I don’t know if any of you follow the Stuff Christians Like blog, but it’s a site I can sometimes get into for light reading and some genuinely funny Christian satire. The proprietor, Jon Acuff, is sort of like a Mark Lowry for young evangelicals. One thing I like about Jon’s style is that he more or less avoids writing on politics and sticks with non-controversial topics everyone can laugh about. However, judging by who he hangs out with and counts among his friends (Rachel... Read more
In gospel music, the surest way to get a standing-O is to make it big, make it long, and make it loud. Here I must hastily interject that this is not a knock on big endings and the standing-Os they generate (I’ve cheerfully joined in many a one myself), merely an observation of a fact. But how many times have you seen a standing-O that had no root in emotion or message—the kind that’s offered purely for the skill and... Read more
The changes just keep coming! Glenn Dustin has just announced his resignation from Legacy Five, and Scott Fowler says they have already begun the search process for a new bass singer. Those interested should e-mail an mp3 to Scott. Here are a few words from Glenn: Dear Legacy Five Family, If you know me at all, you know I am a man of few words, so I’ll be brief. It is with much regret that I am announcing my resignation.... Read more
The Browns family announced on Facebook today that Jessica and her husband Nick will be leaving the group. The couple has a new baby, Tessa, and Jessica is coming off the road to be at home with her. At the same time, Nick Trammell is replacing Dustin Sweatman as lead singer in the Mark Trammell Quartet. Dustin will be accepting a position as Renaissance Program Director of Choirs at Bethel University. It sounds like an offer he couldn’t turn down,... Read more
Have you ever what it’s like for your favorite gospel singers to make sure their ear monitors fit perfectly? Wonder no more. Bryce Free, Bill Shivers and Derrick Selph show us how it’s done (and prove that they’re capable of making even something this mundane a laugh-fest). No gospel singers’ ear canals were harmed in the making of this video: Read more
Today I’m going to depart a bit from the standard patriotic fare you might be reading around the blogosphere and instead offer a special entry in our ongoing “Questions and Answers” series (which I kicked off last month here). The two tunes we’ll be looking at may not be in the same vein as “God Bless the U. S. A.,” but in their own way, they are quintessentially American. I encourage you to think about the lyrics with me today,... Read more
Well, it turns out that Absolutely Gospel didn’t really mean anything that specific by “addressing rumors” in Part 2 of their Ernie Haase interview. Part of it was just his sharing the backstory behind “Any Other Man,” which came out of some righteous anger towards people spreading gossip about the group on forums and such. No specifics were given, and I actually don’t feel like specifics are needed. Some of us have seen such gossip ourselves, and it doesn’t deserve... Read more
Well, I was going to put together a week in review post like I always do, but I just couldn’t get it together. The first reason is I simply ran out of time. The second reason is that the decision on June 28 loomed so large everything else seemed to pale by comparison. So I want to just share a few thoughts that I have had as I try to grasp the significance of this and what it means to... Read more
John Piper is a pastor I greatly respect, and I’ve taken a lot of wisdom from his teachings. But today I want to discuss an area in which he and a great many other Christians, even self-identified conservative Christians, are importantly wrong. More urgently, he is importantly wrong in a way that could provide aid and comfort to Christians farther to the left than he. However, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, so let’s take it from the... Read more
Love Won is the first album for the Talleys as a quartet with the new addition of Lauren’s husband, tenor Brian Alvey. It serves up a generous thirteen cuts, a mix of new and old. The title catches the attention right away—possibly an intentional reference (response?) to Rob Bell’s controversial Love Wins? In any event, most of the songs are lyrically built around God’s plan of salvation, touching on themes of healing, redemption, forgiveness, and re-creation. Some of them are... Read more
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