I’d like to talk with you about your writing process, because I read that when writing this third album, you hit a wall. I love it that you acknowledge that, but what it was like for you?

Actually it was a little scary, because writing’s not something that you can just put your finger on as far as what makes it happen, other than the Holy Spirit. I’ve had times in my life when I just didn’t think I could write anymore, and they are always scary moments. You really have to dig back in spiritually. And one of the things most difficult this time was that I knew the record had to be special, better than the first two.

You mean past the normal pressures of putting out a new album?

Yeah, a little bit. The first two were so successful. Obviously the first record was a really successful album for us. You never know how long you’re going to have this platform and the question I was asking internally was, is this run kind of coming to a close now, you know what I mean? I think now that if God has called me to go do other things, I’m ok with that. But there’s still a part of me that really hopes the Lord would continue to move through what we’re doing. So that experience brought into question a whole lot of different things. I was just thankful it was only a two day hold. (laughing)

 Yeah, right (laughing). But then the Lord did speak to you?

 Very clearly. The question I just kept praying over and over again was, God, what am I supposed to be writing about? I don’t know anymore, I need some help here big-time. Speak to me, tell me what you want me to say on this record. I can’t say I’ve heard Him like a hundred times, maybe five times in my life I’ve heard a clear message from the Lord, or less, something like that…. But this time I heard him as clearly as I’ve ever heard the voice of God, say, Jason, just sing to me. I just thought about it for a couple of hours, to let it sink in, and then I went back to writing. The first song I wrote is a song called “Majesty,” which is a worship tune. And I had never really written a full-on worship tune before that made any sense, you know? (laughing)

 That really started the process. I’ve been writing songs since I was 15, just because that was how I learned to express myself. But this record just came out, the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

I find it interesting that that was the Lord’s direction for you. Obviously He gave it to you for an album that He knew many people would be listening to. So I’m wondering if it’s His direction for us, for the whole Body?

 You know, it’s funny, the more I talk to different people the more I hear that they feel that’s what they’re being called to as well. But honestly, I had to have a direct message from the Lord. I’m a hard-headed stubborn guy and a big part of me has said, ‘no, I’m not just gonna do a worship record to do what is marketable.’ You know? We’ve had so many people say, ‘gosh, you’ve got to do a worship record. It’ll be huge.’ And it was a fear of mine that if we did it for that reason, then God wouldn’t bless it. So it really had to be directly from Him.

 When I walked in the room a day later and sat down with Michael ( Anderson , drums) and Jesse (Garcia, guitar, keys) and said ‘hey guys, this is it, He said “sing to me.”’ They just smiled from ear to ear and said, ‘let’s go! If God told you that, we’re ready to go do it.’

Well, the album does have a very personal feel to it, as if you’re singing right from your heart. Especially “Singing Over Me.”

That’s funny, that song specifically just flew out of me. I remember stopping and saying, that can’t be it.

It portrays such a powerful Scriptural truth, that God sings over us. But that’s a hard thing for us to receive. Is it hard for you?

Yeah, it’s funny, that verse in Zephaniah, is my wife’s favorite verse. I’ve been trying to write a song for that for probably five years. But in this process of us singing to our God, and then Him in turn singing over us, it really opened my eyes, and brought me into this place where I could really accept that yeah, God really is rejoicing over us.

What has really helped me now too is the joy that I have in my kids. My son has really grabbed a hold of rock and roll. He loves to grab the microphone and dance around. He’s pretty much making fun of me, but I love it. (laughing) He makes up the most stupid songs right off the top of his head, and I’m right there with him. We have so much fun. That’s really opened my eyes to the perspective of a God who loves us enough to comfort us and quiet us with his voice. That he would sing over us to soothe us is amazing.

It’s a beautiful image, and it makes so much sense to me because of the way we interact with him. He does one thing, then we respond, and there is that flow between us, of giving in and taking out.

Absolutely, that is exactly the way that I see it. And the band has really come to recognize that we as a band could play our songs about our own lives, about where we’ve been and who we are, good, bad, and indifferent. Or we could take ourselves, and our imperfections and insecurities, out of the picture and write a record that would lead people to sing to God and we would get out of the way.

Amen. 

And that’s really what we’ve tried to accomplish on this record. We’ve been playing these songs live now for about four months, and we’re seeing that very thing. We’re able to step away from the microphone and allow worship to happen instead of just a concert.

I know that you’re heading off to GMA week. Is that something to look forward to?

(laughing) I’m looking forward to it. This is our 4^th year, believe it or not. GMA brings its challenges. You work pretty hard. It’s really difficult for me because I’m not a PR guy, I’m more of a relational guy. But we’ve got a new record out, so that means there’s kind of a sales pitch going on, and that’s not something I enjoy doing. So the challenge is trying to be relational in the middle of GMA week, which is really about business. I’m just a guy who likes to write and sing songs.   

Well, if it’s any comfort to you, what comes across from speaking to you is your relational strength. Thanks, Jason, for your time.

No problem, I appreciate it, thanks very much.