“No one’s heard it.”

It’s easy to chalk things up to coincidence, to believe in happy accidents and happenstance. Chris Tomlin could have very easily credited chance — random serendipity — for his timely connection to an upcoming Christian movie. But he doesn’t; instead, he sees it as divine, predestined providence.

The famed recording artist and worship leader is stepping into a new role: executive producer.

Tomlin, 52, is seated in the producer’s chair for the new movie, “The Last Supper,” set to debut in theaters nationwide March 14. The film, from Pinnacle Peak Pictures, the distribution studio launched nearly 20 years ago by David A.R. White of Pure Flix fame, centers on the days leading up to wayward disciple Judas’ betrayal of Jesus as the Savior’s closest followers gather for a final meal before His impending crucifixion.

When he was first approached by the creators of “The Last Supper,” Tomlin said they asked if he had a song — or could write one — that would work for the film.

“I played a couple songs [and I said], ‘I’ve got this one I just wrote and no one’s heard it — literally, no one’s heard it,’” he recalled of his conversation with the filmmakers. “[I] played it for them and I had not seen the movie when I wrote this song and it just went perfectly with this movie. And I was like, ‘OK, this feels like something that’s right.’”

Finding the song tied to a theatrically released movie was certainly not on Tomlin’s radar when he wrote “No Greater Love” alongside Tyler Hubbard of the country music duo Florida Georgia Line during a writing retreat at 20th century novelist Ernest Hemingway’s home in Ketchum, Idaho.

Hubbard and a couple other country songwriters told Tomlin they wanted to write a worship song with the “Holy Forever” singer, explaining they wanted the theme to focus on John 15:13, which reads, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”..

“Line for line, [I was] like, ‘Wow, this fits so perfectly,” he said. “It was just one of those moments you’re like, ‘OK, we’re in the flow. … God is in this.’ He’s like, ‘I’m putting the pieces together. You didn’t even know I was putting these pieces together, but I’ve got this little plan.’”

“So much of my life,” Tomlin reflected, “is like, ‘Wow, I did not see these pieces coming together like this,’ but you’re just trying to be faithful and follow and walk with God, and it’s amazing what happens.”

Tomlin’s life — and career as a worship leader — has been a sequence of “pieces coming together.”

Of his role not only writing and recording worship music but traveling the world to lead people in worship, Tomlin said he feels the immense responsibility of the calling God has placed on his life.

“I always pray this prayer: ‘God, if your presence does not show up, then there’s not going to be any real lasting [impact],’” he said. “What I mean is I always pray for the presence of God to touch people. “

The singer-songwriter referenced the Old Testament passage Exodus 33:16, as Moses was leading the Israelites out of Sinai and toward the Promised Land. In the verse Moses said to God, “How will anyone know that you look favorably on me — on me and on your people — if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth”.

As he picks up his guitar and plays the chords to his songs, Tomlin said his prayer is those who hear him “sense God’s presence.”

“There’s nothing like the sound of the people of God singing the praises of God in the presence of God,” he reflected. “And when that happens, it’s so powerful.”

Tomlin went on to say his concerts should be distinguishable from secular shows, not because he’s a better artist but because “your soul is singing to a living God” when you sing worship songs.

“What we’re doing here is eternal,” he said.
Sources:faithwire

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Michael Iskander landed the role of a lifetime when he was cast to play David in Prime’s new series “House of David.”

Before the show’s Feb. 27 premiere, Iskander reflected on the “life-changing” ability to join the cast in such a pivotal role.

“I think David is one of the most interesting people because … there’s so much duality in him,” he said. “He’s the epitome of what it means to be human, to make mistakes, but to truly have a heart for God—and a heart that seeks after God’s own heart.”

Iskander, who said he feels “blessed” to be able to tell this story, explained how his experience portraying David transformed how he sees Scripture and the people presented within it.

“Now, I view it from a point of view as just human beings,” he said. “And so I put the context of that time and of these people into the story … it just puts a whole different perspective on the Bible, and I think it makes it that much more interesting to read and to discover.”

