Family Does Matter
By Carol Price-Williams
There's a
cynical saying that most of us would agree with; you can choose your friends
but you can't choose your family. But Pastor Patrick E. Winfield Jr. has an
optimistic answer to that observation - there's hope.
T.D.
Jakes, pastor of the 30,000-member Potter’s House in Dallas launched its Fort
Worth campus three years ago. January 13, 2013 was the grand opening. Pastor
Winfield said the goal of the Ft. Worth campus is to revitalize the Woodhaven
area, which is afflicted with high crime rates, by being an active part of the
community and contributing solutions.
Through his
twenty-one years of experience in ministry and education, Pastor Winfield
recognized a significant need for the church to actively engage in supplying and
supporting useful tools and skills to access, develop and maintain a healthy
"modern" family dynamic.
Pastor
Winfield led the Potter's House of Ft. Worth in hosting a Family Enrichment
Conference - The 'Christian' Modern Family (Oct. 18 - 20, 2013) with the goal
of strengthening and reclaiming one of our nations’ most fragile
institutions—families. But, this was not your 1950's Father Knows
Best or Leave it to Beaver
kinda family conference. Participants gained practical tools needed to survive
and thrive in our modern complex society. From conversations with married
couples, singles and youth, the conference addressed subjects including sex and
blended families all from a faith-based yet realistic and transparent
perspective.
For example,
I was fortunate to sit and listen to Sarah Jakes' session for singles
,Colliding With Destiny (also the title of her book which is to be released
April 1, 2014...more about that in Part 2). I was surprised how open and honest
she was about her journey from shame and isolation as a fourteen year old
pregnant daughter of a prominent minister to becoming a confident self-loving
independent young lady. Sarah got her inspiration from Ruth… but again I'll
write about this more in part 2, but I just want to say...I was inspired.
I asked
Pastor Winfield what he wanted the general audience to take away from this
conference and he said, "I want the participants to have a deeper and
greater understanding of the definition and purpose of the family and why it
exits. There is a purpose in God bringing families together. The first
institution God ever created was not the church but the family. From strong
families come stronger communities, stronger school systems and stronger
societies. If one cornerstone is broken, if the family is broken..., so are all
the other institutions".
Pastor
Winfield believes that we are called to be and to show the image of God's
expression of love, relationships, duty, commitment and covenant in the earth.
He categorizes these images as being a wife, a husband, a man, a woman, single,
married and as a child/youth. Everyone has a purpose and responsibility to live
up to that purpose according to the will and grace of God.
Photo of
Pastor Patrick E. Winfield Jr. and family from http://tphfw.org/our-pastor/
Photo of
Sarah Jakes from http://exhale.aspire.tv/content/sarah-jakes
New Season New Partnerships
Hey Everybody! I am
so excited about this new season of LadyLight’s Spotlight. The show is dedicated to the young and the
young at heart some of my favorite people TEENAGERS! J I really believe God has a special plan for
them in this season and I believe He wants to reveal to them in detail the
culture of life and light within His Kingdom.
Therefore, the show will continue to spotlight life and light in the
Kingdom of God for those teens who know there is more & want more when it
comes to their music, films, and reading!
Each week I’ll be introducing the show’s partners new and
old. These folks are leading the way in
creativity and innovation in their chosen ministries and I’m excited to share
them with both the young and the young at heart! So let’s get started…..
This week’s partner
reveal as you heard on the show is:
Beats By Octavia
(BBO)
I’ve been a fan of this online destination for a long time
and I dare anyone to find someone online who carries more diverse beats than
BBO for the Christian market. Current
producers include Octavia Harris (CEO & Founder), Doc Sizzo, Heir Beatz,
PLM, Cameron Joy (also a contributing vocalist for hooks), DJ Bank, & Mach
1. The multiple music genres featured read like the alphabet from Alternative
to Underground and everything in between.
Octavia started producing in 1999 and started the company
full-time online in January 2012. Although she is an artist as well (www.octaviaharris.com), she states in
an interview on Fusemix TV (http://youtu.be/WL6qoQwpYMI) that under the influence of the Lord’s leading, she
found herself focusing more on BBO “to help people get the production they need
inside the Kingdom to further advance His.” As the company grew so did the
producers and wow are they talented (http://beatsbyoctavia.com/meet-the-team/ ).
There’s decades of combined experience in music
production and mastering at BBO, so I am honored to have them on board as
partners this season! This season BBO
will exclusively provide beats for the show and will be featured in LadyLight’s
Spotlight’s instrumental segment.
Together, we also hope to offer discounts, contests, and free downloads
for all of you unique needs. Go check
them out and when you get there…. let them know LadyLight sent you by entering promo
code LLSAVE10 when you purchase a beat!
In Other Show Newz:
This week Octavia Harris was actually connected to the show
in two ways, because she is also the founder of the Heels & Kicks Music
Network (https://www.facebook.com/heelsandkicksmusic).
The group started as the Christian Female Christian Rap Network, and expanded
under the name of Heels & Kicks Music summer 2013.
Harris states the group “was created to unify women and
spread the love of Jesus through our music and testimonies.” The show features
a portion of an interview with Octavia not only about the group but also the
impact of Hip-Hop on women, the need for women in Hip-Hop, and news about her
upcoming project. You can hear an extended version of the interview below:
Producing the first episode, which featured women from Heels
& Kicks Music was a labor love. I
look forward to continued features of these anointed, powerful, & diverse
women of God in all of my shows!
