When you've sold nearly five million records, won 8 Dove Awards, appeared on several television shows and graced the pages of many magazines, what's next? For Point of Grace, the next step has always been consistently sharing the gospel while being open to change. And changes aplenty have sprouted in the lives of POG members over the years as they've married and had children, juggling raising families with ministering in music. The latest transitions are both personal and professional. Heather Payne gave birth to Nathaniel in September and remains a part of POG, while longtime member Terry Jones left the quartet earlier this year to spend more time with her husband and three children. Payne, Shelley Breen and Denise Jones welcomed former Truth vocalist and Women of Faith worship leader, Leigh Cappillino, to their group. We spoke with Breen about I Choose You, POG's first full studio project in three years and their tenth overall.

Tell me about the song "I Choose You" and using that as the album title.

Shelley Breen: We were in the process of looking for songs, but nothing had blown us away. We wanted an anchor song, which is one of the songs on an album that you hang your hat on, that beyond a shadow of a doubt, people will like and connect with its universal appeal. We heard "I Choose You" and knew it was the song. It was unanimous-we all loved it. It became the standard by which we judged all other songs. The title was born out of choosing which song stood above the others.

Seeing how many directions teen girls-and all of us-are pulled in, we need a reminder that we are wired to worship something-our spouse, girlfriend or boyfriend, money, the church or whatever. We wanted to make a commitment statement, saying that we choose the Lord. That means a lot of things have to change. It's being black-and-white in your statement of faith, not gray.

Why is it important that you stress the message of making right choices to your listeners, especially teen girls?

Breen: There are so many negative influences on girls. God has given us a platform to speak to his girls. It's hard to be a teen when all the magazines, movies and everything says you must look this way, dress this way, act this way, talk this way to be loved and accepted. We try to say that is not true. Through a relationship with Jesus, we become truly loved and accepted into the only family that matters. Our beauty comes from the inside. It's hard to not fall into that trap to strive to weigh no more than 105 pounds. These things don't make them happy.

We try to help girls make the right choices with our music and at Girls of Grace conventions. There, girls find people who are trying to live the same kind of life they are trying to live. For us to reiterate what parents are trying to teach their children about quiet time, friends, modesty and dating is very powerful. Teens might not hear from their parents what they would hear from another person, so we reinforce what their parents teach about making the right choices.

As someone in music ministry, do you still need to remind yourself to make conscious choices for God everyday or does it come naturally?

Breen: It doesn't come more naturally at all. We have to watch ourselves even harder than others do. Things that might move a typical person might not move us, because it is easier to become jaded to the gospel message if you don't make a conscious effort to stay in the Bible and make your prayer life a priority. It's easy to say your devotion time was the interview you did today with Christian Music Today.

The lyrics on this album sound like they reflect experiences borne out of prayer and devotion time. They are somewhat different from your past lyrics. Was that done on purpose?

Breen: Yes, we tried to go for a more singer-songwriter feel.

Since you don't write your own lyrics, how did you go about that?

Breen: We went to songwriters and said we weren't going to tell them what to write, but we wanted them to write out of their own experiences. We didn't want them to write a song because, "I think Point of Grace would want this," but because of what was going on in their own prayer lives and devotional time.

This album has a rawer musical vibe. Were you also looking for a new sound?

Breen: Yes, we were. When you do five albums over ten years, you get bored and you want to switch things up. We made a conscious effort to go for a more raw, authentic sounding CD, one where it was so real and honest, we could sing the record with just a guitar, if we went someplace without our band.

What differences took place in the studio to make that happen?

Breen: We had new producers, David Zaffiro, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Mark Hammond and Brent Bourgeois. We went in with an open mind. We normally stack our harmonies, but were open to doing different things vocally. We didn't fall into place as usual with Denise singing harmony, me in middle, Terry low, Heather high. For instance, we let Denise sing low parts instead. With Leigh taking Terry's place, it made it easier for us to experiment with the sound.

Did your own personal experiences influence the song selection on this album?

Breen: Yes. To some extent, a personal one for me is "Who Am I." I am a black-and-white person who has to figure it out and get an answer. This song talks about how people don't have to figure it all out. Because we are Christian singers, people ask us why tragedies happen. I am tempted to try to give an answer. That song, "Who Am I," saying that I don't have to try to solve the mystery behind the heart and soul of what I believe, applied to me personally.

Is there any one song on the CD that most reflects what's going on in the world right now?

Breen: There's one line in "Waiting in the Wings" that says evil will have its time in the spotlight. It makes me think of September 11. We all remember the images, as they are rightfully imprinted in our minds. But, evil gets so much time, not only with that, but also other things that happen. Although we don't see God, he works in the middle of those situations. God will have the final say. Evil will not be the hero in the end. It applies so much to what goes on today.

Do you feel that the changes on this album reflect Point of Grace's really coming into their own?

Breen: I think so. I really do. We had so much more of a say in everything.

Denise Jones (far left), Heather Payne, Shelley Breen, and Leigh Cappillino

How did Leigh Cappillino come to be a new member of the group?

Breen: When Terry decided to come off the road to spend time with her husband and children, we totally respected that. Terry suggested that Leigh take her place. Leigh is a friend of ours, since her husband Dana is our bandleader. At first, it seemed too easy and obvious, so we thought about having tryouts. Then, we realized that it was so obvious because it was right to do.

Was the transition smooth?

Breen: I can't believe it. Deborah Evans [Price] in Billboard said that she never saw such a smooth transition. It has turned out to be so good. She has been an inspiration to us to work harder, increase our work ethic and be more excellent at what we do. It doesn't take off the sting of Terry leaving-she is loved and missed, and like a sister. But, God brought something great and honored us when we honored her decision.

What's up for the future?

Breen: We are going on a 20-city tour with Michael W. Smith's Christmas tour, and the I Choose You Tour with Scott Krippayne and Charity Von, which has 30 stops.

For more on Point of Grace, check our artist page for the quartet and our review of their latest album. To hear sound clips and buy their music, visit Christianbook.com.

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