David Leonard Opens Up about Loss, Faith and the Heart of 'Just Jesus'

He toured with NEEDTOBREATHE, playing keyboard. He formed half of the Christian duo All Sons & Daughters, co-writing the beloved praise song, Great Are You Lord. He helped some of CCM's top artists form major hits, collecting multiple GMA Dove Awards along the way. 

Now a solo artist, Leonard has crafted his own impressive list of hits, including Good Lord and Every Hour.     

His latest album is Just Jesus, which was released Feb. 21 and includes 12 tracks written over two years of personal trials. His faith grew during that time, he said.

"The last two years have been a whirlwind of events. I lost four grandparents. My kids have struggled with health stuff," Leonard told Crosswalk Headlines. "... It just felt like the world was punching me in the gut over and over again."

But "in the midst of all of this stuff," Leonard said, he clung to the promise that "the only thing that I need is Jesus." He leaned on the promises of Psalm 139, he said. 

"We have the promise that God has promised to be with us in the highs and then the lows," he said. "And that's the stuff that I'm holding on to -- that when I feel like I'm by myself, that the Lord has promised to be with me through all of it. This record is kind of the culmination of all that stuff, and it turned into a beautiful movement of lyric and song.

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