WHOA That's Good Podcast - What You Want to Hear vs. What You NEED to Hear | Sadie Robertson Huff & Cody Carnes

Episode Date: October 12, 2022

Sadie is delighted to welcome worship leader and songwriter of some of her all-time favorite worship songs, Cody Carnes, to the podcast. Cody shares how he and his wife — worship leader & songwriter, Kari Jobe — first started dating, and Sadie agrees that when you're finding the person you'll marry, it's so important that your people in your life love them too. Cody talks about he and Kari writing "The Blessing" which was released just as the world was going into lockdown, and how he's still amazed at the amount of blessings that have resulted from that song. Cody also talks about coming out of a time of chaos, where seemingly all truth is questioned, that Christians have a special privilege in knowing they can trust the Lord at His Word, when He says who He is, what He did, and what He's promised. Cody and Sadie share encouragement that God IS good and that He's the only constant and consistent thing we can count on in this world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Council of Franks, on behalf of delicious Oscar Mayer 100% beef Franks has declared its official position. Oscar Mayer 100% beef Franks are 100% beef Frank delicious. This summer, choose delicious, choose 100% beef. Keep it Oscar. What's up fam! Welcome back to the WoW That's a Good Highcast! Happy Wednesday everybody! I hope you're having a great week. It's about to get so much better because this interview I've been so excited for. Carrie and Cody are two of my favorite people to follow along. We've been able to see each other and tour dates and passing but we also got to go to the same church for a little while

and Carrie's been on the podcast but today we get Cody Cards on the podcast with a new album out. God is good! Cody welcome to the podcast! Thank you for having me, it's good to be here. God I'm so excited. I'm excited for your new album, King Grap. Thank you, thank you, thank you. That's awesome. Listen, I love your wife. She, when Lany and I used to have our cousin thing, I think Carrie was our number one cousin fan of me and Lany's dumb humor, and I forever am grateful for that.

I love that. Yeah, I forgot about the cousins. She used to lay in bed and watch Instagram sometimes, and she would laugh about the cousins. I'm like, what are you talking about? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. We were insane. You would have thought we were 12. Nope. We were like 21, but it was good time. It was a good time. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm so stoked. Cody,

before we get into the album and all the fun things, I got to ask you the question, I ask every single person on the one that's gonna podcast. It's a little bit of a big question to start with, but what is the best piece of advice you've ever been given? The best piece of advice. That is a massive question to start with. I know.

I'm only about half-leafed in my copy as well. So let me keep it. I know. I drop it on everyone and it's always a shock. You know, something that Kari and Karen I we end up saying a lot is And this this piece of advice came from the Holy Spirit so you know it's best place to get advice but

You know when we when we started this Life together and in marriage and we were already life together in marriage, and we were already really serving in ministry together before we were married. So being married and then having a family and then now continuing to do what we were doing, we were trying to figure out how to balance all of it. And I remember we had a moment where the Holy Spirit

told us, you don't have to sacrifice your family for ministry, I'm not asking you to do that. And that has really just sustained us because there's so many times. And I think that applies to, you know, not just anyone in ministry, but anyone doing anything, and doing what God's called you to do,

and then also raising a family, and just trying to balance all those things in your life, I think ministry, especially, can feel so. It can feel like there's very little time and there's so many people to save, and that is true, but it can often feel like we have to carry the load of that. We have, it's all on us. Yeah. And to the point that I have to sacrifice everything for it. And I think it's really helped us just know that our family is our ministry first. You know, our kids, our boys, if at the end of my life, if they love Jesus and they love me,

then I will count that the biggest success of my life, you know? And so I think that's really just helped us. It helps us even now. I mean, even now we're constantly having to navigate. What do we say yes to? What do we say no to? What do we say no to? How to balance those things and how to love our family well first. And then everything else kind of flows from that.

And everything else works with it. So good. That's so good. It's so cool because so many times that I ask that question, it's always so interesting because I have no idea what the person's going to say. But I mean, nine times out of 10, I already had a question form based off of what you just said because you live it so loudly. Like, literally one of my questions is y'all,

walk your calling out with your family so beautifully. Like, how do you do that? And it's just so cool that you're advised from the Holy Spirit so evident in your life that I would wanna ask you advice on that anyways. Just because when I look at you all I'm like man, there are family who's called into ministry like we all are you know and I feel like if if you're called like our family's called and so Christian and I feel like that like I'm

doing this thing with L.O. but Christian and honey you know they're doing it with me you know and and vice versa for the things that Christian has in his heart and when honey grows up and has desires in her heart, like we're on this mission together, ultimately for the kingdom. And so, man, it's just, it's cool. And when we've been navigating, how do you do it together? How do you do that? Well, how do you do, how do you, you know, thrive in your workspace, but thrive at home and, you know, be the best mom and the best wife, but also the best leader. And you're right.

