Crossmap Podcast

This is shaping up to be a momentous summer for contemporary Christian music artist Tauren Wells.

Fresh from co-hosting the K-LOVE Fan Awards in late May, Tauren is set to perform at the legendary outdoor concert venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado later this summer, before embarking on a headlining tour in the fall. And if that’s not enough, last month he released his third album, Joy in the Morning, the much anticipated follow-up to his 2021 Grammy-nominated offering, Citizen of Heaven Live.

The former Royal Tailor frontman has garnered more than one billion combined global music streams during his career and has charted six number one radio singles since going solo in 2016.

Tauren joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss the new album release which includes the hit singles “Fake It” and “Empty”. Listen as he gives his take on being vulnerable before God when we don’t completely understand what is happening in our lives.

Tauren joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss the new album release which includes the hit singles “Fake It” and “Empty”. Listen as he gives his take on being vulnerable before God when we don’t completely understand what is happening in our lives.

Tauren Wells Links

• Tauren Wells Website
• Tauren on Instagram
• Tauren on Twitter
• Tauren on YouTube

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

Our guest today may not be a household name but you certainly know his work.

A self-described Idaho farm boy, at 11 years old, Neal Harmon purchased a cow and wrote a business plan to create a million dollar dairy, then take the money he earned to become a missionary.

An industrious youth, Harmon believed that he would become the next J.R. Simplot. For those of you scoring at home, Simplot was and is known as Idaho’s most famous billionaire.

While his plan included raising high numbers of heifer twins, little did Harmon realize but he was being groomed for something much more. An innovator in the entertainment business.

Along with his brother,  Harmon eventually formed Angel Studios, a home for creative stories that amplify light. You might be familiar with some of Angel Studios projects … the highly successful television series about the life of Jesus, “The Chosen", and Dry Bar Comedy, a place for clean comedians and family friendly comedy. Those programs and other Angel productions have earned billions of video views around the world.

Harmon  joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss Angel Studio’s ambitious plan to release more than 300 media projects over the next few years. Listen as he shares about the secret to ’The Chosen’s’ success, and whether he thinks his studio can transform Hollywood due to its disruptor status.

Links to Neal Harmon

• Angel Studios Website
• Neal Harmon on LinkedIn
• Neal Harmon on Twitter

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

A silent killer.

That has long been a catchy way to describe someone who has high blood pressure but doesn’t realize it. Unfortunately, the same can be said for Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.

With more than six million people living in the United States with an Alzheimer’s or Dementia diagnosis today, this horrible disease affects 50 percent of Americans over the age of 55.

If this trend continues, 12.7 million Americans over the age of 65 will have Alzheimer’s or Dementia by the year 2050.

From a personal standpoint, Alzheimer’s is a death sentence in slow motion. Some have likened it to having a sliver of your brain shaved off every day.

For more than 10 years, my guest today, Greg O’Brien, has taken detailed notes as an embedded reporter inside the mind of Alzheimer’s, a disease that he has fought and continues to battle valiantly. His intent is to chronicle the progression of this demon disease.

In fact, he is the subject of a new documentary called “Have You Heard about Greg?” The film hopes to put a face on this quiet pandemic, and shine a light on the issues that have affected so many families along the way.

Greg  joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss some critical lessons he has learned that has taught him how to gracefully live with the disease, not die from it. Listen as he shares why a strong faith and having a good sense of humor are so vital in the battle against Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Links to Greg O'Brien

• Have You Heard About Greg? - Documentary Website
• On Pluto: Inside the Mind of Alzheimer's - Amazon
• Greg O'Brien's Website

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

Recent polling from the McLaughlin Group and Summit Ministries reveals that nearly 80% of voters believe that people who adhere to the values found in the Bible have the right to express their religious beliefs publicly.

Going a step further, the same polling showed that 42% of Americans say they are hesitant or careful to share their opinions on important cultural or political issues for fear they will be taken to task by family, friends, or co-workers.  In addition, nearly a third of Americans are concerned their personal opinions and beliefs could cost them their job.

My guest today, Dr. Jeff Myers, heads an organization that is training the next generation of “cancel-proof" Christians who won’t self-censor but boldly proclaim God’s truth.  His group is doing this with more than 60 years of experience in Christian worldview training for young adults.

