The Official Monthly Jars of Clay Email News Digest
3/17/98
Approx. 7,000 Subscribers
www.jarsofclay.com
CONTENTS:
*EV Update
*Overseas Success
*Fanclub/New CD!
*News
*Tour Updates
*Concert Review: 3/13/98 Civic Center, Roanoke, VA
*Singapore concert review: Harbor Pavillion, January 23rd, 1998
*SonicNet Online Chat: Steve Mason
*Article: Release Magazine Dec. 1997/Jan. 1998
*Article: Guitar World Acoustic No. 25: Bridges to Babylon
*Article: Harrisburg Patriot News Nov. 22, 1997
*Article: WORLD magazine January 10, 1998
*Prayer Requests
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*Ev Update:
Hello EV subscribers! Please forgive us for not issuing this sooner, we know many of you are wondering what happened to the "monthly" email subscription to EV. The fact is, we have been investigating more efficient ways & more fun ways of bringing you the most information we possibly can on the band & their ministry. This has taken us away from EV for a short amount of time, and thus no one has received anything for quite some time. We will very soon have details on a new fanclub that you may join! Please read on and you will find some very exciting news...
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*Overseas Success:
Fantastic news from Australia...
One of our major radio stations, 4MMM in Queensland, have added Crazy Times across the board after seeing Jars of Clay live in Sydney last night. We flew them over to the sydney showcase and the result - ACROSS THE BOARD AIRPLAY....the boys have performed brilliantly with everyone who has encountered them, they're all raving about them.
A programmer from 2Day FM went to Mariah Carey after the Jars of Clay show and quoted that the highlight of her night last night was Jars Of Clay. how fantastic..!
Also from New Zealand:
Last night at the Parachute Festival in New Zealand, Jars of Clay performed in front of 13,000 people... The biggest crowd ever at a Christian concert/event in New Zealand. It was also the largest attendance ever for the Festival. Last year, the total count was @ 8,000 for ALL of the festival dates... Last night alone was 13,000!!
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*Fanclub/New CD!
Calling all Jarheads....
There will soon be an official JoC fanclub starting! We do not know all of the details yet but you will hear about them first through Earthen Vessels. Your help will definitely be necessary to make this idea fly, and we look forward to having each of you be a part of it! We do not know when the first issue will be yet, nor who is writing it, nor how often it will be issued, nor how much it will cost, but we *do* know that it will include the next Jars of Clay cd that you've all been waiting for! This will be a live CD from the January 18th concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with the Nashville String Machine, an orchestra! It will include a great new cover tune, songs never before heard in concert etc. and will surely be a phenomenal release. Do not look for this disc in stores because it won't be there! You will only be able to get this exclusive cd through the fan club subscription. Look for it soon!
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*News
Concerning the Jars Of Clay stint on the "Late Show With David Letterman." They taped it on Wednesday, and it was played on Friday. Different clothes and all, David joked about the band "bolting" after the show, and not being able to find the guys CD for the camera. It all worked out wonderfully in the long run ... 40 million homes tuned in to see Jars, twice as many as would have seen them on the original broadcast.
The song "Flood" is featured as the end title track for the Paramount Pictures release "Hard Rain." The film opened on January 16th. The song will be among the motion picture's soundtrack release.
In Nashville there is an awards show, the Nammies. It is voted on by Nashvillians, and was held recently. The Jars won the award for Best Contemporary Christian Album of the Year. This was their second award in as many years.(Last year they won Best Group of the Year).
Congrats go out to the guys on their Grammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album!
Jars have been nominated for the following seven Dove Awards: Best Artist, Best Group, Best Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song, Best Pop/contemporary Album, and Short-form Music Video of the year. Haseltine and fellow Jars member Steve Mason have an additional nomination as writer of the pop/contemporary recorded song, Crazy Times. And finally, Haseltine is up for best producer in the modern rock/alternative album of the year field for his work on Plumb's self-titled album.
The Five Candles video is now finished, and can be viewed at the website! Please check it out and feel free to let us know your opinions. The concept of the video is basically adults and kids at a birthday party - but the adults & kids switch roles! A "crazy time" was had by all... Please be sure to call your local secular radio station and request the song! That is how the message will continue to get out to the World. It is a crucial time for the success of the songs on radio, and Five Candles has just been released and has been getting some airplay, even in New England! :)
In other news, Jars of Clay are co-producing the next "Honey" album, due out in May. Also producing on this album are members of the "Prayer Chain".
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*Tour Update:
Jars have now kicked off the second leg of the "Bubblemaker's Dream Tour"! We hope that each of you gets to see the new show, which the guys are extremely happy with. They are including some new surprises and trying to visit as many new towns as possible. They began the tour with an amazing acoustic show at the Red Line Train Station in Boston, Mass. This casual lunchtime appearance was very successful and attracted somewhere around 3,000 listeners, a record-breaking event for the train station! Included in this was a marriage proposal by a friend of the bands, two great new cover tunes, and many other surprises! If every day is this exciting, the tour will be a tremendous success! Here are the latest tour dates. Most of these are now set in stone. Tickets should be available through your local ticketmaster, or you can try looking up the venue phone number and calling them.
March:
13 Roanoke, VA Civic Center
14 Greenville, SC SCFurman University
15 Charleston, WV Civic Center
16 Buies Creek, NC Campbell University
18 Elkhart, IN ELCO Theater
19 Champaign, IL Virginia Theater
20 Chicago, IL North Park University
21 Indianapolis, IN Pepsi Coliseum
25 Tupelo, MS Coliseum
26 Monroe, LA ?Venue?
27 San Antonio, TX ?Venue?
28 New Orleans, LA ?Venue?
April
2 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Civic Center
3 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater
4 Tampa, FL Tampa Peforming Arts Center
5 Pompano Beach, FL Pompano Beach Amphitheater
9 Cape Girardeau, MO Show-Me Center
10 St. Louis, MO Six Flags
11 Dallas, TX Six Flags
13 Abilene, TX Abilene Civic Center
14 Waco, TX Baylor University
16 Auburn, AL ?Venue?
17 Ozark, AL Ozark Civic Center
18 Orlando, FL Central Florida Fair
22 GMA Essential Showcase Nashville, TN
23 Dove Telecast Performance Nashville, TN
24 Columbia, SC Township Auditorium
25 Williamsburg, VA Youth Conference
26 Richmond, VA ?Venue?
27 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
30 Rome, GA Forum Theater
May
1 Jackson, TN Oman Arena
2 Birmingham, AL Boutwell Auditorium
3 Florence, SC Florence Civic Center
5 Buffalo, NY ?Venue?
7 Albany, NY Palace Theater
8 Hershey, PA Hershey Park Arena
9 Durham, New Hampshire Field House
10 Springfield, MA Paramount
14 Fargo, ND Fargo Civic Center
15 Rochester, MN Mayo Civic Center
16 Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls Arena
17 Aimes, IA Stephen's Auditorium
19 Toledo, OH Stranahan Theater
21 Ft. Wayne, IN Scottish Rite Auditorium
22 Allendale, MI ?Venue?
23 Kings Island, OH Timberwolf Amphitheater
24 Memphis, TN ?Venue?
June
26 Toronto, Canada Queensway
27 Ottawa, Canada (Billy Graham)
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*Concert Review: 3/13/98 Roanoke, VA
From: ABS3380@aol.com
Warning: **Setlist spoiler!**
I attended the first stop on the Spring tour for Jars of Clay! It was so wonderfully astounding! The Mayor of Roanoke had declared it Jars of Clay Day, which made things even more exciting! Many things about the concert were the same as the fall tour, but of course, it was these things that made me just want to go back for more. The bubbles were a nice effect to set the mood - and how wonderful to hear the guys tell about where their name came from to a mostly secular crowd! These guys really have a passion for God! They opened with Weighed Down and then Crazy Times, then got the crowd jumping to Faith Like A Child. The crowd continued to stand through Truce and Boy on a String. Instead of the fall tour's Country Roads, by John Denver, though, they did a Beach Boys song, "God only knows"...even Matt sang, which impressed the crowd a lot......and instead of Little Drummer Boy, they did their Petra remake of Rose-Colored Stained Glass Windows! Once again, a winner! My personal favorite, though, is Love Song For a Savior! You can tell it is heart felt every time these guys sing the song. It makes a person just swell up inside to hear the words and pray them yourself, and we got our chance as Dan led the crowd to sing "I want to fall in love with You!" Everyone sat down for a few minutes, and they sang songs like Sinking (a song about addictions), Tea and Sympathy, and the Coffee Song. But what really touched me is the way Jars of Clay want to portray themselves. Humbling was the song Worlds Apart! Even more humbling was when Dan started singing the words "Hallelujah" over and over again! They pointed out the real reason they were singing and playing. These guys have such a testimony, and their lives show it.
They got the crowd going again by singing Blind, starting out slow like on the album, but then they pumped it up and everyone stood up! They continued on with songs like Fade to Grey and Flood...
If you get a chance to meet these guys, do so! It is an experience you will never forget. And don't let those guys go without the encore!
Thank you Jars of Clay - I know God is smiling down on you!
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*Singapore concert review: January 23rd, 1998
From: tyhamhi@pacific.net.sg
It was held at the Harbour Pavillion on the 23rd of Jan, the show started off by turning out the lights to create a screammmming atmosphere ,where many of the fans rushed up to the front of the stage.
Jars started off their show with "Rose coloured stained glass windows" which got the crowd warmed up. Followed by a warm greeting and "Faith like a child". It's a pity that many of those who paid for the better seats were mostly older fans and did not stand up together with the younger crowd to dance,they were probably blocked by those standing in front but I think they enjoyed it anyway.
After a few songs, Dan slowed things down by sharing to the crowd about pride and what it does to him, and how he knows that without God,the songs that he writes and the music that Jars play are worth nothing. During that moment,it was complete silence from the crowd. This concert not being your "typical" Christian concert had some unbelievers and Dan's "speech" probably touched some of them and realistically probably frustrated some of the unbelievers. Even then, after Dan's talk about pride, the band continued to play their songs and ROCKED the place down! The showed ended but the screams of "We want more!" from the fans made Jars give an encore of 3 more songs.
The show ended and some happy people got to go home with small gifts(Drum sticks and picks)
All in all, I would say "Humble Clay's melt the house DOWN!"
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*SonicNet Online Chat:
January 12, 1998
Jars Of Clay: Hi this is Stephen Mason from Jars Of Clay thanks for joining me and I am happy to be here in cyberspace. I am calling from the Mall in Nashville cause i am buying clothes for David Letterman.
Kitty909 asks: What inspired you to write such inspirational songs?
Jars Of Clay: Laughs...Well, I would say life experiences
DRAW84 asks: Who are your Idols?
Jars Of Clay: We look up to Peter Gabriel, Toad the wet sprocket
Sweet_Lil_Piglet asks: How long have y'all been singing?
Jars Of Clay: We've been together four years
Introspect1 asks: How did you all get your start?
Jars Of Clay: Dan Charlie and myself went to greenville college in illinois...We were all on the same dorm floor
Introspect1 asks: How did you get your name?
Jars Of Clay: The name comes from the Bible verse 2 Corithians 4:7
Acki asks: How old are you guys?
Jars Of Clay: twenty two to twenty five
XCRUNNER5 asks: how does it feel to be famous?
Jars Of Clay: I'm not sure, however i don't have much free time
TV_CHAT_ADDICT asks: How do you resist the temptations of today's pop world that is filled with drugs, sex and violence?
Jars Of Clay: I think as a band we try to stay close knit
Freak4christ asks: Do any of you know a foreign language?
Jars Of Clay: Me llamo pantellones
Aynjel asks: When are you thinking about releasing a new album?
Jars Of Clay: I think another year, year and a half. We have a single out in a week
MeLaird asks: Is there already a video for Five Candles and does it/will it have clips from Liar Liar?
Jars Of Clay: there is a video, however it has no clips from liar liar although the song is still inspired from the movie
Cyberchris1998 asks: How long have you guys been Christians?
Jars Of Clay: probably since our teens in college we really learned the basics of our faith
Spicy4You69 asks: Do you find it hard to be a strong christian role model in the field of music in todays society?
Jars Of Clay: in any tradition it's hard to be a role model we try to be transparent
Ghiff asks: Where are you from?
Jars Of Clay: soy bean city, decator illinois
BLONDIE99999 asks: What's your favorite song that you guys play?
Jars Of Clay: probably blind
JanesAddiction3 asks: if you were on a remote island what three things would you bring with you?
Jars Of Clay: oh gosh... a guitar a good book and and a crate full of girl scout cookies
T_H_E_M_A_N asks: who is your biggest influence?
Jars Of Clay: The Beatles musically....As far as heating and cooling needs it would be Dave Lenox
SonicNetHost: You guys are going to be on David Letterman tonight. Growing up, did you..
Jars Of Clay: heck no i didnt even think that i would be in a band
Jen_1001 asks: Do any of the band members own any pets?
Jars Of Clay: golly, I own a dog his name is Kinate, like a fine wine
Mavis_3 asks: What other christian band has had a big influence on you and your music?
Jars Of Clay: Vigialantes of love
THIRD_DAY_ asks: DID YOU LIKE BEING IN ATLANTA AND 99X??
