American Idol alum Mandisa Hundley expresses a newfound freedom on her new album, aptly titled Freedom. She says that when she started working on this new CD, she was drawn to songs that dealt with the issue of freedom. “I knew that’s where God was directing me and that’s what He wanted me to talk about. … And then I realized that I could not do an album called Freedom and proclaim that God was able to set people free and still be held captive by a lifelong food addiction. … I didn’t want to be a hypocrite; I didn’t want to tell other people that He could set them free and not believe it for myself.”

She hired a personal trainer and changed the way she thought about food. She has already lost 70 pounds and is still pressing forward. She says her new album is “very encouraging to me and I know it will be encouraging to people that are fighting, feeling like they are bound by something. I feel like this is an album that will convince them that we serve a very powerful God who’s able to set us free.”

This freedom comes when we understand God’s love for us, she explains. “When we really grasp what God’s love is … we won’t be bound by the things that we’re bound by. And I don’t think that we would search for our identity in other things. I think when we really fully understand how God feels about us, that we would be so secure in that, we really would be free of a lot that has us entangled right now.”

Giving a shout out to her “women out there,” Mandisa says, “I really learned the hard way that our beauty really doesn’t come from the outside. You hear that all the time but I’m fully convinced of it now. … When people, at my very highest weight, were saying that I was so beautiful, I knew that they were seeing something that was way beyond my physical appearance.”

Referring to 1 Peter 3:3-4, which says that beauty should come from a gentle and quiet spirit, Mandisa says that American woman especially need to “understand that we should spend more time cultivating a relationship with the Lord, which is what brings out the inner beauty, than we do with getting our nails done and our hair, all that stuff. There’s nothing wrong with those things, I just think that if we were to focus a little more on the inside that we would be secure in what God says that beauty really is.”

“And I love that it’s not ‘a gentle and a quiet mouth.’ I think a lot of people get that twisted. … You can be a loudmouth and have a gentle and quiet spirit-just be a loudmouth for Jesus.”

And just as Moses was radiant after spending time with God, the same happens to us, she says. “God gives us a radiance that really can’t be matched by any cosmetic that we could come up with. I’ve seen people that the world probably wouldn’t call typically beautiful and they have such a heart for the Lord that I see it in them. I think the world is looking for the real thing. And … if we were to portray where our beauty and value comes from … they would be a lot more attracted to Jesus.”

Freedom releases on March 24.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Jay Robinson and Richard Boone

Now a new generation can enjoy this classic coming-to-faith story. Academy Award-winning actor Richard Burton stars as Marcellus Gallio, a Roman centurion who was sent to Jerusalem to oversee Christ’s crucifixion. Gambling with other soldiers, Gallio wins the robe Jesus wore. But he starts having hallucinations and believes he is cursed because of the robe, which his escaped slaved has. So he sets out to find the robe to destroy it and break the curse over his life. But on his journey he finds faith and converts to Christianity. This film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Burton) and Best Cinematography and won for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. Bonus features include an introduction by Martin Scorsese, commentary, several featurettes, vintage celebrity intros and much more. This newly restored film, which took almost two years to complete, releases on March 17. This story of faith is the perfect way for young and old to celebrate the Easter season. Click here to preorder The Robe.

When recording artist Norman Hutchins sensed God calling him to pray every day at 5 a.m. in early 2006, he didn’t know why. But when complications from a delicate eye surgery left him completely blind that same year, he soon discovered the answer.

“The Lord said, ‘Norman, no matter how gifted and talented and anointed you may be, you are no good to Me if you don’t take care of you.'”

Hutchins, 46, is referring to his battle with diabetes, a disease he was diagnosed with years ago. The singer said for six months he depended on his wife, Karen, and others to escort him to his pulpit where he preached every Sunday during the ordeal. He says loosing his sight forced him to repent for not taking care of the body God gave him.

“I don’t want to revisit that again,” Hutchins said of his blindness. “But if that was part of the preparation to make me … and develop me into who I am today, I really thank God for that season in my life because it has totally changed the person I am now.”

Today, with a new outlook on life, Hutchins is passionate about the work the Lord has called him to. He pastors Frontline Ministries in Dover, Delaware, is an itinerant preacher and singer.

