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Uncover Heart DiseaseHow Serious Do You Take Your Faith?

Happy Father’s Day

June 2012 | praisereporter.com | 866.961.7191 | 2

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After the birth of my son Devon six years ago, I attended a church service on Father’s Day.

I was excited to get to church and had an-ticipated on hearing a sermon about good fathers or how to be a good father. What a surprise when the speaker began telling us how bad father were and men in particular. This was my first Father’s Day as a new Dad. I was in a state of shock. After all my Dad wasn’t like the fathers or men she was describing.

It seems like these days it’s hard to find someone saying good things about their father. I don’t know if the overall quality of fathering is going down, if people don’t appreciate their father as much, or if people just talk about it more these days, but almost every time you hear about someone’s father, it’s in a negative light.

Well, I’m here to tell you that my Dad is great. I really couldn’t ask for a better fa-ther than the one I got. Sure we had a few disagreements, and there are a couple of ar-eas where I wish he would have pushed me, but overall I don’t think there is a better Dad available.

So, now that I’m a father myself, I have a lot of good stuff to look back on for lessons on how I should be a Dad to my son. The most important thing about being a good dad is that it’s about BEing a good Dad… it’s who you are, not what you do. The things listed below are things a good Dad should be, things that I learned not from my Dad telling me, but from watching who he was (and is).

Here we go, then, with 10 things my father taught me about how to be a good dad:

1. Be Calm: Kids will always do things to provoke you, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. A good dad should keep his temper, not yelling or screaming, or throw-ing huge punishments for a minor offense just because he’s angry. After all, you don’t really want to teach your kids to do those

things, do you?2. Be Loving: It’s important to remind

your kids that you love them. This includes telling them that you love them, but also other things, like being supportive when they need it, wiping away tears, and hug-ging them… no matter how big they get. Showing you love them is just as important as telling them that you love them… but don’t forget to tell them, too.

3. Be Patient: Sometimes you may wish your kids would just get around to learn-ing something already, or that they would finally be responsible and take care of their chores without having to be reminded 143 times. It’s at these times that you need to be patient and remember that kids are kids… give them time, give them your patience. They are worth it.

4. Be Proud: It’s sort of a cliche that fathers are proud of their children… but a lot of fathers don’t realize how important it is to actually tell their kids, not just their friends and coworkers! Your kids need to know that you’re proud of them… and the things that they do that you show them you’re proud of are the things they will try to do again. If you show them that you are proud of their good grades, they will try to get good grades… if you show them that you are proud of them being a good person, or good with their siblings, or something else, they will do whatever it is that made you proud again (or at least try).

5. Be Honest: It’s important to be hon-est with your children. It’s important to be honest in general, really, but your kids will learn from you… and you want them to be honest, presumably. If you don’t want your children to know about something, whether because it’s inappropriate for them or for other reasons, tell them that… don’t just lie to cover it up.

6. Be Firm: When you set rules, make them stick. If they are supposed to be home by 8:00, and they walk in the door at 8:07, they need to be punished, barring extenu-ating circumstances… and there shouldn’t ALWAYS be extenuating circumstances. On the other hand, don’t be unbendable… let

them have a little freedom, and give them a break if the rule break is an exception, rather than the rule.

7.Be Yourself: It’s important to be your-self around your children. Some people are completely different people around their children than they are around other people. Your children WILL see this, and it will have two negative effects: it will erode their trust in you (You ARE being deceitful after all… you can’t honestly be two different people), and it will teach them that this is appropri-ate behavior for them as well. You may find this second part affects you directly… they may be an entirely different person in front of you than they are around their friends.

8. Be Father First, Friend Second: It is awesome to not only be a parent, but also a friend to your child. You need to remember which one comes first, however. Kids need a dad more than they need a friend, and you’re the best option for that… and if you won’t be a father to them, they’ll be looking for that influence elsewhere.

9. Be Respectful: It’s very important to teach your children to respect you… but it’s also very important that you respect them. This means giving them room to grow and learn, it means talking to them as an equal (when you can… it’s not appropriate when setting rules or punishment, for example), and treating them as their own individual person. It means respecting their decisions when you can, even if it’s not what you would have done, or not what you think is best for them. That doesn’t mean don’t give advice… just accept that sometimes they need to make their own way. It’s the only way they’ll ever grow up mentally and emotionally.

