William McDowell, well known for bringing us one of the most powerful songs in recent times, “I Give Myself Away,” has returned with an all new two-CD set, ARISE, in stores Tuesday, November 8th. This prolific collection was recorded live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL at Christian Life Center and includes 23 compelling songs of worship, praise, authority, inspiration and revelation.

Judging by the seamless, no-holds-barred worship of ARISE, McDowell had a keen pulse on his vision for the project. A music minister at heart, he exhibits no-nonsense attitude about praise and worship music, sidestepping the typical conventions of album recording, from rehearsals and song selection. McDowell, worked with friends and collaborators on ARISE – among them, fellow worship leaders Martha Munizzi, Mary Alessi, and David and Nicole Binion, all of them veterans in leading the saints in song.

Prior to the live recording for ARISE, McDowell and his team made sure to spend a time of solace before the Lord – in fasting, prayer, community, and worship. By the time the worshippers hit the stage and without a big introduction or opening acts, it was clear their only intent was to create an atmosphere for the Lord to be pleased.

The results are awe-inspiring.  From the triumphant strains of the opening title track to the last lingering note of the closer, “I Won’t Go Back,” ARISE is one of the most fluid and Spirit-led displays of congregational worship in recent memory.

The first single “I Won’t Go Back” has started to make waves at radio – a powerful song of purpose inspired by, of all people, Obed-Edom, an obscure Bible character whose blessing from God was instrumental in revealing to King David the importance of pure and undefiled worship.

Other highlights of ARISE include the anthemic title track, a call-to-arms for the Body of Christ; the unifying “You Are God Alone,” “Song of Intercession,” with lyrics that remind worshippers that God is already working on our behalf; the gorgeous “Place of Worship,” a building ballad that expresses the freedom found in God’s presence; and “Overcomer” and “Standing,” each a duet with twin sisters Martha Munizzi and Mary Alessi, respectively. McDowell also revisits his hit “I Give Myself Away,” with an all-new live version that proved extraordinarily moving when the whole audience joined in.

“I’m praying for one thing specifically,” McDowell says as he looks back on the two-disc compilation, “and that is that the Lord will accept this worship.”

Independent of past, present and future accomplishments, Arise leaves no doubt that McDowell remains committed to the calling on his life to lead others to God’s throne.

ARISE will be in stores and online everywhere November 8th.

By Jessica Brooks BREATHEcast reporter

Known for speaking from his prerogative, singer Bobby Brown thinks he’s identified the reason for the split with his former R&B group New Edition – a lack of prayer.

Brown entered the music industry in 1980s with early pioneers of the boy band trend New Edition before embarking on a successful solo career in 1987. Having a strained relationship with New Edition, Brown wasn’t able to rebuild the broken relationship with his former group despite attempts on both sides.

To the surprise of many former fans, Brown revealed in an interview with Sister 2 Sister Magazine that the group is once again attempting to reunite but this time with added spirituality.

“We’re putting [New Edition] back together. I think the thing that was missing with us was prayer – us being able to pray together and understand our differences.”

Brown, who is the former husband of pop singer Whitney Houston, became a cultural icon during the late 80s stretching into the 90s of his solo music and acting career, recording top ten Billboard hits that led to a Grammy Award.

Brown’s career has been threatened by a history of substance abuse.  Brown recently visited BET’s The Mo’Nique Show with “Heads of State” tour mates and former band members Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, and spoke of having overcome his additions.

With his return to music, in addition to the surprising reunion, Brown also has publicly acknowledged that the group also plans to capture the reunion with a reality TV show.

Tyler Perry has gotten plenty of criticism from those who feel his popular movies like “Madea’s Family Reunion” border on buffoonery and don’t reflect well on the black community.

But on Wednesday night, the filmmaker was honored by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. The civil rights leader lashed out at Perry’s black detractors, calling them “proper Negroes” who don’t understand regular black folk.

“This man never apologized for who we were,” said Sharpton, who is also a cable TV host, at his second annual Triumph Awards.

Sharpton said Perry has given work to many black actors who have been ignored by Hollywood, and has created an empire on his own terms: “The ultimate pride is where you don’t have to bend and adjust for others to accept you. … He didn’t go mainstream, he brought mainstream to us.”

Perry was given the Chairman’s Award. Also honored: Chris Rock and his wife, Malaak, and California’s attorney general, Kamala Harris. Perry — whose films include “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” ‘’Why Did I Get Married?” and “Daddy’s Little Girls” — was recently named by Forbes magazine as the highest-earning man in Hollywood. He writes, directs and produces his films and sometimes stars in them; he’s best known for his Madea character, the foul-mouthed, sassy grandmother who has appeared in many of his movies.

