Sidewalk Prophets' song "Live Like That" off its album of the same name challenges all who listen to reach out and walk the walk that Christ calls us.
"Every song on this album is that journey to live more like Christ," described lead singer David Frey as he served at the Phoenix Dream Center with Scott and Kelli helping the homeless and women caught in human trafficking. Some days you don’t feel like waking up and serving. "But those are the days that when you get up and do it, God rocks your world in such an awesome way."
The band, comprised of Ben McDonald (rhythm guitar), Cal Joslin (bass) and Justin Nace (drums) and David (mentioned above), got its start by leading worship at its alma mater, Anderson University. With a desire to encourage its fellow believers on how to integrate worship with real life, the band played independently for several years before signing a record deal and moving to Nashville. While independent, the band did whatever it took to make it, even if it meant sleeping in the janitor’s closet at some venues and subsiding on dinners of beans and cornbread while honing their skills.
Teaming up with All Star United frontman and famed producer Ian Eskelin, the band recorded These Simple Truths, its first album with the goal to convince even the most jaded listener that it was possible to craft listenable music with a Christ-centered message.
Thanks in large part to their single "The Words I Would Say" and "You Love Me Anyway," the album earned them distinction as the 2010 “New Artist of the Year” at the Gospel Music Association’s annual Dove Awards and delivers a message that God loves His people, and ultimately, there’s nothing better than enjoying a close friendship with our Creator.
Their latest single "Help Me Find It," also from the album Live Like That, was inspired by a poem by Robert Frost. "We wrote the song with Jason Ingram, and we originally thought of the
song as a prayer. The more we thought about the message of the song,
our team all felt that it should be our follow-up song to 'Live Like
That.' When we sat down to write the song, it was a God thing. I was
just speaking with a good friend of mine in Nashville, and she was
thinking of moving--or maybe not--and she said she was tired of being
still, but at the same time she wanted to listen to God's will for her.
We started to talk and I thought of Robert Frost's poem 'Two roads
diverge in the wood and I took the one less traveled and that has made
all the difference.' I love that poem, but sometimes when you are
standing at the divergence of the roads you have no idea which road to
take," David explains.
"My friend said if she needed to be still that was fine, but she didn't
want to miss out on God's plans. That was my thought process in writing
this song. The idea behind the song is crying out to God and asking Him
which road to take. Literally the next day we sat down to write the song
with Jason and he said his pastor had just taught on the idea of being
still and waiting on the Lord. We were feeling the same thing and that
turned into this song."
The message of Live Like That, is committing to selflessness and faithful optimism, as evident on every song. David says,"This album is a reflection of our journey in music and our desire to live our lives in such a way that it is rooted in a deep passion and love that knows no bounds."