Dunno how many of you saw Kim Burrell on TBN last week, but she made QUITE an appearance and impact.  Not only was it her first national TV appearance showing off her staggering weight loss (she looks GREAT), she sang and ministered like only she can.

She also mentioned, in her interview with Wintley Phipps, that she suffered two or three heart attacks and didn’t know it until she went to the doctor.  She testified about God’s faithfulness through that and even gave a teaser about a new album to come in 2010.

I’m posting two videos– first is her interview, followed by a performance of “Yes To Your Will,” from her latest album, No Ways Tired.

I just loooooooove her ministry. What do you guys think?

I interviewed Karen Clark-Sheard on Friday.  I’m telling you guys, but I’m partly reminding myself, because it was just a little incredible.

She had just shared advance music from her upcoming album (click here for that recap), so life was already feeling a little surreal.  But to realize that we now sat across from each other in a conference room, me with a BUNCH of questions and her with a willing heart to answer ‘em… FOR REAL?

I’ll admit that I kinda broke protocol and became the UBER-FAN for a minute before launching into the interview, telling her how I used to watch her when I was a kid and blah blah blah… whatever!  I have no regrets EXCEPT for the fact that I totally forgot to grab a photo with her.

So, what did we chat about?  LOTS.

The Clark Sisters were in Nashville on Thursday night for the taping of a TBN Christmas special.  It was actually historic for them because it was the first time that The Clark Sisters have ever had their own TBN program (she shared that they’ve always been invited by other hosts, but never had their own special).  The 30-minute musical program will PROBABLY air sometime next week– I’ll let you know details when I get ‘em.

We chatted briefly about her new album and its direction.  Karen went the studio route for her upcoming album, All In One, instead of doing a live album because, as she explained, “it was just time” to do it this way.  She’s been writing more and the studio afforded her the opportunity to really take her time and put her heart into her writing, a gift that she’s not always felt comfortable with.

Compared to Twinkie Clark, and more recently to Dorinda Clark-Cole, Karen shared that she often ”felt inadequate” as a songwriter.  She was encouraged, though, when God allowed her to win a GRAMMY for Gospel Song Of The Year in 2008 for her hit “Blessed And Highly Favored.”  “It was God’s way of saying ‘don’t question the gift’ that was placed inside of me,” she recounted.

In addition to her GRAMMY win, Karen has recently started her own label, Karew Records.  She’s incredibly proud of it because it’s truly a family affair– even her kids, J Drew II and Kierra, have positions in the company.  The first project on the label was the Clark Family Christmas album, which will be followed by her own project.  After that?  Expect to see a new album from The Clark Sisters.

Take note– despite all of the hard work and success, Karen really doesn’t see herself as a celebrity.  As hard as I tried to explain that she’s considered one of the greatest female vocalists alive, she kinda doesn’t get it.  LOL

Instead, she tries to remain as accessible as possible, especially because of her role as a pastor’s wife.  “The people of our church need to be able to reach me and have access to me,” she shares.  That attitude hasn’t been without its problems, though, as she has also had to change her mobile number in the past.  “People would call and just be breathing on the other end, or they’d call and play one of my songs and hang up,” she shared.

I asked Karen why she doesn’t have a Twitter account yet and she said she wasn’t sure about using technology much because she’s seen how negative it can be.  “I saw how some people had hurtful things to say about Kierra for doing the track ["God In Me"] with Mary Mary.”  Apparently, Karen even reached out to encourage Mary Mary after fans came down on them for not featuring Kierra on the BET Awards.  “We weren’t even thinking about that stuff.  Kierra was just so happy to have been included in the song, she didn’t care about all of that.  She’s just happy for them.”  Karen shared that it’s sad to see how nasty things can get on the internet.

Still, I tried to convince her that the web has some merits and, no promises, but we may see a Karen Clark-Sheard Twitter account soon… y’all can thank me later.

Before we wrapped up her chat, we talked a bit about the new track that she recorded with Aretha Franklin.  It was actually completed a while ago, but the opportunity was unreal to Karen because Aretha is her favorite singer.  I got the impression that the song, which will be on Aretha’s upcoming project, turned out very well.

Aaaaand that’s about it.  To say that I enjoyed interviewing Karen Clark-Sheard would be an understatement.  At its core, though, it was just a really great conversation.

Hopefully, you guys got some cool info out of it, too.  Whatd’ya think?

If you missed the hit show Praise The Lord on TBN last night, I’m begging you to watch it online today.