Dr. Jeff  joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss how cancel culture is being introduced and reinforced throughout society. Listen as he shares what types of things his organization is doing to “stand in the gap" so to speak to thwart cancel culture and he offers a few tips to win this war for our own integrity.

Dr. Jeff Myers Links

• Summit Ministries Website
• Summit Ministries on Facebook
• Summit Ministries on Instagram
• Dr. Jeff Myers on Facebook

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

Admittedly, there are some great comedians out there today who don’t see the need to drag their audience through the cesspool of profane language, lurid themes, and naughty innuendo. The names Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, and Jeff Foxworthy come to mind.  But for every Jerry, Jim, or Jeff, there is a litany of blue comics named Eddie, Louis, or Steve.

There are those comedians who seem to delight in taking us to the brink of indecency before driving us over the cliff and into a sea of swirling sex jokes. However, the mark of a good comic is someone who can make us laugh without leaning on obscenity or coarse commentary.

Our guest today, Keith Stubbs, has devoted his professional livelihood to developing and featuring comedians who are not only clever but clean. His comic production company is called Dry Bar Comedy and intentionally steers away from foul language, dirty jokes, and “woke" political commentary.  Call it a comedy counterculture but Dry Bar Comedy is taking humor to the next level minus the offensive elements.

Keith joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss why it is so important to have funny intersect with clean during these troubled days we are living in. Listen as he shares what Dry Bar Comedy stands for, the role faith plays in comedy, and what makes his outlet different from all the other comedy brands.

Keith Stubbs

• Dry Bar Comedy

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

John Schlitt is considered to be a legend of rock and roll music, not in a sarcastic or satirical sense but as a master of his craft. He has earned the title.

His early years were spent fronting a band called Head East. During the 1970s, the band released six albums and charted three hits including the song “Since You Been Gone", which can still be heard on Classic Rock radio to this day.

At the peak of the band’s success, in a life-changing experience, he found salvation in Jesus Christ and decided to leave the band.

After a few years of finding his post-music footing, he received a call to audition for a band that was emerging as the top rock group in contemporary Christian music … Petra. He spent more than 20 years with them, earning four Grammy Awards, numerous Dove Awards, and garnered two-certified Gold Records.

For the last 16 years he has worked primarily as a solo artist and has toured all over the world. Inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, John was recently named the best rock singer in Christian music history by GospelMusicChannel.com.

John joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to walk us through his long standing musical career that spans more than 50 years. Listen as he shares about the changes he has seen in contemporary Christian music since joining Petra in 1986, and his greatest hope for the Christian music industry moving forward.

Links to John Schlitt

• John Schlitt's Website
• John Schlitt on Facebook
• John Schlitt on Twitter

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

John Lennon. Bob Dylan. Alice Cooper. Johnny Cash.

The aforementioned are all legendary figures when it comes to the history of modern music. And while they each share a vital thread in how the history of rock and roll has been woven together into the fabric of music history, Lennon, Dylan, Cooper, Cash, and many others like them, represent something far greater. They have each climbed to the pinnacle of success only to question the value of their excess once they got there.  Sometimes, the world a bonafide rock star finds when they have clawed their way to the top is one of emptiness, disillusionment, and dashed dreams.

Unfortunately, we have lost many of these musical icons before their time. Think Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, and Kurt Cobain.

These icons of music are all complicated people yet brilliantly talented. To quote our guest today, “They all breathe rarified air.” But in their commonality, many found that music could not provide them the peace and contentment they were looking for. Nothing on this earth could satisfy them … except one thing. Their curiosity about Jesus Christ.

Greg Laurie has explored the roots of many of these legendary titans of music and traced their spiritual journeys. Along the way, he found that they were not that unlike a lamb, a coin, or a son, that Jesus so eloquently shared in parables from the New Testament. In each case, when all seemed lost, hope was found.