10. Be There: This could be a whole article by itself… and who knows, at some point it may be! For this article, however, I’ll keep it simple: Children need a father. They need a father who is in their life, who pays attention to them, who is interested in them, who does things with them, and asks about them. Time without attention, like in a marriage, is worse than no time at all. Show them that they are important to you…

give them your time AND attention. That certainly doesn’t cover everything

involved in being a good father… but it’s a pretty good start. If you do the things above, or rather if you can be the things above, you will be well along the path to being a good father. On the other hand, just because you fail at something from time to time (ie fail to be calm… probably the easiest one to fail), that doesn’t mean that you’re NOT a good Dad… you can pick yourself up and get back to it.

I have to say there IS one thing I learned for myself, though, something he couldn’t have told me even if he’d wanted to do so, and that’s just how good it feels. I love be-ing a dad… it’s one of the most fun and ful-filling things I have ever done, and it will make a lasting impact on both my son and everyone he touch later in life. There is no way that he could have conveyed just how rewarding it is.

He’s doing a bit better on conveying how much fun it is to be a grandpa or Papa as Devon would say, but am happy to say I have a while before experiencing that for myself .

Happy Father’s Day Bishop Ivory J. Payne

FromIvory D. PaynePublisher.

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publisher’s page How to Be A Good Dad – 10 Things My Father Taught Me


encouragement & inspiration

It is vital to reflect upon the sacrifice of Jesus for humanity.

Jesus continues to be my greatest source of inspiration for living life the way I do. There was a time when my faith made no practical sense in the real world. Ironically, I think my experience in childhood of institu-tional Christianity blinded me from seeing the life that Jesus modeled, a life filled with compassion and commitment to justice.

It wasn’t until college that I began to read more intently the thoughts of my he-roes like Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a handful of others that I realized that Jesus’ life had shaped their worldview and practice of human care.

Over the years, I’ve explored the life of Jesus, and here’s what I’ve learned about his approach to loving humanity:

Love does not discriminate or require prereq-uisites.

Jesus gravitated to the margins of so-ciety and spent significant time with those who were considered the fringe of culture. He did not center his attention on the most powerful, popular, or polished. Jesus did not place a standard on the kinds of people he would love and care for. In fact, if he did have bias, it was towards those who were

ignored, discarded, or undervalued. How biased or selective is your love?

Care is not just talk. It must be tangible.Talk was cheap to Jesus. He did not

spend his time talking about how compas-sionate he was. Jesus embodied love in this world in a way that always considered the physical and spiritual needs of people. While it may be nice to tell others about our hearts for compassion via social platforms like Twitter or Facebook, it’s ultimately our actions that provide care for people. What can you do today to bring tangible care to a fellow human being?

Compassion calls us to slow down, stop, and make time for people.

No matter how busy Jesus was in his life, he always took time to stop in order to care for people. This is powerful. In a day and age in which busyness consumes us, we must never forget that we have to stop (or at least slow down) to take care of others. Who will you stop for today?Love by nature is sacrificial and co-suffering.

Jesus gave his life so that many others could find hope in life. He said that true love and friendship is embodied in laying down one’s life for another. In addition, he

described compassion as an act of “suffer-ing with” others. In other words, caring for others deeply requires us to live along side them by bearing some of their pain and ag-ony. I think this kind of co-suffering stirs the kind of creativity we need to better care for people. Pain has a way of inspiring much needed action. Who do you suffer with, and how will you live sacrificially to bring relief?

Care must be transparent and honest.Jesus was transparent and honest in

the way he dealt with people. This kind of straightforwardness was not rooted in an argumentative spirit or a distaste for people. He deeply cared about truth no matter how offensive it may have come across, espe-cially with those that didn’t understand his heart. Jesus’ goal was not to win an argu-ment. His focus was on bringing something that would be most beneficial to those he encountered. When will you communicate what’s really on your heart to the one you love (even if it is uncomfortable)?

Compassion must seek justice for lasting im-pact.

Jesus knew that compassion that does not lead to a whole new life was only ban-

daging a wound. He spoke up regularly for those who didn’t have the stature to be heard. Jesus regularly recognized that many of the systems that man had created lacked care for those who most needed it. Compas-sion must lead to systemic change and the other way around. Does your compassion lead to lasting change? How committed are you to justice?

Regardless of where you stand in your own faith and spirituality, I think these are principles that would truly make our world a much better place.

Charles Lee is the CEO of Ideation, an idea agency that specializes in helping organizations and businesses take their ideas and make them remarkable via creative strategy, branding, de-sign, marketing, web, social media, and custom events. He is also the author of Good Idea. Now What? (coming Feb 2012). In addition, Charles is the creator of grassroots efforts including Ju-stOne, the Idea Camp, Ideation Conference, and the Freeze Project as well as the co-founder of JustOne. Charles regularly speaks around the country on topics such as creative process, idea-making, innovation, branding, new media, and compassionate justice. Visit Charles Lee at http://www.charlestlee.com/

6 Ways to Love People like Jesus Did


inspiration

May 2012 | praisereporter.com | 866.961.7191 | 5

“A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” is the first half of Proverbs 13:22. There has been much spec-ulation as to how this verse is to be under-stood and implemented. The obvious idea is that grandparents should leave money to their grandchildren. We’re sure that is true, but we suspect that there is much more to the concept of inheritance than just leaving our progeny financially set. We suspect that a valuable inheritance must include our values, virtues and vision.