This is not to be sensational, nor am I merely writing something so that I can have blog content.  My wife and I just watched the episode on DVR, overcome with emotion and tears THROUGHOUT the one-on-one chat between Pastor Donnie McClurkin and Steve Harvey.  My heart rejoices over Steve Harvey’s life– ALL of it– and I am left speechless by what we witnessed on our television set.  I have never seen anything like it.

I had intended to recap and summarize what Steve said, but I fear that doing so will minimize the value and impact of his words.

I just need you to watch it.  PLEASE watch it.

Click here to view in low video quality, click here for medium video quality, and click here for high quality.

Or, you can visit the TBN archives page at http://tbn.org/watch-us/archives.

Heads up, folks!  Vanessa Bell Armstrong will be performing her hit single, “Good News,” on TBN’s popular program, Praise The Lord TONIGHT at 10pm ET.

I’ma have to set my DVR for it because I’m going to Memphis for the How Sweet The Sound concert.  Whoo hoo!

I’m posting my full review of Vanessa’s album later this afternoon, so keep it locked right here.  Cool?

For real?  It was close, but I didn’t really think it was gonna be…

Which TV network shows your favorite gospel programming?

BET – 50 votes (30%)

Gospel Music Channel – 48 votes (29%)

The Word Network – 45 votes (27%)

TBN – 17 votes (10%)

Other – 6 votes (4%)

I’m assuming that the votes for BET were cast on the strength of Bobby Jones Gospel and Sunday Best because you all have been rather vocal about your disinterest in some of their other shows.

I voted for Gospel Music Channel because I like the abundance of original programming that they feature (or used to, at least).  What are your thoughts???

For those of you who voted “Other,” which networks do you have in mind???

Thanks, as always, for voting.  Make sure you head over to the sidebar to vote in the newest poll, which asks…

Which MARY MARY album is your favorite???

A quick heads-up, folks:  Ted Winn will appear on TBN’s Praise The Lord program tonight at 10pm ET, performing songs from his upcoming debut album, Balance (due September 29th on Shanachie).  The episode will be hosted by Dr. Zachary Tims.

Who’s tuning in???

Earlier today, I was SUPER blessed to speak with the incomparable CeCe Winans about her upcoming Always Sisters, Forever Brothers conference!

The two-day annual event will be held on July 24th and 25th at Belmont University’s Curb Center, Nashville, TN.  It’s gonna be HUGE and I wanted to make sure you guys got a chance to hear about it from her first-hand.

So, without further delay, here’s my conversation with CeCe Winans:

*     *     *

EJ:  Hi!  How are you?

CW:  I’m good, how are you?

EJ:  I’m awesome, thank you so much.

CW:  Good.

EJ:  I wanna thank you for taking a minute to chat with me.

CW:  You got it.  Thank you.

EJ:  I can only imagine how busy you are right now, so I really appreciate it.

CW: *laughs* You got it.

EJ:  Well, let’s jump right in and chat about the Always Sisters, Forever Brothers conference.  What is your vision for this gathering?

CW:  My vision is for this to be a life-changing gathering for all who attend.  We want to motivate them to do the right thing.  We want to encourage them to realize that they can accomplish anything they want to accomplish.

We’re losing a lot of our younger generation to a lot of bad things out there– whether it’s to suicide, or to our prison system– we’re losing them in so many ways.  And we have to save ‘em.  We have to stop the cycle.  So, our vision is to stop the cycle, in these two days, and get them redirected and on the right path.

EJ:  Absolutely.

CW:  I will be very excited and very pleased if they leave with a different perspective, understanding who they are and whose they are.  And power… we wanna empower them in these two days.

EJ:  That sounds great.  And this year is unique in a sense because you’ve expanded the conference to include young men, not just young ladies.

CW:  Yes, exactly.

EJ:  What was the impetus for that?

CW:  Well, it’s something we’d been contemplating doing for the last three years, since we started actually.  It’s something that the parents requested for us to do.

And hearing everything that’s going on with our young men, we were focused on the young women, but there’s no need in having the girls together if we don’t have our brothers together! *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing* Right!

CW:  There’s an attack on our young men.  They’re doubting who they are and whose they are, they’re losing their identity.  And it’s real important for all of us, for families, the human race… to regain our young men and for them to take their place, understand their value and how powerful they are.

We decided “why wait?”  Let’s do it this year, turn it into a youth conference, and build ‘em both up at the same time.

EJ:  Awesome.  I have to tell you, I was so glad to hear that you’re having a luncheon for teen mothers.

CW:  Yes!

EJ:  I think they represent a very real segment of our youth, even in the church, though people don’t want to acknowledge it.

CW:  Exactly.

