Chris Whittington

[00:00:00] The Missional Life Podcast, inspiring Kingdom-minded believers around the world to live the mission of God in their lives.

Dan: Alright, welcome back to Mission Life Podcast. Today we have Chris Whittington on the show. Chris is a musician and the founder of Whittington Steel, whose life journey from poverty in Houston to business success is both compelling and faith-filled. He recently released a 10th anniversary remastered version of his acclaimed album, bright Portal, which includes a new track rooted in his personal testimony.

Chris Whittington, welcome to the show.

Amanda: Welcome.

Chris: Thank you Dan and Amanda. It is really my great privilege to be with y'all today.

Amanda: Thank you so much.

Dan: Yeah. Honored to have

Chris: you.

Dan: Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of Bright Portal. That's awesome. What inspired you to do that? 10 years goes,

Chris: goes by awfully fast.

Dan: You're not kidding. We Yeah. Had kids and [00:01:00] things. Boy, it just goes faster and faster. Oh

Chris: yeah. I'm sorry. You asked what inspired the, to re-release the record?

Dan: Yeah. What made you rethink to do that?

Chris: Well, a couple of different things. Thank you for asking. It's a great question. I've always loved this record.

I've always thought the songs and it were really good. My producer and co-writer, Kera Crab and I both do, for whatever reason. I think it was time constraints back around. 2014 when we released the record and obviously the year or so before that, we didn't have the time, the resources, whatever, to bring our friend Bob Boyd in on the project.

I don't know if you know Bob, he does mastering for everybody, everybody's records and is just a phenomenal talent in his own right. I had wanted to have Bob master the record in this case, remaster It really. Back then and ever since. So that was a primary mover in having the record remastered. And re-released.

[00:02:00] And I gotta tell you, we are very excited with what came of Bob's work on it. Everybody doesn't know what remastering is, but I know you, being a, a musician yourself, you do, but all your people may not to give a short answer. I call it the sweetening. Someone who makes their living and mastering music knows how to pull, I don't know how to say it, but just basically give a brightness, a sweetness to the music.

And in our case, a little bit funny, there were some performances that we had done on the record that I had quite honestly forgot were there, you know, small, lesser fill in parts and whatnot. But Bob managed to pull a bunch of those things forward just enough to where, oh wow, that's wonderful. I forgot about that.

You know, that sort of thing. And I think made the record all the more better.

Dan: Wow. That's awesome. I know Remastering kind of re-releasing is becoming a little bit more, more popular. Yeah. Now, but I'm just wondering, [00:03:00] like now, years later, are there any songs from that album, bright Portal that are resonating more deeply with like today's culture than they did even like a decade ago?

Chris: Well, you ask really the right stuff. That was, I actually meant to say that in addition, that's the other main reason is that. In the 10 years or so since we released the Bright Portal originally, I have had the privilege of having people tell me either through social media or at church or wherever, that several of the songs have resonated with them quite a bit and have been an encouragement to them.

One in particular is, I call it a hymn reset. It's a sing with all the saints and glory. And I actually, the lyrics that hymn was written, I believe it's in the late 18 hundreds by William Irons, and I found it in an old hymnal during a period. I was working for a particular church in Houston at the time, and it suited what was [00:04:00] going on in the church at the time, and I wrote a new melody to it.

I actually wrote several. And finally hit upon the one that we ended up with. But it's just got these phenomenal, theologically rich lyrics in it. I don't know how to describe it. As cliche as that sounds any other way. It is just really rich with the word of God and uh, which of course, you know, we all agree.

I know without asking you that you can't do better than the word of God. But that's kind of a little bit interesting. I didn't write the lyrics, but I did write the music and the arrangement to it. That one's had quite a bit of following in, uh, great Britain of all places. So that's been fun to watch. The new song that we added, God will supply all our needs, which has lifted quite a bit from the book of Matthew, has been something that I didn't see coming.

