The award winning group “For King and Country†share about their new book & movie â€Pricelessâ€, which is inspired by true events.
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[MUSIC PLAYING]
JAMES (VOICEOVER):
We're all on a journey.
But it seems somewhere along
the way, I took a wrong turn.
[SHOUTING]
And then it happened.
And I never even saw it coming.
[CAR HONKING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Did I fail?
[INAUDIBLE].
JAMES (VOICEOVER): Did I
do what needed to be done?
[INAUDIBLE] the girls,
where are you taking them?
It's not your problem.
If you're hearing a
little voice that's
telling you to
stay, then you might
want to listen to that voice.
I want to shut this thing down.
FOR KING AND COUNTRY: (SINGING)
I see you dressed in white.
MARIA: How could
you just leave us?
You have to trust me.
MARIA: That word
is broken for you.
JAMES: I'm gonna
make this right.
FOR KING AND COUNTRY:
(SINGING) --so priceless.
Joining us now is
For King and Country,
brothers Joel and
Luke Smallbone.
It's great to have you with us.
And this is a huge project
that you have undertaken.
Yeah.
Before we talk about
your background,
let's talk about this.
Mm.
Why trafficking?
Why this issue?
Well, we-- this has been a long
journey to this point for us.
LUKE SMALLBONE: Yeah.
And you do have to go back--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: A
little bit, yeah.
--to get to here.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: [LAUGHTER]
And one of the
things that we felt
moved to share
about as we started
as a band was charging us as
men be chivalrous in how we love
and celebrating a woman's worth.
Mm.
And about two years ago,
we went to our brother Ben.
And we said, look,
there is-- there's
something happening here.
This message is being received
almost at an alarming pace.
This movement, this Priceless
movement is really flourishing.
What about taking this
message to the silver screen?
I don't think we knew what
we were asking at the time.
No.
But--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: And
that's a good thing.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
[LAUGHTER]
It was in this case.
I'm not sure we would've
done it otherwise.
But one of the great
questions we asked-- OK,
is-- well, yes, what is our
role as men and women socially?
Mhm.
But also what is the antithesis
of the word priceless?
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Priceless, yeah.
And that is that
someone can be bought,
that love can be bought,
that affection can be bought.
And so in an effort to really
convey the sort of cultural
extremes that we have
going on in society today,
there is a portion of this that
really drops into this world
of slavery, prostitution,
trafficking to-- to--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Mhm.
--hopefully start
a conversation.
LUKE SMALLBONE: Yeah.
Alarming numbers--
Mhm.
Yeah.
--in all of this.
I mean, I'm sure that moved you.
And in many instances, though--
though your book, your movie,
the song you've written is--
is geared toward women--
LUKE SMALLBONE: Yeah.
--especially when
it comes to children,
there are young boys involved
in all of this as well that are
being taken advantage of.
What-- what do you want--
what's the takeaway from what
you're doing here?
What do you want people to
see the movie you've produced,
to read the book
you've written-- what
do you want them to take away?
One of the things that we've
realized as brothers is this
younger generations is being
discipled by what they hear
through their headphones--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yeah.
--and what they see
through-- on screens,
whether it's a telephone
screen, or a mobile phone, or--
Mhm.
--a television,
or in a theater.
And we feel like for us to be
able to get to those younger
kids, for us to be able to get
to the kids that are-- have
a new mind, that are-- that
haven't been necessarily
corrupted by society,
that we need to actually
be in those places.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Mhm.
We need to be writing
excellent music.
Yeah.
We need to be writing--
making excellent movies.
Because this is what people
are paying attention to today.
And a lot of that
has to do with--
we feel very passionate that
this younger generation has
an opportunity unlike--
Yeah.
--even just my generation,
which is not that far removed
from this younger generation
where there's so many
communication.
Mhm.
There's so much social media.
And so if you can
get into their heads
what it really looks like
to be a priceless soul,
somebody that actually
knows what they're valued,
I think that that person
becomes in incredibly powerful.
You know, the message
is a compelling message
really of God's love.
JOEL SMALLBONE: Mhm.
LUKE SMALLBONE: Yeah.
Because He's the
one who's created us
with such detail, such
promise, such wonder.
When you lose that, the
message you're also bringing in
is that it's not too late.
You can-- you can find
a new beginning in that.
Mm.
Well, and that's one
of the beautiful things
about this film is there's
this sub-story going
on where my character, James,
is really physically saving
these young ladies.
