Crosswalk Talk: Celebrity Christian Interviews

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

In this episode of Crossroads Talk, host Michael Foust shares a previously unheard interview from 2022 with the late Mandisa, discussing her book "Out of the Dark." Mandisa opens up about her struggles with depression and how sharing her story publicly has helped others facing similar challenges. Through her transparency, she aims to bring hope and healing to those dealing with mental health issues, encouraging open conversations about these prevalent struggles in society.     Podcast Art Credit: Flickr/Jyle Dupuis Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

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

The lead actor in the new Angel Studios/Daily Wire film Sound of Hope says he believes the movie can spark an adoption movement within the body of Christ where families rise up to take in vulnerable children who need homes. Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (PG-13) tells the inspiring true story of families in a small East Texas town who adopt 77 of the most difficult-to-place children in the foster system thanks to the leadership of Rev. W.C. Martin and his wife, Donna Martin. It will hit theaters on July 4 and will be released by the same studio, Angel, that was behind the blockbuster movie Sound of Freedom exactly one year ago. This month, Angel and Daily Wire announced a partnership to release Sound of Hope. At the end of the film, viewers learn that there are some 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, with 100,000 waiting to be adopted. Marvel star Letitia Wright (Black Panther, Wakanda Forever) is an executive producer.  Actor Demetrius Grosse, who portrays Rev. Martin, said, “We’re all called as believers” to care for the less fortunate. Grosse cited James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Want more? Head over to Crosswalk.com to read the accompanying article! Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

