He died so we can live.

Snehathin Ninam

This latest Malayalam release by Livejam has been on repeat on our playlist.

This song is the Malayalam translation of the song “O the blood” by Kari Jobe.

It talks about the victory we have through the blood of Jesus.

It’s a reminder to live forgiven, live loved, live abundant lives because His blood sets us free.

We loved the production of this song too, it’s so clean and neatly done and if you haven’t given it a watch now’s your chance to do so.

We had a conversation with the artists Sheenu and Immanuel Henry and now you get a chance to dive into the heart of this song.

We asked Immanuel to share with us His favourite line in the song and here’s what he said.

“My favourite lines in the song are

Nin sneham Mahal sneham

Nisseemam kripa

En paapathilum nin pon ninam

Nee chinthiyen perkkai

This reminds me of Romans. 3:23,24.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Whenever I go through this passage in the bible I’m still in awe of God’s grace on mankind.

For us humans, we cannot simply love a person who will turn to the same dirt over and over again.

On the other hand, God is so full of love and grace that He still stands at the gate waiting for us no matter how pathetic our situation may be.

His love is just unconditional that He thought of saving me while I was in sin.”

We asked Sheenu the same question and here’s what she had to say.

“My favourite lines in the song are

Enthu thyaagame enne nedeedaan

Aa ninam athente vijayam.

It talks about how the blood of Jesus saved our lives and how it brings us to victory.

I am reminded of this verse Hebrews: 10:19.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have the confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.”

We don’t have to sacrifice anymore to enter into his presence, but we can walk freely into His presence anywhere and at any time.

What a privilege!

Sheenu also shared with us the fun side of working on this song. She says..

“The whole recording for this song was fun. The lyrics of this song were not simple at all it was like the KJV version of Malayalam, and I had to try my level best to pronounce the words right. I was so afraid to mess it up but thanks to Immanuel Henry for helping me out with the pronunciations. As much as it was a struggle I also thought it was quite a fun experience.

We just celebrated Good Friday and Easter and this song was such a timely reminder of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

We live because he died for us.

We live because He lives.

We don’t just survive we thrive cos Jesus lives.

Go watch this song now!

Watch the interview here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ0Uw8BwI1Q&t=3s

Here’s why you should be following Crosswave’s conversation on Child Sexual Abuse ….

Imagine a society afflicted by a scourge which struck down a quarter of its daughters and up to one in eight of its sons.

Imagine also that this plague, while not immediately fatal, lurked in the bodies and minds of these young children for decades, making them up to sixteen times more likely to experience its disastrous long-term effects.

Finally, imagine the nature of these effects: life-threatening starvation, suicide, persistent nightmares, drug and alcohol abuse and a whole host of intractable psychiatric disorders requiring life-long treatment.”

Dr William Glaser, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne

Sexual abuse not only affects a person physically but also emotionally and socially.

Their confidence, dignity, and sexuality seems violated.

While a child may not fully understand what is going on, sexual abuse does have an impact on their growth and development.

According to United Nations International Children Education Fund study, it was reported that Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) in Indian girls was 42%.

A Government of India, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) study which interviewed 125,000 children in 13 Indian states revealed that the prevalence of all forms of child abuse is extremely high (physical abuse [66%], sexual abuse [50%], and emotional abuse [50%]).

This major state-sponsored survey in India reported the prevalence of CSA as 53%.

Boys were equally affected and more than 20% were subjected to severe forms of sexual abuse that included: sexual assault, making the child fondle private parts, making the child exhibit private body parts, and being photographed in the nude.

In both the major surveys, the majority of the abusers were people known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility.

Several reports indicate that neighbours, friends, close relatives, and acquaintances, and employers at workplaces are the most common abusers. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8445113/)

Crosswave (Instagram handle: @crosswave)

has been talking about this issue and bringing these shocking stats into the light.

We spoke to the staff and cross wave and asked them why did they choose to talk about Child Sexual Abuse and here’s what they had to say

“Last year, when we were brainstorming ideas for topics, we thought that we could do something along the lines of abuse.

Later that year, we had a bunch of strategy meetings for what we wanted to do in 2022 and there we decided to make abuse one out of the five topics that we wanted to particularly focus on.

We had also approached Pranitha akka by then and while talking to her, we began to think that we could focus on people who have been through child sexual abuse as our primary audience.

