Denise grew up in a military home, with her family being relocated annually, living across the United States. The unsettledness of constantly moving was further exacerbated when Denise’s parents were divorced when she was 12. Her teen years were extremely challenging, rotating which parent she lived with, in a culture of repeated divorces, and living in an apartment surrounded by the drug culture. It was God’s grace in her life through music that not only comforted Denise, but kept her on the right path when she was surrounded by illicit lifestyles. Denise excelled on brass instruments and in academics, which opened the way for her to go to the University of Maryland on full scholarship.

While at the University of Maryland, Denise came to know her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The impact of her salvation was far reaching – from everything to her friendships, music, family – in every way she wanted to please her Lord. The message of purity rang through in Denise’s early music, as she devoted herself as a single, stopped dating when she became a Christian, and trusted in God’s provision for a spouse. It was during this season that the Lord would develop her songwriting abilities as well as skills in singing and as a keyboardist.

The turmoil from her home life, and absence of her father while growing up caused a hunger in Denise to know her Abba Father more. God as her refuge and comfort is a common theme interwoven in many of her songs, and she has a passion to help others know they are never rejected from their heavenly Father – and He is enough.

The Lord brought a husband into Denise’s life who would encourage Denise’s musical development. Over the course of 9 years, in the midst of 5 pregnancies, and bearing 4 children, Denise would write songs of longing – longing to be close to God (with all the busyness that comes from motherhood). These songs were done for church events, or as ministry when the Lord inspired them, for the body of Christ.

In the fall of 2001, following the horrific events of 9/11, the Lord gave Denise a song, “Comfort to the Weary”. It was placed on her heart that she should sing this the next morning in church – one hitch – the lyrics weren’t written yet! The door was opened, and Denise wrote the lyrics and sang the next morning. People in the congregation were ministered to so much, they encouraged her to send it in to the radio. The Lord provided for the recording, and it was sent in the next two weeks. Denise’s song was played on WJTL Lancaster the day after the radio station received it. It seemed the Lord was opening up a door for Denise’s music to go beyond her local church’s walls. To prepare for this opportunity, Denise would take songwriting from Shay Watson of Embassy Music in Nashville, TN for a year. Shay’s mentoring would also be a catalyst to propel Denise to record her second CD, ‘Praying For You’. In fact, Shay Watson and Darwin Moody (President! of Embassy) would write songs for her CD.

Since then, Denise has had to juggle being a wife and homeschooling mother of 5, as well as continuing to grow as an artist and singer/songwriter. The Lord has had some amazing doors open for Denise, including her being asked to appear on DTV, “An Evening With Champions”, and winning 1st place as Christian pop Artist at the IMMA Independent International Christian Musician Alliance in Kansas in 2007, as well as winning album of the year in 2006 for the IGMA, for her album, “Praying For You”. Her song, ‘Reign in Me’ off of that album has been played in 11 radio stations across the United States.

Over the years, Denise has given many concerts, spoken at women’s conferences, led worship in various congregations, and for various events, and also served on worship teams as a vocalist and instrumentalist. In this season, her heart desires to write worship songs for the church, and songs of healing for the hurts this world inflicts. ‘We serve a God Who is so much bigger than any trial we go through, so much more beautiful than anything this world has, but sometimes we become myopic and lose our clarity of vision and our faith in God still being completely good – all the time.’ Denise lives out these words – one day at a time. As an individual who went through abuse as a child, Denise has a heart of compassion for others who have been violated and wounded by evil.

Denise is a resident of Virginia, and also leads a homeschool co-op in Gum Spring, Virginia.