"You Deserve It"
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise's blockbuster single, "You Deserve It," has been resting at #1 on Billboard's Gospel Music charts for the last few weeks. Now, with the release of the labels debut album, "You Deserve It," on March 10, JJ talked about his smash hit, his hobbies and his hope for the new album.
JJ, what gospel album were you blowing up in the car or at home
in 2016?
A: My favorite record of 2016 was
"The Hill" by
Travis Greene. I messed up the CD, so I plugged it in the car. I love that record. So many great songs, Travis is a good friend of mine, but even if we weren't friends, I really enjoyed that record.
Give me one activity that you love to do when you have time for yourself
and the family?
A: This is funny because I always say I watch movies. But I think people think like, ''Okay, so what? That's no big deal.'' I'm really a big movie guy. All the Marvel releases I've seen. One thing that I do that my wife can't stand is I watch the same movie, over and over again. So movies like
"Rush Hour, 1, 2, and 3." I've seen multiple times. So I'm really a movie guy.
Congratulations on the success of, "You Deserve It."
Did you know right away that you had a special song?
A: It's funny. You never know. When I first heard the song, I was in Kansas City and there was a worship leader, the pastor who actually sang on the song with me, Bishop Cortez Vaughn. It wasn't a complete song then, it was just a chant, and when I first heard it, I knew it was special.
When we finally recorded it, I never knew it would do what it's doing now. There's no way to measure expectation, so I couldn't measure what I thought would happen. I knew it resonated with me. I have a good sense of what will resonate with other people, but I still had no idea it would bless so many people the way it has.
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Top 10 Gospel Music Songs
1 -
J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise - "You Deserve It"
(from
"You Deserve It")
2 -VaShawn Mitchell "Joy"
(from "Secret Place
Live in South Africa")
3 - Travis Greene "Made A Way"
(from "The Hill")
4 - Tamela Mann featuring
Kirk Franklin
"God Provides"
(from "One Way")
5 - GEI Featuring Kierra Sheard
"Hang On"
(from "GEI Live)
6 - Donnie McClurkin
"I Need You"
 (from Journey Live)
7 - Jekalyn Carr
"You're Bigger" (from "The Life Project")
8 - Cece Winans
"
Never Have
To Be Alone"
(from
"Let Them
Fall In Love")
9 - Todd Dulaney
"Victory Belongs
To Jesus"
(from "A Worshipper's Heart")
10. Fred Hammond
"Father Jesus Spirit"
(from "Worship Journal Live")
Click Here To See This Week's Entire Billboard Top 25
Gospel Music Songs
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Top 10 Contemporary Christian Music Songs
1 - Hillsong Worship
"What A Beautiful Name" (from "Let There
Be Light")
2 - MercyMe "Even If" (from "Lifer")
3 - Zach Williams
"Chain Breaker"
(from
"Chain Breaker"
4. Toby Mac
"Love Broke Thru"
"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)
(from "Zion")
6 - Chris Tomlin
"Home" (from
"Never Lose Sight")
7. Needtobreathe
"Testify"
(from "Hard Love")
 8 - Danny Gokey
"Rise" (from "Rise")
9 - Hillary Scott & The Scott Family
"Thy Will" (from
"Love Remains")
10 - Lauren Daigle
"Come Alive (Dry Bones)" (from
"How Can It Be")
Click Here To See This Week's Entire Billboard Top 25 CCM Songs
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"The Undoing of
Saint Silvanus"
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I did not realize that Beth Moore had written a fiction book until I was standing in line at Moore's book signing in Metairie, Louisiana, on Friday evening, September 23rd. Only hours earlier, as I was driving home from my teaching day, I heard a news bit about Moore's speaking earlier that day in Baton Rouge, which is an hour's drive for me. Even as I was thinking it would have been nice to have met her, the announcer continued with news about her being in Metairie- 40 minutes from my home- that very evening.
I had to think about whether or not to let the opportunity go. I just finished a teaching week, and I was ready to wind down following my regularly scheduled foray to the gym. But when would I have such an opportunity again?
Perhaps never...
