Issue 6 - Life in His Hands Christian Newspaper

www.LifeinHisHands.org
BIBLE READING CHALLENGE
MUSIC LOUNGE
You are about to read 6 entire books
of the Bible, all in 30 days, while
reading only 5 minutes per day.
Plumb talks about
her new book
and the hope that
saved her failing
marriage.
6 : 30 : 5
The Christian Voice of the Inland Empire
Issue 6 FREE
BIBLE PUZZLE TIME
WHERE IS HAPPY?
All the answers to the
Bible Crossword can be
found in your 6:30:5 Bible
reading this month.
Since the death of
Robin Williams, how
many times have you
heard, “See, money
can’t buy happiness”?
Page 6
Page 4
Page 5
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Finding Hope in Jesus Christ on-Air in the
Inland Empire and Worldwide
By Jamin Osborne
It’s common for people to dismiss as wrong something
they are unfamiliar with and do not fully understand,
for many Christians, this describes a common view on
what our society has labeled “gamers” and the gamer
community. A “gamer” is someone who has adopted
interactive gaming, such as online games, role-playing
games, and board games, as a predominant activity in
their lifestyle. The gamer community is the subculture
that has developed around gaming.
In this day and age, the gaming industry is growing
tremendously. Although many people incorporate some
form of games into their leisure activity, there is a
distinction between the person who casually plays games,
and those who consider themselves as belonging to the
gaming community. There is also some distinction as
to the type of games played and the game formats, that
separate a “gamer” from the large population of people
“For a lot of us older gamers, being
a gamer meant the rest of the school
rejected you.” - Josh Cords.
playing the most popular console games today.
While transitioning from high school to college,
a large amount of young adults nationwide who were
brought up in a Christian church, stop attending church
services and begin to form new connections with various
groups. These communities can lead them further away
from the Christian beliefs and standards of morality
they were introduced to as children. To help address this
phenomenon, Quest Church, led by the vision of Pastor
James Kruppa, has taken steps to bring Christ and game
controller together.
What many people may find interesting is that Pastor
Kruppa identifies himself as a “gamer”. His vision for
Quest Church evolved out of his own life experience.
James was raised in a Christian church and also loved
playing games such as the popular role-playing game
Dungeons and Dragons. At the time, See Gamers page 3
Morning Friends Bryan & Brandi (R-L) help begin each day with positive music, encouraging thoughts, and
the news, traffic and weather you need to navigate through your morning. All of this while bringing the
hope of Jesus Christ to the airwaves. Bryan & Brandi are on air Monday - Friday 6 to 9 am on 89.7 KSGN.
From the moment you leave church on Sunday
afternoon, to the time you make your way back to the
sanctuary the following week, many Americans live a life
void of any mention of Christ. In our world of constant
in-your-face advertisements, TV shows, Facebook
posts, and cat videos, all begging for our attention, some
people find it hard to make the time to connect with Jesus
throughout the week. To the advantage of Inland Empire
(IE) residents, however, Jesus is being preached and
worshiped 24/7 by way of local, national, and worldwide
radio stations that are making the message of the hope in
Christ their top priority.
In the IE, the only Christian radio station to rate in
the top 10 of the Nielson ratings, is local Contemporary
Christian Music station 89.7 KSGN. Morning show cohost and station Program Director, Bryan O’Neal credits
some of the stations success to the fact that there are
live people in a studio, in the Inland Empire, answering
phones and taking calls from people. “People will call
for lots of reasons, O’Neal says. “Sometimes something
in a song just gets them and they want to share with us.
We want to be an interactive show. People appreciate that
we’re very local. Interacting with the community is very
huge for us. We want people to know that this is your
local radio station. We’re not just coming in by satellite.
We live here, we work here, we go to church here, and
we want to make a difference here in the greater Inland
Empire.”
89.7 KSGN plays music from Christian music’s top
stars such as: Chris Tomlin, Britt Nicole, Danny Gokey,
(Former American Idol Alum), Tenth Avenue North,
Phil Wickham, Sidewalk Prophets, MercyMe, Francesca
Battistelli, Matthew West, TobyMac, Casting Crowns,
Third Day, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Lincolin Brewster,
Kutless, Matt Redman, and Josh Wilson, just to name a
few. The format of Contemporary Christian Music is one
of the few radio formats that is still experiencing growth
nationwide.
