Keep The Faith issue 101

Britain’s leading Black and multi-ethnic community-focused publication promoting

ISSUE 101

and supporting unity, faith and family values

LEVEL UP PROGRESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

ASCENSION TRUST:

Guns off our streets

Where is your moral arc?

TRAINING KINGS:

CHRISTIAN BUSINESS NETWORK

The Light of the World

Interview:

Bishop Tudor

Bismark

CECE WINANS:

LET THEM FALL IN LOVE

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YEMEN CRISIS APPEAL

HELP SAVE LIVES

TEXT ‘DONATE’ TO 70000 TO GIVE £5* OR VISIT DEC.ORG.UK

Photograph: Rawan Shaif

*Texts are free but donations will be added to the bill and must have bill payer’s permission. Any income received after the 30th June 2017 will go to the next appeal. Customer Service number 01204 770822. Reg Charity No. 1062638.

CONTENTS ISSUE 101

Dear Readers Easter is the special time of year when we focus on the Cross of Jesus, and in this issue of Keep The Faith, we bring you thought-provoking articles on the Easter message.

We also introduce our new section, ‘Level Up’, which aims to encourage and support our young people. We have an interview with Bishop Tudor Bismark, where he talks about Jabula New Life Ministries International: The Vision and Overview, and also about his 60th birthday. CeCe Winans, the best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time - and one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in modern music history - talks about her first album in nine years. Read about Training Kings, the UK’s Largest Christian Business Network; how to spring into shape this summer, and how to help our sons to positively define and articulate their manliness - particularly as it pertains to being a good husband and father.

We have all the usual regular columns that you love, with plenty of gospel news from the Juicy Ladies and Juliet Fletcher.

Sadly, as I write this column, London is reeling from the tragic Westminster attack, in which four victims have died: PC Keith Palmer, a married father of a 5-year-old daughter; Kurt Cochran, an American tourist was in the UK with his wife Melissa, touring Europe celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary London was their last stop, and they were visiting Melissa’s parents, who are Mormon missionaries at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in London; Aysha Frade was collecting her children, aged eight and 11, from school, and 75-year-old Leslie Rhodes, who died later in hospital. Over 50 people were injured in the same attack, and two remain in a critical condition. Thousands of Londoners attended a candlelight vigil held by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Let us pray for the victims and their families, and give thanks for the amazing work of the police and emergency services, and also for the unity and resilience shown by the people of London. Despite this senseless attack, London remains open for business!

06 08

GOSPEL NEWS

08 Keeping it ‘juicy’ with Vinejuice 10 British Gospel Music: The hopes and fears for the next generation

by Juliet Fletcher 14 Highly Fabulous Women’s Conference 2017

YOUTH

16 Level Up by Adam Brooks

18

16 Dominique Haddon

FEATURE

26 Training Kings by Joy Roxborough 28 From boys to admirable husbands the role mothers play

by Bunmi Adeyoju

20

Stay blessed.

Shirley McGreal Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

KEEP THE FAITH MAGAZINE R

Keep The Faith Ltd keepthefaithteam Suite 48 @keepthefaithmag 88-90 Hatton Garden keepthefaithmagazine London EC1N 8PN www.keepthefaith.co.uk T: 0845 193 4433 www.blackchristiandirectory.com

INTERVIEW

18 Bishop Tudor Bismark 20 CeCe Winans ‘Let them fall in love’

by Milton B Allen

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Happy Easter - a time of celebration, new life, forgiveness, reconciliation and a time for hope!

NEWS

04 In the news 06 PM pays tribute to faith leaders at Downing Street reception 06 House of Commons event to fight racism

COMMENT

30 Where is your moral arc?

by Dionne Gravesande 31 Our God: Capable of suffering, capable of love

by Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts 32 The great mission we are all involved in

by Rev Stephen Brooks 34 Food 4 Thought by Marcia Dixon 36 What’s the big deal about the Cross?

by Oyin Oladipo

LIFESTYLE

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Shirley McGreal FCMI Sub-Editor: Jackie Raymond Design: Becky Wybrow Advertising: Anna Davis

Josie McFarlane Admin & Accounts: Nicola Hammond All enquiries: admin@keepthefaith.co.uk

The Publisher would like to thank Rev Stephen Brooks, Rev Wale Hudson-Roberts, Milton B Allen, Marcia Dixon, Juliet Fletcher, Jason Loh, Dionne Gravesande, Joy Roxborough, Adam Brooks, Bunmi Adeyoju, Grace Gladys Famoriyo, Lavinia Goddard, Adaeze Chiwoko, Oyin Oladipo, Luc McDonald, Ricardo Christopher, Patricia Benjamin, Vanessa Grossett and our supporters and advertisers. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher.

38 Can I write for the general market?

by Vanessa Grossett 39 Book reviews 40 Stop striving! Learning how to tap into God’s heavenly resources

by Grace Gladys Famoriyo 42 Spring into shape for summer

by Joy Roxborough 44 The light of the world by Jason Loh 46 Looking back to move forward... with a little help from our friends

by Shirley McGreal www.keepthefaith.co.uk

04 NEWS

Ascension Trust Network Initiative Photos courtesy of Colin Crowley, Save the Children

On 4th May 2017, Ascension Trust will be hosting a gathering of community groups and agencies that are involved in the area of serious youth violence.

Ascension Trust has been at the forefront of efforts to tackle gang and gun violence in the UK.

Churches, mosques and faith communities respond to DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal Up and down the country, supporters of the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) faith-based charities are answering the call to help 16 million people affected by drought and conflict in East Africa.

Charities CAFOD, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Tearfund and World Vision UK are calling on local churches, mosques and faith communities to support the DEC’s East Africa Crisis Appeal.

Supporters are being asked to fundraise, organise collections and to pray for the millions of people in need of lifesaving assistance in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Money raised will support the efforts of DEC member charities to reach affected families and communities.

The Rev Sally Foster-Fulton, Head of Christian Aid Scotland, said: “It’s hard to comprehend that in the 21st century people are dying because of a lack of such simple things as food and water. Yet that is the reality. Christian Aid helps people of all faiths and none, and a crisis like this is a moment when humans divided by different political persuasions or beliefs can come together and show human solidarity.

“In Ethiopia, Christian Aid is providing food for 5,000 schoolchildren, and plans to feed a further 15,000. In South Sudan, we’re providing fishing nets and fast-maturing vegetable seeds to get people back on their feet.

“Across the UK, Christian Aid supporters will be holding collections and fundraising events this weekend.”

In Yirol, Central South Sudan, CAFOD partners are already getting food distributions under way, reaching 12,000 displaced families.

In Somalia alone, Islamic Relief projects have provided 400,000 people with water, sanitation, healthcare and child welfare.

DEC member charities are already on the ground delivering life-saving aid, such as food, treatment for malnutrition and clean drinking water. They are ready to scale-up their humanitarian support, but they need more funding to reach the millions of people in urgent need.

To make a donation to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal, visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 610, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

The UK Government will match pound for pound the first £5 million donated by the public to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal.

Stay up to date with developments in East Africa, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on Twitter at www.twitter.com/decappeal, and on Facebook via www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee.

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Its first major initiative - the ‘Guns off our Streets’ campaign, launched in 1993 - had a significant impact upon many communities affected by serious violence. Academic studies have shown the beneficial sociological impact that Ascension Trust has had in terms of reducing crime statistics.

Many areas of London have particularly high levels of gun- and gang-related violence, and therefore have a vital need for strategic intervention. Ascension Trust - with its wide infrastructure, vast experience and successful history of working in this area - is ideally placed to make a significant difference, with the creation and coordination of a new network comprised of voluntary sector agencies in London.

The Nature of the Problem At present, there is a problem with the lack of synergy in the public and voluntary sectors to tackle violence, guns, gangs and other social problems. The majority of agencies tend to work independently of each other, without sharing their intelligence and resources. This inevitably results in some re-duplication of initiatives and an overlapping of neighbouring community projects. This lack of a coherent, strategic approach lessens the overall effectiveness of efforts to reduce crime and alleviate social problems.

Ascension Trust firmly believes that these diverse groups could be much stronger by working together - the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. By identifying the best practice and specialisms among charitable organisations that partner with Ascension Trust, vulnerable groups, people at risk and those in need of advice can be referred to the best outlets to help them.

The main contributory factors to crime have been shown to be: family breakdown, peer-group pressures, poor education, deprivation, alcoholism, mental health problems and domestic violence. These are the areas that Ascension Trust’s ‘joined-up’ approach to social problems will seek to impact.

The event will seek to showcase a new network of partnering agencies committed to addressing serious violence in a holistic fashion, and to promote a more collaborative ethos in the community.

To attend this event, please visit www.ascensiontrust.org.uk/ events. Places are limited, so you will need to book!

06 NEWS

PM pays tribute to faith leaders at Down

Bishop Eric Brown, Rev David Shosanya, Shirley McGreal & Martin Bashir

Prime Minister Theresa May hosted a Downing Street reception on Shrove Tuesday, where she paid tribute to the work of the Christian community.

Many faith leaders were invited to the reception, representing all parts of the Church and the United Kingdom: the Black Majority Churches, the Network Churches, Parliament’s own Church, St Margaret’s Westminster, and church leaders, such as Cardinal Vincent

Prime Minister Theresa May & Bishop Donald Bolt

Nichols, Archbishop Sentamu and the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, who is standing down after more than 20 years.

Theresa May stated: “As Prime Minister, I am hosting an annual reception for each of the main faiths in our country – and this one is of particular importance to me, personally. Growing up in a vicarage, I know first-hand the many sacrifices involved and the hard work that so many of you do, from the services and ministry in your churches, to the comfort and guidance you provide

to millions in our country at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. Whether it is visiting the sick or bereaved; delivering faith-inspired projects, like the Christmas Day lunch that I join in my constituency each year, or acting as volunteers and aid workers in war-torn parts of the world… we owe you all a huge debt of gratitude and, as Prime Minister, on behalf of the whole country, I want to say a very big Thank You. “I also believe it is right that we should celebrate the role of

Rev Nims Obungi & Bishop John Francis

Christianity in our country. We have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of. We must continue to ensure that people feel able to speak about their faith, and that absolutely includes their faith in Christ.

“I also believe that Christianity has an important role to play in making Britain a country that works for everyone. The Church will not always agree with everything that the government says – and the

House of Commons event to fight rac Dawn Butler MP hosted a reception to acknowledge the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in the Speaker’s Apartments at the Houses of Parliament.

The UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was established six years after an event (known as the Sharpeville Tragedy or Sharpeville Massacre), which captured worldwide attention. This event involved police opening fire and killing 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against the apartheid ‘pass laws’ in Sharpeville, South Africa, on March 21, 1960.

Dawn Butler MP with Paulette Simpson of Jamaica National and The Voice with guests including Rev Rose Hudson-Wilks, Baroness Lawrence and Baroness Howe Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

The UN General Assembly called on the international community to increase its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination, when it proclaimed the day as a UN Day of observance in 1966. It also called on all world states and organisations to participate in a programme of action to combat racism and racial discrimination in 1983. It held the World Conference against Racism and Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in 2001.

The event, held in conjunction with the Jamaica National and The Voice, was attended by numerous cross party MPs, Lords and Baronesses, including the Speaker of the Commons, as well as many individuals, including Keep The Faith publisher, Shirley McGreal, who have played an important role in fighting against racial discrimination.

There were also statements by the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and the Mayor of London.

The event featured live performances by the Voices of Virtue choir and Brent’s own St Michael’s Children’s choir.

Dawn Butler said: “I was delighted to host this important event in Speaker’s House, ahead of the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Tuesday 21 March.

I hope this reception raised awareness for the UN day, and reaffirmed our commitment to eradicate all forms of racial discrimination from our society.”

NEWS 07

ning Street reception

PM Theresa May with guests including Pastors Agu and Sola Irukwu

government will not always agree with the Church, but I think there are many areas where we can work together.”

Church leaders attending included: Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Bishop John and Pastor Penny Francis, Dr Bishop Joe Aldred, Rev David Shosanya, Pastors Agu and Sola Irukwu, Rev Kingsley Appiagyei, Bishop Eric Brown, Bishop Donald Brown, Rev Nims Obungi and Keep The Faith publisher, Shirley McGreal.

“We have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech, and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of.”

PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY

cism

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

08 GOSPEL NEWS

Keeping it ‘Juicy’ with Vinejuice!

F

ounded by Adaeze Chiwoko and Lavinia Goddard, aka the ‘Juicy Ladies’, Vinejuice is a media company based in Manchester, the home of the JUICIEST urban/contemporary Christian entertainment news, events and music.

Connect with Vinejuice via our website, vinejuice. co.uk, social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube), the weekly ‘Juicy Ladies Show’, broadcast live via Facebook Live and Periscope, and Vinejuice Radio for 24/7 of the best urban/contemporary Christian music online.

Juanita Bynum says scantily dressed Ministers have a “hoe spirit”

Snatcha speaks out on ‘LGBT’ London based Naija rapper, Snatcha, drops new single, ‘LGBT (Let God Be True)’, taken from his EP, ‘The Value of Nothing’.

RoofTop MC’s rapper, Snatcha, recently released his latest single, ‘LGBT’, which features Nigerian singer, Henrisoul, and beats from producer, Mr Shabz.

In a statement about the track, Snatcha said: “I think it’s time we break the silence. The genocide is happening in southern Kaduna (in northern Nigeria), in Syria and all over. It’s high time we erase race and everything that divides us. Even when we disagree, let’s do it in love.”

To listen to ‘LGBT’, and get the link to download the track for free, visit vinejuice.co.uk/music.

Find us on Facebook: KEEP THE FAITH Magazine

In a no-holds-barred Facebook Live video, New York bestselling author, gospel artist and televangelist, Juanita Bynum, tells scantily dressed female ministers that they have a “hoe spirit.”

The ‘No More Sheets’ writer, known for her openness and transparency, spoke passionately about the various ways some women have been seen to dress, as they stand at the altar to lead worship or preach. She suggests that this may be the reason that there is rising promiscuity in the Body of Christ. Juanita says the Church has gone “bodycon crazy”, and that women should be wearing Spanx to minimise the jiggling!

And the rant didn’t stop there; Juanita talks about ladies not wearing stockings, bras and even panties in church!

