Sonicflood's Rick Heil on Modern Worship and His Prayer for America

The pioneering Christian band who helped popularize modern worship and high-energy praise music is still singing about the love of God as it celebrates its 25th anniversary. Sonicflood, which launched in 1999 and won a Dove Award the following year for Praise and Worship Album of the Year, will embark on its "One Nation Under God" tour this fall. The band will perform well-known hits alongside newer songs in multiple cities. The band performed and popularized some of the most well-known songs within contemporary Christian music, including I Want to Know You, I Could Sing of Your Love, Open the Eyes of My Heart, Cry Holy, and Here I Am to Worship. Lead singer Rick Heil joined the band after leaving another CCM group, Big Tent Revival. Originally formed as a touring band to open for DC Talk, Sonicflood quickly distinguished itself and became a prominent name in the contemporary Christian music scene. "I joined Big Tent, went on the road, and God expanded my understanding of who He was in these different denominations," Heil said. "... I didn't see denominations. I just saw the church as a whole worldwide -- the church. And I had a paradigm shift." Heil learned that he could "put my two loves of music and worship together." "And God uses that to glorify Himself and to change people's hearts. And music is quite an amazing gift as a tool. …Music takes the message right to the heart, you know, right past the brain. …Any way that we can get the message out that God is hope, God is love, needs to be broadcast." Read the full story here!  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.