1. What is your all-time favorite Casting Crowns song?

"While You Were Sleeping" is a Christmas song, but musically it's so sweet and lyrically it has that punch that you expect. "East to West" is my favorite all original Casting Crowns song. The first time I heard it I thought, "This song is for everyone." Also, I've been told we sing "I Can Only Imagine" so that's pretty cool.
 
2. What non-Casting Crowns song do you receive the most requests to play?

"Devil Went Down to Georgia." We keep telling people we're a Christian band. We're unaware of the Devil's whereabouts.

3. If you could be a diva and add anything to your concert rider, what would it be?

I wouldn't call it "being a diva" but we do have fresh puppies in our dressing room that have just been bathed in fabric softener. I'm still lobbying for armor and swords for when we want to play Narnia.

4. As a guitarist, what is the most difficult CC song for you to play?

Since I'm the rhythm guitarist, nothing is too hard from a technical standpoint. If you were to ask which one I mess up the most, that'd be a tie between "Holy One" (because I'm having too much fun singing) and "Who Am I" (I stop thinking about it sometimes).

5. What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?

Of the several fighting for first place, the best one I can share is that I tried to throw out a pick and it landed back on my guitar. For a split second I thought, "Did someone just catch this, see it, and throw it back in .5 seconds? Why would someone do that?"

6. What is the strangest gift you've ever received from a fan?

Some guy pulled off his t-shirt and gave it to me because I said it was cool. Luckily for all of us (including folks standing around him) he had another t-shirt on under it. I still wear it.

7. You get the chance to cover any song. What is it?

I would like to cover Benjamin Gate's cover of the Men-At-Work song "Overkill." It's pretty awesome. Also, I'd finally do "Freebird" for that guy who always wants it, whoever he is.

8. What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Hebrews. The entire depth and description of the gospel is in there. It's a very heavy passage.

9. If you weren't in the music business, what would you be doing?

I like the idea of movie making and writing scripts. I've gotten the chance to do it lately, but nothing has come of it.

10. What is the most satisfying part of your ministry, both inside the church building and out on the road?

For me it's all about the honor of hearing someone's story. At church, it's hearing a student share about God's faithfulness. On the road, it's hearing about families that have been restored because of a moment in a concert. That's a great boost for me. It's a green light from the Father that tells me to carry on.

To read the rest of the interview check out the Spring 2012 edition of The Brink magazine!

You can also follow Juan on Twitter: @6stringhero

"If you buy this book, God will make you rich." So begins the insanity of Stuff Christians Like. And it gets only more insane and hilarious from there. This is the type of book you will either love or hate. It is caked—caked!—with sarcastic, ironic, tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top humor. The book is comprised of hundreds of short essays, some of which are so small they recall the Deep Thoughts segment of Saturday Night Live.

If biting, ironic humor irks you, I would highly advise you steer clear of this book. You'll just get confused or offended. In one essay he talks about how he doesn't know any Fundamentalists or even met any but loathes them just the same because he just knows they're so hateful and judgmental. If you are not familiar with Acuff's style of humor this may put you off at first. It doesn't take long to figure out this a prime example of Acuff's style of humor. He may or may not like Fundamentalists; that is not the point here. The point is that people in some Christian circles tend to make judgments about the judgmental nature of Fundamentalists without even being familiar with Fundamentalists.

Acuff is not totally serious very often—at least I don't think he is. Sometimes it is hard to know if he is serious about something or not. Well, right off the bat he lets us know that the majority of the book is all in pure fun. In the introduction he says in his first draft he finished every essay with a veritable altar call. After much consideration, he decided to take most of those out and just have fun. As such, this is probably not a great book to read if you just want to learn deep spiritual lessons. While the deeper subjects (mainly at the close of the book) are good, that is not Acuff's strong area. His strong area is awesome Christian comedy. Stuff Christians Like is a great book to read if you just want to laugh hard or at least smile inside. You will find yourself saying, "That is so true! That is so, so true!" Final verdict: This Christian really likes this stuff and recommends it with caution.