“For some reason, the women of God in this hour don’t want to put on clothes, and I don’t know why. Sex appeal is at an all-time high - not worship, not brokenness, not ‘Lord, here I am’, not ‘God, purge me and cleanse me’.”

And, if you don’t like Juanita’s views on Christian dressing, she says that she really doesn’t care!

Watch the video to hear Juanita Bynum’s accusations at vinejuice. co.uk/news, and comment to let us know whether you think she is right… or not.

GOSPEL NEWS 09

Mike Abdul releases birthday EP ‘Grateful’ The mighty Mike Abdul (Midnight Crew) has turned the big 4…0… and dropped a new EP to celebrate.

To commemorate turning 40 in February, Nigerian gospel artist, Mike Abdul, released a special 5-track EP entitled ‘Grateful’.

Never short of a word or two, when we asked Abdul about the project, he told us: “I learn from every experience and react to whatever.

Sometimes I have no idea of what to do.

Suddenly, life happens, and I respond to what it brings. My response becomes my action and it gets recorded in history. So I make history that I didn’t plan. Some I regret. Some I’m proud of.

As I grew older, I learnt not to wait for life any more. I started living the life I plan. Even in it, life still happens, but I react with purpose this time. I move with the plan and sometimes I bend.

I bend so I can take some of the advantages in the uncertainties.

“Life is sweet. Amazing is the wisdom that comes with knowing that every product has a manual written by the manufacturer. I’m a product of the Almighty, so I meet with my Manufacturer to ask for the details of my manual, so I don’t malfunction. Only the fool says there is no GOD. GOD showed me my way, and advised me never to leave my post. He said: ‘That’s the only place you never fail.’. So I moved by what I heard, because that is how faith comes. Faith comes by hearing GOD. Money doesn’t move me, neither am I moved by rich men. I’m not moved by the perceived success of my friends or colleagues. I just want to do it and get the job done, praise GOD. I’m grateful for this life.

Peradventure you meet GOD on your way through life, please help me thank HIM.” Download your copy of ‘Grateful’ on iTunes.

Manchester rapper Nu Breed wins International Hip-Hop competition Manchester rapper, Nu Breed – part of the Vital Signs collective - recently became the first international and first Christian winner of the annual $10,000 ‘Anno Domini Nation Song Contest’, the popular competition organised by renowned US-based hip-hop production company, Anno Domini Beats.

To win the competition, which has been running since 2006, Nu Breed and his winning track, ‘My Story’, had to beat off stiff competition from 1000s of song entries. In a statement released by Anno Domini Beats, they said about the win: “Huge congratulations to Nu Breed from the UK, who impressed our team of 20 judges with his mic presence, delivery, passion and raw emotion. You could tell he really poured his heart and soul into it and held nothing back. Last year’s winner, Enkay47, ended up booking a national tour shortly after winning our contest, so I can’t wait to see where Nu Breed’s journey will take him.”

In the track, ‘My Story’, Nu Breed shares his salvation story, and talks openly about Jesus, the Cross, and His resurrection - a bold move to submit an overtly Christian track to a secular hip-hop comp. About his song submission, Nu Breed said: “I did question whether to send that one off, because it’s quite a strong message. The last eight bars are just fully talking about Jesus. Sometimes the approach with secular people is to slowly get in there, but I just thought ‘Forget it; if they don’t like me, they don’t like me.’ I was blown away with the win, to be honest.

It was like God was saying: ‘Don’t compromise for no-one! I’ll swing doors open for you regardless.’”

The competition win was $10,000 in prizes, which included exclusive Anno Domini beats, and access to multi-platinum producers.

Nu Breed intends to sow the winnings into upcoming Vital Signs projects. Vital Signs is a music collective and missions team connected to international ministry, The Message Trust, based in Manchester. Most importantly, Nu Breed said of his win: “The biggest thing is open doors to share my testimony and the Gospel. We use music for the purpose of mission!”

The latest project from Vital Signs, ‘Imprint’,

by Nu Breed, is available as a FREE download.

Get the link at vinejuice.co.uk/music.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

10 GOSPEL NEWS

‘Shoe Express’ is back, but this time you’ll love it, thanks to rapper, Temzi

Hannah Ola announces new single, ‘Baba Dey’, featuring Faith Child

Those of you who remember being dragged to Shoe Express by your parents, to get your new pair of Gola trainers and school shoes, will get a real sense of nostalgia with this debut mixtape from South London Rapper, Temzi.

The ‘Shoe Express’ mixtape dropped on Friday 10th February 2017, and is already creating waves across the UK Gospel rap scene. Temzi says that his mission is “to put real music back on the playlist.” He attempts to do this by combining hard-hitting bars and clever wordplay with some nineties/early-noughties’ style hip-hop beats that you just can’t help but bop to… Remember those days?

Although he is right at the beginning of his rap career, he’s passionate about using his music to share his life journey, and it’s a journey that Temzi says consists of faith, family, society and many issues we observe around us today.

To listen to the ‘Shoe Express’ mixtape, and get the link to download the project for free, visit vinejuice.co.uk/music.

Hannah Ola is not playing around in this music biz at all, after dropping her deluxe edition single, ‘Baba Dey’ ft Faith Child in March. ‘Baba Dey’ was released together with a remix version, produced by leading Nigerian artist, Tim Godfrey.

And, just to prove that she’s put in the work, she’s dropped not one but TWO videos - both on the same day! Uvi Orogun directed the videos, so you already know they’ve got to be hot.

Just in case you were wondering (like us), ‘Baba Dey’ is a popular broken/pidgin English term, which translates as ‘God lives’. About the track, Hannah says this: “I wrote ‘Baba Dey’ during a period when I wondered whether God could see the injustice happening around me, and why He would allow it to persist. The song was a personal encouragement to me not to give up in dark situations, because indeed, ‘Baba Dey’! God is real, and continues to confirm His sovereignty in my life, even when it is difficult to accept or understand, He is always in control, and the results always prove it!”

Learn more about Hannah Ola at vinejuice.co.uk/music.

Derek Minor teams up with Hollyn to ‘Change the World’ Hip-hop meets pop, as Derek Minor collaborates with Hollyn in new ‘Change the World’ video.

Award-winning hip-hop artist, Derek Minor, is enjoying success at CCM Radio with his new single, ‘Change the World’, going No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot AC/CHR chart. The tune features guest artist, Hollyn, and is from Minor’s current album, Reflection, that released on his Reflection Music Group (RMG) label, in partnership with Entertainment One. ‘Change the World’ is partly inspired by Minor’s first visit to Haiti in 2015 with the non-profit organisation Hands & Feet Project that provides family-style housing and sustainable solutions for orphans in Haiti. Upon landing in Port-au-Prince, Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

Minor was immediately overwhelmed by the country’s economic crisis, and was moved to use his voice to make a difference.

“I just wrote this song as an anthem, hopefully for people to create change,” Minor explains. “I think, in today’s climate around the world, we have forgotten that our differences are beautiful; that God made each of us unique, and that makes our world a better place. I think ‘Change the World’ speaks to that yearning inside for all of us to be heard and accepted with love.”

To listen to ‘Change the World’ and get the link to download the track, visit vinejuice.co.uk/music.

GOSPEL NEWS 11

Charles Jenkins encourages us to ‘Reach for the Sky’ in new video

Sonnie Badu threatens to sue if false death claims are not removed within 30 minutes UK-based Ghanaian gospel artist, Sonnie Badu, threatened bloggers who falsely claimed that he had died with a lawsuit. The false stories started to circulate after Sonnie’s team posted a picture of the singer in hospital in Australia, requesting that people begin to pray.

He gave bloggers 30 minutes to pull down so-called “confirmed” information, or else they would have a lawsuit filed against them, of which he would give all proceedings to orphans. The threats didn’t stop there; the multi award-winning singer went further to say that bloggers, who’d wished death upon him, would experience what they had typed “within three weeks”. These strong words were backed up with an equally strong image of Sonnie Badu, making sure that people knew that he was NOT playing!

“ALL BLOGGERS WITH FALSE INFORMATION CLAIMING THEY SPOKE TO SOMEONE FROM OUR CAMP AND STUPIDLY PUT ‘CONFIRMED!!’

HAVE 30MINS TO TAKE IT OFF THEIR SITE…..

FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT TO A LAWSUIT FROM WHICH ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE GIVEN TO ORPHANS …..AND IF THAT IS YOUR WISH, WITHIN 3 WEEKS MAY YOU EXPERIENCE WHAT YOU TYPED…..OUR LAWYERS HAVE ALL YOUR WEBSITE IN PLACE.” Sonnie returned to Instagram later to thank everyone who prayed for him. In a video he posted, he said that he is fine and promises fans that he’ll be back on the road.

So just to be clear: Sonnie Badu is ALIVE and definitely kicking. Well, thank God for that!

Kim Burrell proves that she is still pressing on with NAACP Image Award Win

Chart-topping recording artist, Charles Jenkins, releases new music video, ‘Reach for the Sky’, in his bid to spread his Postive Air movement: #PositiveAir. ‘Reach for the Sky’ premiered this weekend on Billboard.com, and is the latest video release by Jenkins from his urban inspirational album entitled ‘Think About These Things’. This, his first ever solo album, includes the Adult R&B/Gospel radio smash, ‘Winning’, and is an album which last year saw him step out from his musical pulpit and onto the streets. Over the last five years, Charles Jenkins has recorded some of the biggest gospel hits, such as chart-toppers, ‘Awesome’ and ‘War’, with Fellowship Chicago. Co-produced by Jenkins and Warryn Campbell (Mary Mary), ‘Reach for the Sky’ remains true to Jenkins’ upbeat, positive sound, and is a great follow-up to ‘Winning’.

In an article on Billboard.com about his new sound, Jenkins said: “My previous albums, ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ and ‘Any Given Sunday’ had more traditional Sunday morning sing-along songs. I was inspired to do a fun album, with positive/ inspirational music that you can work out to; have fun with your kids to, or be inspired with, while still getting the big beats and big hooks. This song is designed to get you feeling good, thinking good and doing good, beyond your wildest dreams.”

To listen to the ‘Reach for the Sky’ and get the link to download the track, visit vinejuice.co.uk/music.

To say that one of the most renowned gospel vocalists of our times, Kim Burrell, has had a tough few months would be a major understatement.

Following the backlash she received for the video of her speaking on homosexuality during a sermon, many wondered whether her career could survive such a blow - particularly as she suffered a string of cancelled shows and TV appearances.

Despite it all, it seems that both Kim and her career have survived. She was awarded a NAACP Image Award in February, alongside Pharrell, for their collaboration on the ‘Hidden Figures’ soundtrack, ‘I See Victory’. The NAACP Image Award is an American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People accolade to honour outstanding people of colour in film, television, music and literature.

Hopefully, the title of the song rings true for her, and she’s able to put the chaos of the last few months behind her and move on in her career and ministry. This award may just be the beginning of a new season in Kim Burrell’s life.

‘Hidden Figures’ was released in the UK on 17th February.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

12 GOSPEL NEWS

JULIET FLETCHER

is a former BBC Producer and funding Executive of the GMIA

BRITISH GOSPEL MUSIC: The hopes and fears for the next generation

Recently, I attended the Homegoing Service, celebrating the life of Mother Jean Reynolds. There, I met three generations of musicians, and we got talking about influences, hopes and fears for the next generation.

I began to wonder: should we be fearful about the future of the music within our churches?

LOOKING BACK AT THE FIRST TEMPLATES When at funerals, it’s inevitable to take that look back on what was: Mother Jean Reynolds’ parents were the founders of COGIC (Church of God in Christ) UK, and she was the first National Youth president, which effectively made her the first young person of the Church.

Her vision set the template for the activities of music for a generation in the Church from the late 1950s to the 1980s. She sang in and encouraged the formation of vocal groups, and led the development of the COGIC Mass Choir - the first gospel choir of its kind to appear on BBC’s Songs Of Praise at Southwark Cathedral, under the auspices of the late Mayor, Sam King, who adopted the choir as his own.

My observation and research have shown that a number of District and National Youth presidents and senior evangelists in the different denominations have been pivotal Find us on Facebook: KEEP THE FAITH Magazine

Sam King

to spearheading music activities that have affected their generation.

[Just a question: Have individuals in these posts lost that adventurous perspective on the role of music and the creative arts for the Church?

Do write me if you have a view.]

Another two examples, therefore, are Justin Lewis, District Youth Leader of Handsworth Birmingham New Testament Church Of God, and Evangelist Eileen Hendricks of the Church Of God (Seventh Day).

Lewis was inspired to start the Majestic Singers, who were hugely

GOSPEL NEWS 13

popular in the 70s to late 80s and, by their third album, were signed to Kingsway Music - now Integrity Europe. Now (Mother) Hendricks, like Lewis, did not sing, but she had the wherewithal to drive this group of young people to heights of excellence with the choir, who won the BBC Stevie Wonder Gospel Award in 1989.

Most of the musicians for these choirs are the ones who set the sound of British gospel music.

And it was with a few of these seasoned world class proponents, as well as a number of the ‘young lions’ on the cutting edge of our music, that I spoke to and asked questions.

A REASON FOR HOPE LOST AND FOUND Jerry Brown (younger brother of Nicky Brown, Music Minister at Ruach City Church and record producer extraordinaire) is renown for his world-class drumming behind many pop acts. Now he is devoted to creating music within the church/ Christian scene, with his full-time work at Hillsong. He attributes all his foundational learning from his brother, and being amongst the musicians he initially worked with in church.

Jerry Brown: “I’m between my brother, Nicky, who first made his mark as a drummer and my nephew, Matthew (Nicky’s son), who is also an award-winning drummer and is doing so well out there on the music scene right now.”

We talked about the gap that still exists, where many musicians and singers work away from the church stream to fulfil their living.

Gospel music became more appreciated as a sound that was desirous and paid for by mainstream opportunities. This became the only route for many, who had no recourse to maintain their families and still be musically creative.

Jerry stated: “Most of us didn’t want to play out of the Church.

Sadly, the support wasn’t there.”

ATTITUDES OF THE NEXT GENERATION But we are where we are now.

Maybe this article relates more to the Caribbean churches, who were the first set of prominent Black Majority leadership churches in the UK. I say that, because a number of African church leaders are taking greater interest - and it appears

Jerry Brown

putting more investment - into providing resources for music and artists, etc. But it’s certainly not where it needs to be.