Children are precious, delightful, full of fun and hope. They bring joy and rich-ness to all those that will take time to ap-preciate them. But there’s the rub. Far to many children are neglected and treated like they are a nuisance. In our fast past world, that treasures achievement and col-lecting things, there is far too little interest in developing children. This is systemically true.

Recently, we listened to an intriguing report on CNN. It featured a spokesperson for The Children’s Defense Fund. During the interview, the spokesperson alluded to a report presented to The Children’s Defense Fund by Hart Research Associates. The sta-tistics they presented were both startling and alarming.

40 percent of Black children are born poor. In the fourth grade, 85 percent of Black children cannot read or do math at grade level and later almost half drop out of school. A Black boy born in 2001 has a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison in his lifetime.

The CNN interviewer, Ali Velshi asked the pertinent question, “What is the an-swer?” Assignments were proposed for many segments of society. The government must provide better schools. Churches and social agencies must offer better programs. However, the role and responsibilities of

parents was alluded to only as a passing afterthought

Here now is our issue, a call for pa-rental action should have topped the list. None have better access, more of a vested interest in and most of all the privilege of molding and shaping the lives of children than do their parents. We suspect that the root cause of so much of these alarming sta-tistics and the state of unpreparedness of our children is due to parents transferring their responsibilities to other entities.

Television and other forms of elec-tronic entertainment are seen as convenient babysitters. School programs are made to bear the entire burden of the educational development of our children. And while the “it takes a village to raise a child” con-cept is attractive and has merit, we must be careful to avoid dumping our children in someone else’s lap.

We passionately recommend that all parents revisit and reevaluate their child raising practices. Ask the hard questions, like who exerts the most influence with my children? With as much objectivity as can be mustered, avoiding the presumptive and usually unrealistic commendations of our own children. Instead find out if your children exist in any of the categories of ac-ademically under-performing children not-ed in the Hart Research Associates report.

Adult personal achievement is gratify-ing to be sure. We are convinced, however, that the consistent, long term investment in the education and moral development of our children will produce a joy and sense of fulfillment that no other pursuit can aspire to. If enough of us buy into this vision, our culture will not only survive but also thrive. Please, let’s put the children first.

The Fraziers

“Put The Children First”Bishop Clifford L. Frazier & Co-Pastor Pamela Frazier

www.battleforthefamily.com

family & lifestyle

Listen to the BattLe For the FamiLy Broadcast mon.-Fri. at 12:30 est on

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By Jessie ToddContributing Writer

“He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”

~Clarence-Budington Kelland

My father died exactly ten days after my fourteenth birthday. I have often won-dered how my life would be different if he had lived. I will never know, but I have warm and pleasant memories of the few years I had him. They definitely contribute to the admiration I have for devoted fathers, whether they live in the home or not.

One of the fondest memories of my dad is, at the beginning of each school year he made a big production of getting the Sears Catalogue out and ordering Spauld-ing Saddle Oxfords (Black & White) for me and my four sisters. Dad worked tirelessly but he was always present at mealtime. We ate all our meals together, providing a co-hesive unit that is missing in many families today.

My dad was a big, gentle man, known affectionately as “Big Jake.” When he was around I felt totally safe and protect-ed. Two or three of us were usually hang-ing onto him or clamoring for his attention. After I had children, I wondered aloud to a friend if he ever got tired of us crawl-ing all over him. She responded, “No, I’m sure your dad loved all of you and never got tired of showing his love for his chil-dren and having them love him.” I treasure the time I had with my dad, and I believe devoted fathers do enjoy interacting with their children.

When he died I was in total shock and disbelief. In a fog of almost physical pain, I could not comprehend that he was gone forever and I struggled to understand how he could leave for work in the morning and never come home to us again. In life and in death his impact on my life was enormous

Societal mores have changed dramati-cally. Today many families lack the close-ness and cohesiveness that characterized the family unit when I was growing up. The church, school and community is no longer the nucleus of the family; too many outside factions compete for the attention of parents and the children. However, whether or not they fulfill their God-given role, one thing has not changed: fathers have the same re-sponsibility to contribute to the moral up-

bringing of their children and to help pro-vide for their material needs. Whether they live in the home, across the street, across town or across the country, they have the responsibility to help mold and shape their children.

