I went to the Van Gogh museum!

Had to sneak some pictures! Those museum people are pretty intense.

Walked around the city for a while!

Played at Flevo Festival and started the day by playing an acoustic set in the middle of all the campers. Woke them up at 10am! haha

I'll post a video blog form our time there tomorow. The show that night was amazing! 

John the Baptist spoke those words in response to a question. People asked what he thought about everyone crossing the river and going to Jesus for baptism instead of him. I love what he said! John knew that his status, his ministry, his whole life was in the hands of God. So what did popularity matter?

In a culture where everything is taken for granted (cell phones, running water, grace) it would do us good to take a moment today and simply be thankful. Relax. Remember that it's a miracle your even breathing, and a greater miracle that you're loved by God. Every good thing in your life came from Him, and will keep coming from Him. Just stay faithful, like John the Baptist.

Does it matter if you lose a little of this or that? Does it really matter that you don't have the new shiny toy? That boy or girl on your arm? A thousand twitter followers? No, its doesn't.

The only thing that matters is a life given away in response to God's generosity.

35,000 kids packed in an arena! Crazy.

The show was amazing. We were a little nervous because it was being broadcast live on Dutch TV!

We went for a bike ride in Arnhem...

Stopped by the WW2 museum...

Rode over the bridge that the British tried to defend from the Germans...

Leeland showed his crazy bike skills...

After an interview they gave us raw herring, a Dutch delicacy. As you can see we didn't finish it! Bleck...

Oh and we found the Shire while we were on our bike ride. Frodo was a jerk.

We love you Holland! Good look in the World Cup. Arjen Roben is Lee's favorite soccer player by the way. See you in August!

After and AMAZING show in Arhus, Denmark last night, we had a nice day off in Copenhagen today. Went to the 17th century Rosenborg Castle and saw the crown jewels and then basically walked around in the rain and took in the sights. The weather was a bummer, but we had a good time hanging out with each other and trying to figure out the underground in Danish. And apparently the famous mermaid statue lady is in China right now, so... thanks China! Oh, and Leeland lost his wallet. : (

Now for a bit of sleep and a flight to London tomorrow. peace!

So we've been at home for a few days enjoying some R&R with our families. The tour was amazing, but there were 26 shows packed into a little over a month! That makes for very few days at home (zero home days for some people on tour) as well as tired voices, and general loathing of bus bunks. Don't get me wrong, there are very few cons about touring, and the pros definitely overpower them. We have to pinch ourselves every once in a while and remember how blessed we are to get to live our dream.

The Night of Worship tour was particularly important for us, because our heart as a band is to lead the church and non-churched to Jesus. And we did just that. People were really impacted by the worship that went up, the word of God that was spoken, and the appeal we gave for Food for the Hungry.

We're really grateful that people showed up to the shows and dived into worship. Leeland got to share every night that our songs really mean nothing if we're not actually living a life to and for God. This tour drove that message deep into my heart and I'm changed because of it.

Here's a few more pix from the last week...

Matt Maher played an amazing set every night. Buy his record here! Top notch songs.

We've signed some crazy things (toasters, fruit, etc). This definitely makes the list. So random.

Playing some "team horse" with Phil and Taylor. We JUST thought of playing with two man teams instead of one on one. Crazy! It's so cool, try it. It get's out of hand and you start trying to do back flip dunks and stuff.

After the last show, we had our last supper.

And of course, you can't leave a diner without a shake. We slept well that night (for 3 hours until our 4:30 lobby call! ouch).

And the early flight home was worth it, because I made it home to this guy! Notice the Sound of Melodies onesie. Pretty awesome!

We're at home for a few more days until we head out to Brazil. Can't wait! We need to practice our Portuguese and our soccer skills. We'll give you some updates from South America this week!

love,

jack

We've had a great couple weeks on the road. California was especially nice. Every show was amazing and we met some great people along the way. When we were in Sacramento we go tot go by the KLOVE studio...

Phil sharing about his single "Safe". Leeland listening intently.

Matt listening intently, or thinking about his fiance'.  : )

Getting prepped for our on air performance of "New Creation". A big thanks to AIR 1 for adding it!

Mike, giving us the crazy eye while signing after one of the shows.

Lebron and Carmello about to take the court!

Leeland sings Tears of the Saints. Great moment!

Mike signs a mans head. Great moment!

