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Negative Press Distracts Churches from Mission
2008-05-06 16:39:00
The blood-washed church for which Jesus died is not relegated to one group or another, nor is it held hostage by politics or ethnicity. It is a breathing, living testament to God’s love and grace. It serves its community where it is located and is aware of the needs and nuances of that community. However, its relevance and vision must go beyond its community and reach the world for which Christ died. Today as the church moves from its introspective posture to a broader role in politics, business, media and impacting societal ills, it has the dubious and daunting task of doing so without losing its core function. Like all such organizations that cease to be intrinsically focused, it runs the risk of being totally misunderstood and misaligned. I have listened and watched the events of the last few days with great disappointment as the church and the so-called African-American church, in particular, has been painted rather negatively with a broad, wide-ranging brush. I personally...
More About: Churches , Press , Mission , Negative

“What’s Going On”
2008-04-30 18:32:00
Okay, I’m having “blog withdrawals”, so I had to write today. You all kept me busy and interested as I read all of your thought provoking comments from the last two entries. Trust me, I wanted to respond to all of you, but time just would not permit. Thank you for engaging with me in discussion and ideas. It was really exciting! I thought it would be a good idea if I shared with you some of what is going on right now. And BELIEVE ME, it’s a lot. (more…) ShareThis

My Rebuttal: Church Walks the Walk of King’s Message
2008-04-14 23:20:00
“Bishop Jakes has always been a strong supporter of my father Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the King family. Bishop Jakes along with many other ministries of his ilk, all continue to convey the dream and the message of my father in the services they provide to oppressed people around the world. Some may say that the ministers of today have different techniques, but the core of the message and the goal, remains the same.” Martin Luther King, III I was stunned and very disappointed to see an article by John Blake on CNN.com with the blaring headline, “Modern Black Church Shuns King’s Message .” Even more disturbing to me than the headline was Mr. Blake’s depiction and generalization that I, through my church The Potter’s House of Dallas, had shunned Dr. King’s message. In the article Mr. Blake asserts that “I declined to talk to him” about the subject, which is only partially true. I am sorry if my unavailability has caused him angst. I declined to speak wit...
More About: Walk , Walks

CNN.com - Black Churches Reject MLK?
2008-04-11 00:46:00
On Monday CNN.com posted an article claiming that - well, I’ll let the title speak for itself: “Modern Black Church Shuns King’s Message.” The author of the article, John Blake, also takes aim at me specifically. In the next day or two I will be posting my response to the issues raised within the article. See the article below: 12:43 p.m. EDT, Mon April 7, 2008 Modern black church shuns King’s message By John Blake CNN (CNN) — In a stinging passage from a “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. condemned white churches for rejecting his pleas for support. “In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churches stand on the sideline and merely mouth pious irrelevancies,” King wrote from jail during the 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, demonstrations. The contemporary white church has largely accepted King as a religious hero. Yet some observers say there is one r...
More About: Churches

Thoughts on Wright: My Hope for Diversity
2008-03-28 01:53:00
Okay, I admit it—I’m on a roll with this blog thing. Maybe it’s because it gives me a way to clear my head in a format that allows me to hear your clear thoughts as well. It’s been busy, busy, busy. My schedule since returning from Trinidad and Venezuela has been like the blurring scenery watched through the window of a race car and I’ve been at break neck speed since returning. Yesterday was no different. What made yesterday note-worthy for me is the climate of things here in Dallas. Yesterday, Reverend Jeremiah Wright was slated to speak at a local church, and ended up having to cancel his appearance. Reverend Wright, in case you aren’t following US political news, is the former pastor to Senator Barack Obama. The media recently aired a controversial message of his in an attempt to discredit, or at least question, Senator Obama and his allegiance to his former Pastor. Rev. Wright’s message points out some of his views about our nation...
More About: Thoughts , Diversity , Hope

Ten Day Tour
2008-03-24 16:41:00
Hey y’all, I am flying high. I just finished a whirlwind, ten day tour that has taken me from Dr. Phil’s set in Hollywood, California (hope you enjoyed the show!) to Pastor Paula’s conference in Tampa, Florida (which was phenomenal.) Then it was on out to Trinidad where I ministered in an outdoor soccer field. ...
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A Burden of Love
2008-03-17 15:18:00
I am attempting to get caught up on my blog. Depending on my schedule, sometimes I have the opportunity to download my thoughts directly following some of the experiences I have been exposed to - other times…well, you know the story. Truthfully, some of my best thoughts are shared after I have had a couple ...
More About: Love

