The story of THE POINT OF IMPACT is a very personal one for the members of UNFORSAKEN. It all started back in the early summer of 2007 when a fan approached the band asking "How can you call yourselves Christians when you also have made mistakes and sinned against God?" "This was a stunning moment for us... none of us knew how to answer her. We just all sort of stood there with blank looks on our faces not knowing what to say. So we ended up telling her that we'll get back to her on that." Answering her question is what they did. Though not in the way they thought they'd answer her. "A-Train and myself were sitting in the studio working on a new beat that I had just made, and we're both trying to write lyrics to this song but we just couldn't get our minds off what this girl had said to us a week prior. So we stopped doing what we were doing and the both of us just sat where we were and started to pray for answers... any answer! It was at this moment that our first single Learnin' & Livin' was born." The band's reply to this staggering question was simple.. God doesn't ask for our perfection, but our faithfulness towards Him. If it was perfection that He wanted from us, He would never be satisfied. Learnin' & Livin' revolves around a line in the song "We all make mistakes but we're saved by grace / we're learnin' & livin' / that's the life of a Christian." "I think it's important for people to realize that no matter how many times you fall or mess up, God is always willing and just to forgive us. He doesn't keep count on how many times you fail Him, but rather how many times we get back up and continue to follow Him. THAT is what is important!"
Important it is. The message from Learnin' & Livin' just didn't stop at the end of the song... but rather continued on to a whole album of songs. "The Point of Impact is a very different record for us." Jimbo recalls, "On our first album ("The New Breed") we were mostly concentrating on making it a fun, party-like album to show people that hey, Christians we can have fun too... but I think since then we've matured as a band and as people and now we're on to discussing more important issues." Issues like forgiveness, boldness, and failure. Those are major plots in most of these songs for this album. "Don't get me wrong, the party is still very much alive and you will find some of the most off the wall-crazy Unforsaken songs you've ever heard of; but I think people will get to see another side of us too. They'll see our serious side; our passionate side. We want people to know that you are not alone! We have struggles and problems too! But what makes us different is our faithfulness towards God and our willingness to obey His word. All that we're trying to do is to show people the importance of forgiveness and for stand up for your faith. Forgiveness is so very important. Not only for us, but for others as well. We need to learn how to truly forgive others, but let's not stop there, we also need to learn how to forgive ourselves. That right there is the key to freedom!"
Freedom. That is something that America takes pride in. "The land of the free." Yet, America has some of the most un-free and depressed people in the world. Why is that? Why is it that thousands of people each year commit suicide? Why is there so much hate, and violence, and divorce in our nation? Why? Is it the governments fault? Is it our fault? Who is to blame? Maybe it's just because we haven't learned yet what it means to be free. When we stop blaming others and start forgiving and loving others, that’s when we'll find freedom. "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13 NIV)
Love is the key to freedom; and forgiveness is the key to love. The bible says "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us and forgave us of all of our sins." UNFORSAKEN has proposed a challenge to all who listen to them. "If you want to change the world, start with those who are around you. Your friends, your family, your co-workers, your peers, and your enemies. Start by showing them love and forgiving them even though you may think they don't deserve your forgiveness. If we can start humbling ourselves for the sake of others, changing the world... our world is within reach."
To learn more... look for THE POINT OF IMPACT ; the ground breaking new album from UNFORSAKEN, Coming This Summer!!!