I think your advice that you just said, if you love your family well and everything flows from that, when everything flows from that, when your priorities are right, things just work out naturally as they should. And we've seen that. So that's so cool that you opened up with that. I want to ask you because

I think that's just so cool that your best user advice is from the Holy Spirit. I don't think anyone said that, which is kind of funny because I feel like that should be the best user advice that we've all gotten. But what's cool is I feel like you and Carrie are really in tune with the Holy Spirit. Even just in conversations I've had with the all backstage moments is this is what I feel like the Spirit's doing. Carrie's always asking if y'all feel like the Lord's speaking anything please let me know. Y'all are always desperate to hear what the Lord has for a room. How do you feel like y'all worked on hearing that together? Is it trusting each other and in the way that y'all hear from the Lord?

Is it y'all both hear the same thing? What does that kind of look like for y'all in your marriage? Yeah, I think most of the time, it's very much being an agreement about things. And I think the Lord loves to confirm things in a married couple, you know. Especially if you're making big life decisions, you know, another great piece of advice that we've gotten from a human

through the Holy Spirit, through a person, is that you shouldn't move on something if you aren't in agreement with it, like you have to be in unity. And if one of you feels it, one of you doesn't, there's a reason why maybe the other one has a check or something, and you just really have to respect that and the other person, even when you don't necessarily understand it. And then usually the understanding comes after that. Once you just say, we have to be in agreement or we're not going to move the understanding

comes, eat one way or the other. And so I think in big life, I think in ministry, just in if it's for a room of we're leading worship and we want to hear the Lord, and I think in ministry, just in, you know, if it's for a room of we're leading worship and we wanna hear the Lord, and I think we kinda, Karen and I each have our own giftings in a way. Like Carrie has a very keen sense of discernment in a room. She has like very, very sharp spiritual discernment of like what is happening in a room, good or bad, you know, and she can really pick up on things

and I've just learned to lean on that like lean on her gift, you know, and so I think it's identifying to You know, what are your strengths each other's strengths and learning to lean on those things And learning to respect those things if she feels something if we step in a room and she feels something I usually don't feel it necessarily sometimes I do. But sometimes I'm just like, hey, I trust that. And then I can kind of bring my gifts to it of helping to facilitate those moments and lean into those things too. That's so cool. I can see that. Like I was just with you guys in norway of all places and even just watching y'alls worship set. I feel like I can see that even from before

Carrie was texting. Well, she was saying that she really felt like the place that song set a fire. I think it was the song, something like that. And what was so cool is I felt that earlier that day and was worshiping to that song, praying that over the night was so cool is I felt that earlier that day and was worshiping to that song praying that over the night. So we were able to connect on really what God was doing in the room and then I watched y'all facilitate that and bring that into its moment. I was like

that was so cool to see that the Lord dropped something in your spirit and you took it and you ran with it. It was just it was awesome. So you know a lot of people listen to this podcast, always like to say, this might be the type of people who they love Jesus, but they also love the Bachelor at, okay, like they love, okay, they love the ABC. They love the Bachelor at. So I'm sure they would love to know how you and Carrie met. Everybody loves a good love story. So how did you all meet?

Well, we met on the Bachelor at, it's so weird. You say that. Oh, what? What? Missed that season. Dang it. How did you all see that? Well, we met on the bachelor's''''. It's so weird. You say that. Oh, what? What missed that season? Dang it. We met at church, which is a great place to meet somebody. I think the best place to meet somebody.

