I have to admit that it’s not every day that an old buddy of mine is profiled in Time:

There are two paths to music immortality: the Prince route and the Patty and Mildred Hill route. In the Prince model, you write a piece of music that people love so much, they seek it out, download it and turn up the radio whenever it comes on. The Hill sisters model is trickier; they composed the melody for Happy Birthday to You. They achieved their fame by writing a tune that people don’t listen to so much as sing.
Chris Tomlin belongs in the second camp. People sing his songs a lot, often repeatedly. Specifically, they sing them in church. According to Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), an organization that licenses music to churches, Tomlin, 34, is the most often sung contemporary artist in U.S. congregations every week. Since glee clubs have fallen out of popularity, that might make Tomlin the most often sung artist anywhere.

Chris started his ministry at my family’s church in The Woodlands when he was freshly graduated from Texas A&M University, and we hit it off immediately. He has sinced moved on to base his ministry in a church comprised of mostly students and young couples in Austin, but we stay in touch as his career continues to flourish. The success that Chris is experiencing could not happen to a nicer fellow and is a testament to his grace and humility. But he still does lose control on the golf course at times. I’m helping him work on that. ;^)