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10 Questions with ... Boiling Point
September 15, 2014
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Discography:
- 2010 Rules Of The Broken
- 2012 If Love
- 2014 More
1) Brief History / Synopsis
We chose our name - Boiling Point - because we believe that when people encounter Christ they are totally transformed although still the same, just like water is transformed at the boiling point into vapor. Our band was formed in the same way. Boiling Point was formed from musicians in different worship bands at churches throughout the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN). Each of us had grown up with a love of music, and each of us felt called to use that music to help other people reach God. The band was an outpouring of this already-existing passion to combine music and a pursuit of God in our lives. Two members of Boiling Point are brothers (Eric Bjorklund - Vox, Guitar, Piano and Scott Bjorklund - Drums), the other members (Jon Canfield and Taylor Wilson) are graduates of North Central University in Minneapolis, MN. We started playing together, working on some original songs, then saw an advertisement for a local battle of the bands (Club 3 Degrees) and thought we would give it a shot. The band grew tremendously between that tournament and starting to play around at different venues. We frequently play at youth conferences, and have a passion for leading youth to Christ through music and example.
2) What does a normal day at home look like for you?
I am not sure there is a "normal day." We work a lot and play as much as possible. All of us are husbands and fathers in addition to being in the band. A normal day for us includes many components: time with our families, work on band business, study, individual practice of our instruments and practicing together. For example, a typical day in my (Eric's) life might start with coffee with my wife, followed by work at the church (Centennial United Methodist church in Roseville, MN) as a Young Adult Worship Leader, practicing my guitar skills, leading a youth band rehearsal, dinner with my wife, then a late night Boiling Point rehearsal.
3) What's the song that you just can't get out of your head right now?
One song that has caught my imagination of late is Magic by Coldplay. I like that the song is pretty simple. We live in a time when a lot of records are really produced. I think they were trying to capture some of the simplicity of music that can be just as captivating as some of these really big sounding records.
4) How much do you travel, what are the challenges? How do you juggle life on the road with wanting to be home?
We travel as much as possible as we are trying to expand our fan-base regionally and nationally. As the band has grown we've been blessed to have the opportunity to play some large festivals and events - Lifelight Festival (Sioux Falls, SD - Main stage - 100,000); Minnesota State Fair (Main Stage - 25,000); Sonshine Festival (Main Stage - Willmar, MN - 20,000); and Schwan's USA Youth Cup (Main Stage Featured band - 15,000). For the last 2 years we've been doing a lot of short tours of 2 weeks or so and then filling in one-off dates regionally in the Midwest. We play as many Youth Events as we can.
Trying to juggle life on the road and wanting to be at home is a very real question for a lot of musicians. It is one of the issues that really tears at my soul. How can I be present to my family and yet be honest to this internal calling that I feel that I have to do music? I often wonder, "Can those two things really co-exist?" I am not sure I will ever be completely comfortable and I think that may be the point. It's never easy being away from family but with smartphones and tablets we can literally get a little "face-time" each day, which is a God-send.
5) What's the biggest "God moment" that you've ever experienced, personal or professional?
When I was in college, I had a very profound God moment. I was out walking one night by myself and I can't explain it, but I felt the presence of God. In that moment, I began asking questions such as, "Who am I living for? What is it that I am striving for? " Then, I heard God say, "If you live for me, I will give you everything you need to be sustained. Put your trust in me and I can be your rock and your foundation." It was very moving. I went back to my dorm room and totally broke down. From that moment on, I have been living in a very different way. And you know what? The things that I heard from God have been true.
6) What's the last book you read?
The last book I read was How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins. I like to read business books because I think it helps me organize my thoughts in order to be a better band. This particular book looked at how companies can stave off decline. Artists are good at being artists. We tend to be very bad at being business people. Honestly, I frequently struggle with the desire to give our music away because I am so geared towards the ministry aspect of what we do. I know our music can change people, so I want to give people the opportunity to hear it. At the same time, I need to remember that at some point we need those dollars to continue to do what we do. It can be tough... But when people react to our music and tell us how it has touched them in some way - it's worth any hardships we face.
7) How & when did you became a believer? What caused you to want to serve God in full time ministry?