Although Christian music is a major draw for listeners
to KSGN, O’Neal says there is one thing that needs to be
made clear. “We’re focused on Jesus Christ. We image
ourselves as helping to bring hope in Jesus Christ. There
are some people that, as it says in the Bible, you mention
Jesus Christ and some people are going to be turned off
right away. We like to say that there’s hope, and we know
where to find it, and we can point you to hope, and it’s
in Jesus.”
Just knowing that Christ can be found on the radio
locally at 89.7 KSGN, 90.1 Air1, 107.9 K-Wave, 1570
AM KPRO, and KCWGTheTruth.com, is a blessing
in itself, but a great benefit is that these local Christian
radio stations can be taken with you
See Radio page 8
“He is risen indeed!”
is All the Certainty we Need
By Andy Wrasman
Most religions offer an answer to
what awaits an individual after death, and
they often times offer a way to ensure the
best possible postmortem existence. This
means that knowing which religion is true,
if any, is the most vital question a person
can ask. Within Christianity, the Bible is
very clear that this is our only life; this
is our only chance to ensure eternal life.
The author of the book of Hebrews states,
“And as it is appointed for men to die once,
but after this the judgment, so Christ was
offered once to bear the sins of many. To
those who eagerly wait for Him He will
appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28, NKJV). Despite the many religious options for
what awaits us after death, we can trust the
certainty of the Christian message because
of the strong evidence that verifies the
Bible’s testable claim that Jesus rose from
the dead after his public crucifixion.
To objectively discern if a belief is true,
it needs to be testable. The scientific method
(a method of investigation in which a
problem is first identified and observations,
experiments, or other relevant data
are then used to construct or test
hypotheses that purport to solve it)
can’t test most of the claims found
in the world’s religions, but science
is not our only means of verifying
the legitimacy of truth claims. In the
case of judging religious truth claims, one
form of verification that needs to be utilized
is historical-forensic evidence. At the heart
of Christianity is a historical event that can
be evaluated in such a manner to prove or
disprove its truthfulness. Paul says in 1
Corinthians 15 that if Christ did not rise
from the grave that his faith is futile and
his testimony about Jesus would be a lie.
If someone could prove that Jesus did not
rise from the grave, then the resurrection
would be considered a See Truth page 2
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Life in His Hands
Truth from page 1
false claim and the Christian faith should be rejected. On the
flip side, if Jesus DID rise from the grave, it confirms that Jesus’ claim to be “the
way, the truth, and the life, the only way to Father” (John 14:6) is true! If he did not
rise from the grave, then Jesus was a liar and Christians ought to be pitied above all
men.
The good news for Christians, and all of humanity, is that there is amble evidence
to trust that Jesus lived, died for our sins, and rose from the grave. The bulk of what
we know of ancient history arises from the written record that has survived to us,
and in this regard the New Testament is the best attested ancient manuscript in terms
of the number of copies it has, the dates of the copies to their original writings,
as well as the accuracy of those copies. These qualities help ensure that the New
Testament, as we have it today, accurately represents the text that its authors penned.
In addition to the reliable transmission of the New Testament, the biographies of
Jesus (the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) were written by eyewitnesses,
or written by people who wrote using eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness testimony
is always more reliable and desirable when discerning what events have actually
occurred, than using the testimony of those far removed from the scene, either by
location or time.
Since the Gospel authors were eyewitnesses, or wrote based on eyewitness
testimony in the first century, other witnesses, both friend and foe, would have known
if the Gospel writers were telling lies, and they would have revealed the Gospels to
be false. However, we have no such competing accounts from contemporaries. We
do, on the other hand, have non-Christian authors writing in the first and second
centuries who affirm the claims of the Gospels, and no one in the first century was
ever able to produce the bones of Jesus to disprove the empty tomb that Sunday
morning. Jewish and Roman leaders and authorities had the motive and means to
disprove the resurrection, but they could not. The best they could do was to persecute
Christians as an attempt to stop the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles
continued to proclaim the risen Christ all the way to their martyrdom. If the account
of Jesus’ resurrection that originated with the apostles is a LIE, it would mean that
they chose to die gruesome deaths instead of exposing the hoax that they created.
Many people might accept execution for what they THINK is true, but who would
die for what they KNOW is a lie?
The central message of Christianity, that Jesus lived, died for sins, was buried, and
rose from the grave, is also what verifies the truthfulness of the Christian message.
