“Even in the midst of anguish and strife, God is still our vision, our reward, and our delight.”

Lieutenant Nicholas Helms and Lieutenants Chris & Erin Wikle are Salvation Army officers (pastors) from the Western Territory. Having been friends for years, when the pandemic hit, they jumped at the chance to create music in a new way. Through the wonders of modern technology, they were able to record, edit and produce, despite living in two different states. Out of that experience, “Be Thou My Vision” was born.

PEER: How did you come to know Jesus? Did you grow up in the church?

ERIN WIKLE: I grew up in the church and in The Salvation Army—so I learned about Jesus at a pretty young age. As a part of The Salvation Army, I traveled with my parents who had committed their lives to serving people and sharing the Gospel of Jesus wherever they were, to whomever they met. 

NICK HELMS: With officer parents, I grew up attending The Salvation Army as my church home. I dedicated my life to the Lord at a young age but would say I had made my true commitment to following him as a college student. It was in my young adult years that I had a true testing of my faith and made the decision to devote my life to serving Christ.

P: How did you come to love music?

EW: Music has always been a part of my life. My father is an exceptional musician and had my older brother and I learning music from a young age. I started taking piano lessons at the age of four, started singing before then and just soaked up all the learning opportunities I could. I remember learning melodies to well-known radio tunes at a super young age but being horrible at knowing the words to songs. My solution? I’d make up my own words to familiar tunes and just sing my little heart out. Before I could read, my mom would draw pictures on large poster boards to help me memorize words to the songs I’d sing for various occasions. I couldn’t imagine life without music. As I got older, I started exploring song writing and wrote my first song, “Here Am I,”while sitting in a theology class my freshman year of college. 

NH: I’ve always loved music. For me, it started out with singing the car with my late father. He instilled a love of singing within me. I started taking piano lessons when I was eight years old, so that didn’t stick. I started playing the trumpet when I was 12, and that did stick! I got very serious about trumpet playing and had the chance to play in many great ensembles through that medium. I dabbled with piano and guitar growing up, but really didn’t start taking a serious interest in those until I was in training school. While there, I had many opportunities to practice my worship leading skills, and really took to leading on guitar.

PEER: What is your favorite Bible verse?

EW: One of my favorite Bible verses is Isaiah 43:1. “But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

NH: I go through stages with favorite Bible verses, but this one has been a constant through my years. Romans 8:28 (NIV), “And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I love the assurance that this verse gives. Even in my most difficult circumstances, God is working for my good.

P: What is the inspiration behind your new project?

EW:“Be Thou My Vision”is one of my favorite hymns, hands down. The original words hold their origin in the 8^th century—so the song as we know it today has been around for a long time. I shared one of the verses on my Instagram story one day when a friend DM’ed me asking if I wanted to cover it and after thinking it through, I said yes. What’s different about this song is the inclusion of an original chorus that points directly to Jesus—our redemption and the very one who informs our vision. The plea at the end of the chorus is that God would, “Help us see.” Having come through the pandemic (we are still coming through it) and dealing with the widespread fall out of division across our nation and within the church over politics, vaccinations, racism, human sexuality and so much more … this song is a reminder that Jesus is sovereign, Lord of all, and that there is no one else like him. As we entrust everything that concerns us to Him, he gives us everything we need to carry on. 

NH: This song really flowed out of our desire to look to God as our source and light. The pandemic has brought a lot of fear and uncertainty to many of us, me included. As we were contemplating what our next project would be, Erin had suggested that we cover this song, but add in a personal touch with an original chorus, which she so beautifully penned. Even amid anguish and strife, God is still our vision, our reward and our delight.

P: What was the journey of the three of you coming together to create this project?

EW: Nick and I have known each other for a while and have done music together in the past. Our families are close. During the past two years (coming through COVID), we seized an opportunity to do music in a different way. Chris and I are married and lived in Southern California, but Nick and his family lived in Colorado at the time. Through the wonder of technology and setting up in-home studios, we decided to start covering some of our favorite worship songs to help bring hope to those struggling through the pandemic. We went from a simple and more raw approach to music making to something more robust, creative and honed—using our skillset to compose, arrange and write music for production. 

