Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

Josh Baldwin started his second album with no label, no money, and a Kickstarter campaign that barely cleared the goal. He thought Made for More was too much for a Sunday morning. He thought churches would pass on it. He was in the car one morning dropping his kids off at school when he heard them singing the demo — I know who I am because I know who you are — and understood for the first time what that song was for. It went to number one. Surrender, writing songs for the church to actually sing, and a new album born from years of God dealing with every little corner: Josh shares what is behind Worth Everything, releasing October 16, and why this is the most fully worship-oriented album he has made, not songs to sit with, but songs to stand and sing together. He also talks about how a friend read Romans 8 in The Message one morning and said this love isn't a grave-tending kind of love, which became the seed of an entire song, why he describes his sound as if a country artist and Tom Petty got together, got saved, and wrote worship music, and how a borrowed guitar case from We the Kingdom's Scott Cash turned out to still have three vintage guitars inside it. Highlights Why Made for More started as a verse from Romans 8 read in a different translation and why Josh almost gave it away to someone else to record The moment his kids sang the demo in the car and he realized the song was bigger than he thought How Worth Everything was shaped by years of God inviting him to surrender not just broadly but in every specific corner of his life Why this album leans more fully into songs the corporate church can actually sing together rather than sit with How he funded his second album on Kickstarter in 2013 when he had no label, no money, and had just gotten married Why he describes his sound as if a country artist and Tom Petty got together, got saved, and wrote worship music How navigating the tension between ministry and business means constantly checking whether his heart is in the right place The story of buying a guitar case from Scott Cash and discovering three vintage guitars still inside it Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Josh Baldwin website: https://joshbaldwin.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshbaldwin 🎵 Album: Worth Everything, releasing October 16 🎤 Worth Everything Tour: fall dates at joshbaldwin.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 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Matt Neff, CEO of Sight and Sound Theaters, was watching basketball with his boys the night the NBA suspended its season. He knew immediately what was coming. The next day, Pennsylvania closed large venues. Sight and Sound, which had its biggest pre-booking year on record and two brand new productions ready to open, went dark. At the end of that year they had their largest financial loss in history, and had reached three times more people with the gospel than in any previous year. The story of Jesus aired on TBN Easter weekend to an estimated three million-plus viewers worldwide. Fifty years of bringing the Bible to life, a new production called Joshua, and a God who uses every shut door to open something bigger: Matt shares what makes Sight and Sound unique, a stage as wide as a football field, live animals, surround sound, immersive storytelling, and why the spectacle always has to serve the story or it gets cut. He also talks about the core theme that emerged from the Joshua production, that the promised land was never really about the land but about the presence of the one who gave the promise, and why every show ends with a gospel presentation pointing back to Jesus regardless of which biblical character is on stage. Highlights Why Sight and Sound was founded on the idea of putting the audience inside the story so walls can come down and hearts can open How the Joshua production opens at the crossing of the Red Sea and builds toward the theme that God's presence is the real promised land Why the production team argues passionately about cutting anything that is spectacular but does not serve the story The COVID night Matt watched the NBA suspend its season and knew everything was about to change How airing Jesus on TBN Easter weekend reached an estimated three million-plus people in three days, more than two sold-out theaters reach in a full year Why that COVID season accelerated the launch of Sight and Sound TV and the idea of filming shows for movie theater release The morning after COVID closed his theaters when Matt woke up excited because God reminded him He uses hard seasons to take you to what is next What is coming next: Jonah returning to Lancaster, Daniel premiering in Branson, and a third Sight and Sound film in pre-production Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Sight and Sound Theaters: https://www.sight-sound.com 🌐 Sight and Sound TV streaming 🎬 Joshua in theaters: October 30, filmed live before a theater audience 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Alister McGrath has been talking to people about faith for twenty years. For most of that time, the questions he got were adversarial — how can an intelligent person be a Christian, the kind of challenges popularized by Richard Dawkins and the new atheists. The questions have shifted. Now people are asking how Christianity changes lives, how it gives stability and meaning, why something that has lasted 2,000 years keeps surviving. His new book Rethinking Christianity: A Thoughtful Guide to a Life-Changing Faith, published by Thomas Nelson, is his answer to this cultural moment. Disillusioned with secularism, looking for a map, and surprisingly open: McGrath walks through why he believes the pandemic forced a generation to sit still long enough to ask questions they had been successfully avoiding, why he describes Christianity as a map for the soul that shows there is a way home and that you do not walk it alone, and why he argues the age of Christianity is not evidence of irrelevance but of continuing relevance