The McDonald's Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour concerts are free. The only exception is the McDonald's Gospelfest that will be held in Newark, NJ. Tickets for that event are still available. 

A number of Gospel artists will be joining Walker at various cities throughout the tour: Myron Butler and Anthony Evans in Dallas; Canton Jones in Atlanta and Jackson, MS; Nikki Potts in Los Angeles; and 21:03 in Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago. 

Tour dates and locations include: 

o June 11 – Atlanta, GA (Ray of Hope Christian Church)
o June 14 – Jackson, MS (Jackson Convention Complex)
o June 16 – Philadelphia, PA (Deliverance Evangelistic Church)
o June 18 – Newark, NJ (McDonald’s Gospelfest – Prudential Center) *not a free concert
o June 21 – Detroit, MI (Greater Grace Temple)
o June 23 – Chicago, IL (Christ Universal Temple)
o June 25 – Dallas, TX (Friendship West Baptist Church)
o July 22 – Los Angeles, CA (West Angeles COGIC)
o September 10 – Washington, DC (Black Family Reunion Celebration – National Mall) 

Additional information and a tour schedule can be found at www.365Black.com.

Do you plan on checking out the tour?

BET.com

Tonight was the season finale of season 3 of BET’s Sunday Best. Congratulations to LeAndria Johnson for winning the competition and the new car!

Here is a recap of the finale:

Hezekiah Walker opened the show singing Souled Out. It was a very good performance. It was consistent with that choir sound that we have come to know and love.

Each of the final two contestants performed a medley from songs that they have sang throughout the competition.

LeAndria’s medley consisted of:
-I Love the Lord
-He Was There All the Time
-In the Midst of It All

This performance was a great ending to a spectacular season of high quality singing. Week after week her singing was consistently amazing.

Elder Goldwire McLendon’s medley consisted of:
-Yes, Jesus Loves Me
-The Battle is Not Yours
-All Over Me, Keeping Me Alive

His performance was passionate and spirit filled. I’m paraphrasing here, but Yolanda Adams basically said that if he doesn’t win, then she would put her support behind Elder McLendon getting a CD released.

Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, Kirk Franklin introduced Donald Lawrence. We received a great treat when the top three finalists from last year took the stage and each sang one of Donald Lawrence’s songs.

Jessica Reedy -Seasons
Latice Crawford-Encourage Yourself
Y’Anna Crawley- The Blessings of Abraham

All three ladies joined together in the end and sang Let the Word Do the Work. When most people reflect on last season, Latice Crawford often gets overlooked. In case anyone forgot, Latice reminded us that she has some serious chops.

Kim Burrell has done a great job mentoring the contestants all season. During the finale, she sang a tribute to the contestants that were eliminated. It was special! She called out many of the contestants by name and you could see that they were deeply touched by her singing.

In the end, LeAndria Johnson was announced the winner. She closed the show with her new single I Shall Leap Into My Destiny. I enjoyed the song, but I can’t wait to hear what it sounds like a couple of months from now after she has had the opportunity to practice it more.

Even though he didn’t win, Elder McLendon doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He did an outstanding job. I’m sure there is definitely a place in the Gospel industry for him.

Once again, congratulations to LeAndria Johnson. I can’t wait to see how the Lord uses her in the upcoming months and years.

What do you think about the outcome? Post a comment and let me know what you think.

By all accounts the 25th Annual Stellar Awards was a great show. It appears the Hezekiah Walker and Vickie Winans were the big winners of the night.

Although I couldn’t make it, I was fortunate enough to get frequent updates from many of the people that I follow on Twitter. I am grateful to these men and women for keeping me and thousands of other people updated.

I started reading updates on Twitter on Friday (1/15) morning. By Friday afternoon, I was having serious regrets and the actual show was on Saturday. The reports I was getting from the BMI luncheon were enough to make me want to be there. It seemed like everyone was having a really good time. As I looked at the updates roll in my computer screen and my cell phone I was this close to checking on plane tickets and hotel accommodations in Nashville.

I completely understand that it was not God’s intent for me to attend this year. However, I am praying that he will allow me to join in on the fun next year if it is his will.

Watch the Stellar Awards on TV
The Gospel Music Channel will be airing the Stellar Awards on February 28 at 8 PM EST.

You might be able to see the show on a local network (depending on where you live) before then. You can check the Stellar Awards website at www.thestellarawards.com. At of the time and date of this post, the information of local listings for 2010 had not been updated, but I’m sure they will be soon.

For More Stellar Awards Info
If you are looking for more information about the Stellar Awards, I suggest that you get some information from the people who were actually there. Check out the Stellar Awards coverage on this site:
GospelFlava.com

I know that there are many female directors who do great work serving in their local churches. Why haven’t we seen more female directors moving to the professional side of the industry and releasing albums?

Is there some type of double standard? Are record labels afraid to sign female directors?

I think we expect female artists to be outstanding singers. When they are not we tend to de-value their overall talents and gifts. We do not have these same standards for men. I love their ministries, but if Kirk Franklin, Donald Lawrence, Hezekiah Walker and Ricky Dillard were women, I don’t think industry professionals and consumers would openly accept them, like they do now. 

Am I completely off base on this? What do you think is the reason why we don’t see more women leading choirs and ensembles?

In case you forgot what the “Girl Director” looked like, he is a clip of Natalie Wilson and S.O.P.

Dear Community Choir Director,

First of all, I’d like to commend you on making the decision to start a ministry. Being part of a community choir can be a very special thing. You get the opportunity to travel to different places and minister to a variety of different people. Before you start or continue with your ministry, I think there are a few things you should know:

1. This is God’s ministry. It is not yours. Please treat it with extreme care and respect.

2. You should only pursue this ministry if you have a heart and passion for conveying the gospel to others. If you embark on this ministry in order to pursue fortune and fame you may have a hard time finding lasting success.

3. Your choir members are God’s children. Please treat them with care and respect also.

4. Understand your choir member’s priorities. God is first, then family, work, and their home church. Your choir comes after all of those things. If you don’t accept your place in the pecking order you may lose a number of choir members.

5. Always be yourself. Do not try to be like Kirk Franklin, Hezekiah Walker, Tye Tribbett or Ricky Dillard. Imitation will not progress your ministry.

6. Try to be creative when choosing a name for your choir. The following terms have been used extensively: new, nu, praise, of Christ, for Christ, friends, company, and singers. Challenge yourself to come up with something different.

7. It is important that you are prepared for choir rehearsals. Lack of preparation will cause you to lose choir members quickly.

8. Know the abilities and dynamics of your choir. There are some songs that some choirs just do not sound good singing.

9. Please make sure that you and your choir are active participants in the services you attend. It is not good to sit there like zombies and then try to pump up the crowd when it is your turn to minister. You’re not really impressing anyone or winning over any new fans when you behave like that. In addition, that is not a good way to honor God.

10. When you participate in concerts, please remember that you are there to minister in song. You are not there to preach and give a 30 minute sermon. Often times there are other choirs on the program.

11. In the end, the anointing of God will make all of the difference. Without the anointing, it won’t matter how good your choir sings or how good your band is.

When it gets down to it, if you acknowledge God and follow him with all of your heart, you will be blessed. I am praying that God will continue to increase your ministry.

God bless,

Cliff Holmes

Is there anything else you think should be added to this list? Please let me know.