Skip to content Actress Shae Robins and Great American Family Christmas in July: A Christmas Prayer 2 Oct 2 · 21 min ...more
Actress Shae Robins and Great American Family Christmas in July: A Christmas Prayer 2
October 2, 2026 · 21 min
Great American Media: A Christmas Prayer 2, Starring Shae Robins and Christopher Russell, World Premiere Slated for Great American Christmas 2026 From Great American Media’s Film Banner, The Golden Thread®. “Audiences embraced A Christmas Prayer because it reflected Christmas as it is meant to be faith-filled, heartfelt, and centered on serving others,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO.
Series Great American Pure Flix
You will find our host, Eden Gordon Hill, at the intersection of media and patriotism. Hill is the founder and owner of Eden Gordon Media, LLC, and a morning
October 2, 2026 · 21 min · Great American Pure Flix
Great American Media: A Christmas Prayer 2, Starring Shae Robins and Christopher Russell, World Premiere Slated for Great American Christmas 2026 From Great American Media’s Film Banner, The Golden Thread®. “Audiences embraced A Christmas Prayer because it reflected Christmas as it is meant to be faith-filled, heartfelt, and centered on serving others,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO. ...more Show the full description Show less Great American Media: A Christmas Prayer 2, Starring Shae Robins and Christopher Russell, World Premiere Slated for Great American Christmas 2026 From Great American Media’s Film Banner, The Golden Thread®. “Audiences embraced A Christmas Prayer because it reflected Christmas as it is meant to be faith-filled, heartfelt, and centered on serving others,” said Bill Abbott, President & CEO.
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In this video 0:00 Welcome and A Christmas Prayer 1 Story4:01 Filming A Christmas Prayer 27:31 Sequel Plot and Faith Struggles11:00 Faith Conviction and Women's Value17:14 Bold Faith and Closing Gratitude
Welcome and A Christmas Prayer 1 Story 0:00 And good morning, my beautiful America. Welcome back to the all American book club, ladies and gentlemen. It's an honor to be here with you. I'm Eden Gordon Hill, and we are doing a very special episode for pray dot com.0:11 We are bringing to the show Shay Robbins. She is an actress. She's a mother. She's a friend. She's a sister, and she has brought such talented, beautiful art works of art is what I call0:22 it, but home movies. Family beautiful movies with great American media, great American Pure Flix, great American family. They're called the Golden Thread series. So we are gonna be0:34 talking with her. Since it is Christmas in July, we are gonna be talking about the power of Christmas, the power of giving back, and we're also gonna be talking about a Christmas prayer too. For0:46 so for those who have been tuning in and watching a lot of our episodes on pray dot com, we just aired prayer 1 with Shay just a couple weeks ago. So please0:58 help me welcome back to the show, a friend, sister, and an amazing and talented actress, Shay Robbins. I'm so glad to have you back.1:06 Oh, thank you, Eden. That was such a beautiful introduction. I really appreciate that. And you're just you're so good at what you do, by the way.1:14 Thank you. Thank you. I'm so glad to have you here. I love you in your Christmas green while it's doing all things Christmas in July and just really highlighting great American media, great American1:26 family, and their the feeling of home, the feeling of bringing families and communities back together, to celebrate Christmas, to celebrate the true meaning of what the season
1:37 really is about, Christmas as it's meant to be. So let's 1st talk about Christmas prayer is how we met last year, and now Yeah. Just finished
1:49 filming a Christmas prayer 2. So let's 1st talk about the characters in Christmas prayer 1, and then we can kinda go into Christmas prayer 2.
