Hope Klessig was in third grade when she traveled to Branson, Missouri, with her family and saw Noah at Sight and Sound. The second act opened, live animals surrounded her, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. Years later, after studying musical theater in college and driving 14 hours from Wisconsin to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for an audition, she moved there in 2021. Now she plays Rahab in Joshua, which is coming to movie theaters October 30 as Joshua Live.

Rahab, live Bible theater, and a God who redeems any story: Hope shares why Rahab is far more than the Canaanite prostitute people remember from Sunday school, and what it took for her to hang the scarlet cord and swear an oath with the Hebrew spies. She walks through life at Sight and Sound, from over 400 shows a year to a full week of filming with a Steadicam on stage, and from understudies stepping in mid-show to dodging live animals. She also explains why every production ends with the gospel, and why it is a gift to use her talent without ever questioning whether it glorifies God.

Highlights
How a third-grade trip to see Noah in Branson planted the dream that led her to Sight and Sound
Why Rahab is more than a supporting character, and what her scarlet cord and oath reveal about her courage
The central lesson of Rahab’s story: God can redeem anyone’s story if they surrender to Him
How a full week of filming with a Steadicam on stage works, and why most of the film is the live Friday night performance
Why the cast performs over 400 shows of Joshua a year, with two months of rehearsal before opening
How each major role is cast three to four people deep, and how understudies and swings keep every show in good hands
The honest realities of live animals on stage, including riding a donkey as Mary and dodging the occasional mess
Why working at a theater where she never has to question whether her gifts glorify God means so much

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Hope Klessig website: https://hopeklessig.wixsite.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeklessig
🎬 Joshua Live: in theaters October 30
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Hope Klessig was in third grade when she traveled to Branson, Missouri, with her family and saw Noah at Sight and Sound. The second act opened, live animals surrounded her, and she thought it was the coolest thing ever. Years later, after studying musical theater in college and driving 14 hours from Wisconsin to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, for an audition, she moved there in 2021. Now she plays Rahab in Joshua, which is coming to movie theaters October 30 as Joshua Live.
Rahab, live Bible theater, and a God who redeems any story: Hope shares why Rahab is far more than the Canaanite prostitute people remember from Sunday school, and what it took for her to hang the scarlet cord and swear an oath with the Hebrew spies. She walks through life at Sight and Sound, from over 400 shows a year to a full week of filming with a Steadicam on stage, and from understudies stepping in mid-show to dodging live animals. She also explains why every production ends with the gospel, and why it is a gift to use her talent without ever questioning whether it glorifies God.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>How a third-grade trip to see Noah in Branson planted the dream that led her to Sight and Sound</li>
<li>Why Rahab is more than a supporting character, and what her scarlet cord and oath reveal about her courage</li>
<li>The central lesson of Rahab&rsquo;s story: God can redeem anyone&rsquo;s story if they surrender to Him</li>
<li>How a full week of filming with a Steadicam on stage works, and why most of the film is the live Friday night performance</li>
<li>Why the cast performs over 400 shows of Joshua a year, with two months of rehearsal before opening</li>
<li>How each major role is cast three to four people deep, and how understudies and swings keep every show in good hands</li>
<li>The honest realities of live animals on stage, including riding a donkey as Mary and dodging the occasional mess</li>
<li>Why working at a theater where she never has to question whether her gifts glorify God means so much</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Hope Klessig website: <a href="https://hopeklessig.wixsite.com/mysite">https://hopeklessig.wixsite.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/hopeklessig/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/hopeklessig</a></li>
<li>🎬<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt43622757/?ref_=nm_knf_t_1"> Joshua Live</a>: in theaters October 30</li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

God Can Redeem Anyone’s Story and Rahab Is the Proof

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/80840dc8-e1d3-492b-af53-b4fe01079c6b/transcript

Jad Gillies, singer with Hillsong Worship, helped record a quiet EP last year for one reason: to find out whether God still wanted the team making music at all. They hadn’t released a live worship album since 2018. Senior team members had moved on, and the church had been through a very public hard season. The answer came back clearly from their leadership and their congregation, and now three live singles are out, with a full album, Holy Is the Name, coming in February.

Hillsong Worship, congregational worship songs, and getting back to basics: Jad explains why the team asked what the church actually needs to sing and landed on the He Is and You Are songs, which remind us who God is because it is in our nature to forget. He shares how Hillsong’s own congregation acts as the head of A&R for every new song, why he believes worship leaders must never become the hero of the story, and why Christian music and country music are having a cultural moment as people turn toward something real. He also speaks gently to anyone disillusioned by what Hillsong went through, and tells the story of standing beside the platform watching families walk into church and hearing God ask him one question: is that enough?