Not sure if you'll like the style of humor? Check out Acuff's blog at http://stuffchristianslike.net.

Ben Plunkett is an avid reader and writer from Pleasant View, Tennessee. 

Jacob: You've been at this for 14 years. You've put out nine albums. How has the industry changed since the early days of 1996-1998?

Bebo: Oh wow. Man it has changed a whole lot. Not just on my personal landscape but on just the music landscape in general. Obviously it changes stylistically because people's tastes change as they grow. My musical tastes have changed too.

Jacob: iTunes has really changed the way people buy music.

Bebo: Right.

Jacob: How is your mentality different in writing since customers can pick and choose what songs they like or don't like instead of buying an entire album? Is the art of writing an album gone?

Bebo: That's a great question. And if it is, which part of me believes it may be on a wavered slide, even if it's not already gone, it makes me sad. I value in a dramatic way the art of writing an album. Certainly a song is what first captures you, but it's like one chapter in a book. You can have a really great chapter in a book that's moving but until you hear the whole story I feel like you're missing out on something. That's the way I feel about music and the way I feel about making records. I don't think it's gone entirely. I think that definitely on a mass level—and the truth is, maybe this hasn't changed that much except for the fact that songs are most accessible. Although you can buy songs individually on iTunes, people have always been drawn to "the song." When I was in elementary school, we listened to the Top 40 on the radio. You heard "the song" and you just had to buy the whole record in order to get "the song." You know? But when I started really falling in love with music is when I started really falling in love with entire records and realizing there could be a journey in a record and an entire story being told in a record. So, for me as a fan of music, that's what I enjoy and love the most. But I'm as guilty as anybody, if you can use that word, of sometimes just loving one song and not necessarily always needing to have the whole album and the whole record. So, long answer short, I don't think the art of writing a record is gone but I do think it is very different now than it used to be and I think there's a much smaller minority that really still looks at it that way, especially in the context of the business side of music. You know, I think labels very much look at records as not a collection of songs anymore but a collection of two or three singles that have a group of songs built around them. That's not the way I see it but I may well be in the minority. I don't know that I'm in the minority of real music fans but I think I am in the minority in terms of the mass that listens to music. 

Jacob: Along those same lines, the way that we communicate now is so different than it was back five, 10 years ago, and so it's kind of encouraging for, like, a small band who does a unique sound but it doesn't sound like Leeland so there's no label out there that's going to be signing them any time soon. But you know, they've got the software on their Mac and they can record themselves and then they can put it on their Facebook page and everybody can listen to it. How do you think that changes the music industry?

Bebo: The music industry has changed so dramatically in the years that - I mean, when I first started playing music there were, I didn't even have a cell phone. I didn't even have a pager. You know? Like when we - this is going to sound crazy - but when I was touring back then, you know, if I went out with a runner to go run an errand or somebody dropped me off at a mall to, you know, just go buy basic needs that, you know, because I'd been out on the road for a few months at a time, I had to go to a pay phone to call my road manager at a land line in an office in a theatre that we might be playing in and hope that they happened to be there. You know, that's kind of how dramatically things change. And then I was way on the cutting edge when I got a pager and I could actually page somebody.

You were really on the cutting edge when you could actually do the text page where you called somebody and told them what you wanted and they typed it in and they sent it to somebody's pager. You know what I mean? Like - it was a crazy - like an operator, that's who did it. All that to say that in and of itself it's changed - technology has come a long way in really just about a decade and a half. I mean, it's pretty amazing how quickly it's changed. The way that I see that it's changed, I think you're right. I think that it has changed for the better in a lot of ways, to me, especially for bands who may be smaller and don't have quite the audience or the stage necessarily that some of the larger bands have, but I think one of the main ways that's changed, I mean, it seems for me, is that when I first started playing music, I mean, I was one of the few Christian acts that really toured nonstop. You know, not because I thought, "Wow, this is a good marketing strategy," but because that's all I knew. You know, I thought, "Well, I've got an independent record," it was 1996, "How are people going to hear this if I don't get out and play songs for people?"

