"Finding hope with Wake Today" The Redbird Post

Wood floors creak as we step into the main room of the old house. All the furniture and personal effects that would signify a family life remain but everyone is gone. The majestic house overlooking a lake in Jasper Georgia was once home Jonathan Ray and his family. As we take a seat he slowly recounts being a boy when his younger sister passed away. Hanging over the main door is a picture of his dad finishing a road race in which he also passed away shortly after. "Mom just couldn't stay in this house alone anymore." he says, "I turned to God for hope for my family. Not heavenly hope necessarily but earthly hope. I just wanted them to be happy again."  

Finding God in the midst of tragic and unexpected events is never easy, especially for an artist who wants to take past hardships and turn them into hope that is accessible for any listener. Personal struggles along with the desire to spread God's hope to people serve as a catalyst for Jonathan and his band's writing. The heart felt lyrics born out of these struggles along with melodic tones and soaring vocals put them in a new creative class of innovative worship leaders. 

Jonathan (guitars, vocals) Robby Lattimore (bass) and Max Mitchell (guitars) formed the band in 2008 while recording with producer Trey Roth. They later derived the band name from Romans 13. With smooth transitions between rock and sweeping melodies, Wake Today is sure to be liked among fans of Phil Wickham, Copeland and Coldplay. Be sure to pick up their new album on itunes. You can also listen to them online at www.myspace.com/waketoday.   

(interview with Jonathan)

Q: What are some of your musical and non musical influences?

A: They are constantly changing but right now anything with simple melodies. I'm finding out that you don't have to be complicated. I'm also a fan of C.S. Lewis and children's movies.

Q: What does a typical day in your life look like?

A: Well I work at the I.T. department of a church solving computer problems all day. When I'm not doing that I chase storms for a living, read and take naps.

Q: What kind of advice would you have for fellow bands who lead worship?

A: Be yourself, just genuine. People really pick up on that. Don't be lazy but don't over strategize either. Set attainable goals, discontentment is the thief of joy... I heard that last week.

Q: What has been your biggest obstacle personal or musically? 

A: Umm, losing dad was tough but God carried us through it. I guess getting over the preconceived notions of what a successful life would look like. Living with purpose and doing ministry without becoming disappointed along the way.

Q: How has your personal life affected your writing?

A: Every day influences me as a writer. Life is constantly changing but there is never too much to write about. Seasons of life really inspire me on different topics. Similar themes have come out in several of the songs we wrote on the album. After dad's death I wrote a lot out of frustration. That's when I turned to God for hope for my family, hope for our time on earth before we leave. Sometimes I have to go back and scratch many of the songs I write out of frustration. It's a good way to vent.

Q: Let's change the pace a bit, If you could ask, what would be your first question to the indigenous people of Antarctica?

A: Have you ever crawled inside a dead walrus along with your family to save yourself from a cold night? And if I had a second question it would be; Have you ever seen Star Wars?

Q: 911, was it an inside job?

A: You would ask that. We will never know.

Q: Ok, how did you meet your band?

A: We all met at a church in Chattanooga one Sunday. Max started pushing me to record our songs. Robby was the last piece of the puzzle. God just started presenting the right opportunities and then we met Trey at a friends wedding who eventually produced the record. 

Q: Do you have a favorite book or author?

A: C.S. Lewis, The Bible and one called "Horton Hears a Who" I'm starting to write some children's novels as well.

-Dan Snyder

X-men Morality

I've been thinking about our morals lately. A discussion with my friend Adam about the "Wolverine" movie left me with a good question. Not where did his claws come from but what is the morality of these characters based on? Throughout the film they randomly choose to kill or not kill bad guys based on how it might make them feel later. In this case more like a bad guy. It's not that they had any problem with killing, just that it would quote "make me like them".

And so indiscriminate slicing and shooting of the inconsequential security guard or movie extra is without any thought. But when it comes time for the really evil character to get his come-uppins there is always a huge moral dilemma. 