Anthropologist Margaret Meade be-lieved that “Mothers are a biological neces-sity; fathers are a social invention.” With all due respect to Dr. Meade, I disagree. I believe God ordained a specific role for fa-thers, and as such, they play an important role in the development of their children’s character. Various studies have shown that involved dads do make a difference. One study by the National Fatherhood Initia-tive says that kids who grew up without a father’s influence and input, “Have a hole in their soul the shape of their dads. They have this tremendous desire to connect-it’s there; it’s a part of who they are.”

Dr. Douglas E. Brinley, Professor of church history at Brigham Young Univer-sity quotes an old Spanish proverbs that says, “an ounce of mother is worth a pound of priests.” He adds that “a pound of good fathering is worth a carload of policemen.” In other words, caring fathers make a tre-mendous positive difference in their chil-dren lives. Many studies show that the majority of boys in long-term correctional facilities grew up without a father. Studies of the father-child connection show that the father’s presence or absence sharply influ-ences whether or not a child falls victim to poverty or dysfunctional lives.

Mothers can teach a child sports, kind-ness, cleanliness, morals, manners and many other positive traits but, no matter how nurturing she is, only a male can teach a boy to be a man. Children need and de-serve the balance that a mother and father bring to the family. Certain one- parent situ-ations are unavoidable but under ideal cir-cumstances, children deserve both parents being involved in their lives.

King Solomon wrote a whole book of “wise sayings” on teachings directed to his sons. Considered the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon believed the teaching of both parents to be invaluable in the devel-opment of the child. Being a good father is not a matter of biology or talent, but of ef-fort. Happy Father’s Day, in memory of my dad, to all fathers biological or otherwise. Comments may be sent to [email protected].

6 Ways to Love People like Jesus Did FATHER’S TIME: Dad Makes a Difference


news

Phillips Charitable Organization awards grant to struggling single mother of four to help cover financial hardship

Jessica Dulworth, a Marine Corps Vet-eran and single mother of 4, was awarded $6,000 by Phillips Charitable Organization (PCO) to assist her during a time of need. Also a college student and church volun-teer, she was in desperate need of money for food, house expenses and tuition.

The recipient of the grant served in the Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005. As a single mother of 4 children, Dulworth found her-self unable to pay her GI tuition backlog, car loan, and her children’s school tuitions. Her home was in desperate need of repairs, and she was also in need of funding to con-tinue her education.

Dulworth was tempted to move away from the “rolling hills and rivers” of her Ten-nessee community because of her expenses and lack of job opportunities. However, as a teacher and church volunteer, she came to the conclusion that her calling was to stay and persevere. “I have refrained from relo-cating as I believe God has called me here to bring hope to this drug-ridden community. I stay for the sake of all those that I would be leaving behind. They are my people.”

Recently, Phillips Charitable Organi-zation awarded Jessica Dulworth a $6,000 grant to assist her with these financial hard-ships and provide for her children.

With the help of PCO, Dulworth’s self-lessness can continue to bring hope and inspiration to her community. “I have been blessed with this funding to continue on

with my dream,” states Dulworth. Further-more, her children can continue to thrive in the loving home she has created. “For now, they are busy laughing and playing, and I am able to keep it that way thanks to Phil-lips Charitable Organization.”

The two major operating principles of PCO are to (1) evaluate and decide on grants quickly, normally within 48 hours, to help people with urgent challenges that can’t wait for lengthy application processes and (2) expend 100% of foundation funds on helping people in need and nothing on administrative overhead. PCO was found-ed by four lifelong friends including its president, Charles Phillips, CEO of Infor.

For more information on Phillips Char-itable Organization or to donate, visit Phil-lipsCharitable.org.

Single Mother of Four and Former Marine Receives $6,000 Grant

How serious do you take your faith walk?

An online survey conducted by Chang-ing the Face of Christianity is showing that many self-identified Christians polled do not live out their faith on a daily basis; in fact, they “rarely” do. R. Brad White, the founder of the organization who created the test, said the results were “disturbing,” showing that a third of polled Christians are Christians “in name only.” Initially the results showed a quarter of respondents were these “worldly Christians,” but lately that number has increased to one in three. More than 1,200 have responded to the sur-vey since its creation in September 2011.

“A significant majority of Christians consistently live their faith,” commented White. “In addition to the 27.8% of spiri-tually mature Christians out there, 38.5% of Christians take their faith seriously and are striving daily to live as good Chris-tians. Yes, we are still human. We stumble. We fail. We make mistakes. We screw up. These Christians aren’t perfect, but are striving to consistently practice their faith. These Christians are at the tipping point and very close to becoming spiritually ma-ture. This is incredibly promising to us. But there is also a risk that many of them will go the other way.”