Highlights
Why Hillsong Worship recorded a quiet EP a year ago to see if God still wanted them making music
The three new live singles, Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, and the album Holy Is the Name coming in February
Why the team focused on He Is and You Are songs that remind the church of God’s character, because we are prone to forget
How the Hillsong congregation acts as the head of A&R, testing new songs and shaping which ones go further
Why he believes worship songs should magnify God and never make the worshiper the hero of the story
Why Christian music and country music are surging as people turn away from programmed, personality-driven pop toward something human and real
How he describes the hard season Hillsong walked through as a reset and a gift, a chance to ask who God is calling them to be
The moment watching families walk into church when he felt God ask him whether helping people draw near to Him was enough

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Jad Gillies website: https://hillsong.com/contributors/contributor/jad-gillies
🌐 Hillsong Worship website: https://hillsong.com/music/worship
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jadgillies
🎵 Singles: Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, available on all streaming platforms
🎵 Album: Holy Is the Name, releasing in February
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Jad Gillies, singer with Hillsong Worship, helped record a quiet EP last year for one reason: to find out whether God still wanted the team making music at all. They hadn&rsquo;t released a live worship album since 2018. Senior team members had moved on, and the church had been through a very public hard season. The answer came back clearly from their leadership and their congregation, and now three live singles are out, with a full album, Holy Is the Name, coming in February.
Hillsong Worship, congregational worship songs, and getting back to basics: Jad explains why the team asked what the church actually needs to sing and landed on the He Is and You Are songs, which remind us who God is because it is in our nature to forget. He shares how Hillsong&rsquo;s own congregation acts as the head of A&amp;R for every new song, why he believes worship leaders must never become the hero of the story, and why Christian music and country music are having a cultural moment as people turn toward something real. He also speaks gently to anyone disillusioned by what Hillsong went through, and tells the story of standing beside the platform watching families walk into church and hearing God ask him one question: is that enough?
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why Hillsong Worship recorded a quiet EP a year ago to see if God still wanted them making music</li>
<li>The three new live singles, Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, and the album Holy Is the Name coming in February</li>
<li>Why the team focused on He Is and You Are songs that remind the church of God&rsquo;s character, because we are prone to forget</li>
<li>How the Hillsong congregation acts as the head of A&amp;R, testing new songs and shaping which ones go further</li>
<li>Why he believes worship songs should magnify God and never make the worshiper the hero of the story</li>
<li>Why Christian music and country music are surging as people turn away from programmed, personality-driven pop toward something human and real</li>
<li>How he describes the hard season Hillsong walked through as a reset and a gift, a chance to ask who God is calling them to be</li>
<li>The moment watching families walk into church when he felt God ask him whether helping people draw near to Him was enough</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Jad Gillies website: <a href="https://hillsong.com/contributors/contributor/jad-gillies/">https://hillsong.com/contributors/contributor/jad-gillies</a></li>
<li>🌐 Hillsong Worship website:&nbsp;<a href="https://hillsong.com/music/worship">https://hillsong.com/music/worship</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jadgillies">https://www.instagram.com/jadgillies</a></li>
<li>🎵 Singles: <a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hillsong-worship/878620224">Praise the Lord Hallelujah Amen, As You Are, and Flood, available on all streaming platforms</a></li>
<li>🎵 Album: <a href="https://hillsong.com/music/worship/holy-is-the-name">Holy Is the Name</a>, releasing in February</li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Hillsong Quietly Recorded an EP to Ask If God Was Still in It

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/67be36fa-8d51-46a8-840e-b4fa00eb3862/transcript

Charles Esten grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, steeped in the history of the Revolution, and now plays the British antagonist Lord Balfour in Drummer Boy, the Angel Studios musical about America’s fight for independence. The film comes from the Smallbone brothers of for KING & COUNTRY, and Charles knew it was worth doing before he finished the script. He heard the songs first. The actor known for Outer Banks, Nashville, and Whose Line Is It Anyway? is also a singer-songwriter with nearly 200 Grand Ole Opry appearances and a Guinness World Record.

Drummer Boy, a divided family, and the faith that outlasts any cause: Charles shares why he loves a story where two brothers on opposite sides of the war can both be right, why a villain who loses his humanity in the service of good things is more unsettling than a cartoon bad guy, and what the film says to a country that feels more divided than ever. He also talks about growing up the class joker, how his father’s love of country music led him to the Opry stage, and why his faith, built from his mother’s church and his father’s late-in-life conversion, is the foundation under a business full of rejection.

Highlights
How his friendship with director Ben Smallbone on two seasons of Homestead led to Drummer Boy
Why he listened to the songs before reading the script and knew the film would be special
Why Lord Balfour is a villain whose reasons are hard to dismiss, and how good ends do not justify wrong means
The two brothers at the heart of the film, both with every right to their side, and the Cain and Abel echo he sees in it
His message for the 250th anniversary: faith, family, and forgiveness can heal what divides us
Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, and studying at William and Mary surrounded by Revolutionary War history
Why a childhood of making people laugh turned into acting, songwriting, and nearly 200 Grand Ole Opry performances
The idea behind his Guinness World Record, 54 consecutive weeks of releasing an original single