EJ:  But they’re often cast aside because of how they ended up where they are.  Why was the intentional inclusion of these ladies important for you?

CW:  Well, first of all, we all know that just because you have a baby doesn’t make you a mother and it doesn’t make you a father.

EJ:  Wow.

CW:  You just have a baby.  So, they have to be taught what being a mother or father is.  But, like you just mentioned, they feel like because they’ve made that mistake, their whole LIFE has to be a mistake now.

They have to be reassured– you made a mistake, it’s okay.  Pick up your life right where it is.  God still has a plan for you, what He has in mind for you has not changed because of your mistake.  And walk in authority.  Knowing that you’ve made a mistake and God has forgiven you, now what?  Now, make the right choices, keep going and watch God turn your mistake into miracles.

EJ:  Sure.

CW:  And, they have to understand, you’ve got another life here.  Now, you’re responsible.  Let’s teach you how to be a mother.  A lot of them get frustrated because they’re still very young and they haven’t matured in the ways that they should before they have a baby.  But… you’ve got it now. *chuckles*

EJ:  Right!

CW:  And it’s okay.  There’s still laughter, there’s still life, there’s still love and fullness of life waiting on you.  We don’t want the enemy to make them feel like life is over and they have to be second-best in everything.  That’s not God’s plan– you’re still royalty.  You have to pick yourself up and keep going.  So, it’s to encourage and inform them.

EJ:  And that’s so needed.  Now, you’ve got some speakers you’ve got slated include Pastor Jentezen Franklin, Mom Winans, Pastor R.A. Vernon, Coach Tony Dungy… This is a diverse group of people that may not usually be expected to be seen together at once.

CW:  Right!

EJ:  Which bases are you trying to cover with this group?

CW:  Well, I love having my mom in the mix.  Not just her, but I love having older people in the mix.  That’s one of the problems with our youth today– we don’t respect the older people, we don’t understand that they’re walking around with the treasures that we need.

EJ:  Absolutely.

CW:  Growing up, my grandmother was like my best friend.  *laughing*  People thought I was crazy, but she was my best friend.  She was funny and I learned so much wisdom from her.  We don’t have to make the same mistakes that they made.  That’s why they went through them.  We need to be at their feet, learning from them.

And a lot of these kids, too, don’t know where their mothers are or they’ve never had a father in the house.  So, they miss that ingredient.  And even though God is their Father, He still sets order in place in the natural.  He’ll bring other people in to fill those shoes.

We were talking about teenage mothers– a lot of them don’t have their mothers, so how can they learn how to be a mother unless we speak to them?  It’s the practical things that we have to set forth so they can walk this thing out.

EJ:  You’re right.

CW:  Then, you have Tony Dungy… wow.  Look what he brings to the table.

EJ:  Sure, especially for the young men.

CW:  ESPECIALLY for the young men.  So, for him to say he would come was just another sign that God is with us.  In a game that everyone loves– especially men– he was very successful in it.  He left that successful career to pour into the lives of young men, going to the prisons and pouring in.  We wanna get the young men straight before they go into prison.  And I believe he’ll be a great blessing.

Jentezen Franklin is… what can I say?  He’s just awesome.  He tells it like it is, he’s funny and he just relates to the youth.  He can relate to the black and the white.  And this is a Kingdom thing.  I strive hard to have a mixture because we’ll have kids from all walks of life.

EJ:  That’s so important.

CW:  People that might listen to me might not hear somebody else.  People might hear Kim Daniels, who came from a life that STILL keeps my mouth wide open, you know?  She can speak to things that I can never speak about because she just comes from a life of different depths of sin… it’s just amazing to see what God has done for her life and done through her.

It’s really important to me that, at each conference, we have people from all walks of life.

EJ:  I agree.  And it’s insightful that you’ve done that even as it relates to the music.  You’ve got a whole concert planned featuring Mary Mary, 21:03, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., Anthony Evans, and a performance that I think kids of ALL ages are excited about– you and your brother, BeBe.

CW:  *laughing* Okay, yes!  We’re the older generation now! *laughs*

EJ:  But it’s funny because GospelPundit.com has some youth commenting on the blog and they’re excited about this reunion, too, because of what they’ve heard about it.

CW:  *laughs* Well, alright!

EJ:  But it appears that you’ve been very meticulous and prayerful about WHO participates in the conference.  Some people plan an event and they want the hottest ticket or the most popular speaker… what was YOUR criteria?

CW:  My criteria for this conference is SO not based on the hottest speaker.  It might end up that we have the hottest speaker, or the hottest artists at the time, but it is SO not built on that.