Changing the Face of Christianity is a non-profit educational group with the mis-sion of “reverse negative Christian stereo-types by helping Christians become more like Jesus Christ.”

They are the ONLY Christian Social Network that offer features compatible to Myspace and Facebook, but without the in-appropriate content.

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www.dustoffthebible.com is a Feature Rich & Family Safe Alternative to Facebook and Myspace.


news

Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, Inc., proudly presents the 19th Annual Fellowship Interna-tional Conference, which includes a variety of conferences, forums and a Friday night concert in partnership with Mc-Donalds featuring Gospel artists, Fred Hammond along with, Vashawn Mitchell, Byron Cage and J. Moss.

This year’s 6N1 conference features six individual ses-sions for women, men, pastors, young adults and youth during the day. These conferences highlight a series of dynamic speakers such as Dr. Debra B. Morton, Bishop Joseph Walker, Overseer William Murphy, Bishop Lester Love, Bishop Clarence McClendon and Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship founder Bishop Paul S. Morton. Fol-

Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International Celebrates The 19th Annual Conference in Atlanta

The Presiding Bishop of FGBC, Bishop Paul S. Morton, welcomes you to the 6N1 Conference, June 27th - June 29th, 2012

continued on page 11

Fred Hammond

Vashawn Mitchell

Byron Cage J. Moss


Access to fresh fruits and vegetables are far less likely to be found in urban communi-ties. African-American and Latino children have higher rates of obesity than their white peers. And our country’s economic troubles have created a ripple effect in our commu-nity; jobless rates among African-Americans

remain several points higher than the na-tional average.

The news is daunting and, some might say depressing. But there is light to be found in the midst of the gloom at this year’s Heal-ing a Generation (HAG) Conference, June 24 – July 1.

Not sure what qualifies as a healthy meal? Learn how to cook healthy recipes for a family of four on just $80 per week. Look-ing for direction in your life? Get inspired to fulfill your dreams. Need an inexpensive way to have fun with the kids? Spend time with your family at a free outdoor festival.

Need help with life skills, parenting or orga-nizing your life? Learn how to communicate better with your children, get valuable in-formation to take care of aging loved ones, body, and get insight and information about estate planning and job hunting. All that and more at HAG 2012!

All Hands-On Deck! Healing a Generation 2012

Pastor Kenneth Moales, Jr.HAG Kickoff: SundayJune 24 • 10am

Chef Marvin WoodsWednesday, June 27 •7pmCelebrity Chef Cooking & Healthy Lifestyle Expo

Bishop Joseph GarlingtonThursday, June 28 • 7pm

Pastor John HannahFriday, June 29 • 7pmYoung Adults The Awakening

Dr. Debora HooperFriday, June 29 • 7pmYES Teens Service

Bishop Clifford & Lady Pamela FrazierSunday, July 1 • 10am

columbus oh


Conference hosts, Bishop Howard and Lady Glenneth Tillman, open the conference on Sunday, June 24 at 10 am with an empow-ering and dynamic word from Pastor Ken-neth Moales, Jr. of Bridgeport CT. Moales is a familiar guest at the conference and organiz-ers invited him for the opening night so he could ignite a fire for the week ahead.

Novo Nordisk, Inc. sponsors the Cook-ing & Healthy Lifestyle Expo on Wednesday at 7 pm in the NCBC Focus Center. Attend-ees will get a personal cooking demonstra-tion from Chef Marvin Woods, America’s Healthy Chef, and the first chef chosen to launch First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Cook! chef series for the Let’s Move! Cam-paign. Woods will show families how eating healthy doesn’t have to burden their wallets or consume their time.

Bishop Joseph Garlington, of Pitts-burgh, joins the conference as a speaker for the second year Thursday evening. His inspirational sound is worth experiencing firsthand! On Friday night, teens and young

adults host two distinct services that run simultaneously. Youth Engaged in Service (YES) Teens host their service with guest speaker Dr. Debora Hooper of Brooklyn and a special musical guest. House of Young People Empowered for Destiny (HYPED) Young Adults host Pastor John Hannah of Chicago at their service, aptly named ‘The Awakening’.

