Tami Crist Starkel – Bio & Blog

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Where were you born and raised? I was born in Phoenix, Arizona on August 20 and I prefer to keep the year a secret for the time being. My brother on the other hand would like to announce it to the world. I am the third child in a line of three (My brother Rich Jr. being the OLDEST of the three). We have a sister in the middle who doesn’t sing with us. She currently lives in Washington State with her wonderful husband. I have lived in Arizona, Colorado, Washington and now Tennessee. We moved so much when I was a kid they used to ask us when went to new schools if my dad was in the military. Nope, my parents just liked to pack-up and move a lot.

What about Family – As of today I have been blessed with my Amazing husband John, and two sons Luke (age 16) who is now running sound for us and is often featured singing one of his songs during our concerts & Colby (age 15) a drummer who is now helping out with set-up and running the table with his cousin Val. Many people ask what about school? We are homeschooling both boys. Does anyone want to teach them for free?

What are your favorite places to eat on the road? I would have to say Mexican Food . But I also like Chili’s, Red Robin and Olive Garden (which is usually for special occasions).

What are your Interests and Hobbies? I guess you could say I am a computer junkie. No matter what it is about. I love learning new software, web design, graphics, games etc…. I love reading and I have started writing a book. I like making jewelry (and shopping for it), and I also enjoy songwriting but I have to admit making time to write is not always high on my priority list.

Do you have any pets? We have a redbone coonhound named Annie who has a mind of her own but a heart of gold. I figure if you live in the south you gotta have a hound right?

What is your musical history? We weren’t allowed to listen to Christian radio growing up. Only what was approved from the hymn book and we could only sing those songs in church or at someone’s house. When we went to a new church when I was 13 I remember hearing a Christian Song for the first time. My soul was so moved. I knew at that moment God wanted me to sing for Him the rest of my life. I turned to my mom and said that’s what I am going to do. From that day forward I took every opportunity I could to learn and sing for Him.

What is your personal testimony? I grew up attending a church that preached Sin and Hell every day of the week. From the time I was about the age 4 to the age of 9, every night I was sure the Lord would come again, I would be left behind and I would spend eternity in Hell.

When I was 9 years old on News Years Day I received Christ as my Savior. I don’t know if you noticed in that sentence that I didn’t say Lord and Savior. I realized that He had saved me from my sin but I didn’t understand Lordship until my teen years.

When I was 13 my parents were having major marriage issues as they turned from God to the world. Affairs, drugs, alcohol, and abuse became the norm in our home. One night the police came to our house and started to take my dad away in handcuffs. That night I got down on my knees and started crying out to God for my family. My relationship with God changed from one of just Savior to “Savior and Lord” as I saw that He wanted to be more than my Savior but my Father, Protector, Healer, Redeemer, and Comforter.

Praise the Lord my family has been restored and my parents are the example of God’s Grace.

He is my EVERYTHING!!!

What do you hope to see happen through The Crist Family? Dealing with Epilepsy most of my life, my desire is to see people encouraged. The great thing is that even though Christians might be physically failing we are not eternally failing. This is only temporary and we need to constantly remind ourselves that this is only a speck of time compared to the infinity that is our tomorrow. The infinity that we have to look forward to is perfection with our savior.

I love our new song “His Strength Is Perfect”. It starts out with the great words from Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” That is my goal, my ambition, not only for myself but also for others. To remember that HIS STRENGTH IS PERFECT.