Jacob: Right.

Bebo: You know what I mean? And so I spent 250 days a year on a road for the first seven or eight years of playing music.

Jacob: Oh wow.

Bebo: As a single guy in my twenties, that was a blast and it was fun. The thing is, now it kind of seems to me that markets, every market that you go to, is inundated with people that are touring, and everybody is out - I mean, back in the day me and people like Jars of Clay and Caedmon's Call and random independent bands from back then were the only people that really - we were all playing - just come out of college, so we were all touring and playing music and that's kind of what we did, and it was kind of nonstop.  There were definitely Christian concert tours back then but they were kind of small - not small, but they were very segmented. Just, you know, they would do 20, 30 cities in the spring and 20, 30 cities in the fall and that was kind of it for them and, anyway, long and short is that I feel like everybody tours now, everybody plays music. I feel like people are, consumers are - and I use that word loosely, consumers. I mean, fans are almost over-saturated with music at this point, you know, because it's accessible on every level, so sometimes that can be a little bit difficult, and truth be told, I don't want to spend quite as much time on the road as I used to as a 36-year-old who has a wife and two kids at home. You know, I certainly love being home as much as I can be. So, for me personally, I love the idea that it has offered me a new avenue to connect with an audience without having to be before them in person, you know, and that's what things like iTunes and Facebook and, you know, the avenues online and what technology has sort of afforded us. So, all that - a very, very long answer.  Obviously you can weed out most of it, but the bottom line is that I think the opportunities are amazing in terms of being able to connect with people because of technology but it also means that people are, I mean, listeners are really over-saturated with music, to me at this point, and so things can all start to sound the same so I think it requires you being, having a very unique platform to really connect with people at this point on a musical level. So I think it's important to be true to what you do and really kind of be unique, if that makes any sense, more than ever. 

Be sure to check out Bebo's music on his website http://bebonorman.com or on iTunes (of course).

Jacob Riggs is editor of The Brink magazine. http://twitter.com/jacobriggs

Brink: Tell us about your band's name.

Zack: I grew up on a street called Walla Avenue in Fort Worth, TX. When I  
was a child I had certain hopes and dreams that have been lost through  
the process of "growing up." I have often felt that I would be a  
better human being, that is, better acquainted with my true heart, if  
I hadn't. I believe that many of us have similar stories and at times  
feel as if a part of us is missing. Perhaps it's the part that helps  
us come alive and find the strength to live truly satisfied lives.  
Most young children seem to have an innate trust in their caretakers  
and guardians in difficult circumstances, and know exactly what they  
want to become in this world. The Walla Recovery is our own pursuit to  
find and relearn those qualities, and our encouraging others to do the  
same.

Brink: How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?

Zack: We met and began playing music together in late 2001 at our church. I  
was a youth ministry intern at the time, and Brandon, Jonathan, and  
Justin were high schoolers in our student praise team. For more than 3  
years we led worship for their peers on a weekly basis. We often look  
back on those times as foundational to who we are now, individually  
and corporately, musically, creatively, and socially. We found playing  
music together to be something we loved enough to keep going.

Brink: What is your purpose or objective as a band? What do you guys want  
to add to music?

Zack: We have so many goals! We want to create art that brings encouragement  
to those who need a friend, helps people to cast away their fears and  
experience joy. We'd like to fill a void of substance we see in  
popular music by offering well-crafted songs housing intimate  
conversations about our own lives and honest struggles, in hopes that  
people can find them worthwhile to engage with in their daily thoughts  
and relationships. We pursue a peaceful, intelligent presence, and  
excellence, because we believe the endeavor to produce something  
beautiful is difficult, should require our whole hearts, and will  
sharpen us and teach us more about the creator of all things. We'd  
like to become part of a community of people loving one another,  
finding our voice, and speaking the truth.

