God's Love Song with Darla Hightower - 5

On this week's episode, we welcome Darla Hightower, as she opens up about her life's work in nursing, ministry, and music. Darla's new book, "God's Love Song," forms the heart of our discussion, revealing how a single divinely inspired song became a source of spiritual healing and victory over life's struggles. We discuss the theme of redemption in her writing, which serves as a heartfelt daily devotional for anyone on the path to spiritual growth.

Join us as we recount Darla's mission trip to El Salvador, where faith guided her to a prison environment fraught with danger from MS-13 gangs. With a fearless heart and scripture from Isaiah 61:1-3 as her guide, Darla shares stories of unexpected compassion and connections made with young men behind bars. Witness how acts of love transcend physical barriers and offer eternal hope, leaving us all with inspired anticipation for what awaits in the hereafter.

Reflect on the serenity found in worship as we talk about the contrasts between personal and corporate experiences with God. Darla shares how a quiet moment led to the creation of a song and her book, offering a sanctuary of rest for those burdened by life's chaos. With wisdom and encouragement, we invite you to pursue the callings in your heart, recognizing that your obedience might just be the blessing someone else needs.

Visit us at our website for everything about the ministry of Rise Up and we pray you have a blessed week!

Chapters

• 0:09 Darla Hightower
• 8:56 Journey of Obedience and Compassion
• 20:33 The Significance of the Fear
• 26:04 Rest and Worship

Transcript

Kim McIntire: 0:09

Welcome to the it's Time to Rise Up podcast. I'm your host, kim McIntyre. I just want to thank you for joining us this week. If you're not familiar with our show, please check out our website at itstimetoriseuporg. There you will find our social media links and for our podcast platforms, please check us out on YouTube, apple Podcasts, spotify or anywhere else that you find your podcast. I would humbly ask you to subscribe. Leave a review. Give us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. We are so thankful that you're joining us today. Today, I'm super excited to have Darla Hightower in the studio. Welcome, darla. Thank you, kim. You're welcome. Darla is a friend of Rise Up. She has served at our conference. She recently published her first book entitled God's Love Song. Love the title, by the way. Love the title. I have read it personally and let me tell you it was such an encouragement and blessing to me.

Darla Hightower: 1:12

That's wonderful.

Kim McIntire: 1:13

There were several chapters that I reread because I knew I was like there's too much here to just go to the next chapter, you know. So it took me longer than a month to read it, because I love that it's broken down by days and that's how I did it. But there were some days I repeated. But I would strongly recommend anyone to purchase this book and we'll give you information on how to find the book at the end of this episode. But I truly want to thank you again for being here, darla. So I kind of explained how I know you. I know you through Rise Up. You've served at our conference, your husband does our sound and that's mostly how I know you. You've come to my house for prayer group a couple of times, so why don't you tell our audience a little bit about yourself?

Darla Hightower: 2:02

Well, I grew up in many different places. I lived in New York as a baby, in Texas, I've lived in Oklahoma, kansas, missouri, several places but spent about 34 years of my life in Lamar. I would say that's probably where I would say that I grew up, from seventh grade or eighth grade on and graduated high school there. And I am married, I have two sons and I have five grandbabies and I am retired. I had a nursing career of 34 years, also as a registered nurse, and worked in many different area hospitals Mercy, freeman, lamar Hospital, barton County, carthage, Mercy, lots of area hospitals and also have taught at Crowder College, at SBU and the nursing programs and at University of Missouri, kansas City.

Kim McIntire: 3:04

Wow. So yeah, that's a full life. Yeah, for sure. Tell me a little bit about ministry, the ministry work that you've done, because I know that's your heart.

Darla Hightower: 3:13

That's my heart and I've always done that. In addition to the family and the education and the jobs, I've always been in ministry too, for most all of my life, and I would say first of all we did youth ministry and then we accepted a pastorate and always been involved in women's ministries. I've taught Sunday school, been the choir director, the church pianist all different roles, you know, but always enjoyed all of it.

Kim McIntire: 3:46

And you're very musical.

Darla Hightower: 3:48

Musical. Yes, I play a few instruments and sing, and God has blessed me with many opportunities to do that, and I'm thankful for that too.