                     A little learning of the guitar as well!

12PM 4/17 - We're in the front lounge of the bus driving to Portland right now. We're all watching Mike's favorite soccer team (Chelsea) lose a very important game. Mike is actually headed to his bunk right now to sleep away his sorrows until we arrive at the venue. Looking forward to the show tonight in Portland. We haven't had a "bad show" so far and I don't imagine that we will. Favorite moments of the tour so far... Temple TX - My wife and son at the show. YES! Abilene TX - Doing vocal warm ups with Lee and Phil was pretty awesome. This MUST continue. Phil couldn't help but jazz up his scales. Tyler TX - The crowd was one of the best of the tour! They were singing louder than the sound system. And Leeland shared a pretty amazing message at the end of the concert. God's presence was so thick the room!

Edmond OK - There was a pristine soccer field right outside the venue. Need I say more? Oh, and we got to hang out with some fans at a park nearby. Played some football with the kids and they ran circles around us. Lenexa KS - This was the Worship Together conference. You always know it will be a fun night with the room is full of worship leaders and singers. haha, it was awesome! We hung out with our KC friends that day and met Lou Engle that night. Great day. Wheat Ridge (Denver) CO - Got to the show late because of 2 flat tires on the bus. So we set up all the production in turbo mode, did soundchecks and then had an amazing show. People were so hungry for God and we could feel it on stage.

Reno, NV - Leeland woke up with his voice hurting really badly. He went to the doctor and they told him he probably shouldn't sing at all for 24 hrs. We thought about just sitting the show out, but that would've been lame. So, Leeland played guitar and I sang the lead vocals. I have a LOT more respect for my little brother now. It's hard to be a lead singer! haha.

Fresno, CA - We went to the mall and did some shopping that day. I bought some new pants and a shirt and some sunglasses (because I alwasy loose them! ) Phil wasn't at this show, so we had to change things up a little bit. It went amazing though, and once again the crowd was passionate for God. It was easy to get lost in worship. Oh, and Matt Maher BROUGHT it! He played You Were on the Cross. A beautiful song about the sacrifice of Jesus.

But none of these things can describe who I am. The only way I can describe my true identity is by pointing you to the person of Jesus Christ. He's IN me. And I am IN him. I can never run from that truth. My true nature is GOD'S nature! Who am I? I'm a child of God. I'm a son of the King of Kings. 

If you add up all my failures and mistakes they would pale in comparison to God's great love for me. As I walk with God more and more, I find out that God chooses to see our potential when everyone else only sees our weaknesses.

I'm a world changer, because God has destined me to be one. And all the hordes of hell tremble at my potential in Christ. The same goes for YOU! Before you were born, God had a perfect plan for your life.

Don't let your past mistakes define you. That's not who you are! Just because you got sidetracked doesn't mean you're disqualified from the race! You're still qualified and you're still in it! And the best part is that God is cheering you on. God only sees success for you and me. So be encouraged!

Share your stories with us, and let us know how God is working in your life!

I have a son!!!! His name is Smith Elisha Mooring and, as of now, he's a whole six days old!

Our friend, Marcus Hackler, created this video for our tour last fall. Wanted to share it on the site today and let you refelect on the message of this song. God's raising up a generation of people that know they're the righteousness of God. And we have access to the purity of the Holy Spirit, and can release that love and purity into the world around us. Take some time to pray right now, and ask God if there's anything that stands between you and him. You CAN defeat it, because God has given you authority over the enemy. We're on the winning side! So be encouraged.

Remember...

Ephesians 1:3-8

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding."

Mike's ready to show the country what's up!

View from our hotel in Hamilton.

NZ Countryside

Swimming at Raglan beach in NZ! The water was cold but amazing. And no sharks!

Soundchecking under a tarp because of the rain!

Breckie!

I wanted to give you guys an opportunity to make an eternal impact. Most of the things we do change a moment. We play Xbox, or we order a coffee from Starbucks, or change our Facebook profile picture. They're not bad things, they just have a very small effect on the big world we live in. Like pebbles thrown in an ocean.

But what if we were given the opportunity to alter the course of history just by the click of a button? What if we threw a pebble in the ocean, and it created waves and not ripples? 

We are in one of those moments right now. In fact, I would argue that we're ALWAYS in that moment, it's just that we see it a little better right now.

