New Show

Playing the boardwalk in myrtle beach sunday night, spread the word and come rock with us!

Update

So, it's been awhile since we've updated the ole' blog. Here's a little rundown of what early 2015 is going to hold. First off we are playing a youth rally at Coward Baptist Church January 24th. It will be our first event of the year and we would love to see all of your awesome faces there! In other news... Destroy and Rebuild is about 3/4ths of the way recorded and it is sounding AMAZING! There will be a big special announcement in February to watch out for as well.

MUSIC VIDEO

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Track 8 Devotional - Last Son

     He jets through the sky at speeds the eye can barely follow, passing through cloud banks and darting around mountain peaks. He looks down and though he is far above the city he can see every person clearly, thousands of them going about their daily business, leading ordinary lives. This morning alone he has saved two of them from being run over by cars, caught a falling steel girder before it crushed a lady and the baby in the stroller she was pushing, used his breath to put out a fire that was consuming a ten-story office building, and caught a school bus filled with middle school students that had been forced off of the large bridge leading into the city before the vehicle hit the water below. It is like this everyday. The people walk headlong into disaster and when death looms near he is the one that hears the screams and must react. What haunts him is the moments that haven't happened but someday might. He can crush marble into powder in his mighty hands, but what will he do on the day he faces a weight he cannot lift? What will he feel on the day that he isn't fast enough? What will they think of him on the day he comes face to face with his limit... and it defeats him?

ABOUT THE SONG
     Casey and I are unashamed geeks... we are comic junkies. When Casey wrote "Last Son" it was his exploration of the question "What would faith look like for Superman?" If you had so much power, a god among men, what need would you have for a savior. This song was the answer. Superman (the Last Son of Krypton) is an alien, in this world but not of this world. He is a hero yes, but he is also an ideal... a symbol... above all else, Superman is an example.There are so many ways that the superman character  can be applied to the Christian life. We are also not of this world.

John 15:19--If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Like Superman we gain strength from a source of light... not the sun, but the Son of God. However, the application the song focuses on is not our strength as Christians but our limits and how we should handle them. APPLICATION      Imagine the weight of responsibility that would come with the cape. How heavy would the emotional weight of that symbolic "S" be? Many of us find ourselves in positions of responsibility. As parents, as siblings, as ministers... in all of these roles we find ourselves carrying upon our shoulders the weight of another person's world at times. That weight can be overwhelming and can give way to fear. How many times have you been afraid that you simply won't be strong enough? In the song, we find superman taking those fears and handing them to the only hero who is truly without limits. Jesus Christ. No amount of heroics can save a soul, only Christ could accomplish that. Our message to you is this. If you hold yourself solely responsible for the lives of others you set yourself up for failure. The best way to protect your loved ones is to place them in God's hands. A you read this many of you are juggling the same fears and stresses that I have described... you have shed tears of worry over whether you can afford to pay this months bills or to even feed your family. You have laid awake at night shredding your nerves over the fear that you haven't done enough, worked enough, studied enough and that because of that you have let someone down. Here is the Good News. 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us that His strength is made perfect in our weakness and that His grace is sufficient for us. You don't have to be strong because He is. You don't have to be super. You are already being a hero to your family and friends just by living a godly example in front of them.       So, weary brother or sister. Lay your burden down. You don't have to save the world or carry it.

Track 7 Devotional : Through Your Eyes

About the song
     Through Your Eyes may be my personal favorite song on the album, not just because of the style of music but because of the message that it carries. This song began as one of Tyler's guitar riffs that I instantly fell in love with. The basic idea of the chorus was written on the back of a page of sheet music on the spot but the rest of the song took a little time. Over the next day or so it became clear to me what God was whispering to my heart to sing. The message was simple. The weaker I am, in my moments of greatest failure and shame...it is in those times that His strength is made perfect.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

⁹ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power^[a] is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

     I have spent many years in youth ministry and in that time I have seen so many teenagers that struggle with understanding their own value. They look at themselves and see absolutely nothing to love. At some point they came to believe that they can do nothing but fail. Some of them try to bleed the pain and guilt out of their lives by cutting themselves with razors; their rubber wristbands and long sleeves hide a map of scars. Others withdraw into a private world of self loathing and oppressive darkness. Some try to lose themselves in sinful lives that only add to the overwhelming burden of guilt. Sadly, many others simply give up and take their own lives. The bottom line is this: they have lost track of who they are. James 1:23 likens the Word of God to a mirror. He said that some people see their reflection in God's Word but then as soon as they turn away they forget who they were. If we desire to understand who we are, the only mirror we need is Scripture. The problem comes when we turn around and face what people have told us we are, when we see every mistake we've made thrown back in our faces, and when we look into a literal mirror and hate the person staring back at us.