I’m trying to build something that is holy, that is life-changing, that is full of substance.  Will you be entertained?  Yeah.  You’ll be entertained because we’ll have people who do things in excellence.  But it’s not to be entertained.  Entertainment is not the thing that will keep you.

EJ:  Amen.

CW:  You know, I was saved as a child and I’ve seen a lot of things, gone a lot of places, made a lot of mistakes.  And the only thing that brought me back was God’s Word.  The only thing that kept me was God’s Word, prayer, fasting.

So, that’s what I’m trying to build… something that makes a difference.

EJ:  Something that LASTS.

CW:  That lasts.  Yeah.  So that when these kids leave out, a nice song… ok, great.  That’s not gonna help them when they have to make a decision about whether to take drugs or not, or help them to come out of a homosexual lifestyle, or help them fight the enemy if they’re getting suicidal thoughts.

I’m trying to save lives– literally, save lives.  And in order to do that, it’s gotta be pure, it has to be holy, it has to be saturated and sanctioned by God.  We’ve only got two days!

EJ:  *laughing* Right.

CW:  None of us, in our own power, can do anything in two days that’s gonna make a difference.  So, we have to have a supernatural move so that when they hit trouble, because they will hit trouble, they’ll be able to draw something from what they’ve learned at the conference to literally save their lives.

EJ:  And that’s a great focus.  It should be everyone’s focus, but some people get caught up in the importance of saying they’re HAVING a conference or HAVING an event.

CW:  Yeah!  I could care less.  At our last conference, they wanted a midnight type of thing, with music.  We had a talent show and everything and I was tired as all get out. *laughs*  ‘Cause I’m not trying to be a teenager.  I know better than that!

EJ:  Right.

CW:  I was so tired.  But we had it and the next morning, they were late getting in and they were tired.  I said “awww, naawwww…”

EJ:  *laughing*

CW:  “I need for y’all to know this will not happen next year.”  ‘Cause I could care less about having anything at midnight.  Everybody needs to be asleep as far as I’m concerned at midnight. *laughing*

So I cut that out– SO quick– out of the program.  Because I want y’all to be here ready in the morning to get the Word of God so your lives can be changed.  Everything else, y’all can do that on your own time.

EJ:  *laughs*

CW:  You know what I’m sayin’?!  So, it’s like, y’all wanna do something fun?  This is not based on fun.  I WANT them to enjoy it, but I could really care less if they have fun! *laughing*

EJ:  I love it! *laughs*

A couple of months back, you hosted TBN’s Praise The Lord and your husband, Alvin Love, shared his heart for young men.  I was personally inspired.

CW:  Oh, praise God.

EJ:  But he said that he really had a passion, and he’s stepping into his calling as a mentor and a point of guidance for young men.  Is he participating in the conference this year, too?

CW:  He will be there.  He won’t be speaking this time, but he’ll be there.  We’re having a luncheon for the young men called “Just For Men.”  It’s gonna have fathers and sons there, and my pastor will be speaking.

But next year, it’ll be him, both of my kids will be totally involved… because it’s more of a family thing now.  That’s what the enemy is fighting– he’s fighting families more than ever.

EJ:  Absolutely.

CW:  Alvin spoke at our church for the first time and it was just so powerful.  He taught on Nehemiah– rebuilding the wall.  Oh my God, it was just so incredible!  He was talking to the men, going from the wall itself– about your responsibilities as men, being providers.  But also, just rebuilding yourselves and how God wants to rebuild the IMAGE of the man.

It was really an amazing message.  Actually, my pastor asked him for all his notes.  So, he’ll definitely be more involved.  He’ll be more visible than ever before because we’re bringing in the guys and they need to see men.  I’m a mother and I have a son and a daughter, but there’s only so much that I can pour into the men.  We wanna have real powerful men involved, teaching and speaking.  So, Alvin will be even more involved starting next year.

EJ:  Awesome.  There’s a great word in him.  The two of you clearly have a burden for youth.  Did that develop or intensify in any way as your children got older, perhaps as you saw them dealing with different issues?

CW:  Mm-hmmm.  Definitely.  It definitely intensified.  It was there before because, as I said, when I started out, I was really young.  I was probably 16 or 17 when we did our first professional singing stuff and we started getting letters then, you know?

EJ:  Right.

CW:  So, we’d read the letters and they would say “oh, I love your music.”  But then you’d get a letter, like “I was contemplating suicide, but I heard your song on the radio and I decided to give life another try.”  You get a letter like THAT and you’re young, it’s like “oh my God, yeah… this thing is serious.”  Lives are depending on you being a great messenger for God, through music or whatever you do.

