Zealand – United & Free

CCM: We’re assuming all of your songs are children in some ways, so is that hard to shelve some of them?
PJ: No, it’s not because in the process, I’m trying to make certain things work when you know they’re not right. To put something on a shelf when you know it’s not right was not hard; it actually felt liberating. It caused a bit of a problem with the record company and booking and scheduling, but in the end, we feel really good about what we’ve got. In the end, it’s all about serving. It’s not about us being artsy. It’s giving something to people that will authentically bring about change.

CCM: We love what you said that it’s all about serving.
PJ: I think that’s the struggle that most Christian musicians have. They want to create and be true to what they need to create, but they’re also called to serve. We’re called to bring our gifts to the table and they’re meant to be just that: gifts. They’re meant to be brought to others. So we have to struggle with being authentic but also being of service. It’s a good struggle, I think. When we give up one way or the other, I think that’s when we sell out and things don’t feel right within our souls.

CCM: How long has that been the driving force for you? Has that always been at the center or is that learned?
PJ: It’s always been at the center, I think. At a certain point a few years back, I thought the best route for what we were doing was to try to write a collection of corporate worship songs. That was noble in its inception, but really once we got down that track, we started to realize that we’re a worship band. We want to worship and see people remember and come to have great encounters with God through these songs.

But also, for us to be true to who we are, we should not be striving to write songs for the church. If that happens, it comes out organically and naturally. I feel like it has. There are songs on this record that, whenever I get to lead worship in churches, these are the songs that I’m using right now and it’s very helpful.

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