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I.H.: Thank you so much. KFF: You have been leading individuals around the world into worship for many, many years. How long has it been? I.H.: Let's see. I started in 1990 full-time, so 17 years. KFF: When did you first know that you were called into this ministry? I.H.: You know, I figured that out pretty early in high school. I just knew had a heart for ministry and specifically for music ministry. So it came naturally in this regard, that I couldn't seem to do anything else with any kind of passion. You know, this was the thing that really consumed me, and I haven't looked back since I was about 15. KFF: That's wonderful. Now you also dedicate time to inspiring and teaching other worship leaders as well through conferences and other venues, correct? I.H.: I do. And I love that as much as anything I do. I love the aspect of mentoring and teaching, and of course I have that kind of built in with New Breed—the group that we've developed over the last 8 years—there's a constant state of training and teaching and developing and encouraging them. KFF: That's fantastic. What is the role of a worship leader? I.H.: You know, the role of a worship leader to me… you know, I kind of like switching it up and calling it "the lead worshiper." It's not so much that I'm trying to get a bunch of people, you know, on the same page—the hope is that instead of trying to demand worship, that I inspire it and that people just see by example what's happening. And certainly there's an element of encouragement to that and exhortation to that, but for the most part it really is to just demonstrate kind of an overflow of my everyday worship lifestyle in a corporate worship setting. KFF: In your view how does worship music differ from other forms of music? I.H.: I think it's real simple. The object of the affection of worship is God. You know, true worship is very vertical, it's very God centered, and He is the focus. He is who we are singing to. So you know I enjoy it because it's real easy to bear in mind that what we do is not about us, it's for Him. It's not for our gain or our accolades or our praise but for His praise. KFF: Absolutely. So how would you describe your passion? I.H.: Well, it's really encapsulated fairly simply for me. I'm passionate about being intentionally cross-cultural, cross-generational and cross-denominational in my approach to helping others experience the manifest presence of God. KFF: Wow, that's awesome. And that's exactly what you do. There's not a church you can go into hardly where you don't hear your music being sung and everyone enjoying it. When the songs that you've written come up, everyone's singing. It's fantastic. I've seen it first-hand. It's really wonderful. I.H.: Thank you. KFF: Now, you're a husband and father of four children. With your busy schedule, how do you manage to keep family first? I.H.: Well, for me it's real simple. My oldest is my son who is about to be 14, he lives in Phoenix. And then my wife and I have three at home: Mariah who is 10, Israel Duncan who is 5, and Lilly who is 3. For me it really is just a matter of priority. I grew up in the ministry, you know. My parents are pastors, and I saw how it's so easy to get consumed with the church, you know, the work of the Lord, and it's very important, but for me the priority is this: My first ministry is the church that I pastor, and that is those four people at home, my wife and those three kids. And as long as that is going well, then I'm able to have public ministry in front of other people. And that's the barometer for us. As long as things are well at home and things are prioritized at home, then everything else is secondary, but still powerful. KFF: You know, so many times worship is viewed as something that women do. What do you think it will take to lead more men to become worshipers? I.H.: I think it's just breaking away from the insecurities of the fear of intimacy and that sort of thing. True worship does require a transparent heart, it requires an openness of spirit, and I think it's just encouraged. You know, I'm a man, very much a man, but I'm very passionate about worshiping God and so the hope is that that transfers, that it’s transferable to people's lives, certainly to men in worship. KFF: Exactly. What do you want your legacy to be? I.H.: It's really simple for me. You know, if I live a full life and my son stands up or my daughters stand up and say, “You know what, our dad did a lot of great things but his greatest accomplishment is that he was here for us, he was a father first.” If that is said of me, then I will have died successfully. You know, if my children grow up and call me blessed, you know, then it's all good. You know, I've seen too many testimonies of regret as it relates to parenting and I don't want that to be the testimony of my children. So I want my legacy to be: Sure, he fathered other people and discipled other people and mentored other people, but we came first and we were the priority of his heart in ministry. And if that's said, then it's all good. KFF: It's all good. You recorded your last CD in South Africa and that CD has also done very well. What was that experience like for you? I.H.: Well, it was a dream come true. I first went to South Africa in 1994 and just fell in love with the people there, fell in love with the culture. And really, the dream to do this record was born then and it only took us about 11 years to get it realized, but we finally were able to go and exceeded our expectations dramatically. And it meant so much to win the Grammy for that particular record because it was the biggest labor of love we had undertaken up to that point as a group and as a ministry. So God has blessed us and we continue to have a sizeable effect in Capetown, South Africa and God has given us a lot of great relationships there and opportunities to open some big doors of ministry. KFF: That's wonderful. What's next for Israel? I.H.: Well, we just recorded a new recording called "A Deeper Level" that will be out September 4th, just a really, really exciting record. We tied it into a worship conference that we did. So we're going to be out starting next month pushing that project and getting out in front of people doing some new material and just continuing to do what we've been KFF: And you guys are doing such a wonderful job. It keeps getting better and better. Every new CD is just a wonderful project. I.H.: Thank you so much. KFF: Well, thank you so much for your time and I wish you the very best in all of your endeavors. I.H.: Thank you. Copyright ©2007 by Keeping Family First. Check out Israel's new book!
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KFF: Israel, it is so great to have you with us today.