Kierra Sheard Inspired by Kirk Franklin, Kanye West Studio Session

-
0
Kierra Sheard Inspired by Kirk Franklin, Kanye West Studio Session

Kierra Sheard (Photo: BET Networks)

Christian Post Report – Kierra Sheard currently serves as a judge on BET’s “Sunday Best.”

When gospel music songwriter and producer Kirk Franklin appeared in a recording studio with rap mogul Kanye West, gospel singer Kierra Sheard said she was inspired.

“I was super inspired. What was so much more fun is that 2 Chainz posted a video of them in the studio and Kirk Franklin was chilling on the wall,” Sheard said in a Periscope video posted Tuesday, according to EEW magazine. “He did nothing that let his good be evil spoken of. It was perfect.”

The 28-year-old daughter of Grammy Award-winning singer Karen Clark Sheard of the gospel music group The Clark Sisters and the daughter of megachurch pastor Bishop J Drew Sheard, rebuked those who spoke negatively about Franklin’s decision to spend time with 38-year-old rapper West ahead of his Feb 11 album.

“So many people negatively respond to Kirk Franklin and y’all tried to throw him under the bus. I have a huge problem with that,” she said. “People of God, people of Christ, we have to do better.”

In a recent Twitter post, Franklin opened up amid the criticism by writing, “I want to sit where the sinners are … the well sometimes make me sick.”

Sheard said the criticism of Franklin reminded her why some people avoid the church.

“People have said, ‘This is why I don’t come to church. I don’t deal with church people,'” she asserted. “And some people have even said, ‘This is why I don’t even believe in God because, the God that you all speak about and the love that you guys say you ought to share, you guys don’t share it amongst each other.'”

Her brother, J. Drew Sheard II, 27, has focused on establishing his own music career throughout the years but has felt judgment from some in the Christian community in the past. Kierra previously spoke to The Huffington Post in an emotional interview about making non traditional gospel music for people like her brother.

“There are people out there like my brother, who are probably just tired of church people and the judgment and the negativity. …,” Kierra said. “This is my way of presenting Jesus in a different way, in a fresh way, in a way I think he has called me to present him.”

Source : Christian Post

Fred Hammond Asks Fans to Pray Over Business Deals Affecting His Health

-
0
Fred Hammond Asks Fans to Pray Over Business Deals Affecting His Health

Fred Hammond (Photo: RCA Inspiration)

Christian Post Report – Fred Hammond created the Festival of Praise Tour featuring Donnie McClurkin, Kim Burrell, Hezekiah Walker, Israel Houghton, Jessica Reedy, Isaac Carree and Zacardi Cortez.

Fred Hammond has touched countless people with his worship music for three decades, now the gospel singer is asking fans to pray about some business matters that could be affecting his health.

The 55-year-old singer was transparent when he took to Twitter to reveal that he needed prayer.

“I have a prayer request that I need my Twitter FAM to stand in agreement with me on.
It’s of a business nature,” he wrote on Monday. “I’m asking God to break the chains, and bring fairness immediately into this situation. I served diligently with a great and positive attitude, I rebuke the spirit of Laban over Jacob!”

In the Bible, Laban, the uncle of Jacob, deceived his nephew in Genesis 29:25. Instead of acting on the agreed upon terms of seven years worth of Jacob’s work resulting in him marrying Laban’s youngest daughter, Rachel, the uncle deceived his nephew and forced him to work seven additional years.

“This will not be that! I rebuke the spirit of stress and illness this issue brings to me daily,” the singer wrote. “Father please step in and break every chain concerning this matter. My creativity rests in and comes from You Lord.”

In the prayer posted for over 400,000 social media followers to witness, Hammond said he trusted God to deliver him from the situation.

“I’ve sown fairness now I’m asking You Lord to loose fairness. Break the unfair chains Father,” he wrote. “I’ve served and I served well. My faith is strong. … Lord You are more than able.”

Hammond has been transparent about his business in the past, and previously told The Christian Post about some of the hardships artists face in the gospel music industry.

