Just a heads-up fam– Kirk Franklin will be on BET’s 106 & Park today at 6pm ET, talking about his new book– The Blueprint.

Check your local listings and make sure you tune in!

On Sunday, BET aired a great interview between Cory “CoCo Brother” Condrey and Tye Tribbett on its long-standing television show Lift Every Voice.  I was traveling, so I didn’t get to see it until last night via my trusty DVR.  Gotta tell ya– I loved it.

In the interview, Tye Tribbett spoke publicly about his recent marital infidelity and the rifts that it caused.  He shared that he had struggled with whether to leave the music ministry altogether, and had even contemplated suicide.

What I loved most about the interview, however, was not the confession of some widely-speculated sin– I loved hearing about his restoration in God.  Moreoever, I loved hearing about the restoration of his marriage!

That’s the testimony and that’s what will cause other people to overcome– seeing that the grace of God abounds and that He is faithful to restore us.

I’m grateful for Tye’s new posture, too.  He says that, while on sabbatical, “God showed me ME.”  He’s been brought low and hopes to “stay teachable, vulnerable and humble.”  He even says that his approach has changed– he’s got more compassion, acknowleding his once “militant presentation.”

An aside: I’ve not spoken about this situation on this blog, ever.  I’m a little disheartened that I didn’t get as many phone calls and text messages, nor see nearly as many tweets and facebook posts about the up-side of this story as I did the more scandalous side of it.  Many have inquired about my lack of coverage of this topic on my blog, so I suppose I’ll briefly clarify– in my view, sin is not particularly newsworthy– redemption is.

I praise God for His redeeming work.  Let’s continue to pray for Tye and his family as God continues to work on ‘em, and let’s keep praying for the ministry that God has given them.

Cool?

Heads-up, good people… Kirk Franklin will be guest hosting gmc’s Joyful Noise Café tomorrow, May 18th at 12 noon ET.  He’ll be promoting his new book, The Blueprint, which hits stores tomorrow as well!

Tunin’ in???

Make sure you tune-in to Joyful Noise Cafe on gmc this Thursday, May 6th at 12noon ET to catch the incomparable Kim Burrell.

That is all.

Hey folks– just a heads-up… the 41st Annual Dove Awards, which were taped live on Wednesday, will air on gmc this Sunday, April 25th, at 8pm ET/7pm CST.

The awards show will feature incredible performances from BeBe & CeCe Winans, Natalie Grant, Jordin Sparks, Donald Lawrence, Jason Crabb and a special Haiti relief song with Michael W. Smith.

Clearly, that conflicts with the broadcast of BET’s Sunday Best, and I wouldn’t dream of telling you which program is more worth your time…

But when you see me tweetin’ about Francesca Battistelli instead of Bootsey Jenkins, you’ll know what I’m doing.

I’m dubbing yesterday “Gospel Day at ABC.” 

Marvin Sapp performed “Fresh Wind” on Good Morning America and Fred Hammond performed “They That Wait” on The View (the show also featured Vice President Joe Biden– can you say EXPOSURE?!).

I’m thrilled for the mainstream opportunities and I’m sooo proud of both of ‘em.

For your viewing pleasure, I’ve embedded the videos–

Marvin Sapp:

Fred Hammond (click on the last dot on the timeline):

Now, tell me what you think!

I like this news…

Make sure you tune in to ABC tomorrow morning to catch Marvin Sapp perform his hit single, “The Best In Me,” on Good Morning America in the 8:30am-9:00am ET segment.

Then, catch Fred Hammond on The View at 11am ET, where he’ll be performing his single “They That Wait.”

Shout-out, also, to Sherri Shepherd (co-host of The View)… Fred’s coming to perform as part of her birthday celebration (last year, she brought The Clark Sisters)… that’s cool!

*clappin’*  Yay!  I love broadened horizons and mainstream access.  Congrats, guys!

Who’s tuning in???

Make sure you guys tune-in to Bobby Jones Gospel on BET this Sunday at 9am ET.

The Pace Sisters will be singing the “If I Be Lifted Up,” lead single from their latest album, Access Granted.  They’ll also perform “He’s Here.”

As if I haven’t raved enough over this album, I STRONGLY encourage you all to check out their performance and buy the project.  It’s dope.

Just a quick blurb–

Make sure you guys tune in to Joyful Noise Café on gmc TOMORROW, at 11am ET… Mali Music will be featured!

If you’ve got a minute, in the midst of all the Easter morning hustle and bustle, try to tune-in to CBS Sunday Morning at 9am ET/PT.

The program will feature CeCe Winans discussing her upcoming release (I blogged about it last week), Songs Of Emotional Healing, as well as music from, and an interview with, Israel Houghton.

Lemme know if you’re tuning-in!