When the Museum of Christian & Gospel Music opens its doors this October in downtown Nashville, award-winning singer-songwriter Natalie Grant will be there — not just as a celebrated performer but as part of the museum’s permanent history.

“[This museum is] long overdue in our wonderful city of Nashville. I just feel like it’s going to be such an incredible addition to what’s always been known as Music City. But a big part of the fabric of the music of the city is Christian and gospel music, and so it just deserves its spot,” the 53-year-old Dove Award-winning singer told The Christian Post.

The Museum of Christian & Gospel Music (The C&G) is a dream decades in the making, according to Grant.

Nestled just steps from the legendary Ryman Auditorium, it opens on Oct. 3, just days ahead of the Dove Awards, as a faith-filled celebration of the music that has uplifted, inspired and transformed generations. Presented by the Gospel Music Association, the museum is set to become a well-deserved addition to Nashville’s vibrant music museum landscape.

“I have such an overwhelming sense of pride that it will be included right here in the heart of Music City, right next to the Ryman, right next to where all this history was,” Grant said.

“People look at the Ryman as the mother church of country music, but actually, the Ryman was originally a church that housed a revival,” she continued. “It’s beautiful that we’re showing the true history of this city, that there was a revival in this city before there was country music. There was a Bible before there were boots.”

The C&G will honor the full spectrum of Christian and gospel music — past, present and future and will offer an immersive, interactive experience where visitors can step into stories of faith and transformation and even create remixes of iconic songs on-site.

It will also serve as a living, breathing part of the industry, hosting live performances, workshops, interviews, artist encounters, and rotating collections of music milestones and emerging moments. Series offerings will include podcasts, brown bag lunch symposiums, writers workshops and more to be announced. The initial “Legacy Series” event will feature the museum’s first-ever artist-in-residence, 16-time Dove Award winner and 3-time GMA Hall of Fame inductee, Russ Taff.

Among the museum’s displays will be a Dove Awards dress worn by Grant. Rather than choosing the gown herself, the Grammy-nominated artist is letting fans vote on which of three dresses will take center stage.

“There are so many memories for me attached to these particular dresses that we’ve chosen,” she said. “Not just what I hope were memorable performances, but memorable moments for me.”

Each dress holds a distinct place in Grant’s personal and professional journey.

“The purple dress, I was getting the privilege of performing ‘King of the World,'” she recalled. “When you release songs, and you hope that it hits an audience, but you have no idea what might be happening culturally, in the world, in the news cycle. But God always knows.

“This was in 2016 … and I felt like it just came out at such the right time of a reminder that He is the King of the world. Nothing has taken him by surprise. And I chose purple because that’s like God’s royalty.”

The artist said her second option, a blue gown, brings back a personal memory: hosting the Dove Awards in 2010 while unknowingly pregnant with her daughter, Sadie.

“I remember going like, ‘Oh, it’s kind of a little bit fitted.’ And the day before, I had my final fitting, and I’m like, ‘Why is this dress not zipping up?'” she said with a laugh. “Well, it was the next week I found out I was pregnant with Sadie.”

The third look, a skirt and blouse ensemble, was worn for an In Memoriam performance honoring lives lost in the past year.

“There were these two little birds, it actually looks like little doves that are carrying this flower piece,” she said. “And I don’t know — there was just something about the dove of the Holy Spirit and the peace of the Holy Spirit and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. … Honestly, that is what I felt the first time I saw that skirt.”

Grant, a five-time Dove Awards Female Vocalist of the Year winner, has hosted the show twice and performed more than a dozen times over the years. The chance to invite fans into the decision of what dress to showcase is both meaningful and humbling, she said.

“They’re voting on which one is going to be featured in the museum,” she said. “And I think it might be a hard choice.”

More than a fashion archive, the museum represents a deeper spiritual heritage, something Grant, a mother of three girls, said she’s eager for her daughters to witness.

“It’s going to be really fun to walk through the museum with my daughters and be able to see one of those dresses,” she said. “They were a part of it. Every time I do a fitting, they’re in the room, watching … helping me pick them out.”

After nearly 30 years in Christian music, Grant has seen the industry evolve. With the rise of worship-centric music, shifting values and public challenges, she emphasized that God is actively refining the space.

