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EEW: You're so focused on the things
of God. Is it ever discouraging to see so
much moral depravity in the industry?
CeCe: Yeah, it’s gets discouraging
sometimes, but again, when you stay in
the word it reminds you that God
warned you of everything that’s going
on. But it does, it can kind of take the
wind out of you. But again, if you keep
your eyes on the Lord you realize His
standards never change. When I started
years ago, I was thrust out of the
bubble and I went out thinking that
everybody that said they were
Christians were Christians. I was only
about 16 or 17, I think I was maybe
about 17 at PTL (*PTL stands for "Praise The
Lord" or "People that Love"-- it was a conservative
religious group and TV network started by Jim and
Tammy Faye Bakker, and later collapsed due to
corruption) And I just realized wow
(laughs) What is this? What does that
mean? I thank God for the foundation
that I had because I never got
confused, and I just realized that people
are people, and some people are in
Christian music because they can’t do it
anywhere else or they just look at it as a
career, or they weren’t taught.
of God. Is it ever discouraging to see so
much moral depravity in the industry?
CeCe: Yeah, it’s gets discouraging
sometimes, but again, when you stay in
the word it reminds you that God
warned you of everything that’s going
on. But it does, it can kind of take the
wind out of you. But again, if you keep
your eyes on the Lord you realize His
standards never change. When I started
years ago, I was thrust out of the
bubble and I went out thinking that
everybody that said they were
Christians were Christians. I was only
about 16 or 17, I think I was maybe
about 17 at PTL (*PTL stands for "Praise The
Lord" or "People that Love"-- it was a conservative
religious group and TV network started by Jim and
Tammy Faye Bakker, and later collapsed due to
corruption) And I just realized wow
(laughs) What is this? What does that
mean? I thank God for the foundation
that I had because I never got
confused, and I just realized that people
are people, and some people are in
Christian music because they can’t do it
anywhere else or they just look at it as a
career, or they weren’t taught.
| --Text Continues Below-- |
Thy Kingdom Come (PureSprings Gospel), is CeCe Winans' eighth solo album; Producers include:
Tommy Sims, Luther "Mano" Hanes, Percy Bady, new comer Christopher Capehart and his
production partner Brannon Tunie, Cedric & Victor Caldwell, and even her own son, Alvin Love III.
Tommy Sims, Luther "Mano" Hanes, Percy Bady, new comer Christopher Capehart and his
production partner Brannon Tunie, Cedric & Victor Caldwell, and even her own son, Alvin Love III.
CeCe: And you realize that you have to love people and you
have to be the example that God wants you to be, because
lives are depending on that. Some people weren’t taught.
Some people didn’t have the heritage that we had. They didn’t
have the foundation, so God is depending on us to be that
light. So you get hit with it and the Lord ministers to you and
you realize you’re a part of the puzzle.
EEW: Well said; you know we’re going to be depending on
you then. What you’re saying is so needful.
CeCe: Yes, yes, and that’s why I want people to get this CD. I
want them to realize that we need each other. I need your
prayers, you need my prayers. We need to help each other.
Because separated we won’t make it, but in the spirit we’re
connected. We have to continue to pray and remember that
God takes all of our prayers up as a sweet-smelling aroma, and
because of that, His will is done in the earth, so just keep
praying for me.
EEW: Absolutely. Now CeCe, I know that you’ve just about
finished raising your babies, right? They’re grown aren't they.
CeCe: Yes, my son is 22. My daughter is 20. She really thinks
she’s grown! (Laughing) My husband and I were just praying
this morning, Lord just help us, even as [they are growing as]
young adults, to instill in them what they need to have because
they’re leaders for the next generation.
EEW: CeCe, share with our readers how you raised Godly
children in such a corrupt society. There’s so much more
coming against them that previous generations didn’t’ have to
deal with. How do you address that?