He is also responsible for the TBS comedy show “House of Payne.”

But Perry’s films rarely get critical acclaim, and some in the black community have accused him of perpetuating stereotypes.

Perry acknowledged his detractors as he thanked Sharpton for the award.

“When you start out and you’re doing things and you’re trying to do the right things, and you find these attacks happening, and you try and figure out, ‘How do you handle this? How do you deal with this? How do you go there?’ So to have someone like you who has done all that you have done … and have inspired and encouraged and fought for so many people, to stand here and to give me this award, this is really, really awesome,” Perry said.

Perry said black people first gave him success, and he has sought to tell his community’s stories. He accused his critics of trying to remove themselves from their roots.

“I stayed with who we are, and what I wish I could get us to understand as a people is that instead of getting your education and running from us, you need to ground and root yourself in who we are. Every other culture in this country knows the value of us as black people but we don’t know it ourselves,” he said.

Click Here to Read the full story by the Washington Post

His Tae Bo fitness system has helped millions of people around the world get in shape and feel great.

According to the BCNN.com, in 1975 he became the first Amateur Athletic Union champion, a title he won five times. The AAU is a multi-sport organization that is dedicated to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.

By age 16, he had earned a black belt in karate and went on to earn a spot on the U.S. Karate team which won 36 gold medals in international competition. He became the captain of that karate team in 1980. A seventh-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, the dominant Korean version of karate, he holds black belts in five other forms of martial arts. He also became the 1984 Massachusetts Golden Gloves Champion and the Tri-State Golden Gloves Champion of Champions.

In 1988 and 1989, while pursuing a career in acting he felt that something was missing in his life. As he continued to become more successful, he said “I was always searching” for something else.

One day a friend suddenly invited him to church. They went together and he was so impacted by the Lord that he “received Jesus the same day.” When his wife, Gayle, saw the change in him over a period of months, she gave her life to Christ, too and their children soon followed. When people ask him his secret to success, he says that it was when he dedicated his life to the Lord that his career took off. His name is Billy Blanks.

Read the full story here.

Things are continuing to get worse Bishop Eddie Long.  But this time you have to wonder if the plaintiffs are suing the wrong man.  According to The Christian Post.com Ten members of Bishop Eddie Long’s New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, have filed a civil suit against the megachurch pastor for allegedly using his influence to force them into investing in a million-dollar Ponzi, or pyramid, scheme.

The lawsuit, according to The Wall Street Journal, claims that Long and New Birth “marketed, sponsored and hosted ‘Wealth Tour Live'” seminars in October 2009. It was through these seminars that congregants were encouraged to invest in a scheme that promised 20 percent yearly returns, according to the lawsuit.

Instead of getting returns on their investments, claimants allege that their money, totaling more than $1 million, was instead diverted to a failing company.

Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church are reportedly listed as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed Wednesday in DeKalb County State Court.

WSJ’s Kelly Greene reports that the New Birth senior pastor and his church used their “confidential/fiduciary relationship” to “coerce” the 10 church members into investing with Ephren Taylor Jr., the former chief executive of City Capital Corp. in Chicago.

The complaint reportedly cites Long as telling the congregation during Taylor’s visit that he was “responsible for everyone” he brought before church members and for “what they say.” Long and New Birth allegedly were paid by Taylor.

Long’s spokesman, Art Franklin, told WSJ that the New Birth Missionary Baptist minister has already asked Taylor “to do the right thing by quickly resolving this matter with a positive outcome.”

Earlier this year, Long was shown in a YouTube video asking City Capital and Taylor to “do what’s right” and refund money that was invested by members of his Atlanta-based church. Long said the money was not returned after the investments went “sour.”

Asking members of his 25,000-strong congregation to back his appeal, Long said to Taylor, “You’re a great man … Let’s settle this so that these families can move on.”

Taylor responded to Long’s claims in February, calling them a “direct character assassination.” He asserted that he has been in cooperation with the City Capital’s legal team even after his departure as the CEO and has helped to ensure that investors at New Birth each received a resolution package to resolve any outstanding issues.

He also noted that Long and his church received “a percentage of product sales.”

According to the WSJ, the civil lawsuit filed against Long and New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is “one of the highest-profile accusations to date of so-called religious affinity fraud, in which potential investors are targeted through a faith-based organization.”

Joseph Borg, a securities commissioner in Alabama, told the WSJ, “I’ve seen more money stolen in the name of God than any other way.”

Borg noted that 70 percent of his cases involve the type of fraud Long and his church are being accused of, and that nearly half of those cases, when in the South, “have a religious angle.”

According to a guide book highlighting affinity fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission describes the term as “investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups, often religious or ethnic communities.”