1:58 Yeah. Absolutely. So in a Christmas prayer 1, you know, as, you know, audience will remember, we follow Natalie. She's a children's book illustrator, and, he finds this prayer list, from
2:10 this little girl, Caroline. She bumps into her dad at the coffee shop. They have this cute meet cute moment. And she sees this prayer list and is so inspired by the things that this little girl has written down that she
2:21 decides, 1, she wants to write a children's book. Mhmm. But not just any children's book, a book centered on faith and trying to bring back, you know, which a lot of times around the
2:33 holiday season, people get so distracted with, you know, the secular part of Christmas and the presents and the gifts and the and the magic and forget the true meaning of the season, which is Jesus. So she's inspired by
2:44 this list, wants to write this children's book, and at the same time, she wants to start help answering prayers, some of these prayers on this list by this little girl. And so you see her kinda throughout the movie,
2:56 answering these prayers, you know, building this connection with this little girl's father, Wes, and, you know, trying to write her children's book. And and, you know, she runs into, you know,
3:08 some issues just like any of these movies in this genre. You know, there's always that moment. But so it's just such a beautiful story and how that all comes together. And she ends up, you know, finishing this book and
3:20 and Wes reads it and so moved by it. You know, Wes' character himself, he's just kind of on this faith, journey himself. And I think, you know, his relationship with Natalie and what she's
3:32 done for his daughter and this book kind of helps him, you know, find God a little bit more. So that's kind of how, Chris is Per 1 ends.
3:41 So let's talk about Wes. That is the actor Christopher Russell. So for all those ladies who were tuning in and you love Christopher Russell on When Hope Calls, he is in A Christmas Prayer 1 and A Christmas Prayer 2.
3:53 So as we were talking before we hopped on, Christmas Prayer 2 will be out, we'll say, probably mid November. You just literally finished filming.
Filming A Christmas Prayer 2
4:05 And 2 weeks ago, just got home. So let's talk about just the amazing work that you guys are doing at Great American and putting getting together a Christmas pro too because it is
4:17 so popular. You are so popular amongst the brand. We can talk about Destin 1 and Destin 2 because you are so popular amongst the audience. They absolutely love what you
4:28 bring each and every Christmas. So let's talk about just wrapping and how that was for you with prayer too. Yeah.
4:35 Well, thank you so much, you know, again, for for your kind words. You know, I just really hope, you know, with every project that I have the opportunity. And I'm so grateful to be part of that I can, you know, bring
4:47 myself into it. My my heart, my faith, my passion, and help kinda produce the best product, you know, possible. And so I'm just grateful any time. Great American Family reaches out to me. It's like, hey. We're gonna do
4:58 this movie. And then, you know, when we shot A Christmas Per 1 and then the feedback, the the way that fans responded to the movie and how well it did. And then, you know, in February,
5:10 it won, you know, the epiphany prize at the movie guide awards, and I was nominated with the grace award alongside some women that I have looked up to for years. It truly was such an honoring. So when we announced,
5:22 a Christmas part 2, at the Facebook live stream event last Christmas. I remember Bill, you know, just said, hey, how would you feel about
5:31 making a sequel? And I
5:32 was like, oh, well, that's news to me, but absolutely, I would love to, you know. And so we just, like you said, shot that sequel. I wrapped 2 weeks ago when I got home. I was up in Winnipeg,
5:43 Canada with that team out there, and I just have to say that team is incredible. Nick Humphreys as the director, love working with him. I I
5:55 would handpick him for every movie that I'm on if I could. But just everybody cares so much about the product that they're putting together. The attention to detail lighting, our DP,
6:07 Greg, like, he we don't start filming until everything looks perfect for him. Like, he wants it to feel and look like Christmas and home and love and community in that shot. And
6:19 so we don't even start filming until he is satisfied, and I love it. I love people who are perfectionists like me. You know? It's it's a it's a great trait, but it's also a flaw to to an
6:31 extent. You know what I mean? All you fellow perfectionists out there, you get what I'm talking about. But but shooting A Christmas for 2 was it was so wonderful getting the gang back together, you know, and working
6:42 with Maddie who plays, Caroline. You know, she's Darling. She is so darling. Her brother actually and her brother in real life had a small feature in the film too, so it was fun meeting him.
