Lain's Story.
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Lain Tomlinson was born and raised in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. He was attending church and involved in music from a very early age, going along with his dad, a Missionary Baptist pastor and singer in a Southern Gospel quartet. Lain followed in his footsteps musically, singing his first solos at Beckwith Missionary Baptist Church.
Around the age of 13, Lain joined the school choir and really fell in music and performing. He excelled in choral music in high school and earned a B.Mu. in Vocal Performance from Cumberland University in 2014. He also earned a B.S. in Mathematics during his time at Cumberland as well. |
Lain performed with several different music groups during his college years, mainly playing country and jazz. He started performing solo after he graduated, and played many different places including the Tennessee State Fair.
In October of 2015, while attending graduate school for mathematics at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, Lain told his calling to preach while visiting his home church one Sunday. This would change the direction of his life and of his music. Lain Tomlinson started preaching at churches around middle Tennessee and in Texas while working during the week as a mathematics instructor and playing music on the side. |
In February 2018, he became the Youth Director at Beckwith Missionary Baptist Church and stayed there until October 2019. During that time, the youth group doubled in size.
These days, Lain continues to play music and preach at many different churches across middle Tennessee. His traveling is part of what started the blog: a need to delve into the different traditions of all the churches where he's preached. |
Lain's Testimony.
"I grew up in church - my dad was a pastor - so I knew what salvation was and how to get saved. When I was 10 years old though, I finally felt the convicting power of God. It felt like a heavy burden on the inside, like a guilty conscience that was more than I'd ever felt before. I went up to the altar at Beckwith and knelt to pray. I don't know how much time passed, but I finally connected, and in an instant, that heavy feeling was replace with a peaceful one. It was just pure, unadulterated grace, and it hasn't left me since.
I joined the church in the next couple of weeks, and over the years, I was very involved in the church, playing piano for the worship service and teaching Sunday School. Even though I was physically attending though, there was a large part of me that was questioning things. It didn't help that I was straying from the straight and narrow either, but there was also just general questioning about Christianity and my particular denomination.
After a series of unfortunate events, I ended up back home at Beckwith again while I was living in Texas going to graduate school. I was humbled, and during the sermon, I heard and felt that still, small voice that let me know I had been ignoring the call to preach. That same day, October 4th, 2015, I told my calling to preach.
I have preached at so many places since then - churches, conferences, schools, and more - and I'm thankful for the blessings I've received as a result. I had the opportunity to work as the Youth Director at Beckwith Missionary Baptist, which helped further my studying in the scriptures. I have tried to continue to study the Word, and with God's help, I will continue to learn."
I joined the church in the next couple of weeks, and over the years, I was very involved in the church, playing piano for the worship service and teaching Sunday School. Even though I was physically attending though, there was a large part of me that was questioning things. It didn't help that I was straying from the straight and narrow either, but there was also just general questioning about Christianity and my particular denomination.
After a series of unfortunate events, I ended up back home at Beckwith again while I was living in Texas going to graduate school. I was humbled, and during the sermon, I heard and felt that still, small voice that let me know I had been ignoring the call to preach. That same day, October 4th, 2015, I told my calling to preach.
I have preached at so many places since then - churches, conferences, schools, and more - and I'm thankful for the blessings I've received as a result. I had the opportunity to work as the Youth Director at Beckwith Missionary Baptist, which helped further my studying in the scriptures. I have tried to continue to study the Word, and with God's help, I will continue to learn."