“ Ann Voss Camp talks about an unseen hope that makes a Red Sea Road when there seems to be no way ,” says Ellie . “ This past year has been consumed by a lot of sorrow and loss and grief . It ’ s been overwhelming at times and there have been moments where you have to choose whether you ’ re going to despair or hold onto hope . At the end of the day I want to hold onto hope .” That ’ s a decision that ’ s often much easier said than done , especially given the challenges that were ahead of Ellie and her loved ones . One year ago , her father , legendary producer Brown Bannister , was diagnosed with cancer . Also last year , two couples and dear friends to Ellie and her family both lost babies . To Ellie , it seemed as if the canopy of worry and fear she was living beneath was being dumped upon by sorrow after sorrow . “ The grief was so heavy and overwhelming ,” she shares . “ Some days you felt like despairing , but somewhere deep inside my heart , I knew that sorrow wasn ’ t the end of the road .”
Her parents helped her come to that realization , with a show of unflappable faith and strength as they stared cancer in the face . “ The day they received the diagnosis was also my mom ’ s birthday ,” Ellie remembers . “ They wanted to have a praise and worship night at the house and I ’ ll never forget watching them run into all the unknown and darkness with their hands raised in the air praising God . It was the most unnatural response I ’ d ever seen , but in the same breath , it was irresistible . It was irresistible not to follow them .” Their response inspired Ellie ’ s own pursuit of hope and ultimately had a tremendous impact on this record . “‘ Find Me Here ,’ the first single of the record comes out of Philippians 4:4-7 , which says to rejoice in the Lord always ,” says Ellie . “ Watching my parents ’ response to what they were facing inspired me to do just that . Their posture was one of hope ; not hope that skirts its way around truth or ignores suffering , but hope that faces life head on and refuses to believe that darkness will win at the end of the day . That night , watching my parents , I was marked by the presence and mysterious peace of God that surpasses understanding .” Today , Ellie ’ s father is in remission and while the family is grateful , they are well aware that not all cancer stories end that way . “ There are no guarantees ,” says Ellie knowingly . “ Other than this … God was broken for us and we have this hope that whatever happens , this side of glory or the next , there is healing and hope ahead .” It was that hope that Ellie and her friends had to cling to in the face of unspeakable loss . Two couples in her community both lost babies this past year . One was born to a genetic disorder and succumbed 36 hours after birth , while the second was an adoption that went wrong at the last minute . Both left holes in the hearts of those effected . Turns out , they were God-shaped holes and it was the hope and promise of His healing hand that saw them through and ultimately inspired Ellie ’ s title track . “ I wrote this song in the wake of that kind of loss ,” she recalls . “ I was reminded of God ’ s people . They had just been set free , but faced an army behind them and an ocean ahead . Their instructions were to just be still and the Lord will fight for you . I think it ’ s easy to forget that Jesus was a man of sorrows . God lost His son . He knows loss and pain and He can and will see us through .”
“ Ann Voss Camp talks about an unseen hope that makes a Red Sea Road when there seems to be no way ,” says Ellie . “ This past year has been consumed by a lot of sorrow and loss and grief . It ’ s been overwhelming at times and there have been moments where you have to choose whether you ’ re going to despair or hold onto hope . At the end of the day I want to hold onto hope .” That ’ s a decision that ’ s often much easier said than done , especially given the challenges that were ahead of Ellie and her loved ones . One year ago , her father , legendary producer Brown Bannister , was diagnosed with cancer . Also last year , two couples and dear friends to Ellie and her family both lost babies . To Ellie , it seemed as if the canopy of worry and fear she was living beneath was being dumped upon by sorrow after sorrow . “ The grief was so heavy and overwhelming ,” she shares . “ Some days you felt like despairing , but somewhere deep inside my heart , I knew that sorrow wasn ’ t the end of the road .”
Her parents helped her come to that realization , with a show of unflappable faith and strength as they stared cancer in the face . “ The day they received the diagnosis was also my mom ’ s birthday ,” Ellie remembers . “ They wanted to have a praise and worship night at the house and I ’ ll never forget watching them run into all the unknown and darkness with their hands raised in the air praising God . It was the most unnatural response I ’ d ever seen , but in the same breath , it was irresistible . It was irresistible not to follow them .” Their response inspired Ellie ’ s own pursuit of hope and ultimately had a tremendous impact on this record . “‘ Find Me Here ,’ the first single of the record comes out of Philippians 4:4-7 , which says to rejoice in the Lord always ,” says Ellie . “ Watching my parents ’ response to what they were facing inspired me to do just that . Their posture was one of hope ; not hope that skirts its way around truth or ignores suffering , but hope that faces life head on and refuses to believe that darkness will win at the end of the day . That night , watching my parents , I was marked by the presence and mysterious peace of God that surpasses understanding .” Today , Ellie ’ s father is in remission and while the family is grateful , they are well aware that not all cancer stories end that way . “ There are no guarantees ,” says Ellie knowingly . “ Other than this … God was broken for us and we have this hope that whatever happens , this side of glory or the next , there is healing and hope ahead .” It was that hope that Ellie and her friends had to cling to in the face of unspeakable loss . Two couples in her community both lost babies this past year . One was born to a genetic disorder and succumbed 36 hours after birth , while the second was an adoption that went wrong at the last minute . Both left holes in the hearts of those effected . Turns out , they were God-shaped holes and it was the hope and promise of His healing hand that saw them through and ultimately inspired Ellie ’ s title track . “ I wrote this song in the wake of that kind of loss ,” she recalls . “ I was reminded of God ’ s people . They had just been set free , but faced an army behind them and an ocean ahead . Their instructions were to just be still and the Lord will fight for you . I think it ’ s easy to forget that Jesus was a man of sorrows . God lost His son . He knows loss and pain and He can and will see us through .”
18 PAGE | ICONIC MAGAZINE