That's awesome. Yeah, so we met at church in Dallas. We were at a part of Gateway Church there in the Dallas area. And we met serving on a worship team together you know she was at the time when we met she was on staff as a pastor and I was just I just was new to the church I was kind of coming in and just serving in different ways on different worship teams and things and and so we ended up you know leading worship together and then after about a year of knowing each other, it kind of in that

capacity, just being at church together, she invited me to be in her band and travel with her. And so it's interesting because what we do now in ministry, we've been doing it a lot longer than we've been married. So we were just friends, you know, we weren't even really friends when she hired me. She said, I feel like you have this gift on your life and I really want somebody to come in alongside me and help me lead some of these nights. And so she's like, wow, you'd be great for that. Oh my God. Yeah. I'm in. Like, let's go. And so that's how we developed a friendship was leading worship together. And so, you know, we did that for about a year and a half.

And then I moved to Arizona to help plant a church. And so, we did that for about a year and a half and then I moved to Arizona to help plant a church. And so, we stayed friends throughout that journey. And then with the help of some mutual friends, we both started recognizing that maybe there was something there between us because some mutual friends of ours were like, you guys are perfect for each other. Like your idiots for not realizing it. You know?

And so that really kind of helped us, you know. And so, you know, long story short, you know, we started dating long distance, Arizona and Texas. And but we were already such good friends. So it was, it was kind of interesting at the beginning because it was like sitting across the table from one of your best friends talking like, should we date each other?

Like our friends tell us what you're, what does that look like? And it was really fun because we already knew each other so well, and it really felt like God was in it from the beginning. And so yeah, and so we started dating, we were married, we were engaged six months later, we were married three months after that. I mean, we were such good friends

and all of our pastors and people knew us. And as soon as we told them, we were dating. We were like, do you guys think this is a good idea? Everyone gave us the green light, yes. And so, yeah. So we were married shortly after. And yeah, it's been amazing. That is so cool.

I love it. So many things from that story. I think so many of us can learn from. If you're, if you're still single or if you're dating, I think just that note of all of your pastors, all of your friends were so for it. It was so obviously a good thing. And I think a lot of times I actually just was sitting

with a friend yesterday who was talking about a good friend of hers who started dating this guy and they're engaged now and she said, it's just so weird as thing because everyone you know loves her so much and she's always been someone who takes everyone's advice except for in this one area. It's like not willing to listen, unwilling to hear and I've been in that stage in my life sometimes I was dating people that people were saying hey this isn't a good thing. You know you're so wrapped up in the love and the fun.

You're like, no, how can this not be? No one else gets it. No one else understands. No one gets it. No one sees it. And, you know, hindsight 2020, I'm like, oh, wow. Like, yes, they did understand. They saw it.

And now, you know, being with Christian, I'm so grateful that I did listen to that advice. And, you know, when I met Christian and my family loved him and my people loved him. And again, it was this makes sense kind of thing. No, no reservations. It was like this is a good thing. And so you know for those listening I know you want to get married and know you have that desire but man it's so important that you marry the right person that you marry the person that your friends are around, your pastors are around your mentors, your family

that are in support of that. And it just makes all the difference. It makes dating more fun. It makes the engagement season so much sweeter. It makes your wedding showers a lot more pleasant when everybody likes the person that you're married. And so it's just so important. I love that. Gosh, so many questions. So you love the church, which I love that about you and Carrie. I just think that that is so cool. And I want to talk to you later about the

belonging and just all of that. But where does your love for the church start? Tell us a little bit about your upbringing and where you fell in love with church. I was raised in church in Texas. You know, I had two parents that that loved Jesus. And my dad was in played music professionally for over 25 years. And so I just kind of grew up in like music and church and you know serving in church. My mom tells the story about she was in choir practice. I think I was three and there was this little like xylophone, little toys, isylophone in in the church.

And she brought me to choir practice with her and I was just playing it. And I started picking up on melodic things that the choir was singing on the side of the phone. And I started piano lessons at six because that choir teacher was like, when he turned six years old, I'm gonna teach the piano. So I just kinda grew up in just church and really just loving serving church.

