ABOUT
ELDER WILLIAM MURPHY
Through music, the human
race has been praising and worshiping the Lord since Biblical times. Christian
music can be a powerful vehicle to elevate the participant onto a higher plain,
bringing them closer to the Lord, who adores our praise and worship, even if the
person can't carry a tune. Heart attitude and effort is all that matters to the
Lord!
Elder William Murphy has been prepared
throughout his life to become a Minister of Worship by the Lord, despite his unplanned
arrival into this world. William Murphy 111 was born
in Detroit to unmarried, teen-aged parents. While raised by his mother, his father
and grandfather and extended family were very close by; to love, guide and involve
him in a caring church family.
"Church
is what I've known all my life. My family is rich in the heritage of the Gospel,
in spoken word ministry as well as music. That was the foundation I grew up on."
- blackgospel.com
He grew up in his father's
and grandfather's church, and sang for the first time at the age of 14, when he
discovered that he too could sing, like most of his extended family. As a young
man, he led the music worship in his grandfather's church while taking a 9 to
5 job in a bank, which wasn't where the Lord wanted him.
After
the bank was robbed at gunpoint, William arrived at a crossroads, feeling the
strong pull from the Holy Spirit to jump into being a minister of worship full
time. The Lord began to open doors.
By 2001,
he was chosen to be the Senior Minister of Worship at New Birth Missionary Baptist
Church while in his late 20's, a position he held until 2005, when his personal
ministry of visiting churches and teaching and demonstrating music worship needed
more of his focus. However, Elder William Murphy is still involved with his home
church, where he is the Assoc. Minister of Worship.
|
With
the energy, focus and dedication of the Apostle Paul, Elder William Murphy, who
thinks of himself as a Minister of Worship; not an artist, tours around to different
churches with his own band, inspiring others to create music to feed, nurture
and elevate their congregations through praise and worship to attain this higher
plain of being, rising to the presence of the Lord. |
Elder
William Murphy, has had a few bumps in the road, which he worked through with
the help of the Lord. This resulted in the spiritual growth of not only Elder
William Murphy, but to the blessing of many people.
Sometime
after Elder William Murphy moved his family to Atlanta, his marriage fell apart.
His wife left him, and their two sons in Atlanta. Elder William Murphy, worried
about loosing his commission to minister, thinking perhaps his divorce would be
a disqualifier in the Lord's eyes (1 Cor.9:27). He turned to the Lord in prayer,
who gave him a song, which expressed his feelings about praising the Lord, PRAISE
IS WHAT I DO.
This well-known song, PRAISE
IS WHAT I DO, was originally recorded as the title track on the Shekiah Glory
Ministries gold CD, in 2002, and is now recorded by Elder William Murphy on this
CD, The William Murphy Project: ALL DAY.
Another
bump in his road had to do with his history, an emotional worry which lingered
in the back of his mind. The enemy, always looking for a way to derail, brought
these feelings to his thoughts. He turned to the Lord in prayer, which resulted
in Murphy's emotional healing and the creation of the glorious song, CREATED TO
WORSHIP.
|
Elder William Murphy, testified about
this struggle that happened in his life on his ALL DAY CD, giving a mini-sermon
of hope and encouragement, sandwiched effortlessly inbetween the CREATED TO WORSHIP
cut and cut 7, entitled The Healing Worship. |
Selected
text: Elder William Murphy poignantly shares his
personal testimony: "The Lord gave me this song a few years ago, and I don't
mind telling my story. My mother was 15 years old and my father, (Bishop William
Murphy Jr.) was 17 years old when I was born. You know what they call me, don't
cha? They call me a mistake. They said I was illegitimate. They said I was the
result of their (his parents) sin. How many of you know that God has the power
to take your MESS and made it a blessing to the nations?"
"The
enemy said, 'You are going through this right now, because you really aren't supposed
to be here. You are a mistake! God doesn't really have a purpose for your life.'"
"I looked at the facts and I almost believed
it. But then I heard the Spirit of God say the devil is a liar. How many of you
know that he couldn't tell the truth even if he wanted to? The Lord made it clear
to me that I was NOT a mistake and that He does have a purpose for my life. I
was in the plan of God when my daddy first met my mama." (This leads into
a spoken message of encouragement to unwed parents, that their babies were not
a mistake.)
Elder William Murphy has continued
to take hold of what the Lord has taken hold of him for, calling Elder William
Murphy to be a Minister of Worship, with the goal of helping people, despite what
is going on in their lives, to praise and worship the Lord; to prepare the hearts
and minds of believers, through his words, his music and inspirational services
which gladden the heart, feed the soul, lift the spirit and encourage praise and
thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus, for who He is, for His character and for what
He did for us on the cross, becoming our Lord and Savior.

Sources:
Materials from McCain & Co. * blackgospel.com * williammurphy3.com