Christian Media, Books, Music & Entertainment from The Atlanta Christian Web & Atlanta Christian Magazine

April 1, 2026

In This Issue

Christian Music & Entertainment

from The Atlanta Christian Web

KATY NICHOLE

"Have Your Way"

(Katy Nichole's single, "Have Your Way" from her "Honest Conversations" album is up two spots to #2 on this week's Billboard's CCM charts)

<<For breakout Christian artist Katy Nichole, the distance between a chart-topping hit and a desperate prayer is often no more than the width of a piano bench. The "In Jesus Name (God of Possible)" singer opened up about the spiritual exhaustion that birthed her latest anthem, "Have Your Way."

<<The story of the song began not in a professional studio, but in a moment of private collapse. Nichole, who has become a beacon of hope for millions, admitted that she spent years mistakenly believing she had to "edit" her prayers to appear spiritually strong.

<<"I think I believed that lie for so long that I just never talked about anything," Nichole confessed. "I was sitting at my piano, and I was crying, and I said, 'God, I’m tired of trying to be okay. I’m tired of pretending I’m fine. I’m not fine. And my heart is broken.'"

<<This realization—that God wasn’t looking for a polished performance, but a raw person—became the catalyst for her sophomore album, "Honest Conversations." Katy explained that she previously felt her anger or frustration was off-limits in the sanctuary. "I realized God doesn’t want just half of me," she said. "Half of me is the joy and the happiness... but then on the flip side, I’m a human being who experiences the range of emotions... those are still things that the Lord wants me to bring to Him."

<<That surrender is the heartbeat of "Have Your Way." The song tackles the human instinct to white-knuckle control over one’s circumstances. Katy admitted that even when she tried to trust God, she often held back. "Sometimes in my life, I try to control things," she noted. "Even if I give something to God, I only give it halfway because I’m so afraid that things won’t happen the way that I planned."

<<"When I give things fully to God, they go better than anything that I could have ever imagined.". By laying down the "pretending," she has found a deeper resonance with fans who are also tired of being "fine."

Click Here To Watch Interview

Billboard Magazine's Current Top Contemporary Christian

Music Chart

#1 (LW1) - Phil Wickham

“Homesick For Heaven"

(from Song Of The Saints)

(Second Week at #1)

#2 (LW4) - Katy Nicole

“Have Your Way"

(from Honest Conversations)

#3 (LW5) - For King & Country

"World On Fire" (Single)

Click Here For This Week's Top 25

Contemporary Christian Music Songs

Metro Atlanta Christian Concerts & Family Events

Saturday, April 18

Michael W. Smith
KINGDOM COME -
A Night of Worship and Hits

at Trilith LIVE

175 Trilith Parkway,

Fayetteville, Georgia 30214

Michael W. Smith is one of the biggest names in all of Christian and Worship music. He’s written and recorded over 36 No. 1 songs, been bestowed with three GRAMMY®, 45+ Doves, was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame & has sold over 15 million albums. 7:00 p.m. (470) 479-7784

www.ticketmaster.com

Thursday, April 23

Crowder Live
Seph Schlueter, Patrick Mayberry

at Sweetland Amphitheatre

110 Smith Street, LaGrange, GA 30240

Crowder, with 2 billion global streams, is one of the most influential voices in CCM. With five No. 1 singles, 5 GRAMMY® nominations, and more than 20 Dove Award nominations (5 wins) his exploration of faith and personal transformation continues to push the genre forward. 7:00 p.m, 706-883-2072

www.Sweetland.freshtix.com

Friday, April 24

Cochren & Co., Hope Darst

at Rialto Center for the Arts

80 Forsyth Street, Atlanta, GA 30303

Cochren & Co. has become a force in Christian music, earning a Dove Award nomination and Billboard Top 10 radio hits. With inspiring lyrics and passionate performances, this Indiana-based band provides a powerful and uplifting concert experience. 8:00 p.m. 404-413-2000
www.Rialto.GSU.edu

Saturday, June 6

John Crist Live

at Gas South Arena

6400 Sugarloaf Parkway

Duluth, Georgia 30097

Atlanta born John Crist is one of today's fastest-rising stand-up comedians, earning more than one billion video views, more than 7.9 million fans on social media and nationally sold-out shows, continuously charting as one of Pollstar's Top 10 Global Touring Comedians. 7:00 p.m. (470) 639-8243

www.ticketmaster.com

Click Here For All Upcoming Concerts and Links For More Information

Billboard Magazine's

Current Top

Gospel Music Chart

#1 (LW2) - Jermaine Dolly

"Never Shall Forget" (Single)
(1st Week at #1)

#2 (LW1) - Tamela Mann

"Live Breathe Fight"

(from Live Breathe Fight)

#3 (LW3) - E. J. Fields

"Mercy Endureth (Single)

Click Here For This Week's Top 25

Gospel Music Songs

The "Uncomplicate It" Movement: Hosanna Wong on Reclaiming Faith from Performance

Best selling Christian author,

Hosanna Wong's new book, "Uncomplicate It: Permission to Enjoy God in Your Unique Way,"

entered the current Christian Booksellers' Top 50 List at #14.

<<Bestselling author and spoken-word artist Hosanna Wong is dismantling the "one-size-fits-all" approach to spirituality. Her new book, "Uncomplicate It: Permission to Enjoy God in Your Unique Way," debuted on the USA Today Bestseller list, sparking a national conversation about religious performance.

<<Through interviews with over 1,000 believers, Wong identified a common struggle: the feeling that faith is a chore or a "10-step list" rather than a relationship. "The pressure to be perfect doesn't come from God," Wong noted during a recent book tour stop.