Kim McIntire: 3:56

And you're a songwriter.

Darla Hightower: 3:58

A songwriter. Yes, and that's where this book came from. It was based on a song that the Lord gave me.

Kim McIntire: 4:03

Wow, well, I've listened. I've had the joy of listening to some of your music and I know it's a blessing. Where can people find your music, darla?

Darla Hightower: 4:12

On YouTube. Just look up Darla Hightower on YouTube and you'll find all of my songs that I have posted at this point in time.

Kim McIntire: 4:19

And they're original right.

Darla Hightower: 4:20

They're all original. Yeah, the lyrics and the music and everything is from the Lord.

Kim McIntire: 4:34

Oh, it's so good. Well, let's dive into your book, okay, okay. So what I discovered, about your book is.

Kim McIntire: 4:36

It has many layers and there's just a thread of the redemption story and I think over the course of this podcast our listeners are going to hear me say the word redemption or redeemed probably every single time we do an interview because I'm drawn to that story, the redemption story. But that is the one thing that's really stood out to me in your book. But there's also the layer of victory through struggle, the layer of healing heart and mind and spirit.

Darla Hightower: 5:07

And body.

Kim McIntire: 5:07

And body. Yes, yes, so healing on many layers or levels. There's a story of missions, the heart of missions that you have. Also praise and worship, just. I love the many facets of the book. To me it was kind of a devotional format and that's how I approached it, although I know some people would probably pick it up and read it front to back at one setting and you could. But I would encourage people when you buy the book to read it daily because it builds one on top of another. So when did you feel the call to write the book? God's Love Song?

Darla Hightower: 5:53

It was shortly after he gave me this song that it's based on. I felt led of the Lord to write the book and I started it and I did a few chapters and I was in a marriage that lasted 34 years and my husband left, and when he did, I put that down for a time, and it wasn't until recently. Actually last year I was taking a class Embassy Supernatural School of Ministry, and one of the assignments that we had was to write a list of 75 things, either goals that you have that you haven't completed or things that God had put in your heart. You hadn't finished yet and I wrote that list out and the thing that jumped off the page at me was the book and I said, okay, god, I don't know how to do this. I had a few chapters very few written, maybe three or four, I don't know something like that and I didn't really know. I'd never written a book. I didn't know how to even proceed.

Darla Hightower: 6:59

But I had a friend who was an author, so I scheduled an appointment with her and I said who was an author? So I scheduled an appointment with her and I said I feel like God wants me to write a book and she said okay, and she took a pencil out and she wrote down the name of the man who does her book covers, his phone number and his email address. And then she took another piece of paper and she wrote down the name of her editor, his phone number and his email address. And so, and then we just visited. For the rest of the time that I saw her, yeah, and within 24 hours I had hired both of them. Within a week the book was finished and and in the editing uh process that's amazing so, yeah, god did it, I.

Darla Hightower: 7:38

I have to share this little piece yes um, the last trip.

Darla Hightower: 7:43

I've taken a few mission trips to El Salvador and I love the country and I love the people.

Darla Hightower: 7:48

My heart just connected with them there and one of the prophecies that was spoken over me I believe it was on the third trip there was that there were books inside of me and that I was to write a book on the strategies of heaven.

Darla Hightower: 8:04

And I thought, god, what does that even mean? The strategies of heaven, that's a pretty deep topic, and when I sat down to finish this book, as I was doing that, he was pouring into me notes for the first book on the strategies of heaven. So just one step of obedience to do this one thing and he's giving me notes for the next book that I haven't finished yet at this point. But I just have to say God's gifts and callings are without repentance. He meant it the first time he told me to write the book and even though I laid it down for a period of time when I picked it back up there, he was still ready to give me all the information that he wanted in the book. And even though I laid it down for a period of time when I picked it back up there, he was still ready to give me all the information that he wanted in the book, and so I'm thankful for that.