We can look to the historical evidence of the crucified Jesus, the empty tomb, and the
followers of Jesus who claimed to see him alive after a physical death, who willfully
suffered persecution and death for proclaiming that message. No other religion has,
at its center, a historical event like this that can be historically tested to prove or
disprove the truthfulness of its message. For instance there is no way to discern if
the Buddha actually reached Nirvana sitting underneath a tree in mediation, nor if
the prophet Muhammad of Islam saw and received messages from an angel of Allah,
because these events were only experienced by one individual with no external
verification available. The fact that Jesus rose from the grave, indeed, is the certainty
of his divinity and the forgiveness of our sins that we both have and need.
For more details on the evidential claims put forth in this article, read John
Warwick Montgomery’s History, Law, and Christianity (complex), Andy Wrasmans’
Contradict – They Can’t All Be True (moderate), or Josh McDowell’s More Than a
Carpenter (beginner).
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The Key to Happiness
After many recent news events, I am
beginning to wonder if, as a nation, we feel
entitled to unconditional happiness. I can’t
count how many times I have heard, “See,
money doesn’t buy happiness,” when a
conversation about Robin Williams arises.
But yet, so many people work, not just to
support their family, but to try to get to the
next financial level of success as if God,
a neighbor, or someone special will think
better of them if they achieve such a lofty
goal. And then I remember that I am as
guilty as anyone of falling into this trap of
sinful selfishness, re-branded as American
happiness.
I’m reminded about the recent
comments from Victoria Osteen, wife
of mega-church pastor Joel Osteen, who
from the stage in front of 16,000 attendees
at their Houston, Texas, church told the
congregation that your happiness is what
feeds God’s joy. Her quote is as follows:
“I just want to encourage every
one of us to realize when we obey
God, we’re not doing it for God—I
mean, that’s one way to look at
it — we’re doing it for ourselves,
because God takes pleasure when
we’re happy. That’s the thing that
gives Him the greatest joy.
“So, I want you to know this
morning: Just do good for your
own self. Do good because God
wants you to be happy. When you
come to church, when you worship
Him, you’re not doing it for God
really. You’re doing it for yourself,
because that’s what makes God
happy. Amen?” - Victoria Osteen
(Emphasis added)
With teaching like this from such a
popular American pulpit as the Osteen’s
have, can anyone really question the reason
that America demands and feels entitled
to happiness no matter the cost? We put
ourselves in debt to pay for happiness. We
destroy our marriages because of selfish
happy ambitions. We lie, gossip, and
justify our actions to obtain happiness,
all without consulting our creator and
designer of everything.
Contrary to Mrs. Osteen’s remarks,
our happiness is not what gives God the
most joy, but rather our obedience to His
directions for our lives. At no point does
the Bible tell us that God finds joy in our
happiness, but instead that we can find joy
and happiness in the love that Christ has
for us. He doesn’t even say that obeying
His commands is going to make us happy,
because, as we know too well, sometimes
our sinful self fights His direction for
our lives. See, we seem to get this whole
happiness thing backwards.
Matthew 6:31-34 says, “Therefore
do not worry, saying, ‘What shall
we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or
Life in His Hands Christian Newspaper
Publisher: Chris Thompson
Director of Fundraising: Kelly Thompson
Artist Relations: Rick Roberts
Webmaster: Cory Jenkins
Page layout: Chris Thompson
Logo Design: Greg Bell
‘What shall we wear?’ For after all
these things the Gentiles seek. For
your heavenly Father knows that
you need all these things. But seek
first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things
shall be added to you. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will worry about its own
things. Sufficient for the day is its
own trouble.” (NKJV)
The message? God does not look to
us to provide Himself with happiness or
entertainment. It’s understandable that God
would be devastated when one of His most
loved creations dies without accepting
His gift of forgiveness and grace, thus
condemning themselves to an eternity void
of His presence. But, why would anyone
think that the creator of all things would
get His “greatest joy” from our happiness,
compared to the emotion that He must feel
when a new believer comes to Christ?
There are so many actions that make
our human flesh “happy,” that according,
to Scripture are worthy only of God’s
wrath. One could argue that our constant
journey to find happiness outside of
a relationship with Christ would be
considered selfishness, which in and of
itself is defined as sinful, and thus not
drawing a positive, joyful reaction from
God.
We are to seek Him in all that we do.
He has promised us His love. He has
promised us joy in a relationship with
And then I remember that
I am as guilty as anyone of
falling into this trap of sinful
selfishness, re-branded as
American happiness.
Him. But at no point did He ever promise
us happiness, nor ever grant us permission
to reach to obtain happiness through any
means possible for the sole reason of
pleasing Him.
