I was listening to Weekend Edition on my local NPR affiliate station here in Columbus.

On the show they interviewed a couple members of the band, Augustana, who has found some success after having their song, “Boston” played on the NBC sitcom, Scrubs.

During the interview front man and singer Dan Layus was asked how his upbringing in a Christian home, professing a Christian faith and going to a Christian school influenced his writing. That time, or at least that state of mind, is not something Layus talks much about or is particularly proud of.

In the interview he says…

“I was too young to understand anything, and I almost feel like I was spiritually taken advantage of. Throughout high school I did a lot of things that I’m ashamed of now. I was so closed-minded at the time, but I guess it’s hard to blame yourself when you’re only 15 or 16, when your parents and everyone around you is saying this is how it is.”

Layus was still in that state of mind when he enrolled in a private Christian college. But eventually, he says, life started happening.

“Finally I started seeing things a little more clearly. And part of that journey was going to a school like that and hooking up with friends who were feeling the same way. Things have changed, and I’ve completely abandoned that way of thought. A lot of things have happened in my life as far as being married and having a daughter. Being on the road for 3 1/2 years makes the world a lot more real.”

Layus may have left his traditional religious roots behind, but the passion and drive he had in those years has carried over into his songwriting.

“I have a more positive and realistic place to put it now,” Layus says, “which is my wife and my daughter and our music. And writing songs and being able to love my family like that, is more than enough for me.”

I wish I could say this is the only artist that I have heard or read about being who has distanced themselves from Christ.

Before we get our feathers ruffled and act self righteous because we are so faithful to Christ, we have to remember that the disciples were all misguided even while walking step and step with Christ on earth. Peter even DENIED Christ when he was recognized as one of His disciples.

Lets pray that we when given the opportunity play a part in attracting people to Christ instead of repelling them. We can also pray for Dan Layus and the rest of Augustana.

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Here’s a group of people who really serve a purpose…what purpose it is is beyond me.

Boycotting is the Christian way of saying “Do it or else…” and don’t you think that is the way Jesus would deal with non-religious groups?

Me either.

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Coffee, Stupid Stuff, Christianity, Church | No Comments »

NBC unleashed its latest incarnation of Last Comic Standing on Thursday night . I haven’t ever watched the show with any consistency and based off the premiere episode of season 6 don’t have any plans to start now.

The show had auditions in New York and Tempe, AZ in the hour long show. There were some funny people at both auditions that made it to screen and then of course they put up a few of the absurd candidates as well. A couple of the funny ones even made it through to the next round in VEGAS, BABY!

Sadly, a few of the acts that made it through are “gimmicks”, not comedians and that means that some really talented people got left out.

Here are a few examples of the gimmicky type comedians we are seeing push their way through to the front of the pack as the BEST COMEDIANS out there.

God’s Pottery: Funny duo who very accurately make fun of a lot of the stereotypical Christian performers and youth event acts that are out there. I get it and I think it is funny but once you’ve seen it is there anywhere else you can go with it? We’ll find out because they made it through the first round and are headed to Vegas.

Esther Ku who may turn out to be this years Dat Phan, I’m not sure but she leans into the same racial stereotype jokes only from a different angle. That said, I’m not entirely sure if she is playing the joke on us or if she really dislikes being Asian all that much.

An interesting excerpt from Esther Ku’s website is that she came to America with her parents who are Christian Missionaries. On her website she says “her parents immigrated from South Korea as missionaries thinking they were pioneers in “bringing Jesus to America.” Ku often wondered why her family traveled so far to bring Jesus to a country that already sells him on endcaps in K-Mart.”

Stone and Stone: They are FUNNY…but again, after seeing them once, I am not sure where else they can go with it. Their main shtick seems to be talking over one another.

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I just heard the news that Steven Curtis Chapman, a singer in the Christian music industry and hid family have suffered an incredible pain.

Apparently Chapman’s youngest daughter was playing in the drive way when one of her older teen brothers was driving an SUV up the drive way and somehow she was hit. Sadly, she has died.

Here is a link to the story.

I have met Steven Curtis Chapman on a couple of occasions from when I was in radio and worked in the industry from those meetings, I can say that I found him to be a fairly grounded and realistic guy…someone you would want to hang out with and tlk it up a bit.

Please pray for the entire Chapman family and ESPECIALLY for his teenage son who has to be suffering so greatly right now.

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A couple years back I became familiar with a group…a family out of NYC…the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players…I love them…they are corky, offbeat and if I am not mistaken…on hiatus while the daughter of the group, Rachel, stars in her own KIDS SHOW…look out…I bet she ends up on TV soon.

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