So the burden started a long time ago.  But as I got older and, of course, had my own children, and I realized how much life had CHANGED and how much worse things had gotten.

EJ:  Accelerated!

CW:  Oh my goodness.  So then, yes, you really get a burden for ministering to children.  And, like you said, understanding that both of my children have a mom and a dad, and we take them to church, we live a life of holiness in front of them, and we STILL see the challenges to keep them on the straight and narrow… so what are kids going through if they DON’T have all of that?

EJ:  Right.  How much harder…

CW:  And you see the enemy try to come in, maybe through the internet, and try to take your kids out.  Then you really get an attitude.  It’s like “first of all, you will NOT have mine.  And just for that, you’re not gonna have somebody else’s either.”

EJ:  *laughing*

CW:  So, yes.  You’re on it.  It definitely intensified just seeing what I had to fight through to keep my children.  We understand now, more than ever, the need for this.

EJ:  And I think that comes across very clearly.  It’s clear, having watched it since it started a few years ago, this is not just a conference.  A lot of prayer, care, compassion… and love has gone in.  It’s thoughtful preparation for “what do these children need,” “what are they lacking” and “how can we fill it”?

CW:  Yes!

EJ:  Well, I really pray that God gives you the opportunity to continue doing that, to see your vision– different perspectives and an equipped generation– to see that come to pass.

CW:  Yes.  Praise God.  Awesome!

EJ:  I’m excited for you and I thank you.

CW:  Thank you.  Praise God.  Keep praying for us!

EJ:  Absolutely.

CW:  It was great talking to you.

EJ:  Same here and thanks, again.

CW:  You got it!  You be blessed.

EJ:  You too.

*     *     *

Well, how awesome was THAT?!  I enjoyed her fun and relaxed spirit… an awesome woman of God.  FYI– she’ll be on TBN’s Praise The Lord again tonight!  Check your local listings.

And this conference sounds like it’s gonna be incredible!  Don’t forget that GospelPundit.com has partnered with the conference to provide the Always Sisters, Forever Brothers Giveaway!  Click here for details on how to win FREE REGISTRATION to the conference and TICKETS to the star-studded gospel concert!

What do you guys think?  Anyone planning to go?  Talk to me!

I think folks might have slept on the Feels Good album from Take 6.  So, here’s my humble attempt to wake you up…

I don’t think I’m being dramatic when I say that Take 6 is one of the most gifted groups to ever enter the music industry, period.  And this album was in keeping with that reality.

Feels Good was released in 2006 and featured GREAT hits like the jazzy “Just In Time,” the more urban “More Than Ever” and “Feels Good,” and an incredibly powerful a cappella remake of the classic Twila Paris cut “Lamb Of God.”  They also re-made the Andraé Crouch hit “This Is Another Day,” and did it JUSTICE.

I was gonna embed a link to the audio, but I figured I may as well embed a VIDEO of them singing on TBN a while back. Trust me, what they do on this stage sounds PRECISELY like the album, cuz they’re dope like that. Here’s “Come On Everybody”:

And just cuz I NEED you to pay attention, here’s “Lamb Of God” at the same live performance. WOWWW:

Do you have the album?  Do you love it?  Did you pass on it?  If so, why?

Holla at me!

Ok, buddies… back with the conclusion of my two-part interview with the incomparable Kim Burrell.

If you missed the Part One, what are you waiting for?!  Click here to catch up.

If you’re ready, let’s jump right back to it where we left off.  Here’s Part Two of my talk with Kim Burrell…

*     *     *

EJ:  I wanna skip over, real quick, to talk about one of my favorite facets of your artistry– your arrangements.  I spoke with Jerard Woods and he talked about how you gathered them around a piano at your house and taught these incredible parts for the Live In Concert album.  When I interviewed Melonie Daniels, she talked about how incredible you are to work with in that regard.

My wife and I went to your Lincoln Center Christmas event in December…

KB:  Really?

EJ:  Oh, yes!  You presented some of the most jaw-dropping arrangements of Christmas standards I’ve ever heard, like on “Little Drummer Boy” and “This Christmas” with Jason Nelson…

KB:  Awwwww!

EJ:  How fun is arranging music for you, in comparison to the actual singing of songs?

KB:  *laughs*  It would be right at the top of the list!  When I tell ya, I love it!  Especially when I have GREAT singers to work with.  And I mean that, it makes it a lot easier to convey what I’m saying because they get it.  Jerard Woods is not only one of my favorite singers, he’s one of my favorite people.  I love him.  He’s my guy.

