Chad / drums
"As a touring band, it's thrilling to be part of the body of Christ, traveling to different parts of the world, and instantly having a bond with people—being able to relate to them based on a common faith. That's been really encouraging to me.

"When we were on tour with Five Iron Frenzy, we had a blast while on the road, really getting to spend some quality time in fellowship with other musicians we really respect. As iron sharpens iron, we really learned from each other, were accountable to each other, and were encouraged by one another. Lately in just having good conversations with other musicians, one of the things I've learned is how God hasn't called us to walk alone. He gives us other believers to walk with, and they surround us.

Jon / guitar
"You know, people want to know what we have to say. They put us up on pedestals, and we're like, we don't know about this. Sometimes it's hard to keep a focus on the true reality. I've been praying that God would speak through us. There's nothing we can say that will ever do anything towards God's kingdom unless he's in it.

"So I've just been praying for humility, and I've been reading the book of Isaiah. That's been really challenging for me to see how amazingly loving our God is. From that I can say, let's go on. I want to be a vessel that God can use for his glory. That's what I've been learning.

Tim / bass guitar
"I've been thinking kind of along the lines of what Chad was talking about. The tour was really good for us. I prayed that God would show me, in the midst of all of the people we were traveling with, that we could all work toward a common goal and that my life would fit in. If someone is the hand, then what am I? Am I the foot? Where did I fit into this smaller version of the Body of Christ that traveled around with us? I just really prayed that God would show me that I was and am being used in a personal way.

"A lot of times when you're playing music every night, even though you try hard not to let it, it can start to feel impersonal and stagnant. God's just really been blessing and reassuring me, and letting me know our music is being used. He's been doing that through conversations before and after concerts.

"Actually, one of my favorite times is after our concerts. I've had some amazing conversations with kids during those times. I've felt God was able to use me in spite of my inabilities. That, in spite of me, he was able to use me to reach a kid and to hopefully make a positive difference. That's really inspiring and humbling for me, and definitely something I've been praying for. So that's definitely an answer to prayer.

"I've got a great story. It was right after we finished our set. I was walking toward the backstage area, and I saw a kid just kind of sitting off to himself. I went over and sat down next to him on the floor and started talking with him. It was just one of those times when I felt that nudge you get when God says to go over and talk to that person. And I did. And we were able to talk for about an hour. He was never aware that I was in a band, which was really a blessing. We were able to talk on a really down-to-earth level, which doesn't often happen once they find out you're in a band.

"He was physically and mentally handicapped. He told me that the next day he was going to two funerals. Five of his friends had been involved in a driving accident with a drunk driver, and three of them had been killed. Two were in critical condition. The drunk driver had lived, of course. One of the funerals was for a girl who was to be his prom date the next weekend. He told me his life story, just really pouring his heart out about his different handicaps and how people had told him, 'You'll never graduate high school. You'll never walk. You'll never get into college.'

"His whole life he just wanted someone to hang out with, someone to be his friend. He said that the kids in his youth group were friends on Sundays and on Tuesdays, which was when their group met, but every other day of the week they didn't want anything to do with him. They always had some excuse or another. And it was obvious to him that those excuses were shallow. He told me that he would offer to pay for their meals and gas, and would just go out of his way to be friendly, but he could never get anyone to spend time with him.

"I was just so convicted. There have been those times when I've been busy, and when I've been lonely, too. There are just thousands and millions of kids out there just wanting someone to hang out with. It's a ministry that has been untapped.

"He told me because of his loneliness he was driven away from his youth group and he got into drugs. But during his senior year there were about six guys who befriended him. Man, just to see the joy that he had despite the sorrow of the accident, just the fact that he had friends to hang out with now, was amazing. And he was just overflowing with joy that these guys were true friends. They would hang out with him every day. They would hold him accountable. They got him off drugs.

"He was just bursting with the joy of the Lord. He had gotten into college. He came from a poor family, so he couldn't afford it. But a lady offered to pay for his whole college tuition. I just got tears in my eyes. So did he. We were experiencing the bond that two Christians can share.