Isn't this how our society works? Do we not let the homeless and unborn die at no moral cost while we debate for years and spend millions on the death penalty of one inmate? What are we basing these moral decisions on? Hopefully not movies with mutants in them. Next time your making a hard ethical decision over whether or not to run your two foot stainless steel razor claws through an evil scientist, don't rely on your emotions. Maybe you should stop and think about it.

Charleston

We are enjoying the last stretch of our anniversary vacation. Here are some shots we took today that I'm excited about. Hope you enjoy.

Dan

Wake Today

 Wake Today is a new band I would encourage everyone to check out. I've had the privilege of playing, writing and traveling with these guys some over the last few months and grown to love them. Their album, produced by Trey Roth came out Saturday (go record an album with Trey if you haven't yet!) We're all looking forward to what comes from these incredible musicians and writers in the future. So go check them out on myspace and tell a friend.

The Atlanta baptism nightlife

You think God ever gets fed up and spin kicks the earth watching it break in half and crash into the sun only to reverse time and set everything back to its working order again? That might be good stress relief for the frustration of a world who misunderstood how much He loved them. 

But more seriously, I'm still finding out that our lives are meant to be more exciting and fun with God than I previously thought. Tonight forever changed the way I will feel about baptism. I grew up seeing dozens being dunked and even conducting one for a friend. I remember getting questions like, your not a minister so why are you baptizing someone? I really saw the process as an obedient way to delight God in a tradition that maybe just doesn't mean as much to people as it used to.. you know like when John the Baptist did it. 

Tonight was the easter service at Midtown Community Church in downtown Atlanta (a place we call home, made up mostly of local college students). After an amazing service we all walked a couple blocks down to the pastors house where there would be several baptisms. The setting was amazing. A couple hundred gathered on a huge deck behind the house with a hot tub with the city night skyline right above. For each person getting baptized there was encouragement and chanting followed by loud screams and cheers. It wasn't like the quiet baptisms I'm used to where you can hear a pin drop followed by faint golf claps. It was a celebration with a huge sense of family and support.

It's not about doing away with tradition. It's not even about finding a fresh way of doing things. But somehow when a bunch of students without seminary degrees got together and celebrated salvation I felt like it was more closely what God originally intended for us.

Networking Schmetwerking

There is nothing quite as annoying as people who pretend to be friends in search of opportunity. This type of deceitful behavior is rampant within music and photo circles as both my wife and I have found. A friend shared a quote with me from Bill Johnson (Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California) who said, "Pursue relationships not opportunities". 

So, quit hassling the people you think can get you places and pursue relationships with everyone you meet. When you do this you naturally end up with more legitimate opportunities anyway. Networkers are usually more transparent than they think.

Josh Kirk who are you?

This is Josh Kirk. He is an avid cyclist, country music writer, commercial pilot, aid activist, professional musician and soon to be co-author. I also maintain that he is the best music programmer in Atlanta and soon to be husband/father of 400 babies. I have enjoyed his witty humor and raw intellect almost every day over the past couple of years now. So tonight on the drive back home from Atlanta it didn't come as a surprise when Josh wielded yet another morsel of theological genius my way. 

The conversation was about a wave of legalism that a local start-up  church was experiencing over their decision to hold a raffle in order to raise money for some new equipment. (Just as a side note, a raffle is a fund raiser with a prize at the end. There's a distinct difference in donating and pulling the lever at the slot machine.) Josh's reply was, "People complain about things at church when church is the only spiritual encounter of their week." This hit home because there are a lot of things I don't like about the church as a whole. Sometimes I like to complain about them. If what Josh says is true then we all need to quit complaining about what we don't like about the proverbial whorish bride of Christ and work on our own life during the week. 

"To all perfection I see a limit, but your teachings are boundless." -Psalm 119:96 Luckily God is perfect so your church experience doesn't have to be. If your still waiting on church to become good by your standards, stop it! If you are a church leader who complains about the means by which another church raises money, resign! You obviously need the time to focus on something that matters. The church needs leaders who aren't busy protecting the sanctity of pointless tradition and people who don't complain about a problem without a reasonable solution. In a real sense, church sucks! But it's time to ask yourself what your protecting when you complain about some inconsequential thing that its people did.