Quite honestly, it was Joan Tankersley Dolinger, who is my creative director. It was her idea that [00:05:00] we added as a bonus track to Bright Portal and part of the re-releasing remastering project, and it's done. It's been number one and number two in the uk, in the Nordics they call it, which is, you know, obviously like Norway, Sweden, and in South Africa.

And so that's been exciting to see. It's garnered quite a bit of attention. In those places, and it's almost straight up scripture. So glory to God in the highest.

Dan: Yeah. You can't go wrong with scripture.

Chris: What an understatement. Huh?

Dan: You know, I mean, something happens, I guess when we write a song with scripture, you know, it's a good inspiration, I guess.

Right?

Chris: I'll tell a little bit on myself. I'm. A little older than y'all. Haha. Insert laughter here. You know, I learned to play guitar. My parents had got me trumpet lessons. I'd been playing music to some degree. Anyway, the Jesus movement happened into the late sixties and early seventies, and I was caught up [00:06:00] with like a lot of kids at the time.

That, and somebody showed me how to play a couple of chords on a guitar. I took off with it from that point. Of course, the songs were very simple, but often they were scripture songs. That was a common description of a lot of early contemporary music that was happening. A lot of it leading to what became CCM, contemporary Christian Music, but that was a big deal at the time, but.

I guess I'm bringing that up because that obviously set me up for loving scripture in song, and I've written several pieces. I mean, everything I've written, I haven't written that many songs, but all the songs I've ever written are based on. The word of God at some point or another, right? I'm sure y'all do the same thing.

The word of God being the only record of reality that we have. Why would we not depend on the word of God as the basis for all that we do, [00:07:00] obviously, but certainly in art where we want to express truth and beauty.

Dan: You got me thinking here. You thinking about that scripture. It says Jesus Christ is the same.

Yesterday, today and forever. And you know, doing that, Jesus is the word. And you wrote this album many years ago in some of these songs, but yet. 10 years later, they're still speaking and they're still impacting and they're speaking to different people, different audiences in different ways. And it reminds me of, even in Hebrews, that talks about the heroes of the faith and that their faith is still speaking.

They did these things years, decade, millennia ago, right? Yeah, exactly. Yet those acts of faith, those acts of obedience to the Lord are still speaking years later. And I just think it's really cool that we're obedient with your gift and years later that gift is still speaking and now you can rework that and even add in this new song, God will supply all our needs, which is an important song nowadays.

And I wanna contrast that with. One. Jesus is the same, but the world's not the same. You wrote this a decade ago, [00:08:00] some of these songs and, and 2015, that was a whole world ago, right? We hadn't had the unrest that we had, we hadn't had the pandemic and all the implications of that. And so to refresh that and circle those messages of hope around again are so important.

And so I do wanna like ask you what God will supply all needs. 'cause that actually comes out of some of your personal story of growing up in Houston and not having a lot. So just wondered if you could share with us that I know that. There are a lot of people that are going through really difficult times right now.

Yes, they are with inflation and everything, and so that's a really important message that we all need to hear, so love to hear how God worked in your life and took you out of poverty into running a very successful business.

Chris: Well, thank you Dan and Amanda. Another great question. I lived a pretty idyllic life in the suburbs of Houston until I was nine or 10.

Somewhere in there my parents had moved us to a suburb outside of Houston. Still considered greater Houston. Anyway. It was just a beautiful thing until it was [00:09:00] discovered that my father had been involved in extramarital affairs, and of course my mother was understandably upset by that, and he was also an alcoholic.

One thing led to another and eventually divorce occurred. When that happened, my father had been successful. In business himself, coincidentally also in the steel industry, which is interesting. But when they divorced, my mother and my five siblings and I, only four of us were still at home. We were plunged into a really an overnight deep poverty.