I did not even know Moore had another book out. I had read a couple of her books- nonfiction, always nonfiction. I decided that it was worth it to purchase another if it meant an opportunity to meet Beth Moore in person.
But this was not another nonfiction book. It was Moore's first attempt at fiction.
I was intrigued.
And the story was set in New Orleans.
I was intrigued all the more.
I am a native of Chalmette, Louisiana, which happens to be approximately seven miles from downtown New Orleans and is the site of the Battle of New Orleans. New Orleans is a popular setting for fiction, and, frankly, I wanted to see if Moore- Arkansas raised and Texas residing- could accurately capture the cultural gumbo of the City That Care Forgot.
I was also curious if she could pull off writing a novel.
Well...
As I finished "The Undoing of Saint Silvanus" only days ago, I realized, indeed she can. And her capture of the New Orleans cultural gumbo rates pretty high, as well.
"The Undoing of St. Silvanus," which is currently #1 on the Christian Bookseller's Fiction charts, centers on the birth and rebirth of a building. The reader is left to discover exactly what this means as Moore smoothly weaves the stories of two time periods together throughout her work.
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"The Book of Mysteries"
JONATHAN CAHN
Jonathan Cahn's
"The Book of Mysteries" Helps You Understand the Deeper Things of God
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Jonathan Cahn is an amazing writer who has developed a huge following because of his books "The Harbinger" and "The Mystery of the Shemitah." I have the privilege of publishing both, and they have been a great blessing to the body of Christ.
His third book, "The Book of Mysteries," came out a couple of months ago and already is a New York Times best-seller. It is currently #1 for the second straight month on the Christian Booksellers' Fiction (Suspense/Mystery) list.
In many ways, I believe this is his best effort yet.
It is written as 365 one-page chapters, making it ideal for devotions. But there is also a story. A man seeking God takes a year to live in the desert and learn from a wise teacher who reveals to him a mystery every day.
I am reading the book, and each mystery is more astounding than the one before. Even though I have been a Christian most of my life and have read many books and heard many sermons, never have I heard any of these mysteries of the Bible that Jonathan Cahn shares.
He visited our offices recently and sat down with me in the podcast studio, where we had a delightful interview. He shared how each of us can learn more from the Bible as we seek God. You can listen by clicking here.
Rabbi Cahn told me that some mysteries are actually "streams of mysteries" from some of the rabbis over the centuries. Other mysteries have an end-times prophecy angle. Others are simply common-sense wisdom. Jonathan also told me people have actually come to the Lord after reading the book.
The book begins by asking how something larger can be contained in something smaller. Or how can something that is little become big? The answer is in a container that is open in a stream and is actually full of something bigger than itself. Jim Bakker, who often has Rabbi Cahn on his program, was blown away by that revelation and said that, in some ways, it changed his life even though he's been in the ministry 50 years.
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Christian Booksellers'
Top 50 Christian Books
1.
"Driven By Eternity"
by
John Bevere
2.
"Without Rival" by
Lisa Bevere
3.
"Jesus Always" by
Sarah Young
4.
"Good or God" by
John Bevere
5.
"Jesus Calling by
Sarah Young
Top 5 Fiction Books
(General/Contemporary)
1.
"The Undoing of Saint Silvanus"
by
Beth Moore
2.
"To Kill A Mockingbird"
by
Paul Bramley
3. "The Shack" Movie Tie-In Edition
by William P. Young
4 - "The Shack" Hardback
by William P. Young
5. "The Shack" Paperback
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Be
st Selling Christian Books
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7 Most Commonly Missed Expenses for March
With a new month of March comes a new budget. But don't just copy all the expenses from last month. There are some specific items you might want to set aside a little extra cash for as we say farewell to winter and anticipate the arrival of spring.
Here are seven expenses to plan for this month:
1. St. Patrick's Day. Americans spent more than $35 each on St. Patrick's Day in recent years, including festive clothes, drinks and more. It's easier to enjoy the celebration when you know you've budgeted for it. Make plans with friends, and set your spending limits in advance.