<<Breaking the "Perfect" Routine: Wong admits she once believed her spiritual life was "on hold" until she reached a less exhausted season. She now advocates for a faith that integrates into the "messy middle" of daily life. "Your relationship with God doesn't have to look like everyone else's," Wong shared. "And it doesn't have to look like it did years ago."

<<Roadblocks as Shortcuts: A central theme of the book is transforming six major roadblocks—including busyness, shame, and grief—into "shortcuts" for authentic connection. "Why would God create us differently, wonderfully, and uniquely if He wanted us all to connect with Him in the exact same ways?" she asks.

<<By stripping away rigid structures, Wong aims to help the "curious and the cautious" find closeness to Jesus without the weight of religious routine. As she told The 700 Club, "However you connect, is the right way."

<<Published by Thomas Nelson, the book serves as a "permission slip" for readers to embrace their own personalities. As Wong puts it: "Uncomplicate your faith and receive the joy and peace He has for you today… in your real life."

Click Here To Watch CBN Interview

This Month's
Top Christian Books

#1 (LM #4) -

Gary Chapman

“The 5 Love Languages”

The Secret to Love that Lasts, New Edition

#2 (LM #10) - Ronald Beers

“One Minute With God For Men”

365 Devotions, Brown Faux Leather

#3 (LM #6) - Sarah Young

“Jesus Calling”

Enjoying Peace In His Presence

#4 (LM #7) - Rose Publishing

“Rose Book of Bible Charts,

Maps & Time Lines”

10th Anniversary Edition

#5 (LM #13) - Jennifer Tucker

“Breath As Prayer"

Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind,

and Renew Your Soul

Click Here For The Full List of The Current Best Selling Christian Books

AMERICAN IDOL

Songs of Faith Week

<<For the second straight season, American Idol had a Songs of Faith theme on Easter week. The show opened with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan performing Richie's 1980 song from The Commodores, "Jesus Is Love."

<<Keyla Richardson, who had a #1 gospel music hit with "So Good" in 2020, performed "Jireh" by Elevation Worship & Maverick City. She is still among the finalists. The top 14 singers also performed songs by Brandon Lake, Blessing Offor, MercyMe, Cody Johnson, and Chris Tomlin.

<<Carrie Underwood closed the show with "How Great Thou Art" from her Grammy-winning 2021 album, "My Savior."

#1 (1) - The Bible In A Year

(with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

#2 (2) - The Bible Recap

(with Tara Leigh-Cobble)

#3 (3) - followHIM

(with Hank Smith & John Bytheway)

#4 (4) - Lakepointe Church -

Live Free

(with Josh Howerton)

#5 (12) - The Briefing

(with Albert Mohler)

Click Here For This Week's

Top 40 Christian Podcasts

SGN Scoops Current

Top 80 Southern Gospel Music Charts

Click Here For This Month's Top Southern Gospel Songs

See a live performance for Easter week of Carman's

1983 classic, "Sunday's On The Way" - Click Here

See the official music video of this week's #1 CCM song

by Phil Wickham, "Homesick For Heaven" - Click Here

See the lyric video of #1 Gospel Music song, "Never Shall Forget"

by Jermaine Dolly - Click Here

See a live performance of the #2 CCM song with Katy Nicole, “Have Your Way“ - Click Here

See the official music video of the #3 CCM song by For King & Country, “World On Fire“ - Click Here

See the official music video of the #2 Gospel Music song, "Live Breathe Fight" by Tamela Mann - Click Here

Watch the official music video of the #4 CCM song, by TobyMac, "Heaven On My Mind" - Click Here

Hear the official lyric video of the #3 Gospel Music song, "Mercy Endureth" by E.J. Fields - Click Here

See a live performance of the #1 Southern Gospel Music song,

by The LeFevre Quartet, "When My Feet Touch The Streets of Gold" - Click Here

See the lyric video for the #4 Gospel Music song by Pastor Mike, Jr., "Turn It Around" - Click Here

See the official live performance video with lyrics of the

#5 CCM song, "How Good It Is," by Chris Tomlin - Click Here

Click Here To Watch The Latest Top CCM & Gospel Music Videos

Screen Time: Less is More

By Jim Daly, President of Focus on the Family

<<Screens…they’re everywhere! In fact, you’re using one right now. Here’s an important question: are the screens that you’re using improving your connections with other people? Or ,are you becoming more isolated? What about the screens that your children use? Join us to hear Jonathan McKee’s perspective on how to trim down the screen usage that is distracting us from better things, like spending time with our family and the Lord.

<<Jim Daly: Jonathan always has a lot of insight to share when it comes to media and its impact on the family. He is a social researcher, a popular speaker, and author of "Parenting Generation Screen: Guiding Your Kids to be Wise in a Digital World."

<<Jonathan: We haven’t figured this thing out. This is a great tool for connecting people outside the room, but we’re learning it kind of interferes with our relationship with the people inside the room. In the typical American home at 7:00 PM on any night, it’s not just young people staring at screens. Dad is sitting there looking at a big screen. Mom’s sitting next to him, maybe watching that screen but also looking at a screen of her own. Upstairs, sister is looking through TikTok videos on her phone. Brother is playing games on his device. Toddler’s flicking shapes across the screen. And the family dog is on the treadmill ’cause no one will walk him.

<<Eight out of 10 young people want to be an influencer in one way or another. And what’s happened is this is kind of creating a lot of pressure on us because that number now is very important.

Click Here To Watch The Full Broadcast