Tony Cummings reports on husband-and-wife worshippers AUSTIN & LINDSEY ADAMEC

Austin & Lyndsey Adamec

Cross Rhythms has just published a review of the single "Victorious" by Austin & Lindsey Adamec. "The best worship song and performance released independently for a long while," it read. So who are this husband and wife duo from Jacksonville, Florida? They spoke about their early years to Young Salvationist magazine.

Said Austin, "We are both lucky to have grown up in Christian homes. I grew up very blessed in a home where God moved with power. Even as a young kid, I got to see miracles - God was at work in my family's life and at church in different ways. In high school, I started desiring things of the world, wondering why these other people are able to have so much fun. I watched others still getting to party and live double standards, and still be okay with it. I was so conflicted and driven to want to live this life. I wasn't living up to my identity and my calling. In my senior year I was called out by a pastor friend of mine. This pastor really spoke into my life. He said, 'Austin, listen. This is what I am hearing your friends and people in high school say about you. I know it's not true. Are you going to live by the calling in your life?' I was so embarrassed. I was caught in my tracks! So I went all in and it's like I finally found my identity. I stopped longing for people's acceptance, and I longed for Jesus. Amazingly, I then found those people actually respected me more. The trick of the Enemy is to make you think that the acceptance and friendship of others is going to give you fulfilment - but true fulfilment is found longing after Jesus."

Lindsey came in with her story: "Like Austin said, I am a pastor's kid. I grew up in a strong Christian home where we were at church every time the door was open! I think I have more memories of the church than I do with my other home. At a young age I think I knew there was a responsibility for me to follow the ministry of my parents' footsteps. I grew up in a family of ministry and at age five I accepted Jesus in my life. I was scared about going to hell and not being saved, because that's what everyone does. It wasn't until a little bit later when I was nine or 10 that I really owned my faith. I believed in Jesus and lived life with his power, walking with him and obeying Jesus, not just following the rules. My world was changed when I received the news that my Grandma was diagnosed with cancer. She has been diagnosed before, but now she was given three months to live. My Grandma watched me grow up. She was my best friend. She was my hero. I remember while she was going through chemo, she would still be part of our ministries, picking up kids so they can come to church. She had such joy and supernatural peace through it all. I asked her, "Aren't you afraid of dying?" And she said, "No, because I know that means I will get close to seeing Jesus." It was then that I realized I didn't have that feeling. I didn't know where I was going to go when I died. I didn't understand that joy and peace while going through tough times. I remember being in my bed, and I just couldn't sleep for nights. I was angry. I couldn't understand why God would allow people who love him so much to go through so much. And I think that was the first time God really spoke to me, and told me things are so much better on the other side-"It's so much better when you are with me!"

The couple first met each other on stage at a youth rally. Austin explained, "I was part of a local band that one of our best friends helped manage at the time. My brother who was a drummer would attend, and we were both attending the University of Florida. A friend of ours said there was this girl who had an amazing voice and gave me one of her demos. I thought she was incredible! We were actually dating other people at the time, but we would sing together."

Before that singing partnership became a permanent one in 2013, Lindsey's life was to take a serious musical detour. Major Christian record label Reunion Records, recognising the ongoing popularity for teen pop girl groups, announced auditions for a new group, to be called 1 Girl Nation. One of the hundreds of young hopefuls who auditioned was Lindsey. She joined the group and 1 Girl Nation did fairly well on the Nashville CCM scene, releasing one album as 1 Girl Nation in 2013 and a more adult-orientated one, 'Unite', as 1GN in 2016 before calling it a day. Also in 2016, Lindsey and Austin took the plunge and married and shortly afterwards released a self-titled worship EP which featured standout songs "Walk On Waves" and "It Is Finished". That was followed by a Christmas single, "Welcome To The World You Made". But it is their single "Victorious", released in March this year, which is now beginning to be recognised as a classic of modern worship.

Austin spoke to Kevin Davies at the New Release Today website, where he unpacked the inspiration of the song: "Our story is about realising how God's Word applies personally in our lives. We are worship pastors at our home church in Jacksonville. When we sing about God's victory in our lives, we try to relate that to what we are going through and make it personal, or it's just dead religion. All of God's promises are 'yes and amen' as we know from Scripture. We can claim all of those promises in the name of Jesus. For us, this song is about relaying how Jesus overcame the grave of our past and our mistakes and all of the things that he reigns victorious over in this life that hold us captive. As we apply his mercy in our lives, we find that his Word is living and active. We wrote the chorus, and then in the middle of the night God gave me the verses about how death thought that it had won, but he has overcome."

Austin added, "This song is a celebration of living a life in the presence of God and a song of praise for the victory that he has accomplished in our lives. No matter the season of life we find ourselves in, God has already accomplished all that we need by sending his Son to die on the cross."

Its lyrics are some of the most powerful and faith-affirming since the golden age of hymnody:-
"Oh, King of Heaven, my heart can't fathom
The cross you chose, to pay for my ransom
Death had thought it won
But you have overcome

My past now covered in mercy
My hope restored, your scars tell the story
Fear had thought it won
But you have overcome, you have overcome

There's power in your blood
We stand redeemed because you are
Victorious, victorious
There's healing in your name
Through every season you will reign
Victorious, victorious

Forever my lips will sing of your glory
Forever my heart will know who is for me
Oh, champion of love
You have overcome, you have overcome

There's power in your blood
We stand redeemed because you are
Victorious, victorious
There's healing in your name
Through every season you will reign
Victorious, victorious
Victorious, victorious

Our blessed assurance
Our rock through the ages
Jesus, you reign victorious
Your kingdom, your glory
Will never be shaken
Jesus, you reign victorious!

There's power in your blood
And there's healing in your name
There's power in your blood
And there's healing in your name

There's power in your blood
We stand redeemed because you are
Victorious, victorious
There's healing in your name
Through every season you will reign
Victorious, victorious

Our blessed assurance
Our rock through the ages
Jesus, you reign victorious
Your kingdom, your glory
Will never be shaken
Jesus, you reign victorious!"

The final words go to Austin: "This song is about Jesus. He overcame the grave. It's about submitting all of ourselves to him and his goodness and allowing his blood to cover us and run through our veins. That's how we can 'overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony'. The world and its setbacks are tactics of the Enemy, who doesn't want Christians to be empowered by the blood of Jesus or to have a self-image based in truth. We all need to wait on God and pray to be in his will, and he will transform our prayers to align with his plans for us. We need to remember that all of his promises are 'yes and amen'."