“God will always have the final say,” she said. “There will still be fruit … because the truth of the Gospel was in it. But God will always prune. He will always purify.”

She advised younger artists to embrace the “long road of obedience” and refrain from getting “weary of doing good,” as advised in Galatians 6.

“Don’t take the shortcut,” she said. “Stay on the long road of obedience, surround yourself with community, stay plugged into a local church. … Have people that are asking you the tough questions. None of us are built for the spotlight.”

Grant pointed to artists like Casting Crowns, MercyMe and Steven Curtis Chapman as examples of enduring integrity.

“He’s finishing his race well,” she said of Chapman. “With integrity, with character, with his morals in place … and God will continue to raise those up.”

Despite industry ups and downs, the artist said her hope for the future of Christian music remains fixed.

“There will be styles that come and go … but the Word of God will remain,” she said. “That is my hope — that the message remains. The method might change … but the message never changes.”

As for the museum, Grant hopes it will serve as both a tribute and a testimony.

“People think they’re going into a museum and they’re going to see a cool thing from this person … and they’re going to walk through, but they’re going to see a thread. And that thread is Jesus,” she said. “Right in the midst of crazy Nashville, right, Broadway, all of the things, and they’re like — a lighthouse is going to be the Museum of Christian and Gospel Music with the hope and the message of Jesus in it.”
Sources:Christianpost

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വെയിൻ: മിഷിഗണിലെ വെയിനിൽ പ്രദേശവാസികളിൽ പരിഭ്രാന്തി സൃഷ്ടിച്ച മിഷിഗണ്‍ പള്ളിയില്‍ വെടിവയ്പ്പ് നടത്തിയ പ്രതിയെ തോക്കുധാരിയെ സുരക്ഷാ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥന്‍ വെടിവച്ചു കൊന്നു. ഞായറാഴ്ച രാവിലെയാണ് ഡെട്രോയിറ്റിന്റെ പ്രാന്തപ്രദേശത്തുള്ള പള്ളിയിൽ അക്രമസംഭവങ്ങൾ അരങ്ങേറിയത്. വിശ്വാസികൾക്ക് നേരെ വെടിവച്ച അക്രമിയെ സുരക്ഷാ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥന്‍ വെടിവച്ചുകൊലപ്പെടുത്തുകയായിരുന്നു.

ഞായറാഴ്ച മിഷിഗണിലെ ഒരു പള്ളിയിൽ വിശ്വാസികൾ നിറഞ്ഞിരിക്കെ വെടിയുതിർത്തഅക്രമിയെ ഉടൻ തന്നെ ഇടവകാംഗങ്ങളിൽ ഒരാൾ വാഹനം ഇടിച്ചു വീഴ്ത്തി. ഉടൻ തന്നെ സുരക്ഷാ ജീവനക്കാർ ഇയാളെ വെടിവച്ചു കൊലപ്പെടുത്തി. ഇതോടെ ഒരു കൂട്ടക്കൊലയാണ് ഒഴിവായതെന്ന് പോലീസ് പറഞ്ഞു.

വെയ്‌നിലെ ക്രോസ്‌പോയിന്റ് കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റി പള്ളിയിൽ രാവിലെ നടന്ന ആരാധനയ്ക്കിടെയാണ് സംഭവം. പള്ളിയിൽ എത്തിയവർ തോക്കുധാരി അശ്രദ്ധമായി വാഹനമോടിക്കുന്നത് കണ്ടു. തുടർന്ന് അയാൾ റൈഫിളും ഒരു ഹാൻഡ്‌ഗണും കൈവശം വച്ചുകൊണ്ട് തന്റെ കാറിൽ നിന്ന് പുറത്തിറങ്ങുന്നത് കണ്ടുവെന്ന് പോലീസ് മേധാവി റയാൻ സ്ട്രോംഗ് വാർത്താ സമ്മേളനത്തിൽ പറഞ്ഞു.

