Author/speaker Ron Hutchcraft used a catchy phrase to inspire thousands of teenagers: "Go MAD!" which meant, "Go Make a Difference!" Today, it's good to see Christian artists living out this phrase as well. Of course, some music is a ministry in and of itself. Have you ever stumbled upon the right song that gave you peace, encouraged your heart, or spoke truth into your life at just the right moment? I have. But oftentimes, music is the catalyst that inspires ministry to happen after the song ends. There are a lot of great ministries that are directly propelled by Christian musicians - Compassion, World Vision, Blood:Water Mission, Show Hope... just …

On a Monday morning last year, one of my co-workers shared with delight that he had just purchased some high-end family tree software & had been "playing" with it all weekend. The joyful gleam in his eye was puzzling. I'm a family-man and all, so I know plotting one's family heritage is a worthwhile exercise, but so is trigonometry - and it's NOT how I choose to spend my weekend. More recently, I saw a TV show that asked you to name two of your great-grandparents. [Everyone has 8 biological great-grandparents.] Most people can't do it. Yet, nearly all of us have a better life & more opportunity than the …

I was hanging out in the break room in our office building recently, when a conversation topic came up that grabbed my attention immediately... pizza! One of the major blessings about growing up and living in Chicago is no shortage of amazing pizza joints. So when my co-workers were bantering about their favorite slice, I thought I should join in and enlighten the group on what I put on my "critics best" list. I thought God had purposely ordained my presence there so I could proselytize for my favorite pizza makers. Even though I wanted to disagree with everyone else's choices, I couldn't help but notice Deb's conviction. She and …

The Red Sea parts miraculously. The Israelites walk through. The Egyptian soldiers in pursuit drown as God folds the sea shut. A million or more of God's chosen people rejoice and worship. Credits roll... right? I sometimes wish the Biblical account was able to mirror the movie The Prince of Egypt. But what actually happened next would ruin that happy ending. Exodus 15 picks up with the first moments after the Israelites were safe on dry ground. By the end of that chapter, the people were grumbling against Moses because they couldn't find fresh water. By Exodus 16:3 - just days after their miraculous escape - the people were wishing …

Are Christians allowed to hate things? If so, then I need to confess that I hate winter. I grew up and still live in Chicago - enough said. There's a sinking feeling in my heart when the beautiful, crisp autumn air turns into a bitter, nipping cold. Especially depressing is that it's just the beginning and no relief will be found for 5 months. I find it no surprise that C.S. Lewis used winter as a metaphor for evil and hopelessness! But here we stand, on the doorstep of spring. As the temperatures slowly rise and our cabin fever melts away, we are filled with anticipation and excitement for the …

We are on the cusp of the days known as March Madness - the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Compared to nearly every other major sporting event out there, March Madness has some of the most raucous and exuberant crowds in existence. And there's one chant that's so explosive, every team dreads being on the receiving end: "OVER-RATED!" While it's futile to debate if a piece of art is over-rated or not, a growing chorus of listeners are chanting something equally powerful to all the Program Directors out there: "OVER-PLAYED!" I remember working at a CHR station in the late 90's, when I was tired of hearing the heavy rotation songs repeated …

Congratulations goes out to these three winners of our first UTR contest. Each will receive an autographed copy of Andrew Peterson's latest CD Resurrection Letters, Vol. 2

On Nov. 13, 2008, critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson performed a special concert at the studios of Back to God Ministries Int'l (BTGMI) to help launch the new music-based radio program Under The Radar . "It's gourmet music – thoughtful, inspirational, & artistic," says host Dave Trout.  "Isn't it scary that outside of a song or two, artists like Rich Mullins, Derek Webb, and Jill Phillips are not considered 'Radio Friendly'?  On UTR we plan to play the artists & songs that the world needs to hear." 36 radio outlets have already signed up to air UTR, which will also be made available as a podcast through iTunes. "There's a …

Details and contact information for Under the Radar.