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Katie and Bryan Torwalt: Why We Need to Remember ‘Good News’ Now More Than Ever

Katie and Bryan Torwalt: Why We Need to Remember ‘Good News’ Now More Than Ever

We could use some good news these days.

In the midst of war, family, division, injustice and a whole host of “unprecedented times,” it can be hard ot remember that there’s actually good news out there. That’s something worship leaders Bryan and Katie Torwalt have wrestled with over the years. How can we find goodness in the midst of so much bad?

That question inspired their 2022 album, Good News. On the record, the Torwalts fight to find the light and hope that can only be found in the Gospel. To figure out exactly how one does that, we sat down with them to hear more about searching for good news in a time when we need it now more than ever.

What do you guys think it means to hear or experience good news in this time in history?

Bryan: So, even the backstory: we started writing these songs around the Gospels, and Katie, for almost the whole process, kept saying, “I feel like we need to write a song about good news.” It doesn’t necessarily have to be the title track, but we felt like it had to be part of the story because we’re writing around the Gospels of Jesus Christ, which is the good news. Honestly, it’s a song we tried to write five different times with multiple people. It ended up being one of the last few songs we wrote. We just kept trying until it felt right. Katie can share more, but I love when she said, “I want to show an emotion through the song.” We were really drawn to the passage of Scripture in John 20, where Mary goes to the tomb to mourn and she’s in grief. She doesn’t recognize Jesus in the garden and thinks he’s a gardener. It’s not until he says her name, Mary, that she recognizes it’s Jesus. She’s filled with relief and joy, expecting the worst news and then finding good news. We wrote the song and album around that emotion. The artwork also tries to display that feeling of relief and joy after expecting bad news and then having good news to share.

Katie: Growing up in the church, you hear “good news” like the VBS good news. But there’s tension in it today, especially with what we’ve experienced collectively—grief, loss, unhealed wounds. So what does it feel like to experience good news today? Over the last few years, we’ve been thinking about that a lot. We started watching The Chosen series in 2020, and it’s so impactful. It took us a while to jump on board because it’s a Christian show, and it’s hard to do it well. But when we did, the very first episode with Mary Magdalene was so emotional and beautiful. That’s one of the emotions we wanted to convey with this record—the moment of relief when you hear the good news of the gospel, realizing this isn’t it, that God is good, and the story isn’t over. We read a Bible to our kid called the Jesus Storybook Bible. It ties every story to Jesus, showing the ultimate rescuer who will wipe away every tear. Reading these stories through the lens of Jesus is profound because it reflects how we should see the world as Christians. We live in a new covenant, with access to Jesus and salvation for eternity. We’re experiencing real, difficult moments, but we have hope and good news because this isn’t all there is.

We try to break it down in a personal way throughout the songs. We have a song called “Sound Mind,” about mental health and what good news looks like for someone struggling, based on the verse in Timothy: “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” It’s a prayer through that lens. Even the good news of the gospel—the death and resurrection of Jesus—is about finding comfort in mourning, hope in these times, and recognizing the blessings in life’s difficult seasons. Despite the war and challenges, the Sermon on the Mount teaches us that blessed are the poor in spirit. We experience a part of God, the Holy Spirit, that we wouldn’t if we didn’t have moments of grief and mourning. There’s tension in wanting life to be nice and comfortable, but the good news exists within the context of life’s tension and the hope we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I think a lot of people hear good news, but there’s a step of believing it. Even Mary in the garden didn’t believe it was Jesus at first. What would you say to someone struggling to believe the good news, thinking it’s too good to be true?

That’s a great question. Over the years, I’ve learned not to stop asking for God to show up, even when my faith is weak. It’s like, “God, open my eyes to recognize you in these moments.” Often, it’s only a year later that I look back and realize God was there. Sometimes it’s hard to see in the moment, but He promised to be with us. One of our constant prayers is in the song “Holy Spirit,” with the bridge: “Let us become more aware of your presence.” There’s something about being open to the awareness of what God is doing that helps us recognize Him. Even in suffering, it’s hard to see God’s presence until after the fact. To someone struggling with belief or going through a hard time, I’d say pray for God to help you be aware of His presence in your life and family. Ask Him to help us recognize His goodness in this season and moment in life, despite the mystery and lack of understanding.

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