Introducing Fireflight
Tricia Brock from Superchic[k] TFL exclusive!
“I’d say from my own experience through high school, that I chose to reach out to the people in my school. I didn’t do the popularity game, thinking I’m going to be cool, I’m going to date boys or go to parties, or whatever it takes to get to the top. I mean, this wasn’t me. I think it was a passion that God put in me to look around me and see what other people are going through, and to reach out to new kids and to kids who got picked on, and through that I stopped thinking about myself as much. And the only reason I think I was able to keep the perspective I did and really have the standards is that because, from a young age, I was in the Bible. I knew that to be drawn to God was the only way to purity—I knew that, to know more of God and to see God more was the only way I was going to be different.”
“We can be that kid who picks on other kids and laughs at them to get a laugh, or we can be the person who goes against the crowd and stands up for somebody who’s too insecure to stand up on their own. And those choices that we make are just little steps, but they’re why we wrote our song, ‘Hero’, because it’s the choices that we make that are the things that define us. Every moment is precious, and every situation that God puts us in is an opportunity, but we only see it that way, if, at the beginning of the day, we’ve said, OK, God, today is yours, do some really cool stuff in my life—and He will.”
James Meade – Kutless TFL exclusive!
The video for the song “Shut Me Out”, the first release off the new HEARTS OF THE INNOCENT CD is full of action and pretty intense. Whose idea was the SWAT theme?
The SWAT theme was actually a collaboration of ideas that we had, and ideas that Chris Sims, our director, had for the video. We originally came up with a storyline for the video which was actually a little too expensive to shoot, so we had to re-write it a little bit. It was really cool to be part of. This was the first time we’d shown up to a video and gone, wow, this is going to be really professional. We roll in, and there were five or six guys in SWAT gear, and they’d been filming since early in the morning.
The location we were filming at was this old kind of fisherman’s wharf in LA - a real industrial area. There’s not much going on there now, but the particular place that we chose to shoot at has actually been in film quite a bit The new POD video was filmed there, too.
And can you share a little about the story that goes with “Shut Me Out”?
That story follows along with the early apostles in the Book of Acts and what they were doing… preaching daily in the town center and getting in trouble with the Roman soldiers for it and being put in jail. They were being told over and over again, when we let you out, don’t go back to the city center and be talking about this Jesus Christ guy anymore. And they were, like, you know what, we’d rather follow God than the commandments of men. They persevered through it and kept sharing what they knew was true. And that’s kind of what the song is about—there’s nothing you can do to take us away from the life we live in Christ. There’s nothing you can say to make us shut up. That’s the lyrical theme of it.
Are there any words of encouragement for teens you’d like to share?
I would just like to say to teens out there that you have an opportunity in your high schools and stuff to be a leader, and to be the person that is the hammer driving the nail, instead of being hammered yourself, you know? You have the opportunity before you to affect your own school, to be who you are and to enjoy Jesus. I’ve seen a lot of kids who just kind of just sit back on the fence and they don’t want to share because sometimes it’s uncomfortable, or they don’t feel like they’ll say it right. But sometimes kids don’t understand the value of just being themselves and being a good example, living a life that’s righteous before these other kids. Like when they’re getting invited out to parties and stuff, and saying, no, I’ll see you guys in school tomorrow, I’m going to hang out with this and this friend, and do this instead. That’s a really big example to those other kids, and they may make fun of you at first, but eventually they’ll get it and they’ll see that the choices that they’re making just lead to pain and heartache, but the choices that YOU make seem to be good and seem to resonate with the type of person that is healthy.
Tyler Dolysnky – Manic Drive TFL exclusive!
Unfortunately, we live in a time in which people perceive life to be something other than what it is plainly understood as. The very act of sexual intercourse, which is directly related to the production of children, has been poisoned – people can veto the very life which their original decision was designed to produce. This is one of the greatest moral and social crimes that is being done in the name of pro-choice.
This is such a violent crime because not only does this choice affect the unborn human, but it heavily wears upon the individual making the decision. What many campaigns of pro-choice fail to mention is the absence of adequate support to the individuals who abort their children. Many of the pro-choice supporters will state that various programs have been created to help combat the utter shame, guilt, and suicidal thoughts which accompany such a choice… however, they forget it takes a lifetime of support from caring individuals who have gone through similar situations to truly help comfort those who unfortunately have made such “pro-choice” choices.
To further highlight this point, in my own personal life I have met individuals who have made these decisions. One which particularly sticks out is a female who aborted her child, and to this day, years after, is still haunted by the days she runs into her ex-boyfriend whom she got pregnant with, and the day in which she found out she was pregnant and ultimately the day in which the child was to be born. She is still filled with much shame and guilt. However, she has just started to understand why the Good News that Jesus brought is really good news. She’s beginning to understand what the Lord has for her: His forgiveness, His plan to change her life, and ultimately – to glorify Himself in this dark area of her life.