Kim McIntire: 8:52

He's so good, he is good, he's so good. One thing that really struck me as I was reading your book it really pours from the pages that you walk in intimacy with the Lord and you can tell, just page by page. It's an everyday, moment by moment, breath by breath, relationship with the Lord and I know, you know, there are many people who are believers, fewer people who are followers, and in chapter 29, I feel this truth about you is just so beautifully expressed. The title is If your Heart has Been Broken. Could you share with us about this chapter? It's about a mission trip to El Salvador and you are there on assignment and you find out that you're going to be going to a specific location and that whole journey had me undone. I mean, I was weeping through the chapter and when I concluded the chapter I was like, okay, lord, do that in me, do that in me, lord. It's amazing that you know the word says those who love me obey me. Yes, and that's the evidence of a true love. Relationship with our father through Christ is obedience. That's right. So I'm going to.

Kim McIntire: 10:18

I'm going to read a scripture, because you opened the chapter with the scripture and it's powerful.

Kim McIntire: 10:24

It is the King James Version translation. I will tell everyone so it may not sound familiar to everyone's ears, but it's a beautiful scripture Isaiah 61, verses 1 through 3. The Spirit of the Lord, god, is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn, to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified. And I thought to myself any chapter that opens with that scripture is a chapter I'm not skipping. So just tell us about this mission trip to El Salvador and that unexpected assignment that you received.

Darla Hightower: 11:44

Well, we weren't told our itinerary ahead of time. We were just to follow the leaders and believe that they were following the Lord and trust them. So this particular morning we got up and they said bring your passport with you, we are going to the prison. Now this trip happened during a time when there were travel advisories saying do not go to El Salvador. It's one of the most dangerous places in the world. Ms-13 gangs were there and there was a travel advisory. People were saying are you crazy? You're going where you know you're not supposed to go there. Did you not read the travel advisory? But we knew, because of the way that God had opened doors for us to go, that we were to go on that trip and so I wasn't really excited about going to prison because it was kind of I'd never been to a prison before, even in our country, but in a foreign country it was just a little more unnerving. And they said bring your passport with you. We have to have them to get in. And they did. They took our passports from us at the gate. The guards did, they checked everything out and they kept them.

Darla Hightower: 12:49

While we were in the prison gate, the guards did they checked everything out and they kept them while we were in the prison and we were given instructions from our leader. They said it was an all-men prison, it was a young-men prison and they said they've been here for years. Don't touch them. Stay close to a male on our team at all times, do not wander away. And it was a large prison. So they divided us in two teams. So my husband and I would be leading worship in one team, on one half of the prison, and another friend of ours and his wife would be leading worship on the other half of the prison. So we got in there and we started singing worship songs.

Darla Hightower: 13:26

But my heart just broke for those young men as I looked at them and I remember I knew you're not supposed to touch them, you're not supposed to do anything like that. But I went to the translator and I said I am a mom and I am a grandma and I just want to give them a hug. Could you just tell them I'm here? And I just spread my arms open. I said I want to give you a hug. If you want a hug, here I am. And they got in line and they came through and I just wept over those young men and prayed over them. I'm telling you, I'm the one that came away blessed we go to be a blessing, but I'm the one that came away blessed we go to be a blessing, but I'm the one who came away blessed, and they thanked me through the translator as we were leaving for doing that.

Kim McIntire: 14:21

And it was just a hug, you know.

Darla Hightower: 14:22

But with the Lord little is much when God is in it.

Kim McIntire: 14:27

That's so true. That's so true.

Darla Hightower: 14:29

So we came out of the prison and I met up with the other couple who were on the other side and I said, ashley, you're never going to believe what happened. And I told her and I was weeping, and she said, darla, that's the same thing that happened on our side. She had done the very same thing, and we hadn't planned it, we hadn't talked about it. It was the Lord. He just wanted to love on those young men that day, and they have been on my heart so many times since then. I have prayed over them and I know, I truly believe, that God impacted their lives somehow that day through us, and I know that they made an impact on me as well, for sure, and I'm hoping to see them in heaven.

Kim McIntire: 15:10

Well, and I was thinking that even on the drive over to meet you, I was thinking about the impact for eternity. And will you in fact see some of those prisoners that you ministered to, really that the entire group was ministering to? What a gift.

