More Than a Song - Discovering the Truth of Scripture Hidden in Today's Popular Christian Music

Send us Fan Mail When Brandon Heath sings of days getting dark and life getting hard in his song "See Me Through It," I immediately thought of Habakkuk and the national crisis during his time. The darkness and injustice of his time can be seen in our own, and just like Habakkuk, we can trust that God will see us through it. I have a plan to help you interact with the text of this minor p...

Send us Fan Mail Christ is my firm foundation. He is the rock on which I stand. These are not just great lyrics from Maverick City Music in their song "Firm Foundation (He Won't)," but they're founded in Scripture. Come with me on a journey through God's Holy Word to learn more about our Rock. In this week's episode, I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - thi...

Send us Fan Mail Our God is a God of abundance. But while we are looking around thinking an abundant life has to do more with material blessings and a lack of conflict, God has a better idea. Andrew Ripp's song "Fill My Cup" inspired me to discover what God wants to fill us with, as revealed by His holy Word. Join me as we meditate on a couple of psalms and then diligently seek out...

Send us Fan Mail I have a love-hate relationship with hard questions. I love that they inspire me to think critically and put in more thought and effort. I hate that the answer is often not as tidy as I would like. In her song "Kingdom Come," Rebecca St. James sings about the Kingdom of God and leads me to seek the answer to some ambitious questions this week. Join me in the book of Matt...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever had the privilege of praying for someone else? Lifting a prayer to God on behalf of someone else is called intercessory prayer. This week's song "In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)" by Katy Nichole is an intercessory prayer. It inspired me to read, study, and meditate on an intercessory prayer Daniel prayed. Join me on the podcast as we explore it togethe...

Send us Fan Mail Today has not caught God off-guard. No matter the circumstance you find yourself in, He's already there, and He already knows what will happen next. JJ Heller's song, "You Already Know," reminds us of God's omniscience -- the attribute of God that means He is all-knowing. Join me in exploring this attribute of God in Scripture this week. In this week'...

Send us Fan Mail We serve a loving God. He helps us in our weakness, He causes everything to work together for our good, He gives us right standing before Him by taking away the sin nature we could never conquer on our own, and so much more. Riley Clemmons sings about this in her song "For The Good," but it all came from Paul's letter to the Romans. Let's read this letter toget...

Send us Fan Mail If the gospel message were a song, it would be "Thank You Jesus For The Blood" by Charity Gayle. The good news is that Christ's sacrifice covers our sins offering us eternal salvation. Join me as we explore the Day of Atonement in the Old Testament and how it foreshadowed the "once and for all" sacrifice of Jesus. In this episode, I discuss: Taking a B.I.T...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever put your trust in something or someone you thought would never change, only to have them change? With our God, there is no chance of change. God's immutability is one of His attributes that brings me comfort and joy every time I meditate on it. This week I use Sanctus Real's song "My God Is Still The Same" to ponder our unchanging Lord. Join me as...

Send us Fan Mail We often forget the people described in the Bible were real. Can I add, especially Jesus? We read of Jesus' triumphant victory over death and the grave in each gospel and His instructions to His disciples before He ascends to the Father. CAIN's song "The Commission" beautifully portrays this transition reminding us how precious His disciples are to Him. May we...

Send us Fan Mail We are the workmanship of a creative God. Our new lives in Christ are supposed to mean something. We are called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling on our lives, and God planned out the good works for us to walk in. Taylor Leonhardt's song "Poetry" led me to ponder this, and more, in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Join me in spending time in this letter,...

Send us Fan Mail We like choices, but God is an exclusive God. He demands our exclusive worship. More than that, he ALONE is our refuge -- all others are lacking. Both Scripture and Skillet's song "Refuge" remind us of this fact. Let's link our song to a psalm to meditate on God's Word. In this episode, I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this week's Bible...

Send us Fan Mail We spend so much time trying to make things happen in our lives. The pandemic has shown us how little control we have on a global level. Elevation Worship's song "Graves Into Gardens" reminds us that God does transformational things -- and He's the only One Who can. Let's use this song to send us to the words of a prophet and a king to learn more about our...