across 2,000 years of history. He also revisits his own journey from teenage atheist and Oxford biomedical scientist to one of the world's leading Christian apologists, and explains why science and faith are not enemies — they are two lenses in the same pair of spectacles, each seeing what the other cannot. Highlights Why the questions younger people ask about Christianity have shifted from intellectual challenges to questions about meaning and life change Why he believes the pandemic was a wake-up call that confronted secular people with mortality they were not prepared to face What he means by calling Christianity a map for the soul — there is a way home, and Christ walks with you on it Why he tells people he cannot prove God exists but can give very good reasons to think He does, and then invites them to pray How Einstein's own words helped him understand that science answers how the universe works but cannot answer why we are here Why the two-thousand-year age of Christianity is an argument for its relevance, not against it What he is seeing in the UK — not revival yet, but less hostility, more receptivity, and people quietly listening online Who Rethinking Christianity is written for: Christians who need reassurance and seekers who are wondering what this faith is really about Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Alister McGrath website: https://alistermcgrath.weebly.com 📱 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisterMcGrath 📖 Book: Rethinking Christianity: A Thoughtful Guide to a Life-Changing Faith by Alister McGrath, Thomas Nelson 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Jen Lilley did not audition for the role of Gloria Stewart in Jimmy. She did not even know the film was being made. She was in a two-year season of pruning so severe she describes going from a full tree to dry wood, and she was in her prayer closet asking God what was happening when a producer called her co-host Billy Hallowell asking if he knew any actresses who felt fancy but were also completely a real mom. Billy gave them Jen's name. She got on a Zoom with director Aaron Burns, told him she had been farming and building woodland trails for her kids between calls, and he said you are so Gloria. Prophecy, pruning, and the prayer closet that changed everything: Jen shares what it looked like to hear God say you are about to be kicked out of the nest and you have forgotten how to fly, to watch everything in her career get cut back in the same season, and to finally feel like she was reaching the other shore two years later, just as the Jimmy phone call came. She also talks about Wake Up Your Campus, her 501(c)(3) initiative bringing a 30-day devotional challenge to college students for free, why she gives away Starbucks gift cards to get Gen Z to engage with Scripture and keeps weeping reading their takeaways, and what she believes is coming when this generation finds Jesus and gets loud about it on the internet. Highlights How a call from Billy Hallowell about a producer named Angela Sullivan led to a role Jen never auditioned for The word she heard in her prayer closet two years before: you are about to be kicked out of the nest and you have forgotten how to fly Three separate prophetic words from strangers that all pointed to the same season of free-falling and survival Why she believes God cannot move without being invited and why prayer is the system He chose to partner with humanity Wake Up Your Campus, a free 30-day devotional challenge for college students with weekly Starbucks giveaways to drive engagement The college student who engaged with the devotional 90 times and the girl who decided to forgive her mom because of a one-sentence takeaway Why she compares Gen Z to the hippies and believes a Jesus People-style revival is coming, but this time with the internet Call to Foster, her co-authored starter guide for anyone curious about foster parenting or supporting foster families Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Jen Lilley website: https://jenlilley.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jen_lille 🎬 Jimmy: in theaters November 6 🌐 Wake Up Your Campus 📖 Book: Wake Up Your Faith 📖 Book: Call to Foster by Jen Lilley and Dr. John DeGarmo 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Michael W. Smith was just planning to show up on the red carpet to support his son Tyler, who scored Daniel in the Fiery Furnace. Then he heard the music coming from upstairs in his studio — an epic battle scene — and ran up the stairs to find out what it was. That was eight months ago. He is now executive producer of the film. Standing firm, the Forrest Frank phenomenon, and a move of God spreading from college campuses to arenas around the world: Michael shares why he believes the story of Daniel is exactly what this generation needs right now, young people who will look at the pressure to conform and say we will not bend the knee. He also opens up about attending a Forrest Frank concert and being stunned watching six to fourteen year olds sing every word to every song in a packed arena, why he believes Frank has the right heart and the right team around him, and why a friend's reminder that God does not share His glory with anyone brought him to his knees with conviction. He saw the Jesus Movement in the seventies. He believes something like it is happening again. Highlights How hearing Tyler Smith's epic battle scene score from upstairs in the studio convinced Michael W. Smith to become executive producer Why he believes the story of Daniel carrying a message of not bending the knee is exactly what Gen Z needs right now What it was like to attend a Forrest Frank concert and watch six to fourteen year olds sing every word to every song Why he believes Frank has his heart and team dialed in and what he worries about when success comes too fast The statement that lit up social media, that God does not share His glory with anyone, and why it convicted him Why he is seeing revival not just on American college campuses but in Europe and around the world What it means to him as someone who helped shape Christian music to see a new generation filling arenas for Jesus How the Daniel film connects to the revival he is witnessing and why he thinks young people will walk out ready to stand Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Michael W. Smith website: https://michaelwsmith.