I have a genuine love for serving the church and the local church and what that's done for me in my life. And I met Jesus, I got saved when I was eight, at church and our local church and started playing music, started Lee Worshup when I was 13, 14 in our youth group. Wow. Yeah, and I've just been serving church ever since and will will always Serve the local church. It's I think it's so important

Yeah, so just always loved it. It's so cool Talk to me about that importance because you know y'all are Y'all are out in the road all the time y'all are Y'all are such good high leaders of the church But y'all also serve the church, and I've seen that. I get to go to the belonging for a couple years when I lived in Nashville and saw that y'all are such a part of it. What is the fruit that you've seen from y'all's life of just being a part of that local body and kind of pouring in to your local community in Nashville? Whenever you could

really go in y'all do, go everywhere, whenever you could really go in, y'all do, go everywhere. And our part of church moments, but what is that for you all being planted somewhere? Yeah, I think, you know, it's really important to be known and to know people and to know the real things about people's lives, to be invested, you know, in community,

to have, like, to have some skin in the game, you know, you're in with these people. And it's not always pretty. And you gotta work these things. And the Holy Spirit is so good about teaching you things through those situations and you have to be connected with people. I think the enemy wants to get you isolated. That's his number one goal. It's to get you isolated because that's when he can come in and just start to make you go crazy. Basically, speak all kinds of lies to you and it's the community of God that really helps you in those moments.

Say, no, this is what God has said and you got to remember, you know, this is the truth and I think you, you know, being connected, I think God's, you know, first of all, the church is the hope of the world. It's that it is literally the vehicle that God put on the earth to show His glory and to communicate who He is and to show the world where Jesus is. And so I think you have to be, if you're gonna be a Christian, you have to be connected to that in some way, that local body of believers glorifying Jesus. And, but I think it's just good, I think it's just healthy for you.

I think it's good for all of your mental health, your emotional health, when we go out and we're a part of all these church moments, but we come in and out of so many moments. And what we do, that we don't really ever get to know the people that we're leading, unless we're connected in a local church. And I love being on a Sunday. I love leading people. When I look at them, I know what their story is. I know what they're going through.

I know that their hands is. I know what they're going through. I know that their hands raise in this song and what they're believing for is like, you know, their cancer to be healed and for their family to get through this, the situation of losing their job. And I just, I love knowing those things about people and carrying each other's burdens.

And, you know, it's just, it's just healthy. One, it's a command from scripture, you know, to be connected to the church and to gather together as believers, but two, it's just really, really good for you, you know. It's good. That's so good. I cannot have said it better.

Christian and I are involved with our local church here and we love it so much. And I really just got unplugged in over the past few years. And it's just been so good and so healthy for us. And we even say like we want that for our kids. Like our kids are gonna bounce around to these church moments, you know, but we want them to have their church friends and their church family. And just even the women, like so many older women at our church that we

actually, because we've gotten to be such good friends with, they're just prayer warriors. I mean, all these women just completely grayheaded, but they can just call upon heaven and they're praying scripture and they're declaring it over your life. And so I said, hey, can y'all come to a LO conference and just be in the room?

I was like, just be in the room, just be praying. I mean, if there are moments to pray with people, pray with people, but if y'all could just if there are moments to pray with people, pray with people, but if you're not going to just be there, it's just so sweet. Like, you know, the age group at L.O. is typically in their 20s, and then we have younger moms or when we have some moms in their 40s, and then we had all these older women walking around the room. And some of the coolest stories from conference have come from those prayer women's stories of people they get to pray with, people they're women's stories of people they get to

prove people they're still connected with people they went to coffee with the next day and I was like man I would what we wouldn't have had that had not known them from our local church you know and just seeing our people man our pastures wife she was such a huge part of last year's conference we ran out of towels because we did baptisms and so many people get baptized and Miss Trina was over at the church. She was literally pulling curtains. She was pulling tablecloths,

like wrapping it around girls for towels. And I was just like, that's the body. Like that's the church. I was just so beautiful. I think it's so important to respect and honor the generations that have gone before you. It's so biblical. God says that each generation tells the goodness

and the glory of God to the next generation. And so, and I think I've been thinking about this lately that it seems like there's such an attack on disrespect for older generations. Like the enemies come in and there's so many jokes. And so, and it's okay it's okay to like joke about things because generations are so different, you know what I mean? But I think it can easily creep into disrespect.

And that's one of the worst things that could happen is that we don't honor and respect the generation before us because they carry all the wisdom that we don't have. And they carry many more years of the faithfulness of God and seeing God do things and hearing God speak. They carry so much more time with that that we need to glean from and those moments need to be happening.

And so, yeah, it's like, you know, my prayer, one of my prayers lately is that we would be a church, my generation, that's what I'm responsible for, we would be a generation that honors the people that have gone before us and builds connections and builds relationships with that and creates a space and creates an openness to what do you have to say? Like I, I, I, and a humility to learn from you. I don't, I don't know more than you do. Actually, you know more than I do. And so just that, that kind of respect and honors. So key. that kind of respect and honor is so key. And so good. I completely agree. I come from my family.