6:54 Oh. But he he's a talented actor as well. But, so, yeah, just seeing everybody. And Chris, obviously, getting the opportunity to work with somebody as talented and as giving and as
7:06 wonderful as he is, I I truly just it's it's an honor because he is just not only a great person, but a great actor to work alongside of and really brings out the best in you. So I think fans are
7:18 really gonna like the sequel. Ansley Gordon, who wrote the script, did a great job with the sequel.
7:23 So let's talk about the sequel. Let's talk about, basically, how does it open up? Because the the power of prayer is threaded through this whole sequel. And then you
Sequel Plot and Faith Struggles
7:35 also talk about your book being published and just this journey that you were on as a children's illustrator and just how that evolves for you. So let's talk about
7:47 those components. Let's talk about the children's illustrator piece 1st.
7:51 Yeah. So we pick back up, you know, at Belfort Falls, and Natalie is preparing to launch her book. You know, so she's working with this publisher and this marketing team. She is so excited.
8:04 And Caroline, also, she finds out we're kinda beginning of the film, has another prayer list of her own. And she doesn't just want to write these prayers down, but she wants to answer them like Natalie did. She was so
8:16 inspired by Natalie. She wants to do that throughout the Christmas season. So Natalie and Wes and Caroline, you know, they all help each other kinda answer some of these prayers together. But Natalie runs into
8:28 a similar issue that she did with the 1st film is the marketing team approaches her and they're like, hey. Look. We are so excited about this, but the way that we want to promote and market this book is in a
8:39 more secular way. We want to meet people where they're at. Mhmm. And look, I understand that. Yeah. And Natalie understands that as well, but she just feels like that's
8:51 that's not why she wrote this book. She Right. She doesn't wanna wait and, you know, in a way, it feels like she's hiding something or keeping something, you know, from her potential buyers. And they're like, no. No. No.
9:02 No. We wanna give people an opportunity to find you and then find the faith. But she just wants to proclaim that loud and clear and make sure that message of Jesus is coming across. And
9:14 so she keeps going back and forth with this publisher and is getting a little bit frustrated and, with them. But she ends up running into this journalist who gives her her card and is like, hey. You know, I'm hearing a
9:25 lot of buzz about your book. Like, I wanna meet with you. So she goes back to the publisher, and she's like, okay. Can I can I do this interview? Is that okay? They're like, sure. So she has this it's a beautiful scene,
9:37 where she interviews with this journalist and talks about the book. And it ends up kinda turning more about, like, her bearing testimony, to this journalist about not just the book, but about her faith. And,
9:50 anyway, the the publisher then comes back and is like, so we're not really happy with the direction the journalist is taking this. And she's like, oh, no. I ruined everything. And, anyway, I'm I'm gonna leave it there so
10:01 you can see how the rest kind of plays out. But Wes's character, you know, along with Caroline, his journey in this film is he's still kind of on this faith journey, but he's starting to open up
10:13 more to it. He goes to a bible study, you know, and along the way, he's trying to work up the courage for something.
10:20 Yes.
10:21 And that's I'm gonna leave it there. But Can I just guess? Yeah. Just guess. I know. I'm sure everybody could guess, but it's just so beautiful to see how
10:33 Wes and Natalie, like, their relationship develops in this film.
10:37 Yeah.
10:37 You know, how they all kind of, like, come together almost like as a little family unit and, you know, and just seeing all the familiar characters from the 1st make another appearance. And it's it's just a lot of fun,
10:48 and it really is, I think, the perfect sequel.
10:51 No. I absolutely love it. So I'm just gonna take a wild guess. You don't have to say. He'll probably propose to you. And then if we get prayer 3, you guys will get married and okay. Alright. I'll just leave it there.
Faith Conviction and Women's Value
11:02 I don't know.