Another Fascinating Week
2008-03-07 20:20:00
Yesterday was another fascinating experience for me. I, along with several other very prominent African American pastors, met with the senior editorial board of NBC and MSNBC, as well as their leading anchors Brian Williams, Ann Curry, and Hoda Kotb. The conversation lasted for more than an hour and was led by NBC News President ...
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A Coat of Many Colors
2008-02-27 17:42:00
I wore a nice coat this past Saturday do the C3 Conference… What an awesome time I had on Saturday with Ed Young Jr. at his Creative Church Conference. He and his wife, Lisa, have been such a blessing to me and Serita. We are grateful to have them in our lives. (more…)
More About: Colors

What a Great Year It’s Been So Far!
2008-02-09 03:09:00
Hello! I apologize for not posting sooner, but to say I have been busy would be the understatement of the year! Where do I begin? If the rest of 2008 is anything like the first two months, I am in for a truly wonderful year. (more…)
More About: Great , Year

Heroes?
2007-12-11 17:05:00
Hello readers, First let me apologize on getting so far behind on my blogs. I know it has been a while since I made a post. But, I have been busier than you can imagine. This year has been blessed but daunting. Many responsibilities in many different areas have left me ready for a ...
More About: Personal , Heroes , Community

Guests for dinner? Make sure to watch the Dr. Phil show Friday Nov. 9th to
2007-11-09 18:16:00
A popular question by reporters or biographers is often, “If you had a dinner party, who would you want to invite?” The answer normally turns to those who we perceive as larger than life, unquestioned thought leaders of not only their area, but of our world. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi come ...
More About: Watch , Dinner , Show , Racism , Friday

BEST Day
2007-10-23 19:01:00
WOW! What a week it has been. The week began when my friend Dr. Phil asked me to join him in counseling two families in crisis for an upcoming episode of “The Dr. Phil Show.” Later in the week, I joined Clint Culpepper, President of Sony Screen Gems, and Director, Bill Duke, for the ...

National Conclave on HIV/AIDS Policy for Black Clergy
2007-10-11 18:07:00
This past Monday, October 8, 2007, history was made. African American Clergy from every faith came together that day at the Time Warner Conference Center in New York to develop a strategic plan of action to combat one of the deadliest diseases that mankind has ever faced - HIV/AIDS.
More About: National , Community , Black , Policy

Opposite Ends of the Solar System…
2007-09-30 06:33:00
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)  I have been interviewed more times than I can remember. And while I enjoy most interviews as they provide me with an opportunity to either educate on a critical issue or to share my thoughts on certain topics of interest, I have always wondered what it must be like to sit on the other side of the table and to actually do the interviewing. Yesterday I had that opportunity. (more…)
More About: System , Solar , Opposite , Ends , Stem

Fair and Equal Representation
2007-09-25 22:46:00
Most of you know that I have other business interest outside of the church and so I felt that it was important to clarify that the funds used to support the defense of the Jena 6 was NOT church money. Now to the heart of the matter, giving to a defense fund is not an absolution from guilt nor does it ensure innocence. Defense funds just make it possible that true justice is attainable and all the facts and investigations are not hindered by a lack of resources. No real justice can be attained without fair and equal representation. In this country people are still innocent until proven guilty and the way we prove that innocence or guilt is through “due process” of the law… so let’s allow the legal system to do what it is designed to do and save the judgment for trial. It is impossible to attain justice based on news clippings and sound clips from demonstrators. That is why your opinion and mine must give way to thorough and fair investigation and that takes m...
More About: Fair , Equal , Resent

The First T. D. Jakes
2007-09-20 15:45:00
Racism has always fascinated me. The mere fact that you would develop a hatred of a person, that is so powerful, yet is solely based on the color of their skin or their ethnicity, baffles me. My grandfather was the very first T. D. Jakes . I hear he was an incredible man. I never got the chance to meet him, because he was killed by a group of white men whom he had an argument with at work. The men knew that after work, to cool himself off and to take a short cut to his home, he would swim across a lake. They filled the lake with barbed wire and he became caught in the wire and bled to death. The recent case of what the media has dubbed “The Jena 6″ brought back unpleasant reminders that despite our many advances, the progress that people of color proudly point to, we, as a nation, still have a very long way to go. I have thought long and hard about how I could help the young men in Jena, Louisiana and while many have made the trip down to Jena to march and to protest, I h...

