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4HIM first unveiled their tight vocal harmonies in 1990 and quickly garnered the Dove Award for New Artist of the Year in 1991. Since then, Andy Chrisman, Kirk Sullivan, Mark Harris and Marty Magehee have been nominated for a Grammy, won seven Dove Awards and produced 22 #1 songs, including "For Future Generations," "Center Of The Mark," "The Hand Of God" and "Where There Is Faith." Eight albums and over a decade later, 4HIM desires to dig deeper into their calling to minister through song. Their journey of faith continues with their latest release, Walk On, releasing October 30. A testament to their trademark sound, the album combines moving melodies, smooth harmonies and straightforward, Christ-centered lyrics.

FamilyChristian.com: Obviously, you guys have spent some quality time together over the last decade. I'd be interested to hear what you've learned about each other. Let's start with Andy.

Mark: Andy is very consistent. He's not a guy that is emotionally driven by things. He's very stable and it's great because you can go to him just about anytime and get the same response. He's very laid-back.

Marty: He's passionate about a few things [but with] those few things he is very passionate. He doesn't have a lot of clutter in his life. I admire that.

Kirk: Along those same lines, Andy's very focused. You have people who are A.D.D. and Andy's completely the other way. I can be distracted pretty easily but Andy, once he gets his mind on something and there's a goal there, he accomplishes that.

FamilyChristian.com: Let's move on to Mark.

Andy: Mark is a born leader. Mark's one of those guys that is a fixer. He sees a need and he takes care of it. That's the kind of person he is—very generous. If I were to pick one quality in Mark that I really admire, it's that he sees something and he's ready to roll up his sleeves and do it.

Marty: He has an ability to go for something he knows he's talented in. He's not afraid of failing, which is a very admirable thing, something I respect. He's not afraid to get in there and get his hands dirty.

Kirk: Mark is a communicator. Not only does he talk in the concerts, but you'll see Mark talk to people and spend extra time with them. I consider myself a people person but Mark will talk with somebody when I would have left. Mark is genuinely into who they are and the conversation.

FamilyChristian.com: What about Marty?

Andy: Marty is guy that stays on a path. Marty knows what he wants and he doesn't really look to the right or to the left. Marty never forgets a face or a name. I swear there are people that Marty's probably not seen in ten years and they'll walk up and [he's] hugging them and asking them how their kids are. It's a gift.

Mark: Marty's probably the funniest of us. He has the most interesting and unique sense of humor. To follow Marty around would be a lot more interesting than following me or Kirk or Andy around. But I would say he's also the most talented. If Marty pursues something, [he] becomes a master of that. Marty is the guy that will know why it works. I would say he's very much a detail person. He's a great artist. There's a wealth of talent.

Kirk: Marty is very witty. [If] something is silly or totally out of the ordinary, Marty has the perfect line to keep us in stitches. But I agree with Mark. Marty is a very detailed person. Marty's very sensitive too. Something might not affect me or Andy or Mark and it will deeply affect Marty.

FamilyChristian.com: And finally, tell me about Kirk.

Andy: Well now, this is an easy one for me because Kirk and I couldn't be more opposite. If you [look at] a personality spectrum, I'm on one end and Kirk's on the other. Kirk is a joyful person. Kirk can find joy in a pan of hot grease. But I think without Kirk in this group, there'd be a lot of times where we would be so pensive. Kirk just has that gift of lightening up the situation. Kirk definitely has a spirit of joy.

Mark: Kirk is probably the most "what you see is what you get" person. He's pretty transparent. He is what he is. Kirk is passionate. If he believes in something, he is very passionate and is not intimidated to share his heart.

Marty: I think in light of all that, Kirk is definitely the most unassuming guy as far as abilities. There is so much more below the surface. Even though he can be very gregarious and loud and funny and the life of the party, at the same time, if you start praying or you start talking about the Word, or if there is a concern or somebody's hurting, he can switch gears just like that [snaps fingers]. All of the sudden he becomes the most caring, gentle [person], willing to give you all his time, ready to give you little words of wisdom.

FamilyChristian.com: Walk On is your ninth album. After having recorded albums for 11 years, do you ever feel like you've run out of things to say?

Mark: Our songs are just a part of what we have to say. A whole lot more is what's done when we're not singing. I think the fact that after 10 years we decided to sign a new contract with a record company says to me that we feel like we're not finished saying whatever it is that God has used us to say. We're inspired to move on. I think the title of the album really fits what we feel like we're doing. We're moving ahead. Even the [title] song itself sums up what we've been through and where we're going.

FamilyChristian.com: What is the message that song conveys?

Mark: [It's] basically about the journey. There is a journey that we all are a part of in 4HIM. We've all chosen to take this road called faith. God put us all at the same place at the same time and gave us the wings to do what we do but it's been a journey. In the last few years, just because we've been together awhile, it's felt more like a crawl at times. There are times when you're going and you wonder where God is within that journey because it feels like it never changes. That's the climb of faith. It's an adventure.

FamilyChristian.com: How would you describe the sound of Walk On?

Mark: I think this album is very diverse. I think the common 4HIM fan [is] going to love this album because it has the trademark things that typically seem to work for the people that like our music. But then I think for the listener that has never really been a fan of 4HIM, some of what we've done on this album is much more current and cutting edge than what we've done on albums past. I think the key for us is that we're with a different company. There's just a real fresh feeling about doing this album with a new group of people.

FamilyChristian.com: Mark, you write many of the songs for the group and most writers are inspired by whatever they're reading. What are you reading right now?

