We are the only Church in America that has hired a full time staff person to come and get you… if you skip church… We have too many people who are making too many excuses when it comes to church attendance.
We’ve hired Dog the Bounty Hunter who is a professional bounty hunter to lead this ministry. So the next time Sunday rolls around and for some weak reason you choose to skip church… expect a knock on your door.
I know some of you actually doubt that this story is true, but I guarantee you that no matter how important that I personally feel about people skipping church, I know that GOD is FAR MORE CONCERNED WITH OUR CHURCH ATTENDENCE THAN I WILL EVER BE.
Jesus actually gave his life for the Church. Let’s make sure that we never give Dog the Bounty hunter a chance to come visit us….
*Parts of this story were written with a “grain of salt.”
On Friday night, I attended my son’s basketball game, and as I sat in the stands I noticed that to the right of me sat one of the most famous movie stars in the world… I don’t want to mention his name, but my guess is that he makes about 20 million dollars per movie. He is an A-list actor and one of my favorites.
To my left was a lady by the name of Ms. Cue. Ms. Cue is a middle school teacher in South L.A., and 70 percent of her students are foster kids. In fact, 70 percent of the entire school is made up of foster kids. I don’t know what she makes, but I would guess somewhere between 30 to 40 thousand dollars.
Now even if my numbers are a tad bit off, it still speaks to part of the problem with our society. The movie star makes millions PER MOVIE and our school teachers make thousands PER YEAR. I would also like to add that the value and worth of that Christian, God-fearing teacher deserves to be paid FAR more than ANY actor or actress. I am not against anyone making a lot of money; that is not my issue. My problem is that our priorities as a nation are reflected in these numbers.
Recently, Kobe Bryant was suspended for one game, and he had to forfeit his salary for that one game. It was over $160,000.00 dollars FOR ONE GAME! Meanwhile, the firefighters, the police officers, the nurses and the school teachers barely get by. Something seems wrong. I wish I knew the answer. But I wanted to write and thank Ms. Cue and all the other school teachers in our world who could easily be making more money in other professions, but they have chosen to serve our children and our nation by teaching in our public and private schools.
May each of you be blessed for your service and your sacrifice.
Blair Underwood (The voice of Jesus) West Angeles Church of God in Christ Cathedral
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Ulmer
Last night was a memorable evening at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ Church where there was a LIVE performance of God’s Word being read. The “Bible Experience” is a collection of audio CDs in which 250 plus people read in dramatic fashion the Word of God. As I have shared earlier, my involvement in this project was to just help it get started. I was told at the outset that they couldn’t find anyone to help them get it off the ground. But when I was pitched the idea I KNEW I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INVOLVED and I KNEW THAT GOD WOULD MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN. Sure enough the Dream became a REALITY. Here’s a list of some of the participants. Angela Bassett, Cuba Gooding Jr, Samuel L. Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Blair Underwood, Denzel Washington, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Levar Burton, James Brown, Star Jones, Shirley Caesar, Tatyana Ali, Bill Bellamy, Tyrese Gibson, Donnie McClurkin, John Salley, Marvin Winans and my dear friend Bishop Kenneth C. Ulmer.
The people who did MOST of the work on this project are Ron Belk, Kyle Bowser, Lou “Buster” Brown, Robi Reed, Nancy Sprow and sweet Chip Hurd.
When you listen to each text, it’s as if YOU ARE THERE when it’s happening. I love listening through the book of Acts and I love the sections at the end of the Gospels where the readers portray the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. IT IS POWERFUL.
You can order yours right now at http://www.callonjesus.com/ It will be a gift of a lifetime to give this Christmas. Remember that God’s Word does NOT return void.
I only wish they would have let ONE skinny 6’5″ white Pastor read one little chapter. But Ron kept telling me no. I guess I’ll have to sit this one out… But you know what??? I’m just thankful to be a small part of this project and I know that when I am dead and gone from this old earth that this project will still be changing people’s hearts and lives. And that’s ALL that MATTERS. And all God’s people said????? Amen and Amen!
Yes… we had Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson as guest host for Shepherd Idol. If you were present then you know that Pastor Bodacious Tim Winters edged out Michael North to become Shepherds Idol 2006. (I can’t believe I just wrote that). But everyone who attended the volunteer appreciation banquet had a great time watching the staff make fun of themselves. A BIG thanks to Steve and Kim Tarlton and Danny Furikawa for ALL of the editing and work done putting the show together. I also want to thank Shawn Parr for being the M.C. and I’m still amazed at how BAD some of our staff can sing. I am proud of the staff for humiliating themselves in front of the world. But it proves the point that we would do ANYTHING to show our appreciation for all of those who serve in all the various ministries here at Shepherd. I hope that each of you will continue to serve because of your love for Jesus.
