MercyMe – (l. to r.) Nathan Cochran, Mike Scheuchzer, Bart Millard, Robby Shaffer, Barry GraulMercyMe guitarist Barry Graul says playing alongside a symphony orchestra is heavenly.

"Having that musical atmosphere in and around everything the band is doing...it's just icing on the cake," said the artist from his home near Nashville, Tenn.
"Those musicians are all such great players – and way more professional than we've ever been," he laughed.

The award-winning, inspirational pop band joins the Grand Rapids Symphony for a Nov. 29 concert at Resurrection Life Church in Grandville. Also featured is the Res Life Church Choir. The band has its own Christmas concert the following night in Kalamazoo (details below).

After the first portion of the evening during which MercyMe performs several of its Christian radio hits (including the seminal "I Can Only Imagine"), the band is joined by the symphony for holiday music drawn largely from last year's album, "Mercy Me, It's Christmas."

​Abby Johnson: “We don’t spend enough time on our knees in prayer for the conversion of the heart.”When it comes to revealing Planned Parenthood Federation of America's tactics to nudge women to abort their babies, Abby Johnson pulls no punches.

Johnson admits there was a time she was a staunch supporter of the nonprofit organization known for providing women and men reproductive health services, which in its view must include abortion.

She previously believed in protecting and expanding its reproductive health services, a euphemism tied to, but not limited to, abortion.

But no more.

Abby Van Wormer loves kids and love cats, so it made perfect sense for her to write a
book for children that features a big orange cat.

"Scrappy's Search" stars Scrappy, a charming cat who is helped by lots of folks in the
neighborhood but who longs for a real family and forever home.

"The story was inspired by a cat that came to our family when we lived in Oregon,"
said Van Wormer. "We were moving to a new house and the cat just ran into the
house. We kept putting him out but he wouldn't take no for an answer. The family
adopted Garfield, as he came to be called."

The Christmas holiday is fast approaching, which means that Christmas concerts are even closer.
Music of the holidays – already on the radio and in retail stores - comes to West Michigan stages
right after Thanksgiving.

Church pageants and Christmas musicals abound – but note that Calvary Church's "Festival of
Lights" is in year two of its hiatus due to the church's construction project. The East Beltline NE
church is expected to resume the series next year.

This round-up concentrates on the larger scale events and concerts from out-of-town artists. The
list:

Thanks to video streaming on Mike Peters’ Facebook page, many more are hearing about Jesus’ Good News.Editor's note: West Michigan Christian News continues its occasional series that updates the ministries and people previously featured, this time with 4Fires Ministry.

On Wednesdays at 7 p.m. EST, an average of 15 people arrive at Northland United Methodist Church, 1157 Northlawn St. NE in Grand Rapids, to worship the Lord in a Native American contextual ministry known as 4Fires. About 20 minutes later, people from across the nation and around the world join them without walking into the church.

The reason the number of people hearing the Bible study mushrooms is because of live video streaming Facebook makes possible. But it gets better.

Another 200 to 300 will hear Mike Peters' sermons after they're posted on his Facebook page, which can be found online.  People must first "friend" request Peters in order to watch his online messages.

Amelia Rhodes admits to offering up quick prayers for those in need, but forgetting to pray long-term for those needs. Her prayer life was more haphazard than helpful so she figured out a way to get more organized.

Rhodes began a blog series offering an organized list of things to pray for and downloadable cards for readers to print and create their own lists. Readers asked for sturdier cards, so Rhodes and her husband began developing a stand and card pack in September 2015. By March 2015, the Pray A to Z card pack/stand were available for purchase.

Now that initial idea has expanded even more thanks to her new book "Pray A to Z: A Practical Guide to Pray for Your Community," to be released Tuesday, Nov. 15, by Worthy Inspired ($14.99).

"My hope is that readers will become more engaged and excited about their prayer lives," said Rhodes. "I hope the book will be a starting point, that readers will get excited about their relationships with God and go deeper and farther."

"Pray A to Z" offers five topics per letter; three are prayers of petition and two are prayers of praise. For example, the letter A has readers praying for Adoption, Abuse and Alcoholism, and offering praise for Abundance and Almighty.

The letter C offers prayers for Cancer, Court Cases and Caregivers, and praises God as Creator and Comforter.

Steven MalcolmSteven Malcolm is heralding January 8, 2017 as a dream come true.

Amidst the hoopla with the late October announcement of the gigantic Christian music Winter Jam tour, area fans may have missed the addition of a local artist to the bill.

"I will be performing at the Van Andel Arena in my hometown," gushed Malcolm, a Grand Rapids-based music artist, to his 11,000-plus Facebook followers.
The 25 year-old hip-hop artist is officially part of Winter Jam, a cavalcade of Christian music artists which travels to 46 cities from January to April playing in major arenas. Along with top-selling artists such as David Crowder, Britt Nicole and Tenth Avenue North, Malcolm is part of the "pre-jam" opening act roster for the January 8 event, which has an admission price of $10 at-the-door.