"He told me that in spite of this tragic moment in his life that he had joy because God had been so loving and so compassionate with him. And that this kid, of all people, could see the love of Christ through all this sorrow that he's experienced in his life just blew me away."

"Charlie Peacock is probably one of my biggest heroes. He came to our CD release party, and the next day he spoke at our church. He defined two words that I think are often thrown around in Christian music and in the culture of Christianity today— calling and ministry. It was really cool for me to hear what he thought about those things. He defined ministry as just being where you're at and living in the Spirit of Christ right where you are.

"For me that means ministry is where I am right now, sitting down doing this interview, and then on my way to the next interview, and with whomever I meet. That's my ministry, wherever I am, wherever God places me. That was really interesting for me to learn. It's something I've always thought. It's not only what you say on stage, but it's what you're doing before and after the show. Those things are just as important, if not more important.

"Of course everyone is going to be on their best behavior up on stage. But what happens behind the scenes? What are you going to do when you break a string and you're backstage and you can't find your guitar and you're on in two minutes? It's been really encouraging for me to say What can I do right where I'm at? Whether it means being a friend or any number of things that are Christlike. That's what I can be.

"So, for me, I've been learning about how if you're going to be part of the body of Christ whether you're going to be a janitor or a guitar player or a plumber or any number of occupations that you could choose that God is going to have a specific place for you to be within your city, within the places that he puts you."

"Let me set this in the framework of the old album versus the new album. That's fun to talk about. Hopefully as a band you want to be growing, and I think we have.

"In the first record, 'Legend of Chin,' the songs were written just for friends and family back home. Then, during the time between the two records we had a great opportunity to travel and play music for people in all different situations, different cultures, and different parts of the world. That was a real eye-opener for us, and, hopefully, a maturing process.

"During that time we decided that with the new record, 'New Way to Be Human,' we wanted to really say something meaningful. We now had the realization that people were listening, so we had a responsibility to say something worthwhile. We spent a lot of time in prayer and just really tried to define a theme for the album. We actually ended up breaking it up into a few themes that work together to support the idea of being new in Christ.

"The title track, 'New Way to Be Human,' reflects on how Christ has come to give us a new humanity. It talks about that in Ephesians 2. When we look inside ourselves, we have nothing inside that can complete us. We are incomplete and unfulfilled, and we'll always be seeking to fill that void. We look around us then to try to fill that void in our society and in our culture, and there's no completion. There's nothing substantial to sink your teeth into and to be satisfied with.

"We wanted to convey the hope that we have in Christ. He's given us salvation and redemption. He's given us a new way to live each and every day in him. It's cool, because every song has one, two, or all three of the elements that Chad was talking about: society, a confessional statement, or the hope that Christ has given us.

"A lot of the songs were inspired by different writers we've been reading. There's a man, St. Augustine, who wrote a book called Augustine's Confessions a long time ago. That inspired a song called 'Something More.' I think what Augustine had to say, even though he wrote it so long ago, is so relevant to our culture today, and we so need to hear his thoughts on life, salvation, hope, and surrender.

"A Danish philosopher named Soren Kierkegaard inspired another song called 'Sooner or Later.' He indicted the world around him saying they lived life as though they were asleep. It's so true about the world around us. It's often so easy to just drift by and fall asleep. There are so many distractions and diversions that we can divert our mind to rather than really figuring out what life is, who God is, who he is to us, and what he's given us. Those things often just get brushed under the rug.

"God is amazing, and he shouldn't be taken lightly. If you're going to have a relationship with an all-powerful God, you don't just wake up and live the same way you did the day before. That's another song that was inspired by another writer.

"It's been really cool during the last couple of years to be able to get a chance to travel and be exposed to different people. We've gone to Europe, Alaska, and all over the United States, and have been able to see how different people live and what perspectives they have.

"It's been really challenging for us to unite and decide what we are living for. Who are we serving? Ourselves? People? God? It's been great for us to do that and to unite around these themes and talk about them in the songs."