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Christian music stars gather for 2021 Dove Awards: ‘One big family reunion’

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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

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Caribbean Minister’s ‘Blessings Find Me’ Song Goes Viral with 1 Billion Views: ‘I Am Grateful’

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A Caribbean minister and musician has become an overnight success after creating an inspirational anthem that has gone viral on social media as millions share the song’s message about God’s blessings.

Sherwin Gardner wanted 2024 to look different than previous years. So he decided to write a short affirmation at the end of 2023 called, “Find Me Here (Blessings Find Me),” to encourage himself that it would be a good year.

He thought of the words, “Something good gonna happen in this year. / And I am grateful that I made it here! / Yesterday’s gone and a new day has appeared / And I am grateful that I made it here!”

The worship leader at Bahamas Harvest Church in Nassau told Religion News Service a melody came to him shortly after and he sent it off to a music arranger in Kenya.

A few days later, Gardner had a recorded version uploaded to Instagram and TikTok.

The song with its Afrobeats, reggae influence, and dancehall elements became an overnight sensation.

Just a few hours after posting, Gardner was stunned to find his follower count shot from 999 to 20,000.

“The morning when I woke up, I had 20,000 followers, and the views — started at 8 o’clock, it was 14,000; by 10 o’clock it was 50,000; by 12 (noon) it was over 100,000 views,” he said.

A friend of Gardner told him, “Doctors, lawyers, gangsters, and teachers posted your song on WhatsApp.'”

On New Year’s Day, the 45-year-old returned to the studio to turn the snippet into a song and contacted Tyscot Records to release it.

Tyscot Records in conjunction with Warner Music Group Company have released the song on all major digital music platforms, Trinidad Express reports.

The song has resonated with many including other music artists such as two-time American Grammy Award-winning producer Teddy Riley, R&B singer Alicia Keys, rapper Eve Jeffers, Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams, gospel artist Yolanda Adams, and comedian-turned-pastor Kel Mitchell.

“Brother Sherwin Gardner, you’ve created this amazing [song] that I have on repeat and play to remind me that there’s nothing impossible when God got your back,” wrote Riley on TikTok.

The song been played 1,001,158,000 times on TikTok and Bill Carpenter, Gardner’s publicist, said their research indicates Gardner could be the first Black gospel artist to achieve that 1-billion-view landmark.

“This is now become or becoming the anthem for many people and their prayer throughout the whole world,” Gardner said.

The worship leader says although he was intending to bless others, God has truly blessed him.

“It has been totally unexpected and I’m so grateful for the answered prayers,” he said.
Sources:cbnnews

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Actor Ryan Phillippe ‘Craving’ Relationship With God After Movie About Christian Missionary

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Actor Ryan Phillippe said he began “craving” a relationship with God after going on a “spiritual journey” when he finished filming his latest movie, a story about a Christian missionary in the Kalahari desert.

The film, “Prey,” chronicles the lives of a young missionary couple who leave their station after being threatened with murder by an extremist militant group.

“It’s interesting because I was kind of in a darker place when we filmed this, and it was right after filming it where I went on this spiritual journey where I started going really deep inside,” Phillippe recently told Fox News of his experience after wrapping filming for “Prey.”

“I got back into reading the Bible and various other religious tomes, but I found myself drawn to this notion of spirituality,” he continued. “You get to a point in life, a certain age, and the things that you thought would bring you pleasure or make you feel satisfied — these would be success or money — and it doesn’t.”

Based on his comments, it’s not exactly clear whether Phillippe is seeking to have a relationship with the God of the Bible. It is encouraging, however, to see he is exploring spiritual matters and his comments should compel Christians to pray he finds the conviction of the Holy Spirit and comes to Christ.

“I’m so thankful for what I’ve been given and for the experiences that I’ve had and for my children and everything else,” the celebrity said. “But I wanted to have a relationship and understanding with God, and I was craving that.”

