A few years ago I was the guest at a particular church, leading worship and doing a few of my songs. I sang “Remember” – which is about communion, the bread and the wine. I talked a little about the cross and the blood of Christ as I usually do when I perform that song.

After the service, I was talking with people at my CD table and there was a lady waiting to speak with me. She was very emotional and was having trouble holding back tears. She told me that, in all her years at that church, she couldn’t remember anyone ever talking about the blood of Jesus.

I said, “so why are you still here?”

I didn’t realize that one of the pastors was standing behind me when I said that. Funny how they’ve never invited me back… (continue reading…)

We’re so excited to report that my current single – “I Will Stand (The Solid Rock)” – has just broken onto the Billboard Soft AC/Inspirational Top 20! It also has debuted at #19 this week on the Christian Music Weekly chart. You can check it out on iTunes (click below) to hear the song and download a copy for yourself.

Consider what it would look like if Polka were the dominant musical form in our country.

I can picture worship leaders nationwide taking up the accordion in order to remain hip and relevant. Of course, there would also be those who boldly stand firm against the worldly “polkification” of the Church. This kind of debate is the heart of the “worship wars” that have rocked the church for a couple of decades.

I’ve been thinking lately about how we “do” worship in church today. I’m not really talking about style of music, here (this is NOT a “Christians can rock too!” blog). I know that many, many churches pour a great deal of time, talent and hard work into the very worthy endeavor of leading a congregation to God’s throne each week, and that’s not going to look or sound exactly the same in every church. It shouldn’t, in fact.

Here’s where I’m going with this: Christian leaders have often been so focused on STYLE of music and FORM of presentation I suspect they’ve never given much thought to what “worship” actually is. To think beyond the “HOW” to the “WHY” of it. (continue reading…)

Scott Riggan and band will host a Night of Worship at Eagle Christian Church on Sunday evening, September 18.

“It won’t really be a concert,” explains Riggan, “and won’t exactly be a typical worship service. What it will be is simply this: an evening spent in uninterrupted praise.”

A “Night of Worship” – Sunday evening at 6:15 at Eagle Christian Church (on State Street between Eagle and Star). There’s no cost – just come prepared to worship.

For more information visit the Eagle Christian Church website.

I filmed a quick personal message to Christian Radio stations about my new single “I Will Stand (The Solid Rock)” – which is on the verge of breaking onto the Billboard and CMW Inspirational Charts. The song has been on the Billboard “Most Added Songs” list for 3 weeks running. If your local station is playing it, please thank them for me!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share some news with you; my new single is “I Will Stand (The Solid Rock)“ and it’s on Billboard’s “Most Added” list for the 2nd week in a row. It’s also “Most Increased Plays” – and it looks like it will break the Top 20 next week!

If you haven’t heard it yet, you can check it out on iTunes or visit my store to pick up the CD.

And if you have a local Christian station, please thank them for playing “I Will Stand (The Solid Rock)” – or gently and politely ask them to consider it. Thanks!!

Jaime Thietten and I will be touring the Christmas show again this December, and so far we have dates in the works for California, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Would your church like to host our concert? Here’s a promo video taken from last year’s shows:

We have a winner! Emily has agonized over the names (there were over 100 submitted) and she has come to a decision… The winning names are…

… “Ping” and “Pong,” submitted by CarolBeth! Thanks to everyone who contributed ideas! We had a great time (and a few laughs) looking over your suggestions. And congratulations, CarolBeth – I’ll contact you soon to make arrangements for your prize (free CD or DVD).

Yesterday, a new baby goat named Taz was born at the Riggan Ranch (that’s him to the left).

You may remember that last week I wrote about our two new baby lambs. I decided to hold a naming contest, but then Easter Weekend happened and I completely forgot to wrap up the contest and have a winner declared. Better late than never, right? If you haven’t submitted your suggestion, click HERE to leave a comment. My daughter Emily will judge the competition and I’ll announce the winner by noon on Friday (tomorrow). The winner can choose any of my CDs or DVDs as a prize.

Don’t forget to submit your name suggestions (for the lambs) by clicking HERE!

On Monday, my son’s sheep (Cutie) had two babies (Joshua and Jericho). Just a couple of hours ago, my daughter’s sheep (Anabelle) had her two babies, which are unnamed so far. Click the “More” button to see what they look like (hint: they look like lambs). Any name suggestions? I think I’ll make a contest out of this… I’ll have my daughter be the judge. The winning entry will get a free CD or DVD (your choice). (continue reading…)