“We don’t have the economics or commerce behind us to make us feel valuable,” the singer said. “Back in the day there were five, six or seven labels out. Now, we’re all independent and scratching for what we can get.”

Hammond has also taken notice of the comradery in the hip-hop world, where rappers are always joining on one another’s records and introducing new artists. He spoke about the the gospel music industry having potential to do the same.

“It’s not what it used to be and I think we’ve all let it down. And I think unless we all come together and say ‘what do we need to do’ then we’re all going to be in trouble,” Hammond told CP. “Unless we all come together and do something with all the minds, not the Church minds but the biggest minds … artists, labels and radio, then the Church will follow.”

Source : Christian Post

Taraji P. Henson Says Prayer Works, God Is All She Knows

-
0
Taraji P. Henson Says Prayer Works, God Is All She Knows

Taraji P. Henson (Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Christian Post Report – Taraji P. Henson poses with the award for Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama for her role in “Empire” backstage at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 10, 2016.

Taraji P. Henson is sharing her beliefs in the power of prayer.

The 45-year-old “Empire” actress who hosted the BET “Celebration of Gospel” on Sunday followed up the event with a post that reads: “Prayer Works” to over 6 million Twitter followers Wednesday.

“#GodIs and THAT is all that I KNOW,” Henson captioned the image.

Before the “Celebration of Gospel” show aired, Henson also took to Twitter to let followers know, “with God all things are possible! You better know that!”

While she has maintained a 20-year acting career with a multitude of roles, Henson won her first Golden Globe Award for best performance by an actress in a television series last month. Before receiving the honor for her portrayal of the character “Cookie” from the FOX drama “Empire,” Henson earned a nomination for an Academy Award in 2009 for her work in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

After winning a Golden Globe Award, Henson told Extra TV about her excitement for the honor.

“That is our soul we expose to the world, so whenever people receive it and people go, ‘Oh, we want to give you something,’ it always feels good,” she said.

The actress previously spoke to The Christian Post about how her Christian faith has impacted her career.

“It has definitely kept me sane and continues to keep me sane because I know how I got here. I moved to California with $700 in my pocket with my son and a dream and faith,” Henson told CP. “And every time a door would close I would pray to God, like ‘I know you’ve got a plan for me because I’m still here.’ There’s a plan for me and I believe in that.”

During an interview with Uptown magazine last year, Henson spoke about her feelings of envy toward actress Amy Adams and how her Christian faith helped her overcome those emotions.

“I used to have this crazy thing with Amy Adams. You see her consistently getting nominated, as she should, because Amy does good work,” Henson said. “But, it’s like, ‘Well I did good work too.’ But if you choose to stay in that place then you become miserable.”

“It’s a pity party and nobody cares. I’m human, so I’ve done it,” she added. “But I check that because it’s ego and it’s the devil.”

Although Henson later became an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress with countless other awards and accolades under her belt, there was a point in time when she had no accomplishments to feel secure about. In those moments, Henson turned to God.

Whenever I thought I was supposed to get something and it didn’t fall through, I would just fall back to God and be like ‘OK, well what else. Because whatever you’ve got must be better than this,'” she revealed to The Christian Post back in 2014. “And then it is, it always is.”

Source : Christian Post

Sarah Jakes Roberts Says Fear Almost Kept Her From True Joy of Pregnancy With 3rd Child

-
0
Sarah Jakes Roberts Says Fear Almost Kept Her From True Joy of Pregnancy With 3rd Child

Pastor Touré Roberts, Sarah Jakes Roberts (Photo: 5W Public Relations)

Christian Post Report – Daughter of popular preacher T.D. Jakes, Sarah Jakes Roberts (R), and her husband, Touré Roberts, senior pastor of One Church International in Hollywood, California (L).

Before marrying Pastor Touré Roberts, Sarah Jakes Roberts admits she didn’t want to have any more children.

“After a couple of heartbreaks and life as a single mother I swore I’d never have any more children. I almost let the possibility of being broken again keep me from experiencing restoration,” Jakes Roberts wrote in a personal Instagram message Thursday. “I had to realize that love and faith must dwell in the same heart. Greater than hope, faith is rooted in confirmation and a word from God.”

