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Christian music stars gather for 2021 Dove Awards: ‘One big family reunion’
NASHVILLE — Contemporary Christian music legends and rising stars in the industry descended on Lipscomb University’s Allen Arena for the 52nd Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, the biggest annual event in Christian music.
Ahead of the ceremony, The Christian Post spoke to some of the industry’s top names, from Lauren Daigle and Lecrae to Maverick City and Elevation Worship — one of this year’s most-nominated groups.
“I’m really excited about just seeing a big crowd,” gospel singer Jonathan McReynolds, who hosted the Tuesday night awards alongside Natalie Grant, told The Christian Post. “It’s been a while. I’m just so excited about the performances.”
“It’s one big family reunion,” worship singer Jenn Johnson of Bethel Music agreed. “I’m just so happy to be here, celebrating, seeing all of my friends.”
Though the GMA did a “great job” of being creative with last year’s awards — which were entirely virtual due to restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic — Joel Smallbone of for King & Country, a band nominated for Artist of the Year, stressed that there’s “something spiritual and beautiful about being together.”
“We love the sentiment of ‘Stronger Together,’” he said, referencing this year’s theme.
Southern gospel artist Jason Crabb emphasized that “there is nothing like the Dove Awards,” adding: “Everybody being here — you can feel it. The embraces are a little tighter this year.”
Voted on by the GMA Professional Membership, this year’s nominees were chosen from over 4,600 submitted entries.
The event featured performances from CeCe Winans, Lauren Daigle, Maverick City Music, Elevation Worship, Hope Darst and more.
Elevation Worship and artist Brandon Lake are this year’s top nominated artists with seven nominations each. For King & Country earned six nominations. CeCe Winans, Ed Cash, Tiffany Hammer Hudson and Zach Williams each received five nominations.
“All of us are just like church people. We love serving the local church,” Chris Brown of Elevation Worship told CP. “It’s why we got into it. It’s what we’ve given our lives to. Worship is what we do. Our church has just been writing songs for years, and that turned into recording albums. And that turned into this. It’s wild.”
Darst, who was nominated for Best New Artist of the Year, gave God all the praise for her journey to success.
“It’s surreal; I mean 20 years ago, I was working behind the scenes for GMA and talent, making sure everybody got here,” she reflected. “I never imagined that I would be back here 20 years later. But God has a way of doing the unexpected in our lives. … Because it’s been such a long time coming, I’ve been able to soak it in and just really be so grateful and recognize that every room you get to be in, you get to tell the story of Jesus.”
Maverick City Music, also nominated for Best New Artist of the Year, credited their crossover success to the “honesty” in their music.
“It’s about [God’s] consistency, His goodness, His faithfulness. I think, really, that’s something we can all agree on,” Maverick City Music’s Naomi Raine told CP.
Artists spoke of the positive trends in CCM, from the collaborations seen across genres to artists’ willingness to talk about challenging issues like doubt, regret and pain.
“Artists, more than ever, are coming closer and rubbing shoulders more than ever, and they need to,” Luke Smallbone said. “Christianity is a journey. They call it a ‘faith journey’ for a reason. So I think it’s important to create space for people to show compassion to people, to show empathy. I don’t have it altogether; my theology is not perfect, but I hope that Jesus knows I’m in pursuit.”
Chris Tomlin, a Grammy Award-winning artist behind some of the most well-known worship songs today, including “How Great is Our God” and “Good Good Father,” expressed his joy at the success worship music has seen in recent years.
“Especially in worship music, what’s happened is really cool to see,” Tomlin told CP. “To see Bethel to Elevation to Maverick City, all these groups. Back in the day, it was kind of like me and [Matt] Redman and some dudes. And now, to see it just expand to these movements is really cool, and I love it. The songs are so fresh and connecting people in such a great way and reaching the heart of where people are right now.”
Brown said he’s been encouraged by the “unity and diversity” seen in CCM.
“It’s exciting. There shouldn’t be any predictability to what Christian music is,” he said.
Multiple artists had words of encouragement to their fans following a year of isolation.
“There’s something that we just want to be clear about: When we wrote the songs on our albums, we weren’t necessarily in a great place,” Madison Cain of the group CAIN told CP. “Just know that if you aren’t having the best time, maybe it starts with some proclamations that you’re a child of God, you are loved and this is a season that will pass.”
“There’s a distinct difference between being lonely and being alone,” Logan Cain added. “I think almost everybody has felt lonely in this season, but we are not alone. We’re promised that we have a helper. And I think that, whether it be online or in person, however, we can do it, I feel the world connecting again. I feel things start to come back together. And so I’m so encouraged.”
