Mark Schultz’s “Different Kind of Christmas” Single Goes Viral

By Timothy Yap Dec 19, 2014 11:08 AM EST

In celebrating Christmas, singer and songwriter Mark Schultz has issued his brand new single "Different Kind of Christmas." The song has gone viral on Facebook. The live music video has received nearly 4.5 million views, 142,000 shares, 18,000 likes and numerous comments from fans and listeners, all within less than a week.

"Different Kind of Christmas" also shot up to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Songs chart. The song was originally inspired by the life of Schultz's father-in-law and his recent passing.

"We tried to write the lyrics that would reflect the honesty of the emotions we were feeling - that Christmas was still hard, even though we have faith that Kate's dad is with Jesus," said Schultz in a message to his fans. "We had no idea how many lives this song would touch, but it only makes sense because there are very few people that haven't experienced a loss that makes life a lot different. There are few times in the year when that difference is felt more powerfully than around the holidays." Tomorrow, CBN's The 700 Club will be airing the live performance.