Jerry said: “Hopefully, in time, more church leaders of influence will see what’s inside of their house and nurture it, develop it.”

As I stood talking with Jerry, his nephew Matt and close friend Jonathan Truitt (both in their twenties) spoke of their own experiences.

I was pleasantly surprised at their optimism.

Truitt, who plays bass and travels the world extensively with mainstream artists, like Emeli Sandé, often plays on a Sunday morning for COGIC Wood Street Tabernacle Church. He felt strongly about keeping the music ‘undiluted’. I didn’t immediately understand what he meant, but this is what he said: “People (like Freddie Thompson, Steve Thompson) have imparted into our lives greatly. We’ve got to make sure we don’t dilute the legacy as we pass it on. By this, I mean we should make sure all the elements of the truth of the music are held within that sound. Even if we embellish, we remain true to what the music means and pass it on.”

Jerry testified: “I hear nothing but good reports about these young guys that I meet across the churches. They’re solid, focused, not easily swayed, and they know what they know. It’s being private with integrity, righteous, working hard and coming out in public to let the fruit declare itself. This attitude has carried me through to where I am.”

Matt Brown added his hope by saying: “If there was a system

and resources that were in the churches or among the churches that could back us, guys like myself would stay in the churches and build ourselves. We could work from that position of strength - based in gospel - to do things in mainstream. If we had our own record labels that could back us, that would be tremendous.”

His comments reminded me, and I said as much, of the numerous US acts and music producers, who had the resources and infrastructure from which they worked within gospel - but on their own terms to interact with mainstream artists, like Andraé Crouch did with Michael Jackson (Man in the Mirror); Kirk Franklin with Bono; Mary J Blige and R Kelly (Lean on Me), and Mary Mary with David Banner (Superfriend).

My hope is that WE BELIEVE in what God has given us here in the UK: we can write GREAT Songs, produce AMAZING sonic sounds, deliver EXCITING and INSPIRATIONAL events - whether worship based or concert based: all of these provoking and demanding attention from audiences in and outside of Church.

We DO ALL because we WORK IT and MAKE IT HAPPEN! FACING THE FEARS Jerry was less enthused about the US model: “I don’t live there; I live here in the UK. We’ve got to get our own models and systems right.

We’ve got to have right relationships and trust between artists, promoters, church leaders - everyone.” And he’s right.

What do I fear the most? I fear that we waste time defining problems, instead of consolidating those

relationships to apply solutions.

I fear not responding to the real needs of what some are calling Generation Z. [That’s a thought: Z, the last letter of the English alphabet - the last generation before the coming of Christ Jesus, maybe?]

I fear that allowing past hang-ups to deny the opportunities that working together can bring, for us to set up self-sustaining systems that are creative tramways, we need them to work and weave in and out of our sometimes exclusive church enclaves into the world and back.

I fear that the fear of risk-taking with the arts and creativity paralyses our availability to let the Lord do beyond our limited imagination.

We need to strike out our fears.

I end on my biggest framework for HOPE, based not on an idea but on a Scripture, that should make us fear less at not doing what we ought to do. In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus spoke some of His greatest known parables that relate to the Church, His people and the End Times. He describes the servant (in verses 26 and 27) as wicked, slothful and fear-filled, and casts him into outer darkness, because he didn’t sow in unexpected, hard ground.

I pray that we will repent, and sow into areas and things that at least look like somewhere to sow and reap, for our Lord’s sake.

Let’s do it right out there, in the centre of the darkness. That’s where Light belongs. Let’s be brave, while there is HOPE to work and labour, and give our music all we’ve got for the sake of this and the next generation. . #nofear.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

14 GOSPEL NEWS

Highly Fabulous 2017

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

T

he conference is heartcentred and high impact, drawing women from across the globe, as they come together not only to celebrate their wins, but to grow together and learn more strategies for growth and success.

Founder, Patricia Benjamin, has carefully selected speakers, who will take each woman from motivation to strategy and know-how in relationships, entrepreneurship, career and purpose-driven living.

Women can expect to receive support, both practically and spiritually, as they strive for their goals. A time and place, where fabulous connections will be made.

Speakers include: DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good: Hollywood power couple, who waited until marriage to have sex,

say this may be the key to a better life. They are the authors of the best-selling book, The Wait. Meet and greet, and book signings available.

“The choices you make in love can alter the course of your entire life” - DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good.

Tera Carissa from Atlanta, Georgia: Minister and life coach, Tera is one of the most influential voices among women today, and her ability to bring clarity is second to none. She speaks comprehensively on Purpose and, if you want powerful truth you can take to the bank, Tera is the one.

“If you are trying to live right, you will have an opponent, and any time you have an opponent, you must have a coach. Some things can’t be preached. They have to be taught” - Tera Carissa.

Felicia Phillips - The 7 Figure Businesswoman from Atlanta, Georgia: Felicia has been successful in business for over 20 years, and forensically shows women not how to build a business but how to create an empire.

“Most entrepreneurs never see their dreams or their desires. The reason for this is because they do not truly believe in their own vision.

Success can only be achieved if you can see your vision with your eyes shut. Let your mind embrace your victory, then you win” - Felicia Phillips.

Diane Robertson Martin, CBE, from Ireland: This influencer survived prostitution in her teens, and has spent nearly 20 years supporting women to exit prostitution; working with others to develop strategy, policy, service, prevention and exiting options. Diane was

awarded the CBE in 2013 by the Queen for her work with vulnerable women in prostitution.

“I look forward to inspire by what God has done in my life, not just in terms of my back story, but in how God has taken me forward as a social entrepreneur, and being an activist to speak truth to power” - Diane Robertson Martin, CBE. Patricia Benjamin, host: Awarded media personality; Network Leader, Christian Women in Media; Top 100 Most Influential Black People in Digital Media; Chief Operating Officer of American cancer charity, Making it Matter; life coach and pastor, Patricia comes from a place of compassion, authority and strategy.

Tickets: www.universe.com/ highlyfabulous2017.com

Your day will include ‘highly fabulous style’ networking, workshops, inspirational presentations, music, humour, one-to-ones, refreshments and more.

Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

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Adoption information evening, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street W8 7NX Thursday 18 May 2017, 6 to 8pm Many of our children who need adoption are over four years old, are part of a sibling group or come from a minority ethnic background.

Attendance must be booked in advance. Register your interest, either by freephoning 0800 781 2332, or by emailing adoption@rbkc.gov.uk.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

16 YOUTH

Welcome to Level Up! I wish you could see my face as I’m writing this. I’m smiling from ear to ear. You see, last year I made the decision to define my purpose, and plan how I was going to make sure that my life and actions reflected it.

In doing this, I realised that my purpose is not only to help young people (and youthful adults) find purpose, but it’s also my responsibility to let you all know that you are a gift to the world; you have a gift for the world, and that no matter how unremarkable you may feel or have been told that you are, there is a reason you were put on planet Earth. The world needs you.

The reason I’m so passionate about helping you do all you can to reach your potential is because I came so close to not fulfilling mine. In the last 10 years, I’ve almost lost my life twice. The first time I was just happy to be alive, but the second time really got me thinking about why I was alive. What did the world need me to do that was so important that my life was spared a second time? I wasn’t really sure what my purpose was, but I decided there and then I would do everything in my power to find out.

There’s a famous quote from Mark Twain that says: “The two most important days of your life are the day you’re born, and the day you find out why.” It’s my belief that the earlier you find out your ‘why’ the better, happier and arguably more successful your life will be. So, with that in mind, part of my mission - and the main driver behind ‘Level Up’ - is that you understand that you’re never too young to start living a life of purpose, and you’re never too old to fulfil your potential.

‘Level up = progress to the next level’ The idea behind ‘Level Up’ is that there’s always another higher level. No matter who or where you are, the only real limits placed on you are the ones you place on yourself.

If you’re in education, you can level up by taking the lessons you have been learning and doing some background work in your own time; revising and revisiting theories, or researching things that you didn’t quite understand in class, to fill the gaps in your knowledge yourself.

Levelling up requires you to take responsibility for yourself. It means your teachers, school, college and university are only partly responsible for your education, and that you accept that you will get out only what you put in. If your efforts are half-hearted, then your results will almost always reflect this.

And what about my youthful adults? Well, unless you plan on doing the same activity or job until you retire, you’re not off the hook.

There are some amazing free courses on websites - like edx.org - from world famous institutions, such as Harvard University, Berkeley and MIT. The Open University (open.edu/ openlearn) also has over 1000 free introductory, intermediate and advanced courses on its Open Learn platform, ranging from health and sports to science and politics.

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Careercake.com has a wealth of free and paid video content and courses that help you prepare for interviews; gain essential networking skills, and overall just helps you thrive in your career and show the world how good you are.

For my young people, if you want to be better prepared for the world that awaits you, you need to take a look at Barclays LifeSkills (barclayslifeskills.com). It’s everything your school should teach you - but doesn’t.

In line with the concept of ‘levelling up’, the LifeSkills website is filled with suggestions and activities to ensure you are better prepared for the world that awaits you, as you complete and leave education.

YOUTH 17

The Level Up Challenge In each edition of ‘Level Up’ I will set you a challenge. The purpose of these challenges is to encourage you to do something practical that will also help you gain clarity on your purpose.

Challenge #1 - Make a list of things

that make you happy Very often, your purpose is linked to what you’re passionate about and what makes you happy, so think about activities, events, things you do in your spare time, people, projects and anything else that has made you happy in the past.

Challenge #2

- Complete the ‘Wheel of Strengths’ activity on the Barclays LifeSkills website (barclayslifeskills.com).

I use the Wheel of Strengths regularly, and I find it works well because it takes what you say about yourself, your strengths, interests and personality, and helps you to see - based on your own opinions and description of yourself - what types of careers and jobs may be of interest to you. I would suggest you do this a few different times, and see if there’s

anything that comes up consistently. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense to you now; it’s just to give you an idea.

In the next edition of Level Up, we’re going to need the answers to these challenges, so put them somewhere safe. Write them in the notes app on your phone or email them to yourself.

Thanks for joining me! I’d love to hear from you with any questions you have about anything I’ve said or any issues you want me to discuss.

You can tweet me with the hashtag #KTFLevelUp @adambrux. You’ll also find me at facebook.com/ adambruxuk. I’m on Instagram as @adambrux, and you can snap me with the same username.

Oh, and for those of you who prefer email (my youthful adults), you can send your questions or ideas to hello@adambrux.co.uk.

Until next time.

Adam Brooks is an educator, coach and broadcaster, who helps young people and youthful adults find their purpose. Visit adambrux.co.uk to find out more.

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

18 INTERVIEW

Bishop Tudor

Bismark

Bishop Tudor Bismark Is an apostolic voice to the nations.

Since 1989, he has been serving as an apostolic father and mentor to ministries all over the world. He and his wife, Pastor ChiChi Bismark, serve as the senior pastors of New Life Covenant Church in Harare, Zimbabwe - the headquarters church for Jabula New Life Ministries International. Bishop Bismark also serves as the Chairman of the Council of African Apostles, a wholly African initiative to bring the apostolic voices of the African Church to bear on uniquely African issues. In January 2017, Bishop Bismark celebrated his 60th birthday.

Here, in his own words, he talks about his vision and overview of Jabula New Life Ministries International.

I

nitially, ChiChi and I didn’t expect our ministry, Jabula New Life Ministries International (Jabula International), to be active in so many countries and continents that we are in. When we began, our whole idea and philosophy was basically ‘Empowerment’ - in almost every sector of human life. At the very least, the first thing, in terms of pastoral care, was to create a living for pastors.

Secondly, we wanted to move pastors to another level of skill in their education. Thirdly, we desired that their living conditions would benefit and advance their children. Then fourthly, we wanted each church we planted and each ministry we were leading and influencing to have quality church, so that people would be totally enriched spiritually. That’s how we came up with ‘Transforming People… Transforming Nations’.

We realised that we would need a model, and decided to build the model with New Life Covenant Church (NLCC). We asked ourselves: “What do we want our ministries and churches to look like?” We sat down and came up with significant components. We then asked ourselves: “Are these ideas exportable? Will they work anywhere in the world?” After discussions and deliberations, we knew that, as long as the principles are there, they could definitely be exported to most parts of the world to become Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

a virtual culture.

As a testimony, this year (2016) we have visited six different Jabula churches and attended two Jabula continental conferences (the Jabula Conference in North America, for pastors and leaders, and the Jabula Conference in the UK, which was for Europe and Asia). In all of those meetings, ChiChi and I saw just about everything we’d envisioned in the early nineties.

We are actually seeing our vision being played out right now: in terms of empowerment; in terms of education; in the pursuance of higher education as individuals and corporately; in terms of the pursuance of leadership, as it pertains to family, ministry and business; and, of course, in terms of the quality of church.

These were evidenced by the kinds of order, anointing, music and other things that were just phenomenal to see. Every single Jabula meeting we attended had exactly the same traits. So we are now beginning to see the fruit and the benefit of what we have preached and advocated since we began.

Succession Update For the best part of fifteen years, ChiChi and I have been looking at succession. I’m about to turn sixty. When I was forty-five years old, I determined that when I turned fifty-five NLCC

INTERVIEW 19

would have a successor or a pastor leading the church. We started the process of planning with that in mind, and decided there are three things that have to be right for succession to take place.

THE METHOD – That is, laying down various principles (theological, cultural, financial and others) for which succession should take place.

THE MAN – Or woman. What kind of an individual do we want? What does that person look like? What qualifications must he or she have? So then it’s finding, locating, developing and grooming the person. Of course, there are several models we looked at in the Bible. We looked at the Joshua Model where Joshua, at the time of his first mention in Exodus 17:9-14, was identified by God as Moses’ successor.

God told Moses to record the victory at Amalek as a memorial, and ‘recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven’.

It took forty years to develop Joshua before he took over. The other model is the David Model.

David had all of the principles in place, but it took many, many years to find a successor. That successor came through the most unusual way – through an illicit relationship with Bathsheba followed by repentance. But Solomon had all the components for being the man. Once you have decided on the person, you have to match that person to the right model.