Jakes Roberts, author, motivational speaker and daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, is expecting her first child with husband Touré Roberts, the senior pastor of One Church International in Hollywood, California. While their official due date is not known publicly, the mother-to-be has been transparent about her emotions during the pregnancy.

In her latest Instagram post, the first lady of One Church International spoke about how being vulnerable in her marriage has helped her become a better woman during her pregnancy.

“I’ve had to be vulnerable with my husband in new ways. I’ve had to be honest enough to vocalize how I felt about change,” she revealed. “As I’ve embraced the expansion of my physical appearance I’ve noticed the parallel growth my soul is enduring. I am unequivocally more beautiful on the inside because a part of @toureroberts has developed inside of me.”

She went on to glorify God for her husband showing her what love is.

“You’ve shown me the true meaning of love is not about comfort, but about trusting stability exists even when everything is changing. You’re my rock, my love, my king,” she said. “I thank God for allowing me to experience this with you.”

The Roberts married November 2014, in what has become a second marriage for each of them.

Sarah initially brought her two children into the union with Touré’s three children from a previous relationship.

Jakes Roberts told Essence magazine back in August about her feelings of excitement concerning her pregnancy.

For Touré and I, having a child together is the organic overflow of the love that we have been so blessed to share. When I initially found out that I was pregnant, I was overwhelmed with surprise, excitement, and joy,” she told Essence. “Each of our children offer a special flavor to the blend that is our family. While we are ecstatic to know that our baby will represent a piece of each of us, we look forward to the unique individuality and impact our new addition is sure to bring to our family.”

Source : Christian Post

Tim Tebow Describes His Perfect Match on ‘Ellen’

-
0
Tim Tebow Describes His Perfect Match on ‘Ellen’

Tim Tebow (Photo: Reuters/Eric Henderson)

Christian Post Report – Tim Tebow arrives at the 48th Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, November 5, 2014.

While Tim Tebow is known more for sharing his Christian faith than his private life, the NFL hopeful has told Ellen DeGeneres everything he’s looking for in a dating partner and future spouse.

During a segment on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Wednesday, Tebow told the daytime talk show host that he was atill single, which led the audience to errupt in cheers.

After DeGeneres asked the 28-year-old SEC analyst what he was looking for in a partner, he sheepishly responded: “Obviously, someone that I’m extremely attracted to. But I think there has to be more there, there has to be depth, you know. You have to have similar beliefs, you have to have chemistry, character. But there has to be something more than just glitz and glamour.”

When DeGeneres asked if Tebow dates a lot, he said, “some, yea. When I find the right one.”

Last year, rumors surfaced that Tebow was romantically involved with former Miss USA 2012 Olivia Culpo. The New York Daily News reported that the rumored couple broke up on Thanksgiving Day because Culpo did not want to abstain from sex with Tebow, a virgin.

“He was really into her. He was sending her love letters and cute notes and professing his love for her,” a source reportedly told the newspaper.

“She had to break up with him because she just couldn’t handle it,” the alleged source added. “He still hits her up, but she just can’t deal with the sex thing. He’s pretty adamant about it, I guess.”

Subsequently, TMZ reported that those claims were false.

“Well, sources close to the situation tell us Tebow and Culpo’s romantic relationship never went beyond the rumor stage. We’re told the chatter started after Olivia and Tim met in church a few months ago — and even though their reps denied it, a lot of people ran with it,” TMZ reported. “Our sources say Tim did show interest in Olivia, and they hung out a few times WITH mutual friends … but never had a one-on-one date.”

The athlete has previously been linked to actress Camilla Belle and reality television star Jana Duggar. In 2014, reports surfaced that Christian reality television patriarch Jim Bob Duggar wanted the athlete to date his daughter, Jana.

In 2014, Tebow was questioned about finding a wife after years of telling the public that he’s a single man, and spoke about the importance of looking for more than a pretty face.

