A great deal has happened since Cross Rhythms became the first national magazine to write an article (CR28) on Jars Of Clay. Tony Cummings reports on the progress of the Illinois rockers.

Matt Odmark takes up the point, "Before I joined Jars, I used to work with youth. One of the things (we learned) in leadership training that I think is really true is that a lot of modern day evangelism has forgotten the joy of discovery. There's so much joy and so much more real change that comes about when you discover something for yourself. We don't really trust the Holy Spirit enough to work and bring change in people's lives. I would hope that what we try to do in the ministry of Jars is to push people toward making their own conclusion, to trust the Gospel and the Holy Spirit enough to know that is what's going to change people, not us and not one of our songs."

Many critics have commented on Jars Of Clay's clear-eyed, bravely honest view of themselves. How do they maintain that kind of personal integrity?

Matt: "I think it is definitely a discipline. One of the things you notice as you meet other artists is there's this degree of cynicism that something about the industry seems to breed. I (realised) early on that you have to protect your heart at some level from that... protect that wide-eyed child-likeness. There's all these things that want to pull you out of that and you really have to struggle and be intentional about holding onto that view of God and the world."

Dan: "We've gotten a lot of response about the lyrics, that they're really honest. When lyrics come out, a lot of times (they reflect) just exactly where I'm at, things that are fresh in my mind and heart. Lyrically, God meet us where we're at and we need to kind of meet the people that we're influencing at the same place."

Who do the band say their music is for?

"I'd say it's by the people and for the people...," quips Steve. "It's been exciting for us to see a multigenerational response to the music - a lot of youth, kids who are in college and on their own as well as youth pastors and elders in the church have been very supportive. Again and again we're just blown away with the way God has used the music to minister to people that we don't even expect it to. We're continually humbled by it."

Dan Haseltine takes up the theme: "I think the relevancy comes from God. We can't really explain why an elderly lady would like one song and a 12-year-old kid would like another; that's not something we have any control over. It's hard to explain where we fit in because we don't write with intentions of fitting in anywhere except within ourselves."

Many fans have been intrigued by the band's lyrics, like the song "Art In Me". Explains Dan, "It's a song about how easy it is to praise God for things like mountains and mountaintop experiences, but we always overlook the creativity and the art that (occurs) when we reach the valleys and God actually sculpts us and puts us together and allows us to fall on him. We kind of neglect that and say, 'God, I'll praise you when you get me through this.'"

I In the song "Worlds Apart", the lyric says, "All I am for all you are/Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart." Does this song define Jars Of Clay's perspective of the Christian life?

Steve: "Charlie and I are reading a book called Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges and it really speaks of this song in that (the author) compares accepting Christ's righteousness to filing complete bankruptcy, spiritually speaking - I think it's called Chapter 7 bankruptcy. The battle that Dan and Matt wrote about is when we file for Chapter 12 bankruptcy, which is partial bankruptcy. We accept God's grace for our salvation and we know we'll be caught up into Heaven. But (while) living the Christian life in between those two things, we try to pay for some of that with our works. Singing that song, we can't help but continually dwell on the fact that he wants to be all of that for us. We're constantly challenged to file permanent bankruptcy."

Why did the band choose the Christian market place as a platform for their musical ability?

Dan: "It's easier to break into than the secular market (laughter). Most of us have grown up doing music in the Church to some extent. I know for me it was just a natural progression."

"We very much want to be about ministry and sharing Christ with people," adds Matt. "We see our music as a tremendous gift from God to help us do that. The secular industry just isn't designed to support a ministry; it's designed to sell records. Those two (things) are kind of at cross purposes sometimes."

How would you describe your music, not stylistically but ideologically?

Charlie: "Christ our Saviour and how holy and blameless he is, the contrast of God and man; the whole image of Jars Of Clay and the jar, how fragile that is, how easily broken -yet God entrusts his Saviour in as (2 Cor 4:7). That's the theme that weaves through most of our music and that we're constantly blown away by."

Matt: "We hope our music would speak truth, truth about who God is, who man is and the relationship between the two."