Jars Of Clay: We love it they are good to us
Bublemaker asks: What do ya'll plan to do after your music careers?
Jars Of Clay: hehehehe not go back to school
SonicNetHost: What is more important to you as musicians, your music or your message?
Jars Of Clay: I think they are both equally important
SonicNetHost: You guys obviously have a great sound, but are you at all surprised by your
Jars Of Clay: um, well again we are surprised that we're a band, we hope the more people that hear us the better
CrashOverride_99 asks: What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Jars Of Clay: right now in my turntable jonathan brooks, the who quadrophenia, oh boy, um, kings x and uh, michael penn
Kettell asks: What are your plans for the next tour?
Jars Of Clay: more touring i guess. more of the same we'll be in australia in a week, then new zealand
Steve asks: Do you get embarassed about all the girls screaming for you?
Jars Of Clay: hehehe...not embarrased really. its a little overwhelming
Spicy4You69 asks: What is the craziest thing a fan has ever done to/for one of you?
Jars Of Clay: boy, hehehe. you know i gotta say our fans aren't that crazy. they bring coffee for us someone gave us a care package it had candy, cereal and gas x. we just had in and out burger so it was perfect
Kd_99 asks: are you currently dating anyone?
Jars Of Clay: um, no but im currently married to someone
Tootles_98 asks: Do you see any girl's becoming a part of the group soon?
Jars Of Clay: um,, only unless sarah mclachlan decided to join or uh beth orton
Sea4Yashua asks: What has kept you going spiritually?
Jars Of Clay: being on the road
Bublemaker asks: Why don't we hear more about the bands drummer?
Jars Of Clay: his name is scott. he's a member of our touring band when hes not touring with us he is a sessions musician in Nashville he works out a lot and likes taco bell
Bublemaker asks: Is it true that you will be playing "Five Candles" on Letterman tonight?
Jars Of Clay: at this point no, but um we'll probably end up doing crazy times
Tristan_123 asks: Do you like country music?
Jars Of Clay: hehehe i like the jayhawks and tom petty, thats the closest it gets
SonicNetHost: MTV had a huge impact on the Music Industry in the 80s. Do you think ZMusic is having the same effect for Christian Rock Music?
Jars Of Clay: im not totally excited about the *separation* between the two
Spicy4You69 asks: What is the greatest reward you get from singing?
Jars Of Clay: people enjoying themselves and taking something away from the concert
XCRUNNER5 asks: where is the funnest city you have played at?
Jars Of Clay: oh boy thats a tough question dallas was really cool, but really we have no favorites
Spicy4You69 asks: Do you think you would have achieved greater success by becoming a non-christian band? Would you ever want to change?
Jars Of Clay: well, as a songwriter we write from experience. people can dress it up however
Libbyp3 asks: Hey guys! Besides Much Afraid, :) Overall what were some of your favorite albums of 1997?
Jars Of Clay: oh boy, jonathan brooks, michael penn's reside, and um
Naturalbornfreak asks: Do You Guys Like being in the Music industry?
Jars Of Clay: it keeps us really busy but it's kinda guilt by association
WaterFlower_42 asks: Is it true that it took half a year to write "Worlds Apart"?
Jars Of Clay: it took 9 months
Jigs452 asks: How have your lives changed since the group has come together?
Jars Of Clay: wow, yeah entirely
Spicy4You69 asks: Where are you touring now?
Jars Of Clay: off to australia, new zealand , singapore and japan
Kilikina18 asks: What advice would you give me, a teenager struggling with depression?
Jars Of Clay: oh boy, i would say look for the positive things in your struggles because on the other side you'll find a changed persona and hopefully you'll grow from your experiences and don't listen to NIN lol
DavidLaird asks: What's the last band you've seen live?
Jars Of Clay: wow The Gray's and Toad the wet sprocket
SRREZ asks: where did the song crazy times come from?
Jars Of Clay: a castle in france
Zack_99 asks: Why is it important to you to state that you're a christian band?
Jars Of Clay: you know what, that's the perspective we write from - we like to show our faith yeah
SonicNetHost: Do you think video and radio have given you a fair chance?
Jars Of Clay: there's a lot of traffic out there at home growing up
SonicNetHost: Where did you learn to play your instruments? Music School? Self Taught? Sunday School?
Jars Of Clay: i played the guitar and piano and sax in band at school
Annie_143 asks: any vegitarians?
Jars Of Clay: no, but we do eat our veggies
SiLvER_SwEeTnEsS asks: Do you guys have an address or website that we can visit and ask questions?
Jars Of Clay: www.jarsofclay.com.
SonicNetHost: That's www.jarsofclay.com Welcome everyone to SonicNet's Chat with Christian Rockers Jars of Clay onYahoo Chat! Send in your questions!
Gottaride asks: I teach at a Christian School, where you are very popular with the students. How does it make you feel to be the role model to so many yonng people?
Jars Of Clay: it's overwhelming and alot of responsibility its taught us to grow quicker
Poohakases asks: does it make you feel good to send a positive message with your music?
Jars Of Clay: sure we're all about making the kids feel good
Hansgirl asks: Do u guys like Hanson? Sorry a little off topic Jars Of Clay: actually the producer of hanson's christmas record helped write "crazy times" and "tea and sympathy" - i don't know the record though
MeLaird asks: Will we ever see the wives...i.e. doing charity work or anything else?
Jars Of Clay: I'm partial to things being business we're not going to have them do any numbers with us on stage
Espana_18 asks: what is your favorite verse???
Jars Of Clay: im partial to the whole bible
Charlie asks: How was the wedding?
Jars Of Clay: good, three down one to go
PD_And_The_Fam asks: Whats the best song in your mind that you wrote?
Jars Of Clay: wow I'd say worlds apart
Reploid asks: what's it like having a band?
Jars Of Clay: oh golly its fun and at the same time a heck of a lot of work
Glitterz3230 asks: How many more albums do you plan to come out with?
Jars Of Clay: gosh as many as we can, we'll do this as long as we can
Buh_bi asks: How long ago did you tape the Letterman spot. Will it be aired tonight?
Jars Of Clay: we haven't taped it yet were doing it on wednesday unless bob dylan bumps us, which would be an ok thing
Natasha71 asks: Which album do y'all like better, the 1st or 2nd?
Jars Of Clay: partial to the second
Spazojim asks: are you going to do another version of "FRAIL" I love that song...?
Jars Of Clay: um, probably not we've done two and we think that's probably enough
Kd_99 asks: were y'all raised in a christian environment?
Jars Of Clay: in a round about way
BLOODY_rage asks: What kind of guitars do you guys use?