THE MISSION – The individual who is the

successor must not only continue with the mission, but must take it to the next level. So NLCC and Jabula International are now moving to where they will have leaders appointed to serve the ministry and take them to their next place of success. In a referenced case, in January 2016, we put into action our plan for Bishop Hugh D Smith Jr to be our successor at Jabula International. He has always been our man, and we have always been working towards the method, which we implemented this year. He will assume responsibility in 2017 and already he has been assembling four important elements: • Structure • Strategy • Systems • Staff and Personnel Of course this is a global initiative, which he is doing very well with. He will not be changing our culture of empowerment or our culture of transformation (Transforming people... Transforming nations), but will be adding to these, because he is very skilled and very competent.

As far as NLCC is concerned, the succession process is ongoing because we are embarking on the construction of Kingdom Cathedral. It wouldn’t be prudent to appoint a successor in the middle of a construction programme, but once the building is finished, we have the method, we have the man, and we will be appointing the individual for the mission.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MY ASSIGNMENT IN AFRICA? My passion for the continent of Africa is ever increasing – and on several levels. Our deepest passion that is driving us now is to see every country in Africa become a first-world nation.

This is where the citizens of each nation have their basic human rights respected and observed; where their property rights are respected and protected, and where their rights for freedom of expression, which would include the way they would express themselves spiritually or religiously, is realised.

As a Christian, this is realised when we see Jesus Christ as the centre of almost every culture on the continent. That is my passion; I want to see our African countries thrive economically, where in every country there would realistically be a very strong middle class that would be the incubator for major entrepreneurs and significant businesses. I believe that will happen for Africa, where you would see us celebrate highly skilled, highly educated Africans; there we would be able to compete on a global level with the most advanced nations; and where we would see orderly elections and electoral processes where the results are respected (no manipulation of the electoral system and process). This would include adhering to provisions made within the constitution of a particular nation. We really want to see this. My passion for Africa is also to see very powerful men and women of God build significant, stable ministries that would empower their congregants and their respective nations.

So we are going to be employing various means and methods to see this happen. We want to mobilise, more deliberately, significant spiritual key leaders on the continent, who would impact that process of empowerment.

1 - AFRICAN APOSTLES My futuristic overview is primarily that I want to see, from an African apostle’s prospective, more participation – and we will. But also we want to begin to get other blocks involved. We are in collaboration right now with a number of significant apostles from the Caribbean, who host a similar block as the Council of African www.keepthefaith.co.uk

20 INTERVIEW

‘When I was forty-five years old, I determined that when I turned fifty-five NLCC would have a successor or a pastor leading the church.’

Apostles - the Caribbean Coalition of Apostles and Leaders. We are going to be working and sharing with them. We are also going to be collaborating with the International Coalition of Apostles, which is basically a North American idea, but has influence from apostles throughout the world. We will be collaborating with them in importing many of their ideas, but also giving them a lot of our ideas and sharing with them the significant apostolic models that are doing well throughout particular nations. We are making those available, so that the upcoming churches and leaders can adopt the various principles from these respective blocks.

2 - WOMEN We are emphasising, very meticulously now, the need to empower women in every sector – economically, politically, educationally and, most definitely, spiritually. There are a number of challenges we want to take on as causes to empower women. That would include human trafficking, which is a major concern, and the abuse of women, which includes female mutilation.

In some sectors, it is called female circumcision, but it is the mutilation of women’s bodies. Also we want to see, in terms of empowerment, women being given and afforded opportunities in business and trade. I don’t believe a nation can be significant and powerful without women being engaged at that level.

3 - EDUCATION Africa still lags behind in terms of per capita education. For example, in the northern part of Nigeria, it is said that as many as four million children will not have a formal education. A lot of education in Africa is still at a very rural level. We are trying to break beyond that. We want to see more and more of our children having access to education, which of course includes simple things like energy, which would empower access to the Internet (and therefore accelerate their education process).

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4 - HEALTHCARE Services for healthcare in Africa are very, very, very limited – scant. Africans are still dying of preventable causes. Diseases like malaria and HIV continue to take lives. Diseases we thought were eliminated and eradicated, like polio and hepatitis, and tuberculosis, which we thought had been contained, are now expressing resurgence.

We want to see a lot of that removed. The source most of the time is simply poverty. I want to see us move dramatically toward what the United Nations has termed Millennium Development Goals (MDG), now known as Millennium Sustainable Goals. On the top of that list of eight targets is the eradication of poverty.

5 - PERSONAL GOALS For me, a personal peeve is tackling corruption head on. Our continent is seeing a lot of illicit activity, money which has been generated through corrupt means, being transferred out of Africa.

This money could be used throughout our continent to give us a better Africa.

For more information about Bishop Tudor Bismark, Jabula Europe and Asia, and the Loud360 Reconciliation conference, visit www.Loud360.org.

This interview first appeared in Power Shift magazine in 2016, and is reproduced for Keep The Faith by kind permission.

22 INTERVIEW

CeCe Winans, the bestselling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time, has long since cemented her status as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in modern music history.

BY MILTON B ALLEN, GLOBAL MUSIC LINK

e C Ce an s n i W

’ e v o l n i l l a f em

h t t e ‘L

Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

INTERVIEW 23

I

t would be easy to look back and rest on such illustrious laurels, but CeCe Winans has always had her eyes fixed firmly on the future.

So it should come as no surprise that, after careful consideration, she jumped at the opportunity when her son, Alvin Love III, proposed she record the generation-bridging new album, ‘Let Them Fall In Love’. Her first in nearly a decade, the record finds CeCe returning to the studio with gusto, working for roughly three years to craft her most confident and adventurous collection yet. ‘Let Them Fall In Love’, recorded both in Nashville and New York City, finds CeCe merging eras and genres in a glorious blend of past and present that simultaneously recalls the heyday of Motown, and still sounds undeniably modern. Big band horns meet strings from the Nashville String Machine, as CeCe’s soaring voice hits new heights, fuelled in part by the encouragement and motivation of her son.

Her first solo album in nine years leaves one to wonder: where has CeCe been? The simple answer is “In church.” God called CeCe and her husband to start their Nashville Life Church during the early part of 2012… and that was enough to keep her occupied and away from the studio. “So, for almost five years, I’ve been totally focused on that,” she told Billboard Magazine. “It was a really big undertaking, and I really couldn’t focus on the music. I’m one of those people who has to focus. Finally, once we got things going with the church and got a rhythm happening there, I could create some space and think: ‘What do I want to do next?’”

CeCe says it’s about having balance in life and listening to God’s calling. “Prioritising my life and putting God first are key, and making sure I’m faithful in my daily devotion. After that, intentional sacrifice plays a major role. Having a balanced life doesn’t just happen; we must do our part and allow the Holy Spirit to do His part. I couldn’t balance it all without the help of the Holy Spirit.”

The results of the collaboration with CeCe and Alvin III were simply remarkable. CeCe can inhabit each song on the record so fully, because she has lived those stories. She describes the album opener, ‘He’s Never Failed Me Yet’, as her personal testimony; ‘Run To Him’ as her frequent act of refuge, and ‘Marvelous’ as a musical embodiment of the Black Church.

On the song, ‘Hey, Devil!’, CeCe is joined by The Clark Sisters. The track, ‘Peace From God’, is a prayer for light in an increasingly dark world, and ‘Lowly’ is a lesson about pride and humility, aimed at the young men who may need it most. CeCe’s eclectic ability shines through on the country waltz of ‘Why Me?’ - a song she discovered when she was invited to perform live with its writer, Kris Kristofferson. “I’ve never been a traditional gospel artist,” says CeCe. “Some of the things are probably more traditional than I’ve done before, but I think we put something together that will not only embrace my old listeners but will bring in some new ones. I really think this record will be able to do what I’ve done in the past, and more.”

Hezekiah Walker and his choir join CeCe on ‘Dancing in the Spirit’ for a jubilant celebration, while ‘Never Have To Be Alone’, the first single release, finds her taking a far more sombre approach, singing to the younger members of her congregation. ‘Let Them Fall In Love’ was the first song recorded for the album. CeCe emphatically stated, “That was the first song for this album,z and I knew right away that I wanted the record to be named ‘Let Them Fall In Love’. I told my son that it had to be the heartbeat of the album. There are a lot of different styles and a lot of strong messages on there, but all of them are to bring us to this point. It’s why I came back and recorded another album, to express my heart and my desire that people young and old can listen and fall in love with the higher power; fall in love with love, and fall in love with faith and joy and peace.”

CeCe has always had a special affinity for the people of London...

She asked this writer to pass on this message to women of faith in London, “Women of faith, I want to remind you how powerful we are. We are the answer to a lot of the problems we’re facing; we have the grace to get through every trial. Remember who lives on the inside of us… Believe for the impossible. We have the victory!” In 2005, she recorded most of her self-titled 2005 album, ‘CeCe’, the second release through her own label, Puresprings Gospel, at London’s famed Abbey Road Studios with the aid of the London Session Orchestra. She has appeared in London scores of times: at Wembley, the Dominion Centre and other venues.

CeCe Winans has released many albums that crossed genres and boundaries, whilst influencing a generation of gospel and secular vocalists.

Her mantel today holds a staggering 10 GRAMMY Awards, 20 Dove Awards and seven Stellar Awards. She’s been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Nashville Music City Walk of Fame, in addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI, and garnering multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards, Essence Awards and more. She has sold more than five million albums in the US alone, topping the gospel charts repeatedly, while managing to cross over with smashes like ‘Count On Me’, her stunning duet with Whitney Houston from the multi-platinum ‘Waiting To Exhale’ soundtrack, which sold two million copies and cracked the Top 10 on the pop, r&b and adult contemporary charts. She touched millions more with inspirational performances everywhere, from Oprah to the White House.

In response to a question from a UEL (University of East London) Music student, CeCe offered this prophetic advice for anyone blessed with God’s gift of singing the Gospel: “First, I want to encourage you to keep loving Christ and making Him your priority. If singing the Gospel is your passion and God’s will for your life, then go for it! Keep practising, so when the opportunity comes, you will be able to walk through that door.” www.keepthefaith.co.uk

24 IN THE SPOTLIGHT

interview with:

Dominique Haddon

By Vanessa Grossett

Keep The Faith (KTF): Many people will know you as the wife of well-known gospel singer and pastor, Deitrick Haddon. For the purposes of this interview, we want to get to know you, so please tell us about yourself, and most importantly how you came to know Christ.

Dominique Haddon (DH): When I think of who I am, I see myself as a strong, independent woman. I don’t follow trends, but march to the beat of my own drum. I think for myself, and I don’t allow people to influence my thinking or convictions.

Many people don’t know that I am a preacher’s kid; my dad was a pastor until he passed away.

I was born into a family that was on the brink of divorce due to infidelity. I have known Christ all of my life. I know the perception by the vast majority is probably that I was some person off the street, and only met Christ when I met Deitrick, but that’s false. My grandfather is a pastor; brothers are preachers and pastors, cousins and uncles as well. So I come from a long line of preachers.

My mom, as well, was an evangelist in her own right, even though she didn’t operate in it fully.

Outside of the church, I am a college graduate.

I have my Associate of Arts (AA) degree and Bachelors of Arts (BA) in Liberal Studies. I attended my local junior college, Los Angeles Southwest College, where I obtained my AA after graduating high school in 2003; then I transferred to another local university, California State University Dominguez Hills, where I obtained my BA. I was well into graduate school when I met Deitrick, and became pregnant before I could complete my Graduate programme. I plan to go back to my studies once my children are all in school.

I am a person who loves to learn about things and people, and try to broaden my views on things of the world and on the Word of God. KTF: What challenges have you faced (if any) along the way to becoming a first lady, wife and mother, and how did you overcome them?

DH: Challenges, I believe, are inevitable when you assume a new role in life. The hardest challenge I have faced is being balanced - knowing when to be wife, mom and/or first lady. Sometimes I don’t switch hats; if you catch me off guard you may get all three at once! To be more specific, as the wife of a gospel artist, you have to share your spouse not just with his fans, but with friends and family as well. They always want his attention and time, to make sure they are not forgotten, and that, at times, is hard when you want the attention or the time alone with your spouse.

As a mother, I try to be everything to (the children), because my mom wasn’t able to do that for me. She had to work to keep food on the table, and keep her three kids with the basic Find us on Facebook: KEEP THE FAITH Magazine

necessities of life. My kids demand my attention all the time, and at times it is draining, but I find strength in knowing that they need me and love having me around. As they get older this dynamic may change, so I simply enjoy the moment and time while it lasts.

As a first lady, I do it all. I have a team, but I run the meetings and do paperwork and whatever is lacking within the ministry. I have a hard time in this position, because everyone wants to tell me how to be a first lady, when I know how to be a first lady and know how God wants me to operate while in this position. That is the challenging part for me.

KTF: Can you briefly tell us what does your ministerial role as first lady involves?

DH: Being first lady currently involves organising, strategising and structuring our church. In March, I will be leading the Women’s Ministry and become director of our Youth & Young Adults Ministry. I pretty much run the day-to-day operation of the church.

KTF: Many women can find it difficult to balance their spiritual life, with being a mother and wife, and their career. How do you balance those, and what advice would you give to women who are struggling to find that balance?

DH: As I stated before, I too struggle with balance, but what I am learning is that you have to set timelines and boundaries for yourself, to know when to stop and be a wife, a mother, first lady, friend, family and, lastly, to be Dominique. I start every morning by enriching my mind with God’s Word and then prayer. If I am too busy, then I find space within my day to spend time with God. You have to be committed to it in order to make the time to do it. I give God His time, because He blesses me every day with the opportunity to live and enjoy life. The least I can do is honour him with a few minutes in my day.

KTF: Do you have any projects on the horizon that you would like to share with our readers?

DH: I am at the early stages of a few ideas, but I will announce them when they are solid.

KTF: Where can our readers find you? (Social media, website, etc?)

DH: Everyone can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Instagram: @Domerella

Twitter: @Domerella Facebook: Dominique Domerella Haddon website: www.dominiquehaddon.com KTF: Thank you very much for taking your time to do this interview. God bless.