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mwsmithofficial 🎬 Daniel in the Fiery Furnace 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Bob Beltz was part of a small Wilberforce fan club long before anyone made a movie about him. As associate producer of Amazing Grace, he helped bring to the screen the story of William Wilberforce — the British parliamentarian who put a bill on the floor of Parliament every single year from 1787, watched it fail every single year, nearly had a nervous breakdown at the 10-year mark, and finally saw it pass in 1807. Three days after Parliament abolished slavery in 1833, Wilberforce died. The film is now celebrating its 20th anniversary and is back on Angel and all major platforms. Persistence, purpose, and the faith that drove a man to start over 90 ministries and make doing good fashionable: Bob shares what drew him to Wilberforce's story, why Christ was at the center of everything Wilberforce did even when the film does not fully show the depth of his devotional life, and what the 1797 defeat — when his opponents bought opera tickets for every pro-vote in Parliament — teaches about perseverance in a culture that expects instant results. He also talks about his decades of work keeping the Narnia films faithful to C.S. Lewis, why they had the rights to all seven books but could only make three films, and why he is nervous about what Netflix might do with the series now. Highlights Why Wilberforce was part of a small fan club before the film and how little most people knew about him How he came back to faith through reading the C.S. Lewis equivalent of his day while on vacation with a mathematics professor Why both William Pitt and John Newton told him he did not have to choose between politics and faith The 1797 defeat when his opponents bought opera tickets for every pro-vote in Parliament and what it did to him Why Wilberforce died three days after Parliament finally abolished slavery in 1833 How the British slave trade was abolished a year before America's, and how slavery itself was abolished 30 years before the U.S. The cast of Amazing Grace — none of whom were famous when they were cast — and why the film looks like it was made yesterday Bob's role in keeping the Narnia films faithful to C.S. Lewis and why he is nervous about the Netflix version Resources / Links / CTA 🎬 Amazing Grace 📖 Book: Real Christianity by Bob Beltz 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Nazareth grew up in Kuwait as a Coptic Christian, moved to America with dreams of becoming rich and famous, and was on track to get there. NBC had a sitcom in development for him. His manager told him he was going to be the biggest star in the country. Then he went to church with a friend, walked forward, gave his life to Christ, and called his manager Monday morning to quit. After 250 F-words from his manager, he was released — and never signed with one again. God created humor, clean comedy is having its moment, and the only ticket price is showing up: Nazareth shares how he went from comedy clubs to prisons to stadiums to free community events where anyone who cannot afford a ticket simply picks one up, no questions asked. He has seen hundreds of thousands of people respond to the gospel at the end of his shows, and he believes the reason clean comedy is surging right now is simple, social media is so dark and filthy that being clean is the only way to actually stand out. He also talks about why laughter opens hearts that sermons sometimes cannot, and why two friends fighting cancer told him they were going to drag themselves to his show just to forget about their illness for two hours. Highlights Growing up in Kuwait as a Coptic Christian, coming to America to study in Toledo, and building a comedy career before knowing Christ Calling his manager Monday morning after getting saved and quitting the career he had spent years building Why God created humor and the body was designed to heal through laughter, but only when you are laughing at something consistent with your values How doing comedy in prisons helped him develop material strong enough to work anywhere — because inmates on death row do not have to laugh Why clean comedy is surging right now and why being clean has become the countercultural choice in a filthy media landscape The Laughter for All model — free events where anyone who cannot afford a ticket gets one, first come first served, no VIP section The woman who called worried she would sit in the back because she got a free ticket, and what Nazareth told her Two hours of clean comedy, three headliners, and ten minutes of gospel at the end — that is the whole show Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Nazareth website: https://www.nazarethusa.com 🌐 Laughter for All: https://www.laughterforall.org 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/comediannazareth 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Natalie Layne grew up with worship leader parents, was playing keys in church by age 12, and gave her life to Jesus at 13. She never had the dramatic testimony — no alley moment, no rock bottom, no radical rescue story. For a long time she thought that made her story less powerful. Her new EP Still Running to You, releasing September 9, is her answer to that lie. Steadfast faith, the gift of being kept, and a hymn that still says everything: Natalie shares why she believes the church kid testimony is just as miraculous as anyone else's, because what God kept you from is just as worth celebrating as what He brought you through. She also talks about writing Big World with horns, saxophones, and a whole room full of musicians recording together at the same time to capture the feeling that nobody is doing this alone, why she