For Christian Reviewer, It's Message Of The Music

Jay Heilman sat in front of the computer in his small, comfortable living room, preparing for an interview.

Since launching the Christian Music Review (www.christianmusicreview.org) on Sept. 25, 2004, Heilman has gone from simply typing his own critiques onto the Web site to interviewing top Christian entertainers.

"I have to write out a script. Otherwise, I get lost," Heilman, 27, said with a smile about his interviewing technique.

A 1999 Pasco High School graduate, Heilman is a self-taught webmaster and writer who devotes his free time to the site, for which he receives no money. He works full time for a local rental company.

On a recent weekday, Heilman was writing out questions for Alex Kendrick, writer and director of "Fireproof," an upcoming movie starring Kirk Cameron, a devout Christian and former star of the television series "Growing Pains."

A few months ago, Heilman interviewed Cameron, who produces and hosts "The Way of the Master," a TV show on which Cameron and another host teach Christians "how to share their faith effectively and inoffensively," according to the program's Web site.

Last year, Heilman interviewed Brian Welch, who gained fame as a guitarist with metal band Korn but now makes Christian music.

"I like the hard stuff," Heilman said of his musical tastes. "But I never thought of Christian music that way. I didn't know the music could be as hard as anything you hear in mainstream music, but it can be. Sometimes, it's harder."

Heilman got to know representatives from several music labels while working at Zephyrhills radio station WZPH, 96.7 FM. The music reps now provide CDs for Heilman and his staff of three unpaid writers to review.

He takes the work seriously.

"The difference between our reviews and other reviews is we focus on the message of the music, not just the music," Heilman said. "The music should be about Christ. I don't believe it should be labeled 'Christian music' if it isn't, and there's a lot of that out there."

Ben Collins of Bushnell has been writing for Heilman since January. Collins' brother Barry also writes for the Web site.

"For me, it's just an opportunity to do something to reach out to others," Ben Collins said. "It's something fun to do. We don't cover every new release; we're not a big, huge site that has all the talent and resources that others have. We just do what we can and do our part."

Although Heilman said he has prayed since he was a child, he didn't consider himself a Christian until 2003, after meeting his wife, Shannon. At the time, he was managing a video store in Dade City. She came in looking for horror movies.

Talk About Salvation

They developed a friendship and started dating.

"She talked to me about my salvation," he said. "I didn't understand the concept."

Heilman started attending services with Shannon at Croom-A-Coochee Baptist Church, near Bushnell.

"I sat in the pews for three months," he said. "I thought the pastor was talking to me, personally. I asked Shannon if she had talked to him about me, if the messages were directed at me, and she said no.

"At that point, I was happy. I was 22 and wanted to get married and have a family. That's the only thing I thought I was lacking, but I was lacking the ultimate gift: salvation.

"Me being completed is having Christ in my life."

The couple have a 2-year-old daughter, Hannah, and another child due in March. Heilman has a 9-year-old daughter, Mariah, from a previous relationship.

Although Heilman's personal and spiritual life is thriving, his Web site has drawn attention, too. He said he gets about 8,000 hits a month from across the country. In fact, one of his writers, Liz Zelinski, lives in New Jersey.

The site also has attracted Kevin McNeese, a Web designer who is operating www.newreleasetuesday.com, a stylish and respected Christian music site based in Boise, Idaho.

McNeese's site features music and book reviews, Christian music news, interviews and articles, as well as videos, blogs and podcasts.

"I've been watching his site for a while," McNeese said of Heilman. "His reviews are thorough, and I wanted to share it with our readers. I've had it bookmarked for probably about a year.

"He stays on top of reviews and all the latest releases coming out. He doesn't let a lot of time pass. He now has reviews up there for stuff that has come out in the last two weeks. They consistently post content, and you don't see that a lot out there."

Chuck Norris Fan

In addition to Jesus, Heilman is inspired by a devout Christian actor he has not yet interviewed.

"I've always been a Chuck Norris fan," he said. "The first movie I remember was 'Firewalker.' My mom taped it off cable when I was 9 or 10."

Beside his computer sits a glossy notebook with a picture of a bare-chested Norris, muscles rippling, an intimidating glare on his face. Inside the notebook is a saying from www.chucknorrisfacts.com: "Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits."

It might seem odd that a God-fearing man such as Heilman would be into movies where the heroes prevail in bar fights while pursuing gold; but Norris is known almost as much for his religious conviction as his fitness-equipment infomercials and his ability to pretend to crack people's skulls.

"When I found out Chuck Norris was a Christian, that just made everything so much better," he said.

The way Heilman's site has grown, landing an interview with the "Walker, Texas Ranger" star might not be unthinkable.

The site has grown to 1,000 pages of content.

"I would love to do this full time, but making money was never the goal," Heilman said. "If the Lord ever brings me the opportunity, though, I'd love to do that."

For information on the Christian Music Review, go to www.christianmusicreview.org or e-mail info@christianmusicreview.org.