Actor Neal McDonough is on a mission to live out his values in Hollywood.

McDonough’s new film, “The Last Rodeo,” hitting theaters May 23, was birthed from an idea the actor believes God put in his heart.

While starring in “The Warrant,” a 2020 Western, McDonough found himself crippled by an idea: What would happen if he ever lost his beloved wife, Ruve? How would he survive and process it?

“And that was kind of the genesis of the the thought process of this film,” he said of “The Last Rodeo,” noting the inspiration for a bull-riding movie came from the Lord. “And then a gift came from above.”

McDonough continued, “So where did that thought come from? I knew nothing about bull riding, and then, within 24 hours, I came up with kind of an outline for the film.”

“Within a week, we had the first draft on,” he said. “And a week later, we had it sold. This is His divine intervention that … two years from the idea, it’s going to be in the theater.”

“The Last Rodeo” offers up a powerful narrative.

“A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson,” a description reads. “Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family.”

It’s the sort of film that offers an introspective message to the masses — the kind of movie for which McDonough has become known. The actor said he has enjoyed creating such content as he continues honing his craft decades after entering Hollywood.

“If you’re blessed enough in life to find something you’re really great at, and I tell my kids this all the time, if you find something you love doing, do it to the best of your ability,” he said. “Don’t compete against anybody else. Just do it the best that you can for his glory, and if you can keep doing that, you won’t worry about money — you won’t worry about stuff because you’re going to be enjoying your life, and you’re gonna be doing something you want to go to work at every day … and knock it out of the ball yard.”

Despite achieving widespread success in Hollywood, McDonough said it hasn’t always been easy, with the actor getting “beat up” for some of his stances.

One of the biggest reasons he made a media splash was for his longstanding policy of declining to kiss castmates, something that caught attention during his time on the TV show “Desperate Housewives.”

“I wouldn’t kiss a woman on that show years ago,” McDonough said. “And then I got blackballed.”

He continued, “I lost my house, and I lost everything — cars, you name it. I went bankrupt.”

McDonough said he ended up with a “massive drinking problem,” spending two years consuming alcohol to cope with not being able to land a job.

Despite those challenges, McDonough said he’s glad he stuck by his convictions. Ultimately, he had to decide what he’d do next – and he has since filtered those energies into making films that matter like “The Last Rodeo.” Eventually, his career came roaring back.

“It has come back tenfold,” McDonough said. “Now, I’m in the position where God has given me the gift of — Ruve and I are about to produce our eleventh production in four years. How does that happen? That wouldn’t have happened 10, 15 years ago. I had to be called really to my faith.”

A lot of this success hinged on some important questions about faith and belief, particularly in God’s goodness, love, and sovereignty. With the Lord, the actor believes anything is possible.

“He’s always there for us,” McDonough said.” We’re not always there for him, but He’s always there for us.”

In the end, McDonough said telling stories is his absolute passion, but it’s his wife and kids that matter most. And, over the years, he’s learned to keep everything in perspective.

“I love just coming home to my wife and kids and being with my family,” he said. “That’s my life or we’re coaching them in sports or seeing my kids do well. The fame and fortune part, that’s the least interesting part to me of all of this. I love telling great stories. And now I get to tell great stories that entertain people — that give glory to God.”
Sources:faithwire

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It has been said that a good laugh can completely change your day for the better. Why is comedy so important?

The Bible is filled with example after example of laughter being a vital and valuable gift from God. For example:

In Job 8:21, it says, “He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken heart saps a person’s strength” — Proverbs 17:22.

Psalm 126:2 says, “We were filled with laughter and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, ‘What amazing things the Lord has done for them.’”

And from Ecclesiastes 2:2: “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”

It has been scientifically proven that comedy entertains and connects us in a way that drama and seriousness does not. Comedy addresses difficult topics in such a way that it provides a break from the world bearing down on us. Needless to say, there is great value in the ability to entertain and uplift. Making someone laugh just … feels … good.

“God gifted us with laughter and comedy because the joy of the Lord is our strength,” says Carrie Murphy, a rising Christian comedian based in Nashville, Tennessee. “When we’re going through the valleys, or not even valleys, just life itself is very complicated and hard. I think that joy is a respite, it’s medicinal. It’s not an exclusion of the heart. It’s not ignoring the pain, but it is saying that I can hold both the seriousness of knowing Jesus and the levity at the same time.”

