Heart of Texas Magazine

A Heartwarming Story of Faith Comes to Life in Ways You Can Only Imagine

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Tony Maples Photography

 

“They say sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some.” “They say it only takes a little faith to move a mountain.” These are powerful lyrics from the chart-topping radio single “Even If,” from the Multi-platinum Gospel group MercyMe. The beloved Christian band out of Texas, whose songs have not only resonated with audiences across the globe, are a Grammy-nominated, multiple American Music Award and Dove Award winners.

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Photo: Courtesy of The Media Collective

Recently, MercyMe was honored with the notable Artist of the Year award, alongside Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year (Lifer) and Songwriter of the Year Artist (Bart Millard) at the 48th Annual Gospel Music Association (GMA) Dove Awards held on October 18, 2017. Coming together like a band of brothers, each with their own distinct characteristics and talents that they bring to the table, the group consists of an array of musicians know as Bart Millard (lead vocals), Nathan Cochran (bass), Barry Graul (guitar), Mike Scheuchzer (guitar), and Robby Shaffer (drums). “Their relentless commitment to faith, music and the gospel shows no signs of slowing down on their ninth studio project, aptly titled LIFER,” shares their press release.

Lifer

Photo: facebook.com/mercyme

In a recent interview with Barry Graul, he shared how the band’s formula for writing music is a collaborative effort. “Sometimes the music comes first, sometimes the lyrics dictate,” shared Graul. Bart Millard is the main songwriter, but they all contribute to the writing process as every record comes together differently. “We write what’s in our hearts, life experiences. It’s like therapy. They are songs that get folks through hard times,” shared Graul. None rings truer than when you are listening to the heartfelt lyrics of “Even If,” as it takes you down a journey of having even a little faith to get you through to the next moment in your life, when the mountains seem unmovable. Songs such as “Dear Younger Me” are an ode to one’s younger self and the advice we could share along with words of wisdom we know now as an adult, to encourage that younger version of self.

“Lifer” is the band’s latest chart-topping album which is a follow-up to their 2014 album “Welcome to the New” that has “…proved to be one of the biggest releases of the group’s career, earning them two GRAMMY® nods and four long-reigning No. 1 smashes at radio,” shares their website. “Lifer,” with its crown jewel of a hit “Even If,” is leading the road ahead into even more award-winning nods for a group that has been playing together for 23 years. Not bad for a band that used to play over 200 shows at the beginning of its career, and managed to put themselves on salary with a little health insurance, which is hard to do when you’re out on your own, according to Graul. But the road to success hasn’t always been an easy one, with hurdles and mountains to conquer along the way to where they are today.

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Photo: Courtesy of the Media Collective

The band debuted in 2001, but its early beginnings date back to the ’90s before some of the band members such as Graul came on board. Bart Millard, Mike Scheuchzer, and another now retired band member started the band according to Graul. The band’s early gigs were a lot of conferences and church camps. “They did six independent CDs before ever garnering a record deal,” shared Graul. “They got really good at selling CDs out of the trunk of their cars. They were playing more than a few hundred shows a year!” Millard is “…the 44-year-old Christian singer of MercyMe, and former youth pastor, who once worked in a sewer plant, always dreamed of a music career but imagined it as more of a side hustle than a lifestyle.” According to Millard, “…it never dawned on him that he could combine church work and music,” shared their website.

These humble beginnings thrust the group into not only signing a record deal, but selling records and albums, and it all started with a radio single that changed everything, called “I Can Only Imagine.” The now world-renowned hit song is also the basis of a soon-to-be-released movie about the song, and the emotional true story of its songwriter, Millard, and his life with his abusive father who was diagnosed with cancer, who came to know and love Jesus. The movie takes you through Bart’s spiritual journey as a young man and the trials and tribulations he faced growing up with his father. “Bart wrote ‘I Can Only Imagine’ on everything,” shared Graul. “His grandma would say that all time after his father passed, and he would write it down on everything.” Graul goes on to share that the basis of the movie is to show the redemption quality in its storyline. It’s considered a “…redemption story about how his father became an incredible godly person; someone Bart never thought would make a change like that.” It’s a song born out of a phrase and concept Millard fell in love with and is now waiting for a movie release in 2018.