Greg joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss the link between the gospel music roots of rock and roll and the existential questions many musical artists have struggled to answer. Listen as he shares how these stories of fame, fortune, and emptiness can inspire Christians and the correlation he sees with the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Greg Laurie Links

• Lennon, Dylan, Alice, and Jesus: The Spiritual Biography of Rock and Roll | Amazon
• Harvest Website
• Greg Laurie on Twitter
• Greg Laurie on Facebook

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

These days it is nearly impossible to wake up in the morning without being bombarded by a series of oppositional headlines that makes us wish we had never picked up our smart phone or turned on the television in the first place.

From wars raging around the world, to a different kind of war raging on the right to life issue, race issues, sexuality issues, gun control, global warming, climate change, and even whether Will Smith was right or wrong to slap Chris Rock across the face on international television, these matters just won’t leave us alone. There are so many issues swirling around in our heads these days that we don’t even know how to think straight, nonetheless be informed with a Bible-based, Judeo Christian point of view.

At the end of the day we just feel frustrated, confused, and not knowing what to believe!

My guest today, award-winning actor Kirk Cameron, is more than willing to stand in the gap and discuss these pressing issues that Christians face in a compassionate, educated, and heartfelt manner. In fact, on his new television talk show, “Takeaways” he works very hard with the help of his notable guests to find actionable takeaways that we can use in our everyday lives to make sense of it all as believers.

Kirk joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to discuss the sometimes challenging transition he has made in going from talk show guest to talk show host. Listen as he talks about some of the most challenging issues he has presented on the program so far and whether there is any topic that is off limits. Crafting rustic coffee tables from trees in his backyard is definitely not one!

Click Here Watch "Takeaways" Online

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

For many years, people have been fascinated by the crossroads of the movie industry and faith.

At first blush, it might seem hard to get your head around the juxtaposition of these two worlds.  For a person of faith, the mere mention of Hollywood can conjure up thoughts of politicized themes, immoral situations, and sinful behavior.  To a point, this may be true, but it can also be seen as one of the most fertile mission fields out there.

Faith-based movies can certainly make a positive difference to the masses but more importantly Christian actors, directors, and production people can have a life-changing influence on those whom they work with.

My guest today, Kris Polaha, is a Christian actor regularly working in Hollywood and has an upcoming role in the summer blockbuster, “Jurassic World: Dominion”. He sees the movie industry as a place for him to live out his faith in such a way that is welcoming to his peers. In other words, rather than beating people up with the Bible, he instead conducts business in such a manner that those around him will often say, “There’s something different about that guy. I want that in my life. I need whatever it is that he has.”

Well, that something is faith in Jesus Christ.

Kris joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to share the role that faith plays in how he approaches the craft of acting. Listen as he talks about what he looks for in a movie project and whether there is any particular process he goes through when considering an acting role. He might even throw in a quip or two about a velociraptor or a T-Rex!

Where Hope Grows on Pure Flix

Click here to learn more about the movie.

Links to Kris Polaha

• Kris Polaha on IMDb
• Kris Polaha's Website
• Kris Polaha on Facebook
• Kris Polaha on Instagram
• Kris Polaha on Twitter

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook

Creativity. It is something that many have always believed that you either have it or you don’t.  

Not to be confused with being clever or crafty, to be creative is to capture a myriad of innovative concepts floating around your brain, pluck them from the blue sky, and craft them into something tangible, useful, and clear.

The only problem with that thought is that many believe that to be truly creative we need to wait for the inspiration. In other words, It just happens when it happens. And if we do that, the world often moves on without us while we wait for our Eureka moment to arrive.

Author and television producer Phil Cooke believes that whether you are a creative professional like a writer, musician, filmmaker, or an engineer, salesperson, or teacher, you can overcome the stumbling block of timing and deliver great ideas when you need them most.

In fact, in his latest book, “Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking”, Cooke shows us how to “prime the pump” of your creativity to deliver great ideas when you need them most.

Phil joins us on the Crossmap Podcast to share why creativity is a necessary commodity to stay competitive these days. Listen as he provides a few tips for developing amazing ideas under pressure and talks about why the demand for creativity grows as the world accelerates.

Links to Phil Cooke

• Ideas on a Deadline: How to Be Creative When the Clock is Ticking - Book 
• Phil Cooke’s Website
• Phil Cook on Facebook
• Phil Cooke on Twitter
• Phil Cook on Instagram

Links to Crossmap

• Crossmap Website
• Crossmap Facebook