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Brooke Ligertwood reveals story behind hit single ‘A Thousand Hallelujahs,’ talks new album

Published

3 years ago

February 21, 2022

Popular worship artist Brooke Ligertwood says her latest single, “A Thousand Hallelujahs,” was inspired by the Christians of old who worshiped in simplicity and truth and that she’s passionate about writing Scripturally sound songs that are helpful for the local church body.

“A Thousand Hallelujahs” is the first single from Ligertwood’s forthcoming album, Seven, releasing next Friday, Feb. 25.

In an interview with The Christian Post, the Grammy Award winner revealed that the song is one of the last she penned for the album, along with her husband, Scott, and fellow worship artist Phil Wickham.

“It was just such a beautiful surprise and such a blessing,” she said.

“My husband and I went down to our friend, Phil Wickham, who lives just about an hour down the road from us. And we were writing in the church that Phil goes to, which is like this old little church hall in Southern California.”

“We were sitting in the church hall with the keyboards and the guitars, and there’s just this beautiful, empty hall, and kind of started talking about all the generations of people who had worshiped in this church. We were just were so inspired by the generational nature of the Church of Jesus. And we started talking about the thousands of hallelujahs that had been sung in that room.”

From there, “A Thousand Hallelujahs” “just kind of poured forth,” Ligertwood shared.

“All of us, at the end of it, were kind of like, ‘Did that just happen? Thank You, Lord.’ I feel so, so blessed that the song has been entrusted to us, and we just really pray that it’s a blessing for the Church and that it actually is really helpful.”

Ligertwood, a mother of two, is no stranger to writing and releasing music, with two decades of experience in the industry. The New Zealand native has six mainstream albums with Sony Music under her maiden name, Brooke Fraser, along with 17 years with Hillsong Worship under her belt.

Seven, the 38-year-old producer revealed, is “probably the first and last album” under her married name. The album was recorded live in Nashville, Tennessee, and features a 30-piece choir. In addition to Ligertwood’s husband and Wickham, collaborators on the album include Elevation Church Pastor Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake and others.

The project, Ligertwood said, was not her idea. But she acknowledged, “my life is not my own.” She called Seven a “step of obedience,” one she felt God calling her to do.

“The Lord made it really clear, to my surprise, relatively recently, that this was something that was going to happen,” she shared, later adding: “I was like, ‘Alright, Lord. I’m going to be as faithful with this as I can. We’ve worked so hard and prayed and saturated this thing so much, but this is yours. You get to do what You want.’”

From the start of her career, the Hillsong Worship leader said she’s sought to make simple, Scripture-laden music that is “helpful” for the local church — a passion that was only magnified in the wake of COVID-19.

“At the moment, our campus of Hillsong, that my family and I attend, we don’t have a building right now. We’re meeting in a tent,” she reflected. “We don’t have a fancy PA. We don’t have a big LED screen, reading lyrics that are on TVs on steroids. It’s a really modest time. So, I think I’m really conscious at the moment of what are the songs that work in that context. Because they’re not the songs that have 5 million parts and are very complex and require four-part harmonies. They’re the songs that are vertical that point people to Jesus straightaway, and that can sound great with just a piano and guitar if that’s all you’ve got.”

“As a local church member, those are the songs that we’re finding are building our faith in the congregations, week by week,” the “What a Beautiful Name” singer added.

“I have a front-row seat to … what’s helpful, what blesses me as a congregant, but also what blesses me as a person who is then leading the congregation in these settings which have been so moveable for so many churches throughout the pandemic.”

Ligertwood is one of the most recognizable voices in CCM, with hits including “Lead Me to The Cross,” “Hosanna” and “Desert Song.” Her songs have been streamed globally more than 1.5 billion times and translated into over 15 languages.

Though her name is synonymous with modern worship music, the artist said she draws inspiration from the hymns of old and their longevity.

“Hymns are so powerful and have endured for so long, obviously, because the theology and poetry are compellingly put forth, but also because, back in the days where the hymns were circulating, it wasn’t recordings that people were listening to learn the songs; people were getting, literally just the melody written down, the sheet music and the words. Songs had to be robust enough and strong enough to stand on their own with just the melody and the words … these songs had to work,” she reflected.

While it’s a blessing to access worship music through modern streaming services and technology, Ligertwood stressed that “it’s good to remember why these hymns have endured for centuries, as many of them have and, and continue to bring to the Church songs that can endure and still speak in that way.”

The artist is also passionate about infusing her songs with Scripturally-sound theology.

She told CP that while “we can and should use poetry and language and metaphor and colloquialism points to be able to paint the picture of the lyric that we are communicating,” “if it can’t be biblically defended, we can’t sing it.”