“Of course it’s important to be attracted to someone, but it really needs to be about who they are on the inside. I’ve always been attracted to girls whose hearts are the biggest thing about them,” he told People. “People can be very sweet and kind to others who can do a lot for them. I want to find a girl who will be the same person to those who can’t do anything for her in return.”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Video Shows English-Speaking Child Beheading Prisoner, Talks Apocalyptic Showdown Against the West

-
0
ISIS Video Shows English-Speaking Child Beheading Prisoner, Talks Apocalyptic Showdown Against the West

ISIS beheading video (Screengrab: The Daily Mail)

Christian Post Report – An English-speaking child soldier issues threats toward the United States and other Western nations before beheading a prisoner of the Islamic State in an execution video that was believed by produced by the terrorist group in Aleppo, Syria.

The Islamic State has released a new chilling execution video showing an indoctrinated child jihadi declaring in English that IS will meet its enemies in the Syrian town that fighters believe the final apocalyptic battle against the West will be fought before going on to behead a defenseless prisoner.

According to a clip of the 17-minute video published by the Daily Mail, the child, who looks to be as young as 10 years old and is dressed in a gray tunic, leads an adult prisoner dressed in an orange jumpsuit with his hands tied behind his back through a wooded area before forcing him to kneel down in front of him.

The boy then stands behind the prisoner and points his knife to the camera and issues a threat to the United States and IS’ other Western nations.

“Oh America, these are the soldiers you armed and you spent money on to fight the Shariah of Islam,” the boy says in broken English that is somewhat hard to comprehend. “‘We will destroy them as we destroyed the [inaudible] of Iraq. … You can’t escape.”

As the film is believed to have been filmed in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the boy promises in the footage that IS will meet its enemies “on the hills of Dabiq,” the small Syrian town that IS believes will be where the final apocalyptic showdown will occur between Muslims and crusading Christians.

After the boy finishes issuing his extremist threats, he forces the prisoner to the ground and then proceeds to use his sharpened blade to cut off the man’s head.

Mail Online reports that the prisoner was thought to be fighting for an IS opposition militia coalition called the Levant Front rebel faction. In the beginning of the video, the prisoner was forced to give an interview before he was led to the wooded area and decapitated.

Although the Daily Mail believes that the boy could possibly be the son of Abu Darda, a London-born IS fighter who was killed by a U.S. airstrike in Aleppo in 2014, there has been no confirmation made of the boy’s identity.

The beheading video comes as IS has frequently featured children in its publicized execution videos.

Just last month, IS used a child, believed to be 4-year-old Isa Dare who comes from a South London Christian family, in a video where a group of prisoners were executed. In the video, the boy stated that “we will kill the kuffar [infidels] over there,” as he pointed to the group of hostages.

In December, an IS video called “To the Sons of Jews” featured six child soldiers completing a training obstacle course in which they were instructed by an IS trainer to kill six spies that were hidden throughout the course. Five of the spies were shot, while one was beheaded.

Last July, IS released another video showing 25 boys who were believed to be in their preteen years executing 25 prisoners by shooting them at point-blank range in the back of the head inside a Roman amphitheater in Palmyra, Syria.

Last March, IS used a baby-faced executioner who was no older than 12, to execute an accused Israeli spy by shooting him the back of the head.

The United Nations published a report in mid-Januray that found that over 18,800 people have been killed in Iraq while over 3.2 million Iraqis have been displaced from their homes since 2014, the year in which IS conquered large swaths of the Nineveh Plains. Additionally, 3,500 women and children are believed to still be captured as IS slaves.

Contact: [email protected], @IamSamSmith (Twitter)

Source : Christian Post

Pope Francis, Russian Orthodox Leader to Hold Historic 1,000-Year Meeting on Christian Persecution

-
0
Pope Francis, Russian Orthodox Leader to Hold Historic 1,000-Year Meeting on Christian Persecution

Pope Francis (Photo: Reuters/Tony Gentile)

Christian Post Report – Pope Francis celebrates his final mass of his visit to the United States at the Festival of Families on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 27, 2015.