Nowadays Hutchins is focused on the release of his new CD, which released March 3. God Is Faithful is a detour from the black gospel that contributed to the success of Hutchins’ long-standing career. With an apparent contemporary flair, the CD transcends both racial and denominational lines to reach people with the universal message of God’s love.

“I grew up in a black Pentecostal church, doing what we call black traditional gospel. But one of the differences I’ve always noticed between the black traditional music that I’ve written for years versus the contemporary Christian style I’m writing now is, we grew up singing about problems, singing about pain … and about overcoming trials of the past.

“It seems that contemporary Christian music has more to do with celebrating life and victory, and rejoicing over a God who is more than enough,” Hutchins said.

The pastor’s love for music dates back to his childhood when his mother, who worked hard to provide for her family, instilled in him a love for God that runs deeper than adversity and hardship. It is that foundation from which his music flows.

“As I grew older, I began to realize that a lot of the songs I was writing at that age were the inspiration of God singing back to me, to keep me encouraged so that when I became of age to understand, I wouldn’t blame God for all the things I experienced as a child,” he said.

A respected worship leader and songwriter, Hutchins’ accomplishments read like a Who’s Who in Christian music. Spontaneous Praise, released in 2008, was ranked No. 9 on Billboard‘s list of top gospel albums. And Where I Long to Be was No. 8 in 2006. Projects such as Battlefield and Nobody But You both topped the charts. And listeners will not be disappointed with Hutchins’ newest release.

The soft lyrics to I Love You Forever ushers worshipers into the presence of God: “I stand in awe of You for all the things You’ve done / I love You forever with all my heart.”

And the upbeat, guitarish sound of the CD’s signature cut, “God Is Faithful,” testifies to the faithfulness of the Father and seeks to draw listeners closer to Him: “God is bigger than my mountain / Bigger than my problem / Bigger than my pain / Our God / God is faithful.”

Singer, songwriter, pastor and more, Hutchins continues to use all his gifts and talents to create music that not only offers hope and joy; it encourages listeners to trust God no matter the pain, hardships or difficulties life has to offer.

By Revive, Reunion Records.

Revive have been together for more than four years and released three albums in their native Australia. In 2007 Third Day heard them perform and the music veterans became mentors to this young band. Last year Dave Hanbury (lead vocals), Tyler Hall (guitar), Mike Tenkate (drums) and Rich Thompson (bass) brought their music and ministry stateside. Musically, Revive fit in the pop-rock genre, but their lyrics also put them in the worship category. The title song and opener remind listeners of God’s faithfulness. “The Truth Is” turns down the volume a bit but not the energy, as the group declares that “there is none like You.” “You Know” is a standout with Third Day’s Mac Powell joining in. Worship ballad “Power” sings of the awe we’ll feel in heaven as we can only cry, “Power, glory, honor to you our King.” At times it seems as if they are trying too hard (pushing vocals), but their talent and passion mixed with experience will have them ministering in music for years to come. Click here to purchase this CD.

Isaiah 61, a new media company and division of the American Association of Christian Counselors, aims to equip, educate and encourage people biblically and help them grow spiritually. In order to do this, the company offers an array of DVD studies from leading authorities on topics such as marriage, spirituality, finances and prayer. Gain insights from Beth Moore, John Ortberg, Angela Thomas, Tommy Nelson, Beverly LaHaye, Dr. Catherine Hart Weber and many others. Last month the company launched with the first teaching in its Your Spiritual Life Series and the eight-disc Extraordinary Women’s Series, which includes the teachings A Woman’s Prayer Life by Beth Moore, A Marriage Without Regret by Kay Arthur and A Woman’s Finances by Mary Hart. More recently Isaiah 61 released the first in the Hot Topics! Series, Sexuality: A Biblical Perspective, in which pastor Tommy Nelson teaches God’s perspective on sex and romance. Recently released are Forgiveness: Understanding and Getting Beyond Our Pain & Past with insights from Dr. David Stoop, and the Financial Rescue teaching from Scott and Bethany Palmer. These products can be purchased at or in Christian bookstores. Also available are free study guides for each DVD . These teachings are appropriate for individual or group study.

Excerpts from The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns

It is important to put the American Church in perspective. Simply stated, it is the wealthiest community of Christians in the history of Christendom. How wealthy? The total income of American churchgoers is $5.2 trillion. (That’s more than five thousand billion dollars.) It would take just a little over 1 percent of the income of American Christians to lift the poorest one billion people in the world out of extreme poverty. Said another way, American Christians, who make up about 5 percent of the Church worldwide, control about half of global Christian wealth; a lack of money is not our problem.

