I know this dates me, but arguably my favorite gospel group, The Second Chapter Acts, singing one of their big hits, The Easter Song (1974). I did a story on them a while back. This is a rare video recording of one of their live performances.
CBN recently had an interesting story on the development of Handel’s Christmas masterpiece, Messiah, composed in 1741 that included the infamous Hallelujah chorus. The words were written by Charles Jennens who had gathered together several scriptures, including many from the Old Testament (about 60% of the composition), that spoke of the coming Messiah. Jennens, a committed Christian, had written it to counter deism that was growing in popularity at that time. Though Deism acknowledges a God who created the universe, it does not believe this God is personally involved in the affairs of humans and certainly did not believe Jesus was divine. When he handed these words to George Frideric Handel, a German composer living in London, Jenner hoped Handel would create a masterpiece that would counter this growing movement. Many believe that the great German composer was in a slump, because opera, which was Handel’s specialty, was becoming less popular. But Mark Martin explains what happened next: “It’s said that Handel never left his house during those three weeks, and a friend who visited …
“The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon 2:2 ESV) According to a recent study published in Scientific Reports, listening to birds singing can actually improve a person’s mental health, and mood and even help battle depression, CBN reports. The study conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience based at London’s King’s College, used an app downloaded onto a person’s phone, to provide “real-time data” on the impact that birds had on people. “By using the Urban Mind app we have for the first time showed the direct link between seeing or hearing birds and positive mood. We hope this evidence can demonstrate the importance of protecting and providing environments to encourage birds, not only for biodiversity but for our mental health,” the researchers reported. “There is growing evidence on the mental health benefits of being around nature and we intuitively think that the presence of birdsong and birds would help lift our mood,” the …
Bodie Kuljian’s recent performance of a worship song on The Voice, left judges speechless and others in tears according to several reports. Bodie, 29, is from Orange County, California. He is a worship leader at his local church and teaches songwriting and coaches a musical group at Vanguard University. During the first night of this season’s two-part finale, Bodie sang “Gratitude” written by Christian recording artist Brandon Lake. Though Bodie placed second in the competition behind Bryce Leatherwood, his performance impacted the judges. āIām choking on my tears over here,ā said judge Gwen Stefani. āYou have a superpower behind you; itās a truth. I think it comes from your pure faith that you have. ā¦ I canāt even speak right now. That was so beautiful.ā Stefani’s husband, Blake Shelton who also served as Bodie’s coach during the competition described the performance as āone of the most moving performances Iāve seen in a long time on this show.ā Brandon Lake, who is associated with Bethel Music, recorded his experience of watching Bodie perform “Gratitude “on Instagram. …
Popular Gospel singer Anne Wilson recently told the story of how her hit song, My Jesus, helped a suicidal fan. Raised in a Christian home, Anne rose to fame after she posted a YouTube video of a song that she sang at her brother’s funeral entitled, āWhat a Beautiful Name.ā Her brother, 23, died in a car accident in 2017. This song caught the attention of a Nashville music producer and in April 2021, Anne released her first single, My Jesus, that went on to become a gospel hit. It reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs that year, and is currently in the running for the song of the year in the contemporary pop category at this year’s Dove Awards. But in an interview with Christian Headlines, Anne shared the remarkable story of how God used ‘My Jesus‘ to save a woman who was contemplating suicide. Anne told Christian Headlines: “There is a lady that came up to me at the show the other week, she was struggling with cancer and …
According to a survey conducted by DickersonBakker, attendance is up in 79% of the Christian Schools in America with 43% reporting a ‘substantial’ increase since the pandemic started in 2020, ChristianHeadlines reports. DickersonBakker added that the growing interest in Christian schools was due to multiple issues including pandemic-related, and as well to concerns about moral and social issues. READ: Christian School Enrollment Booms: 79 Percent See Increase Post-Pandemic, Report Says New Christian schools opening The survey only looked at the growth of established Christian schools and does not include the interest reflected through the opening of new Christian schools this fall and in 2023. Pop star Kanye West recently announced opening of Donda Academy this fall in Simi Valley, California. MSN reports that the Christian school will include as part of its curriculum, “full school worship; core classes of language arts, math and science; lunch and recess; enrichment courses including world language, visual art, film, choir, and parkourā. READ: Kanye West opens private Christian school called Donda Academy Pastor John McArthur who pastors Grace Community …