Justification and

Justice Saturday 8 April 10:30 - 16:00 Spurgeon’s College Speakers: Devon Dick, Lynn Green and David Muir Tickets: £5 including lunch and refreshments (£2.50 for Spurgeon’s students)

A symposium in this 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Be inspired by Martin Luther and Martin Luther King as we live out their dream in the 21st century For details and booking, see:

www.baptist.org.uk/justificationandjustice

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

26 FEATURE

TRAINING KINGS The UK’s Largest Christian Business Network JOY ROXBOROUGH

is a creative industries professional, writer and entrepreneur. Email joyroxborough@yahoo.com

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raining Kings is the UK’s largest Christian Business Network, with 14 established branches operating across the UK. Training Kings Operations Manager, Francesca McDowall, said: “This has been a fantastic achievement since our inception in 2013. But the progress of individual members is our greatest achievement to date.”

Training Kings is the brainchild of property investor, Samuel Leeds. After becoming a Christian and establishing a successful business, some people advised Samuel to stop working on his business, to avoid falling into the trap of loving money. This set Samuel on a path of studying Biblical Economics and learning that money is neither good nor bad but a tool that can be used.

Samuel discovered that so many other Christian business people were isolated, and

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holding their faith and their business in separate hands. Some were even subconsciously sabotaging their business success, in order to attain holiness. These are the experiences and discoveries that inspired him to establish Training Kings.

Samuel said: “Training Kings is a place where Christians can be inspired and equipped to be successful in business. It’s an environment where success is celebrated and encouraged, to ultimately make a difference in the community and across the world, not to serve our egos but to promote the glory of God. “The significance of the name, ‘Training Kings’, comes from the fact that the Bible teaches that believers are kings and priests unto God and, as such, Training Kings was devised as an environment for individuals to receive information, instruction and advice. This will help them to develop skills and abilities so they can fulfil their purpose and be fully established as a king or royalty in the earth.”

With his signature enigmatic grin and pumped-up energy that infuse his presentations, Samuel makes achieving business success look easy. But, he admits, “Starting out in business can be a daunting decision for some, and every business can face different challenges. To be successful, it is important that you have a vision you truly believe in and are passionate about. In addition, you must have a gutsy determination to keep going and not give up should you encounter any rocky patches along the journey.

“Individuals who are successful have a strategy to reach their goal, as well as support from others to help them to stay focused. Honesty and integrity are also essential; and lastly, it’s important for people to be willing to learn from others as well as from their own mistakes.”

Samuel went on to explain: “A common issue that many individuals in business face is feeling isolated, as they may not have a team to share and bounce ideas off. The connections

and networking through Training Kings events and our members-only forum provide the opportunity for members to share best practice and explore alternative solutions for issues raised.

“Having the benefit of a supportive network of others, who have walked a similar journey, provides reassurance and an outside perspective that focuses on possibilities.

“Some business owners lack training and up-to-date information, and we provide support, training and also a platform for individuals to share their challenges and request support.

It’s not just about who is in the room, but who those in the room know and also network with.”

Training Kings networking sessions typically take the form of breakfast or dinner events. These happen on varying days to ensure they are accessible to everyone, including those who are currently in paid employment but who have a vision and desire to start their own businesses.

At each event, there is a guest speaker who inspires and imparts invaluable business strategies to members and visitors. Represented businesses are also given a sixty-second opportunity to showcase their business. There is then an open networking session, and every event closes with a prayer of blessing.

Francesca said: “The culture in Training Kings is very supportive, with everyone wanting their fellow members to succeed. We are committed to creating an environment, where people give and receive the support that will enable them to develop their businesses with good ethics.

“As the network grows, members are able to be connected to entrepreneurs and professionals nationally and obtain the right services, for example graphic designers and accountants.”

For further information and to register for upcoming events, visit www.trainingkings.co.uk, telephone 0330 010 2247 or email events@ trainingkings.co.uk.

Follow one of our carers, Hanora, on the fast track to fostering

I have attended many training courses and have completed my Level 3 Diploma in Childcare. I have also received excellent support from my supervising social worker and my extended family. I would say that having a good support network is essential.

My name is Hanora McCool, I am 62 years old and a mother of five children and ten grandchildren, the youngest being two weeks old and the eldest being 22.

I have been a Foster Carer for 29 years and have fostered 205 children. I have been approved to care for three children from 0 to 11 years.

It is the most rewarding job I have ever done, and even though it can be hard work and often challenging, I couldn’t imagine doing any other job.

Freephone 0800 169 3497

Telephone 020 8753 1057

All the support you need to be a foster carer •You have a network of fostering peers and professionals is always there to help and advise you.

•You get free training in fostering skills and the opportunity to train for additional qualifications.

•You are paid a weekly financial allowance for the child(ren), a fee for yourself plus additional rewards like a retention bonus.

•You need a spare room in your home, and parenting or childcare experience.

fostering@rbkc.gov.uk

For more events visit www.lbhf.gov.uk /fostering www.rbkc.gov.uk/fostering www.westminster.gov.uk/fostering

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

28 FEATURE

From boys to admirable and fathers – the role mo

BY BUNMI ADEYOJU

Bunmi is a research chemist, a self-employed entrepreneur and freelance writer.

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ithin the African Caribbean community, mums are generally expected to play a vital role in preparing their daughters as future wives and mothers, and helping them understand society’s construct of their feminity and its expectations. However, when it comes to our young men, our role in this regard is rather transient. We ought to be able to help our sons to positively define and articulate their manliness, particularly as it pertains to being a good husband and father. Several reasons why we need to rethink our approach include:

• The dynamics of the husband-wife relationship is evolving and remarkably different from what it was 20 years ago; men can’t be palpably high-handed as family leaders.

• The divorce rate amongst churchgoing Christians is exceptionally high (Barna Research Survey, 2008).

• High suicide rates among young males.

• Domestic abuse within Christian marriages is being described as a silent epidemic. (I am not suggesting in any way, that this is solely down to men and their upbringing. However, they are real issues that demand innovative solutions.)

The Bible offers examples of mothers who brought up their sons in a particular fashion to ensure that they were fit for purpose and that their divine destinies were fulfilled, eg. Hannah and Samuel; Samson and his (unnamed) mother; Elizabeth and John the Baptist. Hence, we can reasonably extrapolate that a Christian mother ought to pay attention to bringing

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up her son to be fit for his purpose as a husband and father.

How do we do this?

I am going to assume that spiritual solutions, like praying with/over them, regular church attendance, Bible studies, pastoral oversight, etc. have already been established, so I will focus on hands-on approaches that we can take on board.

Firstly, we need to get rid of the mentality that only fathers can help our sons define and navigate their masculinity. Of course, dads play a significant role, but we have our unique role as well. We should expose our sons to strong female role models. Too many of our young men are reliant on the Media’s portrayal of women as their only source of knowledge about women, and of how they are to be treated. The music and film industry presents blatant messages that exemplify women as sexual objects, as stupid objects to be toyed with. Some computer games project subliminal violence that includes taunting and teasing of women. An effective way to counter these affecting portrayals is to expose boys in their formative years to lots of positive, strong females, ie. females other than mum. An emotionally healthy man (and ultimately husband) can identify and relate to competent women; some of whom are his equals, and some whom he considers unashamedly to be his superior. This is rather crucial to the upcoming generation of men; not least because, increasingly, today’s girls are incredibly smart, socially empowered and financially independent.

We can influence and help our young men with their body image and behaviour.

Body: Mums often erroneously think boys do not care about their appearance, and some even believe that it is vain to spend good money on their clothes, ie. that anything will do. I used to be one of those, but I’m now reformed. In reality, most boys care deeply about their appearance.

Generally, there is an entrenched view that a manly look is athletic, muscular and strong. Very few men meet these criteria, however, and mothers need to be understanding and helpful when their sons feel the need to join a gym, or engage in activities that promote body image. Part of his function as a husband is to treat his wife’s body with honour as he would his own. It is therefore imperative that he considers his own body and treats it with honour.

‘In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the Church’ Ephesians 5:28-29 (NIV).

We must show an interest in their clothing, helping them choose clothes that accentuate their manly features. We should affirm them by paying them compliments, and encourage them to be happy with their bodies and to take care of them.

Impress on their minds that cleanliness and smart clothes are important in defining manliness and being attractive to godly women.

Behaviour: Boys again associate manliness with behaviours that suggest being in control and acting tough. They often interpret being in control to mean ‘controlling’ and being tough to a ‘bad boy’ image. We should be careful not to encourage the thinking that being kind and caring equates to being soft and unmanly. Neither should we allow our sons to feel

FEATURE 29

husbands others play

judged, feel inadequate or any form of awkwardness whenever they do articulate their softer side, like engaging in activities like cooking, sewing, shopping or wanting to cuddle a teddy; or when we observe them reveal tender feelings towards their girlfriends, sisters or female relatives. We should encourage them to express affection in meaningful ways, helping them understand concepts of affection from a female perspective.

Boys adore heroism, and there are two parts to this. The first is having a hero that they look up to. It might be a real one, eg. dad, or a mythical one, eg. Superman. Boys emulate their hero. They want to be able to do what he does and earn his praise. We can help them to build a stock of men from different walks of life to emulate, eg. teachers, sportsmen, politicians, pastors, uncles, etc. We should take time to tell our sons about men whom we respect and why. In other words, use these role models to challenge their view of what a hero is, and use such discussions to interject the feminine perspective. When it comes to heading up a home, heroes are the ones who care for their families emotionally and financially in equal measure. Also, it is imperative that we constantly tell our young men positive but truthful things about their dads - particularly the absent ones.

The second part of heroism is that boys like to think of themselves as a hero. Hence, they strive to win at everything - be it games, academics, careers or financial success. Sadly, this need to be a hero can result in behaviours that range from showing off to being a clown to being a bully – incessantly demanding respect. Winning or being a ‘knight in shining armour’ matters to females, but less than men think.

Good women often choose and respect a perpetually sensitive and supportive man over any ‘Del Boy’. We can inculcate this type of thinking into our sons.

Lastly, we should guard against deifying our sons, thereby producing a mini-god whose every little whim must be honoured; order has to be obeyed, and ego constantly stroked. He then tends to construe female interests (or indeed his wife) as being disrespectful or ungrateful, when they do not show enthusiasm for his passions or interests. At an emotional level, he might even feel rejected, and his attempts to resist could lead to domestic abuse, depression or suicide.

It is right for a mother to pay attention to her son’s manly pride, to honour it; to esteem his problem-solving abilities, and communicate with him in a way that does not belittle his heroic inclinations.

However, this needs to be balanced.

I hope that this article helps us reflect on our approach to helping young men define masculinity and navigate their function as future husbands and fathers.

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30 COMMENT

DIONNE GRAVESANDE

is Head of Church Advocacy at Christian Aid

WHERE IS YOUR MORAL ARC? “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice” is one of my favourite single-line quotes. But I was struck by the depth of the whole quote, which reads: “When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember there is a creative force in this universe working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realise the arc of the moral universal is long, but it bends towards justice.”

The weight of truth in that statement makes the Pentecostal spirit in me shout out, ‘Hallelujah!’

Many years ago, Dr Martin Luther King Jr gave such a voice to communities in the United States and around the world, as they fought for what they knew was right. In the face of hatred, he inspired millions with a message of love, courage and belief a better world is possible.

We’ve made great progress since Dr King’s time, but billions of people around the world are still fighting for their freedom and justice. It seems we are living in insane times, and daily we witness folk at the extreme ends of the political spectrum hijack the meaning of justice and equity. We are left to argue the middle ground, and what is or isn’t ‘just’ and ‘fair’, but whose measurements are being used to determine what is just and fair? Thinking on this, I looked at a moral theology (also known as Christian ethics), which is concerned with identifying and explaining the principles that determine the quality of human behaviour in the light of Christian revelation. It is distinguished from the philosophical discipline of ethics, which relies upon the authority of reason, and which can only call upon rational agreements for moral failure. For this reason, moral theology appeals to the authority of revelation, specifically as found Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

in the preaching and works of Jesus Christ. The relationship between Christianity and politics is a historically complex subject, and a frequent source of disagreement throughout the history of Christianity, as well as in modern politics between the Christian right and Christian left.

So, let me assert my conviction in the context of a moral theology: politics ought to be a moral activity, and we should never feel inhibited in stressing the moral basis of our approach. For me, this is how the Church should relate to politics. Of course, there are moments when this perennial question becomes suddenly urgent and, with today’s scandalous levels of inequality, increasing racism and offensive prejudices, I would argue these are urgent times.

The Hebrew Bible and the Gospel of Jesus both command all who hold them dear to care for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. So, let’s let examine who are the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. Maybe it’s the homeless, the orphan, the refugee or the poor. Maybe it’s the single parent on benefits or minimum wage; the former army officer living on the streets, because he is traumatised; or the kids living in care, or the stranger who arrived on the shores of Britain because they had a dream of a better life. Or maybe these definitions aren’t so different after all, and they are really talking about the same groups of people. If that is true, then this is where our moral outrage is found, and where our faith and belief in a message preached by Jesus come into being.

Taking a stand is not always easy; it provokes uncomfortable questions and discussions, but means you pick up the issue, critically investigate it, and then come to an opinion. If needed, you speak out, sometimes in public or sometimes behind the scenes (if you’re acting in an advisory role). So what might this mean for Christians?

Well, I think it means the need to stand up for

justice at all levels, whether it’s fighting for consumer regulations that would protect the future wellbeing of fellow citizens from the economic crashes; or making choices that protect our environment and climate; or calling out systems that prioritise the needs of the rich over and above the rest of society, particularly when those systems are dismantling a social safety net that was designed to support people in urgent need. Dr King coined it best by saying: “There is nothing more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Let me tell you, there is a link between systems and structures that sustains injustice in communities at home and abroad, and things will only change if we call for it and the actions follow. These collective actions move the arc of the moral universe, and they remind us why connecting the world is so important. The interconnectedness of our world doesn’t just work for business and commerce; it also works to connect movements and global struggles.

The true lesson Martin Luther King teaches is the exact opposite of what many take away from hearing the words: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice” because that arc doesn’t bend on its own. It takes effort. It takes action. It takes sermon after sermon, rally after rally and march after march. It takes public pressure and public demonstrations of solidarity; it takes time and it takes energy to live out loving our neighbours.

It takes a firm commitment by the people - that’s you and me - our communities, our churches, our generations. We have many social and moral problems to solve, and the direction of the arc will hopefully continue upwards long after our era. We are by no means at the apex, but there is much evidence to support the fact that Dr King was right: the arc of the moral universe really does bend toward justice – so keep bending!

