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We're all aware of the opposite side of the equation, but what are you supposed to do when at first you do succeed? How should you react when the things you've been working for, individually and collectively, your entire young lives start to take shape? And more important still, how do you get back to that place of openness that jumpstarted that success when almost everything about your existence has changed?
Simple. You stop, sit down and reflect on the Wonder Of The World.
Two years can seem like a lifetime, or it can seem like it has passed in the blink of an eye.
"It's funny to think about the course of events that have taken place," says Kevin Huguley, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter for breakthrough Midas Records band Rush of Fools. "And all that time, God's still kept us on that path we feel He's called us to be on. It feels like the fast-forward button has been pressed on our lives this whole time."
Given the opportunity, Huguley will rattle off the personal accomplishments of his band mates – lead vocalist/songwriter Wes Willis, guitarist Dustin Sauder, bassist Jacob Chesnut and drummer Jamie Sharpe – right alongside the professional ones his Alabama-based band has gone through.
It's that intertwining of the internal and the external that made Rush of Fools' self-titled debut (and monster hit "Undo," ASCAP's most-played Christian song of 2007) so approachable and embraceable by a now-legion of fans.
That fusion carries over into the band's second full-length release, Wonder Of The World, a record crafted simultaneously on the run and yet with purpose and progress in mind.
"I think that compared to the last record, we actually had time to breathe," Willis says. "We played hundreds of shows and wrote and sat and played together and worshipped together. All those things fed into this album and I think we were able to write songs the same way we did last time and yet we found a new voice, a growth in ourselves and in our collaborations with our producers. We're still a worship band, and we still love writing those kinds of songs."
"I think this time we were able to be more hands-on in the musical process, and the producers asked ‘What do you want to do?' rather than last time when we were all saying ‘Help us,'" he continues. "This time, we were more able to say exactly what we wanted musically."
The expansion of Rush of Fools' musical vocabulary is evident throughout Wonder Of The World, with the pogo-ready rocker "Lose It All" lining up right alongside the hypnotic "Escape," contrasting with the lullaby feel of "Tonight" and the piano ballad "The Only Thing That's Beautiful In Me."
The core elevating factor of the band's presence, much like on their debut record, is the commitment to lyrical innovation that showcases that willingness to strip the artifice of success away and focus their eyes (and through the music, the listener's ears) on the one, true wonder of the world.
"As we've been playing the title song already, we'll usually stop in the middle of it and talk about the lines ‘Father, how can it be that you are Father to me?' as well as all the other things mentioned: Savior, Healer, One who shows favor on me," Willis says. "I think back to all that time on the road and all the things that have happened over the past year, and I'm still amazed by those facts, that He is Father and Savior and Healer. He's been so faithful to us and at the very least, we should be that back to Him."
Huguley concurs with his band mate and co-writer. "We should be asking those questions in the song, because we don't deserve those things He's given us, but that's what makes it so wonderful."
"I think God has allowed our situation and our story and our journey to take place and it has uncovered these truths for us," Huguley continues. "He's saying ‘I'm going to continue using you five guys from Alabama, who are not worthy of My grace, because you're starting to get the picture that grace is what it's all about.'"
At the same time, being young men constantly on the road, playing to growing crowds that respond by singing songs back to the band during shows, can have a negative impact as well. "When we started playing on the road more, I realized there were times when I've been not a great husband or a great friend," guitarist Frazier says. "Then I thought, ‘Was I ever a great husband or friend or son?' I always thought I had it straight and I had the answers. Now I have to question all those things and it stinks that I have to go through those things. Yet at the same time, I'm really thankful because I got knocked down and now I can get back up and work on those things."
"This has been a dramatic lifestyle change," Willis admits. "Being sucked out of your homes and stuck out on the road playing all over. But when you're in the same little van, driving around with the same guys, you get to grow together. You have to stick to those things God is calling you to do. We're a worship band; let's continue to write worship songs."
"It should impact us all, in a way that should cause us to seek the Lord more," Willis continues. "I think it has, for us, whether it's been good times or bad. I think He blesses those moments when you do."
