Offering hope for those without an earthly father is a foundational platform of Brian and Christa Yak’s ministry as For The Fatherless. Having experienced fatherlessness firsthand—Brian was abandoned as an infant by his biological father, while Christa lost her dad to cancer during her childhood—today they proclaim the wholeness and healing found in our ultimate Father, God. Bringing their journey full circle, the couple became parents to a son, Jonathan, last year.
The acclaimed singers/songwriters/worship leaders returned July 16 with Poetry, an autobiographical four-song set hallmarked by vulnerability and hope. Co-penned by Brian and Christa and brimming with vibrant pop production from Bryan Fowler (TobyMac, Gabby Barrett) and Austin Cannon, the EP celebrates God’s faithfulness in every season. In this TCB Exclusive, Brian and Christa talk about the unifying theme of their new Poetry collection and the connection between their music and family.
Congratulations on the recent release of your EP titled Poetry! Can you share the inspiration for this title?
Christa: The song “Poetry” felt like the right way to acknowledge how we have felt about our story together in this season. There have been parts of our story we haven’t wanted to accept at first, and other parts that we haven’t been able to understand, but there’s also been a lot of beauty and peace in being able to accept it altogether. That’s what we mean when we call ourselves God’s poetry and each song on this EP speaks to our journey in growing to see ourselves and our story in that way.
What is the unifying theme that ties the four tracks as a set, from your perspective?
Brian: The theme of acceptance is what ties it all together for me. The big thing for me right now is just learning how to accept God’s love, His plans, His purposes, and His timing—all on His terms. I hope what you hear as you listen to each song is us embracing that aspect of our relationship with God and singing our worship back to Him from that place.
Which of the four songs do you think the world most needs to hear at this moment? Has this changed since writing/recording the EP?
Brian: The song “Faithfully Mine” really convicts me when we sing it and I think it’s a song that God wants to use to pull people closer to Himself. Part of what keeps us from feeling close to God is that we don’t know how to come into His presence vulnerably and honestly. We try so hard to present ourselves in a way that makes us acceptable to God and we totally miss the fact that He already knows where we’ve been and who we are, and He has already chosen to pursue us in an unbelievably gracious and loving relationship. The line “there are no secrets between us” is specifically powerful to me and I get excited when I ask myself the question, “What would our worship look like as the Church if we worshipped as if that was true of us?”
Success can mean many things to different people and situations. Have you thought about what success looks like to you for this project?
Brian: We have felt so much joy working on these songs. Despite writing and recording them during 2020 and navigating all the changes and uncertainty of COVID, we were still able to dance in our kitchen when we got the first few mixes back. We were able to carry these songs close to us as precious little secret words of encouragement to each other in that season, and now that they’re released it has felt really great to be able to share that same joy with everyone. I would measure our success by just trying to celebrate how far and wide we can share our joy!
Your duo’s name, For The Fatherless, has personal ties for both of you. How does this impact your mission in music and worship?
Christa: Having both lost our earthly fathers in different ways, we’re committed to using our songs and our stories to help lead people closer to the heavenly Father we all share. The circumstances we carry from our experiences with our earthly fathers will all be different, but the character of our heavenly Father will always be the same, and there’s so much power in our worship when we come together and acknowledge who He is and what He has done to make us His beloved sons and daughters.
Who, or what, are some of your current biggest inspirations, spiritually and musically?
Brian: I love reading books by Richard Foster. I’m reading his book ‘Prayer’ right now and it’s inspiring me to learn and find so many new ways to pray. Musically, we’ve really loved getting to work on some songs that are more pop-influenced. We love Kalley’s latest record, and her sound had a big influence on our last EP.
Christa: Grace Noll Crowell is my favorite poet and I’m not sure we would have written “Poetry” if it wasn’t for her. We found a tiny little book of her poems called ‘Songs of Hope’ in a used bookstore a few years ago, and it’s one of the most precious things I own.
What are you most expectant for in the remainder of 2021?
Brian: We are living in a sweet season as a family, raising our first baby together. Our son Jonathan is 20-months-old, and it’s crazy to think about him starting a pre-school program this fall. We’re also excited to be buying and settling into our first house this month, so there’s a lot for us to look forward to as we make a home together as a family of three.
