In the heart of Chicago, Jonathon Weller stands in front of his corps, ready to lead worship for many who are overcome by the deep darkness of addiction, disease, loneliness, shame and other issues few can fathom. Time after time, Weller finds himself coming back to a song that has resonated with many among his congregation, Take My Life (I Am Yours).

The song was written by Laura Rowsell, worship ministries director at Glenmore Temple in Calgary, and released in the Canada and Bermuda Territory’s Salvation Worship, Volume 3, in 2022. Since then, it has found a home in various corps within The Salvation Army, including Harbor Light in Chicago, U.S.A. Central Territory, where Weller is the worship leader and music program assistant. He has used the song countless times to speak into the lives of congregation members.

With a diverse congregation across attributes such as race, age, social class, sexuality, sobriety and denominational upbringing, it can be hard to find music that works for everyone, but Weller says this song serves a wide range of people.

“It’s got the old words that some people already know and love, and then it’s got that kind of updated chorus, that I think works really well,” he says. Weller also mentions some of the practical implications that support the song, such as the lower key (for a predominantly male group), its sing-ability and the depth of lyrical maturity within plain language.

Weller’s initial encounter with the song was by reading through the lyrics when the latest Salvation Worship volume came out. He was captured by how much it would resonate with the journeys of recovery his congregation members were going through. But as he used the song with his congregation, Weller noticed a “curb-cut effect,” where decisions made to serve one group of people go on to serve a much larger group. While the song resonated with the people at Harbor Light, he realized how beneficial these words could also be to the suburban corps he attended as a youth.

“These words work for any congregation,” he says. “The middle-class corps may not have as many people dealing with [addiction recovery, extreme poverty or homelessness], but they’re dealing with their own crap.”

Upon first introduction at Harbor Light, the song was not a “hit” in the traditional sense.

“Fifty percent of our congregation probably was not actively singing along, for whatever reason,” he says. So, knowing how impactful it could be, Weller set out to make sure they knew the song.

“When I introduced the song, I kind of taught it. You know, it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna have choir practice really quick,’ ” he says.

Familiarity with a song is a top priority for Weller, who says it makes a greater impact than genre, arrangement or any other musical attribute.

“I know that the guys who were here when I introduced it before are going to remember it and the guys who weren’t here are going to pick it up fairly easily,” he says.

Slowly, Weller noticed that the congregation was more comfortable with the song and even began “seeing guys who are a bit more reserved, who have [experienced trauma], occasionally seeing a couple of their hands go up, and that’s really cool.”

The song has become so much to so many. A chorus built upon the relatable struggle with doubt, running from God and spiritual darkness, contrasted with the everlasting truth that in these times, we belong to God, is matched with verses that make self-sacrificial declarations of giving our lives to Christ for rejuvenation, praise and offering. As the chorus says:

’Cause I am yours, even when the doubt sets in,
Even when I’m running in the opposite direction.
And I am yours, when the night is dark and I can’t see,
You’re always standing next to me
And I am reminded that I am yours,
That I am yours.

Jahred Warkentin is the music education specialist with the music and arts ministries team.

Photo: Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn/iStock via Getty Images Plus

Reprinted from The Zine (September 2024).

Listen to Take My Life (I Am Yours) and find accompanying resources here. 

Read more about Salvation Worship here.

Listen to Laura Rowsell explain her song-writing process for Take My Life (I Am Yours) and why it’s important for The Salvation Army to cultivate its own worship music identity on this episode of the Salvationist podcast.