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Charles Esten website: https://www.charlesesten.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlesesten
🎬 Drummer Boy: from Angel Studios
📺 Homestead: streaming on Angel Studios
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Charles Esten grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, steeped in the history of the Revolution, and now plays the British antagonist Lord Balfour in Drummer Boy, the Angel Studios musical about America&rsquo;s fight for independence. The film comes from the Smallbone brothers of for KING &amp; COUNTRY, and Charles knew it was worth doing before he finished the script. He heard the songs first. The actor known for Outer Banks, Nashville, and Whose Line Is It Anyway? is also a singer-songwriter with nearly 200 Grand Ole Opry appearances and a Guinness World Record.
Drummer Boy, a divided family, and the faith that outlasts any cause: Charles shares why he loves a story where two brothers on opposite sides of the war can both be right, why a villain who loses his humanity in the service of good things is more unsettling than a cartoon bad guy, and what the film says to a country that feels more divided than ever. He also talks about growing up the class joker, how his father&rsquo;s love of country music led him to the Opry stage, and why his faith, built from his mother&rsquo;s church and his father&rsquo;s late-in-life conversion, is the foundation under a business full of rejection.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>How his friendship with director Ben Smallbone on two seasons of Homestead led to Drummer Boy</li>
<li>Why he listened to the songs before reading the script and knew the film would be special</li>
<li>Why Lord Balfour is a villain whose reasons are hard to dismiss, and how good ends do not justify wrong means</li>
<li>The two brothers at the heart of the film, both with every right to their side, and the Cain and Abel echo he sees in it</li>
<li>His message for the 250th anniversary: faith, family, and forgiveness can heal what divides us</li>
<li>Growing up in Alexandria, Virginia, and studying at William and Mary surrounded by Revolutionary War history</li>
<li>Why a childhood of making people laugh turned into acting, songwriting, and nearly 200 Grand Ole Opry performances</li>
<li>The idea behind his Guinness World Record, 54 consecutive weeks of releasing an original single</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Charles Esten website: <a href="https://www.charlesesten.com/">https://www.charlesesten.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/charlesesten/">https://www.instagram.com/charlesesten</a></li>
<li>🎬 <a href="https://www.angel.com/tickets/drummer-boy?utm_source=google-ads&amp;utm_medium=g&amp;utm_campaign=24184728628&amp;utm_content=822632919974&amp;utm_id=822632919974&amp;utm_term=&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=24354951831&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAo6XzOU_PU6FNSL99K8R89Bwhf_Ba&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAqabXBhBUEiwAw_SQpeCldPl-35YgrjiZ64Z0u806I8FJb0rP_S-xHohi20NaDF8eWFZ29hoClXkQAvD_BwE">Drummer Boy: from Angel Studios</a></li>
<li>📺 <a href="https://www.angel.com/watch/homestead-series">Homestead: streaming on Angel Studios</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Do Not Lose Yourself in Your Cause When the Country Is Divided | Charles Esten

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/3839892b-bea5-4589-902d-b4f7013c38bb/transcript

Rachael Lampa was 16 years old when Live for You released and introduced her to the world as one of Christian music’s most compelling new voices. She was nominated for a Dove Award. She toured, recorded, and did everything a young artist is supposed to do, and then at 19, in the middle of a record deal, she walked away. Not from faith, but from the version of herself the industry was asking her to be.

Identity, the long road back, and the songs only a life fully lived can write: Rachael shares what it felt like to be known before she knew herself, why stepping away was not a crisis but an act of self-preservation, and what the last 15 years of marriage, motherhood, loss, and growth produced in her that no amount of early success ever could have. Her new music carries the weight of someone who has actually been somewhere, and she says she could not have written any of it at 16. She also talks about what brought her back to recording, why she refused to return until she had something real to say, and what she wants young women in the industry to know about protecting who they are before the world decides for them.

Highlights
Why she walked away from a record deal at 19 and why she describes it now as one of the best decisions she ever made
What it felt like to be known by strangers before she knew herself and why that is a disorienting place for any teenager to live
The marriage, the motherhood, the loss, and the ordinary life that became the raw material for everything she is writing now
Why she refused to come back to music until she had something she genuinely needed to say rather than something the market wanted to hear
What her new music sounds like compared to Live for You and why the distance between them is exactly the point
What she would say to a 16-year-old girl being handed a microphone and a record deal before she has had time to figure out who she is
Why she believes stepping away was not giving up but growing up
What brought her back and why this season of music feels more like herself than anything she made the first time around

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Rachael Lampa website: https://rachaellampamusic.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachaellampa
🎵 New music: available on all streaming platforms
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Rachael Lampa was 16 years old when Live for You released and introduced her to the world as one of Christian music&rsquo;s most compelling new voices. She was nominated for a Dove Award. She toured, recorded, and did everything a young artist is supposed to do, and then at 19, in the middle of a record deal, she walked away. Not from faith, but from the version of herself the industry was asking her to be.
Identity, the long road back, and the songs only a life fully lived can write: Rachael shares what it felt like to be known before she knew herself, why stepping away was not a crisis but an act of self-preservation, and what the last 15 years of marriage, motherhood, loss, and growth produced in her that no amount of early success ever could have. Her new music carries the weight of someone who has actually been somewhere, and she says she could not have written any of it at 16. She also talks about what brought her back to recording, why she refused to return until she had something real to say, and what she wants young women in the industry to know about protecting who they are before the world decides for them.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why she walked away from a record deal at 19 and why she describes it now as one of the best decisions she ever made</li>
<li>What it felt like to be known by strangers before she knew herself and why that is a disorienting place for any teenager to live</li>
<li>The marriage, the motherhood, the loss, and the ordinary life that became the raw material for everything she is writing now</li>
<li>Why she refused to come back to music until she had something she genuinely needed to say rather than something the market wanted to hear</li>
<li>What her new music sounds like compared to Live for You and why the distance between them is exactly the point</li>
<li>What she would say to a 16-year-old girl being handed a microphone and a record deal before she has had time to figure out who she is</li>
<li>Why she believes stepping away was not giving up but growing up</li>
<li>What brought her back and why this season of music feels more like herself than anything she made the first time around</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Rachael Lampa website: <a href="https://rachaellampamusic.com/">https://rachaellampamusic.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rachaellampa">https://www.instagram.com/rachaellampa</a></li>
<li>🎵 New music: <a href="https://rachaellampa.lnk.to/permission">available on all streaming platforms</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Rachael Lampa Walked Away From a Record Deal at 19 and Came Back Whole

