Jon Micah Sumrall of Kutless
by: Jaye

CS: How did your group form? Did you start out together or did you pick up players along the way?

JMS: We started out as a worship band in college. James joined us about a year after we had started playing show and were officially a "band".

CS: What is the main focus in your ministry? Teens? The lost? The hurting? Why did you decide up on this as a focus?

JMS: We feel there are two main focuses for our band.
1)Evangelism. We hope that our music can show people how much God loves them and cause them to realize that Christianity might not be boring and stuffy, but actually can rock.
2)Edification. We want to also be a positive alternative for Christians to listen to. Most bands in our genre of music have very negative messages and we hope to be an alternative to that.

CS: What does your groups name mean? T4JYM: Where did you come up with it?

JMS: Kyle, our drummer thought of the name. The idea behind it comes from the concept that when Christ died on the cross for our sins, He bore all of the cuts and bruises that we deserved leaving us without those cuts and therefore Kutless.

CS: Do you ever worry about getting caught up in the world of show biz? That success will change your group?

JMS: It is definitely something that we must watch out for. I hope that as time goes on we only improve in our relationships, characters, and walks with God. Be praying that we never lose our focus and that God will guide us in every situation we encounter.

CS: If you could meet any one person, past, present or future, who would you meet? Why would you choose that person? What would you ask them?

JMS: I know this is the "Sunday school answer" but I really would want to meet Jesus above anyone else in history. I don't know what questions I would have for Him, but I am fascinated by the concept of Him being fully God and yet fully man. I would love to see the reaction everyone around me would have toward Him and would love to learn from His perfect interaction with people. I guess someday I will get to meet Him and I am certainly looking forward to that!

CS: If you could ask Jesus any one question, what would you ask and why?

JMS: As I stated in the last question, I really am not sure. I feel like I would learn the most simply by watching Him.

CS: What is your favorite verse in the Bible and why? Same question, but for book of the Bible.

JMS: Psalm 37:4 This passage has encouraged me many times. God often puts desires in my heart that I must wait for Him to work out later in my life. This verse has helped me many times to not lose faith and remember that if I wait patiently, keeping my eyes focused on Him, He will either change my heart or will grant me those desires.

CS: When did you feel called to perform in a group like this? Have you felt God's hand guiding you towards this all along?

JMS: I have wanted to be in a band since high-school, but it never really worked out so I tried to just shoved it to the back of my mind and tried to forget about it. Then in college when we met and things started coming together, I was excited just to have the opportunity of playing in a band. After playing for a short time together, God made it clear to me that He had a much larger plan and that this was what He wanted me to do professionally. I didn't know how that would work since we had no music industry connections at the time, but He had it under control and now I am here doing, exactly what He called me to. This constantly amazes me and reminds me that it was completely God's hand that placed us where we are today.

CS: What is the funniest thing you have seen while touring?

JMS: Probably the pranks that happened the last night of The Go Show. Audio Adrenaline got worked!

CS: What is the biggest thing God has done during one of your concerts?

JMS: I don't think there is one particular instance that we can classify as the biggest, but we have seen many people get saved as we travel the country and in the scope of eternity, that is HUGE!

CS: Do you write your own music?

JMS: Yes

CS: Does the group come together for prayer at times other than concerts and ministry opportunities?

JMS: Yes. Because it is extremely difficult to get to church while we are on tour, we try to get together at least twice a week for our own Bible studies.

CS: Many teenagers and adults get really emotionally involved in the lives of the band members. Do you feel people look up to you as near idols?

JMS: Yes. People are fascinated by any type of fame, and you will notice that nearly everyone is quick to share their story about when they met someone famous. If someone is convinced you are famous, even if you are not famous, they want to feel connected to you in some way. I always get a laugh when we pull up somewhere in our bus and someone says, "Hey, are you guys famous?" Obviously since they don't know who we are we are not that famous. In reality we are just normal people no different from anyone else. Some people are building contractors, others are pastors, while others run large corporations. We just happen to play music for our job.

CS: Do you feel people look down on you for your age? For your music style?

JMS: Every once in a while. 1 Timothy 4:12 pretty much sums up how we feel about this.

CS: What is the latest news on your group? Any new CD's to be released soon?

JMS: We are currently in the studio working on our second record. Be looking for it in February or March of next year.