So, as a band we are committing to keep giving, giving, and giving. We'll give whatever amount God tells us to give, and we'll go as many places God tells us to go. We're willing to make the sacrifice, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus into the hard places. And we really want you to come along with us.

So how do we do that? Here's some advice...

1) Get on your face before God and encounter His love. Acts of service and sacrifice are just natural responses to God's love.

2) Give your money. There are problems in Haiti (and the rest of the world) that can be solved. There's great organizations that really need resources! 

3) Strapped for cash?  Consider doing an extra side job and donate the money. Or just sell all your unused stuff on eBay, and let your buyers know where the proceeds are going.

4) Get out of your house!  Step... away... from the computer. : ) Go with your friends to a local homeless shelter and meet some people in need. Find the people that no one wants to touch or talk to, and invest time in their lives. 

Come one guys, we want to go to a new level this year! We'd love for you to come back to the website and share your stories on how you've applied this.

We love you so much!

-jack

Here's some other ideas:

Text QUAKE to 85944 to make a $10 donation to Haiti relief through Food For The Hungry 

Also check out Hope for Haiti's Children

Oh... and we're playing rugby today against some Kiwis. We're going to get OWNED! We'll post more stuff when we get back to the states (the land of the free internet).

Much love.

jack

Taken over a year before our first record was released. haha. Memories!

Recently, I had one of those spiritual epiphanies and everything became clear in one moment. I was praying and suddenly my eyes were opened to something. I realized that I had complicated things. I'd turned my relationship with God into process...a formula. I knew God loved me, but for some reason I couldn't get free from the bondage of "productivity". I don't think I'm the only one who has struggled with this.

Don't get me wrong - we're supposed to be responsible and get things done in life, but that's not what I'm talking about. We've brought this "productivity" thing into our relationship with God and we've completely missed the point of the Gospel.

We were created for one simple purpose, and that's to be intimate with God. To know Him and walk alongside Him with love is the highest calling, the ONLY calling. Everything else flows from this. Do you want to win this world to Jesus? Do you want to see your family situation turn around? How about those bills that are stacking up? The solution to the world's problems and the answer to our needs will only come if you're intimate with God. Show me someone that's giving everything in pursuit of the face of God, and I'll show you a world-changer. Show me someone that's consumed with just "getting things done" for God, and I'll show you a frustrated & unfulfilled person.

This song is an invitation to make things simple again and, to make your greatest goal in life to simply fall more in love with Jesus. Really get lost in Him. Here's a project for you. Take some time today (and every day for the rest of your life) to just sit and let God love you. Then let that love fill every moment of your day, even the ordinary places. It will change your life. If we get this, we'll be in the perfect position to change the world around us!

This is one of the most transformational prayers you'll ever pray.  Simply giving your life away to God. What does that mean practically?

First, we have to realize that God cares about our dreams and aspirations, because He's the one who gave them to us. The most content people in the world are those who've given everything they have to God with no questions asked. Total surrender. These people end up seeing their dreams come true because they've stopped trying to please people, and they live to please God. Can you imagine living that way? Well, you can!

Secondly, think about the fact that Jesus gave His life on the cross and then rose again three days later. Why? So we could go to heaven? Yes, but that's not all. He rose again, so we could be sure that we don't serve a dead God. He's living inside of you if you've made Him your Lord. That means that He's given you the ability to surrender just like he did! (Lk 22:42) We can do the things Jesus did, and more. (Jn 14:12-13)

What are your dreams? What are your ambitions? I can assure you, the second you just sacrifice them and give them back to God you'll see them come true in due time. Stop striving, and surrender just like Jesus did. His plan is the best and His timing is impeccable. (Pr. 19:21)

Holy Spirit have YOUR way!

I try my best to imagine the day that Jesus died on the cross. So many things happened. Political systems were shaken, devote followers of Christ were disheartened, a mother lost a son, and God the Father experienced sorrow beyond comprehension. But right in the middle of confusion and fear, Jesus saved the world.

But, what was Jesus thinking, especially when He was walking down that road on His way to save the world? This was our inspiration for the song Via Dolorosa, which is the Latin name for the road He walked. It translates: "way of grief" or "way of suffering". 

We know one thing - Jesus did suffer. He went through more pain that day than one human could bear, and the weight of the sins of the world bore down on His heart.