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/01afc311-df5e-49e7-a782-b4f100dea100/transcript

Paul Baloche has been writing worship songs for over 30 years, and he still describes the process the same way he always has, show up with your loaves and fishes and let God do what only He can do. The writer behind Open the Eyes of My Heart, Above All, Hosanna, and Your Name has a new live album called Yes We Believe, recorded at Christ for the Nations in Dallas with students from 50 different nations holding their home flags in the crowd.

Songwriting, the mystery of what catches on, and the prayer that started it all: Paul shares how Open the Eyes of My Heart was born out of Friday night prayer meetings, not a writing session, a cry of the heart that became a song he almost buried at track eight on the album. He also walks through how Above All sat with a different chorus for a year before a single morning with Lenny LeBlanc produced the verse that made it complete, why there is no formula for what God breathes on, and why the best advice he can give any worship leader is to stop trying to look like the YouTube version of someone else and simply be the most authentic version of who God made them to be.

Highlights
Why Open the Eyes of My Heart was song number eight on his second album, proof he had no idea what it would become
How Above All circulated in his church for a year with a completely different chorus before Lenny LeBlanc wrote the verse that changed everything
Why he keeps the last page of every journal for song title ideas, and how Above All may have come from a drug commercial
The first song he ever had sung outside his church, I Love to Be in Your Presence, which was quickly translated into Spanish and spread across Latin America
Why a worship song, to him, is any song that feels like singing a sincere and authentic prayer to the Lord
Why he recorded Yes We Believe at Christ for the Nations with students from 50 nations, and what it meant to see their flags in the room
Why he tells aspiring worship leaders to be trained, skilled, and rooted in community, and above all, to be the most authentic version of themselves

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Paul Baloche website: https://leadworship.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/PaulBaloche
🎵 Album: Yes We Believe
🌐 Integrity Music: https://www.integritymusic.com
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Paul Baloche has been writing worship songs for over 30 years, and he still describes the process the same way he always has, show up with your loaves and fishes and let God do what only He can do. The writer behind Open the Eyes of My Heart, Above All, Hosanna, and Your Name has a new live album called Yes We Believe, recorded at Christ for the Nations in Dallas with students from 50 different nations holding their home flags in the crowd.
Songwriting, the mystery of what catches on, and the prayer that started it all: Paul shares how Open the Eyes of My Heart was born out of Friday night prayer meetings, not a writing session, a cry of the heart that became a song he almost buried at track eight on the album. He also walks through how Above All sat with a different chorus for a year before a single morning with Lenny LeBlanc produced the verse that made it complete, why there is no formula for what God breathes on, and why the best advice he can give any worship leader is to stop trying to look like the YouTube version of someone else and simply be the most authentic version of who God made them to be.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why Open the Eyes of My Heart was song number eight on his second album, proof he had no idea what it would become</li>
<li>How Above All circulated in his church for a year with a completely different chorus before Lenny LeBlanc wrote the verse that changed everything</li>
<li>Why he keeps the last page of every journal for song title ideas, and how Above All may have come from a drug commercial</li>
<li>The first song he ever had sung outside his church, I Love to Be in Your Presence, which was quickly translated into Spanish and spread across Latin America</li>
<li>Why a worship song, to him, is any song that feels like singing a sincere and authentic prayer to the Lord</li>
<li>Why he recorded Yes We Believe at Christ for the Nations with students from 50 nations, and what it meant to see their flags in the room</li>
<li>Why he tells aspiring worship leaders to be trained, skilled, and rooted in community, and above all, to be the most authentic version of themselves</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Paul Baloche website: <a href="https://leadworship.com/">https://leadworship.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/PaulBaloche">https://www.instagram.com/PaulBaloche</a></li>
<li>🎵 Album: <a href="https://found.ee/yeswebelieve">Yes We Believe</a></li>
<li>🌐 Integrity Music: <a href="https://www.integritymusic.com/paul-baloche">https://www.integritymusic.com</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Open the Eyes of My Heart Was Track Eight and He Had No Idea

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/7a92ca0b-5b04-4215-a7c3-b4f100de9b5d/transcript

Masey McLain was a little girl when her dad first watched Flywheel and loved it. She remembers watching him love it. Twenty years later, she got a call asking her to voice Anna, the wife, in the Brazilian remake, Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul. She said yes immediately. The challenge was matching the cadence, inflection, and emotion of an actress she had never met, in Portuguese, directed over the phone from Los Angeles while she was in Atlanta.

A movie about integrity, a breakthrough role that led to silence, and a farm with seven goats who once broke into the brand new house and turned the oven on: Masey shares what drew her to voicing Flywheel, what the film’s central message about radical obedience to Christ costs the lead character, and what it felt like when the phone stopped ringing after her breakout role as Rachel Joy Scott in I’m Not Ashamed. She also talks about the writing partner she found in COVID who is now her co-writer on Christmas movies for Candice Cameron Bure, why she believes film that changes lives outlasts film that simply entertains, and how Meredith Andrews pulled her aside and told her God was going to use the silence for something else, which is exactly what happened.