COMMENT 31

Our God: capable of suffering, capable of love REV WALE HUDSON-ROBERTS

is the Racial Justice Co-ordinator for the Baptist Union of Great Britain

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rucifixion - invented by ‘barbarians’ on the edge of the then known world, and continued by both Greeks and Romans - is probably the cruellest method of execution ever practised. It deliberately delayed death until every part of the human body was in optimum pain - the victim often suffering for days before taking their final gasp. When the Romans adopted it, crucifixion was reserved for those on the margins of society: foreigners, slaves, robbers and murderers - those they regarded as ‘non-persons’.

Because of what the cross symbolised to the Roman elite, Roman citizens were exempt from crucifixion - except in extreme cases of treason.

In this regard, the Jews were not that different from the Romans; the way of the cross (or even the way of the tree1) was generally reserved for those ‘non-persons’ in possession of a criminal record.

The early enemies of Christianity took every opportunity to ridicule the notion that God’s anointed (and humanity’s Saviour) ended His life on the cross. Despite the massive efforts of the Romans to rid the world of a Man who claimed to be the Messiah, by nailing Him to a cross, the cross has become the Christian symbol. Despite persecution, Christians refused to discard it, so it has become one of the most ubiquitous symbols in the world. Today, the world is aware of what the cross represents, and two thousand years after the death of Christ, Christianity is still alive.

This brings us nicely to Lent, which has a range of meanings, including the response of God to human suffering. Some of the early Greek Fathers of the Church believed that God was incapable of feeling the pain of others, seeing Him rather as a distant God, devoid of emotion and detached from the pain of those who suffer.

That is not our God. The story of the crucifixion reminds us that the pain of widows, orphans, single mothers and refugees totally matters to God. The cross smashes the caricature of a God resting in some ‘celestial deckchair’ while the hungry millions starve to death. If God’s full and final self-revelation was given in Jesus, then His feelings and suffering are an authentic reflection of God’s responses to suffering. Mindful that Jesus ‘wept’ with grief and ‘snorted with indignation’2 and wept again for Jerusalem points to a God who weeps with the weeping and laments with those who lament.

‘The God who is capable of suffering is the same God who is capable of love, and opens Himself up to the suffering that is involved in love’

Christ more than embraces the internal suffering of His children. He inhabits the world of our fears and longings, living in complete solidarity with us.

The God who is capable of suffering is the same God who is capable of love, and opens Himself up to the suffering that is involved in love. This is surely the reason why Bonhoeffer wrote, some nine months before his execution: ‘Only the suffering God can help.’

I guess it’s easy for me to write about the solidarity of God from the comfort of my home.

What about the millions and millions of people who lack the most basic necessities of life? Theirs is a world that is seriously poor. The capricious nature of their existence renders poverty as their one constant, their one certainty, combined with the obvious curtailing of their lives. All this adds up to a horrible tally of human need. It really should not be surprising that such environments form the hotbeds of bitterness, resentment and, in more and more cases, violence in the form of terrorism.

It is no wonder that increased numbers of theologians, such as Professor Anthony Reddie and Professor Robert Beckford, continue to develop helpful protests against a European theology that maintains a traditional, mournful mystique of the cross, which is passive and individualistic. Instead, in seeking to relate the cross to the contemporary world and its social injustice, they have contemplated whether God Himself was untouched by the historical cross because He is untouchable. Both Professors

resolutely conclude this not to be the case.

With the film Roots still showing, and the memories of the Holocaust still fresh in the minds of many, it would be somewhat cowardly of me not to include the enslavement of Africans and the sufferings of God’s chosen people into this narrative, asking the question: ‘Where was God in their pain and suffering?’ Obviously, for me to even hint at God’s absence in these heinous circumstances would be a contradiction in terms.

The fact is that the nature of suffering is complex.

The ‘why’ of suffering appears to be totally ambiguous and the ‘when’ of suffering random and indiscriminate. Where it concerns the redemptive purposes of suffering, they too can often be incomprehensible for the sufferer.

So, what comfort do we take from the cross of Christ this Easter? Surely it is the fundamental Christian assertion that God is love. As difficult as this might be for the likes of a homeless, unemployed or bereaved person to grasp, the cross of Christ tells us that the love of God is a constant, originating from the heart of the Divine.

It is a love never to be fully understood by the human, but often felt by Christ’s servants, even when engulfed by pain and suffering. The fact remains that God is ever present in our moments of joy and our moments of hell.

The Jews made no distinction between a tree and a cross, and so between a hanging and a crucifixion.

John 11:33: A more literal translation of the Greek ‘embrimaomai’ than the usual ‘deeply moved in spirit and troubled’

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32 COMMENT

THE GREAT MISSION WE ARE ALL INVOLVED IN REV STEPHEN BROOKS

National Development Manager for Excell 3 www.excell3.com

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re you involved in missions? Is your church involved in missions in your local community, nation or other parts of the world? This question should never come up.

Jesus told His apostles they should go and be His witnesses, which means sharing what He has done and what they have experienced with Him ‘in Jerusalem’ - their own town; ‘in Judea’ - their country; ‘in Samaria’ - the neighbouring countries, and in every part of the world. (See Acts 1:8.)

So you see, as Christians, each of us and each church has the responsibility to share in the ministry throughout the world; we call this ‘missions’. Charles Spurgeon said: “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.” Missions can be carried out in many ways. In the old days, missionaries went to develop and control; it was their church and they ran it. Nowadays, such a concept of missions is deficient. The modern concept of missionaries is to go as witnesses, and they train and assist the local Christians to become independent, to be witnesses themselves, to do the work of the Church in their country, and to undertake the leadership of the church.

It seems to me that the modern concept of Find us on Facebook: KEEP THE FAITH Magazine

missions is a very biblical one. It is involvement of the worldwide Church in worldwide ministry.

Jesus told His disciples: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” That sounds like a command to me.

In his book, The Missionary Call, David Sills said: “If someone does not have a missions heart at home, nothing magical happens when they buckle the seatbelt on the airplane.” Missions does not only occur on foreign soil; you do not need a passport to be a missionary. What you need is obedience. As followers of Christ, our lives were never intended to seek our own comfort, joy and entertainment. We are all missionaries, and every Christian is called to share the love of Christ. Some of us are called to go far away, and others are called to stay local, but we are ALL called to take part.

We are told that God will give us resources and ability, and we are to use them to expand His Kingdom to every point on the globe. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Winkie Pratney, New Zealand evangelist, says: “Every Christian a missionary; every non-Christian a mission field.”

Missions is not something that only a select few are called to do. Every Christian is called to share God’s love and mercy wherever God has placed us.

God saved each of us with missions, and missions is why He is using us now. Throughout history the world has desired strength, but God

has always used weakness. When trying to conquer the world the Nazis sent brute force, the Romans sent warriors, but God is sending the weak, poor and uneducated. Jim Elliot, martyr and missionary to Ecuador, said: “We are a bunch of nobodies trying to exalt Somebody.”

Throughout Scripture, Christ’s followers are called sojourners, pilgrims and strangers in a strange land. We do not belong, and have been sent out only to spread God’s glory through evangelism and missions. We are missionaries in our own homes, in our towns, in our schools, at our jobs, across the street and around the world.

No individual, no congregation, no denomination, no nation can contain God. God is not the God of the English; He is not the God of the Pentecostals, Baptists or Methodists, or even of the Catholics. We must all be doing God’s will within our community; missions is a part of that ministry. Evangelism, outreach, social ministry, leadership training and missions all go together.

Is your church doing anything beyond meeting on Sundays and singing hymns? Are you carrying the witness of Christ with you during the week, on your job? Do you do what you do for Christ, through Christ and with Christ? Jesus said: “This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Consider your church’s activities. Jesus has said: “Go and make disciples.” In what way are you helping to make disciples? This is the primary mission of the Church.

Escape the busyness of life and gain a new perspective

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hen God finished creating the world, He rested. When Jesus needed time to think, He withdrew to a quiet place. Taking a break from your routine and getting away from the hustle and bustle of life is not only good for you, it is practiced by God. CWR is a charity that exists to help Christians apply God’s Word to their lives and relationships every day. For more than 50 years it has been equipping and enabling people to draw closer to God, to understand His Word and put it into practice.

CWR offers you, along with your church, small group or colleagues, the opportunity to take a break from daily life and visit somewhere new. Whether you are looking for a venue to escape to with friends, a place to host a church event or space for a team-building day, Pilgrim Hall and Waverley Abbey House can provide for every type of occasion.

Both within easy reach of London and close to public transport links, our versatile venues are great for holidays and country breaks, as well as seminars and meetings.

Function rooms range from small and intimate to spacious and grand, offering opportunities to incorporate small group sessions as well as larger group sessions into your day or break.

Groups at Waverley Abbey House and Pilgrim Hall are also offered the unique opportunity to have in-house teaching from a range of popular CWR courses.

The wealth of seminars, which can be tailored to your church, ministry team, women’s event or small group, include teaching on pastoral care and counselling, leading effective Bible studies, and leadership training.

So step out of your routine and take up the opportunity to spend some time away.

You may even gain new perspective on an aspect of life when you come and stay at one of our beautiful venues.

P I LG R I M H A L L

Set in the heart of the East Sussex countryside, Pilgrim Hall offers elegant country house charm. The excellent facilities can accommodate up to 125 guests. Yet even with plenty of space, there is a homely and intimate atmosphere.

Relax in the inviting lounges, step outside for some fresh air with a game of tennis, or enjoy the heated outdoor pool (open from May to September). Pilgrim Hall’s staff are always on hand to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

‘Staying at Pilgrim Hall benefitted our groups as it drew us together and helped us to feel like a family.

It gave us the space to worship, learn, laugh and share meals together.’

WAV ER L E Y A B B E Y H O U S E

This stunning Grade II* listed Georgian house, set in the tranquil scenery of Surrey, is even more than a picturesque building that sits in the beautiful grounds of the enchanting Waverley Abbey. First the abbey was home to monks who spent their lives seeking and serving God. Today the house is home to CWR and so is used to encourage and equip Christians in their daily walk with God. Reconnect with your group, church or family in this historic and fascinating setting. The attractive and extensive grounds can be hired for larger events such as outdoor team-building exercises.

The on-site catering team are fully equipped to provide delicious food, whether for a lunchtime meeting, church summer BBQ or special celebration dinner.

WAVERLEY ABBEY HOUSE

PILGRIM HALL

Farnham, Surrey • 01252 784733

Uckfield, East Sussex • 01825 840295

www.waverleyabbeyhouse.org.uk

www.pilgrimhall.com

‘Warm and very friendly, beautiful grounds and ideal facilities for encouraging that church family feel!

It was a memorable and life-changing experience.’

Whether you are looking for a cosy getaway with family, or an inspirational time away with a large group, come to Pilgrim Hall or Waverley Abbey House and be refreshed as you draw closer to God.

Ideal getaways for churches and families Leadership retreats • Team away days • Ladies’ days • Seminars Weekends away • Family celebrations • Cream teas and BBQs Filming and photoshoots Advanced booking required for all events.

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34 COMMENT

FOOD 4 THOUGHT www.marciadixonpr.co.uk

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BY

MARCIA DIXON

A leading PR specialist and journalist

Marcia-Dixon-Public-Relations

EASTER IS ALL ABOUT LOVE As far as I’m concerned, the key season in the Christian calendar and the most meaningful and authentic – is Easter. Yes, it’s great to celebrate Christmas, but I think many would agree it has become too commercial.

Easter, however, still retains the sense of being a momentous, exceptional and totally revolutionary moment in world history and Christianity. I mean, how many faiths can claim that its Founder, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rose from the dead? None. Christianity is the only faith that makes this claim, and it is this one fact that makes Easter so special.

Christians serve a risen Saviour. At some point in his or her life, any follower of Christ will share how they felt called or led to live according to biblical teachings, after acknowledging that they were a sinner, and after accepting the grace and forgiveness to be found in Jesus.

It’s beholden then for believers, in this Easter season, to look again at the ways we can make those around us understand the power, joy and peace to be found in serving Him. As part of a Black Pentecostal church, it’s too easy to become so focused on being people of great faith, who do works for God, that we forget that the core message of Christianity.

The Easter Story is in essence a love story – one of the greatest the world has ever seen.

Jesus Himself let the world know the significance of His death and resurrection, when He told Jewish rabbi, Nicodemus: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish

but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

If there is anything that demonstrates the impact of Jesus in this world - and on our lives as His followers - it’s our willingness to love others, in word and deed. If we can’t (or won’t), the Easter Story has had no impact on us.

In his letters to the church, John wrote: “ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:16-18).

The Easter Story is a love story, and we must respond to this love by doing our best to be Christ’s agents of love in this world – a world that is always in need of it.

YOU GOTTA HAVE FAITH Sometimes, our failure in life to achieve our goals and ambitions has nothing to do with God not answering our prayers, or the devil placing obstacles in our way. Rather, it has everything to do with our mindset, self-belief and unwillingness to believe God’s Word.

In my view, Hebrews 11 verses 1 and 6 are key Bible verses. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as comprising of a hope for things or situations that have not yet materialised; Hebrews 11:6 Find us on Twitter: @KeepTheFaithmag

shares why we need faith, and that we serve a God who acts when we trust Him. Could it be that sometimes our prayers, dreams and aspirations don’t come to pass because, when we talk to God, deep down we have unbelief in our hearts, and don’t truly believe that whatever we hope and pray for will become a reality?

If you are failing to experience the answers you are praying for, you may have to undergo a mindset change and actually start believing God’s Word. God will surprise you when you do.

Remembering Quamari On March 10, thousands of people attended the funeral of Quamari Serunkuma-Barnes, the 15-year-old boy, who was run down in the street by his assailant, and fatally stabbed on the streets of Willesden, north-west London.

This story struck a chord with the whole of London, because of the senseless taking of a life that had held so much promise.

It’s a sad indictment on the Black community that, after all these years, this issue is still not under control, and our children – I’m talking Black children – still live in fear of their lives.

As I’ve written before in this column, I am a firm believer of going back to go forward, and I think as a community we have some major reflection to do - and action to take - on bringing an end to this problem once and for all.

We need to keep asking ourselves questions like: What can we do to make our children feel safe and secure, both within their homes and on the streets?