NH: The Wikles and Helms were in the same session in training school, and our families became very close. In February 2020, Erin and I had a cool opportunity to lead worship at a holiness conference together. Little did we know that the pandemic was just around the corner. We had really enjoyed working together musically, and so we decided we would record some of our favorite worship music together. The only problem was that she was stationed in Southern California, while I was stationed in Washington State. We figured out a way to record our music remotely. It started with a simple approach with some rough editing from me. That’s when we got Erin’s husband, Chris, involved. He took on the production role in those early months, and started recording instruments for us as well. Over time, our recordings progressed and got more technical, and on “Be Thou My Vision,” we asked a friend (who also happens to be a professional recording engineer) if he would produce for us. It all really came about organically, and I love that we get to do this.

P: How does music inform your ministry, as well as your personal worship?

EW: At the heart of it—worship means much to each of us. Worshipping through song is just one means in which we can express our heart to God. When we worship, we are connecting our heart to His. When we connect our heart to His, our perspective can shift—He reorients our thinking because our eyes are no longer on ourselves, but fixed on Him. We believe people can encounter the living God through music and it’s has always been our hope to use our gifts to help others encounter and come close to Jesus through worship. 

NH: For me, music has always been an avenue into God’s presence. It’s been an amazing way that God has allowed me to be a witness and has presented me with countless opportunities to share the gospel. On top of being an amazing way to minister to others, it’s also one of my favorite ways to worship the Father. It ushers me before His throne and helps me to center my mind and heart on my Savior.

PEER: What is something that God is teaching you right now?

EW: God has been inviting me to stand firm. To not abandon the truth of the Gospel no matter what. And to keep ordering my life in such a way that puts Him first. 

NH: God has been reminding me to look for the opportunities around me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. These opportunities are popping up constantly, but we can so easily miss them when we are too busy to recognize them. He’s teaching me to live a life centered on Him, so that my eyes are open to see those who need Him.

PEER: What’s one of your go-to self-care habits?

EW: I’m not perfect at it, but I have time limits on my phone for my social media apps and have “down time” set up so I cannot access my phone before or after certain times each day. I have found I’m simply not disciplined enough to set my screen down without the extra help of established boundaries and limits. When I’m on my phone less—I live better. I’m more attentive to those around me and less fatigued at the end of the day. 

NH: Lately, I’ve really been enjoying going to the movies … ALONE! When I was younger, this would have been unheard of, but now I enjoy the time alone to relax and unwind for a couple of hours.

P: What are you listening to right now?

EW: So many things. My kids love Vulfpeck, so that’s been dominating our car rides. But we also appreciate “Earth, Wind, and Fire,” always. I’ve been stuck on Maverick City Music and Brandon Lake for a while, too. 

NH: I have four young children, so SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical has been on repeat for months. It’s a fun one. But aside from the kids’ music, I’ve been listening to the Christmas with the Chosen album. I know it isn’t Christmas anymore, but this album has some great covers and originals that are evergreen!

P: What is the first thing you do before you wake up and the last thing you do before you go to bed?

EW: I always endeavor to begin my day with Jesus. I don’t always nail it, but it’s always the goal. Getting up before the rest of the family does and sitting with my Bible, a cup of coffee and my journal is my first priority. The last thing I do before I go to bed is check that the dishwasher is running. We are a family of six, so better believe that thing is full of dirty dishes each night. 

NH: The first thing I do when I get out of bed is look over at my beautiful wife and thank God that she is in my life. The last thing I do before I go to bed is to make sure I set my alarm, so I get our kids to school on time!

PEER: Favorite snack food?

EW: Is coffee a snack? Iced oat milk maple latte or cold brew all day, every day. 

NH: My favorite snack food would have to be chips and guac. I’m a salty guy, so chips are my weakness.