when I saw it, I was like, oh, this is deep. So I'm going to read that real quick. - Okay, Greg. - I love it. - I love it. And it came, it was something you posted on X and it said, if the Bible is not the basis for your beliefs, your beliefs are broken. I feel like, in quotes, maybe the greatest path to broken thinking in our time. - Yes. - We must give the truth of scripture authority over our feelings before we insert our feelings. We should ask, what does the Bible say? - Yes. - As two people who I'm sure have taken a class called Herman Udix, we both understand where this kind of came from. But if you want to kind of talk about it because I think this message and we're in such a divisive time in our culture too. And this is where I think I've talked to so many Christian artists and they all say the same thing. They all talk about God's love and this peace and really understanding what's coming out of scripture. So yeah. And I think that the foundational component is actually love. But it is also love expressing truth. You know, that's a part of who God is. And so I, through that statement was just trying to give the alternative perspective that your thoughts are not the highest authority. That our feelings are not the highest authority. That the scripture actually says, as far as the heavens are above the earth, so are his thoughts above ours. So when we start trying to reduce God down to the way that we see the world, to the way we see justice, to the way we see sexuality, all of these different things, we're shrinking God to our image. We're not allowing ourselves to be the expression of his. So I think just trying to get back to that core foundational point of like the Bible is very, it's very complicated and very simple. And his ways are very clear, but they're not always very easy. But getting back to that place of like, even if I disagree with the scripture or it doesn't make sense in my view of the world, the problem is me, not it. - Right. - And so trying to just with God's help, like Paul said, let our roots grow down deep into God's love. You know, that way we can really understand where God is coming from with everything that he's, called us to do and be. - Yeah. And what he's trying to reveal to us through his word too, context is key when it comes to understanding scripture as well. And it's funny, the way you're going through that too, is as we think about, you know, we bring God down to this human element. I was talking on my way over here to my mom today. And the comment came up about how, you know, the people, you know, humans us, you know, those people have to say, hey, you know, well, this type of person is never going to change. This person is never going to change. And my mom and I were talking, you know, I was like, you know, for that statement to be said, reduces and takes away all the power of God. - Mm-hmm. - So, yes. I mean, such a powerful statement. And I saw that last night. So that was even before all, yeah. I love God. - Yeah, me too. - How he works. Well, let's talk about the music. So you're doing this, this is a makeup kind of show. Do you have plans for a future tour coming up? Do we have new music coming out? - Yeah, so working on an album, working on a few things, but just announce the tour with Chris Tomlin, that's going to be happening this fall, which will be fun. I'm going to be on some select dates for that. - Okay. - So we're making it work with the church schedule and everything. So it's just been amazing. I've wrestled so long with the idea that you really can only do one thing. You know, the problem with that is every person is multi-dimensional and they all have unique gifts, talents, seasons, assignments for seasons and all of that. And you know, just thinking about someone like David who was a shepherd, a psalmist, a poet, a warrior, a king, a father, all of these things. I think we're meant to be multi-hyphenate and to try to, you know, I think a lot of times we get so locked into the idea of what we think our life is supposed to be, that we don't give any room to God to actually expand what we thought was possible with our lives. And if at any point in my personal journey, I would have not been able to see past what God was doing in the moment that I would have forfeited so many beautiful things that God's done in my life. So God is progressive, he's dynamic, he's not static. So just because this is how it is right now, doesn't mean that's how it always has to be to your point about people changing. - Yeah. - Like things can change, people can change and God can expand what he wants to do with your life. So I know that's been my story. I think it's, God wants to do that in so many people's lives where we put a cap on what we think he can do. - I see today there's so many people that are just hurting and we're in a new cycle of hurt people seeking out something to fill in that void, that pain. And you and I both know the answer is God, but what I see almost as a hindrances, you have this layer of people who are like, well, if you want to follow God, you have to be this mold. - Yeah. - And you can't have this baggage. And I don't want that in my church. - Wow, that came out of nowhere. But that is so much not what we're called to do and called to be as Christians, as followers of Jesus, I love how the Bible, the Gospels, illustrate who Jesus hung out with, who he picked even as his disciples were, people that were no bodies in society's eye. - Yes. - From fishermen to tax collectors. - Yep. - I mean, he's chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. It's like, why us? - Yeah. - You know? But yeah, I'm grateful that he uses foolish people. Oh, so am I because if he didn't, I'd be stuck. Exactly. I would be stuck. So hard. So we got this show coming up tonight. You got new music that's hopefully we're going to hear some new stuff. Maybe not that maybe you said. Nothing new. You'll be hearing stuff from my album, "Droin the Morning." OK. Take it all back. Keep feet. That's going to be great. But yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah. My first time seeing you live, so I'm excited. Yeah, it's going to be good. If you guys were able to watch the show, if you ever read the show, let us know. Torin, thank you as always so much for taking the time to speak with me today. I love it when I can get in deep and when we can open up and really talk about the things of God. Yes, sir. But let me ask one kind of-- let's end on kind of a high note here, kind of a fun note. Nice little podcast. Yeah. A podcast, I know. Right? Like it. What, you know, tours are different every time. There's different things. What is it that you do to kind of break the monotony of travel, set up, city, and perform, and next? I don't know. I just try to kind of have my mornings where I get time just to read and hang and all that. And then if there's not a bunch of stuff going on, interviews and things like that, I try to get out. Get out with the guys, go get coffee, go shop, do something to see the city and stuff like that. I love breakfast, brunch situations, you know? So I'm a big breakfast guy. Try to get out to something like that. But it's really new in the room every night. Because even though we're doing the same set list, the people bring their own energy, their own expectations. And it can be seriously a night and day difference between one night to the next. So the people always keep it interesting. Always keep it fresh. Yeah. That's always, I think that's the question a lot of people would ask is, how do you keep doing the same, almost the same thing night after night when you have a very similar set list through the whole tour? And that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, it doesn't feel the same. It feels different every time. Torn can't wait to see you live tonight, man. You guys been watching the Word and Praise podcast. I'm going to do the cheesy YouTube thing. Hit subscribe, like it. Smash the subscribe button. We want to see that light hit because I love to see which videos, which interviews you guys are really paying attention to, which ones really hit home to you. So let us know. Thank you so much. I'm Aaron. That's Torn. Until next time, God bless. Blessings. Awesome.