Men of God Spotlight
By: Andy Clapp

The more things change, the more they stay the same. From the debut of Sonicflood till today, some of the faces have changed, but the message and the drive of this band continues to be winning souls for Christ. From touring the world to charity work and recording new music, Sonicflood continues to open the door for worship to people each and every day. A band that has experienced so much success could easily hang it up, lavishing in previous accomplishments, but the members of Sonicflood find new inspiration, a new joy, and a new passion each step of the way.

The Band

Sonicflood is a band that works as a cohesive unit, realizing that, to fulfill the Lord’s plan for the band, they have to work together. Rick Heil, Trey Hill, Jordan Jameson, Grant Norsworthy, and Chris Kimmerer all come from different backgrounds but have the same passion…changing the face of worship in today’s culture. Rick is a walking miracle, as the Lord healed him of Chron’s disease. Trey has overcome anxiety problems and nervousness to stand in front of thousands of fans to lead worship. As I spoke with the band on our way to perform a crusade in the Bahamas, you could see their personalities shine through.

Q â€" Which one of you guys are the least serious, or the jokester, of the group?
Rick: “I think we are all pretty equal.�
Chris: “I think I’d give it to Jordan, if I had to. I kind of like the title for myself, but I’d give it to Jordan.�
Jordan: “I’d give it to Chris.�

They laughed as they talked about their bus catching on fire recently. Rick grabbed the bare essentials while trying to get out of the bus, while Trey grabbed everything he owned. Even in something tragic, like a new bus catching on fire and blocking a major interstate, these men exude the joy of Christ in all areas of their lives.

Their Ministry

Sonicflood’s current single, “Everlasting�, is out right now. Heil says the song is “about living in a broken place and that we, as God’s people, know that we have a good Father that takes care of us in the midst of death, terrorism, disease, and all of that.� They will be going on a European Tour in June of 2006 and ending that with a visit to Thailand at the end of June and the beginning of July. In the fall, they will be touring with the International Mission Board and they also have plans to record a live album during their tour.

Q â€" What does it mean to you guys to know that you are reaching teenagers, young men, and people in general all over the world?

Trey: “To me, it means that God’s still using us, which is very humbling and reassuring. When times are rough, career wise, we sometimes wonderwhy we are doing this and if we are still reaching people. To be reassured encourages us to keep making music and helps us to understand that we are still reaching people. It makes it worth it to know that we have
reached just one person.�

Q â€" Being in the spotlight like you guys are, what is the hardest part of being a Christian for you individually?

Jordan: “Everyone messes up, not just you. It’s not just the people around you,
but we all do, just as much as everyone else. I think that it’s something
we all need to be honest about, but I also think that’s one of the hardest
things because people want someone they can look up to and when they
see their failures, they feel like, “Oh, I can’t look up to that person
anymore.�

Grant: “It’s kind of like that living up to expectations. You may be expected to be
at a certain level but you aren’t at that level. Unfortunately, what often
happens is there is so much pressure to appear a certain way that you end
up, not only faking it to the outside world, but also faking it to yourself.
That’s a slippery slope that we don’t want to be on.�

Rick: “I feel spent. I feel like we go and go and go and it’s like you’re giving
things and then you come into a situation where there is a spiritual wall
and you feel like you are singing to a brick. I’ve got to be filled up.�

Trey: “It’s hard to live selfless in the position that we’re at. To live selfless isn’t
easy and especially being Sonicflood makes it even more difficult.�

Their Advice

Every person that we meet has a unique perspective on things, many times teaching us to see things differently. As we talked about world issues and issues within the church, I could tell these men truly paid attention to what was going on in the world around them.

Q â€" “Don’t you think that being selfless is one of the biggest problems facing men today as we are supposed to be, but aren’t, selfless in our marriages, in church, in giving our time…â€?

Grant: “In parenting!�

Rick: “You see marriages breaking apart all of the time and it’s because this
person wants this and that person wants that and they never agree on it.
Other sins then get stacked on top of it and you wind up with so many
broken homes. I pray that our message to the man out there is to be a
person of integrity, looking out for his wife and other people more than
himself. It’s a constant thing, dying to yourself. That comes through the
work of the Holy Spirit. The flesh is weak, but the spirit is willing.�

Grant: “It’s the total opposite of what our flesh wants to do. The example that
Christ gave us on the cross wasn’t just a “Hey, I did this for you.� but it
is, “And you need to do this too. You need to take up your cross and
follow Me.� The problem in every situation is our selfish greed but the
answer is always Jesus. Through this death to self, you actually
experience life to the fullest.�

We talked about the state of affairs in the world today and all agreed that one of the largest problems in our world is that people believe that there is no absolute truth. Our churches have become filled with the Scientologist belief of “what is true to me is the truth.� Grant talked at length about how it is all a product of the post-modern thought. I concluded the interview with one more question to gain a little more insight into their lives and personal walks with God.

Q â€" What is your favorite Bible passage and why?

Rick: “Mine is Psalm 103…the whole thing. I like it because it says that He
forgives all my sins and He heals all my diseases. When I was little, I was diagnosed with an incurable disease, Chron’s disease. I grew up in a church that said the day of miracles was over and I really needed a miracle…I needed hope. I wanted to believe in what the Bible was saying about Jesus and the promises that He gave His people. A couple of years ago, a surgeon opened me up and saw there was no disease.
The Lord is still a healer and miracle worker.�

Grant: “I have two verses, Proverbs 3:5-6. It talks about remembering the Lord
all that you do and He will make straight your paths. For me, at a time
when I was a young guy, I was struggling with the question, “God, what
do you want me to do with my life?�. I loved playing music and I felt
like I heard God saying, “Well, what do you want to do? Just love Me
do what you are wanting to do (with your life).� It also says in there
“don’t trust in your own understanding�, which in this post-modern day
and age, it’s like “Whatever I think is truth is the truth.�. That verse flies
in the face of that thought. There are people who strap bombs to
themselves and blow up children and buses because God supposedly
told them to and they’re wrong.�

Chris: “Mine is Ephesians 4:17-5:21. It was one of the first chunks of Scripture
that I memorized in my early teenage years. They were verses that were
helpful and inspiring to me growing up and are still inspiring to me.�
Jordan: “My favorite Scripture is Philippians 3:10 which says, “that I may know
Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His
suffering.� I think that it’s really important knowing Jesus and not
focusing on a lot of external things that you have to do or anything like
that…just pursuing Jesus. He is the be all, end all. It is Paul talking
about his ultimate purpose in life…�that I may know Christ.�.

Trey: “I love Philippians 4:13 and I’ve got it tattooed on my arm for one reason.
I have an anxiety issue. It’s gotten better, but being in front of cameras,
on stage, and everything, I found myself having a ton of nervousness.
That verse has helped me understand that God has put me here.
Sometimes I look down at my arm while I’m playing and it reminds me
that He’ll guide me through and He’s not failed me yet.�

Their latest release is titled, “This Generation.� These men have a passion for being used by the Lord and show that passion by serving the Lord with their lives. With each time of worship that they lead in venues all over the world, Sonicflood is changing the face of this generation and leading our generation straight to the throne of God.

Send This To A Friend