Jeremy Camp's unique brand of rock and progressive pop was born out of a faith that has been tested. Praising God despite recent personal loss, Camp returns with Reckless, a collection of heartfelt songs and lyrics that speaks to his passionate reflection of God.

In the second part of a two-part interview, the Voice of NRT, Bill Lurwick, talks with Jeremy about his book, his family, life after music, and the call to live recklessly.

How are you doing?

I'm doing great. I've been trying to get back into the swing of things. It's like riding a bike. I'm learning things constantly throughout the year and then when I have that time off it's like a lot of things really sink in and then other things come out and God's like, "Oh man," because you have time to just really stop and really speak and say, "God, what are you doing?" That's what it's been. I'm doing great. The family is doing great.

I was checking out things in your discography, and Stay came out September 24, 2002. Seven, eight albums in, how different is it to prepare for album 8 compared to album 1 way back when? Are your expectations the same?

I think when your first album comes out you don't know what to expect. You have hopes of what it can do. It's almost like you're a new artist and you're presenting for the first time something that God has done and you're wanting the world--as many people that can hear it--to hear it, but you don't really know exactly what to expect.

I think the battle now is that you have expectations [based on] what's happened. I think for me it's going, "OK Lord. Am I really OK with whatever happens?" Honestly, the funny thing is this is the perfect record to put out I think during that time because the whole album called Reckless is just saying, "God, I'm willing. I just want to serve my life and I'm ready to go and do whatever you want, even if it looks crazy on the outside."

The word "reckless" has a negative connotation. When you actually look at the definition, it's doing something--going forward with something--without regards to the consequences. When I think about that and I walk with the Lord I'm like, "That's true faith." That's saying, "God, I know that you're calling me to do this and I'm going to step out in faith regardless of what's going to happen."

Paul was such a perfect example of that. Here's Paul, really kind of a reckless character, because here he is shipwrecked. He's in prison. He's beaten. He's in Lystra and he's left for dead. He's drug out of the city. All of a sudden he gets back up, goes into Lystra a little bit later and starts preaching again.

How could this guy do that? He knew that he was being obedient to what God called him to do and God was going to take care of him even if the consequences weren't good, like it was in Lystra. It's OK, and the reason why I think he could say that was in Acts 20:24 he goes, "None of these things move me nor do I count my life given myself."

Basically it's saying my life is not my own, under submission to the King. I think in order to really say to God, "I'm ready to surrender and be completely recklessly abandoned to whatever you have," we have to realize that our life is not our own.

We don't like that in our society. It's all about what's good for me and myself, and go follow your dreams and desires. It's like, "This is what I want to do, Lord. Will you come with me?" Instead of, "God, what are you doing? I want to just follow where you're going because I want to be in your will. It's so much better to be in your will," instead of saying, "Bless what I'm doing."

I think that's where I'm at and I don't know what the expectation is. I hope that people get this, but they may not because it's not a very feel-good record. It's not me trying to be preachy. This is stuff God is teaching me.

I don't want to be just a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word because we're full of great programs and Bible teachers you can click on every single day and listen to whatever you want. We're great with all these conferences and different things, which is awesome, but if we're just hearing and hearing and hearing, all we are is fat sheep that are just getting information and we get lazy so much that we're not actually going out.

The decline of our nation now shows that we need to start being doers. I think this record is even challenging me because I am going out and I am sharing and God is doing stuff, but I'm really saying, "God, am I really sacrificing for you?" It's a question I've asked myself. "Am I really surrendering all?" That's what this record is. I want people to be encouraged to walk into the fullness of what God has for them.

You've got two daughters and a son now--Egan, right? He's going to be two soon, right?

He'll be a year and a half. He's almost a year and a half. He'll be two in August.

I've got to ask, having a son is definitely different. Any songs that were inspired by being a dad to him on the project?

Honestly I think as a man that has a son, you're supposed to raise him up to be a spiritual leader. His name means warrior and zeal for the house of the Lord. I think it just spurs something when I see my son whose name even means warrior and zeal for the house of the Lord to say, "Lord, I want to truly go and go to the lost places and the broken places and show you're love and be completely reckless."

There's a song called "We Need," a heart for the helpless, teaching the lost and unspoken. I want to see the world come alive. I want to be that servant under the mission of the king. That I think having a son and just that mentality with him saying, "Son, let's do this together." Of course I feel that way with my wife and my kids. I don't know what it is with a boy.

It's like you can go into battle together.

That's exactly right.