He added, “And I’ve got to tell you, since I started that journey, I have not been more at peace. My depression is gone. I shedded addictions so I’m a big proponent for people going inward and trying to understand those aspects of life.”
Sources:faithwire

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Roma Downey Reveals ‘God Moment’ That Made Christian Series ‘The Baxters’ on Amazon Prime Video Possible

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Roma Downey — a Hollywood star known as much for her leading role in the 1990s series “Touched By An Angel” as she is for her lilting Irish accent — is taking to the small screen once again, this time in a faith-based series reminiscent of “7th Heaven.”

Downey has had quite the storied career. She’s been an angel named Monica, a first lady named Jackie, a single mom named Kathleen, and a mother named Mary.

A producer, director, and studio executive, the 63-year-old celebrity is pulling double duty in her latest endeavor, “The Baxters,” a Prime Video show based on a book series by Christian novelist Karen Kingsbury.

In the show, Downey serves as one of the series’ executive producers and adds yet another in-front-of-the-camera role to her résumé: a matriarch named Elizabeth.

“We just felt it was a God moment; it was just providence played out,” Downey told CBN News of her partnership with Kingsbury, 60. “We felt like it was a blessing.”

Unbeknownst to one another, Downey had read “Redemption,” the very first book in “The Baxters” series by Kingsbury, and she was instantly hooked to the story.

“I just couldn’t put it down,” she recalled. “I really became aware of the project as a fan. I loved the book. I could see it visually. I thought, ‘This needs to be a TV show.’”

In the years since “Touched By An Angel” ended in 2003, Downey said she’s heard from so many fans asking for a show to fill the “void” it left, a faith-based series airing in the mainstream market. After reading “Redemption,” the faith-filled actor and producer felt she’d found the perfect source material for a burgeoning series — a show that’s both unwaveringly Christian and undeniably studio-quality.

Downey soon thereafter called Kingsbury to ask if she’d consider selling her the rights to turn the popular book series into a multi-season show. The request seemed kismet.

“She said, ‘It’s so extraordinary that you called me,’” Downey explained. “She said, ‘My father, before he passed, said to me, ‘You need to reach out to Roma Downey on ‘Touched By An Angel’ to make your book a TV series.” So, in that moment, we just felt as if it was a God moment.”

“It’s turned out even better than we hoped that it would,” she continued. “We’re delighted that we’re going to launch on Amazon’s Prime Video for Easter. I’m delighted that they’ve given me the Easter time slot.”

Amazon is handing Downey the coveted launch time for good reason; last year, her studio, LightWorkers Media, brought “On a Wing and a Prayer” — a faith-based movie starring Dennis Quaid — to Prime Video, and it was a clear success for the platform.

Leveraging her name and knack for reaching Christian audiences, Downey insisted faith — and prayer in Jesus’ name — take centerstage in the series.

“I stepped in front of the camera — and I haven’t done that for a while — to play Elizabeth Baxter myself; I loved that she was a prayer warrior, I loved her kindness, I loved how much she loves her children, I love how feisty she is about loving her children,” the celebrity said. “[I] love that it’s a show about faith and about the values that we hold dear, but it’s not a preachy show.”

The series is undoubtedly grittier than the stereotypical faith series: it tackles myriad real-life issues, including infidelity and the possibility of divorce — all in the pilot episode. But it addresses such tough topics from an unapologetically biblical perspective.

Prayer is the driving force moving the story along.

“It’s how they deal with it, how they handle it as a family, I think, that separates it from other shows that we’ve seen,” Downey said of her forthcoming show. “We see mom and dad Baxter stop in the middle of a scene … and we see them praying. And I don’t know that we’ve ever seen that on a TV show. And they pray in the name of Jesus. I find it very touching and powerful. … I think that people of faith will love seeing a churchgoing family at the center of this new series.”

She said she hopes the show exposes to viewers what’s possible when God “is at the center of your family and at the center of your life.”

“[That’s] what’s made such a difference in my life,” Downey reflected. “And I hope [people] see that play out in the lives of the Baxter family. I just think we, in our faith community, deserve to see a family on the screen that holds the things dear to their hearts that we hold dear to our hearts.”

“It’s amazing,” she added, “how few programs there are that celebrate people of faith in this way. I think people are going to love it. I’m hopeful that we’ll get a great response.”

The series is streaming on Amazon Prime Video beginning March 28.
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

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