Iskander said it’s exciting to be able to have such a fascinating lens into Scripture. He spoke about the importance of trusting God and allowing the Lord to guide his path, citing Proverbs 3:5-6. In the end, he knows “House of David” is entertainment for many, but believes the project is really all about the Lord.
Sources:BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS

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നിനവേ: രണ്ടായിരം വര്‍ഷത്തോളം ക്രൈസ്തവ പാരമ്പര്യമുള്ള നിനവേ ഉള്‍പ്പെടെ മേഖലയില്‍ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ്സ് തീവ്രവാദികള്‍ വിതച്ച വന്‍ അധിനിവേശത്തിനും അക്രമത്തിനും പത്തു വര്‍ഷം തികഞ്ഞ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തില്‍ ക്രൈസ്തവരെ കേന്ദ്രമാക്കി ഡോക്യുമെന്ററിയുമായി പ്രമുഖ കത്തോലിക്ക മാധ്യമമായ ഇ‌ഡബ്ല്യു‌ടി‌എന്‍. മിഡിൽ ഈസ്റ്റും വടക്കേ ആഫ്രിക്കയും ഉൾക്കൊള്ളിച്ച് വാര്‍ത്തകള്‍ പുറത്തെത്തിക്കുന്ന ‘എസിഐ മെന’യുമായി സഹകരിച്ചാണ് ഡോക്യുമെൻ്ററി പുറത്തിറക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്.

നിനവേ താഴ്വരയില്‍ നിന്നുള്ള നിരവധി ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ ഐസിസ് അധിനിവേശ കാലത്തു തങ്ങള്‍ നേരിട്ട വേദനാജനകമായ അനുഭവങ്ങള്‍ “Christians Fight To Survive: ISIS in Iraq” എന്ന പേരില്‍ പുറത്തിറക്കിയ ഡോക്യുമെന്‍ററി

ക്രൈസ്തവ സാഹചര്യങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ചും എഡി നാലാം നൂറ്റാണ്ടില്‍ സ്ഥാപിക്കപ്പെട്ട ആശ്രമത്തെ കുറിച്ചും വടക്കൻ ഇറാഖിലെ സിറിയൻ കത്തോലിക്കാ ആശ്രമമായ മാർ ബെഹ്നാമിന്റെയും മര്‍ത്തായുടെയും ആശ്രമത്തിൻ്റെ പ്രസിഡൻ്റ് ഫാ. മാസിൻ മട്ടോക്ക വിവരിക്കുന്നു. ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ക്ക് മുന്നില്‍ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ്സ് തീവ്രവാദികള്‍ അവതരിപ്പിച്ച 3 സാധ്യതകള്‍ ഡോക്യുമെൻ്ററിയിൽ, ഇർബിലിലെ കല്‍ദായ അതിരൂപത ആർച്ച് ബിഷപ്പ് ബാഷർ വാർദ പങ്കുവെച്ചു. ഇസ്‌ലാമിലേക്ക് പരിവർത്തനം ചെയ്യുക, ജിസിയ (സംരക്ഷണ നികുതി) അടയ്ക്കുക, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പലായനം ചെയ്യുക തുടങ്ങിയ പ്രാകൃത നിയമങ്ങളാണ് ക്രൈസ്തവര്‍ക്ക് മുന്നില്‍ ഇസ്ലാമിക് സ്റ്റേറ്റ്സ് നിരത്തിയതെന്ന് അദ്ദേഹം ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി.

നിർബന്ധിത കുടിയിറക്കൽ മൂലമുള്ള ക്രൈസ്തവരുടെ ദുരിതങ്ങളും, അഭയകേന്ദ്രങ്ങളില്ലാതെ, സുരക്ഷിതത്വമില്ലാതെ, സ്വന്തം നാടും ഭവനവും ദേവാലയങ്ങളും നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് രാജ്യത്ത് പാർശ്വവൽക്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ടതിൻ്റെ വേദന മൊസൂളിലെ സിറിയന്‍ കത്തോലിക്ക അതിരൂപത ആർച്ച് ബിഷപ്പ് ബെനഡിക്ടസ് യൂനാൻ ഹാനോ ഡോക്യുമെന്‍ററിയില്‍ പങ്കുവെയ്ക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. ഇറാഖിലെ നാമാവിശേഷമായ ദേവാലയങ്ങളുടെയും ഗ്രാമങ്ങളുടെയും കരളലിയിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ദൃശ്യങ്ങള്‍ സഹിതമാണ് ഡോക്യുമെന്‍ററി പുറത്തിറക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്.

കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം

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“Feb 28th 2025 EWTN News documentary chronicles Iraq Christian history & ISIS impact“ Assyrian, Chaldean, & Syriac Fight to Survive: ISIS in 🇮🇶 during/ after ISIS occupation in of Christians in towns Bartella, Karemlash, Qaraqosh & Mosul marking 10-years since ISIS’

EWTN Feb 28 2025. Music 1 songs 10 years after the deadly invasion of ISIS in Iraq, EWTN News’ Colm Flynn visits some of the Christian communities that were decimated by the terrorist organization. We talk to Church leaders about what that time was like, and how, when ISIS were terrorizing people simply because of their faith, the Church was able to provide shelter and support. Now, a decade on we also meet some of those Christians who have returned, trying to rebuild their lives, and their communities of faith

EWTN News documentary chronicles Iraq’s Christian history and ISIS impact ​ Summary ​ CNA Mosul ACI MENA, Mar 1, 2025 / 11:30 am

Marking 10 years since ISIS swept into Mosul and the towns of the Nineveh Plain, EWTN News, in collaboration with its sister agency covering the Middle East and North Africa, ACI MENA, has released a documentary delving into the roots of Christianity in Iraq, its history dating back nearly 2,000 years, and how Christians there have survived despite attempts to erase their presence.

The documentary, “Persecuted Christians in Iraq: An EWTN News Special,” premiered Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.

Through a dialogue with Father Mazin Mattoka, president of the Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah, a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq, the documentary showcases some of the monastery’s history, dating back to the fourth century A.D., including its sculptures and historical murals, many of which were destroyed by ISIS, especially the crosses.

In the documentary, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil highlights what he calls the ongoing “dialogue of life” between Christians and Muslims since the late seventh century with the arrival of the conqueror, and the role Christians played in enriching the Arab civilization by translating texts of philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and other Greek sciences, first into Syriac and then into Arabic.

The archbishop discusses the choices ISIS put before Christians: Convert to Islam, pay the jizya (protection tax), or leave, noting that while paying the jizya might have been acceptable in the eighth century, it is no longer the case in the 21st century.

Archbishop Benedictus Younan Hano of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul highlights the suffering of Christians from forced displacement and their deep pain from feeling marginalized in their country, without a place of refuge, unprotected, feeling betrayed and let down as they lose their towns, homes, and churches, becoming refugees in their own nation.

In the film, Hano clarifies that ISIS’ targeting was not limited to Christians but affected all components of Iraq — everyone was at risk and subject to persecution.

Several Christians from the Nineveh Plain provide testimonies in the film of their painful experiences during ISIS’ occupation and during the series of events that followed the 2003 incidents, which created a political, social, and religious vacuum that allowed armed groups with extremist ideologies to occupy that space, as explained by former member of the Iraqi Parliament Khalis Esho.

Several young volunteers who served the displaced in Ankawa-Erbil during the crisis share their experiences and lessons in the film as well.

Father Raed Adel, head of the Syriac Catholic Churches in Mosul, recalls Pope Francis’ courageous historic visit to the city in 2021, attributing the active reconstruction movement to that visit.

For his part, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean patriarch, expresses the relief and great hope that Pope Francis’ visit instilled in all Iraqis, noting: “It was three days free from attacks and problems, and everyone followed the visit with joy.”

In the documentary, Sako also emphasizes the importance of solidifying the state of citizenship to enhance trust in the future and ensure human rights, justice, and equality.

The new documentary briefly covers some of the scars left by the events of 2014, still deeply etched in the Christian villages and towns, but according to witnesses and leaders in the film, these places remain vibrant with life and filled with the remaining Christians who are rooted in their faith and homeland, proud of their heritage, steadfast and clinging to the land of their ancestors, determined to rebuild, develop, and continue to be beacons of light in the darkness.
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