Alexa PenaVega on Living For Jesus in a Self-Consumed World
By Movieguide® Staff
Despite her successful career as a child star in Hollywood, actress Alexa PenaVega recently opened up about her decision to move away from the industry in 2017.
The SPY KIDS star said she left to better practice her Christian faith and to spend time with her husband, Carlos, and their growing family. The couple will occasionally pick up roles like the upcoming Hallmark movie LOVE IN THE LIMELIGHT, which will feature original songs, but will not sacrifice their family life for fame.
Alexa and Carlos noticed that their desires to live lives for Christ were not reciprocated by their Hollywood peers. In 2017, the couple decided to relocate from Hollywood to Hawaii.
The PenaVegas recently released a memoir about their relationship with one another, their careers, and Jesus called “What if Love is the Point? Living for Jesus in a Self-Consumed World.”
“It started right after we got married,” Alexa told Fox News in a recent interview. “We were just so excited about marriage and the idea of possibly sharing our testimony with others. It felt like everything out in the media depicted marriage as lame. It took the holiness out of marriage. We felt like marriage was this dying thing, and we wanted to reignite it for people and get them excited about it again.
“We didn’t want to force the idea of a book,” she added. “So we first started with this one sheet called ‘What is the Point?’ We would include all the testimonies that happened in our lives – our failures, successes, arguments, anything that made us go, ‘God, why are you doing this? What’s the point of this happening in our lives right now?’ We felt that if the timing was ever right, God would open the door. Years later, we eventually got the call about writing a book. It was exactly what we planned all along.”
Alexa and Carlos said their faith became the foundation for the couple’s relationship.
“We were both trying to figure out what faith meant to each of us individually in the season that we met,” she said. “I was ready to dive in with God. I grew up Christian, but I didn’t quite understand what that meant. I didn’t know what it truly meant to walk with God and represent him here on Earth.”
“At the same time, Carlos was discovering who Jesus was in his life,” she said. “So we both met each other at this foundation-building point in our lives where we were both really hungry to grow in our faith. And that’s how our relationship started. And it was amazing because our entire relationship was based on bible studies, church and our faith.”
But the couple found that they struggled to reconcile their faith with their surroundings while working in Hollywood.
“My biggest issue was that I kept feeling like God was calling me to be closer to Him, but I only had a Sunday morning version of what Christianity looked like,” she recalled. “I’d never really decided to dive in truly until I was older. I realized there was so much more to Christianity and I craved more for it. But I didn’t have anybody in my life at the time who could guide me… As far as the industry goes, you could see the types of projects I took before, in comparison to the projects I take now.
“Part of the reason we wrote this book is that we wanted to focus on our relationship – not just marriage, but our relationship with God. That doesn’t mean the road is going to be easy. But the road will be peaceful. Love is a healer in all things,” she continued.
Another major aspect of their lives is their three children and their time as a family in Hawaii.
“Hawaii is loaded with young families who love God and are growing in their faith,” she said. “Your kids are outdoors all day long. We’re not inside on our phones or playing games. We’re enjoying nature, getting our feet in the sand, the dirt. Kids can be kids. I grew up on a ranch in Florida. We only lived there for a little bit before we moved to California, but some of my best memories are from my time on that ranch. The small time that we were there made such a massive impact on me. I always knew that’s what I wanted for kids.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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