But particularly the
older of the two sisters
who he's attempting
to save, she,
even in these horrific
circumstances,
even though there's
these awful things that
have been done to
her, even though she's
suffered great loss, she,
as an image bearer of God,
under God--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Mm.
JOEL SMALLBONE:
--is able to have
the resolve and the
strength to almost
save him mentally and-- and
spiritually in the process.
And so there's this great
juxtaposed position.
And that's what I think is a
beautiful thing about a woman
today is when she is looking,
you know, sort of vertically--
LUKE SMALLBONE: Mhm.
--then the-- the horizontal
relationships sort of get
worked out.
Yeah.
Talk a little bit about
that for young men--
Yeah.
Mhm.
--not children, but young men.
Because just as the woman's
view of God's intention for her
as a woman has been
distorted, I think
so has the view
of what a man is--
JOEL SMALLBONE: Mhm.
--to be.
I mean, you have a tremendous
opportunity to impact that.
I think you're 100% correct.
I don't-- I think that we
have a generation that,
both female and male, really
struggle with just identity.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Absolutely.
They're identity-less
to a degree.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yes.
And if we can speak into
where, hey, under God,
this is who you're
created to be--
MARIA: Mhm.
--like I said before, I think
that you just live your life
with a different vigor.
You live your life with
a different intensity.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Right.
Because you're not trying to
go after frame or accolades
to say, well, look at me.
Now I know who I am--
Yeah.
--because done all
these other things.
Achieving is a great
way to feel empty.
It's true.
And the search for significance,
which is on almost all of us
until we find our
wholeness in Christ--
Mhm.
--is-- can come up empty--
Yeah.
And I think--
--on many, many levels.
To your point, Terry,
there is, as men--
and we feel as young men, it's
part of the reason we've spoken
about it-- there is this
dichotomy of men finding
their significance in sex--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yes.
--and in-- and in sort
of that strength as a man,
as the hunter, the fighter
rather than the protector,
and the carer, and the
man laying down his life.
And particularly speaking
about trafficking and slavery,
this is-- this is
supply and demand.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yes.
As you get rid of the-- you
get rid of the demand, which
primarily is men, the supply
diminishes immediately.
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yeah.
And so this is-- let's not be
fooled-- the song, the book,
the film is really--
it's a charge just
as much if not more so to men.
Mhm.
It starts with us.
Part-- part of the reason why I
think Joel and I feel so driven
to speak about it is
it does start with men.
Yep.
This message shouldn't be
coming-- I mean, it can.
But we need to be people--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yes.
--who are saying,
guys, for the most part,
this issue starts with us.
If we didn't have the
issues that we have
and if we-- our minds
weren't distorted at times,
then this issue would go away.
And so we need to be calling
out fellow men saying, hey guys,
let's-- let's--
TERRY MEEUWSEN: Yeah.
--let's change things.
Well, you've got three--
three projects now--
[LAUGHTER]
--surrounding this
subject of priceless,
that we are made in the
image and likeness of God.
We are priceless as
men and as women.
JOEL SMALLBONE: Yeah.
But you've got the song,
the book, the movie.
And it's a message that really,
really needs to be heard today.
We have a clip of you
singing the song priceless.
So let's take a look at that.
FOR KING AND COUNTRY:
(SINGING) Mirror,
mirror, mirror on
the wall, telling
those lies, pointing out your
flaws, that isn't who you are.
That isn't who you are.
It might be hard to hear.
But let me tell you dear, if
you could see what I could see,
I know you would believe
that isn't who you are.
There's more to who you are.
So when it's late,
you're wide awake,
too much too take, and don't you
dare forget that in the pain,
you can be brave.
Hear me say--
I see you dressed in white.
Every wrong made a right.
I see a rose in bloom
at the sight of you--
oh, so priceless.
Irreplaceable, unmistakable,
incomparable-- darling,
it's beautiful.
I see it all in you.
Oh, so priceless.
We are each the priceless
creation of a God
who loves us immeasurably.
That was great.
Want people to know, if you
want to hear more of For King
and Country, get their CD.
You'll love their music.
It's available
wherever music is sold.
And be sure to
check out the book--
LUKE SMALLBONE: Mhm.
--"Priceless," and the movie
when it comes to a theater near
you.
You need to go.
You need to go
both to learn more
about who you are
as a child of God
but then to learn more about
the difference we can all make
if we stand up and are counted.
So Luke, Joel,
thank you so much.
We just wish you the
best with this project.
It's a big subject.
Thanks so much for having us.
--[INAUDIBLE] Great
to see you again.