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United States General Eric Shinseki once said, ‘If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less.’

This quote pushes me to my edge every time I hear it. Change can be painful. Change can take us to a place we never thought we would go. Change can stretch us to our breaking point. But as this quote clearly states, the alternative is simply not acceptable.

My name is Caleb Rowden. I am a husband, worship pastor, and musician. I have traveled the United States over the past 10 years telling people how messed up my life was before I met Jesus, and how amazing my life is now because of my personal encounter with a loving God. I still mess up. I still make mistakes. But I know God’s grace and love are bigger than my faults, and I want to do everything in my power to make sure the world around me know the same is true for them.

In 2005, I released my debut record, ‘Free from Ordinary’ on Slanted Records/WEA Distribution. We were fortunate to see two of the songs crack the top 30 on the national Radio and Records Christian AC chart, with one song [‘Made’] peaking at 12. I have always prayed that God would open the right doors and I would stay in step with Him and know when it was time to walk through. Having my songs on the radio certainly opened some big doors for us. We had the honor of playing alongside a crew of top-notch artists...Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Skillet, David Crowder Band, Kirk Franklin, and many more. We literally saw hundreds of people make decisions to follow Christ, and many others re-commit to a life of all out abandonment to their Savior. But for me it just wasn’t enough. I felt like I was missing something.

In January 2007, I accepted an invitation to join the staff at my home church, Christian Chapel in Columbia, MO. My role was to lead worship and create dynamic, relevant experiences where people could encounter God. As I began to transition to less travel and more time at my home church, I finally realized what was missing...my passion. I had become so comfortable with getting on a stage and singing praise to my God that it literally became a habit. It wasn’t something I did because I was cornered by the goodness of God’s love for me. I did it because it was my occupation. I did it because it paid the bills.

Week after week, month after month...sitting under great teaching and being a part of a fellowship that is making a difference in their world taught me a lot of new things. Things that I’m not sure I would have learned out on the road full-time. I was introduced [again] to the importance of relational connections among believers and pre-believers. I was reminded again that God’s presence doesn’t take days off. I was reminded that God can move in a way that our planning and preparation would never have allowed for. And I was reminded why I get up on stage. Because for some reason that I will never even begin to grasp, God called me to share the wonder of His goodness through music.

That is why you are reading this as a first person biography. No fancy writers. No Communication degrees here. Just a guy, his guitar, and his heart and soul laid out on the line for the world to see. I was drawn to music because of its ability to reach people right where they are, and it is that fact that has drawn me back again.

This summer, we will release our sophomore record ‘Until Everyone is Free’. Musically, it is a step in a new direction. We have enlisted the talent of Seattle-based producer Brian Eichelberger [Barcelona] for these new recordings. Brian brings a fresh, un-altered view to producing ‘Christian’ songs that I haven’t seen or heard before. Along with the help of some of Seattle’s finest musicians, we have crafted a record full of songs that are real. Songs that have come out of my personal journey of faith. In times past, I often leaned toward doubt...you will see that in these songs. At other times, I am so overwhelmed by God’s grace in my life it defies description...you will see that in these songs.

We are all real people with real problems searching for real answers. I am not naive enough to think that one listen to a song of mine can undo years of pain this world has thrown at you. But I am certain that one encounter with a gracious and merciful God can. It is my prayer that these songs will play a part in seeing you take your next step with Christ.

This is a new season for me. A season of growth, a season of renewed passion, and a season of change. I invite you to take this journey with me...a journey toward God. It will at times be uncomfortable and difficult, but it will be worth every second. It’s not about a band or a new record or a song. It’s about giving back all we can to the One who gave all He had. We are His mouthpiece. We are his words in action, and we cannot and should not rest ‘Until Everyone is Free’.

‘Until Everyone is Free’ will be released on July 28th, 2009 through blue i recordings in partnership with Executive Music Group/Universal/EMI CMG. The record will be available in stores as well as for download at all major digital outlets. The album’s first radio single, ‘Love Song for a King’ goes for adds at AC/CHR radio on April 10th. For more information on Caleb and the record, visit one of these great connection points.