In Conversation With Gospel Recording Artist Phil Thompson

The act of worship is transcendent. For any believer, the praise and worship part of the church is like being served dessert in the middle of an already delicious dinner. You might know Phil from Boston-based gospel group, Ashmont Hill. The quartet consisted of three of Phil’s eight siblings and his sister’s husband.

Phil has since decided to embark on an amazing solo career. Phil Thompson’s life has been a true testimony to the power of worship. The man responsible for the Billboard #1 hit “My Worship” comes from a family of dedicated servants to Christ. All eight of his siblings are somehow involved in the ministry.

In a candid interview with one of gospel’s finest Phil opened up about his childhood and what led him to create one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the midst of a storm. BlackDoctor was privileged to sit with this true visionary and inspiration. Maybe you too can worship the Lord while going through your challenging season. Warning: you may be inspired to change!

Tell us a little bit about your background. Who is Phil Thompson?
I’m one of eight siblings. My dad is a pastor, so I’m a preacher’s kid. One interesting thing people don’t know is how my dad used to wake all eight of us up at 5 am every morning for devotions.

We would go down to the living room to worship and pray. Proverbs has 31 chapters, so we would read a chapter according to the day of the month. I have read Proverbs thousands of times. He would say an encouraging word, and then we would eat breakfast and go off to school.

At the time we were quite over it. All eight of us are somehow involved in full-time ministry. 4 of my siblings pastor their own churches. It for sure instilled something in all of us.

How did you get involved with music? What was your initial connection to the ministry?
All of this is a sacrifice to God. Worship is a part of that sacrifice. My older brother has this expression “You don’t praise God because you feel him. You feel God when you praise him.” Sometimes you come into the service and you’re not feeling it. But then when you make that sacrifice you all of a sudden get swept up.

When you take the first step, that’s when you start to feel God. If you're sitting around waiting to feel God you might be waiting for a long time.

I was a gym teacher out of college. I taught physical education for ten years. I didn't know I had a ministry or musical bone in my body. From 21 till around the age of 30 I was involved in teaching.

Around 30 I discovered my talent for writing music. Around that time I was contemplating leaving teaching and going full-time into real estate. I was on the phone with my sister Teresa. She pastors a church in Rhode Island now. At that time I was praying for direction.

I didn't feel like teaching was right for me. I was talking toher about my prayers and what I was going through. She told me she had just preached a message yesterday about finding your purpose. I was challenging everybody in the room to close their eyes and think back to their childhood and what they were passionate about. In order to find your purpose that's what it takes.

She challenged me to write a song. She said I was always messing around with the piano. I had never learned how to play it, but she kept saying that she sees me as a musical person. “Why don't you write a song? ”, she said, “If you're able to write a song so you'll know that it's time to leave teaching and go full-time into real estate.”

I sat down and wrote a song. I felt so connected to it. I fell in love with it. I read stories about how twins become separated at birth, and when they meet each other it's like "oh my God I'm so connected to this person.” I was so in love with writing music. I taught myself to play the piano, guitar and I dove in headfirst. I started writing and writing and writing. That's how I got started off. I realized I had this thing laying dormant inside of me. I'm a super late bloomer.

Did your siblings join the ministry earlier and how did that affect you?
I was the only one. I was the black sheep. I always felt like the black sheep. I was the only one no in the ministry. I was thinking “that ministry thing is for yall”.

Everybody was all the way in. Everybody went to bible college. Everybody went to theological schools. Everybody felt called at such an early age. My little brother who pastors a church in Orlando used to preach at recess. He asked the principal if he could use a certain room to minister at recess. Whatever kids or teachers wanted to come were welcome.

He was 12 or 13. It had to be in middle school. I didn't feel like thatwas my thing. I'm a shy introverted type of guy. I said that's for them and not for me.

What has it done for you as a person to be operating in your gift
Because I'm a shy, introverted type of person in my mind this gift was perfect. It allowed me to be behind the scenes. I didn't have to be up front. I didn't have to sing a note. I just thought I would write and give other people the words to communicate it and deliver it to the people.