Highlights
Why voicing a Brazilian actress in Portuguese from a studio in Atlanta with a director on the phone in LA was one of the hardest things she has done
How her father’s love for the original Flywheel made this role feel personal before she ever said yes
What the film says about radical obedience, putting everything on the line when God says to, even when it looks insane
How she got her breakout role as Rachel Joy Scott in I’m Not Ashamed and still gets messages saying it changed people’s lives
Why the phone stopped ringing after I’m Not Ashamed, what she did with that season, and how Meredith Andrews told her something she did not want to hear but needed to
How she found her writing partner in a fellow I’m Not Ashamed actress during COVID and they have now written three Christmas movies together
A Second Chance Christmas, her third Christmas movie for Candice Cameron Bure, now airing on Great American Family
Seven goats, five ducks, a pony, a cat, a dog, fresh eggs every morning, and one goat who broke in and turned on the gas stove

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Masey McLain Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maseymclain
🎬 Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul: in theaters October 16
📺 A Second Chance Christmas: now airing on Great American Family
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Masey McLain was a little girl when her dad first watched Flywheel and loved it. She remembers watching him love it. Twenty years later, she got a call asking her to voice Anna, the wife, in the Brazilian remake, Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul. She said yes immediately. The challenge was matching the cadence, inflection, and emotion of an actress she had never met, in Portuguese, directed over the phone from Los Angeles while she was in Atlanta.
A movie about integrity, a breakthrough role that led to silence, and a farm with seven goats who once broke into the brand new house and turned the oven on: Masey shares what drew her to voicing Flywheel, what the film&rsquo;s central message about radical obedience to Christ costs the lead character, and what it felt like when the phone stopped ringing after her breakout role as Rachel Joy Scott in I&rsquo;m Not Ashamed. She also talks about the writing partner she found in COVID who is now her co-writer on Christmas movies for Candice Cameron Bure, why she believes film that changes lives outlasts film that simply entertains, and how Meredith Andrews pulled her aside and told her God was going to use the silence for something else, which is exactly what happened.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why voicing a Brazilian actress in Portuguese from a studio in Atlanta with a director on the phone in LA was one of the hardest things she has done</li>
<li>How her father&rsquo;s love for the original Flywheel made this role feel personal before she ever said yes</li>
<li>What the film says about radical obedience, putting everything on the line when God says to, even when it looks insane</li>
<li>How she got her breakout role as Rachel Joy Scott in I&rsquo;m Not Ashamed and still gets messages saying it changed people&rsquo;s lives</li>
<li>Why the phone stopped ringing after I&rsquo;m Not Ashamed, what she did with that season, and how Meredith Andrews told her something she did not want to hear but needed to</li>
<li>How she found her writing partner in a fellow I&rsquo;m Not Ashamed actress during COVID and they have now written three Christmas movies together</li>
<li>A Second Chance Christmas, her third Christmas movie for Candice Cameron Bure, now airing on Great American Family</li>
<li>Seven goats, five ducks, a pony, a cat, a dog, fresh eggs every morning, and one goat who broke in and turned on the gas stove</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Masey McLain Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maseymclain/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/maseymclain</a></li>
<li>🎬<a href="https://flywheelignitionofthesoulmovie.com/"> Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul</a>: in theaters October 16</li>
<li>📺 <a href="https://www.greatamericanfamily.com/movie/one-more-christmas/">A Second Chance Christmas</a>: now airing on Great American Family</li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Masey McLain Chose Impact Over Opportunity and the Lord Did the Rest

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/ad427309-6181-464d-bdb3-b4e800e73d6f/transcript

Neil McDonough plays Laredo, the man hunting the outlaw in Angel and the Bad Man, and he loves it. He is a horse guy, a lifelong western fan, a producer of now nearly sixteen films alongside his wife Ruve, and a man who says he has one boss. That boss is God, and every project he and Ruve put their names on has to be something they believe He would approve. Angel Studios, where they have a first-look deal, is where that vision has found its home.

Westerns, redemption, and why great film is supposed to make you talk after: Neil shares what drew him to this remake of the 1947 John Wayne film, why he loves playing characters who move through moral gray areas, and what it means to him that his villain Laredo gets close to redemption three-quarters of the way through the movie and then walks away from it. He also talks about why he and Ruve describe their approach as faith adjacent, amplifying light rather than preaching, and why he believes cinema is one of the last community experiences that brings people together in a room to feel something and then talk about it.