Jars Of Clay: Gibson Taylor Gresh
Becky_lee asks: Did you expect Flood to be such a hit?? Even in the secular music world??
Jars Of Clay: hehehe no golly, no.
Itrustinhim asks: Do you all write the lyrics together, or does one of you take the lead in writing them?
Jars Of Clay: yeah it is a collaborative effort and fairly spontaneous yeah - i started singing because i love music
Glitterz3230 asks: Do you feel God is happy with your music?
Jars Of Clay: heheheh i can only guess, i hope so
Kim_JOCFan asks: Do you feel there is alot of pressure on you guys from the Christian music industry?
Jars Of Clay: i think there's a lot of pressure in general - i think every one would like to tell us who to be
Rose_Mary17 asks: Are you gonna be at the Cornerstone Festival this summer??
Jars Of Clay: hopefully we love it, we hope it will be alot of fun hehehe
Yooperhere asks: What is up with your Christmas CD Drummer Boy. It only had 4 songs why? I was disappointed!
Jars Of Clay: hopefully we'll do a full album someday we hear that's the thing to do. five candles easily hands down
Biakabutaka asks: Hey guys congrats on the new album, whens the next one coming out?
Jars Of Clay: at least a year away
SonicNetHost: Welcome everyone to SonicNet's Chat with Christian Rockers Jars of Clay onYahoo Chat! Send in your questions!
Putzier asks: Have you ever read Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul?
Jars Of Clay: no but i have read um uh what have i read? blood sport about the clinton administration
Shootingstar_69 asks: Do you guys have any advise for a (hopefully) future singer?
Jars Of Clay: i think were going to stick with the one weve got
AutumnSpice asks: What had been your most memorable experience so far?
Jars Of Clay: opening for sting
KoRn__1998 asks: would you ever do a song with Dc Talk
Jars Of Clay: i dont know we're open to anything - its fun to play
SLK_17_98 asks: Why is your favorite song "Blind", don't get me wrong I think it is awesome, I'm just wondering what makes it special to you.
Jars Of Clay: very dynamic and stays crunchy in milk
Reploid asks: What is your opinion on tv, and video game violence?
Jars Of Clay: i don't watch a lot of tv, just Seinfeld. I only play sports games songwriting bike riding
Ameses asks: what do you do in your spare time (if any)??????
Jars Of Clay: golly... house work
BladeRunner09 asks: Did you start off singing Christian music?
Jars Of Clay: we started out writing songs about our faith
SonicNetHost: Are you politically motivated or just spiritually?
Jars Of Clay: actually scientifically motivated
SonicNetHost: That's interesting... Do Science and religion clash?
Jars Of Clay: i was joking hehehe i was kidding spiritually
SonicNetHost: Cool...
Breakfast_5 asks: Are you gonna make another video?
Jars Of Clay: if we get to, hopefully yes
BlakeEv asks: What's up with the official jars of clay page? It's been down for awhile... :)
Jars Of Clay: we lost our server and we're in the process of moving our website keep trying
VladDrac77 asks: What is FLOOD about?
Jars Of Clay: how the fear of guilt and shame can weigh us down and overwhelm us
Good_strong_coffee asks: How long did you travel with Sting?
Jars Of Clay: we didn't really travel with him we just played a few dates in Texas
Ameses asks: what do you do in your spare time (if any)?
Jars Of Clay: read exercise drink coffee listen to music
MainStreetTenor asks: Do you guys need an opening act
Jars Of Clay: right now no but maybe we need a closing act
Crazeeeguy asks: So, what's your inspirations for all your songs?
Jars Of Clay: riverdance
SonicNetHost: Do you think this album will have the impact your last one had?
Jars Of Clay: we hope so, we've heard lots of positive things some of it well never know very
SonicNetHost: Are you close to your families?
Jars Of Clay: very, its like we have three surrogate families in addition to our own
Jlally5 asks: Do you feel that you have had a great influence on today's youth
Jars Of Clay: we can only hope we've heard positive feedback we hope so
SonicNetHost: Last question...
SonicNetHost: Are you overwhelmed by your enormous success? In both Christian and others? (asked by Jen1001)
Jars Of Clay: hehehe, yes definitely especially in the polka industry Thank you for your questions it's been a joy to speak with you - thanks for your interest and support in the band. thanks for hanging out. we appreciate your support and interest. i had fun and i hope you keep listening. thanks and god bless
SonicNetHost: Thanks everyone for coming tonight and chatting with Jars of Clay. Don't forget to check out there latest album "Much Afraid" and come back for future SonicNet Chats on Yahoo Chat with Johnny Gill and Third Eye Blind.
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*Article: Release Magazine Dec. 1997/Jan. 1998
Jars of Clay by Thompson Ridings-Brooks
Although much of 1997 was quiet for Jars of Clay, they invested alot of time (not to mention blood, sweat, and tears) on their sophomore release, Much Afraid. They returned in force, beating the "sophomore jinx" when the album was released this September and broke sales records. "We can't take credit for anything that has happened in the last couple of years," Matt Odmark says. "We definitely attribute it to the grace of God."
What "happened" being that their debut album, Jars of Clay, was certified double Platinum (2 million records sold), mainstream radio stations granted them airplay, and "Flood" and "Liquid" topped the charts and gained them attention in Billboard, Rolling Stone, Spin, and Details.
To think, just three years ago, Jars of Clay was a band from Greenville College, Ill., who had only been together a short time when they won first place at the Gospel Music Association's Spotlight Competition in Nashville. From the beginning, Stephen Mas on, Charlie Lowell, Dan Haseltine and Matt believed that God has given them a responsibility to use their talents for His glory, hence the 2 Corinthians 4:7 band name. Jars' passionate commitment to be "empty vessels" for God has given them various opportunities outside the realm of the Christian "world."
Their amazing humility and unique sound won fans over---and fast. The overnight stardom meant that the boys, who hadn't been together long enough to play in garages, were suddenly headlining concert halls. "We just didn't have the luxury a lot of bands do, to have years of playing in front of small audiences, really learning how to perform," Matt says. "That's one of the trade-offs for not paying your dues, I suppose."
Charlie adds, "We wrote songs in college on our dorm floor for fun. There wasn't any awareness that thousands of people may hear these songs."
Since those days, the members of Jars have worked to stretch themselves as artists, showmen and ministers. And, although they didn't spend as much time in the spotlight for most of this year, they were still busy: Amid the odd concert dates and recordin g the new album, Dan took vocal lessons, got married, and the band made a suave (yet goofy) appearance on John Jonethis', video for his Lounge Freak version of "Flood."
The genesis of the new album began when Stephen read Hind's Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard. The theme of the allegorical book surrounds the life of Much Afraid, a character gripped by fear long enough to find herself following the voice of the She pherd, who desires to change her name forever.