You may never have heard of G.E.M. (Gloria Tang Sze-wing), 31, but in Communist China she is known as āChinaās Taylor Swift.ā Deng, who was born in Hong Kong, skyrocketed to fame after entering a singing competition on mainland China in 2014 called “I am a singer 2” where she placed second. She became the first Chinese singer to surpass 200 million views on YouTube, and the first female artist in that country to have four exceeding 100 million views, making her one of the country’s top pop singers. And in a country run by the atheistic Chinese Communist Party desperate to stamp out Christianity, she is a believer in Jesus. Throughout her music and videos, we see references to her Christian faith, such as Israel’s Red Sea crossing in her latest video, Gloria, based on the English name given by her father. As she prays in the video below, the sea parts and Deng encounters a bright light. Deng told Christianity Today, that Gloria was inspired by an incident in her own life when …
After being forced to cancel concerts earlier this year due to Ramsay HuntĀ Syndrome, which resulted in temporary paralysis of his face, mega popstar Justin Bieber is back on tour. Justin recently posted a video of a concert on Instagram, where he openly prayed, inviting the Holy Spirit into the concert and worshipped God in front of the thousands of people in attendance. Charisma News writes: With his head bowed and eyes closed, he declared, “God I pray right now for every fear, every insecurity, every bad thought we have about ourselves or someone else we just release that right now in the name of Jesus.” He was able to share with those at the concert who God is and why we need Jesus in our life, through his bold prayers. In a time when depression is higher than ever, Bieber prayed over the crowd, ushering in the presence of God, “We thank You God, that You are here…I pray against any tormenting thought, any insecure thought, we just give it to You, in Jesus name.” …
Here are a ten news stories, that caught my attention, this past week. Prophetic word about draft, fulfilled in the very last pick in 2021 NFL draft Grant Stuard was an all-conference linebacker while playing for the University of Houston. His dad was in prison several times and his drug-addict mother worked strip clubs to feed her habit, leaving Grant to raise his four siblings. There had been hints he would be drafted in the 2021 NFL draft, and a friend even gave a prophetic word, that this would happen. But Grant was losing hope by the time the seventh and final round of the draft started. But Grant was picked by the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the very last pick of the draft. READ: NFL’s Last Draft Pick Sees His Blessing Movie director encourages Chris Pratt to ‘keep standing for Jesus’ Andrew Erwin, who has directed films such as American Underdog and Moms’ Night Out, took to Instagram to support Hollywood actor, Chris Pratt, after he was criticized for sharing that his faith …
Granger Smith, 43, is a country music singer, songwriter, who also goes by the name of Earl Dribbles Jr. He had a number one hit in 2016, Backroad Song and another, If the Boot Fits, was a top ten hit in 2017. In 2010, he married his wife, Amber. But in 2019, the family was struck with tragedy when their three-year-old son, River Kelly, drowned at the family home. Amber, 40, recently share an Instagram Post of people who are still condemning and blaming her three years later for their son’s death. It started after Amber commented on the post of another woman, whose child had also apparently died. “All of us mamas who know this pain have been praying so hard for your family,” Amber wrote. “We are all rallying around you and are here for you. Light will come from the dark. He is working. Bless you for blessing others in your deepest hurt. Sending all our love.” After she posted that comment, the condemnation about her son’s death started pouring in. One …
In a video posted on Instagram, Justin Bieber, 27, asked for prayer because he is struggling with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which has resulted in him having to cancel some upcoming concerts, CBN reports. “As you can probably see from my face, I have this syndrome called Ramsay Hunt syndrome,” Justin told his fans. “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move, so there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.” Ramsay Hunt Syndrome (RHS) occurs when a shingle outbreak occurs on the face near a facial nerve. According to the Mayo Clinic, shingles is a result of having previously caught Chicken Pox. After recovering from this disease, the virus continues to live in a person’s nerves and can sometimes reactivate when you are older in the form of Shingles. Though typically people are more vulnerable to shingles after the age of 60, RHS symptoms can result in facial paralysis that includes difficulty in closing your eyes, hearing loss and …
In a recent interview with The 700 Club, child-actor Keith Thibodeaux, 71, shared how his involvement in the occult led him to become suicidal and how this was broken after he received a vision of Jesus, CBN reports. Thisbodeaus, who later changed his name to Richard Keith, is best known for playing the role of “Little Ricky Ricardo” on the 1950s TV hit series I Love Lucy. He would later go on to have roles in The Luci-Dezi Comedy show and the Andy Griffin show. I addition, Keith played in a secular band, called David and the Giants. At the age of 5, Keith was already earning $2,000 a month playing drums for a band called Horace Heidt Orchestra, when His father took him to an audition for the I Love Lucy Show. In his interview, Keith shared two stories that dramatically impacted him and sent him on a downward spiritual slide. It started when his mom and dad divorced after his father had an affair. Keith said the divorce made him extremely angry not …
I was intrigued when a popular British rapper and social activist, MathangiĀ “Maya”Ā Arulpragasam, who goes by the stage name M.I.A., recently announced that she became a Christian, according to Relevant Magazine.