“The reason theology in song is so important for the Church is because … a lot of people have long commutes, or they listen to worship as they’re commuting or in the car, and sometimes they’re listening to worship music, in terms of a daily basis, more than perhaps they’re spending time reading the Word,” she said.

“It’s so important that the songs that people are listening to, and then, of course, singing out … that it’s true because what we believe about God frames how we live for God, how we interact with God, how we interact with others, how we see the world. So what we believe is really important, and of course, what we sing shapes what we believe.”

When asked about her vision for the future of worship music, Ligertwood hopes for “purity”
and for generations to come through who “recognize worship is a sacred thing.”

“To be honest, I think especially, there’s a lot of noise, and there’s a lot of distraction,” she shared. “I do feel concerned for the generations that are coming through, what they’re seeing, what their understanding of worship is, what their understanding of being a disciple is.”

When purity and integrity are compromised in ministry, Ligertwood pointed out, “God has to do something about it.”

“If f we’re not the first to repent, then eventually, the Lord’s going to have to bring some correction or allow some things to happen to correct our pride or our stubbornness or all of these things,” she said.

Though worship is a “beautiful rainbow of expression” encompassing high praise, lament and rejoicing, humanity “can never be the focus,” she emphasized.

“We, from our place of humanness and understanding of our sin and the grace that we require and the grace that has been given to us through that lens of humanity, we bring to worship, and we don’t deny that, but at the same time, that can’t be the focus of the worship. Christ is always the focus of our worship,” Ligertwood reminded.

The artist described herself as someone who “loves the Church” and wants to see it flourish — and through her music, hopes to help the Body of Christ do just that.

“I think that’s so important that we have these songs that prepare our hearts to receive the Word … that the time of singing is actually a beautiful part of something greater that God is doing through the service, which is part of something that He’s doing in a community of people, which is part of what He’s doing in His Church,” she said. “I just love the way that God uses all of those parts of the service and all of our gifts combined to mature us as a body of Christ.”

Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

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Lola Sheen, Daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, Embraces Jesus: ‘My Life Really Was Forever Changed

Published

1 week ago

January 31, 2025

theendtimenews

Lola Sheen, daughter of actors Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, recently stunned the entertainment and media world when she published photos of her powerful baptism and a detailed testimony.

Lola, 19, shared a candid Instagram post last week in which she noted that she hit “rock bottom” before finding Jesus and embracing Christianity.

During an interview with CBN News, she expounded on this journey, expressing gratitude and excitement at the positive response she’s receiving to her conversion.

“It’s been so encouraging and so overwhelming, but in the best way possible,” she said. “It just shows that God really can do anything so unexpectedly.”

Sheen continued, “It’s really just been so encouraging and so supportive because I felt so alone in the beginning of my walk, and now I get to share what Jesus has done in my life.”

“I grew up with parents who were in the industry, and I always felt super alone,” she said. “I just always felt like I could never find security and never find just something that felt like a home.”

Sheen said she began struggling with mental health when she was 16 and found herself dealing with depression. Despite coming out of that, she again faced mental health struggles when she turned 18, with therapy and other interventions failing to provide solace.

“I also really struggled with feeling so insecure and very unworthy,” Sheen said.

Her situation changed, though, when she found Jesus.

“I always knew of Jesus [but] I never knew Him,” Sheen said. “And that is what changed so much for me when I met Jesus. It was like, ‘Now, I actually know You, and I feel like there’s a difference of going to church because you have to and then going to church because you know Jesus.”

She continued, “Jesus really did find me, and that’s what changed me. He chose me first, and it was the first time someone chose me when I wasn’t the best version of myself.”

Sheen described her encounter with Jesus unfolding one night when she was in bed, struggling to sleep and plagued by negative thoughts. With anxiety battering her heart and mind, she found herself embroiled in sadness and feeling as though she didn’t want to “be here anymore.”

“I just really did not see the point of me,” she said, noting she was just immeasurably hopeless — until something incredible happened.

“I really don’t know how else to put it except the fact that Jesus came in my room,” she said. “I had never experienced anything like it. His presence came to me. … And I felt this overwhelming sense of peace in my room.”

Just the day before, she had watched a TikTok video from a Christian influencer talking about Jesus, which clearly impacted her. She believes it “opened the door” to letting God in.

“I think once I started to think about Him, the next night, that’s when He came to me,” Sheen said. “It really felt like He took my hand and just said, ‘I am here to rescue you and try this again now with Me.’”

And that was the beginning of a journey. Sheen began looking up how to give her life to the Lord and has since formed a strong relationship with Jesus.

“My life really was forever changed,” she said.

Sheen has been the subject of international headlines since sharing her testimony and baptism photos on Instagram last week, and she’s eternally grateful for how people are positively reacting.