As believers I think it's good for us to sit every once in a while, and ponder the work of the cross. I mean, REALLY think about what happened. A king from a distant and powerful kingdom came as a humble and awe inspiring man. This man lived his life and poured out more love than any one man could possibly give. All of this built up to that moment when the sins of the world rested on His shoulders.

What was Jesus thinking when he walked the Via Dolorosa? I know that He saw our faces and felt the hope of our future, and the glory of his redeemed people. He saw through the ages and knew that this one act would tip the scales of power. He had won the war. He knew it. That's why He was able to endure the pain and heartache.

Can you say the same for yourself? Life can beat us up, but can you look through the crowds of hateful people, casting off the weight of this world, and give your life away like Jesus did? This is the Gospel. His grace empowers us to give everything we have for His kingdom!

Hebrews 6:11-12 11 "Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit Gods promises because of their faith and endurance."

On a day off we took the train to Chicago. We never get to ride trains, so we're very excited.

Leeland is excited too, but he's in the middle of an intense Doodle Jump game. Let's hope he hears the train coming.

We found that thing that looks like a frozen blob of metal in Millenium park. We stood amazed. I don't think Jack was into it though.

Jack WAS into Gino's East however. Great pizza! We had a great dinner and good conversation with our tour friends.

After two days off, we started a six show run in Syracuse, NY. Soundchecking like one big family!

The crowd was fantastic that night. We had some powerful moments of worship and justice.

A few days later we were at Liberty University playing the Vines.

We had an amazing night. After this soundcheck we went through all the seats and prayed for the people that would sit in them. It was awesome!

_____________________

Also, please remember this tour in your prayers. Pray that people's hearts would be moved by God to draw closer to Him, and that this would overflow into acts of justice and love throughout the world. We're also excited to play our songs for people who have never heard of us! It's really cool to gain new fans and get to meet new people. We're having a blast out hear, and Brandon & Francesca are doing an amazing job every night. 

Have any of you come to a Follow You tour show? Tell us about your experience! 

FOLLOW YOU 

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them." -Bono

We all know that God is omnipresent. It's a very real fact. He's everywhere. He has the ability to reach into situations unknown to us. Right now, there are billions of problems throughout the globe; a child soldier in Africa is forced to kill, a street sweeper in Bangladesh has no hope, a teen age girl in Romania is suffering from deep shame after aborting her child. There are problems across the street too. Your neighbor lost their job or their marriage is on the rocks. God knows everyone's story, and He cares so much!

He's there, right beside every person in the world. Now's the time for us to get up and follow in God's footsteps. It's really that simple. Find out where God is, and run to meet him there! We know that God's heart aches for the poor and the needy. They are His children too. As we reach out to people that are hurting, our problems begin to shrink, and we draw closer to God's heart in the process!

This is what the song "Follow You" is all about. If the church doesn't respond to the world's brokeness, it would be the greatest tragedy in all of history. We have what it takes! We have the very love of God in our hearts. We have faith to see the impossible come to pass, and we have a God that's waiting to back us up in this mission.

Ask God to open your eyes today. Ask Him to reveal His footsteps, so you can follow them. They will lead you to some amazing places.

A couple months later we found ourselves in Japan, Cambodia, and Bangladesh (Brandon joing us for the first two) and God truly spoke to us while we were abroad. For me it was an unexpected lesson. I learned that poverty is complex, but the God we serve is truly omniscient and all-powerful. He knows the solution even when we don't. He is more than capable of healing broken lives, cities, & nations. Here's the amazing thing though... He's wanting US to play a vital role in this process.

I'm God's child, but so is the poor kid in Cambodia, as well as their mom & dad, and so is the investment banker in Manhattan. God's love is for EVERYONE, and as followers of Christ we CAN show this love in very tangible ways. Just try it.

This tour is about following God into the hard places, whether it be Cambodia or Cleveland... London or Little Rock. People are hurting, and they need the healer. His name is Jesus. 

We're four shows into this tour and God has already done great things. We're expecting more, and we would like to ask two things of you:

1) Would you pray for us? That we would keep our hearts aflame for God. That we would speak with boldness on behalf of the forgotten. For safety as we bus across America, and for our families while we're away.

2) Would you commit to falling more and more in love with Jesus? If we're not doing this first, everything else is for naught. Let simple intimacy with God overflow into your actions so that justice, love & righteousness can be known in the world. 

