Jordan Armstrong
Jordan’s a filmmaker and worship leader getting after all his dreams from Pittsburgh, PA.
Along the way to every pursuit, Jordan has continued putting his faith in God, following His lead every step of the way. Whether it was bringing story to life through film as a full-time freelancer, or now through church projects at Bridge City Church, Jordan’s passion is helping others connect with Jesus in a tangible way.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
I’m currently living in the middle of what only God could do. I had no intentions of ever working for a church, it seemed so narrow-focused to me. I wanted to spread my wings and fly in every genre of filmmaking, not just one. I was more than happy to volunteer my services whenever needed, but in my mind - I’d be settling if I niched myself into one genre.
So, I was freelancing and working on everything from music videos and commercials to narratives. I was literally traveling the world working on all kinds of projects.
Then, the pandemic brought all of my freelance work to a halt. Suddenly, Bridge City Church had a need for someone to oversee all video production now that everything had moved online. In what felt like an instant, my heart completely changed and there was nothing more I wanted to do than step into that position. In reality, God had been working behind the scenes for some time to get me there by slowly removing my passion for the freelance world.
Now, I get to be a part of what, to me, is the greatest job on earth - Getting to wake up every day and tell stories that draw people closer to Jesus. I get to lead and care for a team of people that are using their gifts to create content that will impact people’s eternities. There’s nothing better than that to me.
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
Thankfully, I grew up in an extremely creative family. Every person from my parents, my three siblings, and even my grandparents have some sort of creative outlet. I knew from a very young age that I wasn’t going to be a doctor or lawyer (although there was a short period of time where I wanted to be a gourmet french fry chef).
Not only was my family very creative, but I was very fortunate to have so many people in my church that fed that gift in me, encouraging me to grow it. They believed in me and gave me opportunities at a young age that I’m not so sure I would have even given myself. Without them, I probably never would have picked up a camera or started leading worship.
I always had a desire to tell stories that moved people, I just had no idea how I was going to do that. I would always say - “I want to make people cry from my art”. Ideally, I wanted them crying because their heart was so moved by what they saw, rather than crying over how bad it was. I’m glad to say the former happens much more often now.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
I don’t think they exist apart from each other. We are creative because we were made in the image of the ultimate Creator. I want everything I do to point back to Him. In reality, it’s not my dream I’m pursuing at all - it’s God’s. And, I just get to go along for the ride!
I tried pursuing my own dreams. And, I was pretty successful at it until the pandemic brought everything to a screeching halt. But, there’s nothing more fulfilling than laying down my desires for myself and picking up God’s desires for me.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
I’m married to the most creative person I know. My wife, Maria, is a constant source for me to bounce ideas off of. She’s a huge inspiration to me with her own endeavors, so having that resource legally bound to me for the rest of our lives is pretty great. She’ll hype me up to no end, but she’s also able to tell me “how it is” without holding back. I’m constantly asking her to watch videos I’m working on, or to listen to an idea I have for something.
And speaking of ideas - I think it’s important to keep a note somewhere of every idea that comes to your mind. I’ve found that I rarely get those big, breakthrough ideas when I’m sitting down to actually brainstorm for a specific project. Those big ideas seem to come to me at the most random moments when I’m not even thinking about that specific project. Sometimes, I’m laying in bed at night and I’ll have this incredible idea. Obviously, I’m not going to act on it at that moment, so I write it down to remember it. Otherwise, I wake up the next day thinking “what was that idea I had?” and it usually doesn’t come back to me at that point.
I use my Notepad app and an app called Milanote to keep track of everything that runs through my head at inopportune times.
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
The biggest thing I’d say to anyone in any kind of creative field is - Don’t go after your dreams alone. I think as creatives we have this tendency to try and go “lone wolf” through life. We think others are only going to hold us back and that we need to just put our heads down and work.
But, we were created to be relational beings. When we isolate ourselves, we get weird. Like, really weird. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, encourage you, challenge you, and speak life into you. Ask them questions and let them ask you questions. Find ways you can work on your dreams together even. Whatever you do - Don’t do this alone.