Weeknight services may seem like just enough to satisfy attendees, but there’s so much more! In fact, more is better this year, as HAG launches a workshop series on Sat-urday morning as a part of its Urban Heal-ing Festival. The workshops entitled ‘Car-ing for Generations’ seeks to empower our community with necessary and life-altering information. Workshops begin at 10 am and cover a variety of topics, including: estate planning, how to help your child succeed in school, parenting teens, understanding Medicare & Medicaid, and preventing obesi-ty and diabetes. Workshop sponsors include: Novo Nordisk, CareSource, and The Ohio

State University Wexner Medical Center.NCBC is led by its senior pastor, Bishop

Howard Tillman, who is a longtime propo-nent of living better and longer through a healthy lifestyle. Tillman believes expanding the conference to include practical living tips and advice from health and business pro-fessionals is a natural extension of what it means to heal a generation.

“We live in an age where information is literally at our fingertips, but too many in our community still don’t have access to it. It is vital that the church is a part of bringing life-changing messages of hope and prom-ise to our community. If we don’t do it, who will?”

Families can still squeeze in some play time that afternoon. The Urban Healing Fes-tival continues from Noon to 5 pm with chil-dren’s activities, like laser tag and bouncing inflatables, games and food on the grounds of the church.

The conference closes on Sunday, July 1 with Bishop Clifford and Pamela Frazier

of Houston, who promote strong families through their organization, Battle for the Family. The Fraziers will speak during NCBC’s 10 am service.

The day ends on a high note (musical that is). At 5 pm, NCBC hosts an evening of Worship and Music featuring national re-cording artists Maurette Brown Clark and JJ Hairston and Youthful Praise, and special guests, Men of God’s Heart. Concert tickets ($20) go on sale Monday, June 4 at www.ncbchurch.org. But fans could get a free ticket; the first 400 attendees to the Caring for Generations’ workshops on Saturday morning are eligible to get a free ticket for the concert.

There’s something for everyone at this year’s conference. And the opportunity to see and experience it all is rapidly approach-ing this summer!

Maurette Brown Clark JJ Hairston & Youthful

Praise

Men of God’s Heart


World leaders, dignitaries and celebri-ties from around the world gathered in vi-brant Arts District near downtown Dallas Friday to attend an historic event honoring global humanitarian and faith-based enter-tainment mogul Bishop T.D. Jakes’ 35 years of spiritual leadership and service. Aptly titled “A Triumphant Journey,” the three-hour, black-tie celebration was hosted by director/writer/producer Tyler Perry and CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien at the state-of-the-art AT&T Winspear Opera House. The awe-inspiring evening was a surprise for Bishop Jakes and featured an unexpected appearance by entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey who congratulated him for being a “man of conviction and beacon of light.”

Successfully accomplishing the near impossible, wife Serita Jakes and daughter Sarah Henson enlisted the help of family, friends and staff to keep the night’s biggest moments under wraps from the notably in-quisitive Bishop. Jakes, senior pastor of the 30,000 member Dallas-based church The Potter’s House, was celebrated for a career spanning more than three decades. A true man of God, his accomplishments in minis-try and entertainment, as well as his dedica-

tion to humanity and family, were applaud-ed in front of a packed audience of family, friends, parishioners, dignitaries, celebrities and fans.

A visibly moved Jakes expressed his shock at the crowd of well-wishers, some of whom traveled far and wide to participate in the celebration and took the stage to re-ceive a resounding standing ovation.

“I have been blown away,” said Jakes. “I love God and I’ve always loved people. Your presence here tonight says you love me back. It’s hard to overwhelm me, but you’ve done it this time!”

The night included a kaleidoscope of musical performances ranging from gospel and jazz to R&B, featuring Jordin Sparks, Ledisi, BeBe Winans, Pastor Shirley Cae-sar, Fred Hammond, Israel Houghton and Karen Clark Sheard. Gospel duo Mary Mary brought the crowd to its feet with their stir-ring rendition of “Yesterday,” and pianist Keiko Matsui flew in from Japan to perform with KEM, Kelly Price and Kirk Whalum. R&B diva Chaka Khan serenaded Bishop Jakes with a medley of her greatest hits.

In addition, film stars Loretta Devine, Mike Epps, Derek Luke, Kimberly Elise,

Meagan Good and Charles S. Dutton, as well as Christian leaders Dr. Bernice King, Pastor Paula White, Pastor Bill Hybels and Pastor Sam Rodriguez paid homage to Bishop Jakes for inspiring so many. Other notable guests on hand to celebrate Bishop Jakes’ 35th an-niversary include Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Gayle King, Glynn Turman, pro-ducer Debra Martin Chase, Sony Pictures executive DeVon Franklin and Emmitt and Pat Smith.

The Dallas Black Dance Theater praised Bishop Jakes’ milestone anniversary with a stirring performance, and luminaries such as philanthropist and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Dr. Phil McGraw, the Mandela family, cast members of the upcoming film “Sparkle,” and others delivered moving video presentations.