While Stephen found himself intrigued with the concept, Charlie related to the character: "The last couple [of] years have been a bunch of little journeys for us, not knowing what's ahead, but stepping out there and saying, ' All right Lord, go ahead and take us and give us the strength to deal with whatever'," he says. "He's been so faithful to do that."
With the persistent faith for the journey ahead, the members of Jars of Clay pursued Much Afraid. "As we wrote the songs, it was easy to find a theme," says Charlie. "It seemed like an obvious title for us. We're all such people-pleasers. We're all af fected by criticism and encouragement."
"We found out that we needed to not worry too much about pleasing everybody and just go where we felt like we were supposed to be. The Lord definitely protected us through that time. For every critical comment, there's hundreds of people who are support ive of us."
Dan adds, " It took us a long time to get away from thinking about sales and radio and just writing songs that we enjoyed."
The work paid off: Much Afraid debuted at No. 2 on the Christian chart and No. 8 on Billboard's Top 200, selling more than 100,000 copies its first week. It was officially certified Gold within 30 days after its release.
As the amazing career arc continues upward, the members of Jars of Clay are careful to keep it all in proper perspective. "It has definitely been a learning experience for all of us," Steve says, "just to sift through what we feel has been the call of Christ, and what we feel has been the call of people or the call of success."
Steve points out that, as Christians, their first call is to follow Christ down whatever road He has chosen for the band, "And I think for us, we're musicians in a band and our call is to be the best we can be at that."
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*Article: Guitar World Acoustic No. 25: Bridges to Babylon
"On Much Afraid, Jars Of Clay Work With Renewed Vigor To Blur The Distinctions Between Christian And Mainstream Rock"
by Greg Kot
What does a quartet of devout Christians do after their debut album is swallowed up by the pop-culture machine to the tune of 1.5 million copies and becomes a bona fide mainstream hit?
"Panic." says Jars of Clay guitarist Stephen Mason with a shy chuckle. "When we went looking for producers to do the second album, a bunch of people were put forward; one of them was Steve Lipson [London-based producer who has worked with Sting, Annie Le nnox and Simple Minds--GWA Ed.] He was a guy we didn't really know that much about, so we asked him questions about how he'd produce a particular song. All he could say was, 'I don't know. I guess we'll just go to the studio and panic together.' We fi gured that to follow up a relatively successful record, that was the attitude we wanted to have."
Scrambling for answers in the studio must bring out the best in Lipson and Jars of Clay, because they've pulled a dandy pop layer cake out of the studio oven. The new album, Much Afraid, (Essential/Silvertone), greatly expands the contours of the melodic folk-pop of their promising 1995 debut, Jars of Clay, and suggests the quartet is more than ready to finish the job they started with their first surprise hit: breaking down the wall that has long separated the pop music world from the one labeled "Christian music."
It's a mission the band doesn't take lightly. The title of the new album speaks volumes about the band's mind-set as it settles into a career that seemed like an impossibility only three years ago when Mason and fellow guitarist Matthew Odmark, vocalist Dan Haseltine and keyboardist Charlie Lowell were banging out songs at tiny Greenville College in Illinois.
"I had never played in a band before I got to college; I'd written maybe three songs, all of which I've forgotten about," Mason says. "Dan had never sung in a studio before. Matt and Charlie were in a band together in Rochester, New York, and they had the most experience. We were surprised when we got signed; we were surprised when our record sold more than 30,000 copies, and the whole thing just snowballed. Interviews. The video. Touring. We had no idea how something like that would happen, and th en we were in the middle of it. We were just four people who bonded over our mutual interest in certain kinds of music, and figured, 'Why not have some fun playing together?'"
The story of how Jars of Clay met is already the stuff of legend in Christian music circles. Mason and Lowell knew they'd found a kindred spirit when they spotted Haseltine on campus wearing a Toad the Wet Sprocket T-shirt. They started playing together soon thereafter, and when founding guitarist Matt Bronleewe decided to leave the band to pursue other interests, Lowell rang up his old guitar-playing buddy Odmark back home in Rochester. And alluring, song-based sound emerged, built on the Toad the Wet Sprocket model, and their self-produced demo tape drew the attention of several labels. Silvertone signed the Jars and put them in the studio for a week with King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, who produced two tracks, including "Flood," which broke through on commercial radio and popped up on the rotation lists of MTV and VH-1.
Ironically, the first song the band ever wrote, called "Fade to Grey," wasn't included on the debut album because Belew and the band ran out of time and budget before they could record it. It appears instead on Much Afraid, and is one of the tracks that solidifies the album's themes of faith and redemption tinged by self-doubt. More than anything, "Fade to Grey" is a song that explodes the Christian-rock stereotype of preachy lyrics underpinned by cliched music. A moody rocker that swirls in dreamlike spirals, it builds momentum behind a hard-charging acoustic rhythm guitar as Haseltine sings, "All the black, all the white, fade to grey," In other words, don't look for pat answers here, folks.
"It was like a big accident, writing those early songs," Mason recalls. "The bits and pieces would just fall together and suddenly we'd realize, 'Oh, that was pretty cool.'"
Much Afraid is no accident. It's a grand, sprawling piece of music-making that embraces everything from late-period Beatles, with the gorgeous string arrangement on "Tea and Sympathy," to the sparse folk of "Hymn." It's as down home as the mandolin Odma rk occasionally plucks, and as urban as the tape loops that surface throughout. Slide Much Afraid into the stereo without any preconceptions about the band's spiritual orientation, and be prepared to be won over by pop craft that blends classic-rock melo dies with moody textures that would fit right in on any of R.E.M.'s most recent albums.
On the day he spoke to Guitar World Acoustic, Mason, who was born in Joliet and grew up in Decatur, Illinois, was grieving over a recent loss by his favorite football team, the Chicago Bears. But otherwise, he was in a good mood. Even the breakdown of a tremolo pedal in the middle of a recent concert was no cause for alarm. "We just played all night without it, and after talking with our production manager, I'm finding I don't need a lot of effects to sound good. If anything we're eliminating things rather than adding them."
Mason is soft-spoken but thoughtful--not unlike his band's music. Though the band celebrates ambiguity and gray areas in it's lyrics, the four members of Jars of Clay write melodies and craft arrangements that invite a wide audience. "We're going for a timeless feel," Mason says. "We want this music to last."
He speaks like a man with something to prove. In their subtle fashion, Jars of Clay are slowly tring to redress a cultural bias of long standing. With Much Afraid, they declare that Christian music can be good for the soul, no matter what the listener's spiritual affiliation.