While the awards ceremony was taped Tuesday night, the show is scheduled to air Friday at 8 p.m. ET and again at 10 p.m. ET on Trinity Broadcasting Network. The show will be simulcast on “The Message” channel on SiriusXM radio.
Sources:Christian Post
Movie
വിയറ്റ്നാം കോളനിയിലെ ‘റാവുത്തർ’ , നടൻ വിജയ രംഗ രാജു അന്തരിച്ചു
ചെന്നൈ : സിദ്ദിഖ് ലാൽ സംവിധാനം ചെയ്ത വിയറ്റ്നാം കോളനിയിലെ റാവുത്തർ എന്ന കഥാപാത്രത്തിലൂടെ ശ്രദ്ധേയനായ തെലുങ്ക് നടൻ വിജയ രംഗ രാജു (70) അന്തരിച്ചു.ചെന്നൈയിലെ സ്വകാര്യ ആശുപത്രിയിൽ ഹൃദയാഘാതത്തെ തുടർന്നായിരുന്നു അന്ത്യം സംഭവിച്ചത്.
കഴിഞ്ഞ ആഴ്ച ഹൈദരാബാദിൽ സിനിമാ ചിത്രീകരണത്തിനിടെ വിജയ രംഗ രാജുവിന് ഹൃദയാഘാതം അനുഭവപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നു.തുടർന്ന് അദ്ദേഹത്തെ ചെന്നൈയിലെ സ്വകാര്യ ആശുപത്രിയിലേക്ക് മാറ്റി.ഇവിടെ ചികിത്സയിലിരിക്കെയാണ് മരണം സംഭവിച്ചത്.അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ അന്ത്യകർമ്മങ്ങൾ ചെന്നൈയിൽ നടക്കും.
തെലുങ്ക്, മലയാളം സിനിമകളിലായി വിജയ രംഗ രാജു വില്ലൻവേഷങ്ങളിലും സഹനടനായും തിളങ്ങി.നന്ദമൂരി ബാലകൃഷ്ണയുടെ ഭൈരവ ദീപം എന്ന ചിത്രത്തിലൂടെയായിരുന്നു തെലുങ്കിലെ അരങ്ങേറ്റം.അശോക ചക്രവർത്തി, സ്റ്റേറ്റ റൗഡി, വിജയ് തുടങ്ങിയവാണ് മറ്റ് ശ്രദ്ധേയ ചിത്രങ്ങൾ.അഭിനയത്തിന് പുറമേ ഭാരോദ്വഹനത്തിലും ബോഡി ബിൽഡിംഗിലും വിജയ രംഗ രാജു ശ്രദ്ധ പതിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു.
Telugu actor Vijaya Rangaraju, also known as Raj Kumar, passed away due to a heart attack in Chennai. The 70-year-old actor had reportedly suffered an injury while shooting for a film in Hyderabad last week. He was later shifted to a private hospital in Chennai for treatment. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his injuries and health complications.
Vijaya Rangaraju was a popular actor in the Telugu and Malayalam film industries, known for his strong performances in negative and supporting roles. He gained fame with his portrayal of villains in various movies, which showcased his versatility and talent. One of his most iconic roles was in Gopichand’s film Yagnam, where he played a villain, earning immense praise for his acting skills.
Raj Kumar began his acting journey with theater in Chennai and later transitioned to the film industry. His first breakthrough came with the Telugu film Bhairava Dweepam, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. Over the years, he worked in several notable films, including Ashoka Chakravarthy, State Rowdy, Vijay, and many others. He also worked with legendary director Bapu in the film Seetha Kalyanam, which marked his entry into Telugu cinema.
Beyond acting, Vijaya Rangaraju was passionate about weightlifting and bodybuilding. He was admired for his dedication both on and off-screen. His contributions to the film industry left a lasting impact, and he was respected by his colleagues and fans.
Movie
These Bibles Are Flying Off Shelves and Inspiring Millions
A popular retelling of the Bible in comic book form just hit a major milestone, selling more than three million copies in the United States.
“The Action Bible,” first released in 2010, continues to dominate Amazon bookselling charts, remaining in the top 100 among all books.
Brock Eastman, senior director of The Action Bible brand at David C. Cook, said he believes the project’s success is rooted in its unique approach to bringing the Gospel to young and emerging generations.
“What strikes people that read ‘The Action Bible’ is just the beautiful, full action-packed [presentation] and our illustrations that really bring the story to life,” he said. “And we like to think about … bringing the Bible to life in a different way.”
