Links...
MQ: Do you have any thoughts on the modern praise and worship movement? Do you think this is a generational change in our style of worship?
Tim: I think it's something different...
Jon: - I think it is exciting.
Tim: ...for this generation, not just in their worship but everything, they're looking for something genuine. They're looking for reality. There has been so many differnt things shoved down people's throats - a lot of plastic, a lot of religion, a lot of fake ... and they are looking for something real, something to pour themselves into. I don't believe that they need to be spoonfed things. I think that our generation is just wanting something that is going to take more than a half-hearted effort. They are looking for something to commit their lives to. 'Cause kids commit their lives to things. You find a band and I can show you one of their followers that's committed to them. I think the same thing applies to the church, the relationship with Christ. They're not wanting to do it half-hearted.
MQ: Do you have a personal preference on worship style - traditional, modern, or a blend?
Jon: I think we would lean maybe more towards a rock and roll worship, because that's what we've grown up on or what we do. We write songs that would fit into our style - pop/rock - a modern worship kind of thing.
Tim: We love the traditional stuff too.
Jon: The traditional stuff is amazing. A great song is a great song. So many songs have stood the test of time, there are so many great hymns out there. I think there is a resurgence of that. There's that Hymns project that Passion just put out, of old hymns redone. I know there's been a few more of those done over the last few years that just shows that there is always a different kind of way to worship and a different musical perspective on what worship music is, but I think it always communicates the same thing - of just surrender and giving everything we have to God in worship, in our lives...
MQ: Is there anything you do that keeps you focused or centered...
Jon: - freestyle rap! Just kidding...
all: laughing
Tim: You mean in concert?
MQ: In your personal lives...
Tim: I'm newly married so it's a really cool thing to have a wife to be able to get to know God with. It's brand new and in the last month it's been an amazing thing to believe God for things with her. Every night before we go to bed, we pray together and ask God to empower us to be people of grace, people that love people. We do a lot of reading too. We went through a book called 'Messy Spirituality'. We tried to draw from it - the heart, which is just living aware of grace.
MQ: Was there a confirmer or event that made you realize that, 'Hey, music is where I need to be.'
Jon: It can't be one thing. It's an amazing thing. About a year and a half ago, we released an independent cd in Canada, where we're from. Just the emails and follow up that we got from that - just people connecting with it, and explaining in emails how they've been drawn into worship, surrender, and being drawn closer to God through our music. It's such a powerful testimony. It's such a humbling, amazing thing for us. These songs go beyond us, it's never about us anymore, it's about people being drawn into something way bigger than us - a relationship with God. People coming into concerts and singing every word to every song, that moves me.
MQ: I've read that you do a lot of work with your local church...correct?
Tim: As a band, we feel that we're an extension of the church. As we have a bigger stage, it's just a bigger extension in some ways. We have a church at home that we're hooked up and has mentored us and supported us through all the different stages. We grew up doing worship in our own local community church. Then we started doing things outside of our church and they were super-supportive. It just grows and grows to the point now where we are living in a completely different country and touring that country extensively.
But, it still is serving the church. It's still coming along side and assisting the work that is already going on. There are youth pastors and music ministers all over North America that have their week to week things that they're doing and they're investing in their group of people that they believe in and their working to mentor them and teaching them how to worship. Then we come in, and if we can't be that ourselves, and be that about our rock show, if we're not coming in and serving them, then we're short-circuiting the work of God. 'Cause He's all about the small groups. I think we have a very valuable role, but when it all comes down, our job is to just serve the church and serve those that are working there when we're gone.