Kathie Lee Gifford on Her Latest Inspirational Projects
THE WAY FINDS A WAY
Kathie Lee wrote the book, The God of the Way, due to originally co-writing a song with Nicole C. Mullen in Franklin, Tennessee in October 2017. “I had never met Nicole before our writing session that day, and it’s the only song we have written together since. But that song we titled, ‘The God Who Sees,’ went on to inspire an extremely successful short film featuring Nicole that I directed in Israel in spring 2018.”
After the song was streamed 7.5 Million times (now almost 8.5 million views) on Youtube, Kathie Lee realized what she was called to do with her creativity for the rest of her life - “tell the amazing, epic, ancient stories in the Bible in a brand-new way, using narration and symphonic orchestrations of original songs. They are called oratorios in the music world, and I have written four oratorios with brilliant co-composers, orchestrators, and artists.”
Kathie has a deep passion for understanding scripture using the language used by the original authors, especially Hebrew, and investigating the culture and context in which each book was written. Throughout the book, she and Rabbi Jason Sobel, take great pains to ensure that the reader gets to fully experience the weighted meaning in which God speaks to His children.
From numerology to names, nothing is too great or small to appreciate in the making of the greatest story ever told. Her excitement and passion are evident as she describes the connections of a redemption arc that ties back to Eden itself, as well as how a simple name change can mean so much to those who are given a seemingly impossible promise.
GIFT OF STORYTELLING THROUGH SONG
Kathie's stories of love, forgiveness, loss, and hope have captivated viewers of her musical endeavors. She has expanded women’s voices in film and music, blending both through four, separately filmed “oratorios” she combines into one beautiful film - The Way.
“The Way is an epic journey through time,” Kathie Lee states. “From the dawn of Creation to the Building of a Nation.” In her directorial debut, Kathie Lee uses many of her giftings as a writer, songwriter, singer, and now director, to tell the story of how Jesus came about through the Chosen nation of Israel. “Jesus forever transformed and redeemed the very world He came to die for.”
Kathie Lee uses multiple powerful Christian voices, such as Nicole C. Mullen, Danny Gokey, Jimmie Allen, Larry Gatlin, and BeBe Winans, as they play characters in scripture through song. It’s more than a musical, it’s an act of worship, which is being featured as an upcoming Fathom Event on September 1, 2022. Kathie Lee explains, "The Bible comes to life through music and narration in ways you’ve never experienced before.”
In her book, The God of the Way, Kathie Lee discusses how filming “The Way” was met with many challenges due to Covid and travel restrictions. However, nothing was going to stop this work of art from being produced. Even though they were not able to film entirely in Israel, her production team found the perfect filming locations in Utah and Texas to film, still able to show off God’s creation.
Kathie Lee, who is already a well-known four-time Emmy award-winning TV personality, actress, and best-selling author, writes moving stories from the Bible that are brought to life as you’ve never seen before along with hit songwriters Brett James, Louis York, David Pomeranz, and Sal Oliveri.
This set of oratorios merges the ancient with the modern - bringing to life biblical stories with contemporary orchestral arrangements, powerful narration, and touching visuals. Throughout 4 movements spanning 75 minutes, these pieces revolve around Kathie Lee as narrator, a symphony orchestra, and a cast of musical stars audiences will adore for ages to come.
The final result will be shown in theatres as a Fathom Event on September 1, 2022, where audiences are encouraged to bring their loved ones and enjoy the journey of the Chief Musician. Tickets can be purchased at www.TheWayMusic.com.