Darla Hightower: 15:32

Well, and my prayer is that, the way that God touched their heart, what they could do and how many lives they could touch throughout their life, yeah, exactly the exponential growth that could come just from a hug in a prison one day, you know.

Kim McIntire: 15:48

Yeah, which the hug was obedience Right, and that's, I think, a place where grace empowers us to obey in ways we could never obey through self-will.

Darla Hightower: 16:05

Right.

Kim McIntire: 16:05

Because there are some things we can do just by sheer will, like I am going to do this, but then there are other things where, if it's not a supernatural empowerment of grace, it's not happening. So it's really deeper waters because there has to be an element of surrender there.

Darla Hightower: 16:24

Right.

Kim McIntire: 16:24

You know I mean when I was putting myself in your shoes, because I do that when I read, I try to put myself in the author's shoes if it's a nonfiction book and I was asking myself would I have had the courage and the obedience to do what Darla did and her team? And I would hope that I would surrender in order to receive that empowerment of grace. But that I just wanted you to know, because we haven't had a chance to talk face to face. That was really the chapter that I just took hold of and I literally was like Lord, do that in me, do that in me to where? No matter where I am or where I go or what assignment you give me.

Kim McIntire: 17:06

My answer is yes, and you talk about in that chapter that there's just this supernatural compassion welling up in you. Yes, and I feel like for the issues that we're facing as a nation, as a city, and the needs that are all around us, oh Lord, jesus, fill us with your compassion. There are so many hurting and broken people. I want to ask you this question. I said earlier that it's very evident that you walk intimately with the Lord, just through the pages of the book. Was there something significant in your life that you can look back on, that you're like. This marked me and this was really a pivotal time of shifting and moving from a believer in Jesus to a follower of Jesus, because there's a difference.

Darla Hightower: 18:01

There is a difference.

Kim McIntire: 18:02

And you know, for some people I feel like there's a marked season, and then I think for others it's more a process of growth and sanctification. So how would you explain that to our listeners?

Darla Hightower: 18:11

Yeah, I agree. I think it's a process, like you said, growth and there was a time in my life when I really started seriously studying the Bible out for myself. Back then we had the Strong's Concordance and I would get a verse and I would look every word up in the Strong's and it was real tiny font, you had to almost have a magnifying glass to read it. But back then we didn't have all of this electronic apps on our phone where we could look those things up. But I dug and dug and dug into the scriptures and God just revealed Himself to me, studying things and thinking, why do I believe what I believe? Is it because I was told that in church all my life, or is it because I see that in the Word myself? And I learned a lot just by digging into His Word. And then there was a book, a resource that was given to me, called Biblical Foundations of Freedom. It's written by a Messianic Jew named Art Matthias and it was on really on the topic of deliverance and I feel like that could be taught a lot more these days than I hear it being taught, and it's a topic that really I'm passionate about. I'm passionate about it because I received deliverance in so many areas of my life, using that book as a resource. I didn't even know that I needed in those areas and just by asking God to show me my heart.

Darla Hightower: 19:46

And there's so many times that if I don't understand what's going on or something's happening and I say, I just say God, show me my heart. If you are sincere when you pray that prayer, he will show you. But I think you know what about the people who never ask Him to show them their heart, and what about the people who he has shown their heart and they're not yielding or they're not obeying, because knowing and obeying are two different things. So I just think it's important that we listen and obey. There's a scripture that talks about that. You listen and obey. You can't do one without the other and get that intimacy that you're talking about.

Kim McIntire: 20:31

Yeah, it's really foundational.

Darla Hightower: 20:32

It is.

Kim McIntire: 20:33

As well as the fear of the Lord.

Kim McIntire: 20:35

Right, we talked about that before we went on the air, that just living in the fear of the Lord and the fear of the Lord, my whole life I've believed is to reverence and worship the Lord with awe and wonder, just at who he is and recognizing how majestic he is and lifted up and exalted far above humanity. And I'm learning that there's more to it than that and it's recognizing that our Father God is loving and kind, gracious, generous, merciful and forgiving. But Jesus says in the Gospels fear him, who can cast your soul into hell. And it's a truth about God that I feel like culturally we've just ignored, and so it's a healthy fear that actually deepens your intimacy because you recognize, I recognize not just sinning against a person, right, I'm sinning against my creator, whom I will give an account for my life.