Send us Fan Mail There's a shortage of truth in the world today. Of course, the definition of truth seems to be up for grabs for some, but today we're talking about sincerity in action without pretense. Matthew West sings about this in his song "Truth Be Told." Jesus teaches about it in the Gospel of Matthew. Spend some time this week examining the words of Jesus with an open h...

Send us Fan Mail There was a national crisis, and the king didn't know what to do. At that moment, the king had choices. He could turn to his own wisdom, the advisors of those around him, or any number of places for advice. In the Scripture inspired by Phil Wickham's song "Battle Belongs," the king chose to seek the Lord. May we follow his example...well, mostly. Let's rea...

Send us Fan Mail What does Scripture say about the house of the Lord? That's what I set out to discover with Phil Wickham's new song, "House Of The Lord," playing in the background. The answer weaves through the Old and New Testaments. We only scratch the surface, but let's see how much we can explore. In this episode, I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture - this w...

Send us Fan Mail It doesn't matter how thick the walls are to us; it only matters how thick the walls are to God. When Andrew Ripp sings of our fears coming down like Jericho walls in his song "Jericho," I was inspired to study the story leading up to that moment. I learned a lot about Joshua and what God commanded him. {Spoiler alert: God speaks directly to his fear.} Join me on th...

Send us Fan Mail The hustle and bustle of the holiday season are coming to an end. So many details remind us of Christ. What a tragedy it will be if we make room for the traditions that point to Him but fail to make room in our hearts for HIM. Casting Crowns' song, "Make Room," inspired me to take a step back and view the details from a different perspective. Join me as we explore j...

Send us Fan Mail The symbols of Christmas have become the traditions of Christmas -- traditions like an evening drive to see grand light displays. When you hear a song like "Christmas Lights" by Love & the Outcome, allow it to point your heart toward Jesus, the Light of the World. You can't consider the Christmas story without remembering the true Light that invaded the darkness...

Send us Fan Mail Many of the details of Christmas get embellished, altered, or even left out of our traditional scenes, songs, and readings. Keith and Kristyn Getty, along with Ellie Holcomb, sing a song, "Elizabeth," that inspired me to dive into the details of her life. You won't want to miss what Elizabeth's story has to teach us. In this episode, I discuss: Taking a B.I.T.E...

Send us Fan Mail We have felt needs and "real" needs. God cares about them both, but He prioritizes real needs. Brandon Heath sings about both in his song, "We Need Emmanuel." Our real need stems from our separation from God, but our felt needs are addressed through His ongoing presence in our lives. Join me as we see why the fulfillment of the prophecy promising "God with...

Send us Fan Mail Is there room for rejoicing in the midst of fear? Charles Spurgeon writes, "Fear, without joy, is torment; and joy, without holy fear, would be presumption." Using Andrew Ripp's song "Rejoice" we explore a variety of responses (one of which is rejoicing) to the miracle of our risen Savior. Come with me to an open tomb with a lightning-bright angel perched...

Send us Fan Mail Does the idea of trembling before the Lord inspire you or make you feel uncomfortable? Lauren Daigle's song "Tremble" inspired me to explore where people are described as trembling before the Lord. Spoiler alert: It should inspire you. Join me as we examine a couple of places in Scripture where we see why and how we should tremble before the Lord. In this episode, I...

Send us Fan Mail I know sometimes it's easy to think the division of our day has never happened before. As Ecclesiastes teaches us, "There is nothing new under the sun." Mike Donehey sings about being "All Together" in his new song. I want to explore what we can learn from a church family who DIDN'T have it all together and what they were taught to overcome the divisi...

Send us Fan Mail When an obscure passage is brought to light in the lyrics of a song, it gives us an excellent reason to engage in areas of Scripture we may have overlooked for a while. Elevation Worship's song "RATTLE!" refers to the bones of a prophet whose life is worth exploring. Join me in looking into the life and miracles of the prophet Elisha inspired by our song this week....