Luke Wood grew up in Harrisonville, Missouri, a small town 20 miles south of Kansas City. His childhood was rich with spiritual memories, "I remember attending church as a young boy with my parents and genuinely loving the Lord, in between fights and arguing with my brothers. I especially remember from time to time this fluttering feeling and this emotional explosion that would happen in my heart when the Holy Spirit would breathe upon the worship on those Sunday mornings." Luke's high school years were a bit more emotional and challenging, and he eventually found himself not wanting anything to do with God. After six years of resisting the Lord's call on his life, God broke in, "The Lord set a Divine ambush on me and I couldn't do anything but begin to look with new eyes of faith at the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."
It wasn't long after that Luke began seeking the Lord through music. He picked up a guitar and began singing songs to the Lord as prayers. In 2003, after hearing about IHOP through a friend, he did the onething internship, joining as a full-time staff member upon completion. Since being here, he does much the same that he did after he first committed his life to the Lord, "I turn simple songs into sincere prayers and wait for the Lord to turn those simple prayers into reality on the earth."
When creating songs, Luke will usually study and journal a particular passage of scripture or Biblical concept for weeks. He then takes that material and sits down with guitar or piano to put it to music. He says the easier approach to song writing is when he is "inspired during a season of longing or aching, and capturing a heart cry that comes out in a few minutes of prayer to the Lord."
Luke's desire is to cultivate a lifestyle of fasting and prayer and to have the Word of God written on his heart and upon the hearts of those who listen to his songs. "I want to be completely set apart from this world so that I can love the Lord with ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength," he says. "There is nothing that I would rather be doing than standing in the House of the Lord and learning His ways." Luke and his wife, Leah, plan on remaining at IHOP indefinitely.