പള്ളിയിലേക്ക് അടുക്കുമ്പോൾ അയാൾ വെടിവയ്ക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി, ഒരാളുടെ കാലിൽ പരിക്കേറ്റു. “ഒരു ഇടവകക്കാരൻ തന്റെ വാഹനം ഉപയോഗിച്ച് തോക്കുധാരിയെ ഇടിച്ചു വീഴ്ത്തി. ഇതോടെ തോക്കുധാരി വാഹനത്തിലേക്ക് ആവർത്തിച്ച് വെടിവച്ചു,” – സ്ട്രോംഗ് മാധ്യമപ്രവർത്തകരോട് പറഞ്ഞു. പ്രതി പള്ളിയുമായി യാതൊരു ബന്ധവുമില്ലാത്ത 31 വയസ്സുള്ള വെളുത്ത വർഗക്കാരനായ പുരുഷനാണെന്ന് പോലീസ് പറഞ്ഞു. അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ഉദ്ദേശ്യം വ്യക്തമല്ല. മാനസിക പ്രശ്നം നേരിടുന്ന വ്യതിയാണെന്നാണ് വിവരം.

ഡെട്രോയിറ്റിൽ നിന്ന് ഏകദേശം 25 മൈൽ (40 കിലോമീറ്റർ) പടിഞ്ഞാറ് മാറി സ്ഥിതി ചെയ്യുന്ന ഏകദേശം 17,000 പേർ താമസിക്കുന്ന വെയ്ൻ നഗരത്തിൽ രാവിലെ 11 മണിയോടെയാണ് വെടിവയ്പ്പ് നടന്നത്. കാലിൽ വെടിയേറ്റ വ്യക്തിക്ക് പരിക്കുകൾക്ക് ചികിത്സ നൽകിയതായി ചീഫ് പറഞ്ഞു. മറ്റാർക്കും പരിക്കേറ്റിട്ടില്ല.

രാവിലെ 11 മണിക്കാണ് ക്രോസ്‌പോയിന്റ് കമ്മ്യൂണിറ്റി പള്ളിയില്‍ വെടിവയ്പ്പ് നടക്കുന്ന വിവരം മിഷിഗണിലെ വെയ്ന്‍ നഗര പൊലീസിനെ വിളിച്ച് അറിയിക്കുന്നത്. 31 വയസ്സുള്ള പ്രതിയെ സെക്യുരിറ്റി കൊലപ്പെടുത്തിയതായി ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര്‍ കണ്ടെത്തുകയായിരുന്നു.

മറ്റൊരു സുരക്ഷാ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥന്റെ കാലില്‍ വെടിയേറ്റു. പള്ളിയിലേക്ക് നിരവധി വെടിവയ്പ്പുകള്‍ നടന്നുവെന്ന് ഡിട്രോയിറ്റ് ന്യൂസിനോട് സീനിയര്‍ പാസ്റ്റര്‍ ബോബി കെല്ലി ജൂനിയര്‍ പറഞ്ഞു. ശുശ്രൂഷ അവസാനിക്കുകയും സദസ്സുകള്‍ കൈയടിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുമ്പോള്‍, സ്‌ക്രീനിന് പുറത്ത് നിലവിളി ഉയരുകയായിരുന്നു. ആളുകള്‍ പള്ളിയിലെ കസേരകള്‍ക്ക് പിന്നില്‍ കുനിഞ്ഞുനില്‍ക്കുകയും മറ്റുള്ളവര്‍ മുറിയില്‍ നിന്ന് ഓടിപ്പോകുന്നതും അടങ്ങുന്ന വീഡിയോ പുറത്തുവന്നിട്ടുണ്ട്.

പള്ളിയിലെ അംഗം തന്റെ പിക്കപ്പ് ട്രക്ക് ഉപയോഗിച്ച് പ്രതിയെ ഇടിച്ചു വീഴ്ത്തിയത് സുരക്ഷാ ജീവനക്കാർക്ക് വെടിവയ്ക്കാൻ സമയം നൽകിയെന്ന് സ്ട്രോങ് പറഞ്ഞു. “പള്ളിയിലെ ജീവനക്കാരുടെ വീരോചിതമായ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങൾക്ക് ഞങ്ങൾ നന്ദിയുള്ളവരാണ്. അവർ നിസ്സംശയമായും നിരവധി ജീവൻ രക്ഷിക്കുകയും വലിയ തോതിലുള്ള കൂട്ട വെടിവയ്പ്പ് തടയുകയും ചെയ്തു.” – ചീഫ് പറഞ്ഞു. വെടിവയ്പ്പ് സമയത്ത് ഏകദേശം 150 പേർ പള്ളിക്കുള്ളിലുണ്ടായിരുന്നു. ഞായറാഴ്ചകളിൽ രാവിലെ 10:45 ന് ഒരു ആരാധനാ ചടങ്ങ് നടക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന് പള്ളിയുടെ വെബ്‌സൈറ്റ് പറയുന്നു.