She has also launched a podcast and is planning to attend college — all while continuing to grow her faith. We’ll leave you with the first episode of her show, “Heavenly Bonded”:
Sources:faithwire

http://theendtimeradio.com

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സംവിധായകൻ ഷാഫി അന്തരിച്ചു

Published

2 weeks ago

January 26, 2025

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കൊച്ചി: മലയാളിയെ കുടുകുടെ ചിരിപ്പിച്ച ഹിറ്റ് ചിത്രങ്ങളൊരുക്കിയ സംവിധായകൻ ഷാഫി (56) അന്തരിച്ചു. തലച്ചോറിൽ രക്തസ്രാവം ഉണ്ടായതിനെത്തുടർന്ന് ഒരാഴ്ച മുൻപ് ആസ്റ്റർ മെഡ്‌സിറ്റിയിൽ പ്രവേശിപ്പിച്ച ഷാഫി ഏഴു ദിവസമായി അതീവ ഗുരുതരാവസ്ഥയിലായിരുന്നു. ഇന്നലെ രാത്രി 11.30ന് ആയിരുന്നു വിയോഗം.

മൃതദേഹം ഇന്നു രാവിലെ ഇടപ്പള്ളി ബിടിഎസ് റോഡിലുള്ള സ്വവസതിയിലും തുടർന്ന് 9 മുതൽ 12 വരെ മണപ്പാട്ടിപ്പറമ്പ് കൊച്ചിൻ സഹകരണ ബാങ്ക് ഹാളിലും പൊതുദർശനത്തിനു വയ്ക്കും. സംസ്കാരം ഇന്ന് നാലിന് കലൂർ മുസ്‌ലിം ജമാഅത്ത് പള്ളിയിൽ. ഭാര്യ ഷാമില. മക്കൾ: അലീമ ഷെറിൻ, സൽമ ഷെറിൻ. പ്രശസ്ത സംവിധായകൻ സിദ്ദീഖ് ഷാഫിയുടെ അമ്മാവനാണ്; സംവിധായകനും നടനുമായ റാഫി (റാഫി മെക്കാർട്ടിൻ) സഹോദരനും.

1968 ഫെബ്രുവരിയിൽ എറണാംകുളം പുല്ലേപ്പടിയിലെ കറുപ്പുനൂപ്പിൽ തറവാട്ടിലാണ് റഷീദ് എം.എച്ച്. എന്ന ഷാഫിയുടെ ജനനം. പിതാവ് എം.പി.ഹംസ, മാതാവ് നബീസുമ്മ. കലാകാരന്മാരായ അമ്മാവന്മാരും മറ്റു ബന്ധുക്കളുമൊക്കെ സിനിമയും മറ്റും ചർച്ച ചെയ്യുന്നതു കേട്ടു വളർന്ന ഷാഫിയിലും കുട്ടിക്കാലത്തുതന്നെ സിനിമാ മോഹമുണ്ടായി. സ്കൂൾ കാലത്ത് മിമിക്രിയും മോണോ ആക്ടും അവതരിപ്പിച്ചിരുന്നു. അമ്മാവൻ സിദ്ദീഖ് സിനിമയിലെത്തിയതോടെ അതു ശക്തവുമായി.

സഹോദരൻ റാഫിയുടെയും അമ്മാവൻ സിദ്ദിഖിന്റെയും പാത പിന്തുടർന്ന് സിനിമയിലെത്തിയ ഷാഫിയും ചിരിയുടെ ട്രാക്കിലാണ് വിജയം കണ്ടത്. രാജസേനൻ സംവിധാനം ചെയ്ത ദില്ലിവാലാ രാജകുമാരൻ എന്ന സിനിമയിൽ അസിസ്റ്റന്റ് ഡയറക്ടറായി സിനിമാ ജീവിതം തുടങ്ങിയ ഷാഫി, 2001 ൽ ജയറാം നായകനായ വൺ‌മാൻ ഷോ എന്ന സിനിമയിലൂടെ സ്വതന്ത്ര സംവിധായകനായി. പിന്നാലെയെത്തിയ കല്യാണരാമൻ മലയാളത്തിലെ എക്കാലത്തെയും വലിയ ഹിറ്റുകളിലൊന്നായി.

മായാവി, തൊമ്മനും മക്കളും, പുലിവാൽ കല്യാണം, മേരിക്കുണ്ടൊരു കുഞ്ഞാട്, ചോക്ലേറ്റ്, മേക്കപ്പ് മാൻ, ചട്ടമ്പിനാട്, ടു കൺട്രീസ് തുടങ്ങി ബോക്സ് ഓഫിസിൽ പണക്കിലുക്കവും പ്രേക്ഷകരിൽ ചിരിക്കിലുക്കവും സൃഷ്ടിച്ച ചിത്രങ്ങളുടെ പരമ്പരയാണ് ഷാഫി സമ്മാനിച്ചത്. വിക്രം നായകനായ തമിഴ് ചിത്രം മജാ ഉൾപ്പെടെ 18 സിനിമകൾ സംവിധാനം ചെയ്തു. 2022-ല്‍ പുറത്തിറങ്ങിയ ആനന്ദം പരമാനന്ദം ആണ് അവസാന ചിത്രം. തിരക്കഥാകൃത്ത്, നിർമാതാവ് എന്നി നിലകളിലും ശ്രദ്ധേയനായിരുന്നു.
Sources:nerkazhcha

http://theendtimeradio.com

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3 Doors Down lead singer reveals message from Jesus that prompted him to share the Gospel from stage