2. Spring break. A quick weekend trip or a full-fledged vacay with the family-it's your choice! Budget for travel, hotels, food and entertainment. Then you can relax and soak up the sun without worrying if your vacation is soaking up all your money.
3. Easter. No matter how much you spend on candy, cute bunny decorations and that sparkly grass for Easter baskets, make room in your March budget for it.
4. Tax fees. If you have a tax appointment coming up, set extra money aside to pay the fee. And, if you haven't made your appointment yet, we can connect you with a trustworthy tax professional in your area!
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Don Stone,
Atlanta Christian Web;
Advertise in a future E-Blast Newsletter or sign up a friend for free 770-596-6451
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Christian Music & Entertainment
News & Information
in Metro Atlanta from The Atlanta Christian Web
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On the heels of their RIAA Certified Gold and GRAMMY® acclaimed "Welcome To The New", MercyMe releases "Lifer" in two weeks on March 31.
The first single from the album,
"Even If," is already #2 on Billboard's Contemporary Christian music charts.
The core of "Lifer" is the question of what it looks like to live as followers of Christ that are committed for life.
"The song 'Even If' is incredibly special to me," commented lead singer Bart Millard. "My son Sam is 15 years-old, and he's been a diabetic since he was two. When you're a parent of a child with any kind of chronic illness, these things don't go away. You have a lot of good days, but some days you feel like you're losing bad. I was in the midst of one of those bad days when 'Even If' was written. This song is a reminder to people in these difficult situations that don't seem to go away. God was worthy long before any of these circumstances even showed up. It's a foundation that was built long before those difficulties came to be. This song is a declaration to God that even if He went silent and never said another word, He's still worthy to be praised, and He's our greatest hope in the midst of the trial."
Bassist
Nathan Cochran said each song on
"Lifer" showcases how the five-person band's faith has changed their lives on a personal level.
"There's no illusion that we're pastors or theologians or anything like that," he said. "We're musicians trying to be honest about what we're going through in life."
Cochran said the group decided early on that finding the balance between work and life in a band would be nearly impossible. Collectively, they decided the band would come second, behind their families.
While they might be performing less and less in an effort to be present with their growing families, Cochran said they don't take for granted the opportunity they've been given to share a message that is near and dear to their hearts.
"We're serious about our relationship with Christ. If we really take that relationship seriously and really truly believe that he's changed our lives, then we certainly want to talk about that with people," he said.
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DISCIPLE
For Disciple, "Long Live The Rebels" is more than just the title of their current album: it's a mission statement, a carefully encapsulated ideal, that has shaped and driven the band's trajectory since Kevin Young formed it well over 20 years ago. Part of that ethos involves reinventing the norm--even when it means challenging their own internal status quo.
One of the things that made Disciple's 2014 album "Attack" so strong was that, even following a massive lineup shift and a transition to independence, it was still exactly the kind of album that Disciple fans would hope for and expect.
Fans going to the City RockFest concert on March 30 in Gainesville will be taken offroading into uncharted sonic territory, embracing the unexpected both musically and thematically without ever losing touch with their core identity.
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Q&A with TJ Harris from Decyfer Down
Many established bands such as yourselves go the independent route. What has this experience been like for Decyfer Down?
TJ Harris: It's been awesome. But it requires a lot of time. Even the whole IndieGoGo crowdfundraiser, that portion of it was like a full time job on its own just trying to keep the word out there on social media and keeping in people's feeds. But it was great.
The process of recording on an independent record was so liberating. There was no one to answer to for writing and recording, no filter. And when I say that, I mean nothing negative toward Fair Trade or the people that work at Fair Trade. We still have a good relationship with those guys--we love them. It's just that there's a certain part of the industry and a certain aspect in trying to navigate our style of writing that really sucks the creativity out of the whole process. It was really nice to be able to do it on our own and not have to worry about what anybody thought about what we wrote or the type of riff we came up with.
Click Here For The Full Interview With Decyfer Down
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Colleen Coble
Colleen Coble grew up loving Gothic novels. For the past 10 years, she also has been a big fan of the music of all-woman Irish group Celtic Woman.