Highlights
Why Neil immediately said yes when Angel Studios called to offer him the villain role alongside Zachary Levi and Tommy Lee Jones
Why he loves playing morally complex characters in westerns and what the gray areas of these stories reveal about life
How Laredo gets sympathetic three-quarters through the film before choosing not to take his moment of redemption
Why he describes Angel Studios’ approach as faith adjacent, letting audiences find the messages rather than hammering them home
How he and his wife Ruve have built a production company and are now producing their 15th and 16th films together
Why he says his one boss is God and every project has to reflect that
His upcoming slate including a film about Sister Faustina in Poland, a New York film, Rikers Ghost, and the Jimmy Stewart biopic Jimmy
Why he believes sitting in a theater with strangers and talking about what you just watched is what cinema was always meant to be

Resources / Links / CTA
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neal_mcdonough
🎬 Angel and the Bad Man
🌐 Angel Studios: https://www.angel.com
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Neil McDonough plays Laredo, the man hunting the outlaw in Angel and the Bad Man, and he loves it. He is a horse guy, a lifelong western fan, a producer of now nearly sixteen films alongside his wife Ruve, and a man who says he has one boss. That boss is God, and every project he and Ruve put their names on has to be something they believe He would approve. Angel Studios, where they have a first-look deal, is where that vision has found its home.
Westerns, redemption, and why great film is supposed to make you talk after: Neil shares what drew him to this remake of the 1947 John Wayne film, why he loves playing characters who move through moral gray areas, and what it means to him that his villain Laredo gets close to redemption three-quarters of the way through the movie and then walks away from it. He also talks about why he and Ruve describe their approach as faith adjacent, amplifying light rather than preaching, and why he believes cinema is one of the last community experiences that brings people together in a room to feel something and then talk about it.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Why Neil immediately said yes when Angel Studios called to offer him the villain role alongside Zachary Levi and Tommy Lee Jones</li>
<li>Why he loves playing morally complex characters in westerns and what the gray areas of these stories reveal about life</li>
<li>How Laredo gets sympathetic three-quarters through the film before choosing not to take his moment of redemption</li>
<li>Why he describes Angel Studios&rsquo; approach as faith adjacent, letting audiences find the messages rather than hammering them home</li>
<li>How he and his wife Ruve have built a production company and are now producing their 15th and 16th films together</li>
<li>Why he says his one boss is God and every project has to reflect that</li>
<li>His upcoming slate including a film about Sister Faustina in Poland, a New York film, Rikers Ghost, and the Jimmy Stewart biopic Jimmy</li>
<li>Why he believes sitting in a theater with strangers and talking about what you just watched is what cinema was always meant to be</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/neal_mcdonough/?hl=en">https://www.instagram.com/neal_mcdonough</a></li>
<li>🎬 <a href="https://www.angel.com/movies/angel-and-the-badman">Angel and the Bad Man</a></li>
<li>🌐 Angel Studios: <a href="https://www.angel.com/">https://www.angel.com</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

The Villain Who Almost Found Redemption and Walked Away From It

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/113e73f5-856e-45b4-9012-b4e800df6bf8/transcript

Beth Caulfield had a full scholarship to seminary, a clear sense of where her life was going, and kids who were nearly grown. Then she found out she was pregnant at 45. What followed was not just shock, it was pressure from people inside the church and church leadership to terminate the pregnancy, shame about having those feelings at all, and a deep sense of isolation in a situation she could not talk about openly. Her film Conceivable, in theaters October 16, is her way of telling that story so no one else has to go through it alone.

Unplanned pregnancy in your 40s, the shame of wrestling with it in ministry, and a film that wants to save lives: Beth shares how she went from never having made a movie to winning a Christian screenwriting contest, assembling a cast that includes Dean Cain and Eddie McClintock, and giving crew members their first Bibles on set. She also talks about why the stereotype of who faces unplanned pregnancy no longer matches reality, why she took a screenwriting class at a secular university the same fall Roe v. Wade was overturned and was embraced by the class, and why she believes people of faith belong in film, and should do it with excellence.

Highlights
The full scholarship to seminary, the clear life plan, and the pregnancy that upended everything
Why she faced nudges to terminate from people both inside and outside the church and why the shame of having those feelings was its own burden
Why the stereotype of who faces unplanned pregnancy no longer matches the reality of who is actually experiencing it
The screenwriting class she took at a secular university the fall Roe v. Wade was overturned, and why they gave her the best student award
How winning a Christian screenwriting contest led to a cast that includes Dean Cain and Eddie McClintock
Giving actors and crew members their first Bibles and sharing communion on set as part of the filmmaking ministry
The companion book releasing November 10 that includes the original script, the God stories from production, and a guide to the whole filmmaking process
Why she believes nothing shapes culture like film and why people of faith should be making it with excellence