ഒരു വലിയ “ഇരമ്പൽ ശബ്ദം” കേട്ടതായും പുറത്തേക്ക് നോക്കിയപ്പോൾ പള്ളിയുടെ മുന്നിലെ പുല്ലിൽ ഒരാൾ വീണു കിടക്കുന്നത് കണ്ടതായും പ്രാർഥനയ്ക്കെത്തിയ വെൻഡി ബോഡിൻ പറഞ്ഞു. “കാർ ഇടിച്ചതാണെന്ന് ഞാൻ കരുതി,” – ബോഡിൻ പറഞ്ഞു. പ്രതിയുടെ ലക്ഷ്യം വ്യക്തമല്ലെന്ന് വെയ്ൻ പോലീസ് ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി ചീഫ് ഫിൻലി കാർട്ടർ മൂന്നാമൻ പറഞ്ഞു, ബ്യൂറോ “നേതൃത്വവും സപ്പോർട്ടിംഗ് ടീമുകളും” സ്ഥലത്തുണ്ടെന്നും അന്വേഷണത്തിൽ സഹായിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്നും എഫ്ബിഐ ഡെപ്യൂട്ടി ഡയറക്ടർ ഡാൻ ബോംഗിനോ ട്വീറ്റ് ചെയ്തു.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

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A man clad in a tactical vest and carrying an AR-15-style rifle and a semiautomatic handgun opened fire on a Michigan church filled with children attending Vacation Bible School on Sunday before being fatally shot by two members of the church’s security staff, officials said.

The shooting, which was reported a little after 11 a.m. at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Mich., which is about 25 miles west of Detroit, left one church staff member with a gunshot wound in a leg, the Wayne police chief, Ryan Strong, said at a news conference on Sunday night.

The staff members who opened fire were not publicly identified. The chief said the staff member who was shot had injuries that were not life-threatening.

The chief credited the emergency training of staff and parishioners for swiftly responding to the threat.

“We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting,” the chief said.

In a statement late on Sunday, the police identified the man as Brian Anthony Browning, 31, of Romulus, Mich., which is about 10 minutes from Wayne. His mother is a member of the church and Mr. Browning had attended church services two or three times in the past year.

The police found rifles, semiautomatic handguns and a large amount of ammunition in a search of Mr. Browning’s residence. Mr. Browning did not have a criminal history or prior contact with the Wayne Police Department.

A motive for the shooting was unknown but the police said he may have been experiencing a mental health crisis.

The police said the gunman arrived at the church wearing camouflaged clothing and a tactical vest. He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle with more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The episode began when the gunman drove recklessly near the church, drawing the attention of staff members who were outside.

The gunman exited the vehicle, began shouting and starting firing upon the church building. The police statement said a parishioner struck him with a pickup truck, as the gunman fired repeatedly at it.

The shooter was not able to enter the church, Chief Strong said, but he described the man as being “quite close.”

Two church employees opened fire on the man, killing him. All the gunfire happened outside of the building, the chief said.

A livestream of the church service, which has since been taken down, showed a stage set up to look like a campsite on a lakeshore.

The livestream shows a crowd of at least 20 people, including many children, mill about after the presentation concludes when suddenly shouting can be heard as people start getting down behind seats and running.

A woman tells people to “come to the back,” and someone can be heard yelling “go, go, go” as dozens of people rush in the same direction.

Andy Pugh, one of pastors at the church, said that he was unaware of any threats to the church leading up to the shooting. Mr. Pugh said the stage was full of children at the time of the attack because the church was hosting its Vacation Bible School.

“Thankfully we were able to get everyone out,” he said.

The church’s pastor, Bobby Kelly, and a few of its members appeared weary as they left a community center where the police had transported attendees in buses after the shooting.

Mr. Kelly declined to comment, only saying that church members were “worn out.”

“It’s been a long day,” he added.