CeCe: Yes, sooo much more [coming against them]. Well, you
said it right. You have to address it. When I think back on how
I was raised, the world was definitely different—still, there’s
no new sins—but it wasn’t as prevalent. It wasn’t in your face.
It wasn’t bombarding you the way it is now, and uh, they (our
parents) didn’t talk about a lot of things growing up. Maybe
they should have, but maybe they felt like they didn’t have to
because of the teaching and keeping us in church. We came
out okay and came out strong, but today is a whole different
day and you have to address it first of all. Parents you have to
talk to your children. I don’t believe that kids should have
their privacy. Oh no, that’s my money [paying for you]!
EEW: Say it! I know that’s right. I paid for that door…open it
up! (Laughing)
CeCe: Exactly! (Laughing heartily) There were times when I
prayed, you know, as the Lord would send me in my kids’
rooms praying and looking through drawers and everything
else, finding things out, and rebuking the enemy. So you have
to address things and be involved in your kids’ lives. We can’t
allow the enemy to make us too busy—and speaking of busy
I’ve always traveled—but I always realized that my calling to
be a wife and a mother was my first calling. You know, and so
you have to have priorities and have God first, because if you
don’t have that relationship first as a woman [we won’t fulfill
our roles effectively]. Especially, as women, we’re nurturers.
We have to make sure that we get that lifeline. We have to
make sure we have that alone time with God in our Word and
in prayer, because if we don’t, then we’re not helping anybody
else. We won’t be able to nurture our marriages and our
children. So that’s the first thing.
And then you have to understand your role as a wife and a
mother, and how crucial that is. That’s the most important job
any of us will ever have, and so you have to take out time for
that. You have to make your kids talk, you know. A lot of
people don’t feel like they should make their kids [do
anything], but you have to make your kids talk. The enemy is
talking to them. You have to understand that. He’s talking to
them and so, you have to talk to them. So, I fight for a close
relationship with my kids even now, and I’ll share this with
you. My kids have been out of the house for a while now
because they stayed on campus at school. My son has his own
place and my daughter is sharing a house with other friends—
girls. So they’re on their own, but at the end of last year the
Lord just hit me to ask them about having a Bible study. And I
was like Lord, they’re probably gone come up with all the
excuses in the world [not to do it]. They gone be so busy
(Chuckling)… and I said to my husband, what if we have a
Bible study? What if we do that with the kids every two
weeks—every other Tuesday, you know, because I travel a lot
on the week-ends. So I asked them. I said can y’all—why don’t
we just start coming over and meeting every other week—and
they said yeah, okay. We said, we won’t take much of your
time. We’ll meet maybe for a half an hour, no longer than an
hour. And I have to say, a lot of times we’re in there so much
longer, but it’s because they’re talking about what they’re
facing, and their friends, and what they feel, and it’s like Lord I
thank you, you know? But it’s like little things like that that
you can do that the enemy will make you think, naw, that’s not
gone work, but if you do it—especially if the Lord gives you
the unction—but even if He doesn’t, it’s a good idea (Doing her
signature giggle).
have to be the example that God wants you to be, because
lives are depending on that. Some people weren’t taught.
Some people didn’t have the heritage that we had. They didn’t
have the foundation, so God is depending on us to be that
light. So you get hit with it and the Lord ministers to you and
you realize you’re a part of the puzzle.
EEW: Well said; you know we’re going to be depending on
you then. What you’re saying is so needful.
CeCe: Yes, yes, and that’s why I want people to get this CD. I
want them to realize that we need each other. I need your
prayers, you need my prayers. We need to help each other.
Because separated we won’t make it, but in the spirit we’re
connected. We have to continue to pray and remember that
God takes all of our prayers up as a sweet-smelling aroma, and
because of that, His will is done in the earth, so just keep
praying for me.
EEW: Absolutely. Now CeCe, I know that you’ve just about
finished raising your babies, right? They’re grown aren't they.
