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Skillet
Skillet Sensation
With new members
and their third album out, the heat's on, and this is what's cookin'
by Michael Herman
Invincible.
If a Top 40 band titled their latest album with that name, it would have a totally
different meaning.
For John and Korey Cooper, Lori Peters, and Kevin
Haaland, Invincible is a description of God and who He really is. One
of their callings is to help people, especially young people, learn more about
who God is. They do this through their music and through a personal touch you'll
hear more about through their words in this interview.
They're a band that's a little different when it
comes to their sound, their touring, and their incredible love for youth. Tour
dates could be an explosion of sound and sight with their harder, driven music,
or you might find more of a worshipful evening. They've felt called to worship
God in all that they do, no matter what the decibel reading is on any given
evening.
Learn more about the band, why they do what they
do, and their passion for sharing the love of God. John and Korey Cooper (married)
shared these thoughts with me not long ago.
 THE
LATEST PROJECT
KOREY: "We have some new members in the band. I'm actually
fairly new myself, although I've played with the band for two years. We've got
a new guitar player and a new drummer. So, John's the only original member.
We're getting to know each other, and we've been praying together.
"The theme running
through our new album is this: As Christians we can live victoriously over sin.
We're not supposed to be weak Christians. We're supposed to be victorious. There's
no condemnation for us now. God is powerful, and we can be invincible through
him. We're supposed to be influencing the world, not being influenced by the
world. 'Best Kept Secret,' 'Come on to the Future,' and 'Invincible,' are all
songs about the unchanging, unstoppable purposes of God."
TOUCHING
LIVES
"I read the e-mails
the band receives. Kids tell us, 'When you guys did "Shout to the Lord," (we
do worship songs in our show, too) I sensed the presence of God. I've never
felt him like that before.' As a band, we'd like to see more of this.
"There's a great story
about a girl who was planning to kill herself. She started playing one of Skillet's
CDs, and when she heard the song 'Saturn,' she changed her mind. The song talks
about how you can't necessarily prove that God exists, but by faith you believe
it's true. Instead of committing suicide, she rededicated her life to the Lord,
and she's doing great. She still stays in touch with us.
"We get e-mails from
kids who tell us, 'I see your passion for God. I want that so much, but how
do I do it?' It's amazing, and it challenges us. It's so encouraging to know
that God's using us like that.
"Many kids also tell
us that they're lonely. They're Christians, but they're lonely. They want to
know how can they live for God. They want to know what they need to do. They're
trying, but they feel something is missing. We hear that a lot, and we want
God to move through us to help them."
WORSHIP
JOHN:
"There are a couple of things that come to mind when I think about our
group over the years. The first is this: I think God has really used us to teach
people how to worship. What I mean by that is, a lot of Christians haven't really
been around worship. They haven't really been at the kind of service where you
give everything you've got to God, raising your hands and everything. I think
worship is exactly that, giving everything to him.
"I think many Christians
aren't familiar with the Holy Spirit in general. I think God's really using
us in that area. Worship is the key to getting to know the Holy Spirit and feeling
him move. So I guess you could say God has used us to inspire or provoke Christians
to really live radically for God and to not just be lukewarm Christians.
"The other area, which
is the most exciting to me, is that God has used us to bring people into the
kingdom. People have been saved at our shows. They've made serious decisions
for God at our concerts. Even people who were saved have rededicated their lives
to God. We've gotten just tons and tons of amazing testimonies, which is really
cool, because it confirms to us God's using us.
"In the past we've
done a two-month worship tour. We sing our songs and then have a time of worship.
During our next tour we're probably going to do more music than we used to.
It'll be a bigger production. And then we'll have a time in the show when I
really preach hard and share the gospel."
THE
MUSIC
"Growing up in
the church, I always thought we were a bunch of weak Christians, and all we
were doing was holding on until the day when Jesus comes back to get us. And
then I heard we were supposed to be mighty and influential in the world. Man,
I was totally blown away.
"So I think that's
why I decided it's time for me to start writing about our true identity in Christ.
This whole idea has changed my life as a Christian. I got saved when I was five
years old, but this is what really changed my life. I think Christians need
to know who they are.
"And what I would love
to see happen is for non-Christians to hear our songs and say, 'Man, there's
really something there I could give my life to and be a part of.' I think the
world just thinks getting saved means you're going to have to live by a bunch
of rules now. But I'd like them to hear our songs and have the Holy Spirit show
them there really is a kingdom and they can be a part of it. That's my prayer."
DISCIPLING
YOUTH
JOHN:
"I'd love to be a home group leader in my church some day—my wife and
me. I have always liked working with teenagers. I'd love to organize an evangelistic
team at my church, too. I think Korey and I will always be involved in worship
and definitely be involved with worship at our church.
"God's really been
speaking to us about exercising the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives and
in the band more than ever before. We want the power of God to move in us so
kids will know that he's real."
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