In a world where little is stable, there exist few things to count on, fewer still that remain faithful through time. The rising and setting of the sun. The ocean’s tide. The stars in the sky on a clear summer’s night. But such reminders are often overshadowed by the uncertainty in modern culture. What is true? Where can genuine goodness be found? Who can offer a love that will never end or falter?

For Nathan and Christy Nockels, the husband/wife duo known as Watermark, these questions culminate in one answer, an answer they exalt on their latest musical offering, Constant.

"God is constant, and He has been pursuing each of us all the days of our lives even before we were born," says Christy. "His heart is for His people to be constant after Him and to be running after Him. Life is losing ourselves in that pursuit. That’s what brings real joy and fulfillment."

"The songs on Constant come out of our lives, out of who we are and what God has called us to do. We wanted this record to communicate that we’re here to stay, that we know writing and recording songs is what we’re called to be doing. Just as God and His character are constant, I want that to be true about Watermark, that we’d have integrity even though life gets harder and busier."

For Watermark, life has certainly gotten harder and busier over the past few years. Although Nathan and Christy both attended Oklahoma Baptist University, it wasn’t until they met at the Christian Artists Seminar in Estes Park, Colorado, in 1993 that a relationship was formed. After marrying in 1995, the young couple moved to Texas, where they began to lead worship music for 3,000 adults at the well-known weekly Metro Bible Study at Houston’s First Baptist Church.

Before long, word got out. Christy’s near-perfect pitched vocals and formidable range alongside the duo’s melodic timing and worshipful songwriting were making an impact nationwide. So it came as no surprise when in 1998, the Nockels signed a recording deal with Rocketown Records (the label founded by Nathan’s musical mentor, Michael W. Smith) and released Watermark, their self-titled debut.

It’s been a wild ride ever since. From their first tour, opening for friends Point of Grace, to concert appearances with Michael W. Smith, to their ongoing commitment to the nationwide Passion collegiate worship/teaching events, Watermark has been consistently on the road sharing their songs and opening their lives to audiences. In 2000, the duo released its sophomore effort, All Things New, an album reflecting both difficult, personal struggles and the hope and healing God can bring to hard situations. Now Watermark presents their highly-anticipated third album, Constant.

"It feels really weird to be doing a third record," says Christy. "But in making it we’ve realized that we want to say some of the same truths as before, only through the new experiences of our lives. Different things happen in your life, but it’s the same, constant truth. You just have different perspectives on it."

Last fall Watermark juggled three tours (Songs 4 Worship, Passion and their own with Jill Phillips) with the process of writing and recording Constant. For Nathan, it was especially hectic as he also took on the task of producing the project. With past credits that include Point of Grace, downhere, and Phillips, Craig & Dean, Nathan’s stock as a producer is on the rise in the Christian music community. For Constant, he entered the studio without a specific plan for where to take the new songs, a quality unusual to most artists but common in the Watermark world.

"All we know to do is follow our gut and throw the music out there," says Nathan. "We’re just writing out of our lives, so we have to be vulnerable. For this record, we wrote 11 songs and 10 made it. Some artists will write 40 or more songs for a record, and then pick the ones that have the best shot at radio. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but we’re just not that kind of artist. All we can do is live our lives in song and on stage."

Musically, the album exceeds the high expectations brought on by the success of Watermark’s first two efforts. Full and panoramic in its sound, it’s an album driven by melody and lyrics. From the lush, powerful anthem of "Holy" to the stripped-down tenderness of piano-ballad "Still," Constant proves again that Christy Nockels is one of Christian music’s finest vocalists. With Nathan at the helm, this latest Watermark album feels like the duo’s truest and best expression to date.

"Going into this record," Nathan comments, "I think we wanted to make something that was a little more organic than All Things New. Tone down the programming and try to be a little more earthy. Outside of that I’m just a big fan of getting the right people in the studio and following your heart. This whole record has felt like a journey where from the beginning we weren’t sure what was going to happen."

One surprise on Constant is hearing the shy background singer join his wife for the first time in a full-blown duet, a love song called "Made for You": "I need to confess/It's hard to show my weaknesses/I want so much to show you strength/Without revealing everything."

"I was totally uncomfortable recording ‘Made for You,’" Nathan notes with a wry grin. "We are always vulnerable in our lyrics, but it was hard for me to actually say these things. That’s the first time I ever personally felt that."

"A lot of brokenness and vulnerability comes through on our records and in our concerts," says Christy. "People can see that we’re weak, we’re not super Christians, and we don’t have it all together. But, thankfully, God uses us in spite of it."

While Watermark’s musical style has allowed them to cultivate a diverse fan base, Nathan and Christy have always had a heart for students. "We think our audience for the most part is us—young couples, starting families and dealing with the challenges of life. But we also have a following among college students from our work with Passion conferences. For the first time in their lives, that age group is finding out what they believe on their own. That’s such an important time in life, and if we can play a part in helping students during that phase, that can have a real impact on the world."

Having an impact hasn’t been a question in Watermark’s short but impressive career. Though Dove nominations and No. 1 songs have certainly come the Nockels’ way, perhaps nothing has proven to them that God can use the gifts He gave them in incredibly meaningful ways as much as their song "Glory Baby," recorded on All Things New. The song dealt with the couple’s devastation after experiencing two miscarriages in 1999. It became an emotional focal point in concerts, allowing other young families to express their own grief in a new way.

The Nockels first son, Noah Luke, was born less than a month after All Things New released. His birth and the changes he has brought to their lives are evident throughout Constant. Christy explains, "I never realized how much having a child would teach us about God. I’m just amazed looking through Scripture at how much Jesus refers to children. A lot of our songs deal with the fathering heart of God." Nathan adds, "Even when the whole musical world seems to be caving in, there’s always Noah. He’s consistently forcing us to focus on what really matters most in life. He brings such joy to everything."

Noah’s impact can be heard on songs like "Remember" (an up-tempo praise for life’s blessings) and "Carry You" (a reminder that God’s love never fails) as well as the obvious "Noah’s Song." These songs are more examples of Christy’s encouraging style. "I don’t write very introspectively, about times where I’m lonely and sad," says Christy. "I certainly have times of loneliness and sadness like anyone else, but I think I always put those feelings through the filter of my faith. If I feel hopeless, I tend to write about the hope that Christ gives. I write the things that I want to hear, that I need to hear."

And that’s what Watermark hopes their audience will experience, songs that inspire and comfort as they point to God, who is constant in His love and care for His people. "My prayer is that I will know how to write what people are trying to say to God and put that in song," says Christy. "Teaching people to communicate with God is a wonderful thing that music can help do. That’s what Watermark is for."