How can we help those parents who have lost the confidence or the will to parent their children properly? How can we support those children who feel unloved and abandoned by their parents? And how can we mediate in the baby-mother/baby-father wars, so that both parents work together in the best interests of their children?

There’s a war going on in the heart of our community, and our children are the casualties. We – and I’m talking everyone – have the power to call a truce and to broker peace. The main question to ask is: Are we willing and ready to do so?

Andrew Wommack, internationally known bible teacher with more than 40 years’ experience and founder of Andrew Wommack Ministries & Charis Bible College.

In Andrew’s new book, Living in God’s Best: Don’t Settle for Less, he tackles the hard questions that most Christians are too uncomfortable to ask: Why do some Christians seem to live in poverty when their heavenly Father is rich? Why are many Christians sick when Jesus is the Great Physician? Why do some believers live from crisis to crisis when Jesus is the Prince of Peace? In the chapters of Andrew’s new book, you’ll find out how to shift from living “need to need” to living in a state of ongoing well-being. Take up your residence in a place Jesus has prepared just for you.

If asked, most Christians would say they want God’s will for their lives. But which is better: divine healing and provision or divine health and prosperity? If you live in divine health and prosperity, you won’t need a miracle to get healed or an intervention from God to pay your bills.

A miracle is not a sign of prosperity.

A miracle is not a sign of prosperity. Think of it this way: Would you rather own a car that you can drive or call an ambulance to come get you? A ride in an ambulance usually means there’s a crisis. If you can’t see the difference between the two, that may be one reason you only recognize God’s goodness when you reach a crisis, instead of truly living in His best.

Most Christians live in a place where it’s just a matter of time before there’s a crisis in their lives and they need a miracle.

You might think it would be wonderful to go from miracle to miracle, but that means you’d also be going from crisis to crisis!

Living in God’s best can become a lifestyle—a permanent address rather than somewhere you long to go on vacation to escape the pressures of life. In the pages of Andrew’s new book, you’ll learn to live in freedom, raise your expectations, and be persuaded that living in the blessing is better than receiving an occasional miracle. Miracles are great when you need one, but

Miracles are great when you need one. you weren’t meant to continually get by on them. God wants to change where you live. Let Andrew’s new book show you how!

Purchase your book today.

To get this book, and for more teaching and other free resources, visit our website: www.awme.net or call

our Helpline: 01922 473300

36 COMMENT

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL A ‘For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’ 1 Corinthians 1:18

OYIN OLADIPO

is a Lay Minister in the Church of England and the author of the book, God Has Not Forgotten You

P

aul started his letter to the Corinthian Christians by appreciating the gifts of God among them, before moving on to address the very pressing issue of division amongst them. Paul stated that Christ is not divided, and that it was Christ - not their leaders – who had died for them, and into Whom they were all baptised. Before they started to claim superiority based on who baptised whom, he chipped in that he had not been sent to baptise, but to preach the Gospel - not with words of human wisdom, lest the Cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Paul started by pitting the Cross of Christ against human wisdom and, from verse 18 onwards, he uses the term ‘the message of the Cross’.

This raises two questions: 1. What is the ‘message of the Cross’?

2. Why was Paul of the opinion that words of human wisdom could empty the message of the Cross of its power?

Let’s start by answering the second question first. To do this, we need to go back to Corinth, where the readers of this letter lived. Corinth was

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a Greek port city of repute back in Paul’s days and, like other major Greek cities, had its own share of philosophers - men who were wise by the standards of this world. There were a few of those in Corinth, and the city was divided philosophically according to these orators.

Annabel Robinson, of the Fuller Baptist Church in Northamptonshire, had this to say about Greek philosophers: “Greek philosophers debated the nature of the world; what the gods were like; what type of government is best; how we ought to live; why we should not fear death; whether the soul is immortal, and so on…their wisdom is not like biblical wisdom, because it does not look to God as its source.”

The human wisdom emanating from these Greek orators failed, in that they did not address the fundamental human question of sin, and did not confer upon man the ability to live right with God and himself. They produced an ever-increasing cycle of despair and emptiness, filled with more talks, principles and rules.

These cannot save anyone from sin, whereas the very message of the Cross is salvation.

What is the Message of the Cross?

The message of the Cross speaks of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, through which our sins are forgiven forever; we are accepted by God, and we are empowered to live right by the Spirit of God who resides within us. To the Jewish mind, it was impossible for anyone hung on a cross to be a saviour; as a matter of fact, the Jewish scriptures say that anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed, and cursed people cannot save themselves - let alone anyone else. To the Roman or Greek mind, the message of the Cross was not only ludicrous but outright insane; the cross, in Roman times, was an instrument used by the state to execute criminals.

I grew up in Nigeria and witnessed on TV the execution of the worst criminals by firing

squad. The offenders would be tied to poles, and shot at by soldiers until they died. For anyone to tell me that the execution pole was the means by which God would save the nation from the mess she was in would sound ludicrous. Dead criminals cannot save anyone.

Jesus Christ was rejected by His own people and executed by Roman soldiers as a criminal.

He was nailed to a cross, naked and bloodied.

To the Jewish mind, He was a cursed man.

The Greek saw Him as just another criminal, but to God, that Man hanging on the cross was the means to salvation – the only means to salvation.

It was impossible for the people of Paul’s day to see any wisdom in the Gospel of the Cross. Paul said: “The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” in verse 18 and by verse 24 he was calling Christ the “Power of God and the wisdom of God”. The Jews demanded signs from a powerful God and the Greeks sought wisdom.

Paul in these verses was saying that the death and resurrection of Christ were the ultimate sign and the ultimate display of wisdom. It was impossible for the common mind to see this; it was hidden from the influential and from those of noble birth, but revealed to the weak - to you and me - in our ordinary lives.

The message of the Cross, let me remind you, is not that a criminal was executed by Romans, though it would appear so to the human mind. In God’s sight, however, the Cross is the means to salvation. Through the death of that innocent Man on the tree, Adam’s sin was paid for, and the claim of satan over you and me was broken. Each time a nail was hammered into Jesus’ hands or the spear was pierced into His side and blood gushed out, God accepted it as the blood to wash the earth from wrath.

God through Moses told the Israelites that the life of any animal is in its blood. And so, when the blood of Jesus was shed, when He died, He gave His life for me and also for you.

COMMENT 37

ABOUT THE CROSS? Jesus died for our sins and rose again to confirm it. Believing in Him gives us eternal life, we are saved forever.

it. There are Christians in many nations of the world today, who are killed daily by the forces of the enemy because they believe in the revolutionary message of the Cross. Paul saw the danger of marrying empty Greek rhetoric with the Gospel of Christ: it would rob the Gospel of its power, because its hearers would think of the message of Christ as just another of man’s philosophies.

The orators and philosophers of Greece were not qualified to give their lives for humanity, neither were the prophets of Israel. Only God the Son, the One who made the world and for Whom the world was made, was able to give His life to pay for the sins of His creation. This is the ultimate expression of love, akin to a mother giving her life for her child, and to a king saying “Kill me, but let my people go.” The message of the Cross is the message of sacrifice and freedom. The world saved by the death of one Man, heaven gained, hell lost. Hope is here.

The early Christians believed in this so much that they were willing to lay down their lives for

What’s in it for me?

The potency of the message of the Cross - the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - is still as strong today as it was in 1st century Corinth.

Jesus died for our sins and rose again to confirm it. Believing in Him gives us eternal life, we are saved forever. We have hope of a better life and of a better future. We are able to bear the burdens, sicknesses and sorrows of this world with joy, because we know that there is a better place awaiting us. Death is no longer feared as the end but as the passage to a more beautiful existence.

As a result of the message of the Cross, we know that God works all things together - all our challenges, problems and difficulties - for our good.

The Apostle Paul sums up the effect of the message of the Cross in his letter to the Romans: ‘Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other Person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.’

May we live our daily lives conscious of the message of the Cross: that we are saved from our sins and guilt, and accepted by God. May we know with full assurance that we are greatly loved by Him - all because of the sacrifice of our King and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Oyin Oladipo is a Lay Minister in the Church of England. He is the author of the book, God Has Not Forgotten You, and currently studies theology at Oxford. He can be reached on oyinoladipo@gmail.com.

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38 LIFESTYLE

Can I write for the general market?

VANESSA GROSSETT

www.theauthorscare.co.uk

R

ecently, I received an email concerning Christian authors writing for the general market. The message went like this: ‘Dear Vanessa, I want to use my talents and become a professional author. I am a Christian, but I don’t want to write for the Christian market. I want to write for the general market, but don’t want to displease God. Is this wrong?’

My initial answer to this question would be no, there is nothing wrong with a Christian author writing for the general market. Many have done this, using what is known as an allegory style of storytelling, such as CS Lewis, with his infamous Chronicles of Narnia series.

But, when probing this potential author further, I realised what their main issue was.

Most Christian authors, who want to write for the general market, struggle about where they ought to draw the line, especially when writing fiction. They want to keep it realistic, but without compromising their faith. For example, if

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there is a romance scene, how far do they go with the romance, without it being erotic?

Or how can they portray a character being angry, without cursing?

Well, the Bible states that we must live to please the Lord: ‘Then the way you live will always honour and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better’ (Colossians 1:10 NLT).

All that He has given us must be done to please and glorify Him.

I represent authors who write in a genre called ‘edgy Christian fiction’ Although, as a Christian agent, I have at times represented books that aren’t necessarily Christian-based, I do not want to compromise the Word of God. If you’re a fiction writer, and you are writing a passionate scene, would it please God if the two characters went beyond a kiss and they weren’t married? Would

inserting a swear word please God? The Bible states: ‘Don’t use foul or abusive language.

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them’ (Ephesians 4:29 NLT).

Yes, you have to be realistic, but do all things in moderation. I represent authors who write in a genre called ‘edgy Christian fiction’.

Normally, in most Christian-based fiction books, the characters are ‘perfect’, can do no wrong, and don’t portray issues that reflect real life. However, there are authors, including the ones that I have represented, who have stood up against that.

Their books contain characters with flaws, going through the dramas of everyday life. Not once have these authors diminished their faith values and ethics to write a story, yet these books are written for the general market, and are being enjoyed by many readers today.

Remember, whatever talent you have been given, use it for God’s glory. You are Christ’s representative. Whether you choose to write for the general audience or not, you can write a good entertaining book - without forgetting your foundation in Christ.

Happy writing.

With love.

LIFESTYLE 39

BOOK

REVIEWS

101 Lessons I Taught My Son

BY PAUL LAWRENCE

101 Lessons I Taught My Son, the new book by Paul Lawrence, is a not-too-cleverly-disguised personal development manual. More than just the lessons taught by one man to his son, 101 Lessons offers life lessons to all readers, irrespective of sex or age. Written from the male point of view, it offers tips and hints on how parents can equip their children and how adults can equip themselves.

Perhaps the fact that it is from the view point of a Black male to his child makes this book special.

Never before has the need for male input directly into the lives of young people been so critical.

Modern-day Black Britain is clearly suffering from the absence of Black fathers in the child-rearing process, and though not a parenting manual, this book offers clear and simple guidance as to the things any young person will need to successfully navigate the world they live in.

As one would expect, 101 Lessons I Taught My Son explores several key themes like race, religion, work, love and, of course, women. 101 Lessons is a series of short ‘verse’-like quotations, which cut right to the heart of the topic being examined. Of course, the book is peppered with

subtle and some not-so-subtle Jamaican references, which reflects the writer’s upbringing.

Paul Lawrence is a coach, motivational speaker, trainer and, as you already know, a father. His entertaining and witty presentations cover a diversity of topics, including leadership, race, personal development and parenthood. Paul’s long experience as a trainer, member and trustee for two of London’s finest mentoring organisations, The 100 Black Men of London and Urban Synergy, explains why his views on coaching, mentoring and parenthood are considered by many as among the most important and influential. Additionally, Paul makes regular appearances as a pundit on BBC Radio London, and has appeared on BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

Paul also finds time to take part in live debates for the Diaspora Debating Society. His son, Kaream, is currently a second-year university student pursuing a degree in International Business.

The book is available in all formats worldwide via Amazon, but UK readers should order directly from the publisher’s website, which can be found at www.101lessons.co.uk

Full Circle - Turning Your Gift Around BY ANGIE LE MAR Angie Le Mar was the first female stand-up on the Black British comedy circuit. Thirty years later, she is recognised as a multi awardwinning comedian, TV and radio presenter/ star, businesswoman, entrepreneur, speaker, director, producer and writer. Recently, her writing skills have been put to the ultimate test: over the past three years, she has written about her 30-plus years in show business.

Her aim is to inspire young people to have the confidence to achieve their dreams; to encourage Black women to smash their goals, and to inspire everyone who has a talent but needs more encouragement to ‘turn their gift around’.

Alongside her incredible

life journey and lessons learned, Angie shares insights and advice for anyone hoping to succeed in show business. She writes of the realities of being a Black performer today; how things have changed (or not, in some cases) over the decades; her Christian faith, and her celebrity friends.

Angie wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until after she had left school, and the memories of her schooldays are far from positive. She continues to struggle with dyslexia on a daily basis – for example, when writing comedy scripts or television shows, and particularly when writing her life story. She has lived through depression, experienced water on the brain during pregnancy, and bereaved at the death of two of her close friends: Felix Dexter and Colette Johnson.

Angie may have battled through tough times, but she is, naturally, best known for making people laugh. She is an inspirational, strong, hard-working and creative lady, who is trailblazing the way for young women, particularly young Black women, to recognise their talents and use them in a way that benefits them and the

wider community.

As one of Britain’s top comedians, Angie has successfully harnessed the power of laughter to create inspiring and thought-provoking productions. From stage to radio, and from TV to the written page, Angie is a proven hit with a multicultural audience – male, female, young and old alike. She is equally at home with quick-fire comedy, acutely observed character sketches and solid acting performances.

As a sought-after keynote speaker, Angie has graced the stage locally, nationally and internationally, with schools, colleges and universities, business platforms, churches. As an entrepreneur, Angie’s aim is to inspire others to achieve against the odds and, for two and a half years, she ran the Angie Le Mar School of Expression fuelled by the desire to show young people, not just show business, but the business behind it.