The reciprocal result has fostered a set of worship songs on Wonder Of The World, such as "Holy One," "Freedom Begins Here" and "You Are Glory." Each are shaped differently from a musical perspective, but keep that aforementioned focus on the force carrying the band and the listeners through life's difficult circumstances.
"We always put our hearts and souls into the lyrics, because if we're going to be writing songs about God, they had better be true, they had better be good and they had better be honest," Huguley says. "It's that creativity in our lyrics and now our music as well, that shows where our progress has been. We strived hard to not shy away from the tough lyrics about our own sins and struggles. But now we've created this new version of our own band because there's a new musicality to it."
"It doesn't matter what aspect of life you're working on, you always have to learn how to recreate something," Willis says. "You always have to learn how to grow and change and from a musical aspect, that's definitely what we've done with this album. There was a lot of growth on this project, but still true to our core heart of worship, because that's who we are."
These statements further answer the question above, the one about what you do when if at first you do succeed. You try again, and when you're trying to point out to others the glory of the true Wonder Of The World, it's all quite simple.
Kevin Huguley - BGV's, electric guitar and keys Wes Willis - Lead Vocals, acoustic guitar Jacob Chesnut - Bass Jamie Sharpe - Drums Dustin Sauder - Electric guitar
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There is Nothing
We question ourselves a lot. In fact, we spend much of our own lives questioning the unknowns of our futures, our careers, our marriages and such. But sometimes we can find ourselves questioning God. And though as humans we may question God about some of the simplest truths, we will be reminded in His timing and purposes the obvious answers we need. Is anything too far or too hard for God? Is anything too high? Too low? No. There is nothing that is too 'anything' for God. And while this is a double negative, it's still very true: there is nothing that God can't do.
Wonder of the World
Anyone who can recall a few lessons of World History can relate something to the title of this song, which is the title track for this record. Some of us immediately think of the pyramids in Egypt, others the Great Wall of China or even the mystery of Stonehenge. Regardless, all of us get the idea of something being a wonder of this world. When we are brought into God's family, our minds become transformed to understand that though earthly landmarks and creations are phenomenal, Jesus far surpasses those things. Jesus is not a wonder of the world; He is the wonder of the world. So how is it that God is our Father, our Savior, and our Healer? And why does He show favor on us? That's what makes Him the true wonder of the world.
Holy One
All of us have lived the days of guilt and shame, and rightfully so. We are indeed strugglers living in a culture of self, but because we are believers, we find ourselves heavily convicted of everything that has offended the gospel. But the beauty of the gospel is that Jesus comes to make our stained and tainted lives clean, once and for all. And though we struggle to bow at the cross with utter dependency, once we find ourselves there is where we find peace and rest. Though we are unholy, Christ is holy. He alone is the holy One that lifts us from death to life and purpose. And while the world would just rather leave us for dead, Christ breathes His life into our souls, and our response is the fear and awe of the holiness of the Lord.
You are Glory
It's really easy to talk about the glory of God. When we take a look at creation, we can see the power, the creativity, the mere artistry, and of course, the glory of God all around us. When we come together to sing to God of His glory, it's so natural for us to admit that we, as humans, have truly fallen far short of the glory of God. In fact, even in all its beauty, all of creation falls under and short of the glory of God. It's no wonder that the most important thing to God is God. Nothing else in all of His creation compares to Himself. As humans, if we took this mentality as our own, it would be vane and self-centered. But when you're God, you can get away with this. Solo deo Gloria (Latin, "to the glory of God alone") should be our anthem as God's children.
Lose it All
The apostle Paul understood the beauty of losing anything and everything for the sake of knowing Christ more. The theme for this song was inspired by one of Paul's most well known passages; it is found in Philippians 3, where he makes a pretty dramatic statement with his thoughts about his own life. In Philippians 3:7-8, he says, "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." In this stage of Paul's life, he had suffered much persecution for the sake of the gospel, so these words were not to be taken lightly. Our hope in this song is that we would echo Paul's desire to lose it for the sake of His gospel.
