I had the privilege of singing at a funeral not long ago.

Although I wasn’t really well acquainted with the man or his family, I was fascinated by how those who knew and loved him remembered his life and character.

Over and over, he was described as an upbeat, courageous guy. Someone who always saw the positive side of things. An optimist.

As he was lying in his hospital bed near the end, whenever anyone asked how he was doing his reply was always “it’s all good.” Evidently this had always been his catchphrase – “it’s all good” – and it was his way of expressing optimism and hopefulness.

As I sang “It Is Well With My Soul,” I thought about the stories his family and friends had just shared, and the words of the song felt suddenly fresh and significant:

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to say … it’s all good.

Is that something that I can say – in good times or bad? “It is well with my soul” or “it’s all good”…? I have to admit it; I’m a whiner when faced with frustration or difficulty. It doesn’t take much adversity for me to start complaining.

So today I’m thinking about that funeral and wondering if I can start to say “it’s all good” a little more often.

There are worse catchphrases.

Christians have sometimes been guilty of the old “bait and switch” when it comes to telling people about Christ. It’s like we’re marketing a cool new product that everybody should have. If you have that product, you’ll feel good, you’ll be happy and your messy life will be all fixed up.

The problem is that we don’t have confidence in the actual Gospel message and we think we need to “nice it up” to make it palatable and attractive.

But let’s not forget: God’s Word tells us that the reason we need Jesus is basically this:

1. God is completely HOLY and perfectly JUST (or “fair”).
2. As a completely holy and just God, He is going to hold each of us accountable for our lives – and His perfection is the standard by which we will be measured.
3. He requires from each of us moral perfection and flawless obedience.

This is all GOOD NEWS for anybody who is completely perfect. These people don’t need Jesus. But for the rest of us … (continue reading…)

I just stumbled upon this article I wrote several years ago and thought I would share it with you guys.

It was turning into one of those days when nothing could go right. It had started with some minor car trouble and a couple of frustrating phone calls followed by a long, pointless meeting. I had just taken a sip of coffee (noticing too late the bug floating in the mug) when the phone rang.

I hesitated. It had been nothing but bad news all morning, so maybe, I thought, it would be better to just let it go to voice mail. But I answered anyway, and it was my four-year-old, Emily. She was shouting into the phone and talking so fast that it took me a moment to figure out that she was saying: “Daddy! The baby smiled at me!” And this made my day.

It wasn’t just that baby Josiah had finally smiled – although, to be honest, he was three months old and it was getting to the point where his very survival might be threatened if he didn’t turn up the “cuteness” a bit. Any sleep-deprived parent of an infant (continue reading…)

I love touring. I really do. But when you’re based in a place like, say, Idaho, there are some inherent challenges… For example, my April tour (2 weeks in North Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois). Check out my “TOUR” page to see if I’ll be near you.

Hey everyone, I’ve kind of been taking a break from this website lately, but now it’s back to work!

One of the fun/challenging/frustrating/joyful things about being an independent artist is that you wear many, many hats.  The challenge becomes making sure that the most important things get priority, and this is where I tend to stumble. I’m usually juggling a dozen things at once, and my family is often quietly waiting for me to set everything else down and give them my full attention.

My “hat list” (excluding my Worship Pastor hats):

• Booking agent (scheduling shows and church services)
• Marketing director (publicity, website management, social media, etc.)
• Songwriter (or, in my case, alleged songwriter, since I rarely make much time for this)
• Band leader (hiring/firing, travel agent, road manager)
• Radio promoter (actually, I hire people to do this, but I’m very hands-on because I’m a control freak)
• Record producer (didn’t record at all in 2011, but I plan to this year)
• Plus there’s family stuff (karate and dance and 4-H and chopping wood and home maintenance…)
• Etc. (there’s probably more but I’m out of time).

The truth is, most of us wear many hats. You might be a mom who also writes a blog and who works at a grocery store and breeds Labradors on the side … plus you teach Third Grade Sunday School and help out at church youth group on Wednesday nights.

So if I were the “New Year Resolution” type, mine would be to be even more purposeful about spending time with my family. How about you?

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.