After years of disagreement, Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill are planning to meet next week in Cuba to discuss the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

The church leaders will meet at the Havana International Airport in Cuba on Feb. 12 and engage in a two-hour discussion on how to resolve the persecution of Christians, especially at the hands of the Islamic State terror group.

The upcoming encounter marks the first time Church leaders from the two denominations has come face to face in over 1,000 years. The Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated in 1054 and have had a tense, alienated relationship ever since.

The Vatican confirmed in a statement that at the conclusion of their meeting, the two church leaders are planning to exchange gifts and sign a declaration relating to the plight of Middle Eastern Christians.

“This event has extraordinary importance in the path of ecumenical relations and dialogue among Christian confessions,” Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement this week.

Senior Orthodox Cleric Metropolitan Hilarion echoed a similar sentiment, saying, “We need to put aside internal disagreements at this tragic time and join efforts to save Christians in the regions where they are subject to the most atrocious persecution.”

“The situation as it has developed today in the Middle East, in North and Central Africa, and in some other regions in which extremists are perpetrating a real genocide of the Christian population, has required urgent measures and closer cooperation between Christian churches,” Hilarion added.

Both Churches released a joint statement this week saying that the meeting, after two years of preparation, “will be the first in history and will mark an important stage in relations between the two Churches.”

“The Holy See and the Moscow Patriarchate hope that it will also be a sign of hope for all people of good will. They invite all Christians to pray fervently for God to bless this meeting, that it may bear good fruits,” the statement added.

As The New York Times reports, the Catholic Church has, in recent years, been making an effort to bridge the divide with Orthodox leaders, although it has been especially difficult for Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis to agree on a meeting.

After the Great Schism of 1054 separated Christianity into eastern and western divides, the Russian Orthodox Church seems to resent the Catholic Church, accusing it of poaching its believers in Russia and Ukraine.

The church said it its statement announcing the meeting that the issue of the Catholic Church’s presence in Ukraine still remains a “bleeding wound” that has not been resolved. 

The Roman Catholic Church has maintained that it has merely offered support to the minority factions of Catholic believers living in the two Eastern European countries. 

Source : Christian Post

Faith Driven Consumer Gives NFL Low ‘Christian Compatibility’ Rating Ahead of Super Bowl 50

-
0
Faith Driven Consumer Gives NFL Low ‘Christian Compatibility’ Rating Ahead of Super Bowl 50

Super Bowl 50 (Photo: USA Today Sports/Kirby Lee)

Christian Post Report – Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos helmets with the San Francisco skyline and Bay Bridge as a backdrop prior to Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos, San Francisco, California, February 2, 2016.

The NFL has received a low score of compatibility with American Christians despite the abundance of Christian athletes in its organization, Faith Driven Consumer reported this week.

Ahead of Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, Faith Driven Consumer has used its Faith Equality Index to rank various Super Bowl advertisers, as well as the NFL itself.

The Faith Equality Index seeks to determine a business’ compatibility with Christian consumers based on different categories, including their corporate values and nondiscriminatory work practices. 

The NFL received a low score of 24 out of 100, with Chris Stone, founder of Faith Driven Consumer, saying the professional football organization “lacks awareness” regarding its Bible-minded customers.

“The National Football League is significantly comprised of Christian players, coaches, and executives, and as such, many in our community assume the organization is welcoming of Faith Driven Consumers. But its score of 24 out of 100 says otherwise. As with most brands, this may not be intentional, rather it stems from a lack of awareness and understanding of this color in the diversity rainbow,” Stone said in a statement shared with The Christian Post. “We look forward to working with the NFL, and all professional sports organizations — educating them on and encouraging them to specifically include Faith Driven Consumers.”

Super Bowl 50 (Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Fans pose in front of a poster before NFL Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, California, United States, February 4, 2016.

The NFL received a score of six out of 10 for its “Faith-Compatible Corporate Actions” that included “[promoting or supporting] wholesome images in marketing and culture while refraining from the promotion or support of pornography, sexual immorality or the sexual exploitation of individuals, as viewed through a biblical lens.”

