On Tuesday night, a pastor from Mississippi won this season of the NBC singing competition “The Voice,” and he ended his run on the show by bringing the judges to tears with his powerful performance of the Christian hit song “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe.

Todd Tilghman is a pastor at Cornerstone Church in Meridian, Mississippi who was coached throughout his time on the show by country music star Blake Shelton. Tilghman had to perform his final song remotely from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that did not stop him from bringing judge Kelly Clarkson to tears with it.

“Literally, you are so moving,” Clarkson said after his performance. “It’s because you are a pastor, because you have such a bigger belief inside you than just yourself. I would love to come to your church just to hear you speak, not only sing. You’re very special.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plxZLgWKMNo&feature=emb_title

Tilghman was visibly stunned when he was named the winner if the notoriously difficult reality singing competition.

“I wish I knew how to say thank you,” Tilghman tweeted the morning after his victory. “And I wish y’all knew how much I respect and admire my new friends and fellow artists/contestants on @NBCTheVoice. I don’t know how long it’ll take me to process, but I sure am grateful for every moment.”

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Never forgetting his roots, Tilghman continue to preach throughout his time on the show. Earlier this month, he preached something that was very fitting for his time performing on “The Voice” in front of the nation.

“Take those talents that the Master gave you before we were separated and multiply those during this time, so that when we come back together, you’ll come back with more than you left with,” the father of eight preached in a virtual sermon, according to Christian Post.

At 42 years of age, Tilghman is the oldest person to ever win “The Voice,” and he has previously been open about how much it would mean to him.

“‘The Voice’ could change everything for me,” Tilghman said earlier in the season, according to the Washington Post. “Right now, I only sing at church. I don’t perform or record. To be able to support my family strictly through music would be a dream.”

Now that Tilghman has won, the sky is the limit for him! We can’t wait to see where he goes from here.

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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