Your Day Brighter‪®‬ Brighter Media Group

Christy Nockels is one of my favorite singers ever. Period. I fell in love with her voice from her days with Watermark, the popular duo with her husband Nathan. It was in the late 90's/early 2000’s and I was just beginning to really get into Christian music. Christy had this elegant and humble way of inviting me into a sacred space. She never over-sang. She just seemed to know what to do with every song she sang. To connect you to God seemed to be her agenda and for me, it just clicked. That gentle, honest, gorgeous voice has been singing over my life for decades.

Christy has recorded many solo albums, been a founding member of Passion City Church, and sang with so many artists- you know her voice. You just might know her name. How did she do that?

I am convinced it’s that unique ability she has to lead people in worship and almost disappear from the spotlight herself. There aren’t many like her...

Her latest project, “This is the Hour”, is the most beautiful worship album I’ve heard in a long time and is one of my all-time favorite albums. For real.

I can’t believe I get the honor of talking to Christy... and I get to share this conversation with you! I will try not to fan-girl too much because clearly, Christy is not about that.

Does a white man have a voice in the conversation around racial reconciliation?

How can I be a bridge-builder if I don’t live near people who look different from me?

What is God calling ME to do to help bring unity and healing to our world?

20 years ago, Dr. David Anderson introduced the world to the concept of “Gracism-the Art of Inclusion.” Because how we talk about race has changed since 2007, the revised and expanded “Gracism”, has just been released. A mentee of Dr. Anderson, my friend David Heiliger has been learning and joining in this important work around the world.

Join me and my special guest David Heiliger, Pastor of Multi-Cultural Bridge Building at Bridgeway Community Church for an honest conversation about the racial divide in our world and Jesus’s heart to heal it. We all have a part to play.

...And I hope that failure comes your way
And shows you there's a limit to your own strength. Til you can't help but offer other people grace, Yeah, I hope that failure comes

That's what I wish for you
What I hope you find
May it all come true
Knowing sometimes good things come from suffering
Yeah, sometimes good things can come from suffering..."

Jason Gray's lyrics for a song he wrote for his kids may make you flinch at first - but he knows the treasures God can bring through our failures. From the complex relationship with his own father to his painful divorce, Jason has found forgiveness and faith coming alive again and the healing that comes when we tend to our wounds.
Join me for an honest conversation with one of my favorite songwriters. Jason has been through a hard season and God is just showing him more of what love and grace really are.

If you saw the movie "Jesus Revolution" chronicling the life stories of Greg Laurie and Chuck Smith, you'll be fascinated to hear how Kathy Gilbert's story intersects.

Growing up in a conservative Catholic family in Maryland in the late 60's, Kathy was searching for answers to life's deepest questions. She thought the hippies had the answers and she left home to join a commune. Traveling across the country as a teenager, Kathy hitchhiked, experimented with drugs, and stayed at different communes trying to find what her heart was longing for. After a few close calls with danger, Kathy landed at a place called Shiloh in Oregon. It was there the Jesus revolution met her face-to-face and changed her life.

I can't wait for you to meet this amazing woman! Kathy Gilbert has quite a story to tell of this tumultuous time in our country but also an amazing move of the Holy Spirit to draw young people to Christ.

Helen Smallbone is the mother of 7 kids, some of who have become quite famous. Rebecca St. James, her oldest, and Luke and Joel of For King and Country have experienced and are experiencing success in the spotlight.

But Helen Smallbone is a mom who has more fear of success than failure. Join me for a conversation with a very wise woman who has navigated an unconventional life of faith with her extraordinary family. From times when the family didn’t know how they’d have a roof over their head, food on the table, or how they’d get around, Helen has many lessons to share about trusting God to be our Provider.

I was absolutely riveted by her memoir, “Behind the Lights” but forever impacted by her faith. I can’t wait for you to meet her!

Tasha Layton is passionate about using her voice to give others hope. She knows what it’s like to struggle with depression and she has a heart for those who have experienced trauma and brokenness.

In this special episode of Your Day Brighter, Tasha shares some of her spiritual practices that keep her mind and spirit healthy, and she tells an incredible story of following the nudge of the Holy Spirit and the life that was forever changed because of it.

I love her music but I love her heart even more.