Christian rockers Seventh Day Slumber have come a long way from the old days of drinking and drugs. Now they're trying to get teens to wake up and follow along. It's working.

Joshua Schwartz (left), Juan "Rhino" Alvarez,
Joseph Rojas, and Jeremy Holderfield

The guys in the hard rock band Seventh Day Slumber may avidly proclaim the gospel from stage and on their latest CD, Picking Up the Pieces (Crowne Music). But that doesn't mean they've always led godly lives. In fact, singer Joseph Rojas, guitarist Jeremy Holderfield, bassist Joshua Schwartz, and drummer Juan "Rhino" Alvarez are the first to admit to the wild ways of their past. Here's a candid conversation with the guys about how following God's path now helps them impact youth around the world.

I know much of your ministry spins off your own past struggles. Tell me more about your testimonies.

Jeremy: My main problem was the divorce of my parents. I grew up in a Baptist church and in a really strong Christian family. My parents were awesome, but after 31 years of marriage, my father told my brother and me that he didn't love our mother anymore. He said he'd been seeing someone else for the last six months and that he and our mom were splitting up. That does something to your mind. It really crushed me because I looked up to my father as man of God.

How did that affect your relationship with God?

Jeremy: It hurt me so bad that I turned to the bottle and drank a lot to try to cover it up. But it didn't solve any problems, just added to them. Alcohol always brings your problems right back in your face. Joining up with these guys helped get my life back on track. The night before our first show together, we had a Bible study. I reached out to God because I was tired of hating my life and hating my father. I wanted to effectively minister and I couldn't do that while harboring hate.

What's your story, Joseph?

Joseph: My father left when I was 3 years old. My only memories of him were him beating my mother, so I didn't have any cool childhood stories with dad. I was the fat kid growing up. I wasn't cool. I never got picked for teams. I tried my first line of cocaine as a teenager. I did that at least once a month, which turned into once a week, then a $400-a-day addiction. It was to the point where I was going to kill myself because I had nowhere to go. One night I took way more cocaine than I ever had before, and my mother found me overdosed. She was screaming and crying out to God, and called the paramedics. In that ambulance, I called out to God to save me and I've been clean ever since.

And you, Juan?

Juan: I was brought up in a Christian family, but I still felt empty inside because I wasn't in touch with my faith. I got mixed into the wrong crowd and started doing things I wasn't supposed to do. I ended up robbing a courthouse where I worked and got caught and sentenced to 10 years in jail. And I had a wife and two kids at the time.

So how did you get out of it?

Juan: It was all God. I had been in jail for quite awhile and realized one night that my life was going nowhere. I promised God that if he could get me out of there, I would give my whole life to him. After they saw my change of heart, I was let out on probation because of good behavior.

How do these experiences relate to your songwriting on the record?

Joseph: Man, we just put the record out there and lives are changed. There are so many people going through what we've talked about, even if you haven't used drugs or felt this low. You could have everything going right but still go home and cry your eyes out at the end of that day. That's Josh's story.

Tell me more about it, Josh.

Josh: I was raised in a Christian family. My parents were missionaries, but I still had emptiness in my life. It wasn't until I actually developed a personal relationship with Jesus that the void was filled.

I'm sure that gives you an instant connection with fans in Christian audiences.

Josh: It sure does. There are so many kids out there that were raised in youth group and it seems like everything is going fine, but they are empty and crying inside since they haven't actually accepted the Lord for themselves. They've just been going through the motions.

Jeremy: That's why we could do an altar call in a church yet still 35 kids get saved.

The lyrics on Picking Up the Pieces are really bold. Did you ever feel the need to hold back?

Jeremy: No. These songs are connecting with kids because they're issues that no one else is talking about. So many kids are hurting because nobody discusses it with them. Our vision is to hold these kids' hands and show them hope. If we're not being bold about these things, then we're going to be like everybody else and these kids are gonna keep hurting.

Joseph: Man, I was a drug addict. I stayed on the street corner till 4 o'clock in the morning selling crack without showering for three days. God saved me from all that, so how can I not be bold?

What is Seventh Day Slumber's overall mission?

Joseph: We could care less about record charts and being rock stars. Music's a tool for ministry. The only reason we're here is to see lives changed, because we don't want some kid who's looking for hope to end up hurt like we were. We want them to know there is hope and there is a God. Yes we have fun, yes we joke around, yes we jump around on stage and break guitars and put on a solid show. But the only reason we do what we do is to change lives. Period.

Learn more about Seventh Day Slumber at our artist page, where you will also find the album review for Picking Up the Pieces. You can listen to song clips and purchase a copy of the album at Musicforce.com.

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