Eastman continued, “For this generation, specifically, who is involved with graphic novels, this Bible appeals to them because they like that kind of, ‘Oh, I can see the images of the story moving,’ and there’s a narrative, like a paraphrase narrative of the Bible story that’s easy to understand and sounds like a conversation.”
This all creates what Eastman called an “inviting” experience that allows young people to fully immerse themselves in this Bible version, including 230 stories from Scripture and extends to 830 pages.
The roots for “The Action Bible” were set in the 1970s with a preceding project known as “The Picture Bible.” With young people diving into the comic book world — and with new ways of evangelizing emerging — “The Action Bible” was seen as an innovative tool to build upon successes with “The Picture Bible” and deliver timeless truth to a new generation.
As a dad of four kids himself, Eastman said, “The Action Bible” does two important things: it seizes upon the interest of youths in graphic novels while also delivering hope to youths who desperately need it.
Many of the popular graphic novels and comics of the day simply don’t offer “hope,” he said.
“Those stories don’t provide the hope and the beautiful story that God does and the redemptive story … of the plan of bringing Jesus and our salvation,” Eastman said. “And, so, the Bible does that.”
This is especially important right now, as young people in Generation Alpha — those born between 2010 and 2024 — recently dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic and other struggles. Hopelessness, for some, has been a result of the chaos, with Eastman believing “The Action Bible” holds power and sway to help ease some of this pain.
“Something like ‘The Action Bible’ that has these graphics that the kids … are drawn to, telling this narrative of this beautiful story of redemption, of hope, of stories and the characters in the Bible that are just like them — people who struggled with things, who had fear but overcame it with courage because they were empowered by God,” he said. “These fantastic stories that kids are connecting to. They’re like, ‘I see myself in that story and I can be that.’”
“The Action Bible” has carefully worked to ensure it keeps “true to what God’s word is.”
“There’s a lot of careful effort put into not only the language and the words, but also the imagery that took those pages and basically … brought them to life,” Eastman said.
The impact of “The Action Bible” has been undeniable, with the project being translated into 108 languages around the globe. While the book has sold 3 million copies in the U.S., the worldwide number is “much larger.”
“In the last four years alone, we’ve sold 1.1 million action Bibles around the world,” Eastman said, explaining this is in addition to the 3 million sold in America.
Ultimately, Eastman said the mission of “The Action Bible” — to bring Jesus’ story to the masses — is being recognized, with stories of the project’s impact continuing to reach his team.
Sources:faithwire
Movie
Actor Carlos PenaVega Praises God, Shares ‘Supernatural Peace’ He Experienced After Loss: ‘God Has Just Been Covering us’
Actors Carlos and Alexa PenaVega believe God has been faithful in their lives, expressing how they have found peace and contentedness even amid the unthinkable.
“God has just been covering us,” Carlos recently told CBN News.
The couple, who maintain a busy Hollywood career and just released their new movie, “Get Him Back for Christmas,” made headlines last year after the stillbirth of their fourth child, Indy.
Despite such a difficult challenge, they relied on the Lord to find strength and overcome.
Carlos recently recalled the tragic Saturday Indy passed away. As he and Alexa pondered whether to attend church in the aftermath — just one day later — they felt God calling them to do so.
“Me, and Alexa, and our three kids went to church that next day and we didn’t know anybody,” he said. “It was our second time ever going, and we were worshiping … and I’ll never forget that we’re standing in the middle … and Alexa and I are holding each other and we’re just bawling.”
In those moments, Carlos described finding a “supernatural peace,” as parishioners — people they barely knew after having recently moved to Tennessee — surrounded them and prayed over them.
“It was like God’s saying … ‘You’re not alone. I got you, and I have you here for a reason, and I’m gonna take you [through] this and make it into something amazing,’” he said.
Since the loss, the PenaVegas have seen God work in amazing ways.
“It’s been amazing to see, especially with Alexa, how much God has been working in her through this loss, because how do you live after that?” he said. “That we have over it … I just keep saying it’s … supernatural — like, God is just covering us.”
Carlos continued, “He has a reason for everything, and He takes whatever the enemy meant for evil and turned it to good.”
As CBN News previously reported, the couple went on to work on passion projects throughout the year. The film “Get Him Back for Christmas” offers a heartfelt romantic story — typical holiday fare.
But it also delivers much deeper themes about doing good, caring for others, and being inspired by genuine and unadulterated kindness. And it’s the first project to come from their new production company, Good for You Entertainment.
“We really believe in creating content that is good for you,” PenaVega said, noting the couple plan to continue creating powerful films and projects. “We feel very strongly that we need more content that is family-friendly. It doesn’t need to be PG-13 or R to be a good movie.”
Sources:faithwire
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