His slot on the prestigious tour comes in tandem with his recent signing to a national record label – "4 AGAINST 5" (in Roman numerals, "IVAV"), a hip-hop imprint of industry giant Word Records.

His self-titled national debut releases early next year. The first single - "Hot Boy," with a beat which bounces off a keyboard riff - is already available, listen to the lyric video online.

"I use the phrase 'hot boy' to say I have a burning passion to glorify God in everything I do," he said. "God has given me the gift of music and I want to be on fire with it."

Mike “Brickhouse” Benson starts to give a steel rod a new shape.Mike "Brickhouse" Benson grabs hold of a steel rod and does something with it he calls the Tylenol Bend. The feat gets its name because it's a sure-fire way to trigger a headache.

Wrapping a cloth around the rod's center, Benson places it on his head and with the sheer strength of his massive biceps, bends it into a U shape.

Applause and shrieks of amazement arise in the cafeteria at Discovery Elementary School in Kentwood where around 400 kindergarten to 5th graders are gathered to witness feats of strength at a recent motivational assembly that's fronted by Benson's Grandville-based the Conquerors International Strength Team.

Other strength demonstrations included Yago "Batman" Williams successfully snapping a baseball bat in two and blowing into a hot water bottle to the point of it bursting. Benson bent a 12-inch frying pan into the shape of a burrito while giving a horseshoe an entirely different look.

Directed by Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge is a faith-based movie that tells the true story of Desmond T. Doss, a medic in World War 11 and, because of his Christian faith, Doss fought as a conscientious objector. Tagged a "coward" and constantly prodded by military commanders to "go home", Desmond hung tough and stayed, going on to save 75 lives. He found the injured men following the battle at Hacksaw Ridge, and lowered them to safety by rope, facing great danger every time. He kept praying each moment after saving one, "Lord, just give me one more," and then he prayed this way again and again, until he had saved the 75.

Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist, and his conscience was guided by a framed poster of the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer, one his father had purchased where Doss grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia. An image on the poster of Cain holding a club above his dead slain brother, Abel, is an image Doss never forgot. He asked himself how a brother could do that to his sibling.

According to the book, Hero of Hacksaw Ridge, written by Booton Herndon, the men of the 77th infantry told him, "When we go into combat, Doss, you're not comin' back alive. I'm gonna shoot you myself!" They added, "You're nothing but a coward!" But Doss stuck to his firm belief that his mission was not to kill, but to heal. His fellow soldiers changed their minds after being rescued by him and seeing how he put himself at great personal risk.

West Michigan Christian News writer Terry DeBoer surveys the landscape for the area's faith-based arts and entertainment events over the coming month that might be overlooked. Here are three highlights for November:

Sculptor Mic Carlson stands near one of his sculptures depicting St. Francis preaching at Assisi, Italy’s Temple Minerva.Surrounded by towering trees at the Dominican Center at Marywood, 2025 E. Fulton St., is an urban haven of undeveloped land that invites visitors to till the soil of inner peace and learn about a man's steadfast devotion to Christ.

The 11-acres of terra firma is called the St. Francis of Assisi Sculpture Garden that first started taking tangible form in 2009. Work continues today to make the pathway into a continuous loop as funds become available.

Luke and Joel Smallbone of For King & Country at the 2016 Dove AwardsIt's a movement that includes a book, feature film, song and now a concert tour.

"Priceless" contains a message for justice presented on multiple platforms by singer-songwriters Joel and Luke Smallbone and their band For King & Country.

"When we began traveling as a band several years ago we started to share (about the tragedy of human trafficking) and were amazed at the response," said Joel Smallbone, 32, from an office in Nashville, Tenn.

"We knew there was a bigger story to be told," he said of its emphasis on God-given human worth.

Their "Priceless" concert tour stops in Muskegon on Nov. 4.

The theme is woven through their song "Priceless," which topped Christian radio charts last summer, and the August release of a book of the same title (Worthy Publishing).

Dan Biro, (left) and his band Hawk NelsonThe Christian pop-rock band Hawk Nelson doesn't mind serving as an opening act for the better-known Tenth Avenue North.

"We actually love supporting other artists," said bass guitarist Dan Biro from his Peterborough, Ont. home. "There's just more strength when you're together."

The tour comes to Community Reformed Church in Zeeland on Oct. 27.

Hawk Nelson (named after a superhero character) had already been around for several years before its 2004 national debut. Beginning with a pop-punk sound, it has transitioned into more conventional pop-rock. Even with fair success in Christian radio, the band has long had a role in multi-artist tours and performed for hundreds of thousands of fans.