CeCe: Yes, my son is 22. My daughter is 20. She really thinks
she’s grown! (Laughing) My husband and I were just praying
this morning, Lord just help us, even as [they are growing as]
young adults, to instill in them what they need to have because
they’re leaders for the next generation.
EEW: CeCe, share with our readers how you raised Godly
children in such a corrupt society. There’s so much more
coming against them that previous generations didn’t’ have to
deal with. How do you address that?
CeCe: Yes, sooo much more [coming against them]. Well, you
said it right. You have to address it. When I think back on how
I was raised, the world was definitely different—still, there’s
no new sins—but it wasn’t as prevalent. It wasn’t in your face.
It wasn’t bombarding you the way it is now, and uh, they (our
parents) didn’t talk about a lot of things growing up. Maybe
they should have, but maybe they felt like they didn’t have to
because of the teaching and keeping us in church. We came
out okay and came out strong, but today is a whole different
day and you have to address it first of all. Parents you have to
talk to your children. I don’t believe that kids should have
their privacy. Oh no, that’s my money [paying for you]!
EEW: Say it! I know that’s right. I paid for that door…open it
up! (Laughing)
CeCe: Exactly! (Laughing heartily) There were times when I
prayed, you know, as the Lord would send me in my kids’
rooms praying and looking through drawers and everything
else, finding things out, and rebuking the enemy. So you have
to address things and be involved in your kids’ lives. We can’t
allow the enemy to make us too busy—and speaking of busy
I’ve always traveled—but I always realized that my calling to
be a wife and a mother was my first calling. You know, and so
you have to have priorities and have God first, because if you
don’t have that relationship first as a woman [we won’t fulfill
our roles effectively]. Especially, as women, we’re nurturers.
We have to make sure that we get that lifeline. We have to
make sure we have that alone time with God in our Word and
in prayer, because if we don’t, then we’re not helping anybody
else. We won’t be able to nurture our marriages and our
children. So that’s the first thing.
And then you have to understand your role as a wife and a
mother, and how crucial that is. That’s the most important job
any of us will ever have, and so you have to take out time for
that. You have to make your kids talk, you know. A lot of
people don’t feel like they should make their kids [do
anything], but you have to make your kids talk. The enemy is
talking to them. You have to understand that. He’s talking to
them and so, you have to talk to them. So, I fight for a close
relationship with my kids even now, and I’ll share this with
you. My kids have been out of the house for a while now
because they stayed on campus at school. My son has his own
place and my daughter is sharing a house with other friends—
girls. So they’re on their own, but at the end of last year the
Lord just hit me to ask them about having a Bible study. And I
was like Lord, they’re probably gone come up with all the
excuses in the world [not to do it]. They gone be so busy
(Chuckling)… and I said to my husband, what if we have a
Bible study? What if we do that with the kids every two
weeks—every other Tuesday, you know, because I travel a lot
on the week-ends. So I asked them. I said can y’all—why don’t
we just start coming over and meeting every other week—and
they said yeah, okay. We said, we won’t take much of your
time. We’ll meet maybe for a half an hour, no longer than an
hour. And I have to say, a lot of times we’re in there so much
longer, but it’s because they’re talking about what they’re
facing, and their friends, and what they feel, and it’s like Lord I
thank you, you know? But it’s like little things like that that
you can do that the enemy will make you think, naw, that’s not
gone work, but if you do it—especially if the Lord gives you
the unction—but even if He doesn’t, it’s a good idea (Doing her
signature giggle).
EEW: That’s awesome that you can do that with your kids,
and I know people look to you especially because of the work
you’re doing with young women through Always Sisters.
When did you know that was your calling? When did God
really birth that in you?
