How 'bout spilling the beans on your testimony and how you became a follower of Christ?

I was nine years old and listening to my granddaddy Taylor preach in South Georgia when I first understood that I had to follow Jesus and give my life over to His control. But as much as I thought I understood that, I still fell down a lot spiritually and it was later in high school when I rededicated my life to Him and felt a calling to a life of ministry. I first thought that was to be full time as a missionary in a foreign country, but later grew to understand it as a life of mission and ministry service to others, and discovered that no matter where were are or what our jobs are, we are missionaries all the time, and need to live as such.

Is there a particular verse of scripture that you consider your life verse?

This can change a bit depending on what is going on in my life, but I’ve always been drawn to Philippians 1:6: “being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ” (ASV). It’s good to know that no matter what I feel like, or even when I mess up royally, God who started this amazing thing inside me, is still at work making me into the person He calls me to be. And he won’t stop for a minute until the final timer bell goes off in His kingdom.

What would you like to see God do through the ministry of 22FIVE?

I would like to see 22FIVE be able to reach out to people who often feel disenfranchised or left out or even harshly judged by the church at large. I have grown to understand in recent years that God’s calling on my life is to ‘get out of the monastery’ like Martin Luther and be salt and light in the real world, impacting culture and changing it from within. To do that, I’d like to see us reach beyond just the folks who attend churches and youth groups and Christian camps, and write tunes that cause all kinds of people to think about the real issues of faith and redemption and repentance.

How do you see the role of music in your life?

Music has always been a huge part of my life, from the days of playing air band with badminton racquets to old LPs by KISS and The Clique, all the way up to now with my XM player blasting out jams. The difference is that I now listen as a man of faith and look for those evidences of God moving, using even Caesar so to speak, and try to find ways to see the bridge in music between pop culture and the Christ-like life. Of course, praise and worship music and songs from the Christian music scene take up big part of that too, and I love to hear bands like Skillet and Flyleaf, who sing about God’s truth from the same airwaves as other popular bands.

What’s your fondest memory from the REIGN days?

I really dug the road trips and setting up before the gigs. There was something special about those times when the four of us would be unloading and unpacking and often talking to folks from the gig and with the ones who would get there early and want to help. Well, except for the trips we took when it was way too hot and I had a dark-colored car without an AC. Those trips weren’t fun at all.

What’s it like to be back together again?

It’s honestly like we never stopped playing together. It’s weird that way. The very first practice Brett, Steve and I had together, we wrote a song. It was so cool. We still have the same kind of stuff going on, which is really funny sometimes. The same discussions, the same conflicts, the same “magic” when we play. Like I said, it’s weird that way.

Who are the bass players and bands whose work has influenced you?

The guys who really get me jazzed about the bass are folks like Tommy Sims, Abraham Laboriel and Lew Sklar. They end up mostly doing session work, and you’ll see their names all over CD liner notes. They’re solid and they lay down a groove for the rest of the band to stomp all over with solos and stuff. Other than that, I really dig the old Motown grooves. Those guys really knew how to make the bass it’s own instrument and not just something to play the guitar notes on in a lower octave.

What made you want to take up the bass in the first place?

I had originally been a lead singer in a high school metal band in South Georgia. But when I moved to Atlanta, I met Stephen and a guy named Wade, who were starting a band called Cornerstone. They needed a bass player, and I knew enough about music and the guitar to fake it. Back then it was all root notes and simple stuff. I later came clean about it, but luckily by that time, I’d really learned how to play the thing so they forgave me and it didn’t become a big issue.

Describe your process of writing a song.

Often the idea for a song comes from looking at scripture or sitting in church during a sermon or teaching time. Sometimes it comes from just snippets of conversation with friends. Regardless,  I’ll hear some turn of a phrase or statement of truth and jot it down on whatever I have handy, a scrap of paper or even the notes function on my cell phone. Then I play around with it lyrically to see how to be true to the idea without making it too trite or bouncy. That type of melody comes off pretty fake to me. I guess it’s just a personal thing. Then I either try to marry it up with a riff or chord structure I’m playing with or write new music for it, but I like it best when we get together as a band and put the puzzle together as a team. Those songs usually become my favorites.

What advice would give creative types trying to use their gifts to impact the world?

Be true to the gift God gave you and to the God who gave it. If you neglect either you’re going to miss out on some amazing things. Listen for guidance from other believers and from the church, but first and foremost listen to God. He may call you to do and say some things other believers may not like or understand. He has a history of that, all the way from the prophets to the ministry of Jesus and beyond. Just be thankful He hasn’t called you to marry a prostitute as an object lesson or walk around and preach naked for three years. True story. It’s in Isaiah 20. Who knows? He might even send you to eat meat sacrificed to idols or foods the rest of the church considers unclean. He's not a tame Lion after all.