by Chris Lutes
Campus Life, July/August 1999

"I just got a letter from this young guy in Kansas," says Phil Joel, who plays bass for the Newsboys. "He's very ill."

Phil's voice cracks as he speaks. He pauses for a moment, gathers his thoughts, fights back tears.

What really got to Phil was something this Newsboys fan wrote at the end of the letter. Before he signed his name, he simply scribbled, "Love in Christ."

"I mean, it was just 'Love in Christ,'" Phil says softly.

It was more than the expression of Christian love that got to Phil. It also had something to do with the way the writer told Phil about his terminal illness-and the way he accepted his coming death.

Beyond the glitz & glamour
Campus Life talked with Phil and the rest of the 'boys during their recent "Step Up to the Microphone" tour, a concert series that attracted half a million people in more than 120 cities.

If you attended one of those concerts, you know all about the glitzy light show, huge video screen, and the special platform that carried two drummers about 20 feet into the air and twirled them head over heels.

The Newsboys have always been known for their well-crafted pop-rock sound, but they're also famous for showmanship. Even in the early days, when cash for extravagant props wasn't there, a Newsboys show still included a guy hopping around in a kangaroo suit. (In case you didn't know, band members Peter Furler and Duncan Phillips are from Australia, and Phil is from New Zealand.)

The glitz and glamour of flashing lights and high-tech stage props can easily overshadow the behind-the-scenes experiences-the kinds of experiences that cause the Newsboys to stop, think, and look a little deeper into their own souls.

Looking inward
As he talks about the guy with the terminal illness, Phil expresses concern for his own shortcomings. He also says he's been forced to think seriously about what's really important in life, and in death.

"This guy is not relishing the day when he'll leave his parents," explains Phil. "But he's just got this, I don't know what it is or how to describe it, but this confidence in knowing that his time is short and he's going to be with his heavenly Father, and everything is going to be better. He's not going to have to take 43 shots a day to ease his pain anymore.

"For me, it's put life in a different perspective. It's made me think more about eternal and lasting things."

A fence full of memories
Lead singer Peter Furler also had an intense and sobering experience awhile back. A few hours before a concert in Oklahoma City, Peter decided to take a walk, and he found himself standing in front of a wire fence. On the other side of the fence was the vacant lot where the Alfred Murrah Federal Building once stood. The building was destroyed four years ago by a bomb that killed 168 people.

"The fence is like a memorial to those killed by the bombing," says Peter. "Key chains, teddy bears, photographs, high school class rings-all kinds of things are attached to the fence. But what I saw more than anything else were crosses, and signs and notes that mentioned the name Jesus Christ or God.

"It's the sort of experience that really causes me to realize one more time that all we have to hang on to are things like heaven, faith and hope. It comes down to that, really."

For Peter, the experience is a reminder that God's kingdom is the only kingdom worth living for.

"These kinds of sobering experiences always push me back to what I must be seeking first: God's kingdom. So often I want to seek things that I want. I want to seek after things that center around me. But it's God's kingdom that I must seek first. It's the only kingdom that's going to last."

Really amazing grace
Not long ago, during a brief break in the Newsboys' hectic concert schedule, keyboardist Jeff Frankenstein traveled back to his home town of Detroit, where he spent time with some old high school friends. He couldn't help but notice how much they needed a touch of God's grace and love in their lives.

"They told me they couldn't go to church because they needed to clean up their lives first," says Jeff. "They said they drank a lot on Saturday night, and they didn't feel right about going to church the next morning. I tried to let them know that God loves them, just as they are. But they didn't seem to be able to believe it.

"Later I remember thinking, Man, they need grace so bad. I mean, here's God in heaven looking at them and wanting to take them into his loving arms, and yet they don't even feel like they can walk into a church! Why is this? If Christ were here, I really believe he'd reach out to them and love them and take them in. It's times like these that I pray, 'Lord, please show them the grace that you've shown me.'"

Jeff isn't the only band member who's been learning lessons about God's grace. As guitarist Jody Davis thinks about his own life, he can't help but see God's grace at work.

"There are plenty of busboys in Nashville who are better guitar players than I am," says Jody. "And there are plenty of Christians who are more spiritually mature than I am. I look at what I'm doing for a living and I see grace.

"It's just a wonderful gift from God to be able to do what I do for a living and feel that God is using it for some sort of good. It's just a beautiful thing. It's God's grace, because he knows my heart, and he knows I'm not perfect, but he still chooses to love me and use me."

Much more to learn
As the Newsboys reflect on many of their recent experiences, they know that God still has much to teach them. And most of those lessons will undoubtedly take place after the bright lights have dimmed and the stage smoke has cleared.

"I believe God's much more concerned about our relationship with him than he is with our music," says drummer Duncan Phillips. "Yes, I believe he wants us to spread the word through our concerts and our CDs. But what he really wants is my heart. What he really wants is a relationship with me."

"Christian music and Christian concerts are not going to save the world," says Jeff. "Don't take me wrong. I believe in what we do, and I think God uses our music and our concerts. But what changes people and has an impact on the world is the way a Christian lives each day. What counts most is reaching out to needy people and trying our best to love sinners.

"It's not all that hard for me to get up on stage and praise God in front of a lot of people. But how do I praise God and bring him glory when there are no lights or no stage? How do I show God's grace and love when I talk to people who are struggling? I need to let God use me in those times. Those are the times I need to be completely open to what he has to teach

 

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