Between work, family and endless distractions, life can feel louder than ever.

Many people are searching for peace in a busy world. And between work, family responsibilities and endless distractions, life can feel louder than ever. We are carrying heavy schedules, tired hearts and minds that never seem to switch off. In Australia, burnout has become a common experience for workers and families alike, especially among younger adults and parents.

That is why the heart behind Band Reeves’ music feels so timely.

Brothers Jeramy and Cody Reeves shared the story behind their new EP My Country, along with the faith, family life and personal surrender that shaped their songs. The East Texas duo are pastor’s kids, family men, and working musicians whose music blends country storytelling with an unapologetic love for Jesus. Their official bio describes them as brothers from East Texas and third-generation construction workers, now signed with Centricity Music and sharing faith-filled country songs shaped by real life.

What comes through most clearly is not just their sound. It is their conviction that Jesus is not an accessory to life. He is life itself.

Finding Peace in a Busy World

One of the clearest themes in the interview was the meaning behind the title track, “My Country.” For Jeramy and Cody, this is not about making country music with a vague spiritual flavour. It is country music that is openly, clearly and joyfully about Jesus.

In a world where many people are still searching for peace in a busy world, there is something genuine and refreshing about believers who are not trying to blur the edges. Band Reeves are not presenting a polished faith for appearances. They are singing about the Lord they love and the grace that has met them in ordinary life.

That matters because so many people today are not looking for more noise. They are longing for truth they can build a life on. They want peace that lasts longer than a passing mood. They want hope that can hold steady when marriage feels strained, when family life is full, when work is exhausting, or when the future feels uncertain.

Jesus speaks into all of that. He does not only meet us in a church service on Sunday. He meets us in the ute on the way to work, at the kitchen sink, in the school drop-off line and in the quiet moments before the house wakes up.

Why Spending Time With God Matters

One of the most beautiful moments came as Jeramy explained the heart behind “Front Porch Church.” With a large family, touring commitments, day jobs and the good kind of noise that comes with raising children, he spoke about the importance of getting alone with God before the day takes hold.

It is such a simple image. A front porch. A cup of coffee. A Bible. A few quiet moments with Jesus before the demands begin.

And that might be exactly why it’s so relatable.

The official audio video for “Front Porch Church” captures this same picture, with lyrics about early morning quiet, reading from “the good Book,” and getting your head on straight before the day runs fast.

There is pastoral wisdom in that image. We do not need a perfect setting to meet with God. We do not need a flawless routine or an impressive spiritual life. We just need to turn toward Him.

For many of us, the battle is not that we do not love God. It is that our lives have become so cluttered that we struggle to hear Him. “Front Porch Church” is a gentle reminder that intimacy with Jesus is not built in the rush. It is built in returning.

When You Reach the End of Yourself

Jeramy also shared a powerful part of his testimony. Though he and Cody grew up around church and ministry, there came a point when what he knew about God had to become personal. In the middle of inner chaos, loneliness, anger and a marriage under strain, he came face to face with a truth many of us eventually discover. We cannot save ourselves.

That is often the turning point of grace.

We spend so much energy trying to manage our image, improve our habits, silence our shame, or hold our lives together by sheer effort. But eventually we reach the end of ourselves. And sometimes that painful moment becomes the very place where Jesus meets us most tenderly.

Jeramy described how every path he took trying to find answers outside God eventually circled back to Jesus. The heart may wander down many roads, but real life is only ever found in Christ.

His story echoes the words of Jesus to Nicodemus, that we must be born again. Not mildly improved. Not spiritually adjusted. Made new.

That is still the miracle Jesus offers today.

Jesus is the Source of Lasting Peace

Cody’s story carries the same heartbeat. He spoke about the chaos of life before fully surrendering to the Lord and the peace that came after giving his life to Jesus. That is the message behind another track on the EP, “If I Didn’t Have You.” It is a song shaped by the honest realisation that life without Christ is hollow, no matter what else fills the space.

That is not a harsh message. It is a hopeful one.

Because if Jesus really is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, then no one is too far gone, too tired, too distracted or too disappointed to come back to Him.

Beneath the country sound, beneath the family stories and beneath the testimony, there is one clear invitation. Pursue Jesus with all your heart.

Not because He wants a religious performance from you. But because He is the only one who can give you what your soul has been looking for all along. If life has felt loud lately, maybe your next step is not to strive harder.  Maybe it is to sit quietly with the Lord, open His Word, and let Him meet you there.

He still does that. We can still find peace in a busy world through Jesus.

Article supplied with thanks to Vision Christian Media – a non-profit, follower-funded Christian media ministry taking God’s Word to every corner of Australia and beyond through broadcast, online and print media.

Feature image: Canva

After taking a break from touring in 2025, Aussie brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone are stepping into what they’ve called a “new season of passion and purpose.” 