For advertisers, Faith Driven Consumer gave its highest score of 46 out of 100 to Acura and Honda, stating that both automobile companies received perfect scores in the “Faith-Compatible Corporate Actions” subcategory for their respect of the biblical teaching on family, marriage, abortion, embryonic stem cell research and euthanasia.

Several Christian athletes have expressed their religious beliefs ahead of the upcoming Super Bowl 50 game, set to take place in Santa Clara, California this Sunday between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos.

When recently asked to describe himself during a pre-Super Bowl 50 press conference, Carolina’s quarterback Cam Newton said: “A Super Bowl quarterback, a Heisman Trophy winner, a first-round pick, but more importantly God’s servant.”

“I scratch my head sometimes and I ask myself why am I in this position. A lot of the answers I come back with are, ‘Why not?’ … I just thank God for the pinnacle that he gave me and, hopefully, I do right with it,” Newton added.

Peyton Manning, longtime quarterback for the Broncos, has also spoken about his Christian faith, writing in his autobiography Manning that he prays every day.

“I committed my life to Christ, and that faith has been most important to me ever since,” Manning wrote of his conversion story, adding, “I hope (and pray) I don’t do too many things that displease Him before I get to Heaven myself. I believe, too, that life is much better and freer when you’re committed to God in that way.”

Source : Christian Post

Billy Graham’s Grandson Tullian Tchividjian: God Has Met My Guilt With His Grace

-
0
Billy Graham’s Grandson Tullian Tchividjian: God Has Met My Guilt With His Grace

Tullian Tchividjian (Photo: Twitter)

Christian Post Report – Tullian Tchividjian.

Tullian Tchividjian, the grandson of Billy Graham who resigned as a pastor in June after confessing to an “inappropriate” relationship with another woman who was not his wife, has said that God has met him in his darkest moments and has helped him heal.

Tchividjian, who resigned from his position at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida and moved to Orlando at the invitation of Pastor Kevin Labby and the elders of Willow Creek Presbyterian Church, admitted in a Facebook post on Thursday that the first couple of months were very difficult for him to get through.

“But as time has gone on, God has increasingly been settling my heart and mind by meeting me in the deep places … exposing my idols and replacing them with a fresh assurance of his love and grace,” he wrote.

“I could tell you a thousand stories of the ways God has sweetly met me very specifically in my darkest and most despairing moments, of which there have been many. Through many of you, God has met my guilt with his grace, my mess with his mercy, my sin with his salvation.”

He said that with the help of everyone who has supported him, he is now in a better place spiritually, emotionally and mentally than he has been in years.

“This place and these people have become a sanctuary for me … a place where I’m getting the help and healing I need and long for, a place where I’m learning to breathe again,” he continued.

“I was telling my mom the other day that, even though this past year has been rocked by loss and pain and so much death, I’m more content and clear and at peace than I was a year ago … two years ago. Sometimes when it seems that God is killing you, he’s actually making you alive.”

Back in August, Tchividjian said in an interview with Vanderbloemen Search Group that his affair with another woman was short lived, but admitted that he was devastated at what he had done.

“It was a short lived thing. It wasn’t a long thing, but it was the worst external decision I have ever made in my life up to this point and I’m wrestling with the aftermath of that. I’m trying to figure out what does life look like from this point forward. I’m trying to evaluate …” he explained.

He has kept his supporters updated on his healing process, however, and in November wrote on Facebook that he is surrounded by great people who are helping him along the way.

“I just wanted you all to know that I’m doing really well, I’m surrounded by great people, I’m in a great church, and I have a great pastor, a great counselor, and great elders,” Tchividjian wrote.

Last June, Tchividjian announced his resignation from his position as senior pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian, noting that it was “due to ongoing marital issues.”

“As many of you know, I returned from a trip a few months back and discovered that my wife was having an affair. Heartbroken and devastated, I informed our church leadership and requested a sabbatical to focus exclusively on my marriage,” stated Tchividjian.

“As her affair continued, we separated. Sadly and embarrassingly, I subsequently sought comfort in a friend and developed an inappropriate relationship myself.”

