 for you to experience and new mercies. I am Angela Madden. I'm here with Matt Cogley and we are your host of Hope Today. Yeah, listen, speaking of new, I believe that God has a new word and revelation for you today. We have a great guest by the name of Steele Crosswhite. He's a musician, a worship pastor, but he lived this life of fame and made this new step into what God has called him. And it's, man, let me just tell you, his testimony and the wisdom that he carries is going to bring new insight into your life that you're going to need. I'm excited, Angela, to hear what we have to talk about today. Yes, you know, stories of transformation. This is the life of the believer. This is what gets us excited is when we see those Saul-to-Paul moments, when we see people who are going out into the world and sharing the light of Jesus, it gets me excited. You know, as I was driving here this morning, Matt, I kept thinking about how it is a new day. And a lot of times in the midst of our dark times or in the midst of struggles, it's hard to keep our perspective on the reality that God does have new things, even though everything didn't change all of a sudden. And so today, wherever you are, whatever you're going through, I want you to have hope to know that with a flip of the switch of your mind, you can focus on the goodness that God has. No matter what's happening, God truly does have new mercies and goodness for you. Yeah, I love that. It's important to always broaden your perspective, especially getting a revelation on. It's a new day. His mercies are new each and every morning. There's a new opportunity that waits for you. Why? Because God's favor is on your life, surrounding you. And even like this morning, it's, okay, it's a gloomy day outside, let's be honest. The weather isn't the best. And right away, your emotions and flesh is like, oh gosh, here we go, another gloomy day. And then I'm on my way here to the studio and I'm hitting in traffic. I'm trying to get a coffee. I'm like, why is this taking so long? And every part of your flesh is just trying to come up with all these reasons to be upset, but you got to stop, remind yourself of the bigger picture, the bigger perspective. Man, it's a new day, Angel. There's something to have hope about. It is. And what I love is that it's Groundhog Day. And listen, no shadow. So it was early spring. So even though that means we have an early spring, even though you might say, hey, there's no shadow because there's no sun, baby it means early spring. So there's always hope for us. Come on. A new perspective for each and every one of us today. Listen, I'm so excited for our guest team because as Christians, we're called to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. After all, we want as many people as possible to get saved and sharing the gospel, though it can be a daunting task for many of us and even downright intimidating. Joining us now is pastor and worship leader of the Rock Church in Utah, Steele Crosswhite. And he's here to shed some light on how we can initiate faith conversations with non-believers and those who observe other religions. Steele, it's good to have you with us back on Hope today. Thank you so much for having me. And I've got to say, I want to wake up with you guys every morning. I already feel the Holy Spirit jumping inside of me. You guys bring a lot of happiness to my morning already. Come on. Hey, I hope my wife is tuning in and heard you say that right now. You know, that's, that's this guy. You know, and Steele, I think you're earning favor right away with our audience because as you know, we're, we're here in Pittsburgh, which is the Steele city. I mean, come on now. You got the name Steele. So, but you know, for maybe those, for maybe for those watching right now that that might not know, okay, who is this Steele? Could you share a little bit of your testimony of your previous life, what you've done and so they can kind of see what you've gone through. Absolutely. Thanks for asking. Well, first off, my name is Steele Crosswhite. My first half of my life was spent playing music in front of many, many secular audiences. I was really kind of groomed to be, if you will, a rock star starting at the age of five, playing in talent shows and fairs. And then by the time I was 15, I had started my own band and was starting to play regional concerts. I was the writer and the singer and guitar player for that. And by the time I was 20 years old, I signed my first major record contract and all with our new music and the music that I was making at the time. And toured with great acts like Sheryl Crow and Maroon Five, Train. Oh my gosh, there's just so many great bands I've played with. But underneath, there was a lot of darkness and immorality in my life, a lot of addiction. And I came off of a tour where I had been out for about six months and my sister had started going to a church out here in Utah called The Rock. And she said, you look so bad, you gotta come and come to this church and hang out. And I said, I don't wanna go to church, I'll be struck by lightning. She said, it's on Saturday night, you can smoke out front and when we're done, I'll take you out for nachos and beer. And I thought, okay, I can smoke out front, nachos, beer. It's at night, I'll go with you. I went and it was like a light switch went off in my heart, this is a little over 20 years ago. And I heard about the grace and the love of Jesus Christ and it changed my life. And from that moment on, it has been