Jonny Lang believes just what He said

I'm always interested to see what Christian artists will do when they get the chance to play on the Tonight Show. Several have had their chance in the past, and it seems one by one they have done the same thing: keep it vague. After seeing Third Day, the most overly worshipful band out there, perform without making mention of God one time, I started to believe there was a rule in place. Maybe they'd let you come on, but only if you promised to be on your best ambiguous behavior. Apparently there is no such rule. Jonny Lang was on last week, and he made no secret about what he believed. He believes just what He said. I liked the song so much I downloaded it within minutes of hearing it. His unabashed appreciation for his Lord reminds me of what Jesus said about the woman that anointed His feet in Luke 7:37-48. "Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. .." Check out the video below:



Further reading for those interested in Jonny Lang. Yes, he is the same Jonny Lang that toured with Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones and opened for them at the age of 15. He is the very same Jonny Lang that won Grammy's in the secular world. All the fame, success, and money wasn't doing it for him, though. He found himself spiraling downward while drinking and doing drugs. He credits God and the prayers of his family for bringing him out of it. His testimony is intriguing and inspiring. Read the rest of it HERE.

what's all the fuss about?

Santa Claus is the topic of many Christian discussions. My parents were taught that they shouldn't tell me Santa was real. After all, if I one day found out he wasn't, I would stop believing in Jesus. I get asked a lot now, as a children's pastor, if I will let my kids believe in Santa Claus. I think I will, but I don't have kids right now, and things change when you do (so I hear). I'll even let Cole believe in Santa for another year. But I really don't know what all the trouble is with this Santa fellow? He is a Christian, isn't he? Some of you think he's the devil, but I have video evidence to the contrary. Santa is not just a normal Christian, he's a Jesus Freak...

Jesus Rocks

How awesome is Jesus? Seriously, great stuff is always happening, and you know Who's behind it. Here's a quick run down of cool things I've been experiencing lately.

• Kids are getting saved in XK weekly lately. Go read about my little buddy Greg HERE.
• I learned how to make the links on my blog open in a new window automatically. Yeah, I praise God over small things like that. I guess I'm easy to please.
  
• Disciple's new CD is kicking my spiritual butt and melting my face. Pick it up at Next Steps Bookstore if you are around New Hope.
• Got to go to a kicking concert for FREE on Thursday. We wanted to go to it anyway, but decided we couldn't afford it. I guess God wanted us there anyway, maybe so we could see THIS.
• Friday was Wacky Day at C.E. Budd School. Two kids decided to dress up as me...well, as my made up superhero. I was honored.
• Still excited about Josh and Maureen's wedding. I look forward to hanging with them in December.
• Saw snowflakes falling for the first time in three years this week. Call me crazy, but I love snow.
• Sarah hasn't gotten tired of me yet. God still does miracles.
  

Is there anything cool happening in your life?

Bum Rap Part 2

Okay, so now I move onto Christian rock. It definitely used to be very pathetic. Then the Newsboys, DC Talk, and Audio Adrenaline came along, and revolutionized the industry. They're not the best now, nor my favorites to listen to, but they definitely did good stuff to change the landscape of Christian music. If I were to get a pet rock today, I would name it Christian, because Christian rock has just gotten that cool.

The proof is in the pudding...which leads me to my next rabbit trail. What is in the pudding, and what is it proof of? Colonel Mustard did it in the library with the pudding? Bill Cosby never knew Jell-O could be so powerful. Oh yeah, what proof? Well, I remember watching Criminal Minds after the Super Bowl, and they showed a preview for the next episode. The background song? Game on, by Disciple. They could have chosen any song, and yet they chose this one. Then WWE decided they liked that song so much that they made it the theme song for an entire PPV event. And ESPN used that same song for the background music for the ultimate highlight. Then WWE came back and asked Disciple to do an original entrance song for a tag team.

Now, this is only one band, and they could be an anomaly. But wait, there's more. If you keep reading now, I'll throw in more miscellaneous facts to tickle your frontal lobe. I'm not a big fan of Switchfoot, but they are certainly a well accepted Christian band. I can hardly turn on the TV without hearing one of their songs. Flyleaf was used in Live Free or Die Hard in one of the best scenes of the movie (hard to pick the best scene in that movie). PODs music is almost more overplayed on mainstream TV than they are on Way FM...is that even possible? As I Lay Dying is regarded as a top of the line screamo metal band, and they just happen to be a Christian band. By the way, their shirts have skulls on them, and that apparently earned my nephew a talking to. Well played, Matthew. Oh, and that shirt was bought at Hot Topic, where you can also buy Underoath and Flyleaf shirts. How good does a Christian band have to be to be put on Hot Topic's shelves? Then there's Demon Hunter, who was repeatedly featured on MTV2's Head Bangers Ball and has also won Grammies for their album artwork.

And, as a final note, let's not forget Red. They really don't have any accolades to speak of, but they're good, hard hitting rock...and their lead singer looks a little like our lead pastor. Enjoy their video.


And the list goes on. And the beat goes on. And I go to bed. Good night now.