Pocket Full of Rocks: Words From A Worshipper
07-31-2007
by Kevan Breitinger

It’s immediately clear when speaking with PFOR vocalist Michael Farren that it’s not about him or the band, but all about worshipping the Lord. Which only makes me all the more eager to hear the new album, Manifesto.

 

CMCentral (Kevan Breitinger): Hey, Michael, thanks for making the time to talk with us. In reading your promo material, I found something that just jumped off the page, something that your wife said actually: that you’re a “song-receiver” more than a song-writer.

Michael Farren: Well, it’s kind of funny she said that. It’s a good description of what we do a lot of times. I guess it’s one of those things that take all the credit away from us, for the most part (laughing).

That’s good, right?

We do write a lot of stuff that I guess in secular terms would be called jam-band worship. We’ve got a group of guys that have played together for a really long time, who are all very familiar with each other musically and spiritually. It is kind of a crazy thing the way God can drop an idea or direction in the middle of a time of worship and we kind of just run there with Him. And so it’s different than sitting down with a pen and paper and saying, “Gee, I’m gonna have a cup of coffee and write a song today.” (laughing).

Most of the time, or all of the time, it’s a total surprise, so I guess that’s where that comes from. All of us are trying to receive rather than trying to create and craft, if that makes sense.

That makes total sense, and I think it comes across in your music as well. You’re more oriented toward worshipping than performing.

"The whole idea is to draw people into the direction of worship."

Absolutely. That’s probably been the biggest hurdle for us. We’ve been doing this a long time, but never on this full CCM level like we are now. So typically if someone in the CCM world gets a hold of our stuff, their reaction may be, ‘wow, this is a little redundant or repetitive,’ because they don’t realize that they’re holding a worship album in their hands. It’s that way by design. It’s gotta be very corporate-friendly, very user-friendly, because the whole idea is to draw people into the direction of worship.

So that’s been the biggest hurdle for us, that people think we’re just another CCM band. And I love CCM bands (laughing), I don’t have any problem with that. It’s just that it’s gonna take a little time for people to realize ‘oh, they are 100% a worship ministry, a worship band.’ We don’t do any kind of entertainment, though I do love that, and have great respect for the guys who do that. But for us, our call is to lead people to worship.

This week I’m calling you from a camp in Arkansas. We’ve been with 1,200 kids for five days now. It’s amazing to watch these kids in worship, as they engage and interact with God. I could never imagine doing anything else.

Wow, that sounds so appealing! I guess it’s wrong to say I’d be envious of somebody else’s calling (laughing), and I don’t mean it that way, but I hear what you’re saying, and it’s beautiful. I kind of struggle with the same issue in my position in reviewing music. I feel very awkward at times reviewing a worship album. How can I comment on the way someone else worships the Lord?! It’s a difficult horse to straddle. (Laughing)

I’ve had this discussion on a few occasions with people in your position, and how that actually looks. It doesn’t look like fun and I’m glad I’m not in it (laughing). It’d be a very tough thing to have to tackle.

Yeah, I’m sitting at the keyboard trying to duck lightning bolts (laughing). I love what you talked about also being rescued from yourself. It also struck a deep chord within me, because I think that was really the way the Lord first got a hold of me, offering me the opportunity to be free from the burden of my ego.

Yeah, I don’t think you really can be a worshipper until you have been rescued. If you’re standing there singing a song with your hands in the air, but you don’t know what it truly means to be rescued, or saved, or whatever you want to call it, you can’t fully understand why you’re singing the song or lifting your hands, in real relational worship. There’s a point of rescue that all of us have to come from, I believe, that drives us to a place of complete awe that this God, in His sovereignty and His bigness, would reach down and grab us in our mess. And that’s the birth of a worshipper, when you can’t help but be wowed by God.

Like God saw me in my mess and pulled me out of it and loved me! I don’t think you can truly worship Him in spirit and in truth until you’ve been rescued. That definitely resonates in me, it’s kind of my heart cry.

Yeah, I love the way Isaiah put it: I’ve come undone!

Absolutely.

A lot of the artists that I talk to in your position find it kind of an occupational hazard, the struggle to keep pride out of the way. Standing on the stage, with so many people listening to you, it must be hard to keep pride out of the way.

I would say yes to that, but I think with what we do in the realm of worship, it’s not quite as big of a battle as others who you’re talking with. The people listening to us, hopefully, pick up pretty quickly on the fact that we’re not entertaining anybody.

I tell everyone everywhere we go, ‘we’re here to lock arms with you and run after God.’ We don’t have to deal with a lot of the fanfare that other artists have to deal with. I’m glad that there are artists who are heroes to young people, role models, things like that, but there’s not a lot of that in what we deal with, and I’m kind of glad. Not that I don’t personally have to deal with pride, because I assure you, I do (laughing). But for what we’ve been drawn into as worship leaders, it automatically flattens a lot of potential ego trips. By virtue of what you’re doing, you’re having to remove yourself. That doesn’t mean I’ve completely accomplished it (laughing). I will always have to die daily to ego and pride just like everybody.

Yeah, another wonderful thing to like about your calling! You’re very blessed, very blessed. I ask this question of other artists, but in your case I’m particularly interested in the answer: what book is on your nightstand, Michael?

Wow… right now on my nightstand is “Ruthless Trust,” by Brennan Manning. It’s my second read-through on it; the first time I read it I kind of skimmed it. It’s one of those books that you pick up, start reading, and you get your life wrecked (laughing). I’ve been in it for like three weeks now.

It can take me a year to read one of his books, and even then I feel like I’ve skimmed it, because there’s so much to take in, and it’s not always things you can take in with your mind.

Oh, absolutely, some of the stuff he touches on really has to become a revelation, the difference for me between my knowledge and really letting it sink into my heart.

Amen, well, I love talking to a worshipper, brother, you lifted up my day. Thanks for your time, and I pray that you and all those kids go on to have a great week.

Well, thank you sincerely, Kevan, for what you do and if you ever need anything from us at all, make sure you holler.

Thanks, Michael, thanks so much! See ya later.