The Christian music community been mourning the recent loss of Big Daddy Weave’s bassist, Jay Weaver. Many artists have expressed their condolences and some have even paid tribute to Jay by sharing stories of how he deeply impacted their lives.

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Zach Williams left a touching message about Jay and Big Daddy Weave’s impact on his own life as he became a believer through their song, Redeemed. At the time, Zach was in a secular-rock band and one day while traveling across the country on tour, Redeemed came pouring through the tour bus speakers just at the right time. He listened to the song on repeat and that was all it took for him to know God was telling him to leave the band and come back home.

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When Mike Weaver, Jay’s brother and lead singer of Big Daddy Weave, first posted about Jay’s passing the support from Christian artist’s everywhere poured in.

Jason Gray, singer of Sparrows and With Every Act of Love, wrote a beautiful tribute on Facebook that we want to share with you:

“My friend Jay Weaver of Big Daddy Weave passed away yesterday.

Jay, along with his brother Mike and their band, were always so good to me, but never were they more kind to me than when they took me on tour with them in the weeks after my divorce was finalized.

I was dejected, depressed, and certain that my status as a divorcee would make me a pariah to both my industry and Christian music listeners. My whole future was uncertain, and all I had energy for was sleeping, though I wasn’t even doing that very well. But I still had bills to pay, so what was I to do?

Big Daddy Weave invited me to tour with them for the better part of that year, a tour that felt more like a hospital than anything else as God and my friends put me back together, piece by piece. That work is ongoing.

A precious memory I’ll never forget was when we were all praying in the sanctuary before a show in Alabama. I was sitting in a pew, my head hung low, quietly praying through my tears when Jay walked over to me, put his hands on the sides of my head, and lifted my face to look me in the eye.

I didn’t want to look him in the eye. It was too much for me. I felt like unworthy—I had lost so much and disappointed so many people, including myself, that I was full of too much pain and shame to be able to bear looking someone directly in the eye. I wished I could escape the moment as I tried to look anywhere else, but Jay held my face steady in his hands until I surrendered to the moment and met his gaze. Then he looked deep into my eyes, past them to my soul, and said, “I love you,” and prayed for my restoration.

It changed me.

I always wondered what the words of Psalm 3:3 meant: “you’re the glory and the lifter of my head.” But now I knew. Jay showed me. Jay, and God through him, was the lifter of my head that day, lifting my eyes from the depths of my sorrow and shame to look into the eyes of grace and know I was loved.

I honestly don’t know how the afterlife works, but I’d like to believe there’s a moment as Jay steps into eternity with brand new feet after a long, hard journey when God takes his face in his hands, lifts it to look into his eyes, and says, “I love you,” as he’s welcomed home.”

Hear from Mike Weaver on the Passing of His Brother