A new album by Grammy-nominated artist Danny Gokey includes his usual upbeat, hope-filled songs but also includes a track that warns about the deceptive nature of evil and urges the church to “wake up” to the lies society has embraced. “Evil is dressing up to fool the people,” Gokey told Crosswalk Headlines.  The 11-song LP, Sound of Heaven, releases July 26 and is Gokey’s fifth studio album with a mixture of worship, pop, and Latin sounds. One song from that album, I Got You, is currently on the Billboard Christian Airplay chart.  Listen to the entire interview here!  Want more? Head over to Crosswalk.com to read the accompanying article! Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Grammy-nominated artist Crowder says the message on his latest album is simple yet necessary for Christians living in a dark culture: “Everything’s gonna be alright.” The cover of the album, The Exile, features a picture of a dry, desolate land. The 30-second intro to the album includes an eerie voice warning: “In the case of nuclear or radiological fallout, seek shelter.” The core of the album, though, includes hope-filled messages for Christians who feel like they are a “stranger in a strange land,” as one of the tracks says. “Here in the States it definitely, in my short lifetime, it feels more challenging than ever,” Crowder told Crosswalk Headlines when asked if it’s more challenging to be a Christian in today’s world than in past years. “If your head is facing a television or your phone, [then] it feels really, really challenging. [But] when you’re in your neighborhood with people that know you and love you and are trying to follow Jesus as well, it doesn’t feel very difficult. I can think of a lot of other places that probably are way more difficult. “But I do feel like what’s happening, though, is the church, I think, is feeling a robust need to respond in a way that maybe in the past we haven’t. It feels like there’s a tipping point that we’re about to hit, where the church’s voice gets a little more robust and responsive in light of how loud other antagonistic-toward-the-church voices can be. Because they’re pretty loud.” Read more here: https://www.crosswalk.com/headlines/contributors/michael-foust/crowders-inspiring-message-to-christians-in-a-dark-culture-everythings-gonna-be-alright.html Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Singer and author Ellie Holcomb says motherhood has given her a fresh outlook on life and a deeper understanding of God’s unconditional love. Holcomb is the mother of three young children and the author of three children’s books, each with a companion EP of original music. Recently, she released two projects geared toward adults: a new Psalms-based album, All of My Days, and an expanded edition of her bestselling devotional, Fighting Words. Holcomb toured full-time with her husband’s band, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors before her first child was born. “One of my favorite things about being a mom is that you get to see the world again -- through their eyes,” she told Crosswalk Headlines. “Everything feels new and fresh. It’s been so good for me as a grown-up.” She said motherhood has also given her a new perspective on God’s love and grace.  “We are, first and foremost, beloved sons and daughters of the most high God,” she said. “And so, being a mom has helped me remember that before I’m even a mom, I’m God’s daughter, and He’s going to take such good care of me, and He’s going to take such good care of my kids, too. Man, what a freedom to know: We’re all just God’s kids, trying to make our way back home again. I am grateful for the freedom to be a kid, to mess up.” Read more here! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The artist who is behind the hit song Honestly, We Just Need Jesus says she is on a mission to help reclaim R&B for Christ and to “plant a seed” in the hearts of non-Christians. Terrian released her debut full-length album Give It Time this year, and a song off that chart -- Honestly, We Just Need Jesus -- quickly began climbing the Billboard charts. It’s been on the Billboard AC Airplay chart for 14 weeks and is up to No. 10. It is No. 13 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs list, where it’s been for 18 weeks.  Fans of the song say it was written for our modern society: “Have we all gone mad? Have we lost our minds? / what used to be wrong, we say that it's right / honestly, I think we just need Jesus.” The lyrics also critique society’s addiction to smartphones and social media.  TobyMac fans know Terrian as the female vocalist on the Hits Deep Tour and a member of his Diverse City band. With Give It Time -- a mix of pop, R&B and gospel -- she is making a name for herself. She believes her music -- and that of TobyMac and others in the Christian R&B realm -- can serve as a course correction to a genre that is often filled with language and sexually explicit lyrics.  “The thing that I always remember is that all of those artists grew up in the church,” she told Crosswalk Headlines while laughing.  “R&B comes from gospel music. So in a way, I think it's us trying our best to sanctify that sound a little bit more. And also recognizing that there are a lot of Christians who love those genres. … We have church music, but we also need to be able to take up space as believers and artists in these other realms, so that Christians can have something else to listen to, but also, unbelievers can hear it as well and go, ‘Oh, I didn’t know Christians can write songs like this and that they're doing that over there. “I’m just praying that the Lord would plant a seed in their heart and use it to lead them to the cross. I think it’s an outreach.” This video is brought to you by Crosswalk (https://crosswalk.com)   Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Actress Emily Rose has made a name for herself with her roles in such popular series as Haven and ER, but for the first few years of her life, her eyes were not set on Hollywood but on the farm. “I wanted to be a horse vet,” she told Crosswalk Headlines. Rose shadowed a real-life veterinarian for a day and went home that night, loving the experience. Eventually, though, she realized she didn’t want to be responsible for animals in pain. She also realized she was -- in her words -- not all that great at science.  In hindsight, she says, God had other plans for her life. A product of a Christian high school, Rose pulled out a copy of Campus Life magazine as a senior and chose a career path in the arts -- specifically, as a theater student at Vanguard University, a Christian school in California. (Her professors told her: “If this is what God's called you to do [then] He's going to completely open doors where you need to go.”) She then earned her master’s degree at UCLA.   “I have just been working at integrating my faith in my art the entire time, and just asking the Lord, ‘Okay, where would you have me? And where would you send me?’ -- just like a mission field,” Rose told Crosswalk Headlines. This video is brought to you by Crosswalk (https://crosswalk.com)  Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The frontman for the legendary rock band Stryper says Christians almost alienated him and his bandmates from the church some three decades ago and that the church still hasn't overcome its judgmental tendencies. Lead singer Michael Sweet and his brother Robert became Christians by watching TV preacher Jimmy Swaggart and then, years later, gained worldwide fame for their metal songs, their Bible-infused lyrics, their big hair and their yellow and black attire. They tossed Bibles to their fans. They attracted teens with edgy lyrics (To Hell with the Devil). They received a Grammy nomination.  Listen to his interview with Christian Headlines writer Michael Foust to hear how Sweet balances the sound of metal with the themes of faith. Subscribe and Follow: Make sure to subscribe to Crosswalk Talk on your favorite podcast platform (Apple | Spotify) and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated with our latest episodes and behind-the-scenes content of your favorite celebrity Christian interviews! Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.