After three decades in the Christian music industry, Mac Powell is returning to the basics with his new solo album “I Love Jesus,” released this week. The album’s catchy, bold title track and lead single emerged spontaneously during a songwriting session, Powell revealed.

“I was driving to Nashville for a writing session, and I didn’t have any ideas, which is very rare for me,” Powell recalled. “I literally pulled up to the driveway, and it just popped in my head: ‘I love Jesus.'”

Powell said he was surprised to find that a song with such a straightforward title hadn’t been widely recorded before. “I walked in and said, ‘Guys, I’ve got the name of the song. That’s it: I love Jesus,'” Powell said. “They said, ‘Well, surely that’s been taken,’ and it hadn’t been. So, we started working on it, and I was so excited about how the song turned out.”

For Powell, the simplicity of the message is the song’s strength. As a longtime artist who has navigated the evolving landscape of Christian music, first as founder and vocalist of the supergroup Third Day he recognizes the temptation to complicate the gospel.

“I think sometimes we as artists, especially, but even as churches, we try to be very creative and come up with different ways to reach people, different ways of sharing the gospel,” Powell said. “And really, man, we just gotta come back to that simplicity of ‘I love Jesus.'”

The idea of wearing faith-based apparel that boldly proclaims one’s love for Christ also excites Powell. He envisions families singing along to the song together in their cars, or strangers striking up conversations about the message on someone’s hat or T-shirt.

“I love the idea that someone’s going to have a hat or a bracelet or a T-shirt that makes that proclamation,” Powell said. “What better can we sing together as a family than those words, ‘I love Jesus,’ and that making that proclamation?”

Another song on the new project is the rousing opener, “Like It’s Nothing,” which Powell has been debuting during his recent live shows.

“It’s a song that talks about God’s strength and his not tiring of doing work and doing miracles,” he said. “He doesn’t grow weary. He doesn’t grow tired. And I truly believe with all my heart, that the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament—God working through Moses to part the Red Sea, or saving Daniel in the Lion’s Den—all these stories that we’ve heard since we were on Sunday school, Jesus feeding the 5000, healing the sick . . . we serve that same God.”

In addition to the new album, Powell is also reflecting on a major milestone for Third Day. The group recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their acclaimed album “Time,” which Powell considers one of his favorites.

“(After it re-released), one morning, I’m driving my little girls to school, and I thought, ‘Well, I haven’t heard this record in a long time,’ and I’ve always told people is one of my favorites if not my favorite, Third Day record,” he said.

The anniversary sparked a flurry of conversations between Powell and his former bandmates, as they reminisced about the making of the album and the memories it evokes.

“I started listening to it, and then all those memories come back about making the record and touring the record,” Powell said. “And so, wanting to clear up my 51-year-old foggy brain, I start calling the guys going, ‘Give me your thoughts. You know, what happened here? What happened there? What were we thinking when we did this song?'”

While Powell is embracing the freedom of his solo career, he still cherishes the camaraderie of his time with Third Day. The band’s reunion and the re-release of “Time” have allowed him to reconnect with his former bandmates and revisit the music that defined a significant chapter of his life.

“I do love that freedom,” Powell said of his solo work. “You know, there’s a lot that I miss about the band. I miss the guys, and we’ve all been talking a lot together lately, probably more recently than in past years.”

As Powell looks to the future, he’s excited about the opportunity to share songs from “I Love Jesus” with audiences. After his current tour with Casting Crowns, We the Kingdom, David Leonard, and Katy Nichole, he’ll go back out with Danny Gokey, Tasha Layton, and Seph Schlueter. “It’s going to be a fun tour,” Powell said.

“I Love Jesus” is now available to stream at this link.

DEWAYNE HAMBY has covered faith-based music, movies, television, books, and the retail industry for more than 30 years. He is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the author of the book Gratitude Adjustment. Connect with him at on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.