Brink: What are your thoughts on your latest EP, With Trembling?

Zack: This has been a project in the making for some time. Some tracks were  
written nearly a decade ago, and have been waiting to be refined and  
sent out into the world. It is a collection of related songs written  
during a tumultuous few years in my life, when I had ideas about  
entrusting myself to the Lord, but also found a hard time being  
comfortable with his sovereign will, and more questions and answers.  
Is he good? Will he do what's best for me? Can I trust him? At the  
start you'll find our main character living the best he can on his  
own, self-absorbed and ultimately dissatisfied. At the end, you find  
him open and curious, beginning a new journey toward a kind of death  
that makes way for true life: a joyful sacrifice. The road between is  
littered with events and conversations planned to help him remember  
the only one he can trust. It tells this story in the style of our own  
human history, pointing out creation, fall, redemption, and  
consummation.

Brink: What's your favorite song on the EP? Why?

Zack: Each of us in the band will have a different answer to this, but I  
have to say my favorite is "She Said." Honestly, it's easy to play and  
sing along with, and it speaks intimately about the source of our  
knowing who we are in this life. I often feel as if our songs come  
from outside of us, bearing messages that we need to hear as much as  
we need to relay, and this is especially true on this one. The  
realization it's helped me make has been life changing. A runner-up is  
"The Spoils of Warring Hearts," which is fun to play live, and the  
words really remind me that God loves me more than anything I love in  
his place.

Brink: Is there a band or song that inspires you when the Christian walk  
gets tough?

Zack: You should really check out 'Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken' by  
Indelible Grace (igracemusic.com), sung by Andy Osenga. It's brutally  
honest about how impossibly strong of a commitment is warranted by the  
astounding work of Jesus; thereby, it shines with the promise of grace  
to me. And the melody is enchanting. I can't sing every word of that  
song truthfully, but I pray that I will live in them nonetheless.

Brink: Are you guys going on tour any time soon?

Zack: We hope to be out playing shows later on this spring and summer, and  
we'd love to hear where our listeners would like to see us play, so  
that we can connect with them in their own cities and towns. At the  
start of 2010, we're currently taking a little time to further develop  
our live show and experiment with some new material, as well as make  
connections with as many indie bands and cool listening spots as we  
can. We also have some big secret plans in the works and we're really  
excited about the future.

Brink: Can you share the experience that led you to Christ?

Zack: When I was just out of junior high school I went to a summer camp with  
my youth group. I remember the speaker halfway through the week,  
talking about what you might experience when first realizing that  
you're dead because of your wrongdoing, trapped by a curse you can't  
escape, and that there's a way to live, to be free again, in Jesus.  
Even after attending church my entire life, I knew I hadn't  
experienced anything he was talking about. Grace found me there, and I  
saw the hopeless condition of my heart for the first time. A  
transformation from darkness to light has been taking place ever since.

Brink: How can people who are interested in The Walla Recovery get your EP?

Zack: It's available online at our website, thewallarecovery.com; on iTunes,  
Amazon MP3, and most other digital download stores. We are also giving  
away our previous EP on Noisetrade, and we like to let our Facebook,  
Twitter, and mailing list followers have a free download every now and  
then, too. You can find all the links to that stuff and more at  
thewallarecovery.com.

Brink: If you weren't a musician, what would you be?

Zack: This is so random, but lately I've been thinking about writing. I'm  
finding more and more great writers of fiction who inspire me:  
Tolkien, Lewis, Austen, Rowling. I think it would be fun to be an  
author and sculpt stories that take a while to ingest and people can  
really dive into. If that didn't work out, I think I would have fun  
getting into photography. Just more ways to join a meaningful  
commentary of life and enjoy all the wonderful things the Lord has made.