“My husband has committed his life to empowering others that they might have joy, love and hope in their lives. The event was an opportunity to salute him for the millions of lives he’s touched, the hearts he’s changed and the lives he’s saved through his stirring messages,” said Serita Jakes. “It was a blessing to honor him for 35 years of unwavering service.”

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Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Celebrates 35 Years Of Ministry

The red carpet is rolled out to welcome the iconic Bishop T.D. Jakes and his wife, Serita, at the black-tie gala to celebrate 35 years of ministry. (Photo Credit: Vernon Bryant, courtesy of TDJ Enterprises/The FrontPage Firm). (PRNewsFoto/T.D. Jakes Enterprises, Vernon Bryant, courtesy of TDJ Enterprises/The FrontPage Firm)

Thousands Gather in Dallas to Pay Tribute to Worldwide Spiritual Leader, Highlighted by Oprah Winfrey Surprise Appearance, Moving Tributes and Uplifting Performances


lowing the individual conferences, each group will come together in the evenings for an uplifting family experience of teaching and worship. Partic-ipants are also able to attend educational sessions to ensure they receive a well-rounded experience.

Excited about this years’ theme: “Celebrat-ing Legacy, Pursuing Destiny: Leadership”, is why we choose to have 6 N 1 Conferences during the day and the family gathering at night for a power-ful worship experience. Our leadership divisions have prepared a week that will be life changing. My hope is that everyone in attendance would see the vision, support the vision, grow in the vision and embrace everything the Fellowship has to of-fer” shared, Bishop Paul S. Morton, International presiding Bishop. There are special rates of $35-adult & $10-youth; children under age 6 are ad-mitted free. This extraordinary event will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) across from the CNN Center.

The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International touches the community in ways that are effective, truly making an impact of purpose. A portion of the proceeds are allocated to fund mis-sions, foreign and domestic, including Feed the Children, nationwide charities, national disasters and many more. To date, The Full Gospel Bap-tist Church International Fellowship has donated more than $1.5 million and counting. This power driven conference has positively impacted thou-sands year after year.

For daily updates visit our social media platforms: Twitter @FGBCF and Facebook.com/fullgospel. For complete registration informa-tion, please visit: www.fullgospelconfernence.org. About Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship In-ternational, Inc.

About the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellow-ship International, Inc. (fullgospelconference.org)

Founded in 1994, the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International, Inc. is one of the fastest growing multi-cultural and multi-denomi-national fellowship representing more than 10,000 leaders of faith, over 2,000 churches, and millions of constituents, partners, and associates in the U.S. and throughout the world. Along with its Founder and Presiding Bishop Paul S. Morton, the fellow-ship is led by its Executive Council, the member-ship of which is comprised of Bishop Neil Ellis, Second Presiding and Bishop Clarence McClen-don; Third Presiding. Its key initiatives include church, people and community development, leadership and entrepreneurial growth, economic development, foreign missions, and growth for generations X, Y, and Z. Learn more at www.full-gospelconference.org.

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Full Gospel continued from page 7


health & welliness

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite the age of the technol-ogy, exercise stress tests remain an extremely useful and cost-effective method for detect-ing heart disease during a period when many doc-tors opt for high-tech and often high-cost testing, according to an Ohio State University Wexner Medi-cal Center cardiologist.

For heart patients like Barbara Current, the life-saving test she needed was an older technology stress test that revealed vital in-formation that had been elusive with more modern testing procedures.

After imaging failed to show why Cur-rent was experiencing pain and an anxious feeling her chest, her physician looked at the results of Current’s exercise stress test.

“The exercise stress test saved my life,” said Current.

Dr. Martha Gulati, Current’s physi-cian, knew a cardiac catheterization was needed based on the abnormal stress test. She recently authored a paper on this topic, which was recently published in Current Problems in Cardiology.

“Using imaging with stress testing is important and useful, but it is often over-used, exposing patients to unnecessary ra-diation and driving up health care costs,” said Gulati, director of preventive cardiol-ogy and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “In addition, even where imaging is used, important information that comes from the exercise stress portion is often ig-nored.”

In cases where a patient can only per-

form the stress test for a few minutes, they might need a different test to get the correct results, so Gulati says it’s all about the us-ing the right test for the right patient.

Stress tests are the most commonly or-dered noninvasive test for coronary heart disease, but traditionally, physicians look at one main variable, the appearance of ST depressions on the electrocardiogram (EKG). The ST segment is part of a normal EKG tracing. When it becomes depressed with exercise, it may indicate coronary artery disease. According to Ohio State researchers, other data obtained from the

stress test can also be valuable to a physi-cian diagnosing heart disease.