The reason was because of the magnitude of children who have been abused.”

If you, or someone close to you, have been suffering from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse, we encourage you to seek help.

And all the elders out there pay close attention to anyone forming a relationship with your child or children you know, if you see any signs of abuse make sure you seek help immediately.

CHANGA – A reminder of God our Healer.

This new release by Jaago music is a must listen, it features Allen Ganta, Prakruthi Angelina, Sheldon Bangera and Narsinga Bobbili.

Sheldon answers a few questions we asked him and also shares with us the heart behind the song “Changa.”

1. What’s your favourite line in the song Changa?

I have two favourite lines actually.

Tere kode khaane se, mili changayi (Isa 53:3) and haalat har vachan say badloon (Mark 11:23) We are able to use the word of our mouth and prayer to move mountains and thereby change every situation.

As followers of Jesus whenever we encounter difficult situations, we tend to speak negatively instead of speaking about life and healing. But the real power is in our tongue (Pro 18:21) even if it takes time for our healing to manifest, we must press on towards it.

2. What was your thought process behind writing this song?

I was down with COVID complications last year and one night, I began to hear these lines come very strongly to me. It was a direct download from heaven and felt like the presence of the Lord came into my room. I was struggling with physical, mental and emotional health and I felt like the Lord’s healing power was coming into my situation. I wanted to write this song to minister to people in hospitals and across the world. I felt like this song when sung in repeats has tremendous power to make that healing confession stronger and make it manifest in our lives. Praying that many more be healed and set free through CHANGA!

3. What are you believing for the church with the release of this song?

I believe that God has used healing as a powerful tool to advance the great commission. That’s why the gospels are filled with Jesus healing so many. Even the old testament has a ton of healing stories. So when the church sings this song, more healing will manifest and more people will experience true freedom from mental, physical, emotional, abuse-related issues and more folks will experience the power of God in their lives. Many theologians would want this to happen another way, many lightly esteem the healing power of God. I also used to do the same out of my hyper intellectualism but frankly, if Jesus healed out of compassion and chose to heal to touch lives, I believe we are to follow that model and bring healing to this broken world. My prayer is that the church should not despise healing, the church shouldn’t market and milk healing but simply move into healing out of compassion and when people experience the power of God touching lives.

4. Tell us something we do not know about the “Together” project.

The TOGETHER project was birthed out of our downtime and brokenness. It was not a great season post-COVID and tons of other enemy attacks. But that’s when folks can gather together and strengthen one another. The FOLJ church and us at Jaago over one random afternoon conversation felt the need to stand TOGETHER in prayer and worship even as I was in tears over the phone call and totally broken. We just declared it by faith and we had friends come alongside from every walk of life – financial supporters and friends, media, tech, travel, administration, hospitality, worship leaders, churches, musicians, producers and many others and this project suddenly came TOGETHER. It has been a total move of God. I don’t think I can explain it in human terms. We stand TOGETHER and are grateful for each and every friend from over the ages, partner, musician, well-wisher, church, love of Jesus standing TOGETHER!

If you’re in a hard season and want to experience God’s healing presence and peace, then go right ahead and listen to this song. It sure is going to touch your heart and life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb_ZJ1orRHU&t=1s

The Internship Experience:


We’ve spoken to the interns, ex-interns and the staff of this uber-cool organisation called LiveJam and here’s what they have to say.

So we asked the staff,

“What do y’all do at the LiveJam internship?”

In one phrase: influencing the influencers!!

We believe that when you sow the seed of greatness, leadership and above all Urban Missions at an early stage, you’re setting up the youth to influence thousands more in their lifetime!

The internship is meant for students who are in the first / second year of college. The aim of the internship is to nurture, mentor and train the interns in Urban Missions with a focus on personal spiritual growth and sharing the Gospel in a creative and relevant manner to youth between 14-25 years.

And then we asked the intern lead, Jonathan Paul

“What does the whole LiveJam experience look like?”

The LiveJam Internship program focuses on disciplining and mentoring young lives to be kingdom minded and look at the bigger picture.

They are trained in various key areas which will help them understand their ministry and to feel equipped to endeavour missions with their local and regional churches.

Collaboration and Critical thinking is best developed with a team that is being constantly challenged professionally with constant support from those who have been in their shoes.

