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The three sisters of BarlowGirl didn't want to be a Christian rock band.

Becca, 24, wanted to be a mechanic. Alyssa, 23, was convinced she was destined for the bright lights of Broadway. And Lauren, 18, hoped to be a marine biologist—"swimming with the dolphins," she says, "just like The Little Mermaid!"

But God had a better idea: A band.

Of course, the band thing didn't exactly come out of nowhere. For years, the girls played as a back-up band for their dad's music ministry. "But the band thing never clicked for us," says Alyssa. "We just weren't interested in pursuing it."

But God started working on them, one at a time. Alyssa was the last to give in.

"Since I was 4 years old, I've known I would pursue acting on Broadway," she says. "When I was 16, God said, 'Surrender those dreams to me.' There was no way on earth I would give up those dreams."

But Alyssa eventually realized God had other plans. She didn't know yet what they were, but she finally started letting go.

"Through many tears, I surrendered my dreams," Alyssa says. "Then God opened the door for the band thing. At first I was like, I can't imagine this being better than theatre. But now I can't imagine anything better than this."

Alyssa's story is the theme of "Surrender," a song on BarlowGirl's self-titled debut (Fervent). Many of the songs cover one of three themes: trusting God, sexual purity, and choosing not to date.

That's no surprise to fans of Superchic[k], whose song "Barlow Girls" tells their story:

We met these sisters, Barlow's their last name / Ordinary girls, they don't live in the fast lane … / They don't date, they won't date / They wanna see how they're gonna grow up

That song came out of a meeting between the bands a few years ago. The Barlows talked about their stand on purity and not dating. Two months later, Superchic[k]'s Max Hsu—a friend of the Barlows' dad—played the song for them in his home studio.

"We were really surprised," says Alyssa.

"I definitely think the song captures us," adds Lauren.

The Barlow girls say their no-dating policy isn't necessarily for everyone; it's a choice they've made for themselves. And they have plenty of good friends who date, and that's cool with them.

It's just one way they're trying to put God first in their lives. Says Becca, "It's all about asking ourselves, Where's my heart? Is God my first love?

"Our whole ministry is based on Romans 12:2, which tells us not to conform to the world, but to be transformed. Conforming is just following the crowd, but transforming is changing from the inside out—a metamorphosis, from a caterpillar to a butterfly. That's what always stuck with me: I can be a caterpillar, or I can be a butterfly."

Becca and her sisters have come out of their cocoon, and now it's time to fly. Not bad for three girls who never wanted to do this in the first place.

Learn more about the band at barlowgirl.com .

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Campus Life.

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