The Daily Mail is reporting that popular British singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran, is building a church/chapel on property he owns in Suffolk County, England.
If you have ever been a fan of American Idol, you may enjoy this story about a Jewish woman, Birgitta Veksler, who finished eighth in Israel’s version of the program, ‘Kochav Nolad’ (Pop Idol). Birgitta was born to a Jewish family in Sweden and lived much of her early life in Estonia before her family decided to move to Israel when she was 12. But before she left, Birgitta had believed in Jesus for her salvation. However, when her family joined Israel’s Jewish community, Birgitta quickly learned that Jesus was an unacceptable, even taboo, topic, and quickly quit talking about her relationship with Christ. She became famous in Israel at the age of 17, when she finished in the top ten in the country’s equivalent of the American Idol. As her popularity grew, she was drawn into the partying scene of alcohol and boys, which left her feeling empty. But things would soon change for Birgitta. Israel has compulsory military service and at the age of 18, young men and women are drafted into Israel’s …
I am writing this on January 1, 2022. That means we have a new year in front of us, and everyone I know is tired of the old one. We had an endless stream of bad news about our health, and the health of the economy, and political arguments. For me, the news every day was a toxic mix. This morning, I had text messages from friends and a relative, and they feel the same as me. There is not enough optimism at the beginning of this year. We need something new, and better. It might comfort you to know that God thought of this first: āForget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.ā (Isaiah 43: 18 and 19) Those are the instructions from a higher source, the highest source, when we get lost in things that happen around us. It is easy to …
In 2019, CBN wrote a story about George Frideric Handel’s composition, “Messiah” often performed at Christmas.
In an interview with the Chicago Sun times, actor Dennis Quaid, 67, recently announced that he will be releasing a solo Gospel album in 2022 featuring songs that he grew up with while attending a Baptist church as a boy and as well some of his original creations.
In a recent Instagram post, Hollywood actor Chris Pratt stated that as he was going through a recent bout of depression, he listened to Christian music while jogging, and it provided an almost immediate release for the actor famed for his leading roles in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Premier Christian News reports that the depression started after an uproar over an earlier post Chris had made, where he thanked his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, for giving birth to a healthy daughter. He was immediately attacked by trolls who accused Pratt of mocking his previous wife who had given birth to a son nine weeks early, who consequently experienced health issues including visual impairment. Of course, this was not Pratt’s intent, but the trolls were relentless and had previously gone after Chris because of his Christian faith. In his post, Chris explained what happened: “Good morning, everybody. I went to bed last night really kind of upset and depressed, and I woke up feeling crappy, and I didn’t want to work out. “I …
Nineteen-year-old Christian singer, Anne Wilson, expressed her shock and gratitude on how here inaugural song, “My Jesus,” climbed to No. 1 on the Christian Billboard after its release five months ago. In an interview with Billboard, Wilson who co-authored the song along with contemporary Christian singer Matthew West, and music producer Jeff Pardo stated that she has been overwhelmed by the response to the song: “I’ve been blown away by how God has been using My Jesus to impact so many lives. I’m so honored that He chose me to be His vessel for this specific time and season. My favorite part so far has been seeing people sing My Jesus at shows to the top of their lungs and hearing stories of how they’ve been impacted by the song. I would’ve never dreamed that God would use this song in such a mighty way.” The song has ministered to people’s hearts, because it addresses the struggles that many have faced over the past year and a half. But there is more to this story. …
According to researchers from Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, just 30 seconds of Mozart has the ability to calm the parts of our mind linked to seizure and epileptic attacks. Study Finds reports that the researchers had 16 people with drug resistant epileptic seizures listen to several clips of music, including Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos, written in 1781. As they were listening, the researchers monitored their brain activity using electroencephalograms. They found that as the people listened to Mozart, there was an average 66.5% reduction in the electrical spikes in the brain that cause epilepsy. This song, along with “40-Hz auditory gamma-band tones,” were the only musical clips that recorded a reduction. Based on their observations, the researchers concluded that listening to Mozart daily could reduce the number of epileptic seizures by as much as 66%. This was not the first study to notice that this particular song positively impacted brain activity. An earlier study found that the song increased a person’s “spatial reasoning ability.” READ: Just 30 seconds of Mozart calms brain regions …
Christianity Today recently reported on a study by Fenders Musical Instruments Corporation, a major US guitar manufacturer, that revealed nearly one in three new guitar purchases are to worship leaders or people playing in praise and worship bands.