And at 11 I was working after school on weekend jobs to buy my own clothing. And some of my own food, not all of it, but my poor little mother was working. She didn't have a car. She was doing everything she could to make ends meet her mother. My grandmother helped, but my dad just. Really, for all practical purposes, [00:10:00] abandoned us and embraced his other family, I guess, and made sure he was taking care of them, or at least that's what I think I understood at the time.

We didn't see him very often after that, but for some tough times, some very tough times. I got really good. I don't know that I should be proud of this. I don't think I am. I got really good at lying to my friends. They would ask me, where's your dad? Oh, he is outta town on business. He was always outta town on business.

Back then, it was less cool to have divorced parents and not that it's cool now because of course we all know how destructive that is on families, but it was even less so then. So I worked very hard to keep this ruse up and like I said, was buying some of my own clothes. The suburb we were in. Was one of the wealthiest per capita income suburbs in the state of Texas.

Here I am trying to keep up with the rich kids who had whatever [00:11:00] they wanted. I remember in high school I worked very hard to save up and buy a used charger for 500 bucks. It had a hole in the floor. Radio worked. This was very important to me being musicians, right? Music's only like air to me and I'm sure to y'all, but no heat, no air.

But man, it, it got me where I needed to be work and school. I'd be pulling up in between the kids' brand new Camaros that they got for their birthdays, wishing I was them mad at God, upset with God. Why did this happen to me and my family? My mom hadn't been a wicked. Person I hadn't been, my siblings, hadn't been well, why?

Why did this happen? And so there were su, plenty of suicidal thoughts on my part. Honestly, I wasn't brave enough to execute on that. Thanks me to God. He was watching out for me, obviously, even then, and continues to, of course, to this day. Time goes [00:12:00] on, I went to the University of Houston as a voice major.

Lasted one semester. I didn't have the support or the money to hang onto that. That seemed like a big bummer at the time, and it was at the time. Anyway, all these things are just interesting. You go forward. I meet a girl who, a Christian Young lady who I just learned to love and she myself, and we get married four kids later.

I didn't listen to God for many years. I should have started this business much earlier. And I put it off and put it off. And finally he drug me practically kicking and screaming, which is a story I'll say for you another time perhaps. And we started the business with help from my in-laws, and it is just been, it just took off and has been great ever since.

And he really does make everything work together for our good. Y'all. It's not just a cliche. It's not a [00:13:00] funny thing to say or a cute thing to say to each other, to stroke one another. It's the truth and I've lived it. I'm living it. Y'all are, we know, don't we? God makes all the bad stuff work together for our good, in our own sanctification to make us more like Jesus.

That's the point. If it were easy, anyone would do it. I don't know. That's probably a bad joke in reference to this topic, but, it really is true. God makes, I've learned over the years, Dan and Amanda, it's especially the hardest things that God uses to. To take the rough edges off and to make me more like Jesus, and I've got such a long way to go.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am one of the worst excuses for a Christian that I know. I am a sinner. We as Christians, we all continue to be sinners, but the grace of God. Through his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, and his completed [00:14:00] work of salvation for us has taken care of that. And we have, therefore now no condemnation in him, right?

Not anymore. We used to, but since he saved us, there is no, now no more any condemnation. So you know, every day. I get up, walk in the truth, walk in love, walk in faith, that God is who he says he is and has always been and will always be. And I'm, I'm grateful. I didn't understand so many things at the time.

I'm sure y'all can say the same thing, but you get older and you have kids and a family, and you have hardships and trials of your own. You get through them. By the grace of God and you learn, don't you? You learn who God is and that he is faithful in spite of all the dumb things that I've brought on myself and the dumb things that have been brought on me by others.

And just [00:15:00] circumstances that seem out of control. But of course, nothing happens outside of God's influence and control. That's why we can trust him, right sub. I've gone on for a very long time with the answer to your simple question. I hope that wasn't too much.

Amanda: Not at all. Just as you're sharing all those amazing things and the truth of God's word, we just wanna ask your company.