Darla Hightower: 21:45

Right.

Kim McIntire: 21:46

And so you know, because intimacy to me is such a theme of your book I really wanted I'm glad you shared about that because the obedience and the fear of the Lord, as we talked earlier, it's foundational.

Kim McIntire: 22:00

So if there's someone listening and you know you believe in the Lord and you're in church and you have a desire to draw closer to God, go to the Lord in prayer and ask Lord, help me, obey, I need your Holy Spirit. I want to live in obedience, I want to live in response to your word and I want to live in the fear of the Lord. And the fear of the Lord is a wonderful, wonderful journey. And even I feel like and I've been following Jesus for a long time, but I almost feel like I'm just beginning to understand that other side of the fear of the Lord Thanks to a book I'm reading by John Bevere. I'll just give a shout out for the Awe of God by John Bevere. You mentioned a great author and book as well, so you know, learning more about God includes reading His Word first, but also other great authors that have walked with the Lord a long time and have learned.

Kim McIntire: 22:58

Yes, and we can glean from them. So let's shift to another direction now. What would you say was the most challenging part of writing your book? I know it didn't take you very long, but can you identify a challenge that was just you look back and you're like I'm glad I pushed through.

Darla Hightower: 23:20

Well, actually the challenge was, you know, I told you I'd put it down for several years when I decided that's what God wants me to do at this moment, when I was doing that assignment, just making that decision to do it. Once I did that, it just flowed. I mean, I don't know how else to say it. He just gave it to me, I just made you know. Sometimes, when he gives me songs, it's when I sit down and make time for Him, when I sit down to the piano and I just I'm just there to worship Him and then a song will come out of that. You know. So it's kind of like that I there to worship Him and then a song will come out of that. You know. So it's kind of like that.

Darla Hightower: 23:59

I made time for the book and I just said Holy Spirit, I want this book to touch people's hearts and lives and change them. You know, I want them to see you as healer, I want them to see you as all these things like you were saying, and maybe they don't know you as that. But that's what I want this book to do and I've prayed over it. I'm telling you, if you buy one, just be warned, it's anointed, because I've prayed over it. That's right. It'll be what you need it to be. He will reveal himself to you through it. So that's my heart in this book.

Kim McIntire: 24:28

I remember the day you came to Rise Up Prayer Group at my house and you had a copy and we all put our hands on it and we just prayed over you and over the book and I know it's already impacted lives, but we will never know this side of heaven, will we?

Darla Hightower: 24:45

That's right.

Kim McIntire: 24:45

How many lives are touched by that writing that God put his hand on. But I know there will be many. And what was the most? What has been the most rewarding part of writing the book so far and I know it's only been out for a few months?

Darla Hightower: 24:58

right. Yeah, it came out in July. Well, it's something that he put on my heart to do, and just seeing it finished, you know, that's pretty rewarding and being able to know that my children, my grandchildren, can read this, my great-grandchildren and then their children, and it's going to be here. You know, after I'm gone to heaven, it's going to be here, and I like that to think, that I have that to leave. You know, in the Old Testament they said build these monuments and put these stones here, so when your children ask, you can say, well, this is where this happened or this is where that happened, and there's so many things. You know. It said teach your children when they're coming in, when they're going out, when they're sitting down, when they're rising up, and I want to be able to leave something like that for my future generations to see you know who is God, who is this God and what is he like, and so that's part of what I wanted to do.

Kim McIntire: 25:54

A legacy and a memorial stone yes, right For the future generations to come. I know the Lord will honor it. I want to read a little excerpt from your book. Okay, I had a hard time choosing between chapter 11 and chapter 29, but I just really wanted to point out like my favorite chapter, to let you know partly why it stood out. And this one is called it's chapter 11, sit at my feet and you will find rest. And you open with Luke 10, verse 41 and 42. Martha, martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is. And then you go on to Matthew 11, verse 28. And I tend to be busier than I should be. I don't even work outside of the home. A friend of mine years ago, who's my cousin as well, said Kim, you need to be still and know that he is God. And you know, 15 years ago I wasn't as teachable and got a little offended. But this chapter spoke to me because you talked about how worship is rest. So do you want to talk about that a little bit?