Interns learn communication and network with leaders from across the country to build a perspective with which they see every believer and church as the Body of Christ.

The best thing is that age does not determine how much you can do, all you need is one crazy idea, the faith to know that God will provide and the LJ DNA in your system. LiveJam is the bridge that connects the Church with the world and we don’t just talk about it, we will ALWAYS get it done.

And then we spoke to a few interns and this is what they had to say:

Florence Stuti Paul:

Since July 2021 I have grown in character and skills that set me apart. The internship has helped me to be bolder and courageous in sharing the Gospel with my peers, be it sharing a Gospel quote on socials or having a conversation.

Soniya Vinod John says:

The internship at Live Jam has been a great ride for me personally. As an introvert myself, I saw the opportunity at Live Jam as a breakthrough for me to come out of my shell. The internship has accelerated my creativity in content creation as well as meeting management.

Maresha Rahul Barve says:

The LiveJam internship has been a blessing to me in numerous ways. It has increased my productivity quotient in the last year. To be introduced and connected to so many people of influence in different cities was one of the highlights of it all. I got to work with like-minded people and happened to build a relationship beyond just professionalism.

David Michael says:

The internship has been very advantageous for me. It has expanded and stretched my overall creativity and outlook. Engaging myself in tasks concerning memes, reels and posts have developed a sense of creativity. It helped me to formulate relatable content w.r.t to hope, courage, life and God’s Love for Gen-Z youth.

We have come to the last question,

“What opportunities do interns have once they’ve completed the internship?”

The staff said,

“The Interns have an opportunity to continue their college- internship with LiveJam for another 1-2 years based on their performance and also be part of some exclusive and key LiveJam initiatives. As a bonus they can get an opportunity to come on board as a full staff LiveJam member. In the process, there is also an opportunity to become City Catalysts in their cities.

With a host of upskilling that takes place in fields like social media management, online and offline events, content creation , marketing and communications, project management and design, etc., at the age of 18/19 years, the doors to far more diverse areas in the marketplace are also opened!”

Looking for a life-changing internship?

LiveJam is one place you should be applying at.

We are grateful for their ministry and the impact they’ve been making across the world.

Visit: https://www.livejam.org

Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livejam/

Revolutionising the online world.

We believe that God can use even a picture or a video to touch someone’s heart.

Here are a few production companies that have been changing the world with their content and skill.

They are creative and imaginative in their approach. They take fresh ideas combine it with a proven process and make life-changing content.

Whatever they create, they do it stunningly.

1. Rex Media – They believe in collaboration, excellence and sharing God’s love through music. They Collaborate with artists all over the world to bring you the best Audio and Visual Experience right at your fingertips.

Check out their work on:

YouTube – https://youtube.com/c/RexMediaHouse

Instagram – @rexmediahouse

2. Red Sea Films – Their vision is to produce content with the highest possible quality as they believe that God deserves the best.

Check out their work on:

YouTube – https://youtube.com/c/RedSeaFilms

Instagram – @redseafilms

3. Shutter Groove – They believe in Creating, Serving and Giving. With a young and dynamic team, they are always on the lookout for fresh and creative concepts and how to integrate them into the content they produce.

Check out their work on:

YouTube – https://youtube.com/c/ShutterGrooveProductions

Instagram – @shuttergrooveproductions

4. Big G media – They are all about people. They believe that every human has a story and a gift deep within them and their passion is to draw those out and share them with the world to inspire others to dream and be all that they can.

Check out their work on:

YouTube – https://youtube.com/c/BigGMedia

Instagram – @biggmedia

5. 1516 productions – They love trying out new things and in whatever they do they want the world to know that they are loved by the Father. They strive to bring passion and excellence to every project they do.

Check out their work on:

Instagram – @1516production

Wondering what Next?

Wondering what to do in the next season?

If you have a heart for ministry and want to make a difference in the community, here are a few Christian internships that you can be a part of.

Each of these internships provides you with a valuable experience.

Here’s where you get to grow in the word and skill, strengthen your faith and build friendships for life.

Worship Internship (Delhi and Bangalore):

From the Month of May to August’2022, we have a “Worship Internship,” by Face2Face Foundation happening in two cities; Delhi and Bangalore.

This is a 4 monthly internship happening in person at Face2Face Foundation in both cities.