SEC adds that affinity fraudsters “often enlist respected community or religious leaders from within the group to spread the word about the scheme, by convincing those people that a fraudulent investment is legitimate and worthwhile. Many times, those leaders become unwitting victims of the fraudster’s ruse.”

The Securities and Exchange Commission highlights on its website dozens of cases involving Christians, African-Americans, Latino-Americans, the elderly and disabled and others being cheated through affinity scams.

Long, linked to the Word of Faith “prosperity gospel” movement, often encourages the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church congregation to “be fruitful, multiply, replenish, subdue, rule and take dominion.”

This current lawsuit is just the latest in a string of legal battles for Long, who in late September, requested repayment of settlement money from three men who have accused him of abusing his spiritual authority to lure them into sexual relationships.

Long has also come to the defense of a former security guard accused in a burglary at the church and has also recently settled in a case involving default of a loan.

In early September, Long told the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office to dismiss burglary charges against Anthony Boyd, a former New Birth security guard who was also among three young men accused of stealing about $100,000 worth of jewelry and electronics from the church in 2010, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Not long after, the Baptist minister reached a settlement in a property lawsuit over a default on a $2 million loan he took out in August 2007 to buy a local gymnasium.

Most recently, Long has said that he wants back some of the settlement money he gave Jamal Parris, Spencer LeGrande and Centino Kemp, who have all accused him of abusing his spiritual authority to engage them in sexual acts. The settlement had a confidentiality agreement, which Long’s attorneys say the young men violated when they spoke publicly about the allegations. Long was reportedly seeking at least $900,000 in repayment from the young men.

Read More on The Christian Post.com 

Via Gospel Pundit.com

Mali Music will be featured on an episode of 106 & Park next week!

If you’re in the NYC area, get to the taping on Monday, October 24th at 1pm ET. You can request tickets right here.

If you’re not in NYC, or can’t make it, tune-in to 106 & Park on Tuesday, October 25th, at 6pm ET to watch Mali.

For years, Mali Music has been a bit of an underground sensation in gospel music. He was adored by fans and respected by successful artists. But it wasn’t until he performed on this year’s BET Awards as part of BET’s Music Matters campaign that he received what many would consider national– and even mainstream– recognition. Happy for him!

Check him out on Tuesday on 106 & Park and, if you’re in the NYC area, go to the taping!

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain wrote last December in a RedState column titled “The Perfect Conservative” that Jesus was killed by a “liberal court.”

The column claims Jesus as a conservative. “He helped the poor without one government program. He healed the sick without a government health care system. He feed the hungry without food stamps,” wrote Cain. “For three years He was unemployed, and never collected an unemployment check.”

Cain then describes Jesus’ death:

But they made Him walk when He was arrested and taken to jail, and no, He was not read any Miranda Rights. He was arrested for just being who He was and doing nothing wrong. And when they tried Him in court, He never said a mumbling word. He didn’t have a lawyer, nor did He care about who judged Him. His judge was a higher power. The liberal court found Him guilty of false offences and sentenced Him to death, all because He changed the hearts and minds of men with an army of 12.

According to CNN, Cain belongs to Antioch Baptist Church North in Atlanta. A few senior members of the church said they don’t necessarily agree with Cain’s views but respect him.

Cain described his faith to the Associated Press recently, and vowed to challenge Rick Perry for the evangelical vote. “People are realizing that he is not the only Christian conservative in this race,” Cain said.

“You know, I don’t wear my Christian faith, which has been my faith since I was 10 years old, on my forehead,” he said. “But people can see it on my website and when they read my credentials they can see I’m a staunch Christian conservative, and they are saying ‘wait a minute.”’

Cain also said over the summer that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney could not win the presidential election because of his Mormonism. “It doesn’t bother me. But I do know it is an issue for a lot of southerners. If you don’t win South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, you can’t win the nomination.”

Cain ended his RedState column on a cheery note: “We must be the Defending Father and the defenders of the perfect conservative. That’s why I proudly wish one and all a very Merry Christmas!”

Dr. Alveda C. King, Founder of King for America commented today on the newly dedicated MLK Memorial Site. The MLK quotes on the 450 foot wall surrounding the Mountain of Despair and Stone of Hope have received scrutiny and praises from visitors. 

“This missed opportunity to carve GOD’s Name on the wall still presents another opportunity. Many people don’t know that Uncle M. L. was a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It stands to reason that they have never heard of his devotion to Jesus Christ and his message of God’s agape love. I wasn’t consulted on the design of the site, still I see this as a teaching moment to encourage people to read King’s sermons.”