Why is it then that we seem to feel that
this life is all about doing whatever it takes
to make ourselves happy? When will we
realize that life is all about Jesus.
God Bless,
Chris Thompson
Send your letters to the editor to
[email protected]
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Editorial Contributors:
Marina Rojas
Jamin Osborne
Ron Day
Andy Wrasman
Letters to the Editor can be sent to:
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General Contact:
Life in His Hands Christian Newspaper
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All content and advertising must meet
strict standards in both faith and quality.
Advertising does not imply endorsement.
Except where noted, all scripture within
this paper is from the NKJV. References
to God or Jesus will always start with a
capital letter such as in He or Him.
Life in His Hands Christian Newspaper
is a nonprofit pending ministry focused
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Life in His Hands
Members of Quest Church who are reaching our
to the Gamer community with a goal of keeping
Christ relevent within the subculture. Pictured
at left are (L-R) Mark Chapman, David D., James
Kruppa, Joshua Cords, and Scott Horn.
Quest Church has a new gaming
center and store located at 2395
Hamner St. Unit D in Norco. The hope
is to cultivate a place where people
from the gaming community can get
together to play games, develop
relationships with Christians, and
come to acquire a saving knowledge
of Jesus Christ.
Gamers from page 1
there was a lot of controversy within the Christian community
regarding such games and many Christians struggled with the tension between
their identity as both a Christian and a gamer. The local churches also struggled in
understanding how gaming and Christianity could coexist.
James went on to become a computer science teacher at Woodcrest Christian School
in Riverside and it was there that he and fellow teacher Shane Ludwig began connecting
with like-minded students through gaming. James recognized that these students were at
a pivotal point in their life when it came to continuing the development of their Christian
faith. He did not want to see these students, self identified as gamers, to fall away from
Christianity.
As a response to the concern, the two teachers gave their time and energy connecting
with these students through gaming. Meeting up in the classroom or computer lab to play
games such as Age of Empires, helped to facilitate a bond between Christian students
who enjoyed gaming. But, it wasn’t just about playing games. Although the meet up
was very organic in its inception, there was always the intention of being a ministry for
Christ.
“The gamer community is a community that in a large part has been ignored by the
local church,” stated Josh Cords, one of the former students of Woodcrest Christian
School who took part in gaming activities with teachers Krupp and Ludwig.
In 2006, the group that had formed at Woodcrest Christian School, began meeting
together as a house church. The emphasis was to create an environment that would
encourage high school and college gamers to remain connected to the Christian
community. Kruppa left his role at Woodcrest Christian School so that he could devote
his time and energy to earning a Master of Divinity degree. While at seminary, Krupp
began to embrace his gaming identity and recognized it as part of God’s unique design
in the creation of his personality. Quest Church is the outcome Kruppa’s own journey.
Most of the people fellowshipping at Quest Church are in their early twenties. A lot of
those currently involved are coming out of Norco City College which has a recognized
computer gaming curriculum.
Like many other subcultures, the gaming community has its own language. It is
by being able to convey Christian ideas and beliefs using the unique language of the
gaming community that validates Quest Church’s ability to be effective in its focused
outreach. It is common to hear gaming terms as references and metaphors to help explain
Christianity to those in the gaming community that have no knowledge of Christianity
in their background.
A new component to the outreach efforts of Quest Church is the establishment of
a gaming center and store in Norco. Located at 2395 Hamner St. Unit D, the store is
only walking distance from Norco City College. The vision for such a location has
existed for some time, and thanks to the support and sponsorship of First Southern
Baptist of Anaheim, it is now a reality. The hope is to cultivate a place where people
from the gaming community can get together to play games, develop relationships with
Christians, and come to acquire a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The gaming center and store opened August and Quest Church hopes to see it become
a gathering place for those in the local gaming community. “For a lot of us older gamers,
being a gamer meant the rest of the school rejected you,” stated Cords. Quest Church
opens its doors to be a place of refuge and acceptance for local gamers.
The outreach model that Quest Church is following isn’t unique to only the gaming
community. There has been a rise over the recent years of ministries forming that are
very specific in their own congregational composition and the people groups that they
are focusing their outreach efforts toward. There is an effectiveness found in this type of
model for reaching nonbelievers and it is especially effective in penetrating the barriers
of strong subcultures, usually not receptive to traditional evangelistic methods. This
does not mean that there is no need for the traditional methods, but it does highlight the
possibilities for more opportunities in reaching people with the Gospel message.
