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Take five brothers. Add dashes of R&B, pop and gospel. Stir in a generous amount of tight vocal harmony. The end result? A family affair known as The Katinas. James, Jesse, Joe, John and Sam Katina are set to release their second album for Gotee Records, Destiny, a personal expression of their devotion to Christ. The brothers recently spoke with FamilyChristian.com about their new album and the message they want to share with their fans.

FamilyChristian.com: Your new website says to expect a new sound on your latest album. How would you describe it?

John: This album has a lot more energy than our debut album, The Katinas, which came out in 1999. [Destiny is] definitely more youth oriented and has more of a modern R&B sound. There are a couple songs that lean more toward the pop side stylistically. But the whole album will definitely [have] something for everyone.

FamilyChristian.com: Why did you decide to call it Destiny?

John: You'll be able to tell by listening to the lyrics of these songs what we've been through spiritually the last year and a half. God is speaking to us through our pastors. The lyrics are things that we've jotted down [from] sermons experiences that we've walked through in the last year or two. We want to encourage [you] whether you know Jesus or not, that you've got a destiny and there's a purpose for your life. Jeremiah 29:11 says [that] the Lord desires to give us a hope and a future. That's for everybody. We want to encourage that, especially to young people.

FamilyChristian.com: After a sermon or experience inspires you, how does the songwriting process progress?

Jesse: We all attend the same church so we hear the same messages. A lot of the sermons that we've been hearing from our pastors [lately] have really inspired us to [write songs]. We're excited about a lot of the topics that are on the album, [like] discipleship and how to reach out to people in a more compassionate way—young people and old people. We're thankful for the opportunity that God has given us to reach out to families, not just to a certain demographic.

James: A few of the songs came from hard trials and tribulations that individually we walked through in this past year and a half. I can personally say that I'm learning that God is continuing to teach me what it means to fully depend on Him and to go through the brokenness experience that we don't want to go through. It's not the most fun thing to go through a crushing time, but I've been through a time like that in the past year and a half and still I'm going through the process of healing.

I will say that after coming to understand the mercy and the grace of God, I'm now walking in His fullness. [I'm] able to be a stronger man because my perspective has changed. I pray that as people listen to the album, they can relate and be. vulnerable. There are times when we're going to hit a wall that we don't expect, but if you have a relationship with the Lord, that will make all the difference.

FamilyChristian.com: Who is your principal songwriter?

Joe: The principal songwriter is all five of us. [Songwriting] is a great growing thing for all of us. Everybody pitched in musically. We all co-produced along with great friends of ours: Todd Collins, Bryan Lennox, Michael Linney, Michael Anthony Taylor and a new friend of ours named Robert Marvin. He's a young guy who loves God.

FamilyChristian.com: You've been involved in Promise Keeper conferences during the last year. What is your role there?

Joe: Basically [the conferences] start Friday night and go through Saturday night. On Saturday it's usually preaching and teaching and after lunch they have a break for what they call a concert. It's really a time of celebration and worship. It's fun because at that time the men are open [and] their faith is built up so they're ready to change the world. You don't have to go up there and try to pump them up; they pump you up.

FamilyChristian.com: What's the question that you've been asked the most in interviews?

John: "Are you brothers?"

FamilyChristian.com: What is the question that you wish people would ask you?

Sam: James mentioned going through trying times recently, and I think that all of us can relate to trying times. [As a group] we talk a lot about the victories and we talk a lot about singing together and how we got our start, but hopefully in the future, we'll be able to share more and we'll be asked more about challenges that God has brought us through. We're just now getting to the point where it's a little easier to talk about challenges. We grew up in a Pentecostal home [and raised] by a mom and dad who taught us to be positive, which is a great thing. We're grateful for that, but now in our lives, we're also able to sense God's love when we don't feel so positive. Hopefully in the future we can share more about that.

FamilyChristian.com: What is God teaching you now?

James: One thing that God is teaching me [about] is my prayer walk with Him. I am currently reading a book called The Prayer of Jabez that is totally changing not only my prayer life, but it definitely has changed my perspective on what the word "blessing" means. I can go on and on, but that is what God is teaching me now: how to pray and how to pray with expectancy. I Chronicles 4:10 says, "Oh that you would be blessed indeed." Really that's all I want. That's all I long for right now. I know in the past, I've limited myself, and in return, limited God. God is challenging me and my faith [and saying],"I have the windows of heaven and I want to pour it out to you. You just have to ask."

Jesse: God has been teaching me what it really is to let go and let Him in every aspect of life. I'm the kind of person who loves to try and work things out on my own, but I'm realizing that it's so much easier when you give it to the Lord.

John: Lately at the end of the night, I'm faced with the question: what is it that defines me as a man? What is of value to me? I've been reading Philippians and it's just reminded me that the bottom line is for me to find my righteousness in Christ. We want to pursue music and max it out as big as that can be. But if it ended today, I could truly say that I am supplied and fully grateful for the salvation and righteousness that I have in Jesus Christ. It's been a process to get there. I was born and raised on a pew, but hopefully as I become spiritually mature, I can get to that point. I think I'm getting there, but God's not done yet. I want to find my righteousness in Christ.

Destiny by The Katinas

Sam: I have three little girls: Kaitlyn, Kallie and Kourtney. They are two, four and six. I've gone through some trying times myself these last couple years. The last four or five years different things [have gone on] and I've blamed a lot of things on my upbringing. But God has really been asking me, "What do you want your girls to remember about you?" That thought has caused me to look back at all of the good that my mom and dad have done for us. [They] raised 12 kids. That's an incredible feat in itself. I've been able to look back at all the many lessons that I've learned from my dad and mom, [like] bringing us in the living room every morning [and] doing family devotions. They had a plaque on our mantle that said, "The family that prays together stays together." That was their heart.

Joe: [I'm learning about] walking in faith and that God wants me to win. Humility is awesome and being a winner is walking in humility. But [being] an overcomer in life is what God called us to be. He said, "You're more than conquerors." You don't have to settle for second best or just get by. In every area of my life I'm working toward that-not just being a decent here-and-there-jack-of-all-trades, but [pursuing] excellence in everything. I know that in God I am going to attain that. That's my destiny.

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

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