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But we're comfortable working together because it's us from the front end to the back end. There's no middleman in this. We're the ones talking with the church pastor or the person at the college.

That allows us to do good business, which is a part of doing good ministry. Caring for people in your job is a part of living like Christ.

Money is required to continue good business. How do you balance good business with good ministry?

Justin: There's a line between acting like a jerk and taking more money than you need for a show, and being great from stage and earning the money you make.

We know the exact amount we need to make and we don't want to take more money from people than they have to give. It all comes back to being there for people as opposed to having people be there for us. Keeping that straight keeps everything else in line.

Who do you feel called to serve?

Justin: I'm really drawn to the college-aged. College seems to be where the rubber meets the road—where a person decides how his faith and his life will interact. It's where a person decides what she's going to become and where she will leave her mark.

I try to write songs that encourage college students to make wise investments with their time, money, and energy. I hope to inspire them to be people who invest in their communities.

Amy: The majority of the shows have been college shows. There's a lot of energy with that age group—they're really responsive. They laugh at Justin's funny stories. It's very interactive and intimate.

How is this age group different from others?

Justin: They're a thinking crowd. They're far more receptive to things.

Amy: Yeah, they're listening. So singer-songwriters have a lot to share with them.

Justin: Teenagers and adults, on the other hand, tend to be really reactive. Both groups seem to need more time with an artist before they're ready to receive from them.

Teenagers often need a musician to impress them first. Part of being a musician is earning the right to be heard from stage, so they deserve this. There's often more of an entertainment factor with teens, and that's not a bad thing.

Adults tend to be hesitant, especially with a younger artist. They think about the music in a secondhand way—they assume a younger artist might provide good music for their kids. It can take half of a set before the adult starts believing that he could personally benefit from the concert.

Is there something about songwriting or performing that you know now that you wish you would've known years ago?

Justin: It's probably what I touched on earlier about earning the right to be heard. This is a Young Life principle—you can't just get on stage and spout-off whatever's on your mind.

To earn that right, you have to be entertaining to some degree, make people laugh, and work for your audience. Most people don't show up to see you fail. They show up to see you do well, and they're on your side when they get there. That puts me in a place where I really need to show up for them as well.

I need to always remember that the people who come to see me play aren't just an "audience." They are people, individuals whom I can have a relationship with.

What would you tell someone who wants to make music his or her career?

Justin: It's not worth doing just for the sake of doing. It's only worth doing if God has given you a story to tell and has asked you to share it with people.

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