At NewReleaseToday’s Couples Corner, we enjoy exploring the real-life love stories behind your favorite Christian music artists. In this special feature, we chat with Brian and Christa Yak of For the Fatherless—a husband-and-wife duo whose heartfelt worship music stems directly from their personal journeys. Both faced the pain of growing up without their biological fathers—Christa lost hers to a brain tumor at age seven, while Brian was adopted by his stepfather at a young age. Through their music and ministry, they convey a powerful message of healing, hope, and the redemptive love of our Heavenly Father.
How did you two meet?
Christa: We met in college at Belmont University in Nashville. We were both music majors and sang in a jazz vocal ensemble called Jazzmen. That’s how we first met.
Brian: I kind of “scatted” my way into her heart. We were on tour with the group—lots of long bus rides—and I remember hearing her crack jokes and being the life of the party. I just thought, “Okay, we have to hang out.”
My first move was to invite her over for dinner to showcase my cooking skills. My parents had visited that summer and left a pot roast in the freezer, so I cooked it up, thinking it would impress her. A few bites in, she asked, “What kind of meat is this?”
Christa: And he said, “Technically, it’s deer.”
Brian: Yep. A Long Island girl eating her first venison pot roast, made by a redneck from Pennsylvania. It wasn’t even fresh—it was leftover from the summer. It was gamey.
Christa: But we made it through. That was just the beginning.
How long have you been married?
Christa: Twelve years now.
Who’s the better cook?
Christa: I think I’m a better cook.
Brian: And I’m the better baker. I also grill. But after the venison story, I might’ve shot myself in the foot.
Who’s the better driver?
Christa: Brian is. He’s more aggressive, but he’s a good driver.
Who’s funnier?
Brian: Christa, no question.
Who snores louder?
Christa: That might be a tie. But when I was pregnant, it was me.
Brian: Since then, I’ve taken the crown.
Who's more frugal?
Brian: That’s me. I proudly keep track of our budget.
Who's more romantic?
Christa: Brian. One of my favorite memories is from our first year of marriage when he surprised me with a trip to Chattanooga. I came home from running errands and saw a suitcase with a note that said, “Pack your bags, we’re going to Chattanooga.”
Brian: I also did a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt once.
Christa: It took real effort, and I appreciated that.
Who’s the clean freak?
Christa: We’re both pretty clean, but Brian takes it to another level. I’ll leave something out for a reason, and it disappears five minutes later.
Brian: Everything has to be in its place.
Who's more competitive?
Christa: Me. We can no longer play certain games together. Once, a card game with my sister-in-law got heated.
Who said “I love you” first?
Brian: That would be me. I remember it clearly—September 3rd, 2009. We were in college and had only been dating for about five weeks. I had just played a show near Christa’s dorm, and we were hanging out in her room. She was doing homework, and I was standing in the doorway.
Something just compelled me, and the words came out: “I love you.” The second I said it, I panicked. It felt way too soon. So I blurted out, “Just kidding.”
Christa: Yeah, talk about whiplash.
Brian: She walked over and kissed me. It was the most gracious act, like a kiss of forgiveness. We didn’t even tell that story for years, but now we can laugh about it.
What’s been your most meaningful project together?
Christa: Our live worship record in Buffalo. We recorded it in one day with our church family. Just hearing our friends sing with us in that space was unforgettable.
Brian: One of the songs, “Bless the Lord,” became a bedtime lullaby for our son. It was the first song he sang the harmony to. We wrote it in 2016, never imagining how God would use it in our family.
What inspired you to collaborate musically as a couple?
Brian: When we started sharing our stories—me being adopted, Christa losing her dad—we realized God was doing a redemptive work in both of us. It made sense to come together under the name For the Fatherless. We wanted to write songs and lead worship that spoke to those themes.
Christa: Our story is really about letting God use our broken places for something beautiful. When we became parents, it added a whole new layer. Ministry looks different now, but we’re still committed.
How do you handle creative differences?
Brian: Collaboration isn’t always easy—even in marriage. There’s this expectation that we’d be naturally in sync, but music is deeply personal. Sometimes we’re miles apart creatively and have to work hard to find common ground.
Christa: Becoming a mom has changed a lot. We’ve taken time off to recalibrate. Brian’s been really good at encouraging me to stay creative, even when motherhood leaves me feeling drained. It’s hard, but beautiful.
Brian: We’ve learned that collaboration means holding space for each other’s voices. We’re still figuring it out—but now we won’t take a creative step unless we’re both fully in.
How do you balance work and personal life?
Christa: Honestly, we had to step back for a few years. That was hard, but necessary. Now, as we get ready to release new music, I feel excited again.
Brian: We’ve had to redefine our expectations. We’re a ministry family—that means our life won’t look like everyone else’s. And that’s okay. God’s vision for our family is what we want to follow.
Christa: Watching our sons be part of this journey—especially our oldest, who sings with us onstage sometimes—that’s been special. Even in the most challenging moments, God teaches us how to hold onto joy while struggling simultaneously.
Final Thoughts
We’re so grateful to Brian and Christa for joining us and sharing their journey so honestly. You can connect with them and hear their music at ForTheFatherlessMusic.com.
Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes stories from your favorite couples on NRT Couples Corner.
Janice Rigel is a Christian author, speaker, podcast host, comedian, and everyone's bestie. She can be found at JourneyWithJanice.com. OpenAI's ChatGPT provided some assistance with this article.
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