Monthly Archives: April 2012

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About the Author: Path contributing writer Calvin Walker has been writing editorial content for Path MEGAzine since 2007. Calvin’s ability to break down the word of God with thought provoking analogies and real life analysis makes an impact on Christians seeking a closer walk with God. An accomplished author, Walker released his debut book titled “The Gallery” early 2010. Click here to read excerpts and purchase Walkers’ book.   

This post was written by Calvin Walker | April 4, 2012

A former student opened fire at a private Christian university in California on Monday, killing seven people.

The shooting started around midmorning at Oikos University, a vocational school offering studies in Asian medicine, theology, music and nursing in Oakland, Calif.

A police manhunt resulted in the capture of a suspect at a shopping center around three miles away. Oakland’s Police Chief Howard Jordan said a man identified as 43-year-old One L. Goh surrendered about one hour after the shooting.

Goh, a Korean national and former nursing student at the school, reportedly arrived on campus with the “the intent of locating an administrator. He then went through the entire building systematically and randomly shooting people,” Jordan told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

Jordan said police had learned “the suspect was upset with the administration at the school. He was also upset that students in the past, when he attended the school, mistreated him, disrespected him, and things of that nature.”

According to Jordan, the police do not yet have a motive. But he added that Goh was having behavioral problems at the university and was asked to leave several months ago. He said Goh was a “chaotic, calculated and determined gentleman,” and that it was his intention to kill people.

Police responded to several 911 calls after the first report was called in at 10:33 a.m., and found what Jordan described to be “an extremely chaotic scene.”

Goh allegedly shot 10 adults at the university, Jordan said at a news conference Monday evening. According to police, five victims were pronounced dead on the scene, and two died in the hospital. Jordan said the other three victims who were injured at the scene were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive.

Pastor Jong Kim, who founded the school about 10 years ago, told the Oakland Tribune that heard about 30 rapid-fire gunshots in the building.

“I stayed in my office,” he said.

Deborah Lee, who was in an English language class, told the Associated Press she heard five to six gunshots at first. “The teacher said, ‘Run,’ and we run,” she was reported as saying. “I was OK, because I know God protects me. I’m not afraid of him.”

According to a teacher at the school, many of the students at Oikos are Korean.

“We need to pull together to support the Korean community,” Mayor Jean Quan was reported saying in a CBS San Francisco report. “We need to put our arms around these people and do our best to bring peace back to the city”

Representatives of Korean Methodist Church in Oakland said at the news conference that a memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday evening. It is tentatively planned for 6 p.m. At 303 Hudson St.

Quan said the location may change in order to accommodate a larger group.

“This is the kind of incident that hurts the entire community,” she said. “We won’t understand the situation immediately, and the community will ask questions about it for a long time.”

Read More from Charisma Magazine. 

This post was written by admin | April 4, 2012

Holly Spears’ new full-length album, Heartache to Hope (Girl on a Mission Music) released today. Produced by Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, Bebo Norman, Caedmon’s Call) and featuring vocal, bass, keyboard and mastering support from multi-platinum rockers Jars of Clay, the album is available in select retail stores and through digital providers iTunes® and Amazon.com, among others.

Leading up to the release, Spears has been busy supporting the album with a media campaign that has included stops at The Harvest Show, Live From Studio B, Atlanta Live, Rehoboth TV, Cincinnati’s Fox 19 Morning News and Nashville’s More at Midday.

NewReleaseTuesday.com’s Kevin Davis named Heartache to Hope to his “My Top 25 Albums of 2012” list, and called the collection “the most transparent, vulnerable and authentic songs I’ve heard in quite a while.” 

Christianity Today’s Andy Argyrakis also raved about the record, noting that “Producer Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, Bebo Norman) works the magic that puts her in the same angelic ballpark as Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Merchant.” 

Spears has just released her debut singles, “Learning to Love” (Christian Radio) and “Watch Over Me” (Pop formats) which has a companion music video. 

When not on the road for concert appearances and promotional events, Spears is busy planning a wedding. The newly engaged songstress accepted a proposal from her bass player, Matt Gandenberger, at their rehearsal space on March 1st.

Spears’ 2009 indie release, Redemption Road, landed her music on network shows on MTV and VH1, and led to concert appearances alongside such notables as Blessid Union of Souls, Spin Doctors, Gin Blossoms and Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, among others. 

For more information, visit www.hollyspears.com.

This post was written by admin | April 4, 2012

Cissy Houston, the mother of Whitney Houston breaks her silence on the death of Whitney. In an exclusive two-part interview with MY Fox Philly, Cissy Houston told the network that she was able to come back to church 4 weeks after the funeral.

The exclusive interview took place at the same church where Whitney Houston grew up in. The same church where she was buried in, New Hope Baptist Church.

Cissy was asked if she would do anything different as a mother, and Cissy said, “Nothing.” “I don’t blame me for anything, because I know I did the best I could.” When asked about the days after Whitney’s death, Cissy Houston says “the media is awful.”

Check out part one of the interview below.