 Coble, who lives in Wabash, Indiana, combined her two interests in her new novel, "Because You're Mine," which was released January 10. It is currently #2 on the Christian Booksellers' Fiction (Suspense/Mystery) list.
T
he book will be a bit darker and more suspenseful than the Christian fiction author's past best-selling books, such as "Twilight at Blueberry Barrens," which are about 75 percent suspense and 25 percent romance, she said during a recent interview.
Coble, who is in a writer's group with Fort Wayne authors, said she knew she wanted Charleston, S.C., to be the setting for "Because You're Mine" because the city has a very Gothic feel to it. When she went there to soak up the atmosphere, she saw a lot of Irish influence.
That influence, and seeing a performance by Celtic Woman on public television, helped inspire her idea for the book's main character - a strong, red-haired female Irish violin virtuoso.
"It's kind of funny where inspiration leads you," said Coble, who isn't of Irish descent.
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'The Shack' Holds Steady at Box Office; Evangelical Calls Film a 'Theological Disaster'
"The Shack" continues its steady box office performance, coming in as the fourth top movie in the U.S., even as some prominent evangelicals have called it a "theological disaster."
The film, based on the book of the same name, took in $10 million at the box office this past weekend, dropping only one place from its debut at number three last week, making it one of
the more successful faith-based movies in recent years.
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Preseident R. Albert Mohleer, Jr. warned that the movie could very well be painting a wrong picture about what Christians believe, however.
"The real danger, the seductive danger of 'The Shack,' is that it's presented as a retelling of the Christian story," Mohler said on his daily podcast "The Briefing" last week.
"Christians armed by Scripture and committed to the Christian worldview should highly value fiction and thus evaluate it by Christian norms. But we can never value a vehicle for importing heresy into the church or misrepresenting Christianity to the watching world."
One of the more controversial aspects of the movie, which deals with deep loss and tragedy, is its depiction of the Holy Trinity. God the Father (Papa), for instance, is played by Octavia Spencer, portrayed as a woman, while the Holy Spirit is also presented as a woman.
Jerry Newcombe, the senior producer and on-air host and a columnist for D. James Kennedy Ministries, said in an op-ed for The Christian Post that such a presentation could be considered heretical.
"I felt the movie was too New Age for my tastes. If Oprah Winfrey were to make a 'Christian' movie, 'The Shack' would be it. I felt it took too many liberties with the Person of God. God commands us to not to make any graven images," Newcombe said last week.
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Upcoming Metro Atlanta Christian Concerts/Conferences/Events
Thurs. March 16 - Sat., March 18
2017 Radical Women's Conference
Tye Tribbett, Taffi Dollar, Bernice King,
Cynthia Brazelton, Creflo Dollar
at World Changers Church International
2500 Burdett Road, College Park
770-210-5700
Friday, March 17
Secret Keeper Girl
at First Baptist Woodstock
11905 Highway 92, Woodstock, GA 30188
7:00pm, 770-926-4428
Friday, March 17
Heritage of Gold
Gold City, Wilburn & Wilburn, Tim Riley,
The LeFevre Quartet, Jay Parrack
at Dallas Theater
208 Main Street, Dallas, GA 30132
7:30pm, 770-445-5180
Saturday, March 18
Secret Keeper Girl Purple Party Tour
at First Baptist Jonesboro
147 Church Street, Jonesboro, Ga, 30237
3:30pm, 770-478-6710
Saturday, March 18
Happily Ever After Tour
Chonda Pierce, Karyn Williams
at Mount Carmel Christian Church
6015 Old Stone Mountain Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30087
7:00pm, 770-478-6710
Friday-Sunday, March 24-26
The Revolution 2017- Young Adult Conference by FUSION
at Cathedral of Faith
1137 Avon Avenue Southwest, Atlanta, GA 30310
Fri. 5:30pm - Sun. 1:00pm. The Revolution is a young adult conference designed to empower this current generation of Jesus Lovers! Meet us in Atlanta, GA with young adults, college students and ministry leaders from around the nation as we experience an encounter that will shift the course of history! This is more than a conference. This is a Jesus Movement!
