Switchfoot and Habitat for Humanity

Switchfoot is touring with Relient K this fall, and they are supporting Habitat for Humanity during this endeavor by donating $1 of every ticket sold. There is a video on YouTube where the guys from Switchfoot talk about why they’re supporting Habitat for Humanity. This is another great example of how real these guys are. Also exciting is a previously unheard song playing in the background of the video. My guess is that it’s a song being prepared for their next album. I love it already.

The Proselyte Chick-Fil-A

I have chills. I just read an editorial about Chick-Fil-A by a non-Christian. He had nothing but kind words for the way the restaurant evangelizes its customers – by kindness and not being overbearing about Christianity. This is yet another example of a Roaring Lamb – albeit in the form of a business. It makes me want to own a Chick-Fil-A store and/or eat there every day of my life. I just hope we can all learn to be Christians in the usual, everyday type of things that people take for granted. That’s where Jesus really shines in our lives, as people who are in the dark do not freak out that they’re being evangelized. They just appreciate the nice gesture and write up a glowing review of your restaurant.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

IGN reports about a new movie set to come out during the Fall of 2008, named per this post. Interestingly, it will be based on a novel written by the same woman who wrote Interview with a VampireAnne Rice. I’m very curious as to the nature of this novel and soon enough the movie. It seems as though this could be another exciting movie for Christians: obviously because it is about Jesus, but almost just as importantly because it will likely be done with the best quality.

According to Wikipedia, Anne Rice was a devout atheist, but has in recent years turned back to her Catholicism, which she left when she was 18.

In 1998, after spending most of her adult life as a self-described atheist, Rice returned to her Roman Catholic faith, which she had not practiced since she was 18. In October 2005, as she reaffirmed her Catholic faith, Rice announced in a Newsweek article that she would “write only for the Lord.” She called Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, her first novel in this genre, the beginning of a trilogy that will chronicle the life of Jesus.

In an interview with Christianity Today, headlined “Interview with a Penitent”, Rice declared that she will never again write another vampire novel, saying; “I would never go back, not even if they say, ‘You will be financially ruined; you’ve got to write another vampire book.’ I would say no. I have no choice. I would be a fool for all eternity to turn my back on God like that.”

Beliefnet also has review of the book that calls it the Best Spiritual Book of 2005.

I love seeing someone who is considered “great” in her field by the secular majority become a Christian and use that gift for God’s glory. I am thrilled by Anne’s commitment to God, especially after being an atheist for so long, and I’m excited for this movie, as well as the apparent trilogy of books about Jesus’ life that she is in the midst of writing.

Oh! Gravity

Oh! GravityOn December 26 of this year, Switchfoot will release a new album – a short 15 months after the last album, “Nothing is Sound.” Entitled, “Oh! Gravity,” they seem set to bring us another amazing experience through music.

I have long loved Switchfoot as my favorite band – ever since before “The Legend of Chin” even arrived on the market and no one knew their name. I have met the guys and talked quite a bit with them. Never have I known a band to be so real and seem so personable. They are entirely honest in their music and never mince words or ignore their faith. In one interview, Jon tells of how their Christianity is part of who they are, as is their music. There is no separating those from each other.

With a newly designed site for the album, Switchfoot.com, talks about “Oh! Gravity,” and how it came to be made. In Jon’s own words:

And so this past summer when we set out to record a new record, we tried to put all pressures and expectations aside and focus on the music. We wanted to make a record that was honest. A record that didn’t trip on itself. A record that represented everything that we first fell in love with about music. We tried to forget about theory and pitch and timing and focus on feeling. As a result, I think that Oh! Gravity is the most honest thing we’ve ever done. I am so proud of these tunes and hope that they resonate with you like they do for us.

And go back to the reason you loved music to begin with. We took a chance on this record, not to sound selfish, but to make something for ourselves. What other people think can’t change our minds about these songs. And that’s a good feeling. Because either you believe in it or you don’t.

I am certainly always excited about a new Switchfoot record, but these guys always make me more excited about the newest one than any of the previous ones. And the biggest reason for that is their commitment to Christ and being Roaring Lambs.