Casting Crowns singer offers a spiritual checkup Print
Written by Staff   
Monday, 24 August 2009 02:11 PM America/New_York
your own Jesus bookMark Hall, lead singer and songwriter for the music group Casting Crowns, presents a message of responsibility in Your Own Jesus (978-0-310-29332-3, $16.99), releasing this month from Zondervan. Hall, a veteran youth worker and speaker, along with co-author Tim Luke, challenges readers to resist the tendency to survive on the faith of others and encourages them to instead own their faith.

Hall asks in the book's introduction: "Is your walk with Jesus Christ characterized by personal faith, personal prayer, personal study, and personal disciplines? Or do you get by with the overflow from more mature Christians?"

He confronts issues such as apathy and immaturity with Scripture and his own observations. Lyrics from his group's popular songs introduce spiritual concepts.

Although Hall stresses the importance of spiritual disciplines, he insists that the book is "about more than reinforcing" them.

"I want us to avoid something that will short-circuit our time with God," he writes. "I want us to learn to recognize and overcome the seemingly incessant opportunities for compromise, great and small, that neutralize so many believers."

"Since God made us in his image to glorify him, our job is to be a reflection of that spotlight," he said. "What this world needs is for us to stop hiding behind our relevance, blending in so well that people can't see the difference. The difference is what sets the world free."

In the chapter titled "Stuck," Hall relates a personal story of accountability while stressing his own need for Jesus.

"It is crucial to have a pastor pour into me, and a worship leader teach me to worship, and a small group leader help me learn to open up—but I still need my own walk with Jesus," he writes. "Unless I rent a room in my church and never step foot into the world, those folks aren’t going home with me."

Zondervan is supporting the release with a national print, online and broadcast campaign and with promotion during Casting Crowns' concert dates.

To order, call Zondervan at 800-727-1309, or visit www.zondervan.com.