Her story will become an invaluable resource for drama education, a perfect gift for anyone aspiring to a life in show business, and for every one of us who needs an encouraging, friendly push in the right direction to make the most of life. The book is available in paperback and eBook from Amazon and in all good bookshops. www.keepthefaith.co.uk

40 LIFESTYLE

BY GRACE GLADYS FAMORIYO www.gladysf.com

STOP STRIVING! Learning how to tap into God’s heavenly resources

I

f you are anything like me, you have a long list of things you need and want. You might separate them in your mind under two headings: things that God has to do, and things that you have to do. For example, if I need a breakthrough, it will go under the ‘God’ column, but if I need an Exec PA and a Marketing Guru (no joke…I really do need both!), I can make this happen in a variety of ways, such as creating job specs, placing job postings, asking around, speaking to those who offer such services, etc.

Seeing this was a real need for me, I did all of the above. However, after striving for a whole week, feeling anxious (yeah…I admit it), stressed, and experiencing the absence of God’s promised peace, I presented the situation to God. By the way, it wasn’t that I hadn’t told Him about the matter. Rather, I’d told Him what I was going to do, with no input or direction from Him as to how I should go about it. As far as I was concerned, I knew what I had to do, and I was determined to make it happen somehow…or so I thought.

Getting what you want - God’s way During that same week of ‘Exec PA and a Marketing Guru’ hunting, as I prayerfully pondered on what to write about for my Keep The Faith column, God gave me Isaiah 55. This is where He began to teach me about ‘getting without striving’.

“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat.

Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God].”

Isaiah 55:1, AMP

As I pondered on this Scripture, it became a stark reminder that God’s way of meeting our needs and desires is different from the world’s approach, though sadly, the latter has drifted Find us on Facebook: KEEP THE FAITH Magazine

into the Church (Isaiah 55:8-9). The world says ‘Work your guts out and you get what you want’, but God says, “Come to Me, and I will give you what you need” - at no cost.

Similar to how the gift of grace and mercy has been made available to us, Father has graciously made provisions to include all our needs and desires. In my world, that includes an Exec PA and a Marketing Guru! So why are we not tapping into this?

No such thing as a freebie?!?

You might be forgiven to think that no one gets something for nothing, seeing the ‘world’ has groomed us that way. After all, who buys anything without paying for it with money, in its various forms (eg. credit, BACs, PayPal, cheques, loans, etc.), these days? Even if it is a ‘buy now, pay later’ offer, you will still have to pay! There is always a catch!

Yet, reading the Scripture in Isaiah 55 (along with other Scriptures), God makes heavenly resources available to us at no cost, though somehow we think it’s too good to be true. So we disregard His invitation to come, continue to strive, looking away from Him to other ‘sources’.

Consequences of disregarding God’s personal invite When we disregard the personal invite we have from God our Father, sooner or later we will begin to feel the impact of turning our attentions elsewhere (Isaiah 30:15-17). Furthermore, when we look to ourselves to fulfil what only God can do (which is pretty much everything), we tire ourselves out, carrying loads on our shoulders and tasks on our hands He never intended for us. (Ask me how I know about this…)

The drudgery of life often culminates in not getting the desired results or even the equivalent return for the effort we’ve put in. Just ask the disciples, who had been labouring all night to catch fish (Luke 5:1-11 and John 21:1-14).

So, Isaiah 55 is setting a (different) precedent

here, which results in stress-free provision, nourishment, satisfaction and strengthening by His spiritual provision - more than money could buy or our efforts alone could achieve (Psalm 127:2).

Accepting God’s heavenly resources In order to experience God’s provision and rest from striving, you need to do the following: 1. Accept that God has already made provision for you. He has a plan for you to enjoy the abundant life.

2. Recognise your entitlement to this. Accept his as a privilege of being a child of God. 3. Always bring your needs, concerns and desires - big or small - to God. After all, He is your Provider. In all situations, ask Him and never rely on your own strength or wisdom.

4. Look out for and accept the many expressions of this free gift in your day-to-day life, for God has multidimensional ways of providing.

5. Thank Him for meeting your needs and desires - even if it’s not in the way you were expecting it (Isaiah 55:8-9).

In closing, always remember to come to God as often as is needed. There are no limits as to how often you are allowed to tap into His resources. Thankfully, neither is there a price to pay, as Christ has already paid the price, not with money but with His priceless blood. So, eat and drink to your satisfaction.

Scripture to meditate on: Matthew 6:25-34 (MSG), 1 Peter 5:7.

Written by Grace Gladys Famoriyo (Author and Speaker). Adapted from the book, Bounce Back!

How To Survive, Thrive and Maximise Challenging Life Experiences by Grace Gladys Famoriyo. Other titles include: Quit Hiding, Start Living!; Healing A Discouraged Heart; and Overcoming Emotional Baggage. www.gladysf.com

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42 LIFESTYLE

JOY ROXBOROUGH

n i g n i r p S for S is a creative industries professional, writer and entrepreneur. Email joyroxborough@yahoo.com

I

t seems as though we are always in a season of talking about dieting, exercise and getting into shape. Even as some people are concluding their post-Christmas regime, aimed at shedding those holiday pounds, magazines are bursting at the seams with articles about slimming down and getting fit in anticipation of the upcoming summer.

There is a lot of good advice out there about losing weight, but let’s get one thing straight, and this is just my humble opinion: diets do not work! In the short term, maybe, yes, but in the long term, no. Why else would people need to go on the same diets year in, year out, and be forever seeking out new ones when the results of the previous one fails to hold out?

Diets don’t work, because people tend to focus just on food.

Often, however, several other factors may be affecting their weight loss goals. According to sleep specialist and clinical psychologist, Dr Michael Breus: “Most weight loss diets won’t work well if you’re sleep-deprived.”1 This is not surprising, since there is much published research to indicate that adequate sleep helps the body’s metabolism to function properly.

Inadequate or lack of exercise can also impact the results of diet regimes. Research has shown that a person who leads a predominantly sedentary lifestyle burns fat less efficiently than someone who is more active. It is believed that the body’s fat-burning capabilities continue to function after a typical round of cardio exercise. Therefore, an athlete will burn the calories from eating a packet of crisps more readily than would a ‘couch potato’.

When we eat is as important as what we eat. One of the biggest issues with today’s work schedules and long commutes is that many people are having their main meal too late in the evening. Oftentimes, too, this can tend to be one of the heaviest meals of the day. As a rule of thumb, it is best to allow a full three hours between your final meal and bedtime. If possible, try not to make this the heaviest meal of the day, so that your body will have ample energy reserves available to repair itself during the night as you rest.

So many factors can affect how a diet works. Therefore, rather than focusing on a particular diet, I like the idea of adopting lifestyle changes. The difference is that with lifestyle change you incorporate good habits seamlessly into your routine, in much the same way as you do bathing or brushing your teeth—they are not activities that you think about anymore, but you wouldn’t dream of neglecting to carry them out. Diets, on the other hand, are often routines that go against our natural inclinations, and many are so rigorous that we struggle to keep them; are under a sentence the whole time, and can’t wait until the whole ordeal is over so we can return to normality.

If we get into the habit of a regular time for bed, for instance,

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LIFESTYLE 43

e p a h s o nt r e m m u S

we will soon feel the physical benefits of true refreshment when we awake in the mornings, and it becomes almost intuitive to stick to it.

Establishing a routine for exercise is also a great habit to incorporate, rather than treating it as a non-essential activity we do whenever we can find the time - since it is one of those things that is often notoriously difficult to find the time to do.

Aiming for a final mealtime of no later than 6pm is a good rule of thumb, as this will allow for a bedtime of between 9pm and 10pm and up to eight hours’ sleep, depending on individual needs. If commuting makes it difficult to have an early evening meal, try preparing a sandwich to have on the way home, and have a hearty breakfast in the morning.

There are many more habits we could adopt to boost our fitness and general wellbeing. In terms of weight loss, I would like to mention one more: the concept of ‘food combining’, which many feel is a direct way of maintaining a lean body. Food combining advocates not having carbohydrates and proteins in the same meal, since both require different stomach environments to be digested effectively.

The premise is to make vegetables the main part of your meal, and then either add protein to make it a protein meal, or carbohydrates to make it a carbohydrate meal. Anyone who has, for instance, eaten a slice of fish or meat with a plateful of vegetables as a meal should be able to attest to how filling it actually is, and to its ability to sustain for many hours. _______________________ 1

Success Magazine (2010) p. 56

www.keepthefaith.co.uk

44 LIFESTYLE

How does your garden grow?

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

I

have recently been given God’s most precious gift to me: our first child, a beautiful daughter, Olivia. Over the years, God has stretched my heart to experience deep love, joy and intimacy with my wife. Then, with the birth of Olivia, suddenly the centre of my universe became ‘+1’. Totally, completely, unreservedly, without question.

As a new father, I find it incredibly humbling to think that God sent His only beloved Son to die on the cross like a common criminal, and to rise again to life, so that we could be part of His family.

As we reflect on the Light of the world this Easter, I would like to tell you how to make full use of the light in your garden. Even the smallest outdoor space can have a feel of airy, peaceful solitude.

Glass Adding a large mirror to a small room can create the illusion of space by reflecting the light available. The same principle applies to gardens.

You will be pleasantly surprised how incorporating a small round ball, a wall hanging or a bespoke piece of glass artwork hung from a tree can ‘lift’ a garden.

In addition, prisms are a great choice for adding a touch of magic to your garden. By splitting up the light spectrum, they can project rainbows and sparkle with sudden glimmers of light.

As the sun moves across the sky, the prism will randomly illuminate areas of your garden, really bringing it to life.

You might also want to try stained glass to enjoy colour in your garden all year round, or sun catchers, which, whether made of glass or crystal, can look very elegant.

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JASON LOH

worked as a property solicitor before training in landscape and garden design www.jasonloh.co.uk

PLANT CHOICES

Garden lighting Tasteful and subtle garden lighting can create a beautiful effect in areas where there is no interference from street lights. Low wattage white light, hidden in the mid-level branches of trees, creates the effect of moonlight. This is very effective where branches overhang paths.

Solar lights - whether strung along fences, over foliage or dotted around with stakes - can create a magical ambience during late evening.

The choice of plants in your garden may reveal your own particular tastes. Granted, the main priority should be to select a plant suited to its location. However, your decision might also be determined by colour preference, ease of growing or alluring scents.

Certain plants have the ability to capture light and create a stunning and surprising visual display when the light hits them.

Plants with umbel flower heads, eg.

Filipendula Rubra ‘Venusta’ (often likened to candy floss) and Allium Giganteum ‘Ornamental Onion’ (which have cerise star shaped flower heads) are incredibly striking.

Focal points Whether you have a south- or north-facing garden, it is a good idea to focus attention on areas that capture light naturally. For example, if you have a sunny spot at the end of the garden, ‘frame’ it with clever use of planting or with a garden structure - perhaps a trained Clematis climber, a string of solar lights or even a rustic wooden arch.

Pruning An overgrown garden will cast shadows and hide areas of light, so good garden maintenance is essential to ensure that light is maximised.

Always keep a pair of secateurs handy, as a good dose of sunshine and a summer shower can give weeds and bushes an instant growth spurt! In particular, lifting the lower branches of certain trees to create visual space through specific transition areas is one of my favourite tried-and-tested methods.

I hope this has been helpful and has inspired you to, quite literally, look at your garden in a different light. If you would like help in planning your new outdoor space, please do get in touch with me (www.jasonloh.co.uk).

WATER

There is something intensely spiritual about the sound and look of water in a garden; it can provide an instant feeling of calm on an otherwise stressful day. The reflective qualities of the water’s surface can also do wonders for capturing light. There are many different water displays you can incorporate into your outside space, depending on your own taste and style.

If you have a large minimalist garden, a steel-edged waterfall in contemporary styling can cast an interesting ripple-effect when sunlight passes through and bounces back onto the wall behind. If you have a more modest garden, a small pond or fountain can open up the space. Even a simple birdbath can bring in extra light and give our winged friends somewhere to cool down.

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46

Looking back to move forward...

Keep The Faith® magazine has just celebrated its 100th printed issue.

For over 10 years Keep The Faith - Britain’s leading Black and minority ethnic community-focused publication that promotes and supports unity, faith and family values - has been providing this community with a voice, highlighting the need for unity, providing inspirational and aspirational news from within the BME church community, and creating a better understanding in an everchanging environment.

We are the ONLY publication of its kind in the UK, and continue to be independently published - without the assistance of government grants, business loans or subsidies.

We have made it to 100!

Our high quality publication has been produced and distributed FREE OF CHARGE nationwide.

It has been made available to MILLIONS of readers over the 10 years, in print and electronically.

It has been distributed nationwide to churches, para-church organisations, Christian businesses, bookshops, leading supermarkets, local authorities, charities, NGOs, prisons, government authorities, Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, and even to two Prime Ministers!

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KTF is reaching out from the pages to the community We have many new powerful features for 2017.

‘Level Up’ is our brand new youth-focused section that aims to connect with young people. Watch out for ‘Level Up’ in the next issue.

We are organising improvements with our online channels to create more engagement, that will enable us to communicate more effectively en masse, and we will be organising Keep The Faith network events and seminars.

Our goals for 2017 are to have 5,000 subscribers, which will enable us to expand our print run, so that more people can benefit from having access to Britain’s leading Black and minority ethnic community-focused publication.

Within three years, we plan to be printing 100,000 copies per issue in the UK. We are also looking at offers to publish Keep The Faith in the USA, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana!

Help us to help you Broadening our national network means we will be able to bridge the gap between the faith and secular communities, by profiling projects and enterprises that will be for all our benefit.

Promoting and supporting unity will help build on some of the amazing work and progress that is being made within our community in the UK and beyond… but on a much larger scale.

Can you help us to continue to inspire, educate, entertain and promote the positivity that is within

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Thankfully, for 10 years our income has been entirely derived from advertising revenue - from our very valued customers, who have benefitted greatly from advertising in Keep The Faith. Our clients advise that they receive thousands of pounds a year in support and sponsorship from Keep The Faith readers.

Many of our loyal clients continue to do so, year in and year out, but our clients’ budgets are being continually cut. We recognise this and, in order to continue to support our many clients, as they have us, we have not increased our advertising rates for over three years, despite the ever rising costs of our printing and distribution.

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with a little help from our friends Being featured in Keep The Faith magazine has helped many individuals, organisations and businesses to launch and promote their goods, products and services; raise their profiles; grow and thrive.

It’s not about us . . it’s about you!

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