Saturday, March 25
MercyMe, Jasmine Murray
at The Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds
1311 Music Hall Road, Hiawassee, GA 30546
7:00pm, 706-896-4191 for tickets and information.
Level 1: $45.00 + $2.00 Handling
$5.00 off church groups of 20 or more.
www.georgiamountainfairgrounds.com
Thursday, March 30
City RockFest 2017
Disciple, Seventh Day Slumber, Decyfer Down,
Spoken, Random Hero
at Air Line Baptist Church
3368 White Sulphur Road, Gainesville, GA 30501
6:30pm, 770-534-5682, $15 advance, VIP $25, $20 at the door
www.itickets.com
Wednesday-Friday, April 26-28
The Orange Conference 2017
Reggie Joiner, Nicole Fulgham Baker, Bob Goff,
Ryan Leak, Lecrae, Doug Fields, Dr. Bernice King, Virginia Ward, Jud Wilhite, Danielle Strickland,
Kara Powell, Jon Acuff. Mike Foster
At Infinite Energy Center
6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, GA 30097
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Do Your Teens Know That Grace Is Enough?
By Max Lucado
(Focus on the Family Magazine)
It's not that we don't believe in grace. We do. We believe in grace a lot. We just don't believe in grace alone. Surely, we think, it takes more than grace to save us. We grace-a-lots want to do our part. We figure Jesus almost finished the work of our salvation but every so often needs our help. So we give it.
We collect good works the way Boy Scouts collect merit badges on a sash. I kept mine on a hook in my closet, not to hide it, but so I could see it. No morning was complete without a satisfying glance at this exhibit of excellence. Each oval emblem rewarded my hard work.
I became a Christian about the same time I became a Boy Scout and made the assumption that God grades on a merit system, too. Good Scouts move up. Good people go to heaven. Perfect people get the best seats.
Being perfect -
So I resolved to amass a multitude of spiritual badges. An embroidered Bible for Bible reading. Folded hands for prayer. A kid sleeping on a pew for church attendance. In my imagination, angels feverishly stitched emblems on my behalf. They scarcely kept pace with my performance and wondered if one sash would suffice. I worked toward the day, the great day, when God, amid falling confetti and celebratory shouts, would drape my badge-laden sash across my chest and welcome me into His eternal kingdom, where I could humbly display my badges for eternity.
But some thorny questions came up. If God saves good people, how good is "good"? God expects us to have integrity of speech, but how much? What is the permitted percentage of exaggeration? Suppose the required score is 80 and I score a 79? How do you know your score?
Doing more -
I asked a minister about it. Surely he would help me answer the "How good is 'good'?" question. He did, with one word: do. Do better. Do more. Do now. Do. Do. Do.
Teens have probably heard a version of this from their parents, their teachers, their friends, maybe even their pastor. Do good, and you'll be OK. Do more, and you'll be saved. Keep doing until you get it right.
Keep doing until you're perfect.
There's a problem with pushing for perfection. Trying to be good still doesn't answer the fundamental question: What level of good is good enough? At stake is our eternal destination, yet we are more confident about cookie recipes and baseball stats than the entrance requirements for heaven.
Click Here For The Full Column From Focus on the Family
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Watch The Latest Contemporary Christian
& Gospel Music Videos
Including MercyMe's official lyric video "Even If"
J.J. Hairston's live video of "You Deserve It"
Hillsong Worship's live performance of
VaShawn Mitchell's live performance of "Joy"
TobyMac's official video of "Love Broke Thru"
Donnie McClurkin's live perfomance of "I Need You"
Zach Williams' official video of "Chain Breaker"
Travis Greene's live performance of "Made A Way"
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Include Your Company in the 43rd Edition
of the Metro Atlanta Christian Business Directory
Due out soon!
We are the oldest published
Christian Business Guide
in metro Atlanta.
Thousands of copies are distributed to metro Atlanta churches, Christian schools, Christian bookstores, concerts and by subscription.
The publication goes all over Metro Atlanta...from Conyers to Cumming...from Union City to Winder...from Peachtree City to Woodstock...
For
Early Bird Specials
that include ads
E-Blast Newsletters like this one.
Click Here To See The Current 42nd Edition
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