That you started, you said you kind of went into kicking and screaming a little bit, it sounds like. Yes. After a while sometimes. I think we all can do that at times. So you are not alone in that. Yeah. I know Dan and I have done that ourselves. Several things, so.

Chris: Okay.

Amanda: But your company, Whiddon Steel, is known to have a family like culture.

So how does that get implemented and maintained over time? For people to say that of your company.

Chris: It's an awfully big claim, isn't it, Amanda? I mean, even hearing you say that, just no, seriously even hearing you say [00:16:00] that. I think if I was someone watching this, I'd think, oh yeah, right. A family oriented business.

Sure. That's such a common thing for people to throw around and say, in our case, of course, I'm more than slightly biased. I do believe it to be true. However, it's not easy. I believe my wife, Joanne, and I believe that we are called by God. In the book of Genesis to have dominion over his world. And that means to take care of it, right, to nurture it, to do, to be available like y'all are doing, to be used by the living God to expand his kingdom, which is expanding with or without us, but it's better if we're part of the mission, right?

Willingly. But part of that so-called dominion principle. Is that we take care of the earth and take care of our fellow image bearers, right? [00:17:00] Which is not just Christians, but anyone and everyone. Who's my brother, who's my sister, anyone and everyone that God places in our path, right? There's no litmus test here.

You know, Hey, you gotta prove to me you're righteous enough or good enough, or that God has saved you. You're not just an outright pagan, no, we, that's, that's not what Jesus did. That's not what we're supposed to do. So to answer your question a little more succinctly, we have help. Well, look, we're a small number of employees, but we have helped.

Several of them buy vehicles. A couple of them buy, their first home. We've helped with medical bills and dental bills when they were short. In this economy, as y'all know, is stretching everyone past the breaking point. And the good news is there's no lack of opportunity to love and encourage others, right?

And to help them sometimes even financially. We've done that plenty of times. We've given relationship advice [00:18:00] based on as close to the Bible as we can muster, as the Holy Spirit gives to us to do. And so in a nutshell, that's what we've done. Being small helps, certainly on scale, it certainly kind of works more easily than perhaps a bigger situation.

I'll admit to that, although I have theories of how to do that. And Lord willing, we will have opportunities in the future to scale up and expand this. That would thrill me as an opportunity to glorify God in even bigger ways. But for right now, where we are, those are the sorts of things that we've done in the 21 years that Whittington Steel has existed.

We've had some trials, Amanda, we've had people leave, come to work here, leave. Come back because they couldn't find anything. Quite honestly, as self-serving as that seems, they couldn't find a situation where they got treated as well, like fellow image bearers. We've had our number of disgruntled people that this was [00:19:00] not a good fit for them.

I wanna make this out to be something. It isn't, you know, this side of the fall, the world is broken to put it mildly. Yes, and it's tough all over and for everybody. But our calling wherever we are, whether it's in South America or in Houston, Texas, or Canada or France, or wherever you find yourself as a Christian is to love, is to encourage others to love and good works and to be the gospel.

As much as we're able to do that. And I've made so many mistakes and had to ask forgiveness more than a few times over the years, but that's part of it too. God's in all of it. He makes it all work together for our good. And so I'm a lot less afraid these days than I used to be when I was younger. Afraid of what you might ask.

Afraid of the truth. Afraid of failure. Afraid of missing out. [00:20:00] The older I get, the more I'm, I think, understanding that God is in all of it. There are no accidents. There are no unscheduled. Happenstances is all in God's plan, and maybe that's something we can talk about another day, but I hope I answered that at all.

The scripture's clear, right? I, I read it yesterday and I'm gonna paraphrase. Forgive me y'all, and I hope I don't butcher too badly, but the essential. Part of it is I recall, you know, don't tell someone to be warm and be filled and walk away and do nothing to meet their physical needs and think that you've accomplished what God wants you to do.

