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.

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…)

(NOTE: THIS OFFER EXPIRED ON FEB 29 2012) So here’s the deal… In honor of my Big Date with my daughter Emily this Friday, I’m giving away an mp3 of my song “Don’t Cry (Goodnight Emily)” that I wrote for her when she was a baby.

Click HERE, enter the code SCOTTFREE4FEB and download your free song! Let me know what you think…

The song was on my first solo CD “All I Know” but this version was from a couple years earlier when I was still with the band The Nobodys (the Christian band, not the punk band)… If you’re curious, check out this REVIEW from a British magazine (with song samples).

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?

Okay (big sigh) … my website got hacked, and many of you have been trying to buy stuff from my store but kept getting a warning message not to visit my site. IT’S ALL FIXED NOW! Yeah! So, hopefully I haven’t lost a full week’s worth of Christmas sales… Help me out?

T-Shirts (3 colors/designs) and Totes are $16 each, plus there are lots of DVD/CD/Clothing combos. Click HERE for clothing and HERE for bundle deals.

Why, imagine: getting all of your Christmas shopping done at a single website! How convenient! Yes, yes. You’re welcome.

In a couple of days^th, Jaime Thietten and I will launch this year’s Christmas tour.

After last year’s shows, we released a live concert DVD called “Christmas with Scott Riggan and Jaime Thietten,” which contains all 22 songs from the show (including “I See You,” last year’s Top 20 hit). The DVDs are available again this year, but only while supplies last.

The show was a lot of fun, so please pick up your copy by clicking “Add to Cart” below!
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -

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.

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!