CeCe: You know, I’ve been wanting to do it for years. And I
think it hit me when I was very young first of all when I started
out doing music, and just doing music because I loved God
and I loved music, not really understanding the impact of
music until I started getting letters. And I started getting
letters when me and my brother [BeBe] went out. And you
start getting letters from kids telling you, you know, I was
contemplating committing suicide and instead of doing that I
heard your music and I decided to give life another try. Well
that’s scary. You’re like whoa! I’m just doing music, but
there’s also an awesome responsibility that comes with the
platform. So, over the years, the older I got, the letters kept
coming. And so I’ve been saying for years that I wanna do—I
gotta be able to give back—I gotta answer all these questions. I
gotta be able to pour into the next generation the way the
older generation poured into me, so the desire to do it became
stronger and stronger until a few years back, I guess 3 years
ago now, um, I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. You know
us as women, we want to wait for the perfect time and you
know, that will never come (laughing). The perfect time never
comes for you to let everybody know [what God has birthed in
you], and so, you know what, I just realized I can’t wait
another year. And that was the year of Katrina and I was
tempted to cancel [the Always Sisters Conference]. And I
looked at my girlfriend, well, actually my sister in Christ
Demetris, and I said, you know what, we’re gonna do this
conference. I don’t care if we get three girls. Let’s just start
changing lives and that year we had seven hundred girls!
EEW: Wow, that’s awesome CeCe.
CeCe: Oh God, when I tell you the conference is off the chain,
it’s off the chains! And last year we had about 3,000. In three
years it’s grown like that, but what I’m finding out is that the
kids, they want help. They want help. They want to see an
example. They want to hear the strict teaching, you know?
EEW: Yes, they want boundaries.
CeCe: They want boundaries. They want boundaries. Last
year we had an altar call for those who were struggling with
their sexuality and when I saw those babies running to the
altar I said, Lord where did our generation mess up? How did
this happen? It was amazing though. The Holy Spirit came in
there and baptized those girls, freed them, and people were
taking off engagement rings where they had girlfriends!
EEW: My God! God has used you to do so many awesome
things, but you didn’t grow up with the vision of being an
entrepreneur and a label executive did you?
CeCe: No, I was not one that wanted to do that. I was very
comfortable just being in the background, and my thing was
just that I wanted to be saved and wanted to please the Lord.
Um [I’m a] very simple person. [I] wanted to be wise and just
live a peaceful life--[that] was just my goal (chuckles). But I
had a desire to build [a company], ‘cause being out here in the
industry, doing what I do, you see the need for more Godly
companies, more people that would have the platform to tell
the truth and to love people and to help them, and to help
them understand what ministry is all about. So I had a desire
to start it back in ’95; I wanted to build something-didn’t know
what that was, but I knew that it was something that was
needed. And so really what happened when I started the
company was the company I was with folded, you know, it just
folded. And I found myself—you know where normally people
are sad or depressed—people have to understand that all
things work together for the good of those that love God. You
know, I was so joyful because I found myself in a position that
most people will never find themselves in. That is, at the
height of my career, I was free from all contracts. Free, totally
free!
EEW: And Alabaster Box went platinum.
CeCe: Exactly! (Laughing) Somebody had showed me that
song (Alabaster Box), gave me that song, a few years before
that and I was waiting for the right time to release it. Didn’t
know anything about my own company… didn’t know
anything about that, but I just knew I needed to place it on the
right CD. And that was the year, and the thing is, God even
used people who weren’t professing to be Christians. They
looked at me and said just do it yourself. I said what? What are
you talking about? And they were like, you can do it. Do it
yourself. And I looked over at my husband and was like, hey
let’s do it ourselves. I’ve been in contracts all my life. Let’s do
it ourselves, and we did it.
EEW: And you did it.
CeCe: Yes, and God just did it.
To learn when CeCe will be performing in a city near you, and
to purchase your copy of her brand new album, log on to her
site www.cecewinans.com or visit her on Myspace by clicking
here
and I know people look to you especially because of the work
you’re doing with young women through Always Sisters.
When did you know that was your calling? When did God
really birth that in you?