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Conceivable film website: https://www.conceivablethemovie.com
📱 Instagram Beth Caulfield: https://www.instagram.com/bethcaulfield
🎬 Conceivable: in theaters October 16
📖 Companion book: available on Amazon, releasing November 10
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Beth Caulfield had a full scholarship to seminary, a clear sense of where her life was going, and kids who were nearly grown. Then she found out she was pregnant at 45. What followed was not just shock, it was pressure from people inside the church and church leadership to terminate the pregnancy, shame about having those feelings at all, and a deep sense of isolation in a situation she could not talk about openly. Her film Conceivable, in theaters October 16, is her way of telling that story so no one else has to go through it alone.
Unplanned pregnancy in your 40s, the shame of wrestling with it in ministry, and a film that wants to save lives: Beth shares how she went from never having made a movie to winning a Christian screenwriting contest, assembling a cast that includes Dean Cain and Eddie McClintock, and giving crew members their first Bibles on set. She also talks about why the stereotype of who faces unplanned pregnancy no longer matches reality, why she took a screenwriting class at a secular university the same fall Roe v. Wade was overturned and was embraced by the class, and why she believes people of faith belong in film, and should do it with excellence.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>The full scholarship to seminary, the clear life plan, and the pregnancy that upended everything</li>
<li>Why she faced nudges to terminate from people both inside and outside the church and why the shame of having those feelings was its own burden</li>
<li>Why the stereotype of who faces unplanned pregnancy no longer matches the reality of who is actually experiencing it</li>
<li>The screenwriting class she took at a secular university the fall Roe v. Wade was overturned, and why they gave her the best student award</li>
<li>How winning a Christian screenwriting contest led to a cast that includes Dean Cain and Eddie McClintock</li>
<li>Giving actors and crew members their first Bibles and sharing communion on set as part of the filmmaking ministry</li>
<li>The companion book releasing November 10 that includes the original script, the God stories from production, and a guide to the whole filmmaking process</li>
<li>Why she believes nothing shapes culture like film and why people of faith should be making it with excellence</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Conceivable film website: <a href="https://www.conceivablethemovie.com/">https://www.conceivablethemovie.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram Beth Caulfield: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bethcaulfield710/">https://www.instagram.com/bethcaulfield</a></li>
<li>🎬 Conceivable: in theaters October 16</li>
<li>📖 Companion book: available on Amazon, releasing November 10</li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

The Conversation Nobody in Church Wants to Have Is Now a Movie

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/e859bad1-04f1-4c3d-80fa-b4e300ee1aa4/transcript

Matt Sieger spent years researching the 1978 San Francisco Giants, a team that nobody remembers winning anything but everybody in the city that year remembers. They increased their attendance by one million fans in a single season. They had nine to ten born-again Christians on a 25-man roster. They started thanking God in post-game interviews. And then the Dodgers overtook them in mid-August, the wins stopped, and the San Francisco media turned on them in a way that followed some of those players for the rest of their careers.

A fake quote, a satirical column proposing one player sell his soul to the devil, death threats sent to a pitcher, and a national media pile-on built on myths: Matt walks through what the God Squad actually said, what the press reported they said, and why a story about pitcher Bob Knepper telling his manager a home run was God’s will, a story Knepper flatly denies, ended up in national columns from coast to coast. He also makes the case that the abuse this group absorbed in San Francisco is precisely why today’s athletes can thank Jesus on national television without a second thought.

Highlights
How reliever Gary Lavelle came to faith in winter ball in 1976 and quietly led teammates to Jesus over the next two seasons
Why the San Francisco media was fine with the God Squad in 1978 when the Giants were winning and turned hostile when they started losing
The columnist who proposed one player sell his soul to the devil in a piece called Can Satan Save the Giants
The fake Bob Knepper quote about God’s will, which he denies ever saying, that national columnists repeated as fact for years
How Gary Lavelle received death threats after a New York Times column stripped the context from his statements about homosexuality
Why the God Squad’s experience in San Francisco educated the national media that this kind of openness from athletes was going to become a permanent thing
The moment Bob Costas was visibly taken aback when Gary Carter thanked Jesus live on national television after the 1986 World Series
How organizations like Baseball Chapel and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes built on what the God Squad started

Resources / Links / CTA
📖 Book: The God Squad: The Born Again San Francisco Giants of 1978 by Matt Sieger
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio

Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Matt Sieger spent years researching the 1978 San Francisco Giants, a team that nobody remembers winning anything but everybody in the city that year remembers. They increased their attendance by one million fans in a single season. They had nine to ten born-again Christians on a 25-man roster. They started thanking God in post-game interviews. And then the Dodgers overtook them in mid-August, the wins stopped, and the San Francisco media turned on them in a way that followed some of those players for the rest of their careers.
A fake quote, a satirical column proposing one player sell his soul to the devil, death threats sent to a pitcher, and a national media pile-on built on myths: Matt walks through what the God Squad actually said, what the press reported they said, and why a story about pitcher Bob Knepper telling his manager a home run was God&rsquo;s will, a story Knepper flatly denies, ended up in national columns from coast to coast. He also makes the case that the abuse this group absorbed in San Francisco is precisely why today&rsquo;s athletes can thank Jesus on national television without a second thought.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>How reliever Gary Lavelle came to faith in winter ball in 1976 and quietly led teammates to Jesus over the next two seasons</li>
<li>Why the San Francisco media was fine with the God Squad in 1978 when the Giants were winning and turned hostile when they started losing</li>
<li>The columnist who proposed one player sell his soul to the devil in a piece called Can Satan Save the Giants</li>
<li>The fake Bob Knepper quote about God&rsquo;s will, which he denies ever saying, that national columnists repeated as fact for years</li>
<li>How Gary Lavelle received death threats after a New York Times column stripped the context from his statements about homosexuality</li>
<li>Why the God Squad&rsquo;s experience in San Francisco educated the national media that this kind of openness from athletes was going to become a permanent thing</li>
<li>The moment Bob Costas was visibly taken aback when Gary Carter thanked Jesus live on national television after the 1986 World Series</li>
<li>How organizations like Baseball Chapel and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes built on what the God Squad started</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>📖 Book: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631322184?lv=shuf&amp;channelId=500&amp;plpRedirect=mhFallback">The God Squad: The Born Again San Francisco Giants of 1978 by Matt Sieger</a></li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a></li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

The 1978 Giants Had Nine Born-Again Christians and a Media Storm

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/13128277-78b7-4d5a-9ae9-b4e300e2082c/transcript

Chris Darlington has been tased on the job. He has also sat alone in a room with a guitar, written a song, and felt something that made him cry for 30 minutes straight, and he says the Holy Spirit that day had the taser beat. That song was Let Them In, and it changed the direction of his artistry. He is a deputy school resource officer in Virginia, Patsy Cline's hometown, and he is trying to become the first active-duty deputy sheriff to earn a Billboard Country Airplay hit while still serving in uniform.

