Written by Kristy Ensor

In his book, Cure for the Common Life, author Max Lucado writes “Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.” In other words, you can find your calling or your purpose in life through the things that you’re passionate about and the through things that come naturally to you. For instance, the child who enjoys finger painting in pre-school may just have a future career as an artist. The child who loves animals may grow up to be a veterinarian. Well…it was little blue-eyed, blonde, Tonja Rose, who was singing!

Tonja grew up in the small community of Pinetown, North Carolina, but she followed her heart to Music City and now lives near Nashville along with her husband and son. Tonja signed with Identical Entertainment in 2008 where she is a singer/songwriter and has released an album called The Heart of Me.

Tonja definitely poured her heart and soul into the Heart of Me project and went on to say that “God lets things go just long ago to see if you’re going to trust Him. There’s a song on my album called Cure for the Common Life based on Lucado’s book by the same title. I was in a rut and Greg Johnson (fellow songwriter) suggested the book. I read it, and basically the book talks about people kind of wondering what they’re supposed to do with their lives. What am I good at? The book, in a nutshell, says that you need to look back through your life, and the things that come the easiest is what God wants you to do…or that’s the path you should choose. It’s the things that you do that come natural.”

Tonja is definitely a shining example of following your heart and listening to God’s calling on your life, and her album offers a positive message. In fact Tonja sums up her music as being positive country with Christian influence. “I wanted songs that people could relate to and that could influence them in a good way. My passion is music, but my purpose is to glorify God with it. So however I can touch peoples’ lives and Him get all the glory is what I need to do,” explained Rose.

Aside from music, Tonja also does canvas art. I’ve seen some of her work, and it’s beautiful. Baking is something else Rose does in her spare time. “There’s a little tea room in Franklin called World Cup of Tea. My friend Lindsey Brown is the manager there and sometimes I go in and bake when she needs help. We did a birthday party yesterday for twenty 4 year olds. They all had on little princess dresses, and it was so sweet!”

Tonja is a class act and is a lady who’s beautiful inside and out. She’s living life to the fullest and looks forward to the journey God has in store for her life and her music. It’s only fitting that Tonja’s favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” And…it seems evident that Tonja will have a very bright future. To learn more about this talented artist, you can visit her website – www.tonjarose.com.