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Life in His Hands
AY E
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You are about to read
6 : 30 : 5
ENTIRE
BIBLE
BOOKS
DAYS
OF
READING
Day
Day
MINUTES
PER
DAY
Day
1
Galatians 1:1-24
11
Ephesians 5:1-33
21 1 Thessalonians 1:1-9
2
Galatians 2:1-21
12
Ephesians 6:1-23
22 1 Thessalonians 2:1-20
3
Galatians 3:1-29
13
Philippians 1:1-30
23 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
4
Galatians 4:1-31
14
Philippians 2:1-30
24 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
5
Galatians 5:1-25
15
Philippians 3:1-21
25 1 Thessalonians 5:1-28
6
Galatians 6:1-18
16
Philippians 4:1-23
26 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
7
Ephesians 1:1-23
17
Colossians 1:1-29
27 2 Thessalonians 2:1-16
8
Ephesians 2:1-22
18
Colossians 2:1-23
28 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
9
Ephesians 3:1-21
19
Colossians 3:1-25
29 1 Timothy 1:1-20
10 Ephesians 4:1-32
20
Colossians 4:1-18
30 1 Timothy 2:1-15
What you are reading about in your 30-Day Reading Challenge
The Book of Galatians
The Book of Ephesians
Galatia was a region in Central Asia Minor (modern-day
Turkey). In 64 B.C., the Roman general Pompey defeated a
Galatian king, and established a foothold for Rome in the region.
When the last Galatian king died in 25 B.C. the Romans inherited
the kingdom. The term Galatia, is somewhat ambiguous and may
refer to the older ethnic region of north-central Asia Minor (north
Galatia), or to a larger Roman province (including South Galatia).
On his first missionary journey in about A.D. 46-48, the
Apostle Paul and Barnabas evangelized to the Galatian cities of
Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13-14). Paul
revisited the area on his second and third missionary journey’s.
The letter to the Galatians was written
in approximately A.D. 49 from Antioch by
the Apostle Paul. The main message was to
tell the new Christians in Galatia that they
must refute the Judaizers. Judaizers were
false teachers that followed Paul wherever
he preached and told the new Christians that
they must first convert to Judaism before they
could actually become Christian. Paul wrote
this letter to correct this problem and let the
people of Galatia know that, “It is for freedom
that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and
do not let yourselves be burdened again by a
yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). The yoke of
slavery that Paul is referring to in this verse
is the laws and rules that the Judaizers were
trying to preach to the new Christians that they
must follow.
Ephesians is one of the four shorter epistles (or letters) written by the Apostle Paul while he was imprisoned,
the others being Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
Paul begins the book of Ephesians by greeting his readers and assuring them that they have been blessed
with God’s gracious favor—redemption in Christ—from before the foundation of the world. Paul then prays that
God may grant them even greater measure of spiritual wisdom and revelation. Chapter 2 begins with perhaps
the clearest statement of salvation by grace through found faith in all of the Bible. Although the Ephesians were
once alienated from God, now they are reconciled to God and to one another by Christ, who is “our peace”.
Paul was made an apostle to proclaim the “mystery of Christ” — the inexhaustible riches of the gospel to the
Gentiles. Paul brings the first half of the letter to a close with a prayer that the Ephesians may understand the
depth of Christ’s love.
An appeal to adapt one’s life to one’s faith marks the transition to the second half of the epistle. The Christian
fellowship should pattern itself after the unity of the
Godhead, and Christians should pattern themselves
after the example of Christ. As new people in Christ
they should walk in love, light, and wisdom. Paul
cites Christ’s relationship with the church as a model
for wives and husbands, and children and parents.
The letter ends with an appeal to put on the armor
of God and to stand strong against the forces of evil.
Within the book entitled Ephesians, Paul
describes the enthronement of Christ who is Lord of
the church, the world, and the entire created order.
As the ascended Lord, Christ is completing what He
began in his earthly ministry, by means of His now
“extended body,” the church.
Paul also explains to his readers the difference
between our old condition under the law, that is now
dead to God, and our new condition through Christ
which is alive to God.
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Life in His Hands
Inland Empire Church Directory
What you are reading about in your 30-Day Reading Challenge
Philippians is the
Apostle Paul’s letter
of joy. The church in
the Macedonian city
of Philippi was a great
encouragement to Paul.