Murphy claims that she is the funniest Christian you will ever meet, or at least she thinks so. She is also a published writer and speaker who has shared the stage with Matthew West, Grammy Award-winner CeCe Winans, Tasha Layton, and many more. It is her passion to make everyone feel seen, included, and shame-free in the name of Jesus!

“I truly believe everyone was made with a specific attribute of God in mind,” shares Murphy, who regularly performs her standup act throughout the country. “I believe you’re created to reflect a certain aspect of Him. I’m created to reflect a certain aspect and to live into that, to not be shy of that, even if it’s different from the norm, even if it’s different from what you see, what you can compare yourself to.”

Murphy, who has a nine-part comedy special on KLOVE, joins us to talk about how life is too short to be serious all the time. Listen as she explains that as Christians, we can laugh and be God honoring because our Creator made laughter for everyone.
Sources:Christianpost

http://theendtimeradio.com

Faith-filled tunes are making major waves on the music chart.

The Billboard Hot 100 is a much-watched ranking that tracks the most popular songs across all genres and regularly features artists like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Kendrick Lamar.

It recently announced that two Christian songs have broken into the top 100 for the first time in 11 years.

Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah” featuring Jelly Roll currently ranks No. 44 after climbing as high as No. 40, while Forrest Frank’s “Your Way’s Better” is up to No. 62 after being ranked No. 72 last week.

“Say your prayers: Christian music is making a serious comeback,” Xander Zeller wrote for Billboard. “Christian music has historically had a limited presence on the Hot 100. Dating to when Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart adopted its current multimetric methodology on Dec. 7, 2013 — blending U.S. streams, radio airplay, and sales — 52 Christian songs have charted on both the Hot 100 and Hot Christian Songs. But there are some important caveats.”

Zeller explains that of the 52 songs, 34 are Kanye West’s gospel songs, and another handful are holiday songs.

“That leaves us with just 11 Christian songs that are not tied to the holidays or crossover rap acts,” the article explains.

The success that Lake and Frank are experiencing is not singular in nature. Billboard cites that the breakout music stars can attribute much of their popularity to social media, including platforms like TikTok.

Since 2019. Lake has charted 42 songs on the Hot Christian Songs chart. Nine of those songs have reached the No. 10 spots, and six of those tunes hit the No. 1 spot. Three of those songs, including “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” have spent more than 20 weeks at the top.

As CBN News reported, “Hard Fought Hallelujah” was first released as a solo track by Lake in November 2024. He later asked Jelly Roll to join in on the track.

“Collaborating with Jelly Roll on Hard Fought Hallelujah was powerful because we both understand what it’s like to walk through battles and still choose to lift a song of hope,” Lake previously shared with Music Mayhem Magazine.

“My prayer is that this song reminds people not to give up—that even in the hardest seasons, there’s growth, purpose, and a victory worth singing about,” Jelly Roll added. “Working with Brandon was an incredible experience. This track touched my soul like few others. ‘Hard Fought Hallelujah’ is a song that will echo through my home for years to come.”

Frank, meanwhile, first broke onto Billboard’s charts in 2020 as half of the pop duo Surface with the hit song “Sunday Best.” Since then, Frank pivoted to Christian music and has had 34 entries on the Hot Christian Songs chart, including six top ten hits. Those hit songs include “Good Day,” which peaked at No. 2 spot in 2024; “Up!,” a collaboration with Connor Price, hit No. 8 last year; “Never Get Used to This,” featuring JVKE, hit No. 6 in 2024, along with three other hits.

Frank’s album “Child of God” dominated the Top Christian Albums chart, spending 34 weeks and counting at No. 1. He recently released Child of God II earlier this month.

As CBN News reported, Frank was named GMA Dove Award New Artist of the Year in 2024.

During his acceptance speech, he told the audience that while he is thankful for his growing accolades and success, he is focusing on what matters—glorifying God. “This is just all for Him and everything I do is for the Lord,” he said during his acceptance speech.

“For whatever reason, He has chosen to give me some songs that have related to some people. And if He shuts it off and doesn’t give me any more songs, then that is cool. And if He continues to bless it, that’s great,” Frank continued.

He added, “I want to continue to give Jesus glory because my name will fade away just like all of ours one day. But at the end of time, and for all of eternity, one Name will remain. And that is the name of Jesus Christ.”
Sources:CBN News

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