Published

2 weeks ago

January 24, 2025

theendtimenews

Brad Arnold, lead singer of the rock group 3 Doors Down, has opened up about how faith helped him overcome addiction — and how he felt called to share the Gospel with his fans after Jesus sent him a direct message: “I want you to tell them that I love them.”

In a recent interview with Pastor Allen Jackson on the “Culture and Christianity” podcast, the 46-year-old singer revealed that despite growing up in a Christian home, he fell into alcohol addiction after 3 Doors Down shot to popularity in the early 2000s with hits like “Kryptonite” and “Here Without You.”

During this time, country artist Charlie Daniels urged him to return to Nashville, Tennessee, and go to rehab — and it was there that he rediscovered Christianity. The past nine years of sobriety have been “the best years of my life,” Arnold told Jackson, whose church he attends.

He credited the pastor with encouraging him to “lead with my faith and to not be a comfortable Christian that sits in a pew … and lives how they want.”

Last year, Arnold made headlines after pausing a concert in Pennsylvania to share the Gospel with thousands of fans and remind them of their value as children of God.

Before performing “Away from the Sun,” he addressed the audience, saying: “I feel like I can identify with this song more than most of our songs. … This world surrounds by a message we’ll never be good enough, we’ll never be strong enough, we’ll never be beautiful enough, we’ll never be rich enough.”

My friends, I just want to take a second to tell you, that’s an absolute lie. You are loved. You are enough, and you will win. Not only can you win, but you will win. You’ll always be enough for one reason: and that’s because Jesus Christ loves you.”

“Jesus Christ loves you so much that He made you just the way you are, just the way you’re standing there right now,” he said. “He also loves you to let you know that you’re not complete. I promise you there’s more, and you will win.”

“I failed all day today. You failed today. But you’re still the one that Jesus loves,” Arnold told concertgoers. “Repeat after me: I am the one that Jesus loves. Amen, my friends. Thank you so much.”

Speaking to Jackson, Arnold revealed that he decided to openly share his faith a few years ago after he heard Jesus say, “I want you to tell them that I love them this summer.” The singer said he chose to obey, even though he didn’t know “how to go about that at a rock concert” where half the people were “standing there with a beer in their hand.”

After seeing a post referencing John’s description as the disciple Jesus loves, Arnold said, “I was like, that’s a good something that I can build on.”

The artist revealed that 3 Doors Down always prays before taking the stage, adding: “We fight against principalities in this world … I thought if our words are the most powerful things that we have, how can I get people to speak a blessing over their life?”

Arnold revealed that he and his wife, Jennifer, got re-baptized together in the fall of 2023: “She and I stand side by side, and Jesus is in front of us,” he told Jackson. “She is an anchor for me in so many ways.”

Last year, Arnold said he was able to share the Gospel message with about 680,000 people from the stage. “That is the highlight of my career if I never get to do anything else,” he said. “I’m so thankful that God allowed me to do that.”

He acknowledged that he has a “short window” to share Jesus’ love given the fact that “people aren’t at a rock show to be preached at,” but stressed, “I want to share that [message] with them, and I know that [God] put me in this position to do exactly that.”

“I don’t care if it cost me my career. I don’t care if it cost me my life. I can honestly, 100 percent say that. … It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever got to do.”

Formed in 1996, 3 Doors Down is known for hits like “Kryptonite,” “Be Like That” and “Not My Time.” The group has sold 16 million albums globally, received three Grammy nominations, and won two American Music Awards and five BMI Pop Awards for songwriting.

Though the band is not overtly Christian, Arnold often shares his faith on social media, along with prayers and Bible verses.

In January, the singer credited his faith for his sobriety, sharing a photo of his AA sobriety medallion, which has the words “To thine own self be true” and “unity, service and recovery” engraved around the Roman numeral for the number eight.

“January 19 is a special day for me every year,” he wrote on Instagram.

“It marks the start of a new year of a new life, a life without a bottle in my hand. I feel like a different person than I did eight years ago … and it feels so good. Without question, God took that burden from me. I was so tired of carrying it. I couldn’t carry it any more so I gave it to God and I’m not taking it back! If you’re struggling with something, give it to Him. He’ll gladly take your burden and you’ll never have to carry it again.”
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com