CCM: Your first record spawned radio success, sales success and touring success. Last year, when you were thinking about creating this second record, was there fear involved? Because of how much your debut achieved?
JF: Yes. Crippling fear. Whenever I started writing for this new record, the first four months were actually filled with severe anxiety. I had never had a panic attack in my life, but I just started having panic attacks every week.

CCM: While you were on the road?
JF: Yeah, while I’m on the road, just freaking out in the back lounge of the bus and just not feeling like myself, too. I’m not that personality, so it was a really strange season. Why am I feeling this way? It really came down to the fact that when writing for the first record, there was no expectation of me—just write the best songs possible and pray people enjoy them and that the Lord will use them. The second record was like, No, you have to hold the weight of this, and you have to perform, and if you don’t, then everybody hates you. Somehow I had tricked my mind.

About seven months into writing [Future], I was sitting down with a co-writer, Paul Duncan. I had finished explaining to him my mindset at the time, and how I was just not myself. He quoted the backside of Ephesians 1:18, and said, “You have to remember that our future is found in the inheritance of God.” It crushed me because I realized all the things I had [forgotten] since our move from California to Nashville, of relying on Jesus to provide. He’s not just our financial provider, He’s not just our provider for food or water, He’s our provider for everything—even songs.

I broke down, and that day we ended up writing “Witness,” which is the first single off the record. I got fired up with enthusiasm again. Oh my gosh, how have I been so fooled by the enemy of just believing this? What really got me through was just remembering. You have to remind yourself what your past looked like, and what God has done, to move forward. And that’s the entire undertone of this record. We don’t have to worry, we don’t have to live in fear, we don’t have to live in anxiety or stress because we have a God who asks us to give those things to Him. And if we choose to, we find out what real freedom in life looks like.

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About The Author

Contributor

Andrew Greer is a multiple Dove Award-nominated singer/songwriter, respected author, and co-creator of the innovative Hymns for Hunger tour with Cindy Morgan, raising awareness and resources for hunger relief organizations in hundreds of cities across the country. On tour, Andrew has shared the stage with folks like Amy Grant, Brandon Heath and Andrew Peterson. His songs have been recorded by artists like Jaci Velasquez, Seth & Nirva and Nic Gonzales (of Salvador). And his first book – Transcending Mysteries – co-authored with Ginny Owens, was published by Thomas Nelson in 2015. Andrew is also host of CCM Magazine’s “Features on Film” series, featuring one-on-one conversations with some of music’s biggest artists. For more information visit: andrew-greer.com or hymnsforhunger.com.

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