In today’s contemporary Christian music, we are often swamped with new bands all trying to “make it,â€? but recently I met a few guys who are definitely into leading worship for all the right reasons, and God is visibly blessing them for it. I encountered Owing Adam for the first time during a Disciple Now event in north Alabama, and by the end of the night I was absolutely blown away â€" both by the presence of God and the band’s incredible determination to lead 200 youth there. From the oldest to the youngest, everyone in the room was blessed that night, and it takes a truly humble and dedicated worship group to be used of God in that capacity.

Owing Adam began as a vacation Bible school band, and throughout its life, has been operated by the philosophy that where God opens doors, it must follow. Through leading worship during junior high, high school, and even college ministry, the members of Owing Adam have followed faithfully through many trials to get where they are today.

The guys told me quite a few stories of how God has always supplied them with their needs, even in the loss of band members. A few months ago they suddenly found themselves without a bass player when one of their members felt lead to a college in Atlanta. After a few months of praying, God showed them one of their newest members; their current bassist (Jonathan Clifton) approached them in the hallway of their church, and explained that God had been pursuing him for months to use his talents â€" talents that the members of Owing Adam were completely unware of, despite their close friendship within the church. The lead vocalist, Blake Monroe explained to me, “Sometimes it just takes us being patient and sitting still so God can work it all out. He is amazing.â€?

At the beginning of our worship time in north Alabama, the members of Owing Adam took a few moments to explain the meaning of their name, which is a testimony in itself.
“In Romans 1:14, Paul states that he is debtor to all men, meaning that he owes every man an opportunity to know Jesus Christ. That is our mission also; actually it is everyone’s mission if you are in Christ. Jesus represents the second Adam. Jesus was and is ‘the first born among many brethren’; He came to make all things new and we owe Him everything. We hope that people will take our name with them. It’s not just our band name - it is something we want to live out and we hope others will follow us in doing the same.�

One might think that traveling around and leading worship all over the Southeast might get a bit tedious, but when asked about their likes and dislikes, they had nothing but passion for their work. “We love everything about what we do. From Taco Bell before performances, loading and unloading our gear, to eating dinner with youth groups, it’s always amazing. But the greatest thing would definitely be seeing God move - seeing people worship the Almighty God. What a blessing to be able to play a small role in God‘s Kingdom. We are blessed. Seeing kids come to know Christ and give their lives to Him is the best part of what we do.�

However, the band will be the first to admit that they struggle with the same things that we all do â€" from pride to time management to everyday temptation, they explain that they are just like the rest of us. But they take their responsibility as worship leaders very seriously. “In our position keeping a clean testimony is of utmost importance. Be holy because Jesus is Holy. The best thing that we can do as a group is to keep each other accountable. The way we see it, we stand on a stage to lead people to worship God, and that is a huge responsibility. We are a band to glorify God - not entertain. We like to have good time and we try to play some songs where everyone can have a good time, but what we want is for everyone to worship with us and turn their attention from simply hearing a band to seeking the Face of God.â€?

Owing Adam has already recorded a seven-song demo CD, which I must add, is absolutely incredible. Their distinctive contemporary-rock style is not only unique, but I saw first-hand how it quickly catches the attention of a group. Their current compilation has only been out since January of this year, and they already have 2 of the songs playing on internet radio stations â€" an amazing feat for an amateur recording. The next project will focus on waiting on God, man’s nature of impatience, and the satisfaction that comes with building faith in Him. They hope to release the 10 to 12 song project during winter of 2007 or spring of 2008. When describing their efforts on the new CD, the band noted, “We believe in excellence; we want this to be a good recording and hopefully minister to the hearts that listen to it.â€?

And as for Owing Adam’s aspirations â€" “be bigger than Prince. We want to be open to wherever God leads us. Austin Boyd said it all at an event we played at - ‘We are not called to a destination; we are called to a journey.’ If we are striving to ‘make it’ we will miss so much along the way. Once again it comes back to the fact that our lives are not our own.â€?

For more information on Owing Adam, check out their website at http://shoutlife.com/owingadam.

The members of Owing Adam are:
Rich Best - Drummer
Jonathan Clifton - Bass
Daniel Hale - Lead and Rhythm
Josh Turner - Lead and Rythmn/BGV’s
Erik Hagemann - Keys
Blake Monroe - Lead Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
They are all from Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama.

Special thanks to Addison Brown at Warrior Photograpy and Tyler Seilhamer, merchandise manager.

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