I'm blessed and thankful to have generations in my family at my great-grandma, still alive. And I always say like, sitting at her feet is like one of my favorite things ever. Even last night, I was just talking to her and we were having dinner and I said, I can't, oh, I said, I said, I said, I read this article the other day.

And I was like, and I think this is so you. I was like, it talked about how people past 70 something, keep their memory more if they're still socializing and in community. And my great-grandma, she is so plugged in with her church. She has so many great-church friends. They play games often during the week. They go to Sunday lunch, every single Sunday together.

They take up a massive table. They have like, I don't even know how many couples they have in their little group. I said, I think that's why you're so sharp. She's not even your zone. And I mean, doesn't miss a beat. And she said, oh, honey, absolutely. She said, that is why.

And because all of her friends are 90, 80 as well. And they're so sharp too. And it's just so cool to see them in community. And that's such a blessing. And then after that, she goes, I'll give you another tip tip. She goes if you can stand on one leg at 70 your guaranteed another 10 years I just I just like a light that's so good I'm sorry. We're doing that now. I know that's why I told her I said okay good to know I'm gonna start doing that and I said can you still do it? She said well that's why I'm in physical therapy

I said we're good so I just I just love it. You're so right. Generations are so important. Can't help but let that leave me to the blessing, just thinking of, and a thousand generations and all the things. And, man, let me tell you something. When I, I mean, I know everybody has their story with the blessing. That song has just blessed so many people's life. But I got to sing that song when I was pregnant with honey and it was such a gift. Man, it literally makes me tear out because of how many Sundays they sang that at our church and I would put my hands on my belly and I would raise my other hand. And I remember one Sunday and we were singing that song and Christian for some reason he was teaching a class. That was some reason he was teaching a class

That was it he was teaching a class church. I was in there by myself and how was his worshiping and how my my my hand on that I've only and praying over honey and declaring that over her life and the security guardic church came over and He was like I can't wait to see you step into being a mom Just watching you pray over her already and worship over her It was just a sweet moment and now as sing that song to her when she goes to sleep every night. And so, it's just been, I know, I know, she knows that song. And so, it's just cool. I mean, it's just so beautiful, like the song's out written

that I've reached the church. When you write a song like the blessing, what does the room look like? What did that look like when you are sitting around and you just start writing? Are y'all as impacted as as it is or are y'all do you even know like? This is good, you know, because I feel like sometimes when you're creating on one some hand You can be like man. I'm so moved by this. I don't even care if anybody else is just that good And then sometimes you can be like no, this is really special like God's really on this. I don't even care if anybody else is just that good. And then sometimes you can be like, no, this is really special.

Like God's really on this. What was that moment like? Yeah, I mean, I think any song that I've been a part of, that has, has it really impacted people, I could tell you a story about each one of them and all the stories are different. But the thing that is consistent is that the glory of God was in the room at that time.

And I think, you know, now when I write songs, I've realized that that is the goal in a songwriting session. And whether or not the song ends up being good and beings up being used or not, the goal is to chase the glory of God with your friends, you know, because a lot of times you're interroomed with other people and you're collaborating and you're sitting down and you're just chasing after what are we supposed to write today? What's on our hearts? What does God want us to say? What scriptures are coming alive for us? How do we put those to music?

But really, writing the blessing was, it started with an idea around number six. What if we write a song around this blessing? And as soon as we leaned into it, we felt the presence of God come in the room in such a unique way. We had actually been writing for, already writing for eight hours, and we wrote a different song earlier that day,

and we were kinda wrapping up, get ready to go home, and then this idea happened, so we stayed longer, we stayed till about midnight, that night. And it just felt like the glory of God came in the room in a different way, all of a sudden. And that in that way, it does feel special.

You do feel like, okay, this is really, this feels really powerful to us in this moment. And we know that God is here. And but there is such a mystery to it still of you have no idea what a song is going to do and how God is going to bring it. And it's actually one of my favorite things about creating songs is that I kind of, I get to like do my little part and, you know, putting, like hearing God and trying to put it to paper as best I can and putting its amelody. And then I, that's kind of, and then my job is done at that point. And anything beyond the creation of it,

God is involved very much in that space, but I also, he lets me have my hands in it in that space. But beyond that, God breathes on a song and God does what he does. It's only him and it's unbelievable to what, like with the blessing, it was just unbelievable because we were literally so removed from any part of that song going around the world because we were in lockdown, you know.

