The romance between Christian musician Leanna Crawford and her basketball star husband is definitely unique, blending the worlds of two careers that make their mark in the spotlight. Crawford, set to release her debut album on July 19, has had multiple songs enter the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, including Mean Girls and Truth I’m Standing On. Her husband, NBA center Cody Zeller of the Atlanta Hawks, is a 6-foot-11, 11-year veteran who was a first-round pick in 2013.

Their 2023 wedding was featured in People Magazine. She even wrote a song for him, Vow to Be Yours, that she sang for him that day. 

“It's been so much fun. I feel like it's been very sweet,” Crawford told Crosswalk Headlines about their marriage. “We were long-distance up until we got married. And then we got married. And we were still kind of long distance because we both travel a lot. But it's been sweet. He’s my best friend.”

Read more HERE! 

Image Credit: Provident

The romance between Christian musician Leanna Crawford and her basketball star husband is definitely unique, blending the worlds of two careers that make their mark in the spotlight. Crawford, set to release her debut album on July 19, has had multiple songs enter the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart, including Mean Girls and Truth I’m Standing On. Her husband, NBA center Cody Zeller of the Atlanta Hawks, is a 6-foot-11, 11-year veteran who was a first-round pick in 2013.
Their 2023 wedding was featured in People Magazine. She even wrote a song for him, Vow to Be Yours, that she sang for him that day. 
“It's been so much fun. I feel like it's been very sweet,” Crawford told Crosswalk Headlines about their <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/family/marriage/">marriage</a>. “We were long-distance up until we got married. And then we got married. And we were still kind of long distance because we both travel a lot. But it's been sweet. He’s my best friend.”
Read more <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/michael-foust/leanna-crawford-opens-up-about-her-new-album-and-life-with-nba-star-husband.html">HERE</a>! 
Image Credit: Provident

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.

Some of our favorite interviews include:

⭐️ Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins Discuss Their Heartwarming Children's Book on Prayer

⭐️ Patricia Heaton and David Hunt Talk Faith, Life and Their Adoption Film Unexpected

⭐️ Willie and Korie Robertson Open Up About The Blind and the Generational Impact of Faith

⭐️ Phil Wickham Talks New Album, Songwriting, and the Deconstruction Movement

Let us know what famous Christian celebrities you want us to interview for the show!

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.
Some of our favorite interviews include:
⭐️ Chrissy Metz and Bradley Collins Discuss Their Heartwarming Children's Book on Prayer
⭐️ Patricia Heaton and David Hunt Talk Faith, Life and Their Adoption Film Unexpected
⭐️ Willie and Korie Robertson Open Up About The Blind and the Generational Impact of Faith
⭐️ Phil Wickham Talks New Album, Songwriting, and the Deconstruction Movement
Let us know what famous Christian celebrities you want us to interview for the show!

Join us each week on Crosswalk Talk where we interview your favorite Christian celebrities. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment.

Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Leanna Crawford Talks New Album, Marriage to NBA Star: ‘It’s Been So Sweet’

Jackie Hill Perry has always had a passion for words. As a young girl, she would lie in bed writing songs. In high school, she tried her hand at rapping. In college, she wrote poems, and as a young adult, she began writing books and giving speeches. 

“Even if it’s Scrabble -- I’ll play Scrabble all day long. Because it’s got words in it,” she said, laughing.

In June, Perry’s unique gift for words led her to sign a record deal with Reach Records, which was founded by and is home to Grammy-winning artist Lecrae. 

It’s a return to Christian Hip-Hop for Perry, who released albums on a different label in 2014 (The Art of Joy) and 2018 (Crescendo) before taking a lengthy break from music. 

“After I did Crescendo, I kind of had a conversation with God just about my future, my life, what to do with my gifts,” Perry told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I kind of got this sense from God that I needed to decide what to put my time into -- that’s because my margin was limited [and] my family was growing.” 

After her 2018 album, she said she chose to put most of her energy into teaching “because I just feel that’s the thing that makes me happy and gives me joy to be able to open up the Bible and teach it to people.”

“So I just put music on the back burner,” she said.

Then, last year, Perry decided to pause her writing for two years, and “that started to turn my wheels like, ‘Hmm, maybe I do have space, and maybe I do have margin to get back into music again.’”

Listen to the whole conversation here and be sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk so you never miss an episode!

Jackie Hill Perry has always had a passion for words. As a young girl, she would lie in bed writing songs. In high school, she tried her hand at rapping. In college, she wrote poems, and as a young adult, she began writing books and giving speeches. 
“Even if it’s Scrabble -- I’ll play Scrabble all day long. Because it’s got words in it,” she said, laughing.
In June, Perry’s unique gift for words led her to sign a record deal with Reach Records, which was founded by and is home to Grammy-winning artist Lecrae. 
It’s a return to Christian Hip-Hop for <a href="https://jackiehillperry.com/">Perry</a>, who released albums on a different label in 2014 (The Art of Joy) and 2018 (Crescendo) before taking a lengthy break from music. 
“After I did Crescendo, I kind of had a conversation with God just about my future, my life, what to do with my gifts,” Perry told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I kind of got this sense from God that I needed to decide what to put my time into -- that’s because my margin was limited [and] my family was growing.” 
After her 2018 album, she said she chose to put most of her energy into teaching “because I just feel that’s the thing that makes me happy and gives me joy to be able to open up the Bible and teach it to people.”
“So I just put music on the back burner,” she said.
Then, last year, Perry decided to pause her writing for two years, and “that started to turn my wheels like, ‘Hmm, maybe I do have space, and maybe I do have margin to get back into music again.’”
Listen to the whole conversation here and be sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk so you never miss an episode!

