Faith Harr interviews Scott Patterson (January 2001)

Faith:
What is the hardest thing for you when you tour?

Scott:
The hardest thing is maintaining a personal relationship with God. Because so much work goes into playing on a regular basis, it's easy to find ourselves neglecting that personal time with God. It's a very collective effort when we're doing band related things, and while we pray and discuss scripture together, the hardest part is not letting that be all there is to our relationship with God. It would be like only spending time with your best friend in a group atmosphere. Ultimately, you lose that personal touch that is at the heart of your friendship. Within the band, we hold each other accountable to our quiet times, which helps us remained focused on His will for this band.

Faith:
What do you enjoy the most about being a in a Christian band?

Scott:
Besides getting to share the gospel, I really enjoy the opportunity to play music with my friends. We all became friends outside of the church atmosphere, butone of the main things that I believe has sustained that friendship was a common belief in God and a desire to know Him better. It's been a real pleasure to get to play music with such good friends, especially my twin brother and my older brother, who has joined us for select shows in the past.

Faith:
What do you dislike about it?

Scott:
We spend a lot of time on the road traveling from show to show. We don't tour as much as many nationally known bands, but having played over 80 shows last year, you have a renewed appreciation for home. But we enjoy every minute of it.

Faith:
What has God taught you since you started playing for Forever Moon?

Scott:
We've learned a lot about the industry, recording, touring along with touch of insight on spiritual things here and there. It's been very rewarding in that sense. Personally, I've learned so much about myself.

I think I speak for all of us when I say that when we get up on stage in front of an audience, there is a great responsibility that God has given us to be faithful with His message. In addition, I think it makes us more mindful of the way we live our lives. The last thing we want to do is to get up on stage and tell people that we have our act together if we don't. As a band comprised of Christians, sometimes the hardest thing is to admit we're not perfect. But I think that if we're honest about that with people, we remain approachable and real with people and that opens the door for us to have meaningful conversations with them.

Faith:
Have you ever been on a missions trip? If so to where?

Scott:
As a band, we have never been on a missions trip, though I think that at some point in the future we might be interested in being involved with missions work. Although some might not see it as "missions" work, one thing we've learned is that whether we're in another country or in our own neighborhood, there are opportunities to share the gospel if we just make ourselves available to be of use to God.

Faith:
Would you encourage others your age to go on a missions trip? Why?

Scott:
I would definitely encourage others to go on a missions trip. I think that it provides a rare opportunity to grow in faith through service for the kingdom of God. It's a great way to put into practice the very things Christ taught. It's not the only way, but it certainly is a great way to make an impact that could change the lives of those you encounter forever.

Faith:
What would you say to someone who was thinking about going on a missions trip but needed a little more confirmation (what would you say to convince them to go)?

Scott:
God brings opportunities to us throughout our lives to share the gospel with others... whether that is in a band, at home, at school, or in another country. Not only do these things help those around us, they put into action the very principles we as Christians say we believe. Christ was the very model of what it meant to serve those around him and missions work is one such way to put those things into practice. Besides that, everyone that I've ever known that has done missions work has enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with friends while showing people around the world the very nature of the God we serve. Where words and cultures can present boundaries amongst different people, even small acts on our parts, such as missions work, can show other people the love of God in a real and relevant way.