We wrote the song a week and a half before the country shut down and we released it like a week result of here's where we are. It was literally this moment where God just chose to drop this song in a room and we had no idea what was coming, you know. And so the whole thing just feels, you really just feel like you get to be a part of something that God is doing. And you say, you sing in it over honey in your belly while the song's going on. We were doing the same thing. We were singing it over our kids, you know, while we're locked down.

And it was as if we weren't a part of the song. It was as if we recognized that this song was so much bigger than us. And I would have moments from like, I can't believe I got to be a part of writing this, because this song is ministering to our family in this moment. Like, we're trying to get through this,

these waves of fear and uncertainty and like we're singing this over our kids at night and like, all right, we're clinging to the promises of God. And then it would be like, oh yeah, we wrote this. You know, I was like, wow, that's so cool. We got to be a part of writing it really. It felt like God just kind of dropped it in a room.

And, but it is a beautiful thing to be a part of. You just never know. That's so cool. And the stories are unbelievable. And we just say thank you Jesus that you gave something in that season to carry us through. That's so cool. It's so cool to hear that. It was such a blessing for y'all too, that y'all got to sing it over and it felt so fresh and it felt because it is so good and I was actually going to ask you that. It's funny I remember now because I remember a week after, I guess that we're going to

have two weeks after lockdown happened. We went to visit Christian's family in Florida and I do not run. I cannot even tell you besides this one moment the last time I ran. So whenever I say this, I'm not even going to act like I'm a runner and people are like, well, no, I don't run ever. And that song came out and it was the live version first, you know, and it was so big. And it was so exciting and that those promises and, but whenever I get excited in church, I'm like, oh man, like, I just want to go.

You know, and so I heard that song and I'm like, Christian, I'm like, oh man, I just wanna go. You know, and so I heard that song, and I'm like, Christian, I'm gonna go run. I have never, I mean, litter that might be the only mile I have ran since high school. And I ran a solid mile. I was thinking to that side, and it was just, I know, it was just so funny. So thinking about this moment I've had

with that song and thinking, man, so many people around the entire world have had that. It's such a blessing and so cool that God did that. I actually read somewhere, I saw somewhere that you said that sometimes in your writing songs, you really envision the room where you see the people. And it's so interesting because I do the same thing. If I'm writing a message, it's almost like God gives me a vision of the room I'm talking to.

And sometimes even I can like see myself preaching something that I'm like, okay, that's what I'm supposed to say. And I'll write it down. And it's really crazy because then when I step into that moment weeks later, and I'm on that stage in that room preaching that thing, God said, those are the moments that actually have the power in them because that's the in that room preaching that thing, God said, those are the moments that actually have the power in them, because that's the thing that God dropped in the private space. So what is that like, just the process of, as you're sitting there envisioning who you're kind of

singing to, is that something that God gives you that vision or is that something that you're kind of searching for to get an understanding of where you're going? Yeah, I think it'll be, it's very similar to what you just said. I think it's waves of, it's like waves of pictures that God just kind of gives when you're in a creative space, you know. That's something we never say search for, but it's just like, you'll just, it'll just hit you, like you said. Yeah. Oh wow, I can see this, you know. And I think the heart of that is, you know, when we're

writing songs for the church are our main two main objectives are one to minister to the Lord and two to serve people, you know, and so the serving people part of that is so key because, you know, when we're writing songs, we're thinking about, I really want this song to connect people to the heart of God. I really want them, I want it to see something they understand. I want it to be something that they can sing. I want it to be, but I also want it to be something that could be, is maybe creatively beautiful and maybe it says, it gives people language to say something to God they've been trying to say for a long time.

That's one of the best compliments I've ever gotten about a song is, I've been trying to say that to God for a long time. That's one of the best compliments I've ever gotten about a song is I've been trying to say that to God for a long time and the song finally gave me the language for it. I was blown away by that. I'm like that is such a beautiful picture. That's what I what I want to do as a songwriter as a communicator in any way. So you are you are getting those visions and it is really sweet. It is crazy when the vision you had and then the reality come together and you actually are living in that moment. It's just, that's just a gift God gives you

because it's so special. You know, you're just like, I can't believe this is actually happening. You know? That's so true. That's my boy. I wanna say the same thing. It's not really something you can search for,

even strive to see. It's like, it literally feels like God gives you a gift of a vision in a moment. And I think that it comes from maybe getting away with him, sitting with him, seeking him, and then in return, he gives you maybe the picture of what he's gonna do. So that's so cool.