Escape
The providence of God gives us hope when we find everything else in life pretty hopeless. There is so much hope and peace found in the theological truth of the constant pursuit of God towards His people. Though we struggle to seek after God daily, His grace calls us back to Himself. Further than that, because we are God's children, He pursues us even in the times that we are running away from Him. That beautiful truth shows that the grace of God is irresistible, so even when we're too blinded to see the Way, He draws us to Himself. The thing that we can never escape is God.
Freedom Begins Here
We consider it a privilege to partner with an organization called Freedom Begins Here, whose hope and mission is to attack the epidemic of sexual addiction within the Church, as well as give resources to pastors and churches to assist in the healing process of families affected by this crisis. When our manager Andrew Patton challenged us to write a song called "Freedom Begins Here," we thought he was pretty crazy. It's kind of a like asking a fish to swim through dirt. And though our creative sides were expecting a musical disaster, the Lord yet again shocked us by giving us lyrics that hit the root of our wickedness. And though we don't narrow the lyrics down to sexual addiction, we pray that God would use this song to penetrate those struggling in this area to live out the gospel by confessing their sin and repenting to their Savior.
Tonight
In the Old Testament, we read about God's sovereign hand of protection over His people. During the Exodus, when God used Moses to part the Red Sea, we see how His miraculous power kept people of God safe from their enemies. However, do we often think about the enemies? God used that moment in time to crush the enemies of God's chosen by drowning them in the sea. The truth is, that had it not been for God bringing us to life and changing our hearts to love Him, we would be His enemies, thus deserving death just like the enemies from the Old Testament. Through the lyrics God has given us for this song, we are reminded that He gives to us when He should be taking from us.
The Only Thing That's Beautiful in Me
Sometimes we need to be disturbed by God. Time after time, our pride will convince us that we are worth loving, and very entitled to anything and everything that the Lord has blessed us with. When those days occur, we need to be completely devastated by the loving discipline that our Father is willing to give to us. We can never feel that it's okay to believe that there is something wonderful about us apart from Christ. We were dead, until He made us alive. We were nothing, until He gave us everything. Christ is the only thing that is beautiful in us. Our grateful response can be quite simple: "Thank you."
No Name
God reigns over all of existence. And He knows it, and He likes us to know it as well. In Isaiah 43:10-12, God says, "'You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord, 'and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.'" It may sound odd for us to say that God is consumed with Himself, but He is. And that's a beautiful thing. So beautiful that it compels us to declare the providence of God, singing to and singing about the only name that's worthy of any sort of honor or worship.
Never Far Away
There is no song that has been as personal of a song in our career than this one. God has brought us, and our supportive spouses, down a long and hard path (sometimes very literally, bumpy roads and highways) these past few years, but one that has honored His name and His Kingdom. For that, we are eternally grateful. But as fruitful as God has allowed our journey to be, we still find it difficult on those longer trips away from home. While we love the ministry we are able to be apart of on the road, the ministry of our homes and our local churches must always find its way to the top of our priorities. And even as we are driving in the middle of the night in a different state, those we are intimately connected to are never far away from our hearts. We thank the Lord for the greatest brides in the world!!!
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Hey guys...write down all of God's blessings in the coming year! It's a good way to see exactly what He's doing for and through you! =) Merry Christmas! ~Laurie
Twitter: myblueskye777 Facebook: Laurie's Christian Books and Gifts
Hey guys! I saw you at ATF in Billings, MT and just wanted to say you were great! I also saw you at YEC in Billings earlier in the year. I love your music! Keep it up! =-]
You all are great! Your music and lyrics speak to me so much, I just started listening to yall from a good friend. I really should come to one of yalls shows! Your music is awesome!
Darn, I see you guys are booked 4th of July weekend 2010...I was really hoping and praying that Spirit West Coast Monterey would book ya'll! :( On a second note, I was in Los Angeles last weekend and all my cd's were stolen.....I was soooo mad. I immediately bought your 2 cd's again...I listen to them all time...couldn't live without them for too long. :)
So i am listening to o come all ye faithful by you guys and I have to say its one of my favorite chritsmas songs...I wish you guys would make a christmas cd. I just love how you put your style into it...its amazing! anyway just a thought :) Hope you all are doing amazing!
