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Country Star Granger Smith Reveals Bold Reason He’s So Open About His Faith in Jesus
In today’s increasingly secular culture, speaking out about one’s faith can be intimidating. But there’s a simple truth — one that, admittedly, might make some people uncomfortable — that has led country singer Granger Smith to take that risk, regardless of the cost.
Appearing recently on CBN’s “Quick Start” podcast, Smith said he is confident to speak out about his Christian beliefs because “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” a reference to Proverbs 9:10.
“My quickest answer to that is probably the answer that would make other people shudder; it would make other people a little wary of it,” Smith said when asked what motivates his boldness. “But here’s my answer: the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
He continued, “When I say, ‘The fear of the Lord,’ it’s not like a Halloween scary. It’s not like a man with a mask popping out from the bushes. It’s not that kind of fear. It’s understanding Who is sovereign, Who is providential, Who has, as the old Sunday school song says, ‘the whole world in His hands.’ When you trust that and you believe that, and there is a certain aspect of that that says, ‘If I believe in this, why would I fear what anyone else says? Why would I fear anything from man when I have the fear of the Lord?’”
Smith, who recently announced his decision to retire from the music industry to pursue full-time ministry, is unabashed in his willingness to share his convictions and discuss theological topics, both on his social media feeds and when he is out performing shows.
His openness to discuss Gospel themes comes as American society is shifting away from faith.
While a majority of U.S. adults still self-identify as Christians (63%), according to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, those numbers are in steady decline. Now, about three-in-10 American adults describe themselves as religiously unaffiliated — a noteworthy drop from the 78% who called themselves Christians in 2007, when Pew began surveying Americans on their religious identities.
At the same time, Americans are feeling progressively hopeless.
In the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data showing one-in-four adults ages 18 to 24 had considered suicide. Simultaneously, a Harvard Youth Poll of Americans ages 18 and 29 found 51% of respondents admitted that, over the course of the previous two weeks, they felt depressed and hopeless.
Smith’s Gospel-centered message is certainly timely. But, for him, it was born out of necessity.
In 2019, the “Backroad Song” singer lost his 3-year-old son River in a drowning accident. At the time, Smith told TODAY, the horror of losing a child revealed he “didn’t have a good faith” in the Lord.
He told CBN’s “Quick Start” he was relying too much on self-help tactics and not enough on God.
“As you feel physical and, really, emotional benefits from those things — because there’s a lot of good things in self-help [behaviors] — as you feel the benefits, you go, ‘What more can I do? This is great. Let’s just keep adding,’” Smith said. “And what you’re doing is you’re really developing a dependence on yourself — that’s kind of the whole point. … You’re helping yourself and, as you add to that, you’re increasing that dependence and relying more on yourself.”
“It took [the death of my son] for me to to go, ‘There are some things in life that self-help cannot fix or make better,’” he added. “That was the catalyst that happened in 2019, when I lost my son River.”
Smith has written a book, “Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache,” a memoir chronicling his faith journey through grief and sorrow.
“The book’s called ‘Like a River,’ and so it starts with losing my son to drowning in my backyard when I was there with him,” the singer-songwriter said. “A lot of times, when I was talking about writing the book and people would say, ‘You’re writing a book? What’s it about?’ And I would say, ‘Well, it’s about losing my son.’ … And as I continued to write, I learned, ‘Well, that’s not really what this book is about.’ It’s really not. That’s how it opens and the catalyst to it — that’s how the curtain opens — but really, it’s about me dying and me being reborn and the new path that followed.”
“One of the things that opened up in that rebirth was my son Maverick who was born and Maverick really takes over as the star of the show,” he continued. “By the end of the book, you realize that River got the title and he gets the credit of the cover but, really, Maverick is the star of that book. So it is so much more than, ‘This is a book about losing my son,’ which is what I used to say.”
Sources:faithwire
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.
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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