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People can be judgmental when it comes to success in mainstream culture. What do you say to convince them this is your calling?

Tina We don't say anything to convince them. There will always be people who will try to limit us, but it's not our job to try to convince them that this is what God has called us to do. It's important for us to know that what we do lines up with the Word—God's will and purpose for us. Some might feel their ministry is supposed to be in the church or to Christian environments exclusively. But we want to take our music to every place that will open the door to us. Any time you hear Mary Mary, we're going to tell people about Jesus. That's our resolve. We don't try to defend ourselves or win anybody over. We just try to do what we do and please God in the process.

Things have also changed for you in recent years because you're both now married. How has the sister-sister dynamic changed over time?

Tina We don't spend as much time with each other. Before we were both married, we would come off the road, back to the same home, eat the same breakfast, and do a lot of the same things. We were always together. But now our home life is much different. We've come to understand that as you grow older, more people come into your life. We still spend a lot of time with each other because we work together. We're real sisters, and we love each other. We enjoy the time we have together and try to have as much fun as possible.

Erica When we used to live together and it was time to work, I only had to walk a few steps and tell my sister, "Let's write." Now we have to make the effort to get together or try to work it out over the phone. I miss being able to bounce ideas off each other at any time during the day.

Is there anything more "sisterly" that you used to do together before you were married that you can't do now?

Tina We still shop! We still go to the movies and eat together. There are just a few more people in the mix now. We have five other sisters, so it's a whole lot of juggling when it comes to what movie we're going to, what time, and what restaurant we're eating at. But it's all fine.

Now that you have children, how do you balance motherhood with your busy professional lives? Do you keep those responsibilities separate, or do they intermingle?

Tina Our worlds definitely intermingle. We're passionate about everything we're a part of, and everything we do is an extension of who we are. We're also very fortunate to have our husbands involved in our careers. Erica's husband Warryn is our producer and he's very involved in the creative process. My husband Teddy plays a lot on our CDs and helps put our live show together. So having them involved in our music helps everything intertwine. Our children travel with us too. When our music comes on the radio, they stop, turn, and start clapping. You can tell they're familiar with it and they like it.

Our families go to church together and love the Lord together. We eat after church together. Our sisters are our best friends, so when we have downtime, we get together and laugh with each other. Everything we do is pretty much intertwined.

I know your kids are still very young, but are they musically inclined like you? Do you see them going on the career path you chose?

Erica Yeah, they're both musically inclined. It's funny, when someone starts singing they'll turn their heads around so fast to listen and see if it's something they like. Tina's baby Leah knows all the lyrics to all our songs, and she puts on that intent-looking singing face. It's the cutest thing ever.

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