"We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a great start to 2008. As is often the case with a new year, changes are on the horizon, and with Disciple that is no different. It's exciting because when you read the book of Acts, you see that the Church; the Body of Christ was always fluid and not static. They were constantly on the move as the Holy Spirit led them from one place to the next. The changes weren't always easy, and they always involved saying good bye for a season as well as hello to a new season. During our 15 years as Disciple we've had changes and new seasons and 2008 is bringing in a new season for Disciple. We're simultaneously saddened and excited as this fresh plan from God is unfolding in our lives.

Many of you have heard, that God has called Brad and Joey on to new seasons in their life. Because of the way the World around us works, it's tempting to think that there must be something wrong, or that there is some sort of drama, or that the guys are being asked to step down due to some private something going on in their lives. Please know that is NOT the case. We love Brad and Joey and we wish them nothing but the best as they move forward. God pure and simply has called them to another place and we continue to love them, support them, and hold them up in prayer that God would bless them. Both Brad and Joey have shared in our sacrifice in the form of long drives, broke down vehicles, considerable time away from our families and all the other things that go along with the type of ministry God has called Disciple to.

Joey has been with us the last four years, and got to share the height of our success. He has been a tremendously hard worker on the road for us with things like Disciple's Myspace, and the "Scars Remain" video. And he is one of the best performers we have ever seen. Joey is a very fun and passionate person. He seems to be very excited about his future and the possibilities in his new band. We are truly thankful for his role in Disciple over the last four years, and pray and know that he will be successful at whatever God leads him to.

Brad's decision to step down from being the guitar player of Disciple was not a surprise, but ironically was still a shock. I (Kevin) cried like a little girl the night after Brad's last show. It felt eerily similar to how it feels when someone close to you dies. It honestly was a very sad time for me. But my sadness turned to joy when Brad told me that he still wanted to be a part of the band, just in a different way. We are very excited about Brad's future in Disciple. He has decided to still be a part of the songwriting process and even play on the recordings. So we don't think Disciple's sound is going to change that much at all; at least not any more than usual. Fans always ask why the most recent album doesn't sound like the last album, and wonder why our music keeps evolving. Over the years, Brad has always written whatever sounds good to him, whether it's a slow song or a heavy metal song. The songs that he has been writing for the new Disciple project are somewhere between hard rock and southern rock which is very exciting because we haven't explored our southern rock roots since our first CD What Was I Thinking.

There is so much that we could say about Brad, but we'll keep it short. He has been in Disciple since the beginning of the band in December of 1992. We've went through valleys and mountains. We've seen dreams dashed, but most of our dreams have come true. Brad has the most magnetic personality of anyone we have ever met, and he is by far the best guitar player we have ever known. He is a good man, and a great friend. We love him and we will miss him on the road.

So. What now? When Brad and Joey told me (Kevin) that they were leaving, I began to pray very hard and ask God if it was my time to hang it up as well. During that time God continually answered my prayer by someone coming up to me and sharing their testimony about how God had used Disciple's music to change their life. This happened night after night until I finally got it. God is not finished with Disciple yet. And if that is what God desires for me and Tim, then that's what we are going to do. So we are moving forward with the same passion and mission statement that we have had since the beginning. We want to play music that glorifies God, and shares the message of Jesus Christ.

It seems like it would be a difficult thing to move on. But things have just been falling into place as if God were just putting the pieces together Himself. We have been extremely blessed to find such good people to play in our new band. So.. here comes the moment that a lot of you have been waiting for. We would like to introduce you to the new players in our band. Drum roll please!!!...........

- On guitar, Nathan Ehman from the band Kids In The Way
- On bass guitar, Israel Beechy from the band Staple
- On guitar, (that's right- two guitars) Andrew Welch from the band After Eight

We just played our first two shows with the new lineup over the weekend in Lynchburg, VA and Chambersburg, PA. It was amazing. These guys are so good. The only person that messed up was me (Kevin). I totally left out an entire verse in the song "Game On" and they all just followed right along with me without it sounding like we even messed up. They are already covering my mistakes and was just their first show. I honestly couldn't believe how well it went. Me and Tim both were blown away by their performance. But the best part about these guys, is that they are very like-minded when it comes to ministry. They are all very excited to be a part of the band, and they were so good to our fans after the shows over the weekend. They really loved hanging out and talking with everybody. I know that all of you hard core Disciple fans are going to love them.

So there you have it. I know there have been questions floating around from some of you for a long time. We really appreciate your patience in waiting for us to talk about what has been going on in the band recently. We just needed to time to let God unfold His plan to us before we shared it with anyone. We are looking forward to going on tour with SuperChik this Spring. And we are working hard at writing new songs for the new Disciple album. Please pray for us that God gives us inspiration as we work on our new songs. We love you all of you so much, and are humbled and honored that so many of you love our music. Our prayer for all of our fans is that your relationship with Christ will grow like never before. We'll see you on the road. God bless you all.

Much love,
Kevin and Tim"

Joey's Official Statement

"What's up everybody.... This is Joey from Disciple and I have some news to let everyone know about. I will be playing my last show with Disciple in Germany on December 8th. Everyone has been asking me about why l am leaving and all that so the only thing I can say is that I know when God called me in Disciple, and I know that He has called me out. There was nothing bad that happened to bring this on, it was just my time. I am excited about the future and being home with my family. The only thing that I know about my future in music is that I am going to playing with my old band for a while and we'll see how that goes. Thanks for all of the support that you all have given me and I hope to see you all on the road soon. God Bless>>>>
Joey Fife"

Brad's Official Statement

"Hey guys, it's Brad. I wanted to let everyone know that I am going to step down as the guitar player of Disciple. As some of you know, I have been struggling with back pain for about 8 years now and it only keeps getting more difficult to deal with. During the past 2 tours, it seems like I was at the doctor all the time. And not only is it horrible waiting on the doctor to finally show up after 35 minutes of waiting in the room, but then he sticks me with cortezone shots! Believe it or not, I hate needles! I never got use to it. The doctors would always say, "but look at your tattoos!" A tattoo needle doesnt go 3 inches into your skin, I can assure you. Anyway, the back isn't the only reason, I am ready to come off the road and out of the bus and settle down and try to have a family with my lovely wife. We are also excited about getting to go to church together every week. The road can weigh on you and try to make you into something you are really not. I went to a mens retreat and God showed me pretty much what a jerk I had become. I truly apologize to everyone who had to deal with me in that state. Some of it was pain, sometimes I was just plain tired. Either way I am sorry to anyone I ever offended. I think those whoreally know me, know that most of the time I am fun to hang with. This isn't abreak up letter, because I will never be done with Disciple. Its just time to hang it up for a while. I plan to still do Disciple albums and stuff, just not tour. I am now living in Nashville and beginning to do studio session work for bands and helping produce some different artists. But mainly, I am about to start a job at The Factory in Franklin being a guitar instructor at Arts for Life. I have talked with those guys and they are really cool and seem like they are going to be fun to work with. The other guitar teacher there can whip my tail, so maybe I can learn a few things from him. I love you guys alot, and I am going to miss you fellers. I just want to be in God's will all the time, and I believe that I am doing what He is telling me to do - even if it hurts me to stop doing what I love doing the most. Thanks to all of y'all for the support over the years.

Much Love, Hugs, Kisses, and a soft pat on the tail (good game),
Brad Noah...."

 

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