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Dan Haseltine, lead singer for Jars of Clay, thought he had this thing called faith figured out.

That is, until he visited China and Vietnam, where he met some Christians who are being persecuted for their beliefs. It was enough to rock Dan's world—and his faith.

"Every experience I had there caused my faith to be shaken and my eyes opened to a big God, who really does bring joy in the midst of such incredible pain, torture and sorrow," Dan says. "These people live in countries where God's provision is all they have to rely on. As an American, I can't say I've ever been in that position."

Traveling to the Far East allowed Dan and other Jars members to hear first-hand stories of homes being destroyed and family members killed. Yet, when Dan looked into their eyes he saw the true meaning of joy.

"As a kid, I sang 'the joy of the Lord is my strength,' which, for me, has lost its meaning over time," says Dan. "But these people live in that joy every day—they have to, or they won't make it."

The way Dan sees it, these people are living constantly in what he calls "the eleventh hour," a time of waiting for God's faithfulness. He says that kind of dependence can be difficult to understand in parts of the world where wealth and religious freedom are taken for granted. That's because it's easy to fill the silence with other things we think will make us happy—like having more stuff or gaining recognition. But in parts of the world where there's little money and where Christianity is a crime, believers are required to cling to God for their daily needs. They know the tension of the "eleventh hour." They also know what it means to experience God's faithfulness.

Dan hopes sharing the stories of the Christians they encountered will make others aware of these real situations and get more people involved with relief organizations.

So, it isn't any wonder that The Eleventh Hour (Essential) is also the name of Jars' new CD, to be released on March 5. "The overwhelming message of the album is longing to see God and his will completely," Dan says. "Right now we only see in part, but someday we'll see in full."

Jars produced this album themselves, something they haven't done since their self-titled debut CD in 1995. Their second and third CDs were produced by some of the music industry's finest, but Jars wanted to return to their roots with this one, keeping the control in their hands.

Dan says the band was ready to write songs about things they struggled with and really cared about—including their experiences with the persecuted believers and churches in Southeast Asia.

"The freedom we enjoy in America has sort of blinded us to what's going on in the rest of the world," Dan says. "We'll learn so much about God if we just look at the rest of the world and listen to their stories."

Check out the book, The Narrow Road (Fleming H. Revell), an adaptation of Brother Andrew's classic, God's Smuggler. The Narrow Road includes stories from persecuted Christians and from Brother Andrew, who used to smuggle Bibles into countries where it was forbidden. The book also comes with a multimedia CD with footage from Jars of Clay's journey to China and Vietnam. (For more info, go to thenarrowroad.net.)

Read more from 'Bands & Artists'

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