Jon Reddick's 'You Keep Home Alive' Was Born Out of an Experience that Led Him to Tears: 'It Was So Touching'

Michael Foust

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the…
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Updated Jun 09, 2022

For worship pastor and songwriter Jon Reddick, the chart-rising song God Turn It Around isn't simply an inspirational anthem for the audience. It's also a testimony to the power of God in Reddick's own life.

God Turn It Around has spent 28 weeks on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart and is currently No. 4, testifying to the possibility of breakthrough and healing through the power of prayer. ("I'm calling on the name that changes everything, yes, God, turn it around.”)

It received a K-Love Fan Awards nomination for Breakout Single of the Year.

Reddick, who leads musical worship each week at Church of the City in Franklin, Tenn., says the song was born out of a one-hour phone conversation with his father.

Although Reddick's father was physically present in his life as a youngster, the two were never close.

"It was a conversation where I just really felt like God brought some healing for both of us – decades of healing," Reddick told Christian Headlines. "I got off [the phone] and just with tears in my eyes, and I was thinking, 'God, you really do turn things around.' It was so touching for me [and] impactful for me that I had this desire for other people to get the same feeling as I was feeling. And so that's where the idea comes in. I'm praying, 'God turn it around.'"

Typically, Reddick's conversations with his father lasted only five minutes.

"It wasn't one of those things where my dad was never around," he said. "My dad was actually around, but he worked a lot. He had to work. So we just weren't on the same page for a lot of life. And we're just so different."

The song, he said, has had a wide impact, beginning in his congregation.

"We shared it with the church, and I just started hearing other testimonies, crazy mind-boggling testimony" of healing, he said.

God Turn It Around is but the latest hit for Reddick, who grew up in Memphis as the son of a pastor and was signed by TobyMac's Gotee Records in 2019. His song You Keep Hope Alive peaked in 2020 at No. 13 on Billboard's Christian Airplay list.

Reddick says he gets much of the inspiration for his music from his Franklin, Tenn., congregation.

"You get to hear real stories. You know the people," he said. "We just have a habit of just writing all the time – for church, for God [and] for people to sing along. It's beneficial that way, and our church is really supportive of it."

Reddick was the opening act on TobyMac's 2021 Hits Deep Tour, which included stops at dozens of cities – with late nights riding a bus.

"Get some sleep, but have a good time," he said when asked how he maintains his energy while traveling. "I'm a guy who likes to go to a new city. I like to meet new people. And I like to explore and see what the city has."

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.