CeCe: You know, I’ve been wanting to do it for years. And I
think it hit me when I was very young first of all when I started
out doing music, and just doing music because I loved God
and I loved music, not really understanding the impact of
music until I started getting letters. And I started getting
letters when me and my brother [BeBe] went out. And you
start getting letters from kids telling you, you know, I was
contemplating committing suicide and instead of doing that I
heard your music and I decided to give life another try. Well
that’s scary. You’re like whoa! I’m just doing music, but
there’s also an awesome responsibility that comes with the
platform. So, over the years, the older I got, the letters kept
coming. And so I’ve been saying for years that I wanna do—I
gotta be able to give back—I gotta answer all these questions. I
gotta be able to pour into the next generation the way the
older generation poured into me, so the desire to do it became
stronger and stronger until a few years back, I guess 3 years
ago now, um, I realized I couldn’t wait any longer. You know
us as women, we want to wait for the perfect time and you
know, that will never come (laughing). The perfect time never
comes for you to let everybody know [what God has birthed in
you], and so, you know what, I just realized I can’t wait
another year. And that was the year of Katrina and I was
tempted to cancel [the Always Sisters Conference]. And I
looked at my girlfriend, well, actually my sister in Christ
Demetris, and I said, you know what, we’re gonna do this
conference. I don’t care if we get three girls. Let’s just start
changing lives and that year we had seven hundred girls!
EEW: Wow, that’s awesome CeCe.
CeCe: Oh God, when I tell you the conference is off the chain,
it’s off the chains! And last year we had about 3,000. In three
years it’s grown like that, but what I’m finding out is that the
kids, they want help. They want help. They want to see an
example. They want to hear the strict teaching, you know?
EEW: Yes, they want boundaries.
CeCe: They want boundaries. They want boundaries. Last
year we had an altar call for those who were struggling with
their sexuality and when I saw those babies running to the
altar I said, Lord where did our generation mess up? How did
this happen? It was amazing though. The Holy Spirit came in
there and baptized those girls, freed them, and people were
taking off engagement rings where they had girlfriends!
EEW: My God! God has used you to do so many awesome
things, but you didn’t grow up with the vision of being an
entrepreneur and a label executive did you?
CeCe: No, I was not one that wanted to do that. I was very
comfortable just being in the background, and my thing was
just that I wanted to be saved and wanted to please the Lord.
Um [I’m a] very simple person. [I] wanted to be wise and just
live a peaceful life--[that] was just my goal (chuckles). But I
had a desire to build [a company], ‘cause being out here in the
industry, doing what I do, you see the need for more Godly
companies, more people that would have the platform to tell
the truth and to love people and to help them, and to help
them understand what ministry is all about. So I had a desire
to start it back in ’95; I wanted to build something-didn’t know
what that was, but I knew that it was something that was
needed. And so really what happened when I started the
company was the company I was with folded, you know, it just
folded. And I found myself—you know where normally people
are sad or depressed—people have to understand that all
things work together for the good of those that love God. You
know, I was so joyful because I found myself in a position that
most people will never find themselves in. That is, at the
height of my career, I was free from all contracts. Free, totally
free!
EEW: And Alabaster Box went platinum.
CeCe: Exactly! (Laughing) Somebody had showed me that
song (Alabaster Box), gave me that song, a few years before
that and I was waiting for the right time to release it. Didn’t
know anything about my own company… didn’t know
anything about that, but I just knew I needed to place it on the
right CD. And that was the year, and the thing is, God even
used people who weren’t professing to be Christians. They
looked at me and said just do it yourself. I said what? What are
you talking about? And they were like, you can do it. Do it
yourself. And I looked over at my husband and was like, hey
let’s do it ourselves. I’ve been in contracts all my life. Let’s do
it ourselves, and we did it.
EEW: And you did it.
CeCe: Yes, and God just did it.
To learn when CeCe will be performing in a city near you, and
to purchase your copy of her brand new album, log on to her
site www.cecewinans.com or visit her on Myspace by clicking
here
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