The church enjoyed a
very special relationship with him, so he wrote them a personal expression
of his love and affection. Philippians also expresses the joy that we have in
Jesus Christ and in our Christian life. The concept of “rejoicing” or “joy”
appears 16 times in the four chapters from this book and all radiate with a
positive message collectively gaining towards exhortation to “rejoice in the
Lord always.”
Although this entire book is a very joyful letter, explaining to the Christian
believer the joy that they find in a relationship with Jesus Christ, the lesson is
found in the fact that the Apostle Paul pinned this letter while he was in prison.
It goes to show that the love and joy that Christ brings into our lives cannot be
destroyed, or withheld in any manner, at any time, or in any situation.
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JOIN US FOR GAMES AND
GIVEAWAYS EVERY WEEK
Colossians is one
of the shorter letters
written
by
the
Apostle Paul while
he was in prison. The
letter to the church
in Colossae focuses
on the person and the
work of Jesus Christ.
It reaches heights of
expression that rival anything said of Christ anywhere in Scripture.
Paul unmasks the false teaching as “empty deceit . . . of men,” having the
“appearance of wisdom,” but useless in fact. He declare that the addition of
such things dilutes rather than strengthens the faith.
But Paul does more than denounce false teaching. The best corrective
is a firm grip on who Jesus Christ is and what He did for our salvation. In
Christ, “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” and “in Him
all fullness” dwells. In fact, “He is the image of the invisible God. He has
stripped every power opposed to Him, wiped out every accusation against us,
and actually reconciled all things to Himself. He is not only the head of the
church; but He stands before all time and above every power.
The
major
theological
theme of 1 and
2 Thessalonians
is the return of
Christ to earth. Important as this is, however, the Thessalonian letters leave
the reader wide-awake to the responsibilities of the present, not gazing into
the future. Both epistles aim to establish and strengthen a young church in a
stormy setting. In both letters the reader feels the heartbeat of Paul the pastor
as he identifies with the young congregation taking his first steps in faith.
Three themes appear in the Thessalonian letters: Thanksgiving for their
faith and example in the past; encouragement for those undergoing persecution
in the present; and motivation for further work and growth in the future.
Paul writes these letters in the spirit of a true pastor who is overjoyed with
the enthusiastic response to the Gospel from his congregation. At the same
time, Paul is grieved at unjust charges against him that his message is more
talk than action. He expresses his longing for the day when he will stand with
the members of this church in front of the Lord Jesus Christ.
On the subject of the Second Coming of Christ, Paul assures the
Thessalonians what will happen, but does not tell them when it will happen.
His discussion throughout these books is dominated by a direction toward
practical living rather than speculation. The best way to prepare for Christ’s
return is to live faithfully and obediently now.
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The Life
In the Life in His Hands Music Lounge this issue, we talk to
Plumb about her new book, her marriage, and her message of hope. We also chat with Joel from For King and Country about their new tour, depression, and the grace
t
that only Jesus Christ can give. To hear the audio from these interviews, scan the QR code, or follow the Life in His Hands podcast on iTunes.
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LIHH: You have a new book that chronicles stories of your career, talks about your personal life, and gives fans an inside look
into all things Plumb. Tell us about the new book.
Plumb (aka Tiffany Arbuckle): “It’s called Need You Now, The Story of Hope. It’s more or less a memoir, a story of me from
the beginning until now. I think it is interesting and can be encouraging from some of the trials and hardships that I’ve went
through. Most specifically, the fallout of my marriage and our reconciliation as well. In all the different conversations that
I’ve had at the merchandise table, or after the show, or in an interview that people have asked and wanted to know a little bit
more about, but after a show and in an interview you’re pretty much limited on time, and you can’t really elaborate. So the
book was kind of a chance to explain some of the stories more. And I’ve hardly been more proud of just about anything else
in my life professionally and I’m really grateful to have that opportunity. I am self-published and I put it out there and we’ll
see what the public thinks.”
LIHH: You’re not shy about talking about the difficulties in your marriage. You separated, almost divorced, and then reconciled.
What can you say to people who are going through marital problems?
INSTRGRAM@LifeinHisHands1
LOOK WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN THE I.E.