This post was written by admin | April 4, 2012

MTV.com and VH1.com will premiere the official video for NEEDTOBREATHE’s latest single “Keep Your Eyes Open”, today April 2nd. The captivating video, a perfect compliment to the memorable song, can be seen below.

NEEDTOBREATHE will perform “Keep Your Eyes Open” on Jimmy Kimmel Live this Thursday, April 5th.

The Charleston, SC band is currently on a widely successful national headlining tour in support of their late 2011 release, The Reckoning. The Reckoning Tour has already included two sold-out performances at Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium, along with sellouts in Austin, Denver, Chicago, Toronto, Minneapolis and Washington. The group will wrap up their tour in Clemson, SC on April 27th before playing the Beale Street Festival in Memphis with My Morning Jacket & Florence & The Machine, and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Tour dates are listed below.

NEEDTOBREATHE has earned critical acclaim for The Reckoning, which debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200. From USA Today and Rolling Stone, to Entertainment Weekly and Relix, The New York Times raves, “this gifted band makes anthemic Southern rock that … is beginning to reach for the far seats of the arena.”

Thursday’s performance on Kimmel follows successful late-night television appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Late Late show with Craig Ferguson. Watch NEEDTOBREATHE perform song Drive All Night on Letterman here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zzOQmdkSVQ

NEEDTOBREATHE.net has officially re-launched and is a definitive source for everything NEEDTOBREATHE. Check it out!!

For further information please visit:

TOUR DATES:
April 10th Singletary Center Lexington, KY
April 11th House of Blues Cleveland, OH
April 12th Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN
April 13th Stage AE Pittsburgh, PA
April 14th Opera House Toronto, ON
April 16th State Theatre Portland, ME
April 17th House of Blues Boston, MA
April 19th Webster Hall New York, NY
April 20th Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
April 21st 9:30 Club Washington DC
April 23rd Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
April 26th Memorial Auditorium Raleigh, NC
April 27th Little John Coliseum Clemson, SC
May 4th Beale Street Music Festival Memphis, TN
June 7th-10th Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival Manchester, TN *

This post was written by admin | April 4, 2012

Tyler Perry is living proof that success and money doesn’t eradicate America’s troubling issue of racial profiling. In a recent post on Facebook, Perry revealed why he understands Trayvon Martin’s plight. He too was a victim of racial profiling just days before he hosted an event for President Barack Obama. Below is Perry’s full statement regarding his unfortunate brush with the law.

“A few days before President Obama was supposed to speak at my studio, I was leaving the studio, headed to the airport. Most times when I leave the studio I have an unmarked escort. Other times I constantly check in my rearview mirror to be sure that I’m not being followed. It’s a safety precaution that my security team taught me. As I got to an intersection, I made a left turn from the right lane and was pulled over by two police officers. I pulled the car over and put it in park. Then, I let the window down and sat in the car waiting for the officer. The officer came up to the driver’s door and said that I made an illegal turn. I said, “I signaled to get into the turning lane, then made the turn because I have to be sure I’m not being followed.” He said, “why do you think someone would be following you?”

Before I could answer him, I heard a hard banging coming from the passenger window. I had never been in this position before so I asked the officer who was at my window what was going on and why is someone banging on the window like that. He said, “let your window down, let your window down. Your windows are tinted.” As I let down the passenger window, there was another officer standing on the passenger side of the car. He said, “what is wrong with you?” The other officer said to him, “he thinks he’s being followed.” Then, the second officer said, “why do you think someone is following you? What is wrong with you?”

Before I could answer the officer on the passenger side, the one on the driver’s side had reached into the car and started pulling on the switch that turns the car on and off, saying, “put your foot on the brake, put your foot on the brake!” I was so confused as to what he was doing, or what he thought he was doing. It looked like he was trying to pull the switch out of the dashboard. I finally realized that he thought that switch was the key, so I told him that it wasn’t the key he was grabbing. I reached down into the cup holder to get the key, not realizing that the key had a black leather strap on it. As I grabbed it they both tensed up and I dropped it as I heard my mother’s voice from when I was a little boy.

My mother would always say to me, “if you get stopped by the police, especially if they are white policemen, you say ‘yes sir’ and ‘no sir’, and if they want to take you in, you go with them. Don’t resist, you hear me? Don’t make any quick moves, don’t run, you just go.” My mother was born in 1945 into a segregated hotbed town in rural Louisiana. She had known of many colored men at the time who were lynched and never heard from again. Since I was her only son for ten years, growing up she was so worried about me. It wasn’t until after I heard her voice that I realized that both of these officers were white.

The officer on the driver’s side continued to badger me, “why do you think someone is following you?” I then said, “I think you guys need to just write the ticket and do whatever you need to do.” It was so hostile. I was so confused. It was happening so fast that I could easily see how this situation could get out of hand very quickly. I didn’t feel safe at all. But one officer stopped his questioning and said, “we may not let you go. You think you’re being followed, what’s wrong with you?” At this point, I told him that I wanted to get out of the car. I wanted the passersby to see what was happening.

As I stepped out of the car another officer pulled up in front of my car. This officer was a black guy. He took one look at me and had that “Oh No” look on his face. He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone. After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic.