     So then who and what are we according to the Word of God? The first thing we are is loved (John 3:16). We are also uniquely crafted. Psalm 139:14 tells us we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". As an artist I know what it means to create something "fearfully and wonderfully", to spend long hours working on every detail, perfecting the design until it matches my vision. On a divine scale God has done that with each of us. We also have a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite verse for many because it reminds us that God has a plan for us. We aren't just a random face in the crowd; we have a very specific plan laid out before us filled with both blessings and purpose. We are masterpieces of an incredible artist. 

     Whoever you are, whatever you have done, whatever has been done to you... it doesn't have to be what defines you. If you believe in God but struggle to see how he could love you as flawed as you are the answer is simple. When He looks at you He sees no flaws. He sees only perfection. If you have accepted the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, on the cross then God sees only the perfection of His handiwork. Maybe you haven't ever given God a chance or believed He existed. Give your life to Him, it shouldn't be too hard if you are making a mess out of it yourself. Dare Him to do better. I promise you that He always will. He loves you as you are and can help you be so much more. He is proud of you, and to Him you are a great treasure. He...wants...you. Run to Him and learn how to see yourself through His eyes. It will change your life forever.

Music Video

So, Thursday at 7PM we will be releasing the official music video for "Through Your Eyes". Imari Anderson and Timothy Phipps from Surviving Child crafted an amazing video experience. The story will blow you away and we believe God is going to use this video to save lives. We appreciate all of the long hours and hard work that went into making this a reality.  Here is where all of you come in. We need you to share the video with as many people as you can as often as you can. The farther we can spread it, the more God can use it to heal the hurting and mend broken hearts as only He can. We love you all and thank you so much for the support you always give our ministry. We couldn't do any of this without you. We mostly want to take this opportunity to thank God for giving us the honor of ministering in this way. So tune in on youtube/facebook/reverbnation/etc... thursday night and be looking for the Through Your Eyes devotional soon as well.

Track 6 Devotional - Learning To Fight

Track 6 Devotional - Learning To Fight

About the Song and the Album
When we decided to name our new album “Learning to Fight” it was basically just a “cool idea.” However, in the time it took to get the album written and recorded, “Learning to Fight” became the story of how we had to fight to get this project off the ground.
Honestly, we probably came dangerously close to losing this ministry that God so richly blessed us with. One of our members had to face a life threatening illness, which put us in limbo for a while. We were faced with internal issues, which could have destroyed us. Some of us were dealing with serious personal struggles.
The devil has been fighting us from day one. Despite his efforts, “Learning to Fight” is finished and, in the name of Jesus, is about to give the devil a big fat black eye. The most important thing about learning to fight is learning that you can. The serpent has no dominion over us.
The song “Learning to Fight” is pretty personal to me. The devil definitely knows our weaknesses, and he certainly knew the best way he could get to me. Every time it felt like I was making progress in my relationship with Christ, the devil would attack with full force.
I’m sure many of you deal with this on a regular basis, just as I have. We can fight. We don’t have to take it. As I was growing up, my parents always taught me to stand up for myself. We are children of God, and as our heavenly father, he also wishes for us to stand up for ourselves.