Melonie plays a part in my life… *laughs*… I like to call her “sister” because we both like to laugh quite a bit.  We’re both very silly around each other and she’s an incredible, INCREDIBLE vocalist.  And that girl’s mind, when it comes down to singing and even arranging, herself, it is nothing less than genius.

EJ:  Absolutely.

KB:  I love arranging.  Arranging is one of my favorite things to do.  I love to sing, don’t get me wrong, because singing is one of my most creative times.  But to arrange other people’s songs is fun because I get a chance to experience my gift.  I don’t necessarily know the level of the gift until I hear it in its complete form… until I hear it all out.

But when I hear it all out, it’s like WHEW! My God!  Especially if there’s some great people singing it.

EJ:  Speaking of that Lincoln Center event, and I blogged about this back then–  my wife and I went, sat among a bunch of folks who probably didn’t know much about you, but perhaps just had season tickets to the Jazz at Lincoln Center series… my wife sat there and screamed out “that’s alRIGHT Kim!”

KB:  Oh, was that her?! *laughing*  You know, the very last show, we had CHURCH.

EJ:  Did you?

KB:  Oh, it was ridiculous!  We got loud up in there and I told them “some of y’all may be feeling a little warm… we know what it is, it’s the HOLY GHOST!”

EJ:  *laughing*

KB:  Oh, we lost it.  I don’t care where I am.  You know, the first couple of shows, I had to try to be nice, know my limitations… But I thought about it and said “Lord, there is no way you’re gonna open for me a door like this and I not be who I’m supposed to be.”

EJ:  Right.

KB:  Honey, I went there.  I lost it.  So, you know I’m coming in having church this year because we’re going back.  I’m doing it again.

EJ:  I’m going to have to be there for that.  It was unreal. Are you doing a Christmas album from that?  I heard talk about that.

KB:  I was gonna do it.  You know, I still have the material from it and I’ve not quite listened to it yet.  It was like a trial run because it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be.  It was nice, I enjoyed it.  But, at the degree and level that I want?  I may release it as a DVD.

EJ:  NICE!

KB:  But it was not something that I felt was CD-ready.  I could’ve cleaned it up, and I planned to, so I could release it, but nah… not right now.

EJ:  I wanna ask you about something that remains a hot topic of debate in gospel– associations and collaborations with secular artists.  You’ve been outspoken about your friendships with mainstream artists like Chaka Khan, Omarion and countless others.  And you’ve recorded with some mainstream artists as well.  Yet you have peers in gospel, some of whom you’ve even recorded with, who are just as outspoken about NOT fraternizing with people in hip-hop or R&B.

What is the responsibility of the gospel artist in reaching artists in other genres, if there even IS one?

KB:  The Bible is the truth for me.  And it said “go into the highways and hedges and compel men to come, that My house might be filled.”  It did not say “go and compel Christian men.”

EJ:  Wow.

KB:  Let me get my Bible because I want to quote it exactly… *pauses to grab her Bible*… Luke, Chapter 14, verse 23… and I hope this doesn’t get me in trouble because I’m here in my office and I’ve got this Bible, the one that I pray and cry in.  That’s VERY not safe right now, because we will end up on the phone for 3 hours.

EJ:  Ummm… we can do that.  I’ll take it all.  You can even call and leave voicemail messages with a good word in ‘em.

KB:  *laughing* See, it’s in RED– “unto the SERVANT, go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled.”

Let me tell you something.  THIS is a priority.  If Jesus said it, it’s priority.  And if we’re going to ever, EVER preach and teach and compel, I don’t plan to EVER do it just in the house of God, with people who are commanded to do the same thing as I am.

EJ:  RIGHT!

KB:  Why in the world would we not communicate with people… and people say “why can’t you just minister to them and call it a day?”  I do.

I called Tyrese the other day– he’s in Austria right now and he’s finishing up his movie.  Right before he went to Austria, I called him because he was heavy on spirit, because of my interaction with him, and having dinner with him and spending time with him in L.A.

EJ:  You haven’t been eating with the tax collectors, have you?

KB:  What?  Oh, yeeeeees.  And boy, was the meal good!

EJ:  *laughing*

KB:  *laughs*

EJ:  But that’s the type of interaction I believe that Christ calls us to.  It’s so weird to me that we wanna sing and preach to each other exclusively, as if we’re presenting some new revelation each time.  It’s one thing to remind one another of the Gospel daily, but we’re almost so busy EVANGELIZING Christians.

KB:  That’s right.  And STILL not helping each other.  Because we’re falling in front of each other, and we’re falling WITH each other.

EJ:  Uh-oh.