Guitar World Acoustic: Much Afraid is very much an acoustic record, but it's lusher and more orchestrated than your debut, Jars of Clay.
Stephen Mason: It made a big difference to be playing out as a band for two years. That gave us a somewhat greater sense of dynamics. The first record was pretty much a studio creation, and touring behind those songs gave us a real sense of what we wan ted the second record to be like. Looking back, we're not unhappy with the first record, but we felt it could have been a little more contoured.
GWA: You mentioned "panicking" in the studio with Steve Lipson--a sense that is conveyed by the album title: "Much Afraid." It sounds like you guys were highly aware that once a band becomes successful, there's a lot of attention and a lot of pressure t o live up to it's notoriety. Did that affect the music?
Mason: There's always been this stigma of having to prove ourselves or vindicate ourselves, especially because we have a Christian affiliation. In alot of the reviews coming in about the new record, reviewers don't talk about the record. They can't get over our faith. That's their primary issue, and they say little or nothing about the music. So, from that standpoint, I always felt we had to prove ourselves on a musical level. We wanted to make something that could run with the rest of the stuff out there, but definitely not make a trendy, "modern-sounding" record. We wanted something a little more timeless. We didn't use a lot of analog keyboards, and though there are some loops, there aren't as many as on the first record. We wanted to take a bit more of a "classic" approach.
GWA: What did making the first record yourselves teach you?
Mason: We recorded most of the songs in college as a demo, printed up 1,500 copies and then got the chance to make the record again when Silvertone called. The only real difference was we got to add some strings and do a couple of songs with Adrian Bele w. Before Adrian got involved, we were learning as we went along. It was a process of just trying to learn how to use the studio, and sonically it suffered a great deal because of it. [laughs] Adrian has a great ear, and working with him affected the record a great deal. After playing those songs live, we stored up a lot of ideas about how we could approach the next record. There was a lot more available to us this time, financially speaking, so if there was something we heard, we were able to make it happen. Plus, we added a lot more electric guitar on this record because we wanted to help the dynamics.
GWA: But the core of the band remains the acoustic interplay between you and Matt Odmark. Was that in place from the start?
Mason: We started out that way, and to this day all the songs that are written start out on acoustic. Our philosophy is that if it's a good song, you should be able to strip it down to a vocal and one guitar and have it still be interesting. That makes for some pretty tough writing. But when we come out on the other side, we feel that the song is definitely solid and that if you take away the whistles and bells, the song will still grab you.
GWA: You've used some different tunings as a songwriting tool in the past. How about this time?
Mason: We have used a "high-string" guitar approach [the E, A, D and G strings are replaced with thinner strings tuned one octave higher--GWA Ed.] in the past, and we use some of that on this record, though not as much. We use an open E tuning, which is , from low to high, E-A-B-E-B-E. It's a tuning we refer to as "open E," even though it's not actually an open E major. We used that on a couple of songs.
A lot more writing was done this time in standard tuning. We're learning more chords and listening to more music. I think regular tuning was something that we used to help diversify the record.
GWA: What kind of guitars did you use?
Mason: Matt has a Taylor 514 and a Taylor 422, and we used a 12-string Taylor, too. I have a Gibson Tal Farlow, and we used a Baby Taylor and a Martin Backpacker [travel] guitar. I also have a Gibson Chet Atkins, an electric-acoustic hybrid that sounds more acoustic than some acoustic guitars I play. In a live setting, acoustic guitars are tough to make stand out in the mix, so you have to be pretty sharp and cutting, which is where the Chet Atkins comes in.
GWA: How did you get into the acoustic?
Mason: I started out on electric. The music scene wasn't huge where I grew up, in Decatur, Illinois. In my neighborhood, it was me and a drummer, and we'd bash out Led Zeppelin songs in the basement. Everyone was blowing down all these riffs, and I th ought, "I don't know if this is necessarily what I want to be doing right away." No one else was playing acoustic, and I gravitated to it. My mom introduced me to the Beatles records. James Taylor was a big influence.
GWA: Was the Jars of Clay sound there from the start when you all met in college?
Mason: Yes. I think just naturally we're all big fans of groups that do a lot of harmonies, so we all started singing, doing backgrounds and stuff. We wanted to keep the acoustic element as a strong base. And we all have an appreciation for a good pop song. It was all about being interesting and accessible songwriters.
GWA: If not for the lyric sheets, listeners might well find it difficult to realize you have a Christian aspect to your music.
Mason: We definitely don't want to come across as heavy-handed. I think Dan does that really well, lyrically. We don't preach. Hopefully, there's not this air of condescension that some people project. We don't want to alienate an audience that might not have any idea about the Church or Christianity. We want anyone to be able to pick up the record and say, "I like this because..." and not have to feel like they're making a commitment to Christianity by listening to our music. I think that's what people fear: admitting they like the music might be admitting they like something "bad".
GWA: Do you ever consider just not printing the lyrics, to avoid that kind of snap judgement?
Mason: A lot of our favorite artists, like Del Amitri, include the lyrics with their records. I feel like it's a necessary part of what we do.
GWA: Obviously, it's frustrating being written off by certain listeners because of assumptions they have about so-called Christian music. How do you deal with that?
Mason: Hopefully, it pushes us to strive for excellence, musically and lyrically. Hopefully, what we do will be a complete package that says something and says it well. A lot of the stigma comes from people's perception of Christian rock as having too much lyrical content and no musical value. I think a lot of people have a stereotype of what that sounds like. So we've tried to communicate that this music can have both things, hand in hand.
GWA: How do you and Matt arrange the guitar parts?
Mason: We've found that when one of us comes up with a chord pattern, whatever else pops up doesn't have to be an entire part, but just little melodic lines on another guitar to complement those chord changes really well. I think "Overjoyed," on the new album, is a really good example of that; it's got a lot of arpeggios that play off the basic chords and fill up the song. We tried to do more of that on this record. It gives us more elements to play with from a production standpoint.
GWA: Does one of you generally come up with melodic ideas and the other the counterpoint fills?"
Mason: We go back and forth. When we wrote "Overjoyed," Matt came up with the [electric] guitar line at the beginning, I came up with the acoustic line and had an idea for the solo. But generally, I play the electric stuff, when there is electric.
GWA: So you're straddling lots of worlds: acoustic and electric; mainstream rock and Christian rock. Do you feel comfortable there?
Mason: A lot of what we hope to do is build bridges between the two, because obviously there's a gap there. I know that having an industry that calls itself "Christian music" doesn't necessarily help in closing that gap. We're playing a lot of mainstream-type venues now, which we hope will help the process.
GWA: Was it easy to integrate the idea of rock with your faith, or did you have some doubts about whether it was appropriate to play, say, a Tony Iommi riff you copped off a Black Sabbath record on a song praising God?
