|PIC1|Sisters Rachel, 15, and Rebekah Winters, 17 have a strong passion for music. Christian music. Being worship leaders themselves at their local church, the Winters sisters were sparked by a wonderful idea one day on their way to a Christian concert: to connect the audience with biblical devotions that are behind the music. After three years of patience and hard work, a book was born: Behind The Music, which features devotions written by over 80 prolific Christian recording artists— Newsboys, Jars of Clay, Michael Tait, Barlowgirl, ZOEgirl, and Natalie Grant to name a few. In this interview, the girls talk about the process of creating the book, struggles as Christian teens living in today’s world, their favorite interviews with artists, and their plans for the book.


1. How did you two come up with the idea to publish this book?

Rachel- We were actually on the way to a concert, and were talking about some of the things we’d heard the artists say from stage, and some of the stories we had from talking with artists. Out of nowhere, we had this idea – which is why we truly believe it was God-inspired – to put together a devotional, and let everyone see behind the music.

Rebekah- We started talking about how we’d been lucky enough to get to know some artists and get to know them as people, not just as musicians. That conversation led us to decide that it would be cool to let other people see what we’d seen. So, that’s basically how the idea was born.

2. What was the most difficult part?

Rachel- The hardest part was probably patience for me. This was definitely a growing experience, so we had our share of growing pains, but the experience was incredible. God is good, and we really saw that through this project. I would get frustrated occasionally, and I would wonder if it was going to come together, but right at the moment when we needed it most, several devotions would come in. It was amazing to see how the perseverance paid off.

Rebekah- I’m terribly impatient [too], so the hardest part for me was just waiting on everything to come together. There were times when it was difficult to see the big picture, so I had trouble waiting on the devotions to come back and waiting for the book to get compiled.

3. What was the most memorable interview with a Christian artist/ band?

Rachel- I would have to say Owen Thomas from The Elms. We were able to go to his house for the interview, and we’ve known Owen for a few years, so it was just really comfortable for us. Plus...we had a blast. :)

Rebekah- I’m going to have to say Owen, as well. He’s a great guy, and it was, like Rachel said, just a really comfortable, informal interview. Doing the interview with Jason Dunn (Hawk Nelson) was another one of my favorites.

4. Any plans for the book?

Rachel- We’ve got tons of plans of our own, but we’re just waiting to see what God has in store for us. We’re working with Appalachian Distributors, and we hope to get the book placed in Christian bookstores across the country. We plan on going to some Christian music festivals this summer, as well as conferences and seminars as the opportunities come along. We’re really excited, and we feel like a lot is in store. You can keep track of the latest updates by going to www.behindthemusicdevotional.com.

Rebekah- I just want to see the project touch a lot of people. It’s an awesome book that I would definitely buy myself. Insofar as distribution and such go, it’s available on christianbook.com, amazon.com, and through our website. It will also be available at bookstores throughout the country.

5. What changes would you like to see in Christian music?

Rachel- Wow. Good question! Through compiling the book, one of the main visions we had...our goal for what the reader would get out of it, was to understand the heart of the artist. We were blessed to see so many of the artists, and get to know several of them. Their hearts are incredible, and we wanted to relay the message to all Christian teens (especially those who don’t have the opportunity to see many artists in concert) that every artist wants to be a messenger sent from God. They don’t want the spotlight to stop on them, but to shine on God. He is the Famous One, and we feel like it’s really important to share that. As far as the hearts of the artists, I would change nothing.

Rebekah- I’d like to see the secular world open up a bit more to the CCM industry. There are a lot of great bands in CCM who could be enjoyed by the general public if more people were willing to open up to the idea of listening to some CCM artists.

|PIC2|6. Your favorite devotional(s)?

Rachel- My favorite devotion...they are really all incredible, but I’ll narrow it down to three: Todd Agnew, FFH (written by Jeromy Deibler), and Paul Colman. The depth of all of them is just unbelievable, and it’s fantastic how much they relate to people – not just teenagers, but adults as well. All three of them combine something eternally significant and make it possible for us to apply it to our lives everyday.

Rebekah- My favorite devo is probably Jason Dunn’s. Hawk is one of my personal favorite bands, so that’s part of the reason I enjoy his. Also, I think the content is something kids who are growing up in Christian homes can really relate to, and Jason did a good job of giving his perspective as someone who’s been on his own for a few years.

7. Were there times when you wanted to give up?

Rachel- Yeah, there were those times when I would think, “Why isn’t this working? Maybe we should just forget it.” The devil would place those seeds of doubt. But God always intervened, and He would interrupt those thoughts with amazing encouragement – whether it be from one of my parents, a friend, something I read, or an agreement from an artist to write a devotion. Through the whole process, I definitely saw how God rewards us when we’re obedient to His call.

Rebekah- Yeah, definitely. There were days when it really seemed like the whole project just wasn’t going to come together. We prayed and stuck with it, though, and the end result is awesome.

8. How is the turn-out so far?

Rachel- We’ve had great interest. We had some delays, so we get the book on the 19th of this month, and are really starting to shift our focus from completing the project to getting the word out about it. I truly believe that God is going to bless the book, so this is a really exciting time for us!

Rebekah- There’s been a lot of interest in the book from people all over. Campus Life (Ignite) Magazine reviewed it, so that helped to get the word out and there’s just lots of excitement for the project.

9. What was the most rewarding moment during the project?

Rachel- The most rewarding moments probably came when some of the more well-known artists agreed to write devotions for us. It’s an “adventure” working with 80 different managers, publicists, and artists, and it was a true feeling of accomplishment to get those commitments.

Rebekah- The most rewarding moment for me was the day the book went to the printer and knowing that three years of work were finally completed.

10. How do you apply Christian music to your life?

Rachel- I know, to me, Christian music is a huge inspiration everyday. God speaks to me through songs all the time. Also, the lessons I’ve learned from artists, the foremost being humility, have changed how I view things a great deal. That, in turn, has impacted how I live everyday.

11. What's the hardest challenge for you as a teenager living in today’s world?

Rachel- I think for me the hardest challenge of being a teen is to admit I struggle. I think as Christian teens especially, it’s easy to feel like you have to be perfect. If you’re the one shining the light of Christ, then you don’t want to have a bad day. No one wants to admit that issue they’ve really been struggling with, whether it be an eating disorder, or cutting, or lust, or feeling distant from God, or any sin they’re dealing with...anything a teen may be trying to overcome. If we’re open about those things, though, it really does allow us to relate more. Not only are we better equipped to live for God when we’re not living in secrecy or in sin, but people can grasp an earthly temptation, an earthly trial. If they can watch us overcome that, we have an amazing opportunity to share how God has brought us through it. It almost makes our unsaved friends be able to see evidence of a Father who they can’t grasp without seeing. It’s easy to get down when we feel like we aren’t living up to the expectations set before us as children of God, but we have to take His hand and keep on going. The ultimate goal is to win souls for Christ, and that to me is the motivation I need to say, “I need support right now, because I’m striving to be like Christ, but I’m not there yet.”

Rebekah- I think one of the hardest things about being a teen today is simply the sheer amount of media we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. Sometimes it’s hard for kids to discern what’s worth their time and what isn’t. I think it’s really important to be in tune enough to be able to figure those things out and know what areas are really worth the time and what areas are best left alone.

12. Should we expect a "Behind the Music: A Devotional" part II?

Rachel- We’re going to work on promoting this one for awhile :), but there has been talk of some more books. Maybe even some curriculum based on this, so we’ll just have to wait and see!!