Lauren, Alyssa, and Rebecca Barlow are the talented, uniquely gifted, and delightfully witty sisters known as BarlowGirl. Now in their 20s, they were homeschool graduates before they ever imagined becoming the popular contemporary Christian group they are today. Alyssa originally had visions of performing on Broadway, Rebecca wanted to learn mechanics, and Lauren wanted to swim with dolphins as a marine biologist before God called them to minister together in music. They are bold in their stand for purity and modesty and for living lives that are radically different from the world. We recently had an opportunity to visit with the Barlow sisters while they were on tour with the Newsboys.

PATRICIA: Did you always homeschool?

ALYSSA: No. Becca and I attended nearly every school in the area. I went until fourth grade; Becca went until …

BECCA: Seventh grade.

LAUREN: I was in first.

ALYSSA: And Josh was in high school.

PATRICIA: Do you think homeschooling prepared you for what you are doing today?

ALYSSA: It did, because you can do school on the road … be a family on the road.

LAUREN: And learn how to get along!

BECCA: It was training for the life we have now. A real family … home together studying and learning, and it has overflowed into what we are doing now.

EMILY: Do you have any advice for homeschooling teens?

LAUREN: Do your work!

ALYSSA: I think it’s easy to cut corners as a homeschooler because you’re at home [and] no one really notices. Don’t cut corners! You suffer in the long run. Do it with excellence.

BECCA: Homeschoolers say, “I can’t wait to go to school so I can be with my friends,” but it’s so valuable to be homeschooled and to be with your family and get that great training.

PATRICIA: Did any of you attend college? If so, what did you study?

ALYSSA: Yes, Becca and I.

BECCA: Performance and theory.

ALYSSA: I studied music performance, opera, and theater.

BECCA: My brother Josh went to college and went on to get his master’s degree by the time he was 24.

EMILY: Is Josh part of the family business?

BECCA: Yes, he runs our website. We have a message board which is a huge part of our ministry, and they (Josh and his wife) are moderators.

EMILY: Did you have jobs as teenagers?

BECCA: Yes, always! I started babysitting when I was 12. I was an art teacher for a couple years in the public school system.

LAUREN: I worked at the YMCA.

ALYSSA: I directed and taught dance and acting, theater and music, through a theater group, and then I was a private voice teacher and a private piano teacher.

PATRICIA: What is the inspiration for your music?

ALYSSA: We write every song from our journal entries … different ways we’ve struggled … opening up the pages to our life.

EMILY: When did you begin keeping journals?

BECCA: Our mom started when we were young, about 2 or 3, making us have quiet time every day with our picture Bibles. We would know the stories, because she would read them every night. She instilled that in us at a very young age and then as we got older she introduced us to journaling.

PATRICIA: What is your music about?

ALYSSA: Basically, Romans 12:2, “Do not conform … be transformed in the renewing of your mind.” God challenged us as a family to question everything in our culture. “Why are we doing this?” “Why are we accepting these movies and shows and clothing?” We do the same thing our parents did with us to our generation and say, “Let’s question this stuff … if the clothing is appropriate. Let’s raise a banner and a standard in our life, because there’s a better way for us than the way the world is trying to take us.”

PATRICIA: How are you able to stay in the world but not be of the world?

LAUREN: That’s why we have our family.

ALYSSA: People question, “Why do your parents travel with you? You girls are all in your 20s.” Because they walk onto the [tour] bus after [a] night [of performing], or Mom sits us down and goes, “I’m going to call you on this and I’m going to be very honest with you. I’m not going to flatter you like everyone else flatters you!” My mom is one of the best mentors I could ever ask for. We tell her everything. As a woman of God we can really learn from her. For now, that’s how we are staying in the world but not of the world. Our parents keep us grounded.

PATRICIA: Has the music industry attempted to persuade you to compromise your message to reach a wider audience?

LAUREN: Yes. But before we were even in the music industry [we heard], “You girls are too outspoken,” or “We can’t be your friends anymore because you do this.” God prepared us our entire lives. Now, in the music industry, we’re used to this.

BECCA: God showed us fear of Him over fear of man before we were a band. When the “give up what you believe in so you can sell more albums” comes up, we’re, “If we did that God would … take us out of the spotlight immediately.”

LAUREN: Because we’ve asked Him, “If we compromise, rip this out from us, because it’s not worth losing our relationship with You.”

PATRICIA: What do you find difficult about being a Christian in the music industry?

BECCA: It’s your faith but it’s also a business. It’s finding a balance and knowing we serve the Lord above all else and do what He’s calling us to do.

The BarlowGirls were recently nominated for five Dove awards. To learn more about them and their music, visit their website: www.BarlowGirl.com. More of this interview can be found at Patricia’s website: www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/PatriciaWHunter.

Patricia Hunter is a writer, wife, mother, and grandmother, and has homeschooled her children for the past 20 years. Patricia and her 15-year-old daughter, Emily, facilitate a weekly Bible study for mothers and teen daughters and enjoy attending concerts together