Next CD Coming Sooner, New Single Clues, The Draft |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
Is it my imagination, or is there a draft in here? Greetings from Pittsburgh PA, home of the 2026 NFL Draft! Last night, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the city had broken the first-round attendance record for the event. The previous record of 275,000 fans was set in Detroit in 2024. Last night, there were 320,000!
I live less than five miles from the site. No, I did not attend. See the last sentence of the previous paragraph for clues as to why. Does that make me a draft dodger? I watched in on TV. My wife, Lisa, and I may go tomorrow for rounds four through seven. Those take place in the afternoon, not at night, and they might be a little less crowded.
ApX bassist Keith Haynie will be present tonight with his daughter Abby for the second and third round. They’ve been there all afternoon. I asked him for a photo I could use here, and he sent me the one below with this comment, "There was a line for everything. I pretended to be lost and my friend Mike took a picture of me behind one of the rings. Not actual rings though.” |
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Good ol’ Keith! Although Abby isn’t in the photo, you should recognize her from occasional appearances as lead female vocalist on the ApX parodies "Bought by the Egyptians,” “Don’t Scoff,” “Jesus (Sermon on the Mount),” “Get the Barber Started,” “Samson & Delilah,” and “I Saw Messiah.”
She also sang backing female vocals on “For Just You,” “Heaven’s Gonna Lift You Up,” “Elizabeth’s Song,” and the live versions of “Meshach” and the “Anniversary Medley” on our 20:20 Vision CD. In addition to that, Abby plays drums for our church worship team (Keith plays guitar, as does ApX alum guitarist Tom Milnes).
But Abby has strong football connections, too. She was a member of the Pittsburgh Passion women’s professional football team in 2024 and 2025, playing against teams from Birmingham AL, Washington D.C., Tampa FL, Boston MA, New York NY, and Columbus OH.
Last fall, she got the job as the first-ever women’s flag football coach at Allegheny College in Meadville PA. In case you haven’t been paying attention, flag football has become a pretty big deal in recent years. In fact, it’ll make its Olympic debut as the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Here’s a three-minute promotional video where Abby talks about the sport and her team: |
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OK, the draft has already started, so I’m going to sign off now. See below for info on our new CD and our upcoming single. Ooh! One piece of good news: We just got word from our manufacturer that our CD should be arriving by May 14, a week earlier than we announced this past Monday! Praise the Lord! |
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Buy Our Next CD, Get One Free (Choose From 49 Titles) |
Our 82nd CD, ApologetiX ‘82, is now expected to be in stock by May 14, a week earlier than we originally thought. We’ll begin shipping shortly thereafter. It features parodies of a dozen hits from the 1982.
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Order now, and you’ll get the MP3 download immediately. You’ll also get an extra ApologetiX ‘82 CD free with every ApologetiX ‘82 CD you buy. Or choose from 49 other titles as your free extra CD(s).
The free CD(s) won't appear in your shopping cart but will be mailed with your order. If you'd prefer to get a different CD as your free CD, choose from the titles on the list below and write it in the “Notes” field at checkout. If no CDs are listed in the “Notes” at checkout, we'll send ApologetiX ‘82 as your free CD(s). Only the titles on the list are available. |
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ApologetiX ’82 You’re in the Eighties Now Louder Than Plaid Quite Ironic ApologetiX ‘77 X-Tract Zedekiah, Hezekiah, Jeroboam & Other Guys ApologetiX ‘74 Unchained Medley Play It Again, Samson Just Reword Septuagint Eclectic Vision Gets Clearer as We Get Closer Kinda Stuffy Rock's in Their Heads Come See, Come Saw Apolog80s: Back from the Future Never Before, but Then Again Get Rich Quick Overdue Books Decent Alternative Braggadocious
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For every copy of ApologetiX ‘82 you order, you can select one title from the list above. For example, if you order five copies of ApologetiX ‘82, you can select five different titles (or five of the same title) from that list. |
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The Story Behind Our Next CD |
Our 82nd CD, ApologetiX '82, is a loving look (through biblical lenses) at the music of 1982, the year ApX singer/lyricist J. Jackson graduated high school. "It was by far the most incredible, influential year of my life up to that point," he says. "I got the lead male role in our high-school musical and became the lead singer in my first real rock band. The thrill of being on stage for both of those experiences kindled the dream in my heart of someday singing for a living. "Shortly after starting college that fall, I got occasional visits from a guy with The Navigators, a Christian ministry that shares the Gospel and helps people grow in the Lord. After one particular visit, I remember feeling like I'd made some kind of deeper commitment to God, although I wasn't exactly sure what I'd done. "Unfortunately, I didn't follow through as immediately or wholeheartedly as I'd intended. But it definitely helped plant seeds for something incredible that happened about five years later ... the moment where I finally surrendered to Christ and decided there was no turning back." Nine songs spoofed on this album were Top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100; the others made the Top 10 on the Billboard rock chart. They're all presented in chronological order of when they peaked on the Hot 100, except "Sole Survivor," which was only released to rock radio, peaking on that chart on May 29, 1982.
And now here’s a look at the songs we spoofed, the artists who performed them, the chart positions they reached, and the years they peaked: |
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We hope to release our seventh single of 2026 by the end of this weekend, Lord willing, although it may take a little longer. Please be patient.
Here are your clues. Want to really impress us? See if you can spot all of the references in both entries. We counted a total of 18. |
SONG 1
Have you heard the story of Jesus raising Lazarus? Probably, but let's double back to John 11 and tell it again. Jesus wept at His friend's tomb but didn’t go through the same stages of grief as us. He knew everything would work out. Mary and Martha, however, went from the threshold of a breakdown to delirious happiness. What would you do? |
SONG 2
Maybe someday, critics of the Bible will actually read it through before having an emotional meltdown when it’s brought up. Those who read with an open mind get the big picture and tend to come back for more. Maybe you’re just getting started, but keep it up; you’ll be much wiser when it’s over. It’s your life, but why not take the chance of a lifetime? |
Once the new single is released, we'll announce it in our news bulletin, on our website, and on our Facebook page. |
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New USBs Include Songbook & New CD, Too |
Two weeks before last Christmas, we offered a deluxe USB thumb drive that proved to be popular with fans.
It included the digital versions of all of our CDs, plus any singles, EPs, or rarities that aren't on CD, but it also included the latest edition of our digital songbook (1992–2024), which is not on our standard USB. We had just enough of them to get us through the holidays.
With Easter around the corner, we’re happy to announce that we have a new batch in stock.
And this time, they not only include the songbook, they also include our new CD, Everything But, plus the two new singles (four songs) we’ve released thus far in 2026.
The songbook is 1359 pages long with lyrics and commentaries for each song, photos, articles, discographies, and multiple indexes (parody title, topic, original song title, original artist, year the original was a hit, and Bible verses covered)! Sorry, no sheet music.
Emblazoned with the band's logo, the USBs have a storage capacity of 16 GB, and they’re write-enabled, so you can add more music to them if and when you get future ApX downloads.
We only have 85 of these USBs in stock. They're available for a donation of $150 or more each. Multiple copies are available for $100 each.
ALL THAT, PLUS THIS ...
If you order one or more of these USBs, we’ll also email you a PDF of our complete library AND a link to download the songbook directly to your computer. That way, if you're getting the USB for somebody as a gift, you'll also get digital copies of our library and songbook for your own collection. Or vice versa.
NOTE: If you wish to order the digital songbook or the complete library without the USB, those options are still available. |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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Bible-Reading Plan for 2026 |
We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
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Luke 6:12-13 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles … |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
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