The duo announced late last year that they were hitting pause on their live shows to spend this year focusing on family as well as new projects.

“We will be focusing on creating our next album, and creating our next feature length film,” the band told fans in a statement.

The brother’s first feature film Unsung Hero, directed by Joel, told the story of the Smallbone family’s relocation from their native Australia to the US in the early 90s. 

Grossing over $20 million at the US box office, the film also won ‘Feature Film of the Year’ at the 2024 Dove Awards, and was nominated for an Australian AACTA Award.

This year has seen the band take their first proper break from touring since the release of debut record ‘Crave’ in 2012.

That time away from the road has been well spent; a collaboration with Christian hip-hop artists Steven Malcolm and KB was released in July.

And now the first taste of a new album is on the cards, with the new single ‘World on Fire (feat. Taylor Hill)’ releasing everywhere on Friday October 3.

The new single comes as Joel and Luke prepare for a return to the stage this December.

Their ‘A Little Drummer Boy Christmas’ is set for a run of fifteen shows, including five consecutive nights at Nashville’s iconic Grand Ole Opry.

With live appearances slated for the US, Europe and the UK in 2026, fans are hopeful for more announcements from the band, as FOR KING + COUNTRY enters their new era refreshed and full of life.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Supplied (Supplied and Used wit Permission)

When for KING + COUNTRY first penned the chorus to what would become ‘YES,’ they likely didn’t know the song would grow into a powerful genre-crossing anthem. 
But after Steven Malcolm wrote verses around the brothers’ melodic hook, the track found new life—bridging hip-hop and worship in a declaration of divine acceptance.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Sourced on Instagram and used with permission

He redefined the sound of gospel music, racking up 20 Grammy Awards – and now Kirk Franklin has announced his Australasian tour this December.

Aussie fans have waited decades, but finally the gospel music legend has announced a tour of Australia and New Zealand, coming this December.

The Tour runs from 10 to 19 December, kicking off in Christchurch before heading to Wellington, Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with the final show taking place in Perth.

For the past 30 years, Kirk Franklin has redefined gospel music, taking the genre to a mainstream audience globally. His 1993 debut, Kirk Franklin & The Family, revolutionised gospel by blending the traditional sounds of the church with contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and pop influences.

A few years later, Kirk’s track ‘Stomp’ from the 1997 record God’s Property, would enjoy crossover success on secular charts; a rare feat for a Christian artist.

Franklin’s bold, unapologetic style, combined with his message of faith, redemption, and social justice, helped redefine what gospel music could be. He broke barriers by collaborating with mainstream artists and introduced gospel to audiences who might never have engaged with the genre otherwise. 

Albums like The Nu Nation Project and Hero have won multiple Grammy Awards, affirming his status as a groundbreaking artist. All up, Franklin has pocketed 20 Grammys – his most recent being last year when the #1 hit single ‘All Things’, taken from his latest album Father’s Day, took out the Best Gospel Performance/Song category.

Tickets for Kirk Franklin’s The World Tour are on sale now.  For complete tour, ticket and VIP information, visit the Live Nation website.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Supplied and Used With Permission

The last two years have been some of most significant for Australian singer and Hillsong alumni TAYA, as she officially leaves the church, releases her second solo album, has a baby, relocates to the US and prepares for her first headline tour.

Add to that a skin cancer diagnosis and living out of suitcases for 5 months with baby Bo in tow, and understandably TAYA wanted to come back to basics with The Reminder – a conscious reflection on the unchanging faithfulness of God.

“We are walking out of this season with the testament of God’s faithfulness,” TAYA said.

“Even if we’re doubtful, or we fear, [I’m] just so grateful that He doesn’t change.”

While learning to be a mum on the road – Bo’s now been to 16 countries “and has no idea” – TAYA was touring her previous album, writing the current one and working out what life post-Hillsong would look like with husband Ben.

“We met in that church,” TAYA said.

“We thought we’d be there for life [but] sensed our time there was ending.”

For 15 years TAYA was a leading figure in UNITED and Young & Free, renowned for Oceans, Wake and Not Today contributing to some 800million career streams for the bands.

“In God’s kindness,” TAYA said.

“The things from [those] years have now become the floorboards we get to step on to launch this new thing.”

The title track of The Reminder is as much for listeners as for TAYA herself, calling her soul to remember in the valleys that God sees her, that her future’s secure and her history with God is proof of His goodness.

“This record is testimony set to melody,” TAYA said.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get away from that because I think it’s really powerful when people sing with a conviction.

“It’s usually because there’s been something that they’ve walked through – it’s a hard-fought revelation of who God is.”

TAYA’s goal for the next season is just “to be doing what [God’s] asking of me to do”.

