Zach Williams Teams Up With Dolly Parton Again on MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS
By Movieguide® Staff
In 2019, Christian artist Zach Williams teamed up with music icon Dolly Parton for his song, “There Was Jesus.”
This year, Williams teamed up with the country music superstar again for the upcoming Christmas special, DOLLY PARTON’S MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS, airing on Dec. 1 on NBC.
“A modern-day movie musical about the making of a network TV special, ‘Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas’ is the frenetic backstage story and delightful on-camera results of Dolly’s desire to uplift an exhausted world’s spirits by sharing the unique mountain magic she has always found in and around Dollywood at Christmas,” TheChristianBeat.org wrote of the upcoming broadcast.
Williams said that that Parton truly surprised him with her invitation to join the music spectacular.
“I was kind of shocked,” he told Movieguide® in a recent interview. “It’s just one of those things where I would have never imagined getting to be with Dolly in the first place and do a song. And now here we are, getting to be in the movie.”
Williams said that Dolly’s musical talent blew him and his team away in the their Nashville studio while working on “There Was Jesus.”
“Working with her on the song was amazing,” he said.
But Williams added that the most inspiring part about working with Parton was her heart for others.
“The thing that I really took away from her was just the way she treats people,” Williams said. “The way that I watched her interact with everyone around her in the room. When Dolly is talking to you, she’s talking to you, you have her attention. There could be 100 people trying to get her attention, but she’s in the moment there.
“I love how humble and true to her roots she stayed,” he continued. “She’s not forgotten where she came from. I think for me, that’s the biggest thing, is you don’t have the legacy that she’s had without being that type of person. It’s really cool to see.”
MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS will air on NBC on Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Williams said that he was thankful for the opportunity to share about faith and Jesus Christ with a large audience.
“It’s a huge opportunity, it’s a huge platform to be able to share Jesus with the world,” he said. “That’s the reason why we celebrate Christmas every year. That’s the real reason for the season.”
Williams said that “There Was Jesus” talks candidly about the Christian faith, and does not shy away from talking about hardship.
“People don’t really think they think that when you become a Christian, your life automatically just becomes perfect and easy. If I’m being honest, I think being a Christian is harder than not being one because you don’t have that conviction in your life. When you’re not walking with the Lord, you just kind of do what you want and you don’t feel like you have any consequences.”
“[But] even my worst days with Christ are still better than my days without him,” he added. “That song, it talks about a lot of stuff in my life and my past and where I was and what God has brought me through and all the moments that, even though I didn’t realize he was involved in whenever I wasn’t pursuing him, he was still there.”
Like his song, Williams hopes that MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS encourages people with the hope of the gospel as they face life’s challenges.
“That’s the biggest reward of anything, it’s knowing that God is taking the song that you’ve written and used it to help somebody else in their life.”
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.
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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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