KB:  Some are leaving church together, getting drunk together, men AND women, whatever the gender… doing everything under the sun.  But judgmental of things with which they have not been acquainted, things that are unfamiliar territory for them.  They don’t know how to encounter it, so it becomes a “no-no.”

When people have only done what they’ve been taught, and they’ve not experienced it or asked God about it, they’ll be judgmental.  But my commission, my priority is to do what the Lord has called me to do.  And I’ve been successful with that.

EJ:  Amen.

KB:  I’ve had PLENTY of opportunities because of it.  Like Tyrese, I mentioned calling him.  He was just waking up and he said in his tired voice, “hey Lovely,” (that’s what he calls me) and I said “hey, when you wake up, call me because you’re in my spirit and I need to pray with you.”  He said “I’ll do it, give me ten minutes.”

He called back in five and I shared some things with him and prayed with him.  Do you not know, my friend, that he said “Kim, I’ve got 103,000 people following me on Twitter right now and I’m letting them know that what you’ve done for me, that you just prayed for me.  And I’m starting a Twitter page for you right now.” 

He grabbed whatever pictures he had of me and set something up… within maybe 5 hours, I had over 2,000 people following me. [Editor's Note: You can follow her at http://www.twitter.com/kimburrelllove.]

EJ:  Yep.

KB:  You mean to tell me that I’m not supposed to reach out and have dealings with them?  They say “well, you’re doing music… you have to represent…” I REPRESENT GOD.

You’re tellin’ me that every person in the Armed Forces, that’s saved and loves Jesus Christ, knowing that they might have to go and MURDER somebody if they go to Iraq, they’re going to hell?  They’re not doing the work of the Lord?

EJ:  Right.

KB:  So, I’m not into debates with people because folks always have their own idea about what it is that folks should and should not be doing.  And those who are usually pointing the finger are talking to the wrong people.

And listen, those people found ME.  I was walking in the store, 15 years ago or so, and Chaka Khan called MY cell phone.  I don’t know how she got it.  She called me.  Same thing with Stevie.  I left that message for so long on my machine…

EJ: *laughs*

KB:  But he called me and we’ve been very close for 13 years.  We talk about everything.  But the deal is that these people need an outlet, they need somebody that they can trust.  They know they can’t talk to each other, just like we can’t in church.

We know we can’t go to some of these artists– I KNOW I can’t!  I know several artists I can’t go to right now and trust them with my personal business.  Baby, it’ll be all over the place!

EJ:  *laughing hard*

KB:  With stuff ADDED depending on how they feel about me, with their grinnin’ selves.  Don’t get me started, maaaan.

EJ:  Oh my!

KB:  I don’t get started on that junk.  I’m out here doing work.  I have more comfort with people in the world than I do with them.  Because they’ll come right out and tell you– “if Jesus Christ comes back, I ain’t going.”  And it gives me an opportunity to tell them why I know that they CAN, and deal with their situation.

Rather than church folks sayin’ “oh, I know He’s alright!  High-five your neighbor!”  They ain’t about to say “high-five your neighbor, although I fornicated last night” or “high-five your neighbor, although I committed adultery”… “high-five your neighbor although I’m an alcoholic, and a homosexual and a pervert.”

They ain’t gonna say that.

EJ:  Right.

KB:  But, you know, I love everybody.  I love Jesus.  I love doing this– it is what I do.  I do the work of the Lord.  It happens to come in the form of an album or two once in a while, concerts, and all kinds of stuff that the Lord is blessing me to do.  This ain’t about Kim Burrell.

I haven’t known how to wake up and be about Kim Burrell since I was about 27.  I stopped trying to be about Kim Burrell, especially after I had my son when I was about 31.  I am not about Kim Burrell anymore.  I’ve forgotten how to be about her.

EJ:  Beautiful.

KB:  And when God shows up and gives me favor to go shopping every once in a while, He lets me know “you may not be about Kim Burrell anymore, but I am.”  So, I do that.

EJ:  Nice.  Couple more questions… I’ve asked several people who they’d most like to record with and many of them have said either Stevie Wonder or Kim Burrell.  Now, you’ve already recorded with Stevie Wonder and you are Kim Burrell– so how do YOU answer that question?

KB:  Prince.

EJ:  PRINCE?!  I was not expecting that.

KB:  I wanna record with Prince.  There’s still a sound… I feel the presence of God.  There’s a sound to come out of Prince through submission to the Holy Spirit.  Not just to God, because he has a regard for Jehovah, for God.