I don't believe that's what I think. Y'all don't either. That's not what God's telling us. He says, if you have it with you, give it. And take care of people. And so that's what we try to do and to be a family. I know my [00:21:00] employee's names, I know their wife's names, I know their kids' names. We go to birthday parties.

We try to care for one another. Very much like a family.

Dan: Wow. That's so amazing how a company like that will step in and help with a home purchase or step in with a car purchase. And I think there's an expression that it's like they don't care about how much you know until they know you care. Right. And that's when they know that you care about them.

Like about the one employee, he stepped away, but then they came back because they didn't experience that care and that concern. And I know a statistic that we, yeah. Across was that 70% of employees, Chris, say, company culture is more important than salary. I would say like when you work for a company that sees you and knows your needs and is involved with their family and that loves on 'em the way that Christ loves 'em, like we're supposed to, like Glacier talks about like we should carry each other's burdens.

And it sounds like you're a company and a family that carried each other's burdens. 70% of people they would say. [00:22:00] I would rather be part of that than make a little bit more money. And I think that's so important.

Chris: I could not agree with you more. My brother there aren't different. Categories of life.

There's one life and And if we're a Christian, we're to be a Christian in all of the life, right? Whether we sell things for living or we're missionaries used by God in your home country or in other places. My great friend and producer, Kemper Crabb. His father, ki k Crabb Sr. Was a missionary. Y'all might find this of minor interest.

He was a missionary. I was just reminded in talking to, in some of the darkest places on earth, the Indian, Nepal, Africa, and other places, and God used him there were over, I'm gonna butcher this, I think in excess of 3 million people. That God brought to Christ through his ministry. He built orphanages and hospitals and [00:23:00] resor, and I'm gonna cry.

Sorry y'all. I'm a crier. I'm sure you figured that out. I'm a soldier Through this Mother Theresa nominated Kepper Crab Senior four or five times for a Nobel Peace Prize. He, he got to work with her. And I know that, I'm not trying to impress y'all. I know that had probably has an extra. Meaning to y'all.

You're doing God's work in some dark places working to reach the lost for Christ and amen. There may be no greater calling y'all.

Dan: You kind of set this question up here so well that you said there's only one life. Except people might be scratching their heads like, wait a second. Like, we started this conversation asking about music and the re-releasing of an album and stuff.

So you're kind of living a double life, Chris. Like, you're right, you, you've got this double life going on. You're a musician and you're a successful person. I consider

Chris: it to be a dual vocations.

Dan: Sure. And so that's the question. Yeah. I mean, as a business leader, as a musician, how do you balance both callings because they're both [00:24:00] callings.

How do you do it?

Chris: Very good question, Dan. This is gonna sound so cliche one day at a time. Look, it's had its challenges. The scripture, speaking of the patriarchs of the faith, all these died in faith not having received the fullness of the promise and the post fallen world in which we live. None of us gets everything we want or when we want it.

So why do it by a. Take what you're asking and maybe push it a little further. Why would you do this? It's a lot of trouble. There's an expense. I don't mind telling you. There's been an expense involved in making these records and then promoting them. And at the risk of sounding self-serving before the face of God.

I will tell you the honest truth. I don't do it for the money. The ministry is for the ministry. It's for the gospel. Y'all aren't out there getting rich. I don't have to ask you. I know you're not, and [00:25:00] neither do you expect to tomorrow or next year or ever maybe if God wants to pour out on you. Great. But you didn't go into the ministry full time so that you could get rich and buy Cadillacs and brag to people on the internet and have a TV show.

So, you know, same here, the how do I do it? You ask. It's tough. It has its challenges, but for one thing, I am surrounded by a phenomenal team. I've mentioned Kemper Crab, my sound engineer Ryan Inger, Bob Boyd, who does the mastering of the records. My was privileged to get to know in the past few years and get to work with Phil Keagy, who's played on my most recent record all over it.

That's been a joy. So I've gotten to work with some massively talented people in business, in music, and you know enough, Dan, that makes my job a lot easier.