A few years back I had the opportunity to spend some time with former president Jimmy Carter. World Vision was collaborating with Habitat for Humanity on one of their massive “blitz build” projects in the Philippines, and I was assigned to work on the same house as President Carter. As we worked, he shared that he had just been asked to prepare a speech that would answer the question, what is the greatest challenge facing humankind in the twenty-first century? It was 1999, and the world was focused on the beginning of the new millennium. I was quite surprised at the former president’s conclusion. He believed that the greatest problem of our time was the growing gap between the richest and poorest people on earth.Let me start with the good news. You’re rich, we’re rich, and the Church in America is rich. And now I am sure you are thinking that I am wrong, that you’re not rich, and neither is your church. But bear with me, because wealth is always measured in relative terms. Brace yourselves for this good news! If your income is $25,000 per year, you are wealthier than approximately 90 percent of the world’s population! If you make $50,000 per year, you are wealthier than 99 percent of the world! Does this shock you? Remember, of the 6.7 billion people on earth, almost half of them live on less than two dollars a day.

If you earn $50,000 per year in America and you don’t feel rich, it’s because you are comparing yourself to people who have more than you do-those living above even the 99th percentile of global wealth. It’s also because we tend to gauge whether or not we are wealthy based on the things we don’t have. If we think we need a bigger house or apartment, a nicer car, more clothes, or the ability to go out for dinner more often, we don’t feel “rich.” Again, it’s all relative to our expectations. When you realize that 93 percent of the world’s people don’t own a car, your old clunker starts to look pretty good. Our difficulty is that we see our American lifestyles as normative, when in fact they are grossly distorted compared to the rest of the world. We don’t believe we are wealthy, so we don’t see it as our responsibility to help the poor. We are deceived.

There is much at stake. The world we live in is under siege-3 billion are desperately poor, 1 billion hungry, millions are trafficked in human slavery, 10 million children die needlessly each year, wars and conflicts are wreaking havoc, pandemic diseases are spreading, ethnic hatred is flaming, and terrorism is growing. Most of our brothers and sisters in Christ in the developing world live in grinding poverty. And in the midst of this stands the Church of Jesus Christ in America, with resources, knowledge, and tools unequaled in the history of Christendom. I believe that we stand on the brink of a defining moment. We have a choice to make.

When historians look back in one hundred years, what will they write about this nation of 340,000 churches? What will they say of the Church’s response to the great challenges of our time-AIDS, poverty, hunger, terrorism, war? Will they say that these authentic Christians rose up courageously and responded to the tide of human suffering, that they rushed to the front lines to comfort the afflicted and to douse the flames of hatred? Will they write of an unprecedented outpouring of generosity to meet the urgent needs of the world’s poor? Will they speak of the moral leadership and compelling vision of our leaders? Will they write that this, the beginning of the twenty-first century, was the Church’s finest hour?

Or will they look back and see a Church too comfortable, insulated from the pain of the rest of the world, empty of compassion, and devoid of deeds? Will they write about a people who stood by and watched while a hundred million died of AIDS and fifty million children were orphaned, of Christians who lived in luxury and self-indulgence while millions died for lack of food and water? Will schoolchildren read in disgust about a Church that had the wealth to build great sanctuaries but lacked the will to build schools, hospitals, and clinics? In short, will we be remembered as the Church with a gaping hole in its gospel?

By Don Moen, Integrity Music.

As enjoyable as high-energy, fast-paced praise and worship music is, there is something refreshing about the simple, easy-listening music Don Moen offers on his latest release. His collection of 14 songs, including nine tracks he wrote or co-wrote, are more mellow than most of the worship music offered today. But that certainly doesn’t diminish the power his music will have to help listeners enter into the presence of the Lord. Moen goes a little country on “Thank God I’m Free,” an energetic song of praise. Title track “I Believe There Is More” is a song of faith declaring that even though God has done great things so far, He is going to do still more. “O God of Abraham,” with a Celtic touch, declares that God can do anything. “I’ll Say Yes” is a song of complete surrender “casting aside any fear and price” to obey. Although this album isn’t the rousing music that some might be used to, there is a sense of peace that comes through in Moen’s straightforward yet more mellow approach. Listeners will be encouraged and renewed as they allow the music and lyrics to wash over them. Click here to purchase this CD.

