A little reference from Marc Broussard….what an artist…so good! Anyways, we have been home for the past two weeks and it has been so refreshing. Kelly and I have been able to have such amazing quality time together, hanging out in Atlanta, going out with friends, taking our dog to the park, the list could go on. Also, myself, JR, and Christian all played at a church on Sunday that some of us attend & pastor in Atlanta. It was one of those nights that we could have gone for days (if there wasn’t a sound curfew in the city!), because the presence of God was SO intense. It is truly an incredible time to be alive. Be reminded that the love of God is awakening more people than ever across the globe. The stories you read about in the gospels are actually happening across the world today, and I encourage you to set your mind on the “unseen” or the “eternal” and join the movement of God in your community. Every day, just spend some time reading the word, listen to a podcast, get your worship on, whatever it takes, just begin to fall in love with the Creator and watch as He starts pouring himself out to the people around you wherever you go. Love you guys.

Ben

Where do I begin? This past weekend marked the final event of the ’09-10 Acquire the Fire tour. I’ll be the first to publicly admit that for us, it was the best yet. We had the pleasure of traveling the country with some of the finest in the business. So to the whole team at Teen Mania, thanks for another fantastic year of friends and memories. With this end also begins the Summer (a season I have been anticipating for quite some time)! We’re also very much looking forward to some amazing camps, concerts and festivals that we will be a part of in the coming months.

In other news some of the guys and I got a chance to go out and enjoy some crab this past weekend in Baltimore. It’s amazing how a chance to just chill for a bit with guys you see and play with all the time can bring out some awesome conversation. As we were enjoying the water’s breeze we began to discuss the band; the music, the public persona, what makes us who we are, and an interesting concept came to mind. We realized that very unintentionally, we haven’t been as honest as we should be. By this I don’t mean that we have been dishonest, of course. I simply mean that we realized that we haven’t been pouring our hearts, our thoughts, our struggles, our victories, our lives out through what we do nearly to the extent and clarity that we could. Our heart and mission has always been and always will be to lead people into an encounter with the living God. I wonder how much more that can be done with unbridled authenticity.

I’m sure very little of this makes much sense to anyone and I would warn you not to read into it too much. But I would consider this blog to be the beginning of a new season in Unhindered with a much more open window into who we are as people, artists, lovers of God.

Chrispy

“Father Will You Come” goes to Radio today! We are incredibly excited about the next few months as we anticipate what God is going to do with this song. It is amazing to think that this song has potential to bless many more people than it already has! It is kind of crazy to think that a song we have been playing for years is reaching a brand new audience for the very first time! We would ask that you join us in praying that God would be glorified and people would be blessed by it.

Also, we are coming close to the end of the spring tour and preparing for the summer-run. We have already been planning out times to put the finishing touches on some new songs so we can begin to introduce them as soon as we can! Get ready!

-Pat

This weekend is gonna be insane! Over 16,000 people filling the IZOD Arena, pursuing the heart of the Father in one of the most influential cities in the world. Hillsong United, a group that we have always looked up to, will also be leading worship on Friday night. Needless to say, we are extremely excited about what God has instore this weekend!

It has been quite a busy Spring, filled with touring, songwriting, and pollen. Yes, the pollen in Atlanta is out of control!!! Pat & I climbed Stone Mountain last week and there was a yellow haze over the entire city. Anyway, hope you all are doing well. Be praying for the heart of God to be released to the people of New York!

Ben

There are just no words to describe this. Check out the video below. Absolutely amazing…

Chrispy

Butterfly Will You Come

So I have some good news and some great news? Which would you like to hear first?

The good news: We have begun the process of sitting down, brainstorming, and writing new music. (Hence the blog name…”Think Tank”….)

The great news: The new ideas sound amazing!

We are super excited about what this next year holds for us! Father Will You Come will hit radio at the end of April, we will be playing some exciting festivals this summer, and we are loving life! What more could you want!?! We really feel like God is bringing us into a new season, and our prayer is that we would be filled with His love, spirit, and power as we travel. The future is looking great!

P.S.  For all you guitar players, be on the look out for Dashers new creation. I’ll give you a hint: you can buy one from him if you like it. Buckle up!

-pat

The past few weeks have been the busiest and most exciting yet! We have been in the studio tracking the radio version of Father Will You Come and it is AMAZING! Also, Ben and I spent a couple days in Nashville at a writers retreat. It was great. Twenty-five people slammed into a cabin in the woods writing songs! It was like a reality show (except no one was sent home…and no one was engaged by the end of it.)

In the next few months we will begin the process of exploring new sounds and writing new songs. Its exciting when you get a chance to start fresh and begin dreaming about what the next season could look like! Buckle up!

-Pat

A couple of weeks ago marked our first weekend for Spring 2010. Yes I know it’s not actually Spring yet but when you live in our world, we pretty much only exist in 3 seasons. Fall, Spring, and Summer. Jan-May is Spring but I digress… So far things have been amazing. We spent a weekend in Ridgecrest, NC with Youthquake and had an amazing time in the mountains. This past week we had perhaps the most exhausting 5 days in Unhindered history. It all started with an early morning driving 9 hours down to Port St. Lucie, FL. We drove back through the night to meet at Buckhead church here in Atlanta for a full day of rehearsal preparing for their Night of Worship event that night. The next morning we were off again with a 6 AM airport call to fly to Houston for an Acquire the Fire event followed by worship with the students at Second Baptist Houston West, and a VERY delayed flight back to Atlanta. Yeah… busy. But things seem to be back to normal now.

In other news, I think the guys and I are feeling some cool new inspiration. New sounds and song ideas are flowing like never before. Can’t wait to see how they develop and how God uses it to continue to further his kingdom in a NEW way! See you guys soon!

Well, our first real time of traveling begins this weekend up to Ridgecrest, North Carolina for the YouthQuake conference. We have a busy year ahead of us, and we are ready to take it on!!! There is “talks” of us taking Holly back out a few times this year. Now, some of you might be new to the blog and have never heard anything about Holly. In short, she is a 36 foot box of goodness and likes to have emotional breakdowns at any hour of the day. She is our old RV, but we still love her because she’s beautiful on the inside. ANYWAYS….We really feel like God has big things in store for the church as a whole in 2010. We are seeing revival stir up in the hearts of people all over Atlanta, and we have been watching online the movement of God in other cities in the US. Our prayer continues to be: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on EARTH, as it is in heaven.” Our mission is to bring heaven to earth, and represent or “re-present” Jesus to the world. A mentor I look up to asked me the question: “When’s the last time you’ve been in awe of the God that’s inside of You?” I pray in 2010 we will remain more in awe of God and see Him flow through us like a mighty river. We love you guys!!!

Ben

Yeah I know… it’s “twenty ten” not “oh ten” but we’re just going to go with it for now… How exciting it is to start a new year. 2009 was awesome for us. With it came two marriages, our first national release, and our first radio single (among several other things of course), but needless to say, we are pumped about 2010 and what God has in store for it.

In more practical news, we just got home from Gatlinburg, TN where we rang in the new year with 19,500 of you folks and had an awesome time doing it! It was one of the few times a year that the wives and close friends get to come out and hang with us and what better city in the entire country to host them than ol’ Gatlin-vegas?? So to everyone who was there, thank you for another memorable year! What were some of the things you folks did to celebrate the new year? Any new years resolutions out there?

-Chrispy