I grew up in the church so in many ways, believing has been a part of who I have been for a very long time. My father was ordained in the church, but was never a pastor while I grew up. Instead, he chose to work in the field of drug and alcohol treatment. In time, I would struggle with finding and making my faith more personal instead of believing exactly what my parents believed. A lot of that growth happened while I was in college and after. As far as wanting to serve God in full-time ministry, I think I felt that call pretty early on. Like many things, it developed over time. For many years, I loved music and loved God, but didn't put the two together. I saw music as being about performance. It wasn't until I was able to put myself aside, my own image and my own idea of performing and being seen, that I felt called to use music to serve God's purposes. I asked myself later why it took so long to put them together, and the answer is simple. God didn't need another performer. He needed me to follow him wholeheartedly, to put my own ego aside, and to let him use me as an instrument to reach other people. I started leading worship, and was eventually drawn to starting a band, but I still come to the band experience from a similar perspective. Although a band must entertain a crowd, there is a more profound purpose to Boiling Point than just simply being seen.
8) Take us thru a couple songs on your latest project.
The title of the new CD is "More." It was named that because I think a lot of people need to hear the message of grace and the fact that we are more than the sum of our scars. We live in a culture that often defines us by our scars. We are labeled: a cutter, a liar, unwanted, abused, a sinner, broken or imperfect. But Jesus has taken all of these things on the cross and said that these are, in fact, not the things that need to define us. Instead, we can focus on the victory and live into the freedom and healing that come from it.
Another of my favorite songs from the album was a song that I wrote for a friend of mine. The song "Stay With Me" was a song that I wrote in like 20 minutes -- It just poured out of me. In the song, I was trying to help someone understand that she is never alone. I think, at times, we can all feel like an island, like we are in this life alone. But that is a lie. We have people in our lives, whether they are teachers, pastors, youth workers, parents or friends, who care about us deeply and love us fiercely. Above all, God cares about us deeply. Psalm 139 talks about God being a God who knows us intimately, a God who knit us together in the hidden place, who knows our going out and coming in, a God who had every one of our days written in his book before we'd lived even one. God is never far.
9) What organization/service group are you affiliated with?
One of the organizations that we are involved with is a group called Africa Uplifted. The group works in Sierra Leone, Africa to build wells, schools, clinics, and other basic infrastructure. I have personally gone there every year for the last four years. Being there has fundamentally changed me. I now see things differently: death and life, starvation and plenty, hope and despair. I am passionate about the project because I have seen the good that has come from clean water and adequate health care. Fewer people are dying from preventable diseases. I am also committed to the project because I have friends over there who are presented with less-then-ideal circumstances every day and I want to see their lives bettered from having some of the things we take for granted every day.
10) Person you'd most like to have a discussion with, living or dead.....Deities are excused from this question
I would be most curious to talk to someone like Mother Theresa. I'd want to know how it was possible to serve some of the poorest people on earth day after day and not lose hope or faith. Mostly, however, I think I would just like to watch her live her life. She must have been a tremendously humble person to serve in the capacity that she served in. I love this quote: "Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence light new light in the hearts of people." How profound and true.
Bonus Questions
1) Favorite Bible Verse....life verse.
1st Corinthians 13:13 - "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." This is one of my favorite verses because it reminds me that there is frequently only one thing that I can truly control when I come in contact with a person: how I treat them. I will probably never know their story or where they are in their journey, but I feel if I can show some amount of love and compassion, then the world is a little better place and God has used me in a productive way to plant some seeds.
2) What artist or pastor has had the greatest impact on you?
There are three guys who have been really huge to me. I did some worship leading classes at a church in Colorado Springs, CO and all three were there when I was there. The first was a guy by the name of Aaron Stern. He was the 20-somethings pastor for a service called The Mill. He has since moved on, but I could listen to that guy preach for hours. The other two are Glenn Packiam and Jon Egan. Both were in the Desperation band. Glenn has since moved on from the band, but still works in ministry. Jon is still working with the Desperation band and writing some really great music. Each has shown me the level of commitment, compassion and depth it takes to be an effective leader in the church and as a band.
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