11:04 But what I do love about what you were describing in regards to becoming a 1st time author, and having that conviction, as you played that that role,
11:17 I see that day in and day out with the people I represent and the book authors I talked to and the book authors who are looking they are so convicted by faith to really share their testimony
11:28 through their writings and to have the world say no, to have their publishing house say, well, maybe not, and then having to find another publishing house. I see that daily.
11:41 And so, you know, you talking about that, that is you are impacting lives through the screen, whereas many authors I work with
11:53 are impacting lives in the public square through their writing. And it's just such an important thing to really, to just really encourage people in their trades because we
12:05 all I feel like we all have been called by God by us to do something specific. He has us here for a reason. And so to take that application from the film, the sequel, and
12:16 apply it to our day to day lives really gives us just that encouragement, that hope, maybe that renewal of faith, kind of like what Wes is going through, understanding faith
12:29 after having had that loss in the in part 1 to really coming other side. There's just so many aspects of hope, of faith, and of really giving back
12:41 at a time in this season that we're called to. But something that reminded me when I was reading the write up in the press release, it's always it's about paying it forward. And 1
12:53 of my favorite authors just released a book about paying it forward. And all these different acts of kindness where people don't know how have to know that we paid
13:05 it forward. It's not meant to be known, but it's just meant to show a greater kindness in society. And it reminded me what the sequel you guys are really bringing to the screen in the sequel.
13:18 Yeah. When you say that, you know, because Natalie, you see in the 1st and you'll see again in the 2nd 1, just the way that she gave back and she served by, you know, answering
13:29 these prayers, you know, for this little girl and giving back to the community. You know, there's a moment between Natalie and her best friend, Hannah, in the 2nd 1 where, and it was actually a really
13:41 tender moment for me on set because, I kind of felt this, and I feel like, you know, a lot of us women in our own lives feel like sometimes we get overlooked or
13:53 we are giving, giving, giving of ourselves and, you know, even as mothers. You know, it is such it is such a wonderful responsibility, but it can be a lot, and we are just giving everything.
14:05 And sometimes we feel, forgotten Yes. Or or less than. And there's this moment where Hannah, you know, is like, Natalie, like, we wanna show up for
14:17 you in the same way that you have shown up for everybody else. And, you know, my husband is so wonderful at doing that for me, my family, and I have a best friend, in my life. And
14:29 I'm kinda sad because she was living in Utah and she just moved to Nashville. So maybe I need to move to Nashville. There you go. There you go. But during this scene, you know, I just thought of her
14:41 because she is also somebody in my life who has always shown up for me, made me feel seen, made me feel loved. And so having that moment with Hannah, you know, and that community moment
14:53 in the movie and connecting it to my best friend, Deb, is her name in real life, was just really special for me. And then, like you were saying, tying it back to, like, publishers and, like, having to go find different
15:03 publisher when it's like, no. I don't wanna do that. You know, Natalie's conviction to her beliefs and her faith, and it's like, no. Like, you'll see it. She fights back multiple times expressing her frustration.
15:15 Like, this is not what this is about. This is not what I'm about. This is not who I am. Who I am is a follower of Christ, and I'm gonna testify of him. And I want that to lead above anything else.
15:27 And sometimes, it can feel scary to
15:30 It is.
15:30 Bear testimony so profoundly, so loudly, so vocally. But at the end of the day, as long as you just have that faith in what you believe, you don't need
15:40 to be afraid. You know? Absolutely. And so it's just so beautiful to
15:44 see that translate into this sequel.
15:46 Yeah. I I wanna go back to something you said. We have about 4 minutes left and obviously you and I could talk kids and recipes and all day long. So I wanna talk about what you were you
15:58 were mentioning where we are constantly giving as women, but yet are we filling up our cup? Or we're constantly giving, but yet we feel undervalued or we've been
16:10 told we're undervalued or underutilized. And I see that a lot in both the career spaces that I walk in, House of Congress, the White House, book
16:22 publishing, entertainment. You see it nonstop. We're always competing with this. We're always competing. Did I get enough clicks today? I know you and I have had this conversation
16:34 before, but I would just wanna encourage the women out there who do feel unseen, whether they're moms, grandmoms, single women, you know, that
16:46 they are seen. They are loved and to be able to accept that. Yeah.