Mason: [laughs] I never had a problem with it. It's so funny how people look at rock artists to find the answers for whatever is troubling them. We're open to a lot of different music because, hopefully, that makes us better songwriters, better musicians. Our tastes go all over the map. We don't limit ourselves by what the artist's message is. Often, the message is just a byproduct. But there's no doubt that a lot of our influences---Sting, Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan---are thinking-person's pop. Dan likes to say a good writer writes from his experiences, and the four of us being brought up in the church, that's our experience in life. Those are the things we're going to wrestle with and write about---not necessarily in a way that says, "This is it," but in a way that says. "This is our take on things." We hope most of all to ask people to ask questions.
GWA: "Fade to Grey," on your new album, says that. It's all about realizing you don't have all the answers.
Mason: We want to make sure we're being as transparent as we can, and so we give people a bit of who we are. That translates into not taking it too seriously. Our biggest thing is that we want to be really accessible off stage and show people we don't have an agenda, just show we're normal people.
GWA: I've heard you've gotten fan mail from people who bought the first record after seeing the video for "Flood" and were shocked to find you had a Christian bent in your lyrics.
Mason: We've had negative and positive feedback. Parents would tell us there's not a lot of pop music they like their kids to buy or can even listen to with their kids. That's one of the cool things about our band, that families can come to our shows, parents and kids, and enjoy it. Different generations are in a constant struggle to relate to each other, and if we can be part of helping ease that struggle, we think it's great.
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*Article: Harrisburg Patriot News Nov. 22, 1997
"Jars of Clay rides rising tide of success : Christian group pulls in listeners with songs of realistic experience"
By Steve Rabey of Religion News Service
Jars of Clay isn't exactly an overnight sensation, but the band's four Gen-X members come close. Their 1995 self-titled debut has sold 1.5 million copies, the best-selling debut in Christian music history. "It's always been one surprise after another," says Dan Haseltine, singer and lyricist for the band, whose new CD, "Much Afraid," was released in September and has already been certified gold for sales exceeding 500,000 copies.
"We started out in college writing songs basically for us and a few of our friends," he says. "Now we're starting to do international touring in Singapore, Austrailia and Japan. We're kind of going,'Whoa!' We never expected our music to get beyond the four walls of our dorm room."
But things have gone far beyond Greenville College in Illinois, where three of the four Jars members majored in contemporary Christian music before their ship came in.
Last year they performed 300 concert dates, including a few as the opening act for rock superstar Sting; "Flood," the breakout single from their first CD, was in regular rotation on cable music stations MTV and VH-1. Their version of David Bowie's "Heroes" played while the final credits ran on last year's action flick "Long Kiss Goodbye." And they've received generally positive coverage from secualr publications like Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and Spin.
The band's vast appeal may be because the Christianity espoused in "Much Afraid" isn't the triumphalistic, victorious variety heard in most modern Christian music. Instead, the CD, which is named after the main character in Hannah Hurnard's 1955 allegory, "Hinds Feet on High Places," portrays believers as weak and vulnerable.
Songs like "Frail" and "Weighed Down" help explain why the band took its name from the Apostle Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians: "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us," wrote Paul.
"We're trying to deal realistically with what people are going through in society today,' says Haseltine. "There is that triumph where Jesus did rise from the dead and conquered death and sin. So there is triumph there. But in the world we live in, all that a lot of people hear about is triumph, and that you become a Christian and all your problems are solved. That's very far from the truth. We try to paint the other picture. Humanity is a frail thing. There are a lot of heartbreaks and different things you encounter. In the midst of that, you can find hope. But that doesn't mean you won't have struggles."
Also contributing to the success of Jars of Clay are memorable melodies, tight vocal harmonies, and a creative mix of folk, pop and alternative rock elements. And on "Much Afraid," part of which was recorded in London, they add layers of Beatles-style arrangements to the mix.
"Steve, our guitarist, is a Beatles fanatic," says Haseltine. "Plus, there's kind of a resurgence of British pop...and I'm sure that's had an influence on our writing."
But most intriguing is Jars' winsome way of expressing faith without cliches or inside-the-Bible-Beltway lingo.
"The topics we deal with are universal in many ways," says Haseltine. "And we're not only singing to Christians, so why would I want to write a song that uses all this language that only Christians would understand? That would be shooting ourselves in the foot."
But he's quick to add the band has no "agenda."
"An artist spends most of his life in a prison tainted by his experience. Ours is tainted by our experience of being in church and being Christian. Hopefully, people who hear us are going to go, 'Wow! That was a good song!' And we hope some people get some hope out of our music. Anything else is great."
Jar's mix of conviction and creativity also has endeared them to believers who have otherwise turned a deaf ear to most Christian music. Nina williams, a spokeswoman for the band's Nasville-based Essential label, estimates that two-third of the band's sales are in Christian retail outlets.
Meanwhile Amy Grant, the pioneering Christian singer who single-handedly took contemporary Christian music out of the gospel ghetto, sells the majority of her albums in mainstream outlets.
Grant's pop/folk "Behind the Eyes," the 15th and latest CD in her 20-year, 20 million sales carrer, was released about the same time as Jars' "Much Afraid." But "Behind the Eyes" doesn't mention Jesus and has consistently outsold "Much Afraid" in mainstream stores. Jars of Clay singing about Jesus with a capital "J," outsells Grant in Christian bookstores.
Like Grant, the members of Jars of Clay have experienced the loneliness that comes from building bridges to those outside Christian circles. For example, one Christian fan posted this panicked message at the band's Web site (www.jarsofclay.com): "I have heard a rumor that Jars of Clay has played in venues where alcohol and drugs have been abundant. Is this true" Please, someone, confirm/deny this story!!"
The band also has heard from angry non-believers who bought a Jars CD and were upset that something they thought was so cool turned out to be, gulp, Christian!
Says Haseltine, "A lot of agendas get thrown at a band when you call it Christian."
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*Article: WORLD magazine January 10, 1998
by Arsenio Orteza.
The debut album by Jars of Clay sold over a million copies, spent most of 1996 on the upper half of the Billboard's album charts, and yielded a bona fide hit ("Flood"), making the young quartet not only the most commercially successful Christian rock band ever but also one of the most scrutinized.
With the release of Much Afraid, their new album, Jars of Clay now find themselves under the magnifying glasses of both Christians who hope they'll stumble and demonstrate the incompatibility of serving God and Mammon, and of cynics who hope they'll fizzle and prove their initial success a fluke.
Much Araid will disappoint both. Indicative of neither backsliding nor one-hit-wonderdom, it suggests instead that the Jars have learned to take their musical and spiritual responsibilities seriously.