Dr. Kavita Sharma, co-author of the review of the research, said exercise capac-ity, heart rate, blood pressure response and chest pain are all examples of other power-ful data that can be obtained from an ex-ercise stress test to help identify coronary artery disease and even help predict risk of death.

“All this data is readily available on a traditional exercise stress test. The inter-preter just needs to fully examine it,” said Sharma, assistant professor of clinical med-

icine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

According to Gulati, stress tests can give physicians important predictive in-formation for patients, not just about their immediate health or their current status of coronary disease, but also information that might help predict their risk of developing heart disease in the future.

Gulati and Sharma hope their research will help patients feel empowered to ask why a test is being ordered and ask if it in-cludes radiation to ensure the benefit out-weighs the risk.

Advanced Tests Not Always Needed to Uncover Heart Disease

Doctors monitor a patient’s vital signs during a stress test.

Dr. Martha Gulat

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(NAPSI)—When it comes to decorat-ing, color experts are predicting that hom-eowners will be seeking out stronger colors in their search for intensity.

Seeking SensationThe bold choice to turn to vibrant, op-

timistic colors is two-fold: a search for eu-phoria for some and, for others, a sense of oneself.

According to PPG Pittsburgh Paints color expert Dee Schlotter, for many people, intensity is a survival strategy in times of crisis. “For some, it means seeking out ex-tremes of sensation, rebelling against the bland existence that comes with cynicism and disenchantment. For others, it means ‘unplugging’ in order to reconnect with a life they feel is fleeting,” added Schlotter.

Sensation seekers will go for colors that stir the senses and set them in motion, amp-ing up the chromatic density of their lives. Expect their spaces to be full of strong con-trasts-heavy and weightless, shadow and light, hot and cold.

On the other hand, some individuals will use strong color as a way to turn inward

and unplug. Expect them to opt for quiet, understated palettes accented by deep, rich colors in order to create the space they need to take time to relax.

If you are thinking of taking the leap to strong, deep color, here are some tips:

• If you appreciate deep, rich colors outside your home-whether in the clothes you wear or when you see these colors in restaurants or other people’s homes—then you will probably also like them in your own home.

• Consider an accent wall. This is a great way to get a smaller taste of strong color while still adding interest to the room.

• Test first. Use a large test sheet and a “time test”—view your color in all light: morning, noon and night. Live with it for a few days to make sure you love it.

• Don’t let timidity hold you back. Rec-ognize that there’s only one life to live and there’s no time to waste. If not now, then when?

To learn more about the latest color trends for decorating, visit the PPG Pitts-burgh Paints website at www.voiceofcolor.com.

Tips For Decorating With Stronger Colors


A Sweet, Cool Treat To Try

(NAPSI)—Americans, it seems, are really hot for ice cream. People in the United States indulge more than those in any other nation, averaging 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year. Ninety-eight percent of all U.S. households purchase ice cream, with more sold on Sunday than any other day of the week. Here are a few more Cool Facts:

• The first ice cream parlor in America opened in New York City in 1776.

• George Washington loved ice cream and had two ice cream ma-chines at his home.

• It takes 12 gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.

• The most popular flavors are Vanilla, Chocolate, Butter Pecan,

Strawberry and Neapolitan, followed closely by Chocolate Chip, French Vanilla and Cookies & Cream.

• Cherry is the No. 1 Popsicle flavor.

• Twin Popsicles were invented during the Depression so that two children could share one treat.

Now you can find special deals on ice cream and novelties at the gro-cery store as the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) celebrates this love for cool treats with an annual June/July Summer Favor-ites Ice Cream & Novelties promotion.

Those experts on cool foods remind you to make the ice cream aisle your last stop, keep frozen purchases together in a separate section of the cart, and pack ice cream in an additional brown paper bag for the ride home.

Once you get home, you may care to try this tasty, favorite ice cream dessert:

Ice Cream with Hot Fudge Sauce1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt2 (1-ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate1 Tbsp. butter2/3 cup sugar1/2 tsp. vanilla1/4 tsp. salt1 cup evaporated milkMaraschino cherries (for garnish)

For sauce, heat, melt and stir chocolate, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together. Gradually add the evaporated milk, continuously stirring. Bring to a light boil over medium heat and cook until sauce is smooth and thickened (about 10 minutes). To serve, place large scoops of ice cream in each dish and top with Hot Fudge Sauce and cherries. Serves 6.

For additional recipes and tips and a chance to win a coupon, visit www.Easy-HomeMeals.com or www.facebook.com/EasyHomeMeals

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