still takes scripture and sets it to music the way she did as a kid, and how landing at Belmont University in Nashville — not because she knew she needed to be there, but because she just liked the school — opened every door she has walked through since. Highlights Why she spent years thinking her church kid testimony was less powerful than someone else's dramatic rescue story The realization that what God kept you from is just as miraculous as what He brought you through How growing up running around her parents' worship rehearsals shaped everything about who she became as an artist Big World, recorded with a full room of musicians all tracking together, and why she wants it to open every live show Why she still sets scripture to music the same way she did as a child and why it remains her favorite way to write The decision to put Blessed Assurance on the EP and why those hymn lyrics — this is my story, this is my song — capture her entire testimony How nine years at Belmont in Nashville introduced her to collaborators and opened doors she never could have planned for Meeting Nichole Nordeman at an awards show and what it meant to tell her how much those songs shaped her Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Natalie Layne website: https://www.natalielayne.com 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalielaynemusic 🎵 EP: Still Running to You 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

John Cooper, lead singer of Skillet, wrote Scream during one of the hardest seasons of his life — betrayal, slander, and the kind of disorientation that comes when the rug is pulled out from under everything you trusted. The song is raw, reaching, and ends with a cry to God: come pull me out from under the noise and thunder. The new EP is called After the Storm, and he says the title is aptly chosen because he is finally on the other side. Suffering, social media, and the 4-billion-stream song his label almost never let him record: John shares why he believes Monster resonates because it captures what the Bible actually says about being a sinner and a saint simultaneously, why he limits his time on social media and never reads the comments, and why eleven tours through Russia convinced him to love America in a way that no amount of political debate ever could. He also opens up about what has kept his marriage, his band, and his faith grounded through decades in the public eye, a shared agreement that the Bible is above everything, including him. Highlights Why Scream is the most vulnerable Skillet has been in years and what personal betrayal and suffering inspired it Why he believes Christians can be simultaneously sinners and saints and why Monster is a deeply biblical message How Monster broke bigger than rock and why soccer moms relating to it was something he never saw coming Why he almost never goes on social media and what he would say to Christians about how to handle the cesspool What eleven tours through Russia taught him about loving America, freedom of speech, and the gift of liberty Why he is not a Christian nationalist but still believes America's form of government was built on reformers' ideas rooted in Scripture Why he tells Christians who say they love Jesus but aren't into doctrine: if you want to know who He is, read the Bible How a shared agreement that the Bible is above everyone in the band and the household has kept Skillet grounded for decades Resources / Links / CTA 🌐 Website: https://johnlcooper.com 📱 Instagram John Cooper: https://www.instagram.com/johnlcooper 🎵 Single: Scream 🎵 EP: After the Storm, coming soon 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Mena Massoud grew up doing church plays and Stations of the Cross as a Coptic Christian, the son of Egyptian parents who moved to Canada when he was three and a half. He went to the University of Toronto for neuroscience, auditioned for theater school on a leap of faith, got one of the thirty spots, and eventually landed Aladdin after a six-month silence from Disney followed by a call to fly to London and screen test with Guy Ritchie. Now he is playing Daniel in Daniel in the Fiery Furnace, a biblical film about a man who refused to bow, literally and figuratively. Faith, identity, and the question every generation has to answer for itself: Mena shares why Daniel's story resonates so deeply for him as an immigrant who knows what it is like to leave everything familiar and hold onto your culture, language, and faith in a foreign land, and why he believes the central question of the film — who do you hold in the highest regard — is one every young person is wrestling with right now in a world full of athletes, celebrities, and influencers competing for that place. He also talks about what it was like to audition for Aladdin, forget about it for six months, and then get the call that changed his career. Highlights Why Mena has been circling biblical projects for years and why Daniel in the Fiery Furnace is the one God put in his path Why Daniel's refusal to bow is as relevant today as it was in Babylon, especially for young people on social media How his parents' immigration from Egypt to Canada, speaking Arabic at home and cooking Egyptian food every night, mirrors Daniel's experience in Babylon What it was like to grow up in a tight-knit Coptic community in Ontario where his closest friendships were formed at church How Aladdin came after a six-month silence from Disney and why the real surprise was getting called back, not booking the role What his four years at theater school looked like: 13–14 hour days, six days a week, singing, dancing, Shakespeare, and mask work What he would wish for if the genie were real, and why health is the only answer that matters as you get older Resources / Links / CTA 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menamassoud 🎬 Daniel in the Fiery Furnace: https://www.imdb.com/title 🌐 Follow, share, and explore more of Crosswalk Talk 👉 Follow, share, and subscribe for more faith-driven conversations on Lifeaudio Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.