Worship leader/singer/songwriter/producer Tim Timmons is a man of many talents. An artist who constantly allows his bold faith and inspiring story to bleed through into everything he writes, Timmons' music carries an authentic feel that gets to the heart of the listener.

In the rare moments he's not making music, he's over at his 10,000 Minutes site, inspiring the Church to live for Jesus all week long through blogs that challenge readers to live out their faith in practical ways every day.

Combining both of these passions, Tim just released his second children's album Who I Am in partnership with 10,000 Minutes Kids. The high-energy record is packed with profound truths wrapped in singable melodies, creating the perfect soundtrack for kids and adults of all ages. 

We caught up with Tim recently to talk about the new project and his heart behind 10,000 Minutes.

We're talking today about your new kids record that just released, but before we dig into that, give us a little of your story leading up to this point in your career. How did you get into music?

Music has always been a part of my story from the very beginning. I started out as a drummer at 7, picked up the guitar and piano at 11, then started writing songs at 11. It was around that time that my folks got separated, and writing songs was one of those things that helped me pray. 

I got into college and was in many different bands, but ultimately I didn't really want to be in Christian music. I wanted to go out and point people to truth because Jesus says that if people seek truth, they'll find Him. That was my whole goal, to go out in the mainstream and do that. But then sixteen years ago, I was diagnosed with an incurable cancer, and they gave me five years to live. There was a shift in my heart at that point. 

I was already a worship leader at Mariner's Church in Orange County, California, and I started seeing all the people I was leading as individuals instead of a sea of people. I started thinking, if I have a thousand people in front of me at a time and each one of those people know ten people I don't know, what if I was able to help those people represent Jesus in their world to those ten people? That's actually called multiplication, and it changed my view of what my role was. My role became, "how do I help people own their response to Jesus, whether in songs or all week long?" So I began writing songs for the church to pray in our gatherings and all week long. That led to me coming to Nashville and writing for the past ten years as a songwriter. 

About seven years ago, there was a big change in my journey. I realized that I knew all about Jesus but I didn't know Him, and that that was a huge difference. So I stopped working for Jesus and decided that I was just going to spend time with Him all day. I started writing songs about that and, all of a sudden, every label in Nashville came asking to have a conversation about signing me as an artist. I surely was not ready for that, but Jesus kept opening doors, so I walked through those doors and here I am today.

Talk about 10,000 Minutes. What is that and how did it get started?

First off, I don't want to start a movement. Jesus started one two thousand years ago, and I'm just trying to catch up and invite other people into it. That's just a key thing that I'm always trying to remember myself--I don't have to start a movement. He already did that.

It hit me about seven years ago that there are 10,080 minutes in a week, and 80 of those minutes are the Church gathered on Sunday mornings. That's beautiful, and we need to keep gathering well in the name and power and authority of Jesus, but it hit me that there are 10,000 other minutes during the week where Jesus is still at work in and through us. I saw that I was an amazing varsity American Christian in the 80 minutes, but once the 10,000 minutes started, I forgot who I was and Who I have inside of me. 

Jesus says at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, "Whoever hears My words and puts My words into practice all week long is wise. And if you don't, you're a fool." The more that I've been practicing the principles and teachings of Jesus all week long, I'm changing and becoming more beautiful. Obviously, I'm bald and bald is hot. Ha! But I don't mean that kind of beautiful. I mean I'm actually starting to look more like Jesus. Not because of my work and my duty and my quiet times, but because I'm simply hanging with Jesus all week and practicing His principles.

So, the hope of 10000Minutes.com is to invite and equip and inspire people to practice Jesus all week long. 

That all leads into the new album, Who I Am--why a kids record? 

I don't do kids music for a living, but I have many kids and I was a kid once. I saw the realities that I grew up with about Jesus, and as a dad, I want to help reshape how my kids see Jesus. I want to reshape how my kids pray. Even now when I'm at the oncologist's office, I'll sing songs that I remember from my childhood, and I want to give kids new songs to pray for the rest of their lives. 

What's the overall message behind Who I Am?

The hope for this record is to invite kids into their identity all week long. Who they are in Jesus all week long, whether they're in the cafeteria line at school or at soccer practice or at home with their parents or alone in bed at night and scared. I want to help kids know their identity in Jesus, and then I want to help them practice living that out all week long. If we can start this early with our kids, I think they will have such a better shot at really following Jesus all their lives. 
 
Do you have a favorite song on the album?

I think "I Surrender" is probably my favorite song on this record. Usually with the word 'surrender," there's a somber tone. There's a heavy weight to the idea of surrendering to Jesus the things that we worry about or are working through or dealing with. But I think there's also a celebration in surrender, there's a celebration in persecution, there's a celebration in pain that leads to joy. In the act of surrendering, I celebrate that God is God and I am not. If we can invite kids into not always crying when we surrender, but also finding joy in surrender, I think it's a beautiful practice. 

How was the writing process different going into this, being geared towards kids, than it is when you write for a regular project? 

When I write prayers, I have to own them myself. I think the themes in these songs/prayers are the same in my normal records as they are in these kids records. I just choose my words differently so that kids can understand what they're praying. 

I love the tagline that we're using for this record--"kid-tested and parent-approved"--because as a parent, I'm listening to a lot of kids music that I hope and pray my kids don't ask for in the car. I wanted to give parents something that they'd totally dig and also be encouraged by. 

You have former Sanctus Real lead singer Matt Hammitt featured on the record. How did you guys get connected, and what was it like to work with him on this?

Matt has become a good friend. I'm in a life group with him and his family, so I just asked him if he wanted to write some prayers for his kids, and that's what we did. He's such a stud. Amazing guy, amazing dad, amazing husband. Great songwriter. 

Finally, how can people be praying for you right now?

Just that Jesus would keep opening doors of influence for me and for His message and for 10,000 Minutes. I'm also praying for content and wisdom as we're moving forward with 10,000 Minutes. 

You can purchase Who I Am on iTunes here.