For the last several years I’ve been reviewing various types of Christian media. This month we’re celebrating David Crowder’s newest album release. Be blessed!
3x GRAMMY-nominated, genre-defying artist Crowder dropped Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas on October 21st in time to embrace the full holiday season. The album includes songs that touch on the thanksgiving spirit as well as Christmas all wrapped up in a beautiful gold ribbon.
It’s an album you could put on with the whole family around and make everyone happy at some point. There’s playful songs for the young and young at heart, smooth jazz, bluegrass, pop, and orchestral rock to get everyone energized and in the Christmas spirit.
Crowder’s signature style and original genre sound never disappoints. The album mixture includes updated traditional Christmas favs and memorable originals that will sure to become new Christmas classics. Interludes are intertwined with entertaining old time radio narrations telling Christmas stories.
In unmistakeable Crowder style Milk & Cookies is entertaining, touching… playful yet inspirational. I highly recommend Milk & Cookies: A Crowder Christmas for your music library!
Check out the YouTube videos of my favorites from the album. Enjoy!
REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR. EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I REVIEW TOUCHING INSPIRATIONAL MEDIA.
TODAY WE’RE LOOKING AT A WONDERFUL NEW FILM.
THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis
In this poignant autobiographical docudrama, Max McLean beautifully portrays C.S.Lewis narrating highlights of his distinguished life. The Most Reluctant Convert excellently relives the childhood, scholarly education and thought-provoking spiritual birth of one of the 20th Century’s well-known Christian apologists.
The Most Reluctant Convert begins in an unusual fashion with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie. At first I was taken back by this being at the beginning. But after the film ended it made perfect sense.
In a one-on-one conversation with the audience, C.S. Lewis goes down memory lane sharing his remarkable life story. He recounts many life-changing events along with their captivating backstories.
The production of The Most Reluctant Convert stands out with its exquisite cinematography and spectacular period settings. Brilliantly filmed where C. S. Lewis grew up, lived, taught and worshipped makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time with this incredible author/teacher/writer.
Those familiar with C. S. Lewis’ writings will no doubt recognize lines taken from his many books. After watching The Most Reluctant Convert I’m greatly inspired to read more of his work. I highly recommend The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis!
REACHING HURTING WOMEN MINISTRIES OFFERS FOUR THEMES FOR STUDY AND CONTEMPLATION EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR. EACH OF THE FOUR POWER-PACKED THEMES ARE A 12-MONTH STUDY SERIES ASSIGNED TO A SPECIFIC FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. IN MONTHS WITH FIVE FRIDAYS I REVIEW TOUCHING, INSPIRATIONAL MUSIC, film and media.
In every month with five Fridays in 2021 I’ve been reviewing Christian music that has inspired and touched me. This third post in the Review Series is going to look at music from a little different angle. Instead of reviewing an album, I’m reviewing the recently released music documentary film: The Jesus Music.
The Jesus Music
PG-13 | 2021 | 109 Minutes
This first-of-its-kind documentary by brothers Andrew and Jon Erwin, the filmmakers behind I Can Only Imagine, Woodlawn and I Still Believe, chronicles how young hippie singers from the 1960’s and 1970’s had life-changing encounters with Jesus and became the foundation for what is known today as Contemporary Christian Music (CCM).
With the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic having locked down all the Christian artists at the same time, the Erwins had the perfect opportunity to have extended interviews with not only the industry’s top artists and bands, but the producers, managers and publishers of Christian magazines.
The filmmakers are careful to not put any one artist or group on a pedestal as some music documentaries are prone to do. Rather, they took a well-balanced look at painful issues in CCM industry. The mainstream Christian church in the 1970’s wasn’t so quick to embrace this new type of music. Ministers were harsh critics of the new music thought to be from the devil.
Without stepping on toes, the movie gently addresses how past racial bias in America and in the church still continues even in the CCM industry today. The documentary film also carefully discusses the controversial issues the artists have dealt with being in the media and limelight: infidelity, divorce, pornography and substance abuse… among others. Revealing that just because they are Christians artists doesn’t prevent them from struggling with the same demons the world does. As Bill Gaither beautifully stated:
“These are human beings who have been gifted in a special kind of way, yet they’re trying to work through these earthly bodies, and sometimes they make mistakes.”
Over the last 50+ years CCM, has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry and has changed the landscape and culture of Christian music forever. The market segments of music that have spawned from this movement is nothing short of amazing. Not only the diversity of music genres within CCM: rock, rap, metal, gospel, blue grass, pop, and worship just to name a few. There’s the incredible explosion of recording, radio, video, concerts, merchandise, and now film!
The Jesus Music is a wonderful anthology that documents the beautiful story of Christian music that has influenced the better part of my life. While the primary audience is people who are familiar with Christian music The Jesus Music is a great introduction to Contemporary Christian Music to a completely new audience.
I really enjoyed seeing the old video footage from bands I hadn’t heard of before. The interviews were touching and the music and concert clips were well chosen. The Jesus Music is definitely worth going to the theater for and I highly recommend checking it out when it releases to streaming formats.