Please come to a show and partner with our ministry and we'll see God's kingdom come!

Much love.

-jack

Here's a few pix from the past few days...

4th show on the Texas run: Dallas Chic Fil-A. It was hot, and the people out there were champs for braving the sun.


Driving through the planes of Texas to make our 9pm Waco show after the 5pm Dallas show!

Played to a packed out Common Grounds coffee shop by the Baylor campus. People were in trees and on the roof. It was crazy!

After the Waco show. Marcus, our production/sound guy. He works very hard, as you can tell.

Then me and Leeland flew to Chicago to do some interviews on the Moody Bible campus downtown.

They had a really cool radio studio from the 40's...

We played some songs and interviewed for Midday Connection. Really great talk show!

Lee found a furniture store to do his phone interview in...

Hid a copy of Donald Miller's new book on the Moody campus. Someone found it in like five minutes!

Then we all flew to Vegas for a show. Flying over the Grand Canyon was incredible.

Watched Blindside perform. One of our favorite bands! They're back. Thousands of kid's got saved!

 
After our show we went to the strip and saw the fountains. God is doing amazing things in Vegas right now. Pray for a great harvest souls in the years to come!

As a member of Christian band, you end up talking about things that are pretty lofty and sacred sometimes. For example, you'll hear us shouting from the rooftops about our great God, and asking our generation to step out and serve Him by loving the world. When we're talking about this all of the time it makes us aware of how easily we ourselves miss the mark every day. The first part of today I had a hard time sharing love & kindness and it's easy to let the cares of life nag at you. But we MUST not let this happen. As we boarded our last flight today I felt God tugging on my heart. So I immediately dropped every distraction and began to seek God with all my heart. There was such peace and rest in this time with God and it broke down the walls in my heart. Colosians 4:2-6 jumped out at me and nourished my heart and it felt like every word MEANT something to me in that moment. God totally knows what we need, and WHEN we need it.

We are God's children and we CAN walk this out. We can be who God has called us to be! If we'll just keep our eyes fixed and set on Jesus... we'll win this war, and celebrate the victory that Jesus bought with His very life. He's alive. And so are we! Let's change this world and bring heaven to earth through the power & authority of our saviour Jesus Christ.

Don't you feel something peculiar in the air? Something's going on and I want to be a part of it.

love is on the move.

jack

Show was amazing. The crowd was intense!

And we fly to California.

Hanging out in Monterey by the water. Had some good seafood.

We found a boat of our own. Might tour in it actually. Doing only coastal dates, you see.

Played Spirit West Coast. It was so cold on stage! Good times though. Right now we're having some down time in San Jose. Tomorrow morning we fly to Seattle!

And the mountains in the background, this means one thing...

... we play soccer! It had been a while since the last band soccer match. So we hooked up with our friends in Desperation Band and had quite the match!

The kids at the Desperation Conference were so hungry for God!


That night we teamed up with the Dband for an amazing night of worship! We had tons of people on stage. God was so evident in the room. And we sought after God with all our hearts. So fun!

Found a car we all want.

Found a new tour bus.

Ate at Lambert's. They throw you hot rolls.

Played a 4th of July concert. We live in the best country... EVER!

Our little cousin Joey rode his bike. He doesn't ride without his helmet of salvation.

Check out Food for the Hungry! And consider sponsoring a child.

"In Him was life and that life was the light of men." St. John (Speaking of Jesus)

Is it just me, or does it seem like we're the walking dead sometimes? I mean, come one people... we serve Jesus! : ) Not only do we serve Him, but when we got saved, His life and nature were poured into us without measure.

This means that the same life and light that burst forth from Jesus, now dwells inside of us. Because HE lives in us!

When we really grasp this truth, everything changes. Like a ripple effect, His love begins to alter everything about us. But the choice is yours. The ball is in your court.

Will you allow the life, love, and light of God to transform your life? It's a choice I have to make every morning with my coffee... and every afternoon when I get cut off in traffic... and every time I get a middle seat on a plane at 5am. : )

I remind myself that I'm no ordinary person, drudging through some ordinary life. I'm extraordinary because someone exceptional has taken residence in my heart. God himself!

Please share your thoughts. How do we practically walk this out?

much love

jack

Hey guys and gals. First of all, thanks for the amazing response on the last post! We've been reading your comments and it's so inspiring to see our generation dreaming big.