But I’m talking about a SOUND to come out of Prince.  I feel like every time I say it, God is shooting it to him.  Not for the benefit of Burrell to do a recording.  We can do it and keep it in the house as far as I’m concerned.  I just wanna record with the man and sit with him because God has invested something in Prince that NOBODY in the world has.

And because of that, he has a worship inside of him that is second to none.  There is an album that he did within the last 5 or 6 years, and one of the songs… honey, when I tell you there is a sound on there that came very close to the Holy Spirit of God… and I know he’s been tapping in on that because of his encounters with God.

EJ:  I believe that.

KB:  But there is still something that is to come out of him that I want to experience, and I’d love to do a recording with him because I want to experience that moment.  I want the Spirit of God to flow through him to write and say some things to God that can change some people’s lives, and change how people worship.

I believe that Prince has an element inside of him that can change the way worship is heard.

EJ:  Hmmmm.  I pray that it happens.

KB:  I do, too.

EJ:  Okay, last question: of all the albums you’ve released, which one is your favorite?

KB:  *takes a long pause* I haven’t done it yet.

EJ:  Hmm.  Fair enough.  Well, then, I’m waitin’ for that!

KB:  Me too. *chuckles*

EJ:  I wanna thank you so much for chatting with me.  It has meant a lot to me and I’ve really enjoyed it.

KB:  Thank you.  I love you, my brother.

EJ:  I love you so much.  Thanks.  And I’ll be in touch.

KB:  Please do.  God Bless you, sweetheart.  We’ll talk soon.

EJ:  Alright, bye-bye.

*     *     *

That, ladies and gents, was my chat with Kim Burrell.

There was SO much more to it, but some of it was just for me– she carries the Word of God in her and she is an encourager, a servant, a minister… I was tremendously blessed by this woman of God.

Another video to bless ya… Kim on TBN singing “I Believe”:

Sooooooooo, what do you think about all that she had to say???

WOWWWWWWWWWW!

Last night, my wife and I went to a taping of TBN’s hit show Praise The Lord, hosted by Pastor A.R. Bernard of Christian Cultural Center.  First of all, if you don’t know about his ministry, you may be missing out on some VALUABLE jewels of knowledge and teaching.  He’s so refreshingly transparent, educated, humorous, compassionate… he’s got an awesome heart and an even greater gift.

The show featured a bunch of folks, including Freddy Rodriguez, who is creeping his way up my “favorite worship leaders” ladder… he had a great interview with Pastor Bernard before leading the audience in worship with his hit single, “I Will Run.”  He’s just soooo not an “artist” in the traditional sense– in his mind, he’s a worship leader who happens to be signed to a record deal.  And that influences the way he approaches ministry– humble, laid-back and in full “servant” mode.  It was awesome!

Also on hand was CCC’s own Malissa Redmond, a worship leader at the church.  You’ve probably seen her quite a few times on broadcasts of Gospel SuperFest on Gospel Music Channel.  I always thought she was cool on TV, but last NIGHT… wow!  She’s got a beautiful voice, some really great original material, and a great stage presence– think I’ll try to do a feature soon so y’all can see what I mean.  Visit her MySpace page in the meantime.

As if the music wasn’t incredible enough, the SPEAKERS had such powerful testimonies and words to share.  First came Dr. David Ireland, pastor of Christ Church in NJ (click here to visit their site).  He’s recently written a book addressing FAITH, called Why Drown When You Can Walk On Water?.  I don’t want to give away all his material, but he outlines three practical components to faith– knowledge, belief and assent– and he asserts that we often make mis-steps because we’re wrong from jump– our knowledge is faulty.  It was so powerful… gotta get the book!

Pastor Bernard also spoke with journalist and media personality Jacque Reid.  You’ve probably seen her on BET, where she used to host BET Nightly News, or on CNN or NBC or… everywhere.  She talked about her faith and her refusal to compromise in journalism and media, where the temptation to do so is often strong.  She also launched a new website, as she’s branching out into her own thing as a speaker, mentor, etc.

Finally, Pastor Bernard interviewed retired NFL player Curtis Martin (he was with the New England Patriots and the New York Jets before retiring in 2007).  He shared his testimony of growing up in a very violent community and lifestyle before giving his life to Christ 16 years ago.  The passion with which he spoke of God, though, was as fresh and strong as someone who just gave their life last year– and we need to see more of THAT.  I know that I, for one, don’t always consider the Gospel nearly as shiny and special as I used to.

So, THAT’S THAT.  It was incredible and you’ve gotta watch for it on TBN.  I’ll try to let you know the airdate soon.  And shout-out to Freddy Rodriguez, Point5ive Agency, Grant Jenkins, Integrity Music and Jeremy Castro.  You rock.