Philip Renner – Carrying The Fire

click to buy

The younger Renner’s rise in music isn’t so different from his father’s role in the burgeoning Christian movement. Though he had a knack for lyricism and considerable talent, Renner walked away from music, recognizing he needed time to mature and right his own relationship with Christ. So he moved on, still with the words “Later, better, different” in his mind.

What he didn’t count on was working for MTV.

“A few years later I started doing voice lessons. The guy I did voice lessons with was in Russian show business, and he said, ‘You write great lyrics. Why don’t you do this for MTV?’ And I was like, ‘Man, I said goodbye to music…’

“He said, ‘Let me tell you something. You’re good at this. And Russia needs this.’”

As English music became more popular with Russian youth, Russian artists needed help with songwriting and coaching. Renner now realizes the ministry of his time at MTV, not just in writing positive songs, but also in bringing the presence of Jesus into that world. “A lot of [the people I worked with] said, ‘I never thought a Christian could be professional, or on time, or make me work, or be my friend.’”

CLICK “4” TO ADVANCE