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The Alisa Childers Podcast

#349 Hidden Sin, Near Divorce, and the Christian Music Machine, with Michael O’Brien

The Alisa Childers Podcast

Alisa Childers

Spirituality, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.95.4K Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2026

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today’s conversation is a candid and at times sobering look inside the contemporary Christian music industry—where calling, platform, pressure, and spiritual warfare often collide. My guest is Michael O’Brien, beloved solo artist from the ’90s and former lead singer of NewSong. Michael opens up about the grueling pace of life on the road, the hidden sins that nearly cost him his marriage, and how the Lord used conviction, repentance, counseling, and a renewed love for Scripture to rebuild what was breaking.

We also talk honestly about the “machine” that can form around Christian celebrity, how easy it is for sin to stay buried in public ministry, and why true reform in the Christian music world won’t come through branding—but through humility, servant leadership, and gospel purity. Along the way, we discuss the current cultural moment, the renewed interest in church and Christianity, and why discernment is more important than ever—especially for brand-new believers who are hungry, hopeful, and vulnerable to bad theology.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

which, you know, Jesus was the greatest leader of all time,

0:02.4

but he was the greatest servant that ever lived as well.

0:05.5

So he was both.

0:07.3

And he's our example, ultimately.

0:10.4

I just think you have to get off your high horse.

0:12.8

Yeah.

0:13.4

And I was on a high horse for a long time.

0:17.0

And I trampled on people to my shame and to the shame of the Lord. And I heard a lot of people

0:24.9

along the way. And I almost lost my family because of it. I almost lost my wife. I'm married for 36

0:30.4

years now by the grace of God. And I think, you know, going through that experience, it's just

0:35.0

helped me to appreciate every opportunity that I have.

0:48.1

I want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Brave Books, which is a wonderful

0:52.6

children's entertainment company.

0:58.8

They have books. They have a streaming platform. Check them out at Bravebooks.com slash Childers and use the code Childers for 20% off your purchase. Well, hey everyone, welcome to the show.

1:04.2

I'm Alisa Childers. This is the Elisa Childers podcast. And I am officially back from my sabbatical.

1:10.0

I feel refreshed and excited to talk about all the

1:13.7

things in 2026. I was reflecting during my sabbatical on 2025. And what a crazy year that was.

1:20.9

There was a lot of very difficult things to discern through the year of 2025. But what I was

1:26.8

reflecting on was how thankful I am, how grateful I am

1:30.4

to the Lord for giving us all the tools we need to discern whatever comes our way. We as the church

1:36.0

have the same word of God that the church has stood on for 2,000 years. We are filled with the same

1:41.1

Holy Spirit that has indwelt every believer in Christ since

...

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