In 1998 Richard Stearns left his position as CEO of Lenox to become the president of World Vision, a Christian relief organization. This decision changed his life, and he shares his journey in his new book, The Hole in Our Gospel. He has traveled more than 1 million miles and shares stories of how the gospel has revolutionized lives, but it’s the whole gospel in action. He says, “Christianity is a faith that was meant to be spread. … Our charge is to both proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear, and feel God’s love in tangible ways. … The gospel means much more than personal salvation of individuals. It means a social revolution.” Stearns discovered a hole in his own Christian faith and now challenges American Christians and the church to examine their gospel and determine to live the whole gospel, one that gives us a vision for transforming the world today. Here Stearns shares thoughts about his book.

Q: Why did you decide to write your first book, The Hole in Our Gospel?

A: I wrote this book because I believe there’s something fundamentally missing from the way Americans understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words, there’s a hole in our gospel. I came to this conclusion over a lifetime, but especially over the last 10 years as God has given me an opportunity to travel to some of the most difficult and poor countries in the world. I’ve met so many wonderful people. I’ve seen what’s happening across our planet. I’ve seen the suffering of the people that we serve. And I’ve come to the conclusion that the American church and American Christians have missed something about the gospel.

We tend to think of the gospel as a private transaction between us and God. It’s about being forgiven for our sins and being saved, which is good news. But often we leave it there, as a private transaction between us and God. I don’t think the gospel was ever meant to be private. I think it was meant to be public as well, and just like we have a private relationship with the Lord, we have to have a public and transforming relationship with the world.

As followers of Jesus Christ we’re meant to take this good news across the globe, but not just the good news of salvation–also the good news of God’s love for the poor, His concern for the sick and the downtrodden and the broken?hearted. We’re to minister in His name. We’re to stand up for justice in our world and fight for the underdog. That’s why the gospel was good news for the poor, and I think we in America have missed that. Yes, our churches do a lot of good things in our country, in our communities and around the world, but we’re not doing nearly enough. We’re the wealthiest community of Christians in the history of Christendom in 2,000 years. We have tremendous resources, we have tremendous opportunities, and we need to rise to this challenge to truly be the gospel, to be the good news to the world.

Q: Was it hard to write honestly about the American church?

A: One of the most difficult things for me, as I wrote this book, was to be critical. I love the church; I love my brothers and sisters in Christ in America. And yet I felt I had to be critical of us as a group, as a whole, because I think we have missed the opportunity to do those things that God has called us to do. I think we have not done enough in loving the world the way Jesus loves the world. You know, the most quoted verse in Scripture is John 3:16. Well, the first part of that verse, “God so loved the world,” shows that God did something. He acted, He got involved, He died for our sins. Do we love the world that much? Do we love it as much as Christ did? That’s my prayer for the church in America: that we would love the world so much that we would minister to it, that we would act, that we would get out of our pews and make a difference, be the salt and light, be the light in the darkness that Christ calls us to be.

Q: Are you concerned about the legacy of the American church?

A: I’ve been thinking a lot about what history will say about those of us at the beginning of the 21st century. When historians look back in 50 or 100 years and they write about our time, our generation, what will they say about the church? What will they say about the wealthiest community of Christians in the 2,000?year history of the Christian faith in the middle of a world torn by strife, racked by pandemic diseases like AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis? There’s tremendous hunger in our world, a lack of clean water and sanitation, economic poverty. There’s a tremendous amount of suffering in our world today, and here we sit at the verge of the 21st century, this wealthy community of Christians in the United States. How will history judge us? Will we miss an opportunity to stand up and make a difference?

What will people say about our generation when they look back at our social landscape? Will they recall that the church of the 21st century stared down the AIDS pandemic and rushed to the front lines of compassion to help the widows and orphans in their distress? Will they remember how we wouldn’t tolerate hunger in the 21st century and rose up to make sure no child went to bed hungry every night? What will be the legacy of the church of Jesus Christ when historians look back 100 years from now?

