By RTF Staff Writer Matthew VanTryon

Abandon, a contemporary Christian band that is quickly gaining popularity, has had quite a journey. From their hit songs Hero and more recently, Feel it in your Heart, they have gone from a humble beginning to being nominated for a Dove Award.

The band had several interesting hurdles to overcome at the beginning of their career, including lack of transportation. Josh Engler, lead vocalist and guitarist for Abandon had this to say: “We had booked a month long tour for ourselves and didn’t have any transportation. I had a small car at the time that wasn’t going to hold five guys and all our equipment, and the other guys’ car situations were worse than mine. But God brought a friend along that helped us find a rental that worked for us and one day our drummer found a trailer for a great deal. God really worked it all out. We literally bought the trailer and hooked it up a few hours before our first national tour.”

Josh said that following God’s lead is a big part of their success. “Through everything we have been through, I guess you could say we have learned to roll with the punches and lean on God more and more. Not letting the anxiety of a situation get to us as much is a great thing. We had no idea where we we’re going, just followed our hearts and the voice of God when we could hear it.”

Abandon’s first album, Searchlights, was released in 2009. Josh says this album is all about our security in God. “Searchlights is the rescue record. It’s all about holding on for hope and knowing that even though your situation looks bad, you’re not alone and someone is looking for you.”

Their most recent album, Control, was released in April of 2011. This album is about what happens when God rescues us-we let him take control of our life. “Control is the ‘what if God was painting the picture’ record. From the front cover of the northern lights to the lyrics in the songs, we want people to dream about what their lives could look like if God was the one splashing the colors on the canvas.”

The band says that Chicago is one of their favorite cities to tour, due in part to the fact that it is the first big city they stopped at on their first tour. The band says that touring has its difficulties.

“Logistics, they almost drive you to insanity. Bumps on the highway. The only rewarding part about the road is seeing the impact our music is having on people.” Sacrificing time with their families is also something that makes touring difficult.

Money can also be a challenge, but the band knows that God is in control. “We keep our heads up knowing that God sees where we are at and has our best interests in mind.” The band focuses their ministry on their favorite verse, Matthew 10:38-39:

“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” The band says that if they had one thing to tell teens, they would tell them to, “Love God and Love People. That will carry you through any situation in life.”

Thanks to Josh Engler and the members of Abandon for sharing their thoughts with us!

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Matthew VanTryon is a sophomore at Covenant Christian High School in Indianapolis. He loves to hang out with friends and use his various abilities to glorify God and help others. He enjoys sports, and loves to read and write about them.