During a pre-dedication tour, Alveda asked why the name of God wasn’t inscribed in some of the quotes. She was told that the effort was to be global and universal in scope and that the hope was that people would depart the site wanting to know more about her uncle. “In the Old Testament, God carved His Word on stones. Today, His Word is inscribed in the human heart. While this as a politically correct versus spiritually aware type of issue, I also see this as an opportunity to witness the love of God and to invite people to read Uncle M. L.’s sermons and learn of his ministry.”

During the dedication activities, Mrs. Naomi King, widow of Rev. A. D. King placed a creation video, a copy of The Beloved Community letter and Alveda’s book HOW CAN THE DREAM SURVIVE in the MLK Time Capsule. Alveda was there to support her mother.

The Priests for Life Pastoral Associate was also reflective on President Obama’s commemorative speech on October 16, 2011 when the MLK Memorial Park Site was dedicated. “For an unforgettable moment in human history, President Obama laid aside the political gauntlet to simply remember a man who dedicated his life in service to humanity. I really appreciated the gesture, and President Obama is in my prayers.”

King who recently announced that she prefers “policy over politics” went on to note that her political views are different from the President’s in that she is pro-life and supports procreative marriage, while President Obama supports programs that seem to favor anti-life efforts, with Planned Parenthood being at the top of the list.

Courtesy of Sheilah Belle:

During the “Women Thou Art Loosed” conference featuring Bishop T.D. Jakes, one of America’s best known preachers, speaking to a crowd of women at Reliant Stadium, Thursday evening.

Paula White’s career as a pastor who helps others overcome tough times is built on life experience. Name the problem and, chances are, she’s survived it.

In her life she’s coped with suicide (her father’s), alcoholism (her mother’s), sexual abuse (her own, as a child), divorce (twice), the loss of a child (her stepdaughter) and a lengthy Senate probe of her finances (she was cleared in 2011).

If you’re a woman and can identify with even one of those things, White hopes you’ll visit her and other speakers at Bishop T.D. and Serita Jakes’ popular Woman, Thou Art Loosed conference next week at Lakewood Church. White, a best-selling author and pastor of the Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla., will be the keynote speaker on Friday night.

“My ministry is an out flowing of the places I’ve recovered from in life,” White said. “In a way I have never been able to before, I’m going to help them find the path. I can be a poster child that if God can do it for me, I know he can do it for you, too.”

Bishop Jakes launched WTAL – the title is drawn from Luke 13:12 – nearly 20 years ago as a Sunday school topic at his small West Virginia church. His congregation’s response was so positive it became a series that turned into a book, stage play, Grammy-nominated CD, movie and a three-day symposium that has drawn millions of participants. When the James’s brought the conference to Houston in 2003, it drew 43,000 people to Reliant Stadium.

The conference has drawn crowds during a good economy and bad, but Serita Jakes says their message is consistent: that God can “free you from anything that has you bound or tied up.”

“God speaks that word to you that there is hope,” she said. “It’s a message of liberation from anything that would keep you from reaching your potential in your education, relationship pursuits, occupational pursuits, health pursuits. It’s such a blanket message, and from the scriptures.”

The Nevels Sisters are excited to announce the release of their first major-label CD, It’s My Time, through Central South Distribution under the leadership of Vicki Mack Lataillade. The CD featuring 11 songs introduces their “new traditional thump” sound and is available in stores and online November 1, 2011.

“I was just amazed by their talent and energy,” says Lataillade, Lataillade Entertainment and Chief Marketing Officer at Central South Distribution, who struck the deal with MoLife Entertainment to bring the Nevels Sisters under her direction at Lataillade Entertainment. “The Nevels Sisters possess the ability to redefine the Gospel genre and our industry with their distinctive, fresh sound, “new traditional thump.”

Their unique style can be heard on the first single, “Company,” and their current single, “title here,” which is impacting Gospel radio now. The Nevels Sisters are a mix of traditional and contemporary Gospel with a high-energy rhythm.

“Our goal is to make a great impact on people,” says Debra of the Nevels Sisters. “Each of us feels that it is an honor and a privilege that we have this opportunity, and we don’t plan to waste a minute of it.”

Natives of Youngstown, Ohio, the group is made up of four biological sisters: Debra, Veneice, Gail and April. Their singing ministry dates back to their father’s church, Nevels Temple Church of God in Christ, where they often led the congregation in praise and worship. Recognizing their talents, their father took them on the road to further develop their skills, which paved the way for their music ministry today.

“The time that we spent on the road has really prepared us for where we are today,” says Gail. “At first, we were unaware of our gifts as artists, but now we are filled with great confidence as we share those gifts in praise of the Lord.”

Central South Distribution is an independent music distributor, and the world’s largest distributor of Gospel music. Central South distributes music to all retailers including other distributors, chain stores and independent retailers.

For more information, visit www.thenevelssisters.com or www.centralsouthdistribution.com.