So if you're a creative person out there, if you're a writer or speaker, whatever you are, just getting with the Lord and asking him Just for more of him and what he's doing in a space what he wants for his church What he wants for the people around you in your space who give you those little visions and you just get to step into that It's like hey, here's the plan like go go walk forward and so that's's cool. Oh man, there's so many things. One thing that I thought of when you were just saying that is just giving you the words to say to God. And I think when I think of your songs, I think Chrissy magnified the bridge of that song. Well, I love the whole song. But the bridge specifically is definitely words

that I like, I feel like that is how I want to live my life. Like that is my life. Like that is like, well, that's what I want in my life to be. I hope my life is like that. And that is like the words that you gave me and all of us to declare over our life. I won't be formed by feelings. I'll hold fast to what it's you're like, yes.

There's a generation need to hear that absolutely. And so I definitely can see some of the words in your songs that have given me language, even to say to God, that I've wanted to say that I've wanted to live out. So that's super cool. So you have a new album out. God is good. Super, super stoked for this.

The songs are all out now, but even the ones in the first round that I'm in putting out every time you drop when I was just so excited to listen to the next one. I want to ask you about just just because you're so rooted in scripture with the songs that you write. What were some of the scriptures that you were excited about that kind of blood into this album? Yeah, I mean, there's so many, like I said, in those writing sessions a lot of times, I've

got this massive, it's really cool, this massive red Bible here. This big old thing. It's so cool. And this is like my studio Bible. And it's when you open it, it just feels so like holy when you open it, because it's just so massive. You know, that's awesome. That's cool. And but anyway, so like, you know, a lot of times in sessions, it's, we're just

scouring through that. You know, Psalm 34, I should just pull it up in my big red Bible right here. Psalm 34 is kind of like a big theme throughout, which is just, I will praise the Lord at all times, his praise will be on my lips. I saw the Lord and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears. Verse eight, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. And so, you know, really this, this album title, God is good. It kind of came from me looking back on the songs that I had written over the last 18 months and unintentionally realizing that a lot of the songs had good in the title. A lot of the songs were about the good of God.

Two goods to not believe. There's a song called Good Can't Be Anything Else. There's a song called Good to Be Loved. So it was just like several songs. I'm like, man, there's a lot of good in these songs, you know. And so as I prayed into that, you know, I saw the Billboard that's on the cover now. I saw like this billboard that just said that statement. You know, God is good, exclamation mark. You know, and I just thought, man, what a one. It's something that we've said and heard for decades. You know.

Yeah. But I felt like right now in this time, there was such a potency to that statement though, because we've come out of this season of everything kind of falling apart and being thrown into the biggest chaos and turmoil and head spinning kind of season that maybe any of us have ever lived through. And so you come out of that season

and it's like everybody's kind of trying to figure out, okay, what actually is true and what actually is right. And I think everything comes into question at that point. And I think one of the things that have come into question is, is God really good? Is he really who he says he is? Is Jesus really died?

Is this really, you know, these like foundational truths of scripture that now all of a sudden you can kind of pick up on people posting things or something of like, oh my goodness, we're questioning that now, of a sudden you can kind of pick up on people posting things or something of like, oh my goodness, we're questioning that now, you know. And I think I, as an artist, I just wanted to reiterate the statement, God is good, God is who He says He is. We can trust Him, we can believe in Him. He's the only thing that's constant and consistent at this point in our lives. Everything else has been shaken, God is not, you know. And so I think the songs just kind of naturally,

they kind of themed themselves. You know, when I looked back, I said, I thought, man, I wanna say, you know, I wanna make a statement, a bold statement like a billboard, God is good. And I think the feeling I have for this album is like when you go to, you know, if you're like really struggling with something, if you're like, if your head is spinning, if you're kind of in fear, or you're really like trying to figure something out,

and you need to like go to coffee with a good friend, you know, and you just, I just need to talk and kind of process. And you know, when you go to coffee with that good friend, it's like that good friend can kind of hear all of the things that you're that your head is spinning about and they can just kind of go, well, here's the truth. And and here, you know, God, remember, this is the promise of God. I remember God really loves you. And remember, remember, this is the truth about it. And you can kind of leave that meeting going, oh, man, I feel so much better because I feel like somebody just kind of kind of like grab me and just said, here's the truth. Stop your head and stop spinning now. And it's like, yes, thank you.