Stand Strong
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that YOU CAN FIGHT against the devil’s evil tricks. Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.”
Ephesians 6:10-12 (NCV)
Okay, let’s break this down. The first part of the scripture says, “Be strong in the Lord and in his great power.” When it comes to spiritual warfare, we have to be strong in Christ. It all begins with Jesus. We can’t stand against the devil and his tricks on our own. We need Jesus. In Acts 19 we’re told a story of some people going into a spiritual battle a little unprepared….wait did I say a little. I meant A LOT.
“But some people also were traveling around and making evil spirits go out of people. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus to force the evil spirits out. They would say, ‘By the same Jesus that Paul talks about, I order you to come out!’ Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest were doing this. But one time an evil spirit said to them, ‘I know Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them. Because he was so much stronger than all of them, they ran away from the house naked and hurt.” Acts 19:13-16
First of all, these guys weren’t followers of Christ. Notice that they said, “By the same Jesus that Paul talks about.” They didn’t claim Jesus as Lord. Instead they referred to Jesus as that guy that Paul preaches about. Ephesians 6:10 tells us to be strong in the Lord. These guys were just hoping that throwing a big name out there was going to do something. Think of it like this, if someone much stronger than me was trying to pick a fight, saying Hulk Hogan’s name isn’t going to help me. However, if the Hulkster was my friend and was there with me, it would be a different story. For Jesus to help us during spiritual warfare, we must know him as Lord. Those guys in Acts 19 didn’t, and they got owned. We must STAND STRONG IN THE LORD.

The Enemy
The passage from Ephesians 6 also says to put on the full armor of God, which I’ll get to in a minute, but for now lets focus on that last part. Our fight is not against people on earth, but the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. Here’s my twenty-first century translation for that passage, “My problem is not the punk that cut me off in traffic this morning, but the little devil on my shoulder that convinced me that it would be okay to flip the dude off.” In other words, other people are not our enemies, satan and his minions are.
In John 10:10 Jesus said, “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.” Jesus came to bring us life. However, there is opposition. The thief, satan, is determined to get in between us and that abundant life. If we let the devil have his way, he will steal, kill, and destroy that abundance. WE CAN FIGHT BACK, but how?

The Armor of God
“Stand therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist, righteousness like armor on your chest, and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. In every situation take the shield of faith, and with it you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.”
Ephesians 6:14-17(HCSB)

I absolutely love this scripture. I could write a whole book on this, so I’m going to try my best to keep it brief. The armor of God consists of, the belt of truth, chest plate of righteousness, shoes for the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. I believe with all my heart, that this passage of scripture is vital to every believer.
First, there is the belt of truth. In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.” Remember, it all begins with Jesus. He is the truth. The belt is the part of the armor that holds everything to together. Jesus is the central piece of God’s armor.
Next, there is the chest plate of righteousness. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The chest plate is to protect your vital organs. In a spiritual sense, your heart is the source of your life. Only righteousness can protect our heart from corruption. Our righteousness is only possible through Christ. It’s all about Jesus.
Then the there is the shoes for the gospel of peace. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus said, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” As followers of Christ, we have been given a mission. Shoes are made for walking. “Gospel” means good news. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, so that there could be peace between God and man. As Christians, we should be ready to move in order to accomplish the mission at hand. Keep your eye on the objective. The objective is the gospel of Jesus.
Next, we have the shield of faith. The scripture says, “In EVERY situation, take up the shield of faith.” We live in a world at war. Attack is inevitable. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.  We must take up the shield of faith in every situation, because we never know when the evil one is going to attack. The shield is always a soldier’s first line of defense. Our first line of defense is our faith in Jesus.
The helmet of salvation protects our mind. Through the salvation that Jesus offers us, our minds can be set free from the lies the devil tries to convince us of. If you feel like you’re worthless and unloved, it’s not true. Jesus died for you. That is how much you are loved. You can’t be worthless, because to Jesus you’re worth dying for. In order to shield our minds, we must put on the helmet of salvation.
Lastly, there is the sword of the Spirit. This is our only offensive weapon, and it’s all we need. The scripture says that it is God’s word. That’s right, the B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the sword for me. The word of God is more powerful than all of the nukes in the world put together. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Jesus was the Word! In verse 14 John continues, “The Word became flesh and took up residence among us.” Jesus is the Word of God, the Bible, in the flesh. The armor of God begins and ends with Jesus, because He is the Word, the Alpha and the Omega. He is God.
WE CAN FIGHT BACK! Jesus is the way. If you choose to follow Christ, you are a soldier in God’s army. Your objective is the Gospel of peace. Stand strong in the armor of God, which begins and ends with Jesus Christ. As a child of God, you are a threat to the devil, so LEARN TO FIGHT. Live Heroically.
~Casey~

Food For Thought

1. What was the last spiritual battle that you walked away from wounded? Why?

2. Boxers have strengths and weaknesses; what areas of your life stand in need of strengthening?