"Our hope going into the recording of this album," the group's bassist, Steve Mason, told WORLD, "was that there would be a noticeable maturity in the music and the lyrics."
Indeed, the musical differences between the debut and the follow-up stand out. From its majestic string arrangements("Tea and Sympathy") to its carefully layered vocal harmonies("Crazy Times"), Much Afraid owes more to the orchestral pop of the Moody Blues, ELO, and the pre-disco Bee Gees than to any variety of grunge.
"One of the things that we used on the first record that we wanted to keep this time was live strings," Mr. Mason, 22, recalled. "We've all studied classical piano to one extent or another, so we have an appreciation for good string arrangements. Besides, we like the classy edge they add."
And although many of the lyrics(written by the lead singer, Dan Haseltine) suffer fromn the syntactical inscrutability that afflicts most contemporary pop, there's no mistaking the meaning of lines such as "Oh fast pursuing lover,come/as angels dance around your throne"(Hymn) and "Sweet Jesus, you never let me go"(the title cut).
"Good songwriters write from their experience," Mr.Mason explained,"so we wanted to make an album that reflected the last two years of our lives and the struggles we've gone through. Of course, since we all grew up in the church, our experience is also our Christian faith. That's what we know to be true. But that doesn't mean we paint a picture that's all fine and rosy. It means we deal with some hard issues, but with hope."
One hard issue that they haven't dealt with to everyone's satisfaction is the Southern Baptist boycott of Disney. To some, Jars' recent participation in Disneyworld's annual contemporary-Christian-music event, the "Night of Joy", calls into question both their judgement and their loyalty.
Mr. Mason, however, stands by his group's decision. "We played there because our philosophy is to take our message wherever we can. We'll play wherever we're invited. That doesn't mean that we're condoning anything. Anyway, I think it's unrealistic for people to look at Walt Disney and ask 'Why are they allowing this?' Disney never said that they were Christians. It's unrealistic to expect them to respond as if they were."
That Jars of Clay is boycotting the boycott certainly hasn't hurt their sales. Much Afraid debuted in the top 10 in mid-September and has been in the top 20 since. Nevertheless, the group is getting a taste of the heat that can come from living beneath a lens.
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*Prayer Requests:
rmhampel@hotmail.com (Rose Hampel)
I am a teacher in a small school in Lucindale, a tiny country town in the south-east of South Australia. One of my students, a 15 year old boy called Wayne, was diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer last Friday. The doctors say he has a better than 75% chance of a full recovery, although his treatment will take at least 2 years. Wayne is an enthusiastic member of the youth group I help to run. He was planning to travel with some of the other members of the group to Adelaide on Saturday (31 Jan.) to attend Festival SA at which Franklin Graham was to speak and Jars of Clay were to perform. Unfortunately Wayne had to miss out as he has begun his treatment and was too worn out to attend. Please pray for Wayne as he continues with his treatment. Pray that the whole family will be able to cope with this long term separation. Please also pray for his friends that we might know how to encourage and support him. Finally, praise God for He loves us and is in complete control of this situation.
From: Anonymous
Needless to say, so am I. I'm afraid he will die and go to hell. He's gay and he doesn't know the Lord. I care for him a lot and want to see him in heaven, I hope there is something I can do, pray for me that I'm able to witness to him.
Also, my mom has been in and out of the hospital (she's a Christian). First the doctors say that she had a kidney affection, then they keep in the hospital for a week until they tell her to go to a hospital 6 hours away, to remove a kidney stone. They did this process twice and now, she must wait 'til a week and an half. It becomes frustrating.
From: 09631763.a96.mail3@mail3.dlsu.edu.ph
My Aunt Emma will be celebrating the first year of her accident on Valentine's Day. Please pray for her that she does not fall into depression but continue to focus on Jesus. There's vast improvement like she can now move her arms up and there's a return of feeling in her chest area. Please continue praying for the healing of her paralysis and that God's will will be accomplished in her life. Thanks a lot to all the people who have written and prayed for her!
kalyb@hotmail.com
My Grandpa (my dad's dad) has been sick lately and they're trying to find out what's wrong with him. They had thought that it was a prostate infection, but they couldn't find any sign of infection. He's been in and out of hospitals for the past few weeks and today he had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to see if they could find anything wrong. Some of the pain is psychological, but they think some of it is physiological. Both my parents went up with him and so right now I'm staying with my sister. It's pretty tough for our whole family. Also, there is something wrong with my cousin's heart. We don't think it's serious, though. Thank you so much for all your prayers! Love In Christ, Karleen W.
From:crboothe@juno.com
I would like for you guys to pray for me and my grandma. I would like for you to pray for me because my great- grandma died one month ago. She was the nicest person around!! It just hasn't been the same since my great-grandma died. I would like for you to pray for my grandma because she's has been having seizures and her heart and breathing stops every once in a while. She has been rushed to the hospital and one time she turned blue from lack of oxygen. I would really appreciate if you prayed for me and my grandma.From:crboothe@juno.com
I was wondering if you could pray for me. I have two things that needed to be prayed for. One is for me because I just lost my great-grandma and I have been pretty down about it. Another thing is to pray for my grandma. She's been having seizures and fainting lately. She's been to the hospital a couple of times. I would really appreciate it if you prayed for me.
From: WindNLion@worldnet.att.net
I have a prayer request. A local Nashville band, Shaded Red, was traveling from northern Missouri back home, when their van hit a patch of ice, flipped four or five times, and three of the four passengers were thrown from the van. The drummer, Chris Yoeman, 23, was killed, and the lead singer, Jonathan Roberts was hospitalized with a broken pelvis. The most ironic thing about the accident, was that the drummer, Chris, had just won the audition to be the free-lance drummer for the band, and played his first public concert the day he was killed. Please pray for Chris's family and for Jonathan Roberts' healing.
Katy
syko270@juno.com (cori a jones)
I want to ask for prayer for my friend Josh. We were out snow boarding and he went off lip wrong and hit his back. He is in the hospital. The doctors say he most likely will never ride again. This is really hard for him because he is good enough to go pro. Please pray that he will get better.
jnjones@ONLINE.EMICH.EDU
My old Sunday school teacher lost her daughter in 1994. Nancy (her daughter) lost her life when she choked to death because her drawstring on her jacket got caught up in the slide somehow. To this day Thelma Sibley (my former Sunday School teacher) still mourns. She finds it harder and harder to go to church every Sunday because of what some people say, she finds it negligent. I just pray that she is alright. Every year since the accident, Thelma leaves town sometimes very far away. It is hardest for her during the holidays and around the time Nancy died. Nancy was a very special child, and the whole church misses her dearly. Please pray for Thelma!
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