I Can Only Imagine

Photo: facebook.com/mercyme

Originally Amy Grant was set to record the hit song “I Can Only Imagine,” but realizing what a gem the song could become, Grant graciously gave it back and the rest is history as the single went on to become a mega-hit that catapulted MercyMe into its destiny of bringing inspiring messages of hope, faith, and love to audiences worldwide through each song. It’s been a whirlwind of a career full of blessings and closed doors that led to amazing opportunities for a group that considers themselves more like family. “Folks ask how are you guys still together? Do you fight? It’s as much a business as much as it is a ministry. Were a family. We don’t fight but know there is business that needs to get taken care. A lot of conversations over that but we get things done,” Graul shared. “Usually our manager comes in and breaks things up,” shared Graul, as he laughed about what a day in the life of MercyMe can be about.

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Photo: facebook.com/mercyme

“Since making ‘Welcome to the New,’ our whole perspective has changed,” Millard admits. “There was a huge paradigm shift, so to speak, spiritually for us. The gospel didn’t change, but our perspective of who we are because of the gospel certainly changed,” shared their biography page. “Lifer” is an extension of how their music has grown and reached thousands of fans. You might even feel at times as if you’ve stepped into a Justin Timberlake video for “Can’t Stop The Feeling,” as you clap your hands and jump to your feet to the catchy tunes of its title track “Lifer” that “…stretched the band’s sonic muscles,” and “Happy Dance.” “You relish those times when God shows up and the Holy Spirit just drops songs right in your lap such as ‘Finally Home,’ from their 2007 album ‘All That Is Within Me; with its country twist that was written in 20 minutes,” shared Graul. The band pondered whether it should go on the album but as their producer shared… “Of course it’s going on the album, you made a grown man cry.” That’s how some of the songs are crafted and come together from life experiences, according to Graul. They’re songs that come down to the core of helping others.

Each song is a symbol of the life experiences Millard has faced in a difficult time. “‘Imagine’ when my dad died. ‘Bring the Rain’ when Sam (his son) was diagnosed with diabetes. ‘Hurt and the Healer’ when my cousin—a firefighter—was killed in the line of duty. ‘Homesick’ when my brother-in-law was killed…” shares their biography on “Lifer.”  “The blessing and curse of a songwriter is that my therapy comes when I write songs, so ‘Even If’ is another one of those songs.” “For Bart, I believe it’s definitely therapy the way he writes. I believe God uses Bart to help others with his music and it’s why we do what we do,” shared Graul. “Folks will share that ”I Can Only Imagine’ was played at a family member’s funeral…’ or ”Hurt & The Healer’ got me through a tough time…'” he said.

MercyMe Concert

Photo: facebook.com/mercyme

MercyMe is a band of brothers that are ministers, first and foremost, reaching out to those that are hurting. When asked about the message they would like folks to take away from their music Graul shared for them to see “…there is hope in each song, and that Christ is the answer.” Their unique album cover for “Lifer,” with three bars representing three different “facets” of life (“Living,” “The path of life you’re on,” and “Living with life or passion,”) shows how MercyMe is forging a path ahead with songs full of hope and faith that carry you through even the most difficult times you may face.

To learn more about MercyMe visit: www.MercyMe.org.

Their music is available on iTunesSpotifyAmazonGoogle PlayCracker BarrelLifeWay and more.

The movie “I Can Only Imagine” is set to hit theaters March 16, 2018

“Originally published in Heart of Texas Magazine, Fall 2017” — https://www.facebook.com/HeartofTexasMagazine/.