I really pray that this album is that good friend at coffee. You know, it's coming out of this season of chaos and the album is full of joy and it's full of hope. And we laughed a lot recording this album. Just, you know, I think you can feel it. And to come out of a season, where things are, we're living down the repercussions of depression and anxiety and all these things

of this season, I've, I've, I've, I've played this album is in these scriptures in this album really are the good friend at coffee. Like, remember, here's the truth, like remember God is good. Like we can take, we can find our hope in that. And we've, we're in the family of God like we're okay. We're gonna be fine.

You know? That's cool. So that's my prayer for this record and these songs. That is so good. My gosh, that's so good. I'm so excited people are gonna have that because people absolutely need that right now. And I think, you know, the past few years

that we walked through are so interesting because also not only has it been so hard and things have been you know really bad at times but also like truth has been questioned and truth is so relative to so many people and what is truth and I think that's why when you say you look at these foundational verses and we're like that's being questioned because it seems like everything's being questioned and I think it's such a dangerous place to be because we know our feelings will lie to us You know, we know that the enemy is going to lie to us every single day

And so if we don't have a truth that's solid then and if we don't have feelings that are solid Then you see a very shake in generation, you know, you see people who how do you get out of that anxiety? How do you get out of that depression? How do you get out of that depression? How do you get out of that just, everything is bad mentality when you don't have feelings that are good and you don't have truth that is a staple. And so that's why the Bible, being the foundation that it is, being the truth that it is, and standing the test of time for thousands of years,

being the same yesterday as yesterday and the same God who was the God of azy ganibar azy agarium jaco I was like this is gonna be wrong I exactly you know what is so funny look this is so me I'm having a series of what I started on I watched a video yesterday of a girl who kept messing up. She kept trying to say, spoon and fork, and she kept messing it up, and I was making fun of her. And today I say,

Aisik. That's fork is a thing though. That's fork is real. So that's, she wasn't wrong. She wasn't wrong. But the video was cracking me up and that is it today. That's too good.

Anywho if I can get back to reality. I just think it is something that you have to cling to. You know, you have to take that as truth. I mean, the Bible is, Jesus says, I am the way the truth and the life. Whoever, you know, wants to get to the Father has to come through me. And so, you know, when we go through Jesus and we get to the Father, the goodness of who God is, just is exuding over our life, to banner over our life. That doesn't mean that everything in life is good,

but you're so right. God is good. And the fruit of who He is is so good. And that's why you have peace and you have joy and you have this love despite what your circumstances look like. And so I love what you're doing. I love what you're preaching and singing and leading. You're y'all going on tour anything that we need to know about because I'm gonna try to be there and I know so many people are going to. Is there a God is good

tour coming up? There is a God is a good tour it's in February. We're starting with eight cities, eight nights. And you can find details on my website or whatever. It's out there. But yeah, we're gonna bring the tour. And it'll be my first time, my first ever headlining tour. Doing a lot of these songs,

doing a lot of my older songs. I'll have my friend Benjamin William Hastings with me as well. Cool. Leading all of his amazing songs. And so it's gonna be a really, yeah, special night. I'm excited. That's awesome.

It's so good. I was just writing down some of my favorites of your songs. And I was like, these are like my favorite worship songs. This isn't just like my favorite Cody Karn songs. These are like my favorite worship songs. Nothing else. Run to the Father. Christy modified the blessing.

And then all these new ones that we're getting to dive into and love and learn and Just anchor over our life. So so thank you. Truly thank you for what you and Carrie both do the lives I'll leave thank you for doing it with your kids. It's a great example It's a Christian and I don't know so many people I know a lot of people think that when you have kids, you know Everything's over and I just don't believe that I think that when you have kids, you know, everything's over. And I just don't believe that. I believe that when you have kids,

they get added into what God's doing in your family. And they're like, and I think God put something in them that is so specific to the mission of your family. And so I just love watching that in your life. And super excited. So congrats on your new album. And thanks for taking time to pour into our life. Thanks for having me.