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Mark Schultz returns to his life experiences to draw upon inspiration for his second album, Song Cinema. FamilyChristian.com spoke with the man who wrote a debut album that made us all respect life just a little bit more.

So here's the story. There's this guy from Kansas who moved to Nashville in search of a record deal. He's a piano player, kind of like Billy Joel meets Michael W. Smith. The elusive contract ends up being a bit more of a challenge than he anticipates, so he gets a job as a waiter to make ends meet.

This storyline has played itself out for countless musicians in Music City. But for Mark Schultz, the plot thickens. A friend gave Mark the name of a local youth pastor and suggests Mark consider a career in youth ministry. He promptly tossed that aside. A year later, that same youth pastor ends up at one of Mark's tables. This time Mark was ready to listen. Soon the aspiring musician was finding lyrical inspiration from the families he served.

When a close family friend developed cancer, Mark turned to music as an emotional outlet, and "He's My Son" was born. An annual cross country roadtrip to visit the church's college freshmen inspired "Remember Me." One of Mark's contributions to the annual youth group kick off, "I Am the Way," also found a place on Mark's Dove-nominated debut.

Song Cinema is the sequel to this songwriter's story. Still balancing dual careers as youth worker and artist, Mark continues to create story songs based on both. Enlisting the help of some newfound friends, Mark's sophomore effort includes "Think of Me" with Rachael Lampa, "The Holy One" with Chris Rice, "I Have Been There" and "The Time of My Life."

FamilyChristian.com joined Mark for an early morning breakfast to talk about the new album.

FamilyChristian.com: As busy as you've been with your music, you haven't quit your day job. How have you been able to balance the demands of both ministries?

Mark Schultz: Oh man. It's been harder. We came off the tour and then we had to go into making the second record, which has been great because I've been home, but at the same time, I've been in a studio from about 10 in the morning till about 5 in the afternoon. So all of the ministry stuff takes place after 5 o'clock and I'm just dead tired. It's been a struggle doing both at the same time.

FamilyChristian.com: If you were to write a review for Song Cinema, how would you describe it?

Mark: I'd say it's great. Four stars. I just loved the first album because those were the songs of the time. With Song Cinema, there's two or three songs that I wanted to put on the last album but we couldn't and so they get to be on this one.

I read where Steven Curtis Chapman stayed up all night sometimes and wrote songs. I tried that and I couldn't do it. [laughs] There are a couple songs that I got up at three o'clock in the morning and made breakfast and then went to the church and sat down and started playing until the sun came up. And I came up with some great songs in that time, like "Back In His Arms Again."

FamilyChristian.com: With a name like Song Cinema, I'd guess there will be more story songs.

Mark: Kind of like a movie. There's one about a kid in the youth group who was really strong, was in a fellowship group. He went off to college and then got away from God a little bit. He came back home after a break and said, "You know what? I'm not walking with God." We looked in the Bible and found the part about the sheep getting away and the shepherd leaving the rest of them, going to find the one. [I told the guy that] God hasn't given up on you. If you turn around, He's probably standing right behind you, waiting to take you back.

And there's another one, a kid in our youth group named Wes King. When he went off to college, he handed me this card that said "faith" on it, with something like, "When you come to the edge of all that you know, faith is knowing that when the mountains fall and the rivers rise and security crumbles before your eyes, the one thing you know in faith you'll find is something to stand on or you'll be taught to fly." And so I wrote a song about that.

FamilyChristian.com: There's a sentimental song too. Tell me about "Time Of My Life."

Mark: I wrote it when I first moved to Nashville, for a friend of mine's wedding. It's about a guy that meets a girl and just falls in love with her. Every night they meet on her front porch and they hang out and watch the sun go down and talk. And one night she goes out and he's not there waiting for her. But she finds this letter that he left on the swing. It says, "Hey, you're the only girl I've ever loved and I'd do anything not to give you up. If I could only stop the world when you're standing by my side. I'm having the time of my life." And the next verse is a church and they're getting married and she's going through all of the-whatever-a-girl-does-before-she's-married and he's by himself in the basement praying. He's got tears coming out of his eyes and he's going, "You know what? This is the best time of my life right now. I'm having the best time." [laughs] I'm just giving the whole song away.

