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Part Two
On this show we will conclude the interview with Mike Herrera. In this second of two parts, Mike answers my son Tim’s question about tatoos, he makes an announcement about MxPx that hasn’t been heard anywhere else, and we’ve got some of the new Tumbledown music for you.
Thanks again to Mike Herrera for spending time with us here on Lifespring. Be sure you go right out and pick up a copy of Tumbledown’s new album, Empty Bottle, right here. You can see the video for Arrested In El Paso Blues there.
Why This Interview?
So what’s all of this got to do with what Lifespring is all about? Let’s review what Lifespring is:
Jesus said, “…whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” It doesn’t matter where you’re at. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter your age, your sex, your station in life. Jesus said “Who do you say that I am?”
Lifespring is about answering that question and the question of how and why the answer can and does affect your life today!
What will you find here? Music, conversation, and reasons to believe.
We’ve had a fun conversation with a guy who openly proclaims that he is a Christian, a believer in this Jesus. Mike Herrera is living his life and playing his music in a way that takes him to where the people who need to experience the love of God are. He’s not a preacher, he’s said, but as his thousands and thousands of fans know, the overarching direction of his music is undeniably one of encouragement. A well known Christian artist once said to me that not all music has to be a Sunday School lesson. I agree with that. Sunday School is not where we find the people who haven’t heard the message. We have to go where they are, be with them, laugh with them, eat with them, cry with them, and yes, even enjoy music with them. Mike Herrera’s been doing that since he was a kid in Bremerton, Washington.
On this episode, I’ve got a real different show for you. It’s a conversation with Mike Herrera, most notably of MxPx fame.
In case you don’t know about MxPx, it’s a group that was founded back in 1992, and has, in the words of Wikipedia, “connections to the Christian punk scene.” While all four members are Christians, they don’t call MxPx a Christian band. Mike Herrera, who has written the bulk of their songs, of which there are many, says of their faith, “We are Christian. It’s not a cult or something. It’s part of our story and I guess it’s different and controversial. But it’s a personal thing. It’s what we choose to believe. That’s all there is to it. We don’t preach to anyone.”
So there’s that.
But this conversation with Mike only touches on MxPx in a few places. Most of our conversation is in relation to another of Mike’s groups, called Tumbledown. Now if you are the kind of person who is easily offended by someone who professes to be a Christian, but is open about drinking alcohol, has tatoos, and doesn’t sing praise and worship music all the time, you might have a hard time with this interview. I understand that. I have family members who might easily fall into that camp.
But I’ve made it clear on past episodes of Lifespring that my belief is that the Bible speaks against drunkenness, not alcohol. And I’ve done a show about tattoos, in which I said that while I don’t personally like them, and prefer that my kids not have them, tattoos are not forbidden by scripture. Now, if you disagree, listen to that show before you send your email. By the way, my oldest son, who is 28, has several tattoos, with a full sleeve on his left arm, and work is progressing on his right arm to complete the sleeve there. Dad’s not happy about it, but he made the choice to do them as an adult. I love my son, and always will. He has played bass in his church worship band for many years and loves the Lord. Of that I have no doubt, and am proud of him to my very core.
So, with that said, let me say that I am a fan of Mike Herrera’s Tumbledown and the new album, entitled “Empty Bottle”. This is not a Christian album by any stretch of the imagination, but there is an undercurrent running through it, that, when I mentioned it to Mike during our conversation, it seemed as if he hadn’t even consciously realized. You can listen for that, and perhaps some surprising words about tattoos. Also, Mike makes some exclusive announcements to us that have not been made public heretofore! how cool is that?
One more difference with today’s interview is that I asked my youngest son, Timothy to join me in the conversation. Tim’s a huge fan, just like his older brothers, and I thought it would be fun to get a teen’s involvement, too.
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ON TODAY’S SHOW
We’ve got a jam packed show today. We talk about the “Ten Commandments vs Faith”, and because so many of you have asked me about my opinion of the best selling book, the Shack, I give my review.
“Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus”
Buy at 
Buy at 
