Jeff Frankenstein had three days to create a monster career.

Given the opportunity of a lifetime - a chance to join The Newsboys - he had to learn 10 songs on the keyboards in less time than it takes most people to master one.

"I didn't even have their CD when they called," he says of the hit-making Christian group. "I had to go to a friend's house to get one."

To make sure he'd be ready, Frankenstein ditched class and stayed in his basement until he thought he was ready.

Then, at a concert setting near his Michigan home, the teen-ager was asked to perform during the group's sound check.

"They didn't even know my name," Frankenstein says. "We ran through a bunch of songs and they said, 'Why don't you play for the show tonight' "

Frankenstein did - in front of 4,000 - and he was scared to death. "I didn't move," he says. The job, though, was his. If he wanted, he could become The Newsboys' keyboard player.

"Within three days, I went home, told my folks, dropped out of college and said goodbye to my friends and family. I've been on the road ever since."

That was 3 years ago when The Newsboys wasn't the mega-selling group it is today. Changing forces with personnel changes (only lead vocalist John James and drummer Peter Furler remain from the original group), the once-Australia-based band has gotten bigger than its Contemporary Christian roots.

Indeed, Newsboys is one of the few Christian acts to cross over onto the pop charts. A solid push by Virgin Records is one reason; a sound that transcends the traditional is another.

"It's so easy to get stereotyped and put in a box," Frankenstein says. "Just because you get tagged 'Christian' people think you can't be heard by anyone else. In Australia (where the group began), you play music. If you're good, you're good. If you're bad, you're bad. There's no such thing as Christian music."

Still, the six Newsboys aren't willing to abandon their roots for the bright lights of the pop charts. Christianity is very much a part of their lives. "We don't set out to make songs that are essentially Christian," Frankenstein says. "They come from experiences in our lives and our beliefs - just like everyone else. If you're a Christian, that's a big part of your life. That is life to us."

On the road, the band members rarely have time to enjoy the trappings of their success. Sure, they're considered one of the top touring acts (besting secular groups like Live in terms of ticket sales). But they're so busy traveling from one city to the next the stage and the bus become their home.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything," Frankenstein says of the job. "But it's not quite as glitzy and glamorous as people think it is. We sleep on the bus, wake up, hop on our BMX bikes and go check out stuff before we have to perform.

"You get to meet a lot of people and see some incredible things, so there's always stuff to write about. But the pace is pretty hectic. When you're living in a bus with 13 guys, you've got to become a family. That's the only way to survive out there."

Ironically, the six - Phil Urry, Duncan Phillips, Jody Davis, Furler, James and Frankenstein - aren't mobbed the way other pop stars are. "Ask any Joe Blow off the street if they've heard of us and they probably haven't," Frankenstein says. "In the Christian industry, touring is your radio. You've got to get out there and play shows, otherwise, they don't know who you are."

Role modeling, those shows - a high-energy mix - don't feature standard Christian fare. The band breaks plenty of rules, eschewing the hard-sell that has kept other groups from crossing over. "We're not Bible bashers. We're not preachers. We're just normal guys," Frankenstein says.

"A lot of bands don't want to accept that whole ?role model' term. But our generation needs someone to look up to. Everyone wants to pass the buck on to someone else. We don't want to be like that. We want to be someone who does make a difference."

Talking with teens today, members of The Newsboys find there's a lack of hope. "Our whole generation doesn't have anything to live for," Frankenstein says. "When we're out there doing our music, we're like, 'Yeah, you do.' We found something in our lives that's real. It's not what you see on television. It's not the televangelists. It's not a religion. It's something that's real.

"If you can share that with someone and it can change his or her life, that's cool." Frankenstein, after all, never dreamed of being in a band and now he is. "It's unreal," he says of his career. "But sometimes we underestimate ourselves. We never think we can do it. And then, the day came for me and I just knew it must be."

And his parents? They were supportive of the career shift. Although the 22-year-old Frankenstein has two years left to complete his public relations degree, he doesn't rule out a career shift. But, for now, he says, spreading the news as a Newsboy is about as good as it gets. "It's pretty cool," he says with a laugh. "Look at my life three years ago. I never guessed I'd be doing this now. Never."