Lynn Austin Popular novelist Lynn Austin moved from the Chicago area two years ago, and naturally set her next novel in her new home. Early Holland, Mich., is the setting for Waves of Mercy, which came out the first week of October.

Austin is author of a dozen standalone novels, three series (Refiner's Fire, Chronicles of the King, The Restoration Chronicles) and one nonfiction book, Pilgrimage.

Austin, who had book signings in Grand Rapids and Holland, answers questions about Waves of Mercy, her life, and her writing.

Q: What inspired you to write Waves of Mercy and set it in Holland?
A: My husband grew up in Holland, so when we decided to move back there two years ago, I began researching Holland's history to see if it would make a good novel. Also, I grew up in the area of New York State that was originally owned and settled by the Dutch, and I visited Holland for the first time when I attended Hope College. I was immediately impressed by how proud the community was of their faith and Dutch heritage.

Author Kathy Fannon is a holistic health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition.Slow down, make memories with friends and family, drink more water, set up a budget, get your nose out of your iPhones and iPads and be more active.

And by all means, take the time to enjoy your food.

It's sage advice amid a circus of deadlines and demands that can go a long way in enabling women to enjoy life more — but only when they're real about their feelings, struggles and perceived failures, said Jenison resident Kathy Fannon.

She's won Grammy Awards, performed on national television and sold 12 million albums.
But before the spotlight and media came calling, singer Sandi Patty spent plenty of time in West Michigan.

"Grand Rapids was the home of my very first record company," recalled Patty during a phone interview from her Oklahoma City home. "I met some of the most incredible musicians there."

Her first national record album was "Sandi's Song," released in 1979. It was produced by Phil Brower for the former Singspiration label owned by then Grand Rapids-based Zondervan. It's also where she met arranger-composer David Clydesdale, with whom she has worked throughout her career.

Livia Young was 12 years old when she received the surprise of her life in a shoebox.Livia Young opened the box she received from Operation Christmas Child and gasped. At the very top was something she longed not long after she started living at an orphanage in Galati, Romania at age 2: a package of hairclips.

The gift geeked Young so much she tried putting all of the hairclips in her closely shorn hair.

Kirk Cameron is calling a "national family meeting."

The actor/producer is hosting a live presentation titled "Revive Us," a combination of prayer, song, worship and inspiration, coming to theaters across the country on Tues. Oct. 18 (see details below).

"As I visit churches all across our country, moms tell me they're concerned about their children's future and dads know the nation is on the wrong track," said Cameron in a press release.

(left to right): The community God fashioned: Thomas Carpenter, Samantha Schmitt and Michelle Cuppy.ArtPrize 2016 has drawn to a close but the fulfilled dreams of four Degage Ministries' patrons depicted in Michelle Cuppy's photographs live on.

Cuppy titled her ArtPrize entry "Dreamers" to emphasize that people struggling with life's challenges may have their ambitions sidetracked, but they can be resurrected.

And that there is always hope.

Cuppy's photos will be on display at Degage, 144 S. Division Ave., through Oct. 13.

Dan SeabornWas there ever something in your life that you really, really wanted? Think about what it is or was right now in your mind. To help you understand what I am talking about, I want you to think about it in terms of that thing you thought would bring you the greatest happiness. It could be a promotion at work, a new Corvette or a relationship. Whatever it is or was you knew once you got it you could say, "Ahhh! Finally! Complete!"

Then you get it and find out it only brings you temporary pleasure. A good example for parents is to think about all the toys you bought your kids for Christmas or birthdays, that they said they would die without, and yet you find these toys carelessly discarded just days after they were opened.

Rev. Vila “Vi” Daniel understands the reasons why God equipped her to be a hospice chaplain.When it comes to working as a chaplain for Faith Hospice, Rev. Vila "Vi" Daniel thinks of herself as a handrail.

"Some people are very unsteady in this point in their lives and can't even support themselves, so they need someone to hold onto so they can progress," said Daniel, a chaplain for Faith Hospice since January 2012.

"That helped me with what my purpose is: I'm the handrail and I'm just there for that moment for them to find a place to hold onto, and a lot of time that's through faith. Sometimes it's something inside of them, their spirituality, and me being present with them helps steady them for that moment."

“Understanding the Whole” by Kim Kleinhardt Art Prize 2016 certainly has brought new people into church.

"Foot traffic has been good through here," said Alex Fernandez, pastor at Cornerstone - Heritage Hill in downtown Grand Rapids.

Fernandez said through the first weekend of this eighth annual art competition, nearly a thousand visitors had seen the church's 16 art displays both indoors and out.

The upstart congregation (a campus of the multi-site Cornerstone Church in Caledonia) featured only outdoor pieces the previous two years with Art Prize. But this year the church took a big step and added indoor displays as well.

"We've got enough staff and volunteers here during the open hours that we can be good hosts and even are giving interested people a tour of our historic building," he noted.