Shedding Light on Domestic Violence
2007-09-06 20:26:00
As I have watched the events surrounding the Bynum-Weeks family (both, as well as their families, I have known for many years) I like most am concerned and saddened at the recent turn of events. My wife, Serita and I, as well as the entire Potter’s House family are deeply concerned about all parties in the family and have expressed that concern through personal contact the moment we were made aware. Those most familiar with our ministry know that I have been a long time advocate and tireless fighter against domestic violence. However pained as we all may be, perhaps this is a teaching opportunity to awaken us to the fact that thousands of women are beaten and many killed by someone who says he loves her. I have personally lost many women in my city, some in my church and several in my family to this heinous problem. The statistics for women that are abused in this country today by “intimates”—a husband, boyfriend or someone they are intimately close to—are st...
More About: Domestic , Violence , Light , Domestic Violence , Viol

An Evening of Faith
2007-09-05 21:26:00
As many of you may or may not know, last week I had the extreme pleasure of being a guest on the nationally syndicated day time television show, “The Dr. Phil Show.”The show, which will air on Monday, September 24th, gave me an opportunity to “tag-team” with Dr. Phil by offering counsel and suggestions to couples and people in need of direction, spiritually as well as mentally. I’m not new to television and have done it many times, but this was an exciting experience for me, as it allowed me the opportunity to reach an audience that normally would not get the chance to hear me speak. Tonight I had the opportunity to repay the favor to Dr. Phil who was my guest on TBN “Praise the Lord” show. Speaking to an audience that he might not normally reach, Dr. Phil provided candid, frank and spiritually and intellectually based answers to my questions on the family, work and personal life balance, how to make a marriage last and, of course, how he r...
More About: Faith , Evening

Three Days that Changed Lives
2007-08-23 21:50:00
I know I usually don’t discuss a lot of Potter’s House events here but I just have to share this with you. Last week at the Potter’s House, we held a three day revival. While the dress code was casual, come as you are, the atmosphere and the electricity in the building were anything but casual. God was definitely at work as for three nights; we were blessed with standing room only crowds, all hungry and craving his word. It’s impossible for me to go back and point to any one moment as a highlight because the entire revival, for me, and I would think for so many others, was a highlight itself. There were young people, thirsting for the word of God, old people, some who had to be pushed in their wheelchairs, ready to receive him. The crowd crossed all color lines with Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, all there. Your economic status meant nothing as rich, poor, homeless, everyone came together regardless of their background, all to receive the word. Dallas Mayo...
More About: Days , Lives , Chang , Chan

Out of the Country, Out of the Box
2007-08-06 21:31:00
One day at the Hillsong conference in Sydney, Australia, I was interviewed before 20,000 people while Pastor Brian Houston and I sat in chairs talking. The format was amazingly intimate and people go to see a side of me that preaching doesn’t show. Brian and I talked about family, dreams, fears…it got out of the box. I love people who are brilliantly provocative like Brian. They asked me on stage, what preachers do you listen to? I said I try to get it out like it was when God preached it in me, ’cause I can never tell it as good as He told it to me. (more…)
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Preachin’ in Jeans
2007-08-02 21:18:00
The strongest impression for an urban American in Australia is the laid back atmosphere. Sydney is a world-class city; you walk down the streets and hear languages, see the world in a range of faces, encounter a smorgasbord of smells…but what’s missing is the frenzy. Sydney is New York without the pace. (more…)
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Like Mega Fest in Australia
2007-07-30 20:59:00
Increasingly this blog helps me stay in touch no matter where I am in the world. And I’m glad someone said world because I want to say more about what I talked about in church Sunday: Australia . (more…)
More About: Fest , Mega

Answers to your questions…
2007-07-27 16:48:00
Just a quick post to answer a couple of recent questions submitted to the blog: On July 19th Marlon asked: Dear Bishop, I am a young film writer and I would like to know how I may submit my works to your company for your review? Any information provided will be greatly appreciated. Thank you and I can’t wait to see the movie. Marlon, First and foremost don’t EVER send anyone anything that is not copy written. If you have a copy written version, you may send it to my attention at the following address: PO BOX 763518 Dallas, TX 75376 On July 6th sgeoffreymonts asked: Will Lionsgate be producing/distributing the movie again this time? sgeoffreymonts, Lionsgate never did produce my movie. I think you might be thinking of Tyler Perry. My movie is produced by Sony’s Screen Gems division. Thank you for the inquiry! Keep the questions coming—I love hearing from each and every one of you!
More About: Questions , Answers