Pop star, rapper Kanye West, 44, has seen a bit of controversy in recent months, but it certainly hasn’t harmed the sales of his most recent 27-song album release, DONDA, named after his mother who died in 2007. The album, released on Sunday, Aug 29, 2021, broke the Spotify record set earlier this year by Olivia Rodrigo’s album, Sour, for being the most streamed album in the first 24 hours following its release. It is also breaking records on Apple, where it became the number one song in over 150 countries during the same period, as it was streamed over 60 million times. In 2019, Kanye released a worship album, Jesus is King, that was also hugely popular and became the first album to simultaneously Top the Billboard 200, Top Gospel Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Christian Albums and Top Rap Albums. Premier Christian News reports though not an overtly-worship album, DONDA has several Biblical-themed songs including Jesus Lord, Lord I Need You, Praise God, Keep My Spirit Alive, I know God Breathed On and …
In an Instagram post on Mother’s Day (May 9, 2021), international pop star, Justin Bieber, wished his mom, Pattie Mallette, a “Happy Mother’s Day.” But instead of focusing on his mother’s sacrifice to his 171 million followers, Justin shared the important role his mother played in Justin’s faith: āHappy Motherās Day Madre ! I could talk about all of the sacrifices that you made to take care of me but the most incredible thing you could have done was share with me the love of Jesus!ā Justin’s climb to international stardom started through videos that his mother initially posted on YouTube for family and friends. But as others found the videos and saw his talent, Justin’s popularity began to grow, until he was noticed by those in the music industry. But as the fame took over his life, he was increasingly being caught up in the negativity that often comes with it. For a few years, all we were reading about were Justin’s run-ins with the law and the latest scandal that overtook his life: …
New shoes being introduced by Rapper Lil Nas X will not only contain a drop of human blood, but the numbered shoes slated to sell for $1,018 will be limited to just 666 pairs.
You may remember Jordan Smith, he was the believer that won Season 9 of The Voice in 2015. Raised in a Christian home of pastor parents, Jordan who also served as the church’s worship leader, attended Lee University a private Christian university based in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is interesting to note, that his success was due in part to perseverance, because he had previously auditioned for the show and been rejected. But he was accepted the second time and his first song, Chandelier, resulted in a four chair turn by the coaches that resulted in Jordan choosing Adam Levine as coach. During Season 9, he was the first artist from The Voice to top the iTunes pop chart when his song Great is Thy Faithfulness pushed ahead of Adele’s Hello to the number one spot. The song also placed number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard’s Christian Song chart. His semi-final rendition of Queen’s Somebody to Love would once again send Adele’s Hello to second place on iTunes. Amazingly, it …
In a blog post on his Church and Culture website, Dr. James Emery White offers an apology to Britney Spears, singer, songwriter, actress, on how America’s Hollywood and fame culture took advantage of her when she was just a teen.
