These days everybody seems to be standing for something. We are constantly being bombarded from the left and the right with people who are speaking out for or against something. Amidst this clutter of voices, there's something to admire. The fact that many of these people know exactly what they believe. And many of them are very effective with how they present their case.

The church is another story. Many Christians have retreated into a life of private faith. A place where there's probably no chance of offending anyone, or no fear of failure by putting yourself out on the line. Unfortunately, it also means that many people are not going to hear the Truth.

All the world is but a stage. The microphone is on the edge of the stage. The audience is populated with a world of people who need to hear the truth of Christ.

It's this idea that is intended to stir young people to evaluate their beliefs and learn what is exactly that they believe, and learn how to communicate and live this to another person. This is the mission we have accepted and are dedicated to living out in everything we do.

As a band, we've been going through a lot of self-examination. We've been thinking about 'Why did Jesus die on the cross?' and, more importantly, 'Why do we believe what we believe?' 'Step Up to the Microphone' obviously means 'Make your statement,' but it also means we must ask ourselves, "What is that statement?"

Over the last two years, the band has been doing a lot more readingthings like Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis. We've really started to understand more about our faith, which has given birth to the concept of wanting others to understand more about their faith. C.S. Lewis wrote a small book called "A Case For Christianity" which has taken us into the nitty gritty aspects of our faith.

That's just one piece of the foundation people need. The main thing is to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God"-especially through reading the Bible.

That is what we've been going through. While we wish we would've had someone encourage us to ask these questions about our faith when we were younger, it's never too late. And by sharing our journey into a deeper commitment to God we hope to inspire others to do the same. Especially as young people move from high school to college, and then beyond.

It's getting to be more and more important to know what and why you believe-to build your foundation on the rock, and not on the sand.

Our heart has always been and will continue to be focused on the church. We want to encourage you, together with ourselves, to know the Word better. And to continue to ask God for brilliant ways of imparting God's truths to the people around us. Maybe it's the students in your youth groupmaybe it's people you work withor your family.

It's time to capture a fresh vision for our faith and how we communicate it to others. It's time to step up to the microphone.