But at the very end of the song, it talks about her in an attic. She's taking this wedding dress out of this box and she finds this letter that she got clear back when she started dating this guy. It's talking about what a full life she lived and you're thinking the guy's died. It sets it up totally that way and then right as she's getting ready to put all that stuff away, she turns around and he's standing at the door. He holds her and he's quoting at the end about having the time of his life. That right there is the best part. Every part just keeps getting better.

FamilyChristian.com: Tell me about the duet.

Mark: It's with Rachael Lampa and it's unbelievable. It's called "Think Of Me." We were on a mission trip at the end of the summer and the kids were going off to college. The whole story's about waking up that morning and knowing that we're all getting on different vans and going different places. It's a hard thing to do, but packing your bags seems really easy compared to saying goodbye. I chose Rachael to sing that duet because she is that age so it's a cool thing. It's a good graduation or goodbye song.

FamilyChristian.com: I heard that you were doing a cover too. As a songwriter, why would you do that?

Mark: Because I love the song.

FamilyChristian.com: It's "Kyrie" right?

Mark: Yes. It's a Mr. Mister song. The first time I ever got serious about [my faith] was when I was dating a girl who went to church. We were in the car on a date and "Kyrie Eliason" came on. I just loved that song and said, "I wonder what that song means?" And she started telling me that the song means "God show me mercy on the path that I'll travel and God show me mercy on the road that You've picked out for me."

FamilyChristian.com: How fitting is that?

Mark: That's always stuck with me as being kind of my first introduction into Christian music. I've always loved that song and so it's been a dream to put it on something.

FamilyChristian.com: So what are you listening to these days?

Mark: I'm not listening to anything. I don't have time. We're in the studio and I don't have time. I'm always a Chris Rice fan. As a matter of fact, I do another duet on the record with Chris. It's not really a duet. He just comes in and sings the choruses. It's called "Holy One" and it's the story of the guy who knows Jesus and watches Him go through His thing…teaching, doing miracles, being put on the cross, being buried and coming back alive.

FamilyChristian.com: Are you much of a reader?

Mark: I'm reading My Utmost For His Highest. Last year I tackled History of the World. I was going to read all that. I got through about the first six pages. I like to skip around. I like to get a bunch of books and just read them all at the same time. I never really finish any of them. I really like Henri Nouwen, and Max Lucado, I like him too.

FamilyChristian.com: What is God teaching you now?

Mark: I think He's teaching me about relationships and what's important. To me, the relationships that I've made at the church are important. But everything in the music business pulls you away from those, whether it's making another record, or "Hey, you need be on tour. Hey, you need to do this." The hardest thing about being an artist, I think, is not singing and writing songs, it's being in front of people and having a 30 second conversation. And then the next person comes and it's 30 seconds. So instead of having a history with some folks to go through the good and the bad times, it's all 30 second conversations. And then the other hard part is when people come and "He's My Son" has touched them and they tell you about their son that died. What do you do with that in 30 seconds? And then the next one comes by in 30 seconds. Where do you put all that? It's a hard thing to do. I struggle with that. I really do. So I take my youth minister and kids from the youth group out on the road. Anything I can do.

Song Cinema by Mark Schultz

FamilyChristian.com: Being in Nashville, you probably have some kids in your youth group who want to get into the music industry. Have there been any mentoring opportunities?

Mark: Wes King, the guy who gave me the song, he's working at the management company as an intern this summer. He wants to check it out so he's going to come out on the road with us. He's already been out on the road, not as an intern but just as a college kid. He's going to come out and just kind of hang with us and do some little jobs and that kind of stuff and see if he gets a feel for it. The Christian music business is weird. It's an odd duck. I'm real overprotective about who the kids are meeting if they come out on the road so I really appreciate a Chris Rice or a Ginny Owens, just the real deal. But I still play the protective older brother. They've got to grow up sometime but I still protect them.

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

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