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“The record came out in November and it was named album of the year by Christianity Today which was a huge gift and surprise. We went on a Christmas tour and we leave for Rwanda next week with Food for the Hungry. So we’ve just got a variety of things happening in our life right now and we’re having a lot of fun,” explains Sara. She went on to explain the inspiration behind Fireflies and Songs, which is a very reflective country/folk sounding album: “It’s a very personal record. I was reflecting a lot on how I’ve been married to Troy for fifteen years and year seven for us was a really difficult time. So a couple of songs are celebrating where we are now. Then there is one song in particular that’s called It’s Me and it’s about the process of an argument as a couple and the roles that we take. I tend to be the indignant one and he turns to be the quiet one. So there are a lot of relational songs and confessional songs. I always try to be confessional. “Musically Charlie Peacock was producing this record and really wanted to keep it as close to how the songs come out the first time. I was probably most insecure about that just because I tended to do a little bit more production and this record is a lot more simple and quiet and I’m grateful for it.”
I asked Sara what was the main source of inspiration for her music: “Early on in my career Charlie Peacock challenged me, when he said ‘God “So I try to look at everything. You know a couple of albums ago I wrote about social justice and just thinking about human trafficking and these kinds of things and what does it look like to be a believer today and engage in these issues and the great evils of our day and to really not shy away from those things. So everything from that to my children. I have three kids and they’re the light and love of my life and my marriage. Speaking of family life I asked Sara how she manages to balance that with touring: “Well they’re not separate. We have a big bus and my family comes with me. People always ask me how do I balance family and career. Well I get a lot of help. My husband is as much Sara Groves as I am Sara Groves. He is what makes this whole thing work and has from the very beginning. My kids come with me when we travel. “I’m taking my son with me to Africa my middle son. We took our oldest last year. So we try to always incorporate and we say no a lot. We have to say no to a lot of opportunities and things that might seem to be just the thing to do but you know we have to just always be weighing everything up. “The kids are really a good barometer for us if they’re in a certain place we need to slow down a little bit. But most of the time they really enjoy travelling with us and hitting the road with us. So with those things we’ve tried to consolidate those circles. I have a daughter who’s two but she’s not on stage yet, but our sons help us when we talk about child sponsorship they come out on stage and Troy interviews them about that. So we try to incorporate them into everything that we’re doing.” Sara’s her work with Food for the Hungry in Rwanda has been a tremendous gift: “I blog about it and try to communicate with everyone about the value of sponsoring children there. Our goal is twelve-hundred kids. We’re at nine-hundred now. So to see that number grow and to go visit this community where all the impact is happening in one place is just unbelievable. The people on the ground for Food for the Hungry are just wonderful. We’re making a shift from charity to justice and that’s an important shift I think to make. I have this great gift and need to know that everything that I have was given to me by God.” She went on to explain why she gives of her time to these kinds of social justice projects in the midst of such a busy family and work life: “Well I don’t want to ever be writing and singing about something I’m not actually doing myself. That would just be the worst thing that I could do to get up and preach and speak about something and not be actively asking myself those questions. “So we have the public things we do and then we also have private things as a family that we’re a part of. I’m fairly new to this as I didn’t grow up in a family that was really super engaged in social justice and things like this. It was through International Justice Mission their founder and President Gary Haugen. He says ‘I used to ask in despair when I’d see the crushing of the innocent where is God. Now my plea is changing. I no longer ask where God is but I’ve begun to ask where are God’s people?’ That just completely convicted me and mobilized me and I feel like now I read the Bible in a different way. Everything about my faith has changed because of this call and this response that our family has had to social justice.” For more details on Sara Groves including her latest album Fireflies and Songs go to: Note: An mp3 file of the audio interview with Sara Groves is available upon request for radio stations. Just email
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