Dan: [00:26:00] Yeah. Yeah, that's important. I mean, listeners don't miss that. Chris just dropped a huge piece of gold. Who you work with and who you surround yourself with matters immensely to the success or the defeat of whatever you're putting your hand to.

Chris: Nope. You can say that about marriage or a friendship, or who you work with and for. You can say that virtually about every relationship, can't you?

Dan: Yeah, you can. And if there's those relationships that are drawn on you, and I don't care how encouraging you are, if you surround yourself with discouraging people, you're gonna eventually get discouraged.

And so

Chris: that's it. That's it.

Dan: Yeah. So surrounding yourself with amazing people that are successful in their different backs. It's so important. 'cause excellence. It's like that God says iron sharpens iron and like excellence sharpens excellence. Yes. And it's so important to be around those people that challenge your ideas and may So, our culture is so insecure.

I mean, we get so insecure. Oh, they're better. That means, and so I don't wanna do that. Or somebody is already successful at that, so I shouldn't enter that. Space. And the truth is, there's space for everybody, especially within the kingdom, that we all are [00:27:00] gifted uniquely and separately and right. We all can reach different people with the different talents and the gifts, and so there's no reason to shy away from it.

But look in your circle, look in your community. Look in your church. Who is it that's doing some of the things that you're passionate about? Get in their circle. Surround yourself, learn from them

Chris: who's, who's better at that thing than I am? Which means I had to take my pride and set it aside, right? Yep. I can play electric guitar.

Why in the world would I do that with access to who I consider to be the world's greatest living guitarist, Phil Kee? Sure. Why would I do that? That doesn't make any sense. So

Dan: yeah, as a piano player, several years ago, we actually went out and saw one of my musician inspirations, a guy named Yani. He's very talented on the piano.

Chris: Fabulously talented.

Dan: Fabulously talented, however. When we saw him, he was backed up with many other musicians doing their different thing. And I said to my wife, I looked at her and I said, because I'm, I'm classically trained. I know a good musician, or I know a good piano player at least. Yeah. And I looked at her and said, it's really interesting [00:28:00] that he's actually backed up by a piano player that's much better than him.

Chris: How about.

Dan: And what's really cool, what I really liked about that is that he gave space for that. And so he gave that at a certain point in the performance, he basically shifts it over to him and here come kinda like, you know, a drum solo, but he gives the keyboard solo and this guy just unleashes tears it up.

He

Chris: just

Dan: brilliant on it. So here's what my point is, that when we're in a healthy place. That we can shine the light on other people and their talents and their gifts, and it doesn't make us insecure, like we're all working together to impact the audience, to impact our customers or whatever. And so when we work together, it's much better than when we're insecure and we're frustrated and we don't want that person because man, we don't want anybody to know that they might be carrying something a little bit more than us.

Chris: Wow, I couldn't begin to say it better than you. My brother. I, I've got a right hand man here, Aliya Hernandez, who's become a, just a close personal friend to me, [00:29:00] and I tell him often, you know, dude, we can build something here together much greater than what either one of us can do alone. And I don't mean that to sound profound, I just think it's true.

I suppose to a degree it does take a village. I don't agree with the sentiment of which that phrase was made famous. But having said that, the promises of God are covenantal. Yes, they are. To his people, not to his persons. And as tribes, as villages to God's people, he's made his promises. What I mean is that definitely.

Indicates just what you're saying. We're meant to work together. We lock together like puzzle pieces. Yeah. And if you're missing some of 'em, because I don't like the way you look or I don't like something about you or your culture is off putting to me boy. That's okay. You can do that, but you're losing out [00:30:00] potentially on what could come of your working together to make a thing to do a thing.

Dan: So in working together with Phil Ke and other musicians to rerelease right portal, what are you most excited about in the rerelease of this album? What has you kind of hoping, what are you hoping for in, in this rerelease of the album?

