Love & the Outcome Embrace "Human" Struggle with New Single & Updated Book

By Blessing Harper Sep 20, 2023 02:19 PM EDT

Multi-GMA Canada Covenant Award-winners Love & The Outcome return with the recently-released "Human," a buoyant pop anthem signaling the husband/wife duo's emergence from one of the toughest seasons of their life. The Curb | Word single, written by Love & The Outcome's Jodi King along with Taylor Agan and Jonathan Gamble-who also produced the track-was inspired by the couple's journey to rebuild their lives after the loss of their home in a flood two years ago.

"I remember playing a show the week after our house flooded and the first thing that came out of my mouth when I stepped onstage was, 'You don't become a Christian and stop being human,'" shares Love & The Outcome's Chris Rademaker. "I think we've always embraced a pretty honest perspective in trying to vulnerably share with our fans what we're going through, but what has shifted now is a letting-go of being 'professional Christians'-the ones with all the answers who tie a bow on all the hard things."

"We are human, transforming every day through our suffering to become more like Christ," he adds. "We hope 'Human' helps people know that the story they are living is valid, and there's no way to outrun God's love for them. It's ok to fall apart when you're suffering. You're not a bad Christian, you're human."

Further exploring the spiritual implications of loss and hardship, King's 2020 WestBow Press title, You Got This, is set for reissue October 6 with five newly penned chapters. The 2023 edition, You Got This: A Guide to Living a Full Life in the Midst of Suffering, is available for pre-order now. Detailing the challenges King and Rademaker's family faced in the wake of their home's destruction, the updated book also reveals how God strengthened their faith and expanded their understanding of suffering as they rebuilt their house.

"The first edition of the book was me sharing my life on the road as a mom, ditching perfect and showing up for my real, messy life," King explains. "It was my way of redefining 'you got this,' not as a phrase that means you have it all together, but as an invitation to show up even when you don't. Going through a season of suffering completely changed me, so these new chapters reflect how suffering can lead us to a deeper, fuller life. God is good; life is hard; it's not one or the other."

"There are three books of the Bible dedicated to lament, so I found myself in good company as I turned to those pages," King continues. "There is room in the Gospel for grief. God doesn't require a fake smile or a pull-yourself-up-from-the-bootstraps strength. He works just as well whether you're up on your feet, down on your knees or lying in bed. I needed the book to reflect that-the fact that if your life is hard, you're not doing it wrong...you're doing it right."