Jason Suchan, 50, who lives down the road from the church, rode his bike to get there after his Ring camera app alerted him to the shooting.

“State police cars were coming down the road at super high speed, and there was an ambulance flying away,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Mr. Suchan is not a member of the congregation, but he said he had grown up hanging out at the church, running around on its roof and playing hockey in its gym.

He noted that things could have been worse on Sunday because the church had been doing some outdoor services, including one as recently as last Sunday.

“Imagine if they had been outside,” he said.
 http://theendtimeradio.com

Bible Study teacher and author Christine Hoover didn’t realize she would face a severe personal test while writing a study on Second Corinthians. Around the time Hoover, a wife, mom and Bible teacher, began writing, More than Enough, God’s Strength in our Weakness in 2 Corinthians, she and her husband got the call no parent wants to receive.

“Our oldest son was in college in California. We live in Texas. And late one night, he had gone to the ER, and the ER doctor called and said, ‘Your son has cancer, and it has spread all over his body. It’s in his brain, his heart, his lungs, his stomach, everywhere.’ And so, as you can imagine, we were completely shocked,” Hoover recalled.

Their son Will, a college athlete, had always been healthy and strong. The devastating news turned their world upside down.

“He went through four rounds of chemo. He went through surgery. I said, you know what? I want to continue to write this study because it is about weakness and suffering. The themes of weakness and suffering are so strong. And so where I had set out to write really about ministry and service to others, the Lord changed the plan and had me providentially in this book of 2nd Corinthians during a time of probably the greatest suffering that I have ever walked through,” Hoover said.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 and 10, Paul, after he had famously asked God to take away the mysterious “thorn in his flesh,” wrote the following famous line:

“But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This scripture became Hoover’s anthem and helped her not only take care of her son but also keep writing the Bible study.

“Yes, it absolutely did, especially in the Amplified version. I love that verse, and the reason why it became so special to me, and of course, I had heard that verse so much, but I was experiencing it in real time. Every day I would wake up and I would think, I can’t believe this is happening to us. That word cancer applied to my son and to our family. And so, I would think, I don’t want this,” she explained.

“And my second thought every day was, I can’t do this. I don’t have what it takes to put one foot in front of the other. And I found myself; I would tell myself I needed to be strong. I needed to care for my family. I needed to have what it takes to care for them. And every morning, the Lord would remind me specifically through the verse you just mentioned, He wasn’t asking me to be strong. He was saying, ‘bring your weakness, bring those thoughts to me. Rely on me to give you the strength that you will need for this day to go to the cancer clinic with your son to face the uncertainty.’ He’s asking us to be dependent, not to be strong,” she said.

For many people, weaknesses are something to hide or even be ashamed of, but the Apostle Paul tells us to embrace our weaknesses, which Hoover says is not easy for most of us.

“Well, I think it’s our human nature to want to present well to other people. And I think especially in our American Western culture, we are taught to be self-sufficient, to have it together, to depend upon ourselves. And that’s so counterintuitive or so anti-what scripture is telling us,” Hoover said.

‘God Did a Miracle’

Today, at age 22, Will is back at college and running on the track team. His doctors say the chemo worked miraculously.

“He’s a cross-country runner. He actually had a personal best in his event in track this year. So, the Lord has restored his health in some very miraculous ways. It’s hard sometimes to embrace that word for yourself to say, ‘Did God really do a miracle?’ He used medical intervention, and He did do a miracle in my son’s life. So, he is serving the Lord this summer through FCA in South Africa and just doing really, really, really well. So, we’re just praising the Lord still for his recovery,” she said.

According to Lifeway Research, when asked what has most encouraged their walk with the lord, almost one-third of female churchgoers point to Bible studies. Christine agrees and says the lessons God taught her from 2nd Corinthians and writing More than Enough are priceless.

“And I think really Paul is saying, let your faith work for you, Believers. Let your faith work for you where the rubber meets the road, where faith is lived out specifically in these difficult things in your life. I have needed to hear that. I have needed to study that. And I think most women do that, they’re going to face difficulty, even if it’s just the everyday wear and tear of life, to know how to turn to God as our confidence that He is the strength and the confidence we need no matter what the day entails, what the season entails,” she said.
Sources:CBN News

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