a progression of changing from this version of my old flesh and myself into a person who loves Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul. I want others to know about him and I wanna make music for him. And I am now a pastor of that church, a worship leader, a worship director and run the music program and the recordings and all of those good things. And God has radically changed my life 20 years ago and I haven't looked back since. Wow, you know, one thing we have in common, being a worship pastor, you know, before I got there, I was in a couple of different bands and let's dive into that just a little bit because I would love to hear it. You know, you left with what most people look at as like a dream, right? To step into ministry. I mean, was this like an overnight switch or did you wrestle with this for some time? You know, what kind of got you to this place of saying, okay, you know what? I know I was chasing this, but now God has got me here. Kind of dive into that a little bit. You know, what has really made that change in you and quickly? Yeah, what a great question. First off, it's still a struggle sometimes because all of my friends are in these huge bands, you know? And my flesh wants the fame, my flesh wants the glory. And though I experienced the radical grace and love of Jesus Christ very quickly, the transformation of giving more of my heart over to the Lord did take time. And it still takes all of who I am to offer my life to Jesus Christ. And it has been a wrestle, but it has been so worth it. It has been the best decision of my life. And yes, I was on arena tours and on tour buses and airplanes, but I remember thinking, if God is real, then why would I not give my entire life to him? If heaven is real, then he gave me these gifts to use for him and they won't be wasted. Yeah, I'm thinking about your testimony and where you are for people that might be watching. Obviously ministry isn't working for a church full time, right? It's our entire lives. And what would you say to somebody who might be out there kind of struggling or intimidated with the fact of, well, I feel like what I have isn't maybe as significant as a gift. It doesn't seem like ministry. Could you maybe encourage anybody out there that's feeling that way that their life is a ministry? Amen. You know, the Lord tells us that he gives us each an individual gift and that he has handpicked us to place us in this time in history, to be used by him in ways that bring him glory and others joy and one step closer to himself. And our gifts are different. Sometimes it feels like playing music. Sometimes it seems like serving in childcare. Sometimes it seems like just being kind to your boss who's unkind to you. Ministry is our life. God has given us the Holy Spirit. And when we trust in him, we don't have to worry so much about what thing that we're gonna do for God. God tells us to use everything that we are for him. And so I would encourage your listeners to know that they are enough in Jesus Christ that God has made them, that God loves them, that God has something just like you had mentioned good for them today and he's gonna use them. And so even if they're not in a specific ministry, there's nobody on planet earth exactly like them to do what God has called them to do. Yeah, that's powerful love. How you're talking about just the different gifts and talents and abilities that God gives us. So okay, so you made this change from this rock life, touring, it's a ministry being a worship pastor in Utah, kind of of all places, right? And I'm sure that's challenging because one thing that we know is Utah is not a strong biblical Christian grounds, right state. So what does that look like for you? What challenges do you face currently being in such a place like that where you've developed this gift of evangelism? Great question. Utah is the least evangelical state in the country. It is less than 3% Bible believing Christian. It is unbelievably religious because people think about Utah and they go, I know about mountains and I know about Mormons and they don't know a lot about the LDS faith. The LDS faith Mormons, they are dear, dear people with a lot of moral good. However, they don't understand the gospel of grace. They don't know about, in the way that the Bible speaks about the radical destruction of our sin and the fact that Jesus Christ and his atonement on the cross alone is what gets us to heaven and relationship with him believing in Jesus and being gifted the Holy Spirit. So when it comes to challenges here, it may be different in the sense that there's so many LDS folks. However, people are lost. They don't know, many don't know Jesus. They don't know his love. They don't know his grace. And what we have found is it's that verse in 1 Peter. Always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that you have in Christ and do this with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3 15. And with the Mormon culture, it's holding out the truth of Jesus. God loves you. You and I, we've blown it. We sin. And when we allow him to forgive us for our sins, for what he did to us, for him to give to the Holy Spirit, God, that is a radical truth that changes their life and changes our life. So we just hold that truth out. Yeah, yeah, that's powerful. Let's talk about that a little bit, Steele. You know, because I think for many people, evangelism is intimidating, you know, regardless of if you're in Utah or maybe even in a state that's the Bible Belt. You