Jackie Hill Perry on Her Return to Music and the Impact of Christian Hip Hop

In this episode of Crossroads Talk, host Michael Foust shares a previously unheard interview from 2022 with the late Mandisa, discussing her book "Out of the Dark." Mandisa opens up about her struggles with depression and how sharing her story publicly has helped others facing similar challenges. Through her transparency, she aims to bring hope and healing to those dealing with mental health issues, encouraging open conversations about these prevalent struggles in society.





Podcast Art Credit: Flickr/Jyle Dupuis

<p data-pm-slice="1 1 [&quot;aiblock&quot;,{&quot;prompt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;preview&quot;:false,&quot;block&quot;:{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;blk_01J44W0BTC2DGFVTQBJPCSHWHN&quot;,&quot;status&quot;:&quot;succeeded&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;summary&quot;,&quot;selected_variation&quot;:0,&quot;variations&quot;:[&quot;In this episode of Crossroads Talk, host Michael Faust shares a previously unheard interview from 2022 with the late Mandisa, discussing her book \&quot;Out of the Dark.\&quot; Mandisa opens up about her struggles with depression and how sharing her story publicly has helped others facing similar challenges. Through her transparency, she aims to bring hope and healing to those dealing with mental health issues, encouraging open conversations about these prevalent struggles in society.&quot;],&quot;configuration&quot;:null,&quot;prosemirror&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;rootblock&quot;,&quot;content&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;paragraph&quot;,&quot;content&quot;:[{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;text&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;In this episode of Crossroads Talk, host Michael Faust shares a previously unheard interview from 2022 with the late Mandisa, discussing her book \&quot;Out of the Dark.\&quot; Mandisa opens up about her struggles with depression and how sharing her story publicly has helped others facing similar challenges. Through her transparency, she aims to bring hope and healing to those dealing with mental health issues, encouraging open conversations about these prevalent struggles in society.&quot;}]}]}],&quot;previous_block&quot;:null,&quot;next_block&quot;:null,&quot;error_code&quot;:null,&quot;feedback&quot;:null},&quot;template&quot;:{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;summary&quot;}},&quot;rootblock&quot;,null]">In this episode of Crossroads Talk, host Michael Foust shares a previously unheard interview from 2022 with the late Mandisa, discussing her book "Out of the Dark." Mandisa opens up about her struggles with depression and how sharing her story publicly has helped others facing similar challenges. Through her transparency, she aims to bring hope and healing to those dealing with mental health issues, encouraging open conversations about these prevalent struggles in society.
 
 
Podcast Art Credit: Flickr/Jyle Dupuis

In Her Own Words: Mandisa's Battle with Mental Health

Brandon Lake vividly remembers the night a group of arena security guards accepted Christ during his Summer Worship Nights Tour with Phil Wickham. 

It was 2023, the first year of the tour, and the two singers were on stage in the final moments of a concert, having asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they wanted to “start a relationship with Jesus or to rededicate their lives,” Lake says. Suddenly, Lake noticed a commotion in the audience, to his left.  

“What had happened was when we gave this invitation to raise your hand if you want to say yes to Jesus, apparently a line of security guards all raised their hand,” Lake told Christian Headlines. 

Christians in the audience surrounded the security guards and helped them take the next step on their spiritual journey. 

“Many believers there that night ran forward and celebrated with the security guards,” he added. “It was just really cool. Because that's why we do this. It's not to entertain. It's to see people have an encounter with God.”

Listen to the episode to learn more!

Brandon Lake vividly remembers the night a group of arena security guards accepted Christ during his Summer Worship Nights Tour with Phil Wickham. 
It was 2023, the first year of the tour, and the two singers were on stage in the final moments of a concert, having asked members of the audience to raise their hands if they wanted to “start a relationship with <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/who-is-jesus.html">Jesus</a> or to rededicate their lives,” Lake says. Suddenly, Lake noticed a commotion in the audience, to his left.  
“What had happened was when we gave this invitation to raise your hand if you want to say yes to Jesus, apparently a line of security guards all raised their hand,” Lake told Christian Headlines. 
Christians in the audience surrounded the security guards and helped them take the next step on their spiritual journey. 
“Many believers there that night ran forward and celebrated with the security guards,” he added. “It was just really cool. Because that's why we do this. It's not to entertain. It's to see people have an encounter with God.”
Listen to the episode to learn more!

Leanna Crawford Talks New Album, Marriage to NBA Star: ‘It’s Been So Sweet’

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Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

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