Chris: I am hoping that the gospel of Jesus Christ is pushed even further, even farther by using my little project into God's world that's broken currently.

That's what I hope.

Dan: Amazing. I mean, that's really what this show is about, right? The mission of life. Like we all live the mission. We all live the same mission. It's just shared Jesus, that's, it's the same

Chris: mission. I love y'all saying that.

There's only one mission.

Dan: Yep. Our culture, we talked about this, and when we were kind of creating a, so to speak, a slogan and our culture might say, live your mission. Yeah. Right? Because it's all about us. Oh.

Chris: And our hyper, hyper individualism.

Dan: Yeah. But in the kingdom, the mission is. Jesus [00:31:00] Christ and to carry his word and to carry him into the nations and make him known and to make disciples right.

And so I love how you said that, just to make Jesus known through my music. And I think we all can desire that in whatever space we are, whether it's business, whether it's art, whether it's music, whether it's health, whatever that is. You know, we carry a unique special anointing Yes. To impact the people that Jesus brings into our lives and the different days and the different seasons that we live.

Chris: Yeah. Awesome. How interesting. That's a true diversity, isn't it? Not the way that the culture tells us to celebrate diversity, which is actually quite wicked, but it's the truth of diversity. There is only one truth. There is only one record of reality, the Bible. But how many different ways are there that God uses us as individuals inside the corporate?

Mission to express the gospel, which is what you just said. You said it better. But it's a balance, isn't it? [00:32:00] Amanda and Dan, we're all always seeking the balance, and as soon as we find it this side of the fall, don't blink. It'll be gone again. But that's okay. That's where the grace of God and his mercies that are new every morning carry us forward.

Yeah, so true. I

Dan: mean, I think just artistic expression, and so I'm thinking about how, like what you said is that we all seek the Lord and we all get different revelation about him. There's truth, right? Obviously we know that our, our baseline is the Bible, and yet we all in studying the Bible and, and fellowship with the Holy Spirit and having him reveal those different things, we catch different glimpses of Jesus and or of scripture.

Those of us who are creatives, we get to express that musically or through art or through the pen, and I'm even noticing that you have artwork sitting behind you. Those different pieces touch us in different ways and can connect with us in different ways. It's so important that we all just stay in the lane that God's given us and be confident in.

And just be excellent and have a spirit of [00:33:00] excellence just like Joseph did, and to move forward confidently into the things that God pushed me for you. So, man, I'm so excited you're re-releasing this Ester, multiple years and how this hit in the culture a way that it didn't 10 years ago, but now in a way that.

Is much needed. So, hey, as we begin to wrap up here, I wanna ask you, we have some fun questions we wanted to ask you. Sure. Let's go and would love to hear your answers here. Oh, Amanda's got the first one loaded here. Let's hear from Amanda. Okay,

Chris: I'm ready, Amanda. I'm sitting. I'm ready.

Amanda: All right, let's go. So if you could write a song with any biblical character, who would it be and why?

Chris: It would be job. Because of the depth of his faith and the living God. So much so that Satan showed up to God and, and asked him. He had to get permission to hassle God's servant job. And God told him, fine, just don't kill him. And of [00:34:00] course, job loses everything, literally everything. His wife, his children, his wealth, his property.

And yet he doesn't sin through that. He was a sinner. I don't wanna mischaracterize job. He was a sinner as we are, but his friends showed up and his own wife and tempted him, why don't you just curse God and die and be done with this? Why are you dragging this out? I'm paraphrasing, of course, but that's essentially, as I understand it, her message to her husband and he refused.

He refused and he held fast. And I gotta tell you, I don't know that I would be that strong, but man, had he inspires me,

Dan: like you said earlier, some of the best stuff comes outta the hardest stuff too, right? And so I think if I were you, I would choose maybe. Okay, like let's write some music together, Joe.

But you go through it, I'll just help you write the music. Ah, there you go.