An orchestra in Munich, Germany has just released this video on Jeremiah’s prayers from the book of Lamentations on Babylon’s sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of the Jewish Temple in 586 BC. The video was produced during the pandemic. Aleteia, a Catholic news site, explains: A German orchestra has released most incredible work of sacred music to be recorded since the world pandemic began. Titled Oratio, the work draws on the texts of the biblical Book of Lamentations, which when put to music is usually called āThe Lamentations of Jeremiah.ā This is a brand new composition from contemporary German composer Mathias Rehfeldt. A composer of sacred music and film scores, Rehfeldt beautifully captures the emotion behind the text, which is a collection of poetic laments for the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The work features a full orchestra and chorus performing at Munichās jaw-dropping Theatine Church, conducted by Father Robert Mehlhart OP. READ: ‘Oratio’ is the greatest sacred music recording of 2020 Lamentations 1:1-4: How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!How like …
It appears that the Democrat mayor of New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell, was able to have Christian singer Lauren Daigle, 29, cancelled from an upcoming New Year’s celebration at New Orleans’ Jackson Square. A local radio station, WWL, first reported that the cancellation took place after Mayor Cantrell, who loves writing letters, sent one to Dick Clark Productions (DCP) that was organizing the event telling them to cancel Daigle because she participated in an outdoor worship service in that city on Nov. 17, 2020. The event was led by worship leader Sean Feucht as part of his Let Us Worship protests across America. In her letter to DCP, Cantrell wrote: “She harmed our people, she risked the lives of our residents, and she strained our first responders in a way that is unconscionable ā in the midst of a public health crisis. This is not who we are, and she cannot be allowed to represent New Orleans or the people she willfully endangered.” However, many are asking why Cantrell did this and several political leaders spoke …
We have weapons to pull down spiritual strongholds: 3Ā For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4Ā For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5Ā casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJ) And in the days of King Jehoshaphat: 21Ā And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: āPraise the Lord,For His mercy endures forever.ā 22Ā Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:21-23 NKJ)
Having sold 200 million records, Mariah Carey, 50, is a popular American singer and song-writer. In fact, she was the first singer to have her first five singles top the Billboard Hot 100. Last year, based on sales and chart performance, Billboard ranked her as the top female performer in the US. Mariah came from what some might describe as a dysfunctional family and neither her mother nor father, who divorced, were Christian. But there were Christians on her father’s side of the family and even one who apparently was in the ministry. Christian Post recently wrote about Mariah’s recent book, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, where she shared, among other things, about the importance of faith in her life. This included one experience that suggests she was impacted by the Holy Spirit as Mariah was ministered to by Nana Reese, an aunt on her father’s side. Reese not only ministered at a church in Harlem, she was also considered a prophetess. There had been a massive blow up in the family and her Aunt …
Several secular media outlets have reported on how pop superstar Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey, the daughter of Stephen Baldwin, were baptized together in an Idaho lake in July. The baptisms were performed by Judah Smith who pastors Churchome in Seattle, Washington. Several family members and at least one celebrity, E! host Jason Kennedy, were present at the baptism. Jason described it as “one of the top moments of my life doing this with you.” Justin shared the experience with his 143 million followers on Instagram writing: “The moment @haileybieber my wife and I got baptized together! This was one of [the] most special moments of my life. Confessing our love and trust in Jesus publicly with our friends and family.” The pop star received nearly 4.5 million likes for the post. Justin was previously baptized in 2014 by New York Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz. When Lentz was unable to find a swimming pool for the water baptism, they approached seven-foot NBA star Tyson Chandler and were able to use his extra-large sized bathtub. …
The song seems appropriate in the days we are living. Written by Pete Seeger and made popular by the folk-rock band, The Byrds, but taken from the Bible:
According to CBN, Sean Feucht, a worship leader associated with Bethel Music, recently shared several social media posts that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are now censoring worship and praise videos. Apparently, Feucht was going to places where there has been rioting and then posting videos of praise and worship from these locations. And while these social media corporations allowed posts of actual rioting, somehow praise and worship songs was considered insensitive or harmful and removed. Feucht tweeted: While @Facebook @instagram @Twitter promote the content of violence, rioting & destruction, they are actively CENSORING worship, prayer, peaceful protest & anything going against their fear-mongering narrative. My feed and many others is proof.#ChangeTheNarrative ā Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) June 23, 2020 Feucht reports that Instagram justified the removal of his praise and worship videos because they were classified as “harmful” or containing “false information”: This is what weāve come to in America! Instagram is now classifying my WORSHIP videos as āharmful or false informationā Religious Liberty? Freedom of Speech? Big Tech censorship? pic.twitter.com/I7s6HUfKH4 ā Sean Feucht (@seanfeucht) June …
It was his first album in five years, but Justin Bieber’s latest album “Changes” has just set a record. The album with its many references to faith and God is now No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart and with that achievement, Justin Bieber became the youngest singer to have seven albums hit number one beating out the previous record holder Elvis Presley. In the first two days after its release on Valentine’s Day, the album sold the equivalent of 250,000 albums. Those numbers are expected to climb dramatically when Bieber starts his tour. Billboard ranks albums based on several factors including purchases and streaming. Elvis had seven No. 1 albums before he was age 26, Bieber set that record at 25, since he will not turn 26 until March 1, 2020. In 2017, Justin cancelled the remainder of his Purpose tour and took time off to renew his faith in God working closely with pastors from Hillsong. During this time he also got water baptized, led worship services and married Haily Baldwin who …
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