Reflecting on my time with Ashmont Hill I think of the Lord's intentionality with everything he does. I think of that time as a training ground to prepare me for what is happening in my life right now. I have siblings who are the life of the party, extroverted, leading people and you can tell it's their thing. I stood behind them as the writer and producer, but they were really out front.

Going through a really difficult season the last three years of my life. I feel like in that season the Lord started to speak to me about getting out front. The Lord gave me more songs than ever in this season. All of the songs that he gave me I just knew in my gut that they were not Ashmont Hill songs.

My prayers started to change a little bit. I was asking the Lord does he want me to step out. I felt in my gut that's what he wanted me to do. As I look over my life I see myself as the one who never really wanted this. I was so afraid of this.

When you read the word you'll see that God uses the underdog type of people. Moses asked God, "Are you sure? I stutter". I was so afraid of this, but the Lord is so intentional. Every step of the way I grow a little bit more comfortable. Every time I take the stage I say the same prayer. "Lord you take center stage so that you would be seen. And that you would be glorified."

I look at my peers with such awe about how much talent they have. Without naming names and knocking anybody because the talent and gifting come from God. The way they sing. The way they move. I'm in awe of that. That's why Ipray the prayer " Lord take center stage so that you would be seen and glorified" because I still don't feel like I'm one of them.

I feel like if I ever get out there and God is not backing me I'm in big trouble. I might be exposed as a fraud. People will be saying "that Phil Thompson ain't all that". If he takes center stage then I feel comfortable and know that I belong.

The lyrics in the song “My Worship” where you say "For all the things you've done for me" stuck out for me. They allowed me to think of how trying times make you more aware of your need for God. How is your music a testimony to your struggles and dark season?

When the Lord gave me all these songs I knew in my gut that God wanted me to release a solo project. I didn't have "My Worship" at that time. I was compiling all these songs ready to record. The storm season was three years long. I was doing laundry one day and it made me think about all that I had to go through to get to the place that I was at. I was in a grateful place. I thanked God that he brought me through.

I was still standing. I wasn't crazy. While I was in that place the holy spirit dropped it in my mind that each person's worship is as unique as a fingerprint. That thought was so heavy to me that I rushed down to the piano and immediately thought about all of these life experiences that happened to me. All of us. Each one of us has something unique to offer to God that no one can offer to him. That's our worship. Nobody has walked a day in your shoes. Only you can offer that thing. The worship that you have to offer to God is unique to your journey. It inspired the song "My Worship".

Just like the lyric says "for all the things you've done for me and no one can worship you for me." I look at that lyric with such a grateful heart because had I not gone through that entire storm, my mind wouldn't have been in that place in order to write that lyric. I had to experience that. People who have been through something will identify with it. The Lord is so intentional. Like Romans 8:28 says "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose".

It's not that he causes the storms but he uses the storms. All of these tests become testimonies. I think the coolest thing is to see people all around the world blessed by the song. This month we'll be in Trinidad, Barbados Nigeria. Internationally there's such a connection to this song. It's surreal and humbling for people to connect like this.

Leave our readers with some last words of encouragement.
I spent so much time thinking about my path. I spent so much time worried and concerned. Questions such as, “What is my future going to look like?”. When you spend so much time living in these two worlds it robs you of being in the moment. I can't stress to you enough about how being in the moment is important. Smell the roses. Be cognizant. There are so many distractions.

Even storms are distractions. The enemy wants you to focus on the storm itself. Gratefulness is birthed in that place of being in the moment. If I didn't have worship in the middle of this it would have broken me.

One last thing, the Lord promises to give us rest. We are physical beings obviously but we are more-so spiritual beings. Have you ever gone on a vacation but then you feel like you need a vacation from the vacation? Sometimes I'll go to the beach to rest and I’ll stay for hours and still feel like I haven't rested. My body is rested, but our minds aren't rested. We have to really learn how to rest. That comes with being mindful of the moment you're in. You might not be where you want to be, but be grateful for where you're at.

Keep up with Phil Thompson on his website and Instagram. Be on the lookout for more information about upcoming tour dates and news. Until then stay in the moment, praise God and prosper