Chris: [00:35:00] Yeah, I, I like the sound of that a lot. It lets me keep some semblance of my dignity. I think so.

Dan: So what is the funniest moment you've ever had during a live performance?

Chris: Oh boy. The funniest moment. Starting songs in the wrong key and getting looks for my fellow musicians.

You know, I'm sure you've been there, Dan. It's like we're all out there on a tight rope and we're hanging on by a thread and what do we do? So you just have to stop and laugh it off and let the audience in on the joke and start again, but, or some of the most terrifying and funny at the same time. Maybe more funny later.

Dan: I remember one of the things I used to do, I have albums and stuff, but I also would play at a lot of nursing and assisted living facilities for older people and then also memory care units like where Alzheimer's and dementia thing. I remember playing in an Alzheimer dementia unit and I was playing these songs.

I was playing in the 1910s, 2030s, forties stuff. All that stuff that they all familiar with it that I'm [00:36:00] performing and we're playing all these. These songs and this lady was kind of, she came and like she sat next to me on the Ven or in this nursing home. They're kind of meandering and wandering. She sits next to me and I'm playing the song and she gets up and wanders later away, or performing for the audience, and I'm engaging them curiously.

I look up and I see that same lady that was sitting next to me and she's walking behind the audience and she's wearing my jacket would've been cold outside, and I put my jacket beside the piano.

Chris: Yeah. So there's a moment. A moment of equal horror and humor. I'm assuming, will I ever get my jacket back?

Exactly. That's funny.

Dan: Alright, we got a couple more here,

Amanda: right? If your company were a band, what genre would it be?

Chris: It would definitely be rock and roll. Rock and roll, man,

Dan: that sounds like a fun place to work. I'm

Chris: telling you. Dude, come on down. Or come on up.

Dan: That sounds like a great place all. All right, and last one here.

You know you go to the studio, you're working with Phil CGI or whoever it is there, you're at the [00:37:00] studio, you need some creative juice. What's your go-to snack? Are you a coffee guy? Are you a Coke guy? Do you pick up some moon pie? What's the inspiration for you?

Chris: Used to be a Coke guy, then became a DP guy, but lately it's sparkling waters.

So I think that's kind of a lame answer to your funny question, but I don't have anything better than that. My wife, God lover, has been into eating healthy for a long before it became as popular as it's become. Recently in our culture and I used to mock her. I will admit it, I'm not proud of that. But I used to mock her about it and now here I am finding that I need to do much of the same thing and it actually works and is useful.

So answer is driven by that, you know, not very exciting or funny, but healthy word and called. We got bougie. That's real bougie. That's bougie. Yes. Yeah, very

Dan: bougie. Awesome. Well, Chris, hey, what a great time hanging out with you and just [00:38:00] hearing your arm. Same here behind the music and behind the business.

And we're so excited for Bright Portal, and its re-release and we just speak favor over that and we're just excited to see how God continues to use you, your music, your business, and all of that encompassing and just continue to be a blessing in Houston and Texas, and even around the world. So Chris, thank you so much for being on the show today.

What an honor.

Chris: Thank you. May, may I pray for y'all real quick. Sure. Yeah. Heavenly Father, a thank you for my new friends, Dan and Amanda. Oh my God. It's just such a privilege to meet fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and just instantly throw down together like we've known each other for so long. And of course, that's all based on the truth that we gather around.

We're grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We're grateful for your grace and mercy. God, I ask you to bless my brother and sister and their family mightily and their work where they are to spread the gospel of Jesus. Bless them [00:39:00] physically, financially, emotionally, encourage them greatly. Give them your peace that passes understanding today and forward into the future, and just really provide for them in the ministry God that you have called them to do.

Bless it greatly bring many, many souls to Christ through their work. And I pray these things in Christ name. Amen.

Amanda: Amen. Amen. Thank you. Love

Chris: you guys. This has been a blast for me.

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