This internship is for everyone whose heart’s desire is to know God.

Worship Internship is not just about music, it’s about worship!

It is about imparting and teaching what we have received to minister unto the audience of one – God.

Reach out to them on their Instagram page @worshipinternship.

Jaago College:

Jaago College was born out of a deep desire to see young people full of potential being mentored and equipped to fulfil their God-given destiny.

Their heart is to raise young champions who will assume their identity as kings, prophets, and priests as they minister to build the Kingdom of God.

The. physical Bootcamps are coming up in June 2022.

They would be covering 4 modules – Vocals, Songwriting, Music Production and Video Production.

The Bootcamps will train and help raise the cream of Indian creatives to fuel the creative revolution and worship ministry in India.

Dates: June 1st to 30th

Age group: 18 to 35

Venue: Jaago College Lucknow

Visit them on Instagram: @jaagocollege

Outcast Academy:

Looking for an ideal place to master your skills in the online media world?

At Outcast Academy you will be trained to build media infrastructure through creative consulting, concept development, branding and marketing strategies, all happening in a faith-based learning environment. 

The course happens in Hyderabad and is for three months.

It begins on September 5th 2022 and ends on November 30th 2022.

Here you will make long-lasting connections in a close-knit community and you will be supported by world-class faculty.

Sign up now

Instagram: @outcast.in

Dive Deep – An Artist Insight

Welcome back!

This is our second article on Dive Deep- an artist insight. And we are so elated to have had a conversation with none other than Robin William, whom we fondly call Robin cha.

Let’s Dive in as we to know our artists at a deeper level, deeper than what we just see on the surface, let’s get to know what’s on their heart.

1. So Robin cha, tell us Why you do what you do?

– I’m a strong believer that we shouldn’t miss out on what God is trying to say to us right now. It’s not that ‘His Truth’ changes over generations, but He wants to speak in our (present) language, so we can never deny His goodness.

2. What are the struggles you face while producing a song?

– As an artist, it’s easy for perfection to come in the way of releasing a song. Often, songs get buried when we start believing that the song is about our reputation. What helps is acknowledging that everything in the kingdom of God is a work in progress, and ultimately it’s not about us but about people encountering God.

3. What kind of support do you need as an artist from the church?

– Churches need to start believing that God can speak and use artists to deliver His Truth just as He would with anyone on a platform. There is no reason for Creativity and Truth to be in conflict because God is the author of both.

4. Is there something you would like to say to all the upcoming artists out there?

– First of all, believe that God can and wants to use you as a prophet to your generation. Second, it’s not about the views or the likes; your assignment can be a nation or a city or just one person – stay faithful. And last, God has given you the seed of revival for this generation, do not bury it but use it for His glory.

We were blessed with this conversation and we hope it blesses your heart too!

Buy to Bless!

Here are some entrepreneurs who have been making a difference in the world.

Go ahead and give them all the love and support you can.

1. Setfree Shop X

Setfree ShopX is an initiative to collaborate with ministries artists/organizations as merchandise partners.

Selling t-shirts, mugs, and other branded gear for your crew are now easier than ever. They partner with you to create an exclusive online shop with products of your choice for purchase. Don’t worry about setting up and maintaining your store or paying upfront for inventory.

They take care of the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to!

Instagram – @setfreestore

Facebook- @setfreestore

2. Shop for Asha:

Shop for Asha is a fashion brand that helps bring hope! Bring transformation to someone who needs it. Every single purchase goes towards providing safe homes and good quality education to orphaned children, providing an employable skill to the single moms and women infected by HIV aids.

Shop now at www.shopforasha.com, Instagram- @shopforasha

3. Mathias designs:

Looking for some meaningful and beautiful artwork to adorn your home with.

Go check out Mathias designs.

Every piece that is created speaks volumes and reminds someone of their story.

The artist behind these beautiful paintings, Jevisha Mathias, desires to speak life through every stroke of her brush.

Go pick up a beautiful painting now.

Instagram- @mathiasdesigns

4. Redwave 132:

At Redwave 132 every single person who works with them leave with a pleasantly unforgettable memory and high-quality experience. They want every media production to reflect the true essence of the lyrics, the dialogue, and the unsaid meanings. They capture emotions at their best – be it a formal gathering, an informal one, a celebratory or a sober occasion, while you are in the moment, they are capturing it.

