Aspiring artists and creative people should find the second half of my conversation with Ryan Clark from Demon Hunter both highly educational as well as inspirational, especially in the practical sense.  How do faith, art, and culture intersect for the believer?   Where do we draw the line when absorbing “secular” influence?  These are a few of the questions Ryan and I discuss together below… Schwab: We have probably both noticed (and even been frustrated by) the way Christian culture... Read more

I hope you have been as blessed I have been from all of the conversations I have had with my musical peers the last several months.  The purpose of this blog is to tell our stories…stories of men, guys, dudes, who are far from perfected but who are trying to live out faith in a way that (hopefully) inspires and influences.  Here is my latest conversation, which has been a long time in coming, mostly due to the quantity of... Read more

Matt Greiner plays drums and writes lyrics for August Burns Red.  I first met him back in 2006 when our bands toured together. Matt is one of the hardest working, level-headed artists you will meet.  But his drum skills and work ethic are not his most impressive qualities. Matt is one of the few people I have encountered in this industry that makes an effort to be both transparent and humble.  He genuinely cares for people, while using his platform to share... Read more

Worry.  Anxiety.  Stress.   Three interchangeable words that highlight most of our days as men.  Just balancing work/school, wife/girlfriend, kids, chores, bills, and spiritual commitments is enough for most of us to need a Shiatzu.  That’s not to mention fears about the future, health concerns, the global economy, or the housing market.  At any given moment, I think it would be safe to say most guys could make a fairly lengthy list of legitimate questions which cause us intense stress. ... Read more

I am going to say something that may inspire feelings of rage inside of you.  Ready?  Here goes: The Star Wars prequels need to be revisited.  Meaning, I think we need to watch them again and pay attention. Please lower your baseball bats, torches, and large sticks while I explain.  Yes, I am aware Jar-Jar Binks happened.  Yes, I know THIS happened.  I know THIS happened, as well as THIS.  Yes, I am accepting of the fact that the three... Read more

You probably know Dustin Kensrue as the frontman and songwriter for the band Thrice, a post-hardcore/rock band from Orange County, CA, who has sold over a million records over their fifteen-year career.  Kensrue is known for being a great songwriter who is outspoken about his Christian faith in his lyrics while existing primarily as an artist in the general market.  Recently, Dustin found himself making a decision to do something he never imagined he would: back-burner rock n’ roll in favor of... Read more

People often ask me, because I live in southern California, if I surf.  My answer is: I am retired.  Here’s the story on my surf career, which lasted all of thirty-two minutes: The year was 2008.  I was on tour in Sydney, Australia with my band.  On the day in question, we had planned a surf lesson for our entire touring party with two professional instructors.  Since the day it was planned-some two months prior-I had been daydreaming about it. ... Read more

One of the goals of The Tin Soldiers ministry is to develop a community where we can encourage one another to learn, as Paul said, to be content no matter our circumstances.  Contentment is a major issue for so many of us, especially in the area of our work.  So often, I hear friends and acquaintances express restlessness over their particular situations with their jobs.  Some of the most common statements I hear are… *Why can’t I find a job... Read more

In the weeks and months to come I will be posting a series of conversations with my friends and peers who are involved in various realms of public ministry, music, and literary work.  Each conversation will focus on a specific topic that relates to men/guys/dudes today.  This one is a conversation I had recently with Matt MacDonald, frontman and songwriter for The Classic Crime and Vocal Few.  He is a very well-spoken and intelligent individual that always has something insightful... Read more

I just watched a vital, yet disturbing documentary film called Bully.  If you have never seen it, it is available on Netflix.  The movie looks at the bullying phenomenon through the eyes of several teenage “victims” who attend schools scattered across the midwest.  I use the word “disturbing” in reference to this film not just because it’s difficult to watch defenseless kids being terrorized by bullies, but because it touches on a subject that hits very close to home for... Read more