Source : Christian Post

Mark Burnett, Roma Downey: ‘Friends Said We Were Idiots, Nobody’s Gonna Watch ‘The Bible’

-
0
Mark Burnett, Roma Downey: ‘Friends Said We Were Idiots, Nobody’s Gonna Watch ‘The Bible’

Roma Downey (Photo: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)

Christian Post Report – Producer Mark Burnett and actress Roma Downey, the husband and wife team behind the popular 2013 History Channel miniseries “The Bible,” deliver the keynote address at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington February 4, 2016.

Hollywood producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast as keynote speakers Thursday, recalling how their faith in Jesus led them to build their careers on “family-friendly franchises,” and how their friends “warned” them against making “The Bible” miniseries.

The Christian mega-couple, who are behind the History Channel’s “The Bible” miniseries, started their keynote address at the event in Washington, D.C. by talking about their “immigrant, blue-collar” roots.

Downey recalled moving to the United States from Northern Ireland as a teenager. Burnett, standing beside his wife, said, “It’s very easy to divide people and it’s very difficult to bring people together. We learned to become bridge builders. And bridge-building became our mission.”

Downey added, “I know the power of a bridge from my own life’s journey growing up in war-torn Northern Ireland. … We are at a time in the world’s history where there is so much pain and fear and division everywhere. And these divisions show up in race and in religion and in politics. The dividing lines are easy to find. The bridges to peace are harder to build. … May we all find our dividing lines and work until we’ve built our own bridges of peace across them. Perhaps a good place to start is to simply see the image of God in the eyes of everyone you meet.”

She continued, “Like so many immigrants before us, this country has provided us with the opportunities to make our dreams reality. … I got to deliver a message of God’s love to millions of people on national television. As a believer myself it was such an honor to share that there is a God who loves us and wants to be a part of our lives. We’d always pray a simple prayer on set, ‘Less of me, God, more of you.'”

People’s lives changed “thousands of times,” she said.

Burnett added, “Our faith has, in fact, led us to almost entirely build our TV careers and film careers on family-friendly franchises,” which received high ratings and “that’s what matters in Hollywood.”

“We took that leverage and said we wanted to make a brand new series called ‘The Bible’ on primetime TV,” he said, noting that, “Of course, our friends told us we’d destroy our great careers … [that] we were idiots because nobody is gonna watch the Bible on primetime TV. But ‘The Bible’ became the most talked about television show in America, with 100 million of you watching.”

Downey said far more important than the ratings were the stories of families sitting together in their living rooms watching ‘The Bible,’ “the stories of how God’s love for us unfolded through the ages moved them and engaged them, because faith is and was alive and well in America.”

“The series helped ignite a much larger conversation about God and faith in this country, and we were also humbled that people were inspired to see us, a Hollywood couple of producers, daring to speak out of our love of Jesus, daring to talk about our faith in God, and our sincere belief in the power of prayer,” she added. “I can honestly say that I have never made a decision in my life, big or small, that I didn’t pray about first.”

She recalled that Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in California once told her: “The scariest words a person can pray is, ‘Lord use me,’ because He might do just that.”

“All we did was ask Him to use us,” she said. “And use us, He did, trust me,” said Burnett. “We’ve become America’s noisiest Christians,” he added, jokingly.

“The making of ‘The Bible’ series was covered in prayer every step of the way,” said Downey. “We know that being in media comes with responsibility,” she added, referring to Luke 12:48. “We are so pleased that our step of faith has reinvigorated faith and family programming in this country, and has hopefully inspired a whole new generation of artists to invest their talent in content that inspires and unifies. … We believe it is far more effective to light a candle than to curse the darkness. That’s what we try to do, we keep lighting candles in this dark, hostile and hurting world.”

“On this day of the National Prayer Breakfast, we pray that with God’s help, our world can heal some of the wounds that hurt us and the confusion that divides us. But it begins with us. Perhaps a good place to start is to see the image of God in the eyes of everyone you meet.”

Source : Christian Post

1...3,2933,2943,295...3,893Page 3,294 of 3,893