Plumb: “That there is always hope. I was beyond elated when Amy Grant agreed to write the forward to my book. She read the
book and said, “I would love to write the forward, but I’m divorced, and you probably don’t want a divorced person speaking
to this, because your story is of reconciliation with your husband and how you remarried each other.” I told her, “On the
contrary, I think hope has many different faces and at the end of the day there is always hope, and it looks different for some
than others. So that’s the message, is that her story is redemptive, and my story is redemptive, because we serve a redemptive
God. Reconciliation is immediate. He did that for us on the cross. And because of the cross there is nothing whatsoever too
difficult or too scary, or too hard, or catastrophic that God cannot redeem to use for His glory and for His kingdom. The book
is not anti-divorce, I’m certainly not pro-divorce that’s for sure. But divorce happens, and so I felt the forward that she (Amy
Grant) wrote was so eloquent and beautiful, and just so appropriate. And that’s the message, that she even addresses that in
her forward as well saying, “ Tiffany’s (Plumb’s) story is this way, my story is that way, and the road to be on is the road that
acknowledges and excepts, and believes that God is a God of more and more and more chances. Not just a second chance. But
sometimes a third and a fourth and even a 10th chance. His grace is enough and his mercies are great every morning. We have
a chance to start over, because we serve a God who forgives. He breathes new life into dead things. And I’m so thankful that
I’ve experienced such things that have given me such confidence in that promise in that there really is always hope. In so no
matter what it is, whether you relate to a marriage situation or not, it may . . . have something to do with another relationship,
or your health, or your career, the list is pretty long there. The point is that there is always hope. And if I died tomorrow that’s
what I would want my grave marker to say, there is always hope.”
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Life in His Hands
Joel: “Thinking of the just sincere, heartbreaking tragedy of Robin Williams death, Luke
and I had written a song on the first record “Light it Up” on our album Crave, about
a friend who was very deeply dealing with depression. And again, we had a woman
come through [the autograph line] and say, ‘Thank you for speaking about depression. It’s
something that I struggle with.’”
It is a very real illness, that people sort of, do not often understand. They just kind of
have this ‘snap out of it’ attitude like ‘Hey, come on man you got to pull it together, your
life’s not that bad.’ This is something that . . . I feel really strongly, more than ever, that
this seriously has to be seriously handled and dealt with.”
LIHH: The faith that people put in God, and in Jesus Christ, can certainly help in this
depressed state. And, you’re seeing this firsthand with people that are coming to the
music, yes?
Joel: “Absolutely. We actually share this in the middle of the song “Light it Up”
specifically written about depression. We said, ‘music has power, no question about it.’ A
good melody, a good lyric, there is power to shift your emotions, change your day, to spur
you on. But, it’s our impression that when you merge the power of music with the power
of the Gospel, then it has of the proclivity
to impact someone’s life for eternity.
It’s the knowledge of being
unconditionally loved and the knowledge
of being created for a purpose. If I had
the opportunity to sit down with Robin
Williams . . . I would say, “Robin, you
are world class as a talent. But, I want to
tell you about someone that has radically
shifted my world and my temperament
and my behavior and my feelings.”
2012 in a time of mayhem.
We were on a van and
trailer tour, and Luke’s
wife was on the road
with us and seven months
pregnant at the time.
They were in the middle
of buying a house, and
that was going sideways.
I was walking through
some personal troubles,
and then to top it off Luke
was diagnosed with this
digestive disorder. In the
chaos, we found out that
we were writing a song.
And we asked ourselves
some serious questions
The new album from for King and Country called
and said, “who are we as
Run Wild.Live Free. Love Strong.
men, and as musicians and
why are we here?” We came up with a list of sorts: To love like we’re not scared, to give
when it’s not fair, to live life for another, and take time for a brother, to fight for the weak
ones, and speak out for freedom, to find faith in the battle and stand tall, but above all
those really good things that we would fix our eyes, if you will, on the best thing that we
could fix our eyes on, and that is Jesus Christ.”
LIHH: You have a song on the new album
that is an absolute hit. Tell me the story
behind, “Fix my Eyes.”
Joel: “Fix my eyes” specifically, was
the first song that we wrote for the new
album. We wrote it toward the end of
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INTERVIEWS WITH PLUMB AND
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Don’t Miss for KING & COUNTRY in Riverside at
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Thursday, October 16, 7:30
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Life in His Hands
“WE’RE VERY MUCH PATRIOTIC WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
EVERY MORNING AT 7:35. WE HAVE KIDS DOING THE PLEDGE
OF ALLEGIANCE. SOMETIMES THAT’S A CLASSROOM, A SCOUT
GROUP, FAMILIES COME IN AND DO IT, AND TAKE A LITTLE TOUR
OF THE RADIO STATION, AND SOME KIDS DO IT BY THEMSELVES.”