“There’s a simplifying happening in my own heart,” TAYA said.

“I’ve seen it in quite a few different friends around me: there’s a stripping away of what we thought mattered, or that perhaps other people were placing upon us.”

Some of the sweetness TAYA sees on this side echoes former Hillsong songwriter Ben Fielding, who sees fruit coming from seeds that were scattered in recent years.

“It was quite violent and it felt quite distressing,” TAYA said.

“But what’s been beautiful about this season is that when you’ve been in the trenches with people [you] can’t replicate that.

“We know we were all in it together.

“[Now] I think people have been allowed, or enabled, to go into places that perhaps never would’ve happened if we’d all stayed together in that same way.”

The Reminder serves as a way-marker, celebrating what’s been but pointing us forward to the good God’s going to do next.

“I don’t have any idea what the future holds,” TAYA said.

“But I know that I get to rest in him completely.”

TAYA’s album The Reminder is out now.

Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.

Feature image: Album cover art supplied and used with permission

About the Author: Laura Bennett is a media professional, broadcaster and writer from Sydney, Australia.

If you’ve been around Christian music for a while, you’ll no doubt remember the era of Easterfest.

Originally named the Australian Gospel Music Festival for its first nine years, Easterfest was a Christian music festival that ran in Toowoomba, from 1999 until 2015.

This year marks a decade since the last ever Easterfest event, and a series of interviews in the brand-new podcast, The Rise and Fall of Easterfest, explores the incredible Easterfest story.

Over the course of 17 years, thousands of artists graced the stages of the Australian Gospel Music Festival and Easterfest.

Some were just finding their feet and trying to establish a following, while some of the international artists were huge, both in the Christian and mainstream music scenes. Bands like Switchfoot and Naturally 7 had huge crossover appeal.

In the early days, the Australian Gospel Music Festival reflected very much what the name said, with the overwhelming number of acts being Australian.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, Australia’s independent Christian artists were thriving, with healthy scenes active along the eastern seaboard as well as Adelaide and Perth. Melbourne, Brisbane and northern New South Wales in particular were producing artists of an extremely high calibre.

In Victoria, acts like the Paul Colman Trio, Antiskeptic, Claire Hazzard, Sons of Korah and Compliments of Gus were leading the charge.

New South Wales ska band The Frugals had amassed a solid following in Brisbane and Sydney following epic performances at Brisbane’s Groundswell festival, and Sydney’s Black Stump.

Meanwhile in Brisbane, groups such as Beanbag, Battered Fish (later Leo Nine), Rhubarb, Dumpster, Tonjip and Elementary Penguin had banded together under the banner of Toupee Records, which had been started by the three members of Battered Fish – Jeremy Bennett, Caleb James and Matthew Gray.

Other Queensland-based groups were prolific in that time as well, including Alabaster Box, Soulframe and Rookie.

“Not only did you have Easterfest and Sonfest, you also had festivals like Groundswell that were another opportunity for bands like us to play at,” said Nathaniel McManus (aka Macca) from the band Rookie.

“People went to shows, people loved going to see live music, and I think the bands in Brisbane connected in a way that people wanted to come and see them. It was an amazing, healthy music scene with some incredible bands.”

As the festival grew through the early 2000s, organizers were now able to book higher-profile acts including Guy Sebastian, Rebecca St James, Pillar, Superchick and Newsboys.

Booking the international contingent of Easterfest and AGMF was always the most challenging component for festival organisers, with some acts taking many years to get across the line.

“At times that was an eighteen month to two-year process in terms of booking artists, not for the next festival, but for the one after,” former event director Dave Schenk said on the podcast.

“In some cases, it was more like a seven-year process.   The year we finally got Michael W. Smith, it was like, ‘I’ve only been trying to do this for seven years!’  He was very involved in his local church, so trying to get him to come to Australia on the Easter weekend was difficult.  We had this challenge with a few artists who were very committed to their churches that and would say, sorry, it’s Easter, I’m at home.”

The AGMF and Easterfest festivals weren’t just a haven for the typical pop/rock fare; over the years genres like jazz, metal and worship were important elements of the event’s programming, too.

Brisbane jazz four-piece Scat were festival mainstays for well over a decade, when in 2014 and 2015 they set up their own jazz club – The Up Beat – which ran for the entirety of the Easter weekend.

Over the years, worship artists as diverse as Robin Mark (Northern Ireland), Ascend the Hill (Florida, USA), Rueben Morgan and Darlene Zschech (both of Australia) were featured, while in 2013 and 2014, there was 72 hours of non-stop worship music.

You can hear some of the stories of Easterfest’s music in the 2^nd episode of The Rise & Fall of Easterfest, available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Omny, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Article supplied with thanks to 96five.

Feature image: Easterfest, by Trent Rouillon