There have been several up and coming husband and wife duos that have made an impact on Christian music this past year, including Kat & Jared, Love & the Outcome, Austin & Lindsey Adamec, JJ and Dave Heller, Grayson|Reed, The Gray Havens and Jennifer and Christopher Hopper, among others. New duo Out of the Dust is the latest to join those ranks.

Out of the Dust's Chris and Stephanie Teague have an incredible marriage restoration story to share that serves as a beautiful picture of how we are never too far from God's grace. Their eponymous album Out of the Dust has an indie alternative folk musical style that matches the accessibility of the messages in the songs.

Chris shares, "Our desire is to be faithful stewards of our story and let the music we create move people toward love, life and hope, no matter where it meets them in the journey." I had the chance to speak with Chris and Stephanie Teague about "All That I'm Made For."

Please tell me the personal story behind this song.

Stephanie: We started to write the song in 2012. God did a miracle in our lives when He restored our lives and marriage after our divorce. Our song came out of that season when we realized that the second time around, we wanted our lives to look completely different. 

We took a trip to Kenya on a missions trip, and we stayed at an orphanage with over 200 kids. That experience completely wrecked us. Going from that country and trying to re-enter into our own comfortable life was a huge culture shock. It didn't quite compute in our brains that we could live with these kids who had nothing, but who knew God and The Word more than we did. They have beautiful hearts, and we were inspired by them as they live their lives in poverty while we live in plenty. It was sobering. That was the springboard. 

We wrote this song to give us all courage to take steps of faith that are scary but worth it, to be all that God created us to be, and to not be content with just living day to day waking up, going to work and coming home. We know that God has called us to so much more than that.

Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?

Ephesians 5:11-17 (NIV): "Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible--and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: 'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV): "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Matthew 5:14-16 (VOICE): "And you, beloved, are the light of the world. A city built on a hilltop cannot be hidden. Similarly it would be silly to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. When someone lights a lamp, she puts it on a table or a desk or a chair, and the light illumines the entire house. You are like that illuminating light. Let your light shine everywhere you go, that you may illuminate creation, so men and women everywhere may see your good actions, may see creation at its fullest, may see your devotion to Me, and may turn and praise your Father in heaven because of it."

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV): "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NKJV): "You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness."

Amos 5:24 (NIV): "But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!"

What is the takeaway message?

Chris: We also based the song on that 1st Thessalonians passage about how we are children of light, and not of darkness. That was a big part of writing the song. I've said a lot recently that we wrote the song as a spiritual alarm clock, including the reference to "wake up sleeper" from Ephesians 5:14. Our album was birthed out of our missions trip, but it's not telling people to do that necessarily. You can be a radical librarian and live a life of radical love and intentionality in whatever you find yourself called to do. Especially in our culture, that's what we are aiming to encourage people with in this song. Of course if you live radically for God as a librarian, you'll do more for the Kingdom. That's the wake-up call. 

Our songs end up ministering to us, and they are birthed from our own experiences. They come from a desire to live with open hands every day for the day that is laid out before us and the greater mission we are called to. The album as a whole supports that and deals with a lot of real life day-to-day. Our lives are about more than waking up, going to work every day and coming home. We still have to do that, and hard things happen. Our album address those nuances of each day where we sometimes have disappointments and feel like God isn't answering our prayers, but He is for us and He is behind the scenes working for us and through us, even in the hardships of life. No one is immune from the hardships of life, whether that's a divorce or a hard drive into work.

Lyrics:
Life is more than simply chasing after things I think I need
It's not about me, it's not about me, it's not about me
Every day I slave in search for what will make me be ok
There's only one thing, there's only one thing, there's only one thing

Lord awaken, Lord awaken me from sleeping, endless dreaming
You can take me, You can make me so much more
Lord just let me be all that I am made for

My eyes are finally wide, You've opened them to see my foolish pride
It was all about me, all about me, all about me
I give my life away and call upon Your mercy and Your grace
You're all that I need, all that I need, all that I need

Awake, oh sleeper come to life, we are the children of the light
Awake, oh sleeper come to life, we are the children of the light
Awake, oh sleeper come to life, resist this world and shine a light
Awake, oh sleeper come to life, resist this world and shine a light

It's important as believers that others around us see the light of Jesus reflected in our lives, in our words, actions, behaviors, even our thoughts. The lyrics of the bridge of this song reflect a wake-up call to the Church: "Awake, oh sleeper come to life, we are the children of the light." The song also addresses the concept of keeping our eyes wide open, to remember our calling: "wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14).

If you think about the type of faith we are called to have as believers, it is described as the faith of a mustard seed, and we are called to "walk by faith, and not by sight." God can do immeasurably more than anything and everything one can ask or even imagine, and this song is a true celebration of the great biblical truth of "Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Ephesians 3:20).

There are many great messages in this song. The Amos 5 passage urges us to "let justice roll" from our lives and to keep our eyes open to the needs of others. I immediately connected with the message of this song as my life verse is Isaiah 6:8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

We serve a God who has infinitely more for us than we can think or imagine. This song reminds me to have resolve as a follower of Jesus, to keep my eyes wide open and find ways to serve Him for our good and His glory. My resolve when I listen to this song and study these Scriptures is to pray more fervent prayers, have more faith and to have joy to the fullest. That's how I can be "all that I am made for." If you need a Spiritual awakening or are praying for a miracle, sing: "Lord awaken me from sleeping, endless dreaming, You can take me, You can make me so much more, Lord just let me be all that I am made for." Amen to that!

Watch the lyric video below.