Mark: I am reading The Gifts of the Jews [by Thomas Cahill]. His perspective is that the Jewish culture has influenced the world in such a way that everything that goes on in the world has been influenced by that civilization. It's a fascinating book. It didn't inspire me to write anything on this album but it's a great book. It shows all of the things that they gave to our culture.

FamilyChristian.com: What about the rest of you?

Marty: I read a lot of things at once. I'm reading two manuals: an MU MP7 Command Station manual and the Native Instruments Spectral Design Plug-In manual. Algorithms out the wazoo. Beyond that, I'm reading a thriller novel known as Elixir. And everyday, in my devotionals, I start off the day deeply into the Psalms. I'm just really getting into the heart of David. And I go into the Proverbs and then I go into the New Testament and then after that I go into My Utmost For His Highest and then a book that we got from Focus on the Family, the Men of Character series.

Kirk: The last couple weeks I've been reading a book by a guy named Charles Capps. It's called The Tongue: A Creative Force. It talks about what we say and how we speak affects our lives.

Andy: Actually, I'm reading a couple things. I'm [on my] second time through a very fascinating book on praise and worship by a guy named Ken Blount who is the minister of music at Church on the Move in Tulsa—What Jesus Taught About Praise And Worship. [It's] about how the biblical way to structure worship can be found in the structure of the temple. I have to read it a second time to really soak it in. I just finished a book called Halftime [by Bob Buford]. It's a fascinating book about how in our early years, we really throw ourselves into our work to provide for our families, to provide a retirement and all this stuff. [But then] there comes a time when work is not enough. If you just work for your material things, that's not what God's created you for. A time comes in your life where you have to call halftime and say, "Okay, now let's build on what we've done and let's evaluate what we want to do with the second half of our life." That's where I was about a year ago.

FamilyChristian.com: It's interesting that you've mentioned those books because you've added a new responsibility to your life as a worship leader. Tell me a little more about that.

Andy: I feel like it's been a calling on my life ever since I was kid. I was leading worship in my Baptist church when I was 14 and it was just a part of me. I did it all the way through college. And then I got with Truth and then 4HIM and really learned the craft of being an artist. I kind of buried that worship leader role in my life and thought I'd never go back to that until one day I got a call from a pastor friend of mine. He said he was starting a new work, in Celebration, Florida, and wanted to know if I'd come. Immediately I [thought], "This is my halftime. This is my time to say, 'Okay, this is what I've done. Now, what are the steps I want to take for the second half of my life?'"

I'm not giving up 4HIM or being an artist. In fact, that's going to continue for as long as I can physically do it but this is where I will completely give to ministry and to the church. [Being a worship leader] is a much harder job. This takes a whole different part of me to teach people how to worship. And to do that, I have to learn how to do it myself in the proper way. As a worship leader, I have a very large responsibility to the people who are in my church. I have to prepare them.

FamilyChristian.com: How do you juggle leading worship with your touring schedule?

Andy: Honestly, it's not been that much of an issue. God's worked it out so many times, especially living in Orlando now. I have flights where I can leave early in the morning and get in by church time. I make sure I reserve Monday to sleep. It takes a whole extra day of rest for me but it's very fulfilling and I know this is where God really wants me to be right now.

FamilyChristian.com: What is God teaching each of you now?

Andy: God's been teaching me about choices. He's been revealing to me that when I get in a position where I [ask], "How did I get here? Why am I dealing with something that's crucial in my life that I shouldn't be dealing with?" God reminds me, "You've made choices that have led up to this." One poor choice during the day can set me up for a fall later on. We take a lot of our little choices for granted—how we start our day, how we react to situations, what we decide to do instead of spend time with Him. It's as simple as [choosing] to pick up a newspaper before I pick up the Word. God's showing me to make the right choice up front, no matter how difficult it is.

Mark: I'm seeing life pass by at an amazingly fast pace and I'm realizing that my life is short and that everything I do needs to count for something. I've really been challenged to use my time wisely and to not waste [it] worrying about things that don't really matter. [I need] to be willing to say, "God, I trust You. You've given me an opportunity to live here on this earth. Let me take the moment that I have here that's so brief to influence people's lives for the good." I think the thing that is so wonderful that I'm learning is to really stop my world when I'm with my kids and my wife and close everything out and just invest.

Walk On by 4HIM

Kirk: We're all getting older now and more aware of what God has for us. I know what I've done in the first part of my life. [I'm now] wondering and praying about what's the second half will involve. When you seek the Lord to the best of your ability, God will never lead you in the wrong direction. God doesn't play games. If you seek Him, He'll reveal Himself to you and lead you in a right direction.

Marty: He is stripping me of a lot baggage, a lot of things I've picked up along the way. I've been taking counsel with a couple of really wise men. I always use this example, but [when you play] golf, there are so many variables in all your joints and everything that you're doing. You couldn't possibly be aware of what your form looks like without somebody standing there and saying, "You're getting in the bad habit of doing this. Your muscle memory is starting to do this." Now that I'm starting to really become more accountable to other people, it's shocking how many bad habits and soul memories I'm making in how I conduct myself everyday. [In] 2 Corinthians chapter 7 Paul writes about godly sorrow. It's a sorrow that's good, which works toward repentance. And with me there is a sorrow with this, but it's sad in a good way because I'm dying so more of Jesus can take over. He's showing me to embrace all of my failures and my weaknesses because within those things, He becomes strong.

Jen Abbas, a writer in Grand Rapids, Mich., originally conducted this interview for Family Christian Stores' All Access music catalog.

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