Check out The Walla Recovery's site: http://thewallarecovery.com

They're also on twitter: http://twitter.com/wallarecovery

Brink: Tell us a little about your upbringing.

Tim: People are sometimes surprised to know that I was home-schooled. Actually, all of the kids in my family were [home-schooled]. I think it made us closer and learn to appreciate each other more. We're all very close friends and I think this was a large part of that. 

Brink: Could you tell us a little about the time you received Christ?

Tim: When I was six years old, I recognized that I was a sinner and accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior because He died for my sins. 

Brink: I've read that your parents are missionaries. Where are they ministering and how long have they been serving?

Tim: My parents moved to the Philippines in 1985 when my dad started a being a missionary there. I was born in 1987 there. My family lived there until 1990. Through his ministry he's trained national evangelists who are over there. About 40-something of them run medical clinics and churches over there. We also have an orphanage with 50 orphans.

Brink: Where is the most difficult stadium to play?

Tim:  The Swamp for a visiting player

Brink: What is on your iPod?

Tim: Kenny Chesney, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett, Neil Diamond

Brink: If you were on a desert island and could take only 3 movies, what would they be?

Tim: Braveheart, The Shawshank Redemption, Remember the Titans

Brink: Superman or Batman?

Tim: Superman

Brink: So I hear Superman wears Tim Tebow pajamas.

Tim: Ha ha, I've heard that one—some of them can be pretty funny.

Brink: What are you reading right now?

Tim: Tony Dungy's book, Quiet Strength.

Brink: How do you stay grounded?

Tim: I am fortunate to have family members, coaches and teammates around who can help me stay focused on the right things for us to be successful. For me, every day includes four things: God, family, academics and football, in that order.

Brink: You have such a great testimony. To what do you attribute you keeping your faith in Christ while being in the public eye?

Tim: Because of my faith, I receive a lot of requests to speak to different organizations (Tim has received 200+ since arriving at UF from different religious groups, youth groups and school across the Southeast). I like to do as many as I can. This past summer I had the opportunity to speak at the state prison in Union County. I got to get up and preach. The people there don't have a lot to look forward to or a positive outlook on things. I told them everyone looks at you like you are nothing and I told them that they are no different than I am except they made a bad choice and that doesn't make them any worse of a person and God doesn't love them any less. I let them know because of their actions there are consequences, but God wants them to go to heaven. There were people in there for all sorts of things like murder, homicide and drug lords. I saw these guys break down and cry. I gave them an invitation to accept Jesus Christ and change the way they were living. In the two prisons I spoke at, 195 guys came forward. I held their hands and prayed with them. The security guys told them they weren't allowed to get close to me, but I wasn't worried about it. I felt like I was doing what God wanted me to do so it was safe.

Brink: The majority of young adults leave the church after they get out of high school and attend a secular university. What do you think could be done to remedy this?

Tim: Religion can be something that is a matter of personal choice so I don't think it's a question of remedying this situation.

Brink: What do you think is the biggest obstacle Christians face in trying to share their faith?

Tim: I can't speak for everyone but each person has their own opinions how their faith should be shared and can choose to express themselves in different ways. I try to work hard to share my faith with others.

Brink: What do you want to be doing in 20 years?

Tim: The Philippines are pretty special to me. Every year in high school up until college I'd be part of a group my dad would take there. After football, I'd like to be involved again in that in some way. It is a great experience. We go into medical clinics, hospitals, prisons, market places and schools. You preach and help out. We go to the orphanage and a lot of things like that. It's a great experience. I love going every year and I can't wait until I go back. I'm looking at trying to go back this upcoming Spring Break, but it is definitely in my plans for after football. When you come back, you're grateful for everything that God's given you and you see how blessed you are.

This interview originally appeared in the pilot issue of The Brink magazine in the Fall of 2008.