I believe that this could be the church’s finest hour. This could be the moment in history when we declare, “This is what the Christ we worship is all about. He’s about caring for the poor, lifting up the downtrodden, giving sacrificially, making a difference to the least of these. This is what He stood for, and this is what we stand for.”

Q: What dream do you have for Christians in America?

A: When I think of the church in the United States I always think of the question, What if? What if the 340,000 individual churches, and the more than 200,000,000 Christians, in the United States started to do the gospel? What if we started to love the world the way God loves the world? What if we started using our resources, not only financial but also our education and our knowledge, our access to different countries around the world, the techniques that we know for bringing clean water, for good? What if we used our resources to end hunger, for improve agricultural yields, to stimulate economic growth in communities? We have all of these tools. What if we used them? What if we stepped up and carried our weight based on the way God has blessed us? I believe we could truly change the world.

To preorder a copy of The Hole in Our Gospel, which releases March 12, click here.

Click here to read excerpts from Richard Stearns’ new book.

Although Bluetree has been together for about five years, their song “God of This City” is likely to be more familiar than the band itself. But with their new CD release on March 3, people have the chance to hear more from this worship band. Aaron Boyd (lead vocals/guitar), Andy McCann (bass), Pete Kernoghan (deejay) and Johnny Hobson (drums), all hailing from Belfast, Ireland, feel that they are called to lead worship, “to be creating songs and music that help people,” Boyd says.

But what kind of a name is Bluetree? Boyd explains that when the group was deciding on a name, they were thinking about how Christians are to be salt and light, they are called to be different. “The simple concept of having a blue tree in a forest would stand out. A blue tree would be different; a blue tree would not be the run of the mill green tree, brown bark. … And if you’ve seen a blue tree, you’d look at it, it would be a bit different than the rest and you would take a bit more notice of that tree.”

When it comes to their music, Boyd and the band want to help people truly focus on the Lord and not on situations that seem hopeless. “I firmly believe that the Word of God has all the answers to everything that we walk through. … Jesus Christ has provided all the answers. … It’s not that you’re walking in denial, it’s about lifting up the truth of what the Word of God says over your life.”

An example of this is “Each Day,” a song Boyd wrote after one of his children was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. He says he could have written a lament “and told God all my woes and tribulation. … But … worship is when you begin to lift up what the Word of God says over your life. … Let’s begin to be people that really take that what the Bible says and apply it and dare to believe that it’s actually true. So that when God says, ‘I will provide for you,’ that you hold Him accountable to that. You do the natural and then begin to see God do the supernatural.”

The most important thing that any believer can do, Boyd says, is worship. “I believe that it begins to take your eyes off yourself; it can only push your focus in a certain direction. If you sing the right songs, and we sing songs that give glory upward then it takes our eyes off ourselves. … And so from that foundational level of worship in your life and everyday life that you build upon, that’s the thing you’re projected from. You’re projected from a foundation of worship rather than it’s the thing that we do, it’s the thing that we aspire to do.”

But Boyd says we are called to be more than just people who worship. “If we just worship, if we just do our worship conferences but we’re not propelled forward then I think we’re missing so much. … We’ve been called to be the hands and feet of Christ. And through what Jesus did on the cross we’ve been handed power and authority. We’ve got the Holy Spirit living inside of us; we have the same power that raised Christ from the dead living inside of us. And … God wants us to actually go out and do that and be the hands and feet of Christ.”

By James W. Goll, Chosen, softcover, 272 pages, $.

This book starts with a bang, detailing a 2006 vision of an angel appearing before James Goll, clothed in a glowing robe and gold sash emblazoned with the words: “Israel Awakening.” And, it never lets up, delivering a combination of history lesson, prophetic revelation and a stirring call to action. Many are likely to feel embarrassed reading the author’s recap of the Church’s shameful history, which ultimately helped fuel Adolph Hitler’s murderous elimination of six million Jews. Echoing the cries of “never again!” heard in Israel, Goll urges Christians to let this be their watchword in standing against the anti-Semitism that is rising again across the world. The Coming Israel Awakening is also excellent resource material, including an overview of Israel’s history, a recap of revivals and Holy Spirit movements, and a list of referral ministries. It will also inspire readers with such details as Christianity being the world’s leading faith (twice the growth rate of Islam), the mushrooming of Christianity in Africa and the explosion of conversions since Israel’s rebirth in 1948. Click here to purchase this book.