Website: Redwave132.com, Instagram:Redwave132,

Facebook: Redwave YouTube: Redwave 132

5. Gogo scrunchies:

You find the most adorable scrunchies at @gogo_onthe go. This Brand was started by Sarthika Singha, a fashion designer from Mumbai. She makes these scrunchies at her home, keeping zero waste in mind. The profit from every scrunchie goes toward a meal for the needy.

Gift a scrunchie to a loved one now.

Instagram- @gogo_onthe go

Dive Deep – An Artist Insight

We have been writing to various artists and asking them to share with us their story behind why they do what they do, how they do it and what kind of support they need. As one body we must be willing to learn from each other, inspire each other and be there for one another.

For the first one, We have Thanga Selvam with us, Let’s hear what he has to say.

Q: Selvam, why do you do what you do?

A: I’m passionate about worship and music and I love to share about God through music.

Q: What are the struggles you face while producing a song?

A: In the Indian context, it’s difficult to make a livelihood via music but producing songs requires a good investment and ROI might take time. Hence one must find an alternative way of supporting themselves and continue to pursue music production

Q: What kind of support do you need as an artist from the church?

A: Songs are a powerful tool to carry the word of God and worship brings heaven down. Churches can consider it as a ministry and support artists by inviting them to minister, investing in the songs being produced by them, and being part of associations like CCLI which blesses the songwriters for their self-sustenance.

Q: Is there something you would like to say to all the upcoming artists out there?

A: Always believe in God for provision, keep writing and singing wherever possible.

We were so grateful to have had this conversation with Selvam. It opened our eyes to quite a few things and we hope to support our artists in prayer and in whatever way we can.

Are you an artist? Share with us how your journey has been in the comments section.

In the age of Kindle and Audible, the Bible remains an interesting outlier!

We live in an age when technology has not only altered consumer patterns but also become an integral part of our lives. The recent lockdown only further accelerated this change, encouraging many self-proclaimed “old-timers” to embrace online solutions such as video calls, OTT entertainment, mobile banking and e-commerce deliveries. The internet has undoubtedly made our lives simpler. Today, access to everything from music to groceries, movies and banking are all just a few clicks away.

Physical books, once a much-desired collectable was one of the first things to move online. It may come as a surprise to many that Amazon and Flipkart initially started off as online book stores. Today online readers such as Kindle and audio book providers such as Audible have become the new norm. Some books and publishers even have their own mobile apps – building a loyal online reader base.

In such a scenario the bible remains an interesting outlier. A popular Christian bookstore owner told us, “while we have seen a constant decline in the purchase of Christian books over the years, the bible itself remains hugely popular among our customers.”

There is today no scarcity of bible reading apps and websites. From the hugely popular YouVersion App to online websites such as BibleGateway, the bible in its many translations is freely available online. Yet, Christian bookshop owners agree that they continue to see healthy sales of the physical bible. Our conversations with bible owners revealed many possible explanations – ranging from serious and spiritual to downright comical. One family told us that while they all enjoyed their bible apps; they felt the need to have at least one physical bible at home to be able to read together during their family prayer each evening. Another youngster told us the only reason he was buying a bible was because he was scared his pastor wouldn’t allow him into the church without it. A self-proclaimed “bibliophile” told us,” I just enjoy the smell of an actual physical bible.”

One woman mentioned that she felt a physical bible helped add a personal touch to her meditation. She told us, “From personal scribblings to big God revelations, I enjoy jotting all of them down on my physical bible so I am reminded of them when I read that passage again.” Another purchaser told us that he felt the physical bible helped him reduce distraction. “As a business man, I receive multiple emails and messages all the time. No matter how hard I try to focus on God’s word, a notification ping is hard to ignore and I often find myself fighting the urge to tap on it.” The physical bible helps me focus completely on what I am reading and this makes a huge difference in my personal quiet time.”

Be it an online version or a physical bible, we can all agree that the word of God remains the same. Having it available on multiple platforms only helps make it more accessible which is a good thing. While a digital bible ensures ease of use and enables us access it anywhere, a physical bible has its own perks – including distraction-free reading and a personal touch. What type of bible do you enjoy reading? Let us know your views in the comments section below.

visit www.ashabooks.com today!

Article by Ben John