James Thrasher, Music Director

Email: [email protected]

Family: Married to Elesha April 15, 2000. Yes tax day, and no I've never forgotten an anniversary. We have two boys. Jaden, 7, and Rylan, 3. We also have a cocker spaniel named Tanner … born on Christmas.

Personal History: I was born and raised in Greensboro, NC. I've lived my entire life here in beautiful NC. I put my faith in Christ as my Savior around the age of 8, while moving from church to church, because my mom was heavily involved in church music ministry. I graduated from Smith High School in Greensboro in 1995 and from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in December of 1999. College was a time of seeking, searching, serving, growing, learning and loving for me. It was here I met some of the best friends I've ever had, and truly encountered God on the most personal level up to that point. Although I was an Art major, during these years I took the majority of my energy and focused it on music. I'd played music in bands in high school, but it really took a new form once in college.

Offering the musical talents I'd been given became my passion. I began to lead worship, or what I thought worship was, and it began my journey to where I am today. While there, I also met, became good friends with, and became engaged to my beautiful wife Elesha.

Shortly after, we signed on to be charter members of the Summit. The Sunday after our honeymoon was the first official service of the Summit, and we've served in some capacity ever since. We are truly sold on the vision of the Summit in this community.

Key People: Elesha, wife: My best friend, my love, my constant encourager, my sanity some days. Elesha and I have been through a lot together over the years. Personal struggles, struggles together, and we've come out stronger due to our relationship with God and our commitment to each other. There is absolutely no one I'd rather spend my life with. She is my God send. My boys, Jaden and Rylan: At the moment I'm writing this, they are just little boys, but there is so much I've learned from them. My need for patience, my need to enjoy life, my responsibility of passing on what I've learned, and just how precious this life is. There are so many other influential people in my life that I could never name them all and stay succinct, but if you're ever curious, sit down with me because I'd love to share.

Fun Stuff: I enjoy camping, hiking, and Jeep stuff. Dates with Elesha, although rare, are awesome. I love art, TV, and movies and just about anything creative. I enjoy time with each of my boys and my wife individually, and family time as well. I love to watch football, but am not obsessed. I enjoy playing sports even though I'm not the greatest. I love to grill out. I'm an extremely random person.

Favorites: Food, especially Mexican, Japanese, and Italian. Good coffee, with cream and sugar. A good pair of broken in jeans and a t-shirt. The Jeep with the top down. The sound of my family laughing (with me not at me). Time with friends. Time alone with God. The sound of an acoustic guitar. The feeling of a bass guitar amp shaking a room. Intense music that sends a shiver up your back and then the feeling of being covered in a blanket of music. Wow. Oh yeah, and naps. Naps are great.

Makes me laugh: Monty Python. Jim Carrey. Elesha, Jaden and Rylan.

The Inside Scoop: I have geek tendencies. Technology fascinates me as it is such a part of our world, although design and function wins out over whistles and bells in the end for me. Infomercials suck me in and try to take my soul. Thankfully I've never bought anything from one.

Books you should read: The Five Love Languages, Epic, The Dream Giver, Praise Habit, Velvet Elvis, Cosmic Christmas, Wild at Heart, The Giving Tree, Oh The Places You'll Go.

Before I die: I want to travel around and see the world. I want to take Elesha back to Jamaica for a second honeymoon. I want to go on tour with a band and have albums of songs I've written about my life experiences. But most of all, I want to leave a legacy. I don't care about being famous, but I want to impact people around me in a positive way. I want to live my life in such a way that after I'm gone, when people think of me they remember me as a person of integrity, honesty, trust, laughter, fun, and love.