know, what perspective can you kind of shine some light on to help people to evangelize, even if they're in, you know, somewhere in a workplace where they might feel like they're the only believer there. You know, evangelism can be such a scary word. It makes you think that you have to be on the corner really preaching and maybe knowing your Bible or on stage somewhere. But evangelism is our life and Jesus has given us his Holy Spirit. My wife, who is my best friend, is an introvert. She does not like to be around lots of people. I love to be around lots of people. She doesn't like to initiate in those direct conversations the way that I do, but you know, she's amazing at making cookies and she's amazing at writing cards and she's amazing at being thoughtful. And though she may not look like a great evangelist, she is far more effective in loving people and bringing them one step closer to Christ than I may ever be by sharing Jesus from stage or boldly in the places that God's placed me. So evangelism is the little things that you can do. What can you do in your workplace in the name of Jesus? What can you do in your neighborhood? What can you do in your school that God made you to do? And for some it's boldly proclaiming and for some it's silently serving, but it all matters. And it's all God's job to bring that person to salvation so we can arrest him. Yeah, that's great. Thinking about how we all have different influences, platforms of influence to evangelize. And speaking of yours, obviously you have a musical gift and I love to point out your guys, you know, recent EP. I love the title. The future is sure. What a powerful and hopeful title, but thinking about just songwriting in general, you have to hear from God, right? It's not just putting any lyrics out there and saying, oh, this sounds good with this melody, right? Maybe we can speak to anyone out there is whatever it is that they're doing, they really have to hear from the Lord. So what are some things you do to really hear from God when putting these songs together? Sam, I love that question, Matt. Read your Bible. Read your Bible. Read your Bible. And then read your Bible. When you're going through something personal, I like to journal. If it's hopelessness, if it's fear, if it's joy, I journal and I write down my heart and then I try to find specific verses that apply to that. If there's something I'm writing about, I need to back it up from the Word of God. It is the only perfect thing on earth. And so God uses our experiences and he allows us to go through those things. But when we're speaking about who he is and what he's done, we need to be anchored in the Word of God. Yeah, yeah, that's great. It's simple, right? Let's not overcomplicate it. And let's stay on this track about your songwriting. Can we point out your guy's single at Saved by Grace? What's one thing that God has ministered to you with writing this song in hopes that you feel our audience or anyone listening will gain from it too? There's a line in the song that says, I thought I knew him and tell I meet Jesus. That's really the story of the song and then I've been saved by Grace. There's so many people that think they know God. So many people that know about God from an intellectual standpoint or maybe even going to Sunday school, but they don't know the grace and love of Jesus in the way that he has shown us in the Word of God. And so what stands out to me in this song is to be able to simply say, guess what, we're saved by Grace and there's so much joy. And for other people to remember, just because somebody knows about God doesn't mean they know him personally. That's powerful. Steele, thank you so much for your time. I just wanna thank you for your faithfulness, your commitment, your obedience, even all the way over in Utah. I know it's making a traumatic change in our world for the kingdom of God. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you guys for having me very much. Well, hey, speaking of his song, Saved by Grace, take a listen right now. I know the song will bless you. Each month we'll deliver Good Noon and World through CTVN's ministry. We'll keep you in the know about our latest special programming connected to all your favorites. You'll also find a new dashing dish recipe every month. As you read our Hope Today newsletter, stay encouraged knowing your generosity and giving to CTVN is making a difference and building God's kingdom. We can't do it without you. Sign up today to receive your inspirational, free Hope Today newsletter every month in your mailbox. Go to our website at ctvn.org slash news or call us at 888-665-4483. Thank you for being a part of our cornerstone television family. Hope happens here. There are countless ways we are trying to get that hope in your heart and the newsletter is one of those. Be sure you call us to get on that mailing list or go to our website so that you can receive hope in your mailbox. Today's scripture comes from Ephesians 2, 8 through nine and it joins with Still's testimony as well as that beautiful song we just heard. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast. You know, I love this scripture, Matt and I think that listening to that song that we just heard and hearing Still's story and how he's even ministering today, the message of grace is so critical for us to live in freedom. You know, and there's a difference of living in freedom and living a religious life and Jesus paid the way for all of this. It doesn't mean it's easy but he certainly gives you the tools and the equipment you need to walk a journey that is full of his hope and truly his victory. Yeah, what a great scripture and so appropriate for today. I'm thinking, I love that it points out in there that what a gift, like what a gift of God's grace because when we really sit here and think about it, like we can not do this life without the grace of God. As much as you might be looking at us here at the television station, we're not perfect by any means. We all have our emotions, our challenges, our thoughts, even our opinions, but sometimes we just need to sit back and say, wow, God, thank you for your grace because in my own ability and my own thoughts, I'm gonna leave myself down a hole. You know, and Angela, one thing I think that's powerful that still said towards the end there is hearing from God. You know, we know the grace message, we know everything, but I just think in today's day and age and any day in age, really, like we have to hear the voice of God so clearly. We do, and I like that he said that it was, it's not easy, even it's still a struggle for him to not wanna be in that big music scene. It's not like, oh man, I just gave that up, that was so easy, but you have to have a continual conversation with the Father. You have to continually go to his word and speak with him and share those spaces where you are struggling so that that grace that is provided for you can be accessed so that you're not led by feelings but you're led in faith towards the Father. So these are, this is an important conversation, Matt, and I think a lot of times within our worlds we can get so bent out of shape by our feelings that we no longer see, okay, I've gotta go towards the Father's voice or his words and be led. You know, just recently, I was studying again on Noah and I'm blown away by the life of Noah and we all have grown up with just the, from kids' church, you know, of building the ark, but one thing that stood out to me about Noah, it talked about how Noah had favor with God and obviously he was given the blueprints. He heard the voice of God clearly to build this ark, which had to have been difficult. I'm sure everybody's looking at him like, you're nuts, like you're crazy, like what, and he had to face all this adversity, all these challenges, even I'm sure his own flesh got involved, but he stayed faithful to building the ark, but here's why he heard from God and was able to hear God's voice. It's said because he walked in close fellowship with God. You almost have to challenge yourself today. If you wanna be able to hear God's voice so clearly because you have been given blueprints, God has placed strategy in you to build whatever the ark might look like in your life. It could be your family, it could be your career, it could be your marriage, whatever it is, but you gotta know the Father's voice. You've gotta be able to discern his voice from the disguise of the enemy's voice and the only way to do that is like Steele was saying, yes, we can read our Bible, but take the time. Don't just read the Bible just for reading sake. Get to know God in the scripture. Get to know who God is in the gospel. That's what transforms you. That's what helps to bring wisdom. That's what helps Angela to bring clarity and helps to strengthen our faith. It does, and you know, if someone's watching today, if you're watching and you've never made that commitment to Jesus, you say, hey, I don't even know this voice that you're speaking of. He wants to speak to you today, and I can assure you just like Matt and I, when he speaks, the clouds break, the colors change and your heart is transformed. Make a choice today. Make a choice to turn your gaze towards heaven. The Father who created you has great plans for you. And if that's you today, we just ask you to invite Jesus to come into your life, to come into your heart, to make you new. Yes, you have sinned. Yes, you have made some bad decisions, but guess what? Through Christ Jesus, He will wash it away. He will make you new and He will carve out beautiful new paths for your life. When you do that, when you get serious with Jesus and you invite Him to be a part of your life, old things are past and behold, you will see a new you and a new future. If you want prayer, you can call us at 888-665-4483. We would love to pray with you and we would love to celebrate your decision to focus on the good things the Father has. Well, speaking of prayer, Angel, let's just pray over our audience that we're watching. Father, right now you said we're two more agree upon anything that shall be done. So we come in agreement over this brother, this sister that's watching and I thank you for the purposes and plans that you have over their life. I speak over you that no weapon, hear me, no weapon that's formed against you, it will not prosper, but all of God's plans is calling over your life, that will succeed. So I speak to all the resources, all the relationships, everything that is needed for you to fulfill the will of God, it shall come easily unto your life. Every obstacle moved out of the way, God has ordained your steps and has called you for such a time as this. Thank you for your favor, thank you for your blessing over my brothers and sisters. We pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. I hope this episode blessed you today. Do me a favor, share it with somebody who could use some encouragement. God has given you the light, you're the soul of the earth, go and be the light in the world.