Darla Hightower: 27:28

Well, it's hard because I have a personality like you. I have type A personality and I like to be busy and about, you know, doing things for people and all of that and um, and doing as much as I can for the Lord and all of those things, and I have to purposely make myself be still before him. And when I'm um really trying to hear from the Lord on a specific topic, I might go to a room and shut the door and put earplugs in and close my eyes and just say, lord, I don't want there to be any distractions and just say, lord, what do you want to say to me today? Or Lord, what about this or what about that? And just wait for that spontaneous thought to come into my mind that I know didn't come from me because of the wisdom that it's brought in. So there's different ways that I do that, but sometimes I just go to the piano and start playing and close my eyes and he may give me a song, some songs he gives me in the middle of the night. He'll wake me up with melodies or lyrics and the song that this book is based on.

Darla Hightower: 28:42

I woke up one morning and I did just that. I closed my eyes. I pictured myself on a warm, sunny beach, because that's one of my favorite places to be, and Jesus was there. And then I saw him go out of my line of vision. He came back carrying a guitar and I hadn't played a guitar since I was young, really young and he sat on a boulder and started strumming and I could hear the melody for this song.

Darla Hightower: 29:05

Then lyrics started coming in. The first four lines came and I wrote it on an index card because I kept them on my nightstand. I didn't want to miss, you know, if God had given me a dream or spoken something to me, I want to capture it. So I had that stack of index cards and I wrote those four lines down. And I just started thanking him for thank you for speaking to me today, thank you for taking time, you know just to speak to me. And then more lyrics came and 15 index cards later I had, when the flow stopped, you know. Then I had to run to the piano and find the chords and try to capture the song. I didn't want to lose it, and so that's what this book is based on. The lines for the song are the titles for the chapters.

Kim McIntire: 29:47

That's so good. The part that I loved in this chapter says it's at the end of the first page says corporate worship is wonderful, but the most intimate worship times I have are at home, with me, my keyboard and the Lord. Yes, and that resonated with me. I love church and I love to worship. I'm in a really enthusiastic church and so I enjoy clapping and raising my hands and dancing in the spirit, but nothing is better than just me at home in my prayer room worshiping before the Lord and he's my audience of one.

Darla Hightower: 30:30

Yes you're right.

Kim McIntire: 30:31

There's no better place to be than with an audience of one, Although corporate worship certainly. The Lord ordains that and we don't want to neglect that. But I love that we have that in common it's a place to rest.

Darla Hightower: 30:45

It is.

Kim McIntire: 30:46

Yeah, worship is a place to rest, and so I appreciated that as well in your book, darla. What spiritual encouragement would you like to share with those who have been listening today? Is there anything the Lord has on your heart today that you feel would just really build someone up?

Darla Hightower: 31:08

Well, I would just say I think I've already said this that His gifts and callings are without repentance. If there's anything that he's put in your heart to do and that you haven't completed which is where I was when I finished this book I would just encourage you to step out and do that. He didn't forget about it and he has a purpose and a plan, and your obedience could be someone else's blessing.

Kim McIntire: 31:34

That's so true. Well, I know your obedience was a blessing to me, thank you, and so I've just been honored to have you with us for this episode. I am excited to see what God does with your book and with your music. I know he's just getting started, darla. Well, thank you. I just believe that with all my heart. So, darla, why don't you tell our listeners how they can find your book?

Darla Hightower: 31:59

They can get it digitally or paperback on Amazon, okay, and then I have copies, if they happen to be local.

Kim McIntire: 32:06

Okay, okay. And what would be a good way to reach you locally? Do you have an email or something you want to share?

Darla Hightower: 32:14

So it's HightowerMinistries Joplin at gmailcom.

Kim McIntire: 32:18

Okay, thank you so much, welcome. Thank you everyone for listening today. Be sure to check us out on our website at itstimedoriseuporg, our Facebook page or Instagram at the official underscore rise underscore up. May God's grace and peace be with you in Jesus' mighty name.