-- BRYAN O’NEAL, PROGRAM DIRECTOR 89.7 KSGN
Radio from page 1
outside the Inland
Empire and beyond. Many of these stations
offer apps that can be downloaded on both
iTunes and Android stores. Additionally,
all of these stations can be streamed
online at their respective websites. It isn’t
uncommon for locals to take their favorite
stations with them when they leave the
area on vacation or travel.
Even though the staff of KSGN is
small, O’neal says there are a large amount
of spiritual gifts throughout the building.
A great example is Linda who works at
the front desk. “She answers the phone,
and does all the busy stuff,” O’neal says.
“But, you know what her gift is? When
somebody calls up and says, ‘Can you pray
for me?’ I’ve be walking by her . . . and she
is deep in prayer with someone who needs
prayer.”
It’s a passion of the radio station that
either through the radio, the internet, or
through the KSGN app, “Everybody here
just wants to get the Word of God out.
When we hear about a person just coming
to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ it’s
really exciting. That’s our goal,” O’Neal
continues. “Yes, we are soothing to the
ears of the believer, but we also touch the
unbeliever in ways that we never imagined.
And a lot of that is the songs that play.”
Being a co-host of the only local
Christian music radio morning show,
O’Neal says that making local families, and
especially children, a part of the program is
a huge priority. “We have our Kid Friday,”
he states. “We . . . have the Family Name
Game where we will choose a different
name everyday and if you’ve got a child
that has that name, we’d love for you to
call and tell us all about your kid. Brag on
them. Tell us about their personality. What
is your child like? What qualities do you
see in your kid? That’s one of the things we
like to put on the air.”
Another theme that is evident during
the KSGN morning show is a love for
country. “We’re very much patriotic with
The Pledge of Allegiance every morning
at 7:35. We have kids doing The Pledge of
Allegiance. Sometimes that’s a classroom,
a scout group, families come in and do it,
and take a little tour of the radio station,
and some kids do it by themselves.” It’s
not only in the studio where listeners can
record The Pledge to be played on the air,
KSGN is now taking a recording system
with them to their remotes and events so
listeners can record The Pledge for a future
broadcast. If your class or group would like
to say The Pledge of Allegiance on KSGN,
call the office line at (909) 583-2150. When
you go in to record, expect a tour of the
radio station, a chance to go into a studio
and record The Pledge, and get a picture in
front of the KSGN logo wall.
While the job of spreading the message
of Jesus Christ is the primary job of
any Christian radio station, most nonsecular (religious) stations are nonprofit
organizations and are supported, in large
part, by listener donations (similar to this
newspaper). While secular (non-religious)
traditional radio stations sell :30 and :60
second commercials that can consume up
to 18 minutes of programming every hour,
most Christian radio stations are able to
play more music because they are not at the
mercy of advertisers to pay the bills.
But operating on a budget funded by
donations doesn’t mean that Christian
radio stations have any less expense than
secular stations. They still need all the
same equipment, vehicles, and staffing. It’s
a big bill to pay for stations that are donor
supported, but as Paul wrote in Philippians
4:19, “My God shall supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory by Christ
Jesus.” (NKJV)
“Most of it is just motivating people to
be a part of what we do through donations,”
O’Neal states. “The people that have
LifeinHisHands.org
businesses that want to underwrite with
their businesses, they are families too,
but they just own businesses and some
say that their business can give also. But,
the majority of it [donations] is families.
Families just saying, ‘there’s some value
in this, and I will sign up,’ and they give
whatever they can afford.”
It can be humbling knowing that every
dollar that a nonprofit radio station spends
is from a gift or donation that someone
took the time to give. “When you are in
an area like this (the Inland Empire), that
is financially hit like crazy, . . . it makes
you more appreciative of those who can
give. We get a lot of people will give a
small amount, and as we say, every little
bit helps. And there are people who give $5
and $10 a month, and you’re going, ‘Wow,
I don’t even know if they can afford that.’
But they want to do something,” O’Neal
adds.
“There is so much more we could get
involved in if things were a little different.
We are constantly trying to find a way to
bring attention to people like, ‘This is your
station, we’re going to ask you to take
ownership. We’re going to ask you, can
you put us in your budget, just the same
way you may put your gym membership
in your budget because you find value in
your gym.”
Of course not everyone can give of
their money, so most nonprofit Christian
stations have needs for volunteers, and
every station is in need of prayer for their
ministry. If time and treasures are not
available to be given, simply lifting these
stations up to the Lord in prayer is a huge
blessing.