From nine rejected demos to a radio hit, from law enforcement to opening for national acts, and a deal he made with God: Chris shares how his wife's offhand comment gave him the title What Do You Want, how a radio promoter in California stomped his feet at midnight when he finally heard the right song, and why he is already at number 81 on the media-based country chart and climbing. He also talks about how he tithes his stage time, reserving one song per show to sing about Jesus and talk about his faith, and why he believes God is the only one who can move the mountain the rest of the way.

Highlights
The night he sat down to write a country radio hit and felt the Holy Spirit hit him harder than a 25,000-volt taser
How his wife's offhand comment — "what do you want would be a good song title" — became his first charting single after nine rejected demos
Why he connected with radio promoter Louis Newman, the story behind Drew Baldridge's independent number one, and why he followed the same playbook
His goal of becoming the first active-duty deputy sheriff to earn a Billboard Country Airplay hit while still serving in uniform
Where he is on the chart right now, number 81, halfway to the number 50 threshold where you are officially considered charted
How he grew up drawing pictures of Jesus at age four, drifted in young adulthood, and now describes his faith as stronger than it has ever been
Why he gives his tithe by taking one song per headlining set to perform about Jesus and speak about his faith
Opening for national acts like Aaron Tippin and Warren Zeiders while still clocking in at the sheriff's department during the week

Resources / Links / CTA
🌐 Chris Darlington website: https://chrisdarlington.com
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrisdarlingtonmusic
🎵 Single: What Do You Want
🎵 New single: Do It Anyway, releasing October 30
🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk
👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio



Click to Listen to Signs of Life: UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was—and is—an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.

UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org

Chris Darlington has been tased on the job. He has also sat alone in a room with a guitar, written a song, and felt something that made him cry for 30 minutes straight, and he says the Holy Spirit that day had the taser beat. That song was Let Them In, and it changed the direction of his artistry. He is a deputy school resource officer in Virginia, Patsy Cline's hometown, and he is trying to become the first active-duty deputy sheriff to earn a Billboard Country Airplay hit while still serving in uniform.
From nine rejected demos to a radio hit, from law enforcement to opening for national acts, and a deal he made with God: Chris shares how his wife's offhand comment gave him the title What Do You Want, how a radio promoter in California stomped his feet at midnight when he finally heard the right song, and why he is already at number 81 on the media-based country chart and climbing. He also talks about how he tithes his stage time, reserving one song per show to sing about Jesus and talk about his faith, and why he believes God is the only one who can move the mountain the rest of the way.
Highlights
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>The night he sat down to write a country radio hit and felt the Holy Spirit hit him harder than a 25,000-volt taser</li>
<li>How his wife's offhand comment &mdash; "what do you want would be a good song title" &mdash; became his first charting single after nine rejected demos</li>
<li>Why he connected with radio promoter Louis Newman, the story behind Drew Baldridge's independent number one, and why he followed the same playbook</li>
<li>His goal of becoming the first active-duty deputy sheriff to earn a Billboard Country Airplay hit while still serving in uniform</li>
<li>Where he is on the chart right now, number 81, halfway to the number 50 threshold where you are officially considered charted</li>
<li>How he grew up drawing pictures of Jesus at age four, drifted in young adulthood, and now describes his faith as stronger than it has ever been</li>
<li>Why he gives his tithe by taking one song per headlining set to perform about Jesus and speak about his faith</li>
<li>Opening for national acts like Aaron Tippin and Warren Zeiders while still clocking in at the sheriff's department during the week</li>
</ul>
Resources / Links / CTA
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>🌐 Chris Darlington website: <a href="https://chrisdarlington.com/home">https://chrisdarlington.com</a></li>
<li>📱 Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chrisdarlingtonmusic/">https://www.instagram.com/chrisdarlingtonmusic</a></li>
<li>🎵 Single: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5DlVVvzNgaE4RnEw8LPig3">What Do You Want</a></li>
<li>🎵 New single: Do It Anyway, releasing October 30</li>
<li>🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/podcasts/crosswalk-talk-celebrity-christian-interviews/">Crosswalk Talk</a></li>
<li>👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on <a href="https://www.lifeaudio.com/">Lifeaudio</a> </li>
</ul>
Click to Listen to&nbsp;Signs of Life: <a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>
Join us this Fall for Season One of "Signs of Life," an original podcast from UM News. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is bringing relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was&mdash;and is&mdash;an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young Peoples Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture.
<a href="https://www.umnews.org/en/news/um-news-podcast-season-one">UM News Podcast Season One | UMNews.org</a>

Chris Darlington Was Hit by the Holy Spirit Harder Than a 25,000-Volt Taser

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/39252a2c-7fb2-4862-b20d-b4dd011e24b1/transcript

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

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!

Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Social links:

Follow the podcast:

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