Question: I had graduated from University High School so I wanted to ask you? If you could go back to University High School and walk the hallways as a youth leader, what message would you want to give all these kids? I mean, what would you want to do to try to reach these kids?

Dan: Hmm, Good question! I went to University High School so that's probably why she brought that up. I think the kids don't have a grasp on authority and they don't have a grasp on leadership, so it's a lot harder to come at it from the same angles that we normally would… that we're used to. The one thing that kids have a grasp on is honesty. They have a grasp on a person who's really genuine and truly wants to get to know them and truly wants to know their needs. My prayer is that if I were to be in that position, that God would give me a heart that I could go and talk to those kids, and just let them know how much I loved them, for real. It wasn't simply about getting them to my youth group so I could have a fun night of games or something. It was really about getting to know their hearts and helping them make good decisions. There's such a bottom line that kids can see past just about anything. They can see when you're honest about saying that you love them… that you care about them. So I think it's just important that that's what we focus on.

AW: Let's get a couple of questions. Dan's got us moving here! We could use some water up here for the guys, too! I think that would help.

Steve: Oh no, we're fine.

AW: No, they need water!

Question: This is not so much a question, as much as it is an encouragement to you guys. I just really appreciate the fact that you're out there doing what you do. There are a bunch of kids that I know who would never listen to anything that was overtly Christian… that I could ever take to them or present to them. But, I can present them a Jars of Clay album and they know what it is right away. It's a springboard for me to launch into real one on one ministry. Our whole church is open to that kind of stuff. So my encouragement is to keep right on doing exactly what you're talking about… reaching these fields that are not necessarily plowed all the way. It's very cool!

Steve: We love to partner with others, just for future reference. We definitely don't consider this an all inclusive… We desire your help in making that real with kids. Keep it "real!"

Question: From a spiritual aspect, what are the differences in your albums… starting from the beginning until now?

Dan: I can probably do a broad overview. The first record was songs more from a doubter's perspective, I think. The second album's songs were from a person in the midst of depression. And this last record were songs… This last one is a lot harder to categorize cause it was a bit more free. It was songs about just dwelling in the delight of God and kind of understanding His pursuit of us, on a deeper level. The first record really was almost born out of a youth group sense, because we had just come out of that whole model. We had been in youth groups. I was teaching a junior high youth group at the time when we were writing a lot of those songs. And so emotionally, I was really over the top!… on edge! (smiles) Yeah, that's where Flood came from! (audience roars)

Then the second album was written at a time when we, as a band… It was probably a low point for us just because we had come off of a tour, come off all of that great success of that first record. You know we didn't really know what to do with ourselves. We didn't know how to process it. And that was our kind of feeble plea to hopefully write something that was from our hearts. But at the same time, so many things had built walls up, and it sort of created a really difficult time for us to write and put together an album that was really us.

And then this last this last record was a very significant album for us because we spent a lot of time on our relationships with the band. Most of us had been married in the past year before we did this record, and we really focused in on getting to know each other again, and getting back to a place where we could be creative together to the end that we would make a record that would be excellent… that would be worthy of putting a stamp on it that says… This is a tribute to what God has done in our lives. And so we didn't want to create something that was mediocre and hopefully we didn't. That was kind of the tone of each of the records.

AW: We've got time for just a couple more questions.

Question: Hello, I really appreciate you guys letting us know about your going out and ministering in a bar and everything… and your talking about the Billy Graham crusade. What I was wondering… do youl have any more prospects or opportunities to go and sing Christian music to other people who don't know the Lord, as far as you going out in the world?

Charlie: I think we would love to and that's very much still where our hearts are still at. I think we're still seeing where we've spent a lot of time and energy sort of chasing those opportunities and sort of feel like the door kind of being closed on us… a little bit. I'm speaking in general terms here… but maybe feeling like we haven't been wise enough with the loyal audience that we do have. We feel like part of this season is getting back in touch with that audience. And we're still praying about opportunities in the mainstream, because I think that's really where our hearts are when you get down to it. But those opportunities… either they come or they don't come. It's really not up to what we do as much, although we would love it to be. We have an upcoming fall tour we can touch on here with Jennifer Knapp and Luna Halo. We're actually doing a lot of youth groups and trying to build those bridges again… letting those people know we're excited about them.

Matt: In fact, where's our first show, Charlie?

Charlie: Our first show is in Atlanta, Matt!

Matt: Man, are we excited! Woo!

AW: I think we can get excited about that, can't we? (Atlanta audience applauds) Let me make a note of that. You should have a questionnaire. If you would like to be involved with us in the Jars of Clay tour, make a note on that. We're actually going to have a drawing at the end, just to give a little incentive here. We'll give away something… I don't know?

Steve: Why don't we give one of the members away!!

AW: We could give Steve away!

Steve: How about the bass player and the drummer?

Matt: Aaron.

Steve: Yeah, Aaron, our bass player.

AW: Do we have an exact date on the start of the tour?

Alicia from Interlinc: September 22 at the Fox Theatre.

AW: We would love for you to be involved. We'll have a youth worker meeting that evening with the guys to pray and so forth during intermission time. Steve, you're going to be there, won't you??

Matt: Steve's going to be there.

AW: It'll be cooler then.

Steve: We'll work it out where we don't have to have the outfits on while we meet with the youth leaders. We'll do all the costume changing afterwards!