16:52 I agree. And and remembering, like, you know, at the end of the day, you know, who are we? Right. And we are sons and daughters of God. Yes. You know? And so if if the world is making
17:04 us feel less than, turn your heart, give yourself over to the Lord, and he will remind you exactly how important and special you are.
17:12 Yes. Absolutely. I always I always go right back to scripture. I always pull out scripture. Psalms is probably the best place for us women to go. And Psalms 31 is no
Bold Faith and Closing Gratitude
17:24 joke or Proverbs 31 woman is no joke. And there are so many aspects to that of how God made us. He strengthens us, and he has made us
17:36 women. And I have to say this on air as we're talking, but I had a compliment, but it was an underhanded compliment just about how passionate I am on this
17:48 show that it came across as me preaching and shouting to the choir. And I sat there and thought, you know what? Good. I will continue
18:00 to
18:00 be loud and proud. And those in the
18:03 back row, can you hear me now? Because that's what God has called us to do. He's called me to do that, to speak truth, to engage, to make sure women
18:15 know that they are loved by God and seen. Amen. Yeah. Amen. Yeah. With my spiked heels on with my spiked high heels on. There you go. I have to lighten the
18:27 mood for a 2nd.
18:29 Yes. You are the best dressed. I will say
18:31 anytime you post, I'm like, where
18:33 is she getting all of her outfits? They are so cute and so well put together.
18:37 Thank you. You know what? Really quick note. Fancy Friends is a boutique, a faith based boutique in the area where I live in. And I they ship things across country, sister,
18:49 just for you, and they curate
18:52 Okay.
18:52 The clothes. They curate all the clothes.
18:55 Yeah. Yeah. K. Well, fancy friends, I will be reaching out.
19:00 Yeah. So thanks for that
19:01 little quick promo. But just going
19:03 back to just the goodness of God and what you were doing at Great American, what you were doing with Bill Abbott, the CEO, just his vision for our future, for our families,
19:15 for our nation, it's it's powerful. It's it's contagious, and it's so needed in our nation's backyard. Any final words in the final minute we have left?
19:28 Just to tag along with what you said, you know, every day I pinch myself for the opportunity that I've had with this network. You know, in my career, and I've talked about it before. I won't, you know, get into the whole
19:37 story here, but when it pivoted, you know, and I switched past from what I had dreamt of since I was a little girl and what became my identity for most of my life. I didn't know what I was gonna do, and then I happened
19:49 to fall, you know, into the great American family's lap in a sense. Yeah.
19:54 I
19:54 have just been so grateful, and I count my blessings every day that not only do I get to do what I love, but I get to do it with a network whose values are the same as my own. And I can be so proud of all of the
20:06 content that I'm putting out there as a mom and as a person and as a woman and as a daughter of God. And so I'm just grateful for Bill and everybody at the team at Great American Family, and I just continue to wish
20:18 them all the success and I hope to be a part of that. And I'm grateful to have been a part
20:22 of that, up into this point, and I can't wait for people to see, a Christmas for 2. Absolutely. Well, we welcome you into all of our homes. We are grateful that you are in
20:34 our homes, and Merry Christmas to each and everybody as we head into the Christmas season. But, honestly, Christmas in July is right here. So hop over to Great American Pure Flix, watch all of the amazing
20:46 Christmas movies, Destined 1, Destined 2, Christmas prayer, and everything else that you can find with Shay. And I'm just honored to know you. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for all that you do for our
20:56 families.
Eden Gordon Hill & The All-American Book Club54.3K followers
