So , I think my hope in being honest was that it would hopefully let somebody else say , “ Well , maybe I could be honest too , and maybe I could find healing and freedom in community .” So yeah , I hope that it inspires other people to open-up their life .
[ WM ] Going back , what worship or album inspired you as 15-year-old , to take up a guitar and lead people in song ?
[ Kristian ] There was a lot of Keith Green playing in my house when I was a kid . My Dad played a lot of Keith Green . That was probably my first introduction to worship music . And then the record that … I mean , this is going to sound funny now that I ’ ve been involved with Passion for so long , but somebody gave me a Passion CD , Passion ‘ 99 , Better is One Day was the name of the record .
[ WM ] I remember it .
[ Kristian ] Yeah . I had been leading worship in my youth group , like I said , and things were really starting to happen . God was doing something . It was undeniable in our youth ministry . And a friend of mine said , “ I think you need to listen to this .” And he gave me the Passion ‘ 99 record . And Alex , I mean , I had never felt the Holy Spirit on a recording like I had felt on when I listened to this music . It came through the speakers and just knocked me flat on my face . And I was hearing the sound of a generation that was surrendered to God , and worshiping God . I was hearing the power of the presence of God on this recording . And I just started to think , man , I want that for my youth group . I want that for my youth ministry . I want that for my life . And so that record was really a formative record for me .
[ WM ] Okay . Yeah , I remember a few of those records that just literally knocked me flat . And I ’ d be weeping on the floor .
[ Kristian ] Yes , yes .
[ WM ] And they still do that to me , certain records . The album Hungry .
[ Kristian ] Yes .
[ WM ] Let ’ s talk about Make It Out Alive . It ’ s been written that you wrote these songs from hitting the proverbial rock bottom . 2 Corinthians 1:4 says that “ God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort we ourselves have received ”. Tell us about the genesis of this record . I will ask you about some of the individual songs next .
[ Kristian ] Well , the record started when I hit that rock bottom . That was at the end of 2020 . November 9th , to be specific , was the day that I told my wife and my friends and my pastor Louie what was really going on . And I knew that I needed to get help . I knew that I had a problem . And that started a very long road of work with counselors and with my community in not just addressing the topical issue of addiction but