I said all of that to say this: do you see how quickly this could have turned for the worse?

Now I know that there are many great officers, patrolmen and security guys out there. I am aware of that. But although we have made significant strides with racial profiling in this country, the world needs to know that we are still being racially profiled, and until this situation has improved greatly, I’m not sure how a murder in Florida can be protected by a “stand your ground law.”

And in another case that I have been screaming at the top of my lungs about, also in Florida, is the case of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos, a young black man and a young Mexican man. Eight years ago, in Naples, FL, they were both put in the back of Deputy Steve Calkins’ police car and never heard from again.

They were never arrested, never brought to jail. They were put into the back of Deputy Calkins’ car and never heard from again. And to this day Deputy Steve Calkins is a free man.

I guess it’s time to march in Naples now.

RACIAL PROFILING SHOULD BE A HATE CRIME INVESTIGATED BY THE FBI!!!

That way local government can’t make the decision on whether or not these people get punished.”

This post was written by admin | April 3, 2012

Viewers got a first glimpse of Whitney Houston’s upcoming film Monday when NBC’s “Today” show premiered a trailer for the much-awaited release.

A remake of the 1976 original, “Sparkle” stars Houston as the mother of three girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and drug addiction.

Houston, who died in February after her own battle with drug abuse, was poised for a movie comeback in “Sparkle” 20 years after her defining film portrayal in “The Bodyguard.” She also served as an executive producer of “Sparkle.”

The brief trailer displayed the daughters in performance and Houston telling them, “I always knew you had the gift.” Houston was not seen singing in the movie trailer. 

“Sparkle” is scheduled for release Aug. 17.

This post was written by admin | April 3, 2012

Legendary gospel singer Vickie Winans has added another element to her already busy singing career! “The Comedianna” (her trademarked definition of a hilarious story-telling Queen), is hitting the road to promote 2 newly recorded Comedy DVDs, entitled, “Hilarious And Unplugged” Volumes 1 and 2. The stand-up comedy projects will be available in stores, on her website and at every stop along the projected 40-city tour that will take the charismatic singer into churches, theaters, and other venues. The tour kicks off on Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012 at the 10,000-seater, House of Hope/Salem Baptist Church Worship Center, in Chicago where Rev. James Meeks is the Pastor, and continues throughout the summer.
 
Both DVDs were recorded on December 7, 2011 to multiple standing-room-only audiences at Detroit’s Upper Room Complex. During nearly four hours of stage time, Winans told one sidesplitting story after another, from her life’s experiences to growing up with 11 siblings. She had everybody from dignified Bishops to the city’s fire marshal doubled over with laughter. During the evening, Winans performed a live version of her smash hits, “Shake Yourself Loose” and “How I Got Over” with her nephew, Tim Bowman Jr., and she also shot a live music video of her son Mario Winans’ “Overcomer” remix. These songs are included on the DVDs that are rated “E” for Everybody.
 
A unique element to the tour is that Winans has purchased a luxury Sprinter van to transport the homeless in each city to be her special guests at each comedy show. The singer is currently in pre-production for the starring role as “Grace Avery” in an uplifting feature film surrounding the issue of homelessness entitled, “Amazing Grace,” which has heightened her sensitivity to the topic so much so that Winans has a newly formed foundation to help decrease homelessness in America. “My ultimate goal is to build homes and more shelters for the homeless,” says an enthusiastic Winans, “but until then, as many as the bus will hold will be my special guest VIPs for a night of laughter, food and a gift bag!”
 
Winans burst on the gospel music scene in 1985 with her signature smash “We Shall Behold Him.” She’s remained one of gospel music’s Top 10 artists with appearances on NBC Today and Oprah. She has appeared on the cover of Jet magazine, served as celebrity spokesperson for Daimler-Chrysler, McDonald’s, and Quaker Oats. Other hits include #1 songs “As Long As I Got King Jesus,” “Shake Yourself Loose” and “The Rainbow.” Visit www.vickiewinans.com for more information on Winans’ ventures and activities.

This post was written by admin | April 2, 2012

This week in Gospel there were a couple of albums that debuted new projects in the Billboard Top 10.  It’s starting to become common place for Gospel rappers in the top 10, and another one by the name of Swoope debuted at #6.  Veteran Gospel singer Stephen Hurd debuted his new project ‘O that Men Would Worship,’ coming in at #8.

First place once again goes to the compilation CD project WOW Gospel 2012.  Next week look for Take 6 and J.J. Hairston & Youthful Praise to make a splash on the charts.  

Look below for this weeks entire Top 10 list.

1 | WOW Gospel 2012
2 | Fred Hammond – God, Love & Romance
3 | William McDowell – Arise
4 | James Fortune & FIYA – Identity
5 | Maranatha! Gospel – 2012 Top Gospel Songs
6 | Swoope – Wake Up
7 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson…
8 | Stephen Hurd – O, That Men Would Worship
9 | Le’Andria Johnson – The Evolution of Le’Andria Johnson
10 | Isaac Carree – Uncommon Me

This post was written by admin | April 2, 2012