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Read Interview & Listen // Buy Latest Project // Contest Winners // Review |
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BLACKGOSPEL.COM recently ran a Grand Prize Contest to collect a few of those stories. Hundreds of the most enthusiastic fans from across the country recalled memorable moments when Mary Mary’s performance or witness made a key difference in their broken lives and in the fractured lives of their families and friends. We highlighted just a few of those tales for testimony purposes. Thanks to all our contestants who sent in their compelling stories and congratulations to our very fortunate winners.
Christopher Gatling (Akron, Pennsylvania) My memorable moment was about 2 years ago when Mary Mary performed during the Heaven600 praise festival in Timonium Maryland. Shortly before that day, my dad went into the hospital for kidney complications. The doctors said he wouldn’t make it much longer. We were listening to the Thankful CD on the way to the hospital. All of my brothers & sisters anointed our hands before going to the hospital. We laid hands on our father and God gave us two more wonderful years with our father - The late Bishop William R. Gatling Sr. After my father left the hospital, one of the first things we experienced together was Mary Mary performing at the praise festival in Timonium. Seeing my father dancing around to your songs was priceless! I love Mary Mary’s music. There’s so much quality and your songs are not talking about carnal things. You are edifying the body of Christ! Keep doing what you’re doing! Rev. Alisha Burt (Glendale, Colorado) In 2000, I was asked to speak at a National Youth and Young Adult Conference for a well-known denomination. I have never spoken before such a large crowd and had not a clue of what I was going to preach about. But one night, as I was sitting on my bed listening to Mary Mary, the song, Still My Child struck me in such a way that I could not get it out of my head and for the next three days that song stuck with me. As I replayed it over and over in my head, it reminded me of the scripture text about the Prodigal son and that is when I knew that it was that passage of scripture that I would use to preach. It seemed to me, as I prepared that sermon, not to elaborate or exegete the Scripture text, but just to tell the story as Mary Mary's song tells a story. In July 2000, nervous and anxious, I mounted the stage and peered into the audience of over 2000 young faces and preached the sermon, Still My Child based on the story of the Prodigal Son and Mary Mary's song. As I did the altar call, over 100 youth and adults came to the altar. I was awestruck by how many people needed to be reminded that they are still God's children, regardless of their past sins. Thank you Mary Mary for having such a powerful and motivating song that inspires this message and was responsible for bringing over 100 people back to God. Julius E’lon Perkins (Bethel, North Carolina) Hello my name is Julius E'lon Perkins from North Carolina and my encounter with Mary Mary came when the CD Incredible was released and when I saw them in TBN. Years before the CD was even released, I had a wonderful grandmother who past away in 1996. While at her funeral, as I sat in front of the casket, a relative played a solo on his saxophone. "Thank You". I can remember the church being torn up after that. With that CD, I had the opportunity to play that song over and over and over again to remind me of my grandmother. Just recently, this past May, I graduated from high school and later this fall I'll be traveling to Elizabeth City State University. Honestly, with God on my side, it was the only way I made it across the graduation podium. While growing up, I've faced a lot of pain from people being harsh, when I was confused about my sexuality and for most of my life in a season of depression. From as far back as preschool, I can remember the strangeness of having attraction towards males. Up through grade school, I was picked on and somewhat turned away from my own race because of it. The devil really had me thinking that no one loved me or cared about E'lon. Well that carried over into middle school, when kid's verbal abuse became more overwhelming. I later tried suicide in the seventh grade which failed, later only for me to go through his horrible depression. I wanted to end everything because, after growing up in a Christian home where my parents were God fearing, I didn't understand at the time what pastors, bishops and men and women of God were telling me about the call on my life. Entering high school my sophomore year, I was molested by a teacher and during this certain time in my life I thought there was no help left for me. I was confused, didn't know what to do anymore about a "relationship" with God or my friends and family. So as time moved on, I began learning how to live one day at a time and move at a slow pace. One night after getting off from work, I was watching TBN and Yolanda Adams along with Israel, J Moss and Mary Mary, just to name a few was featured on the show. After being raised in a Gospel singing family, this TV special sparked my eye because J Moss and Mary Mary are some of my favorite artists. Well, Yolanda interviewed Mary Mary and I stopped everything to watch and listen. Well there was this one song and I can't remember every word because it's a new song off the album but I remember some of the lyrics saying "last cry…no more crying anymore…yesterday was my last time cryin’…no more going through.” And that song has stuck with me since I watched TV that night. For a long time, I've cried because I felt like I didn't matter to anyone, God, or my family. Yet, after hearing that song with it's churchy message, I really began to cry. It's given me some hope, some victory, some joy to know that yesterday was my last time crying about any situation in the past. With depression, molestation and having been an outcast, I no longer sorrow over that pain anymore. That night really changed my life. I hope one day when someone hears my testimony of how I've made it through the storm and the rain that their "yesterday" is behind them. Jeremy Land (St. Louis, Missouri) I’m not going to make this long. I am a single parent dad. I have a 15yr old daughter. I love her, but she has really made this year the worst year of my life. I am a musician/singer/songwriter and have been a bit discouraged. It seemed like God was just not present anywhere. 2005 has left big blows for me. Long story short: I had to lock up a 24 year old man for statutory rape to my daughter. He is homeless because of my daughter's actions. My daughter’s mom doesn't want her back and my parents and in-laws didn't want me supporting her. The church was just not concerned, just judgmental. I lost my car in an accident, was injured and almost killed. I’ve been haunted all this year by suicide. But it was when someone gave me a videotape of Mary Mary singing Heaven on the BET Gospel Celebration. I am a musician, so of course new music and ideas always spark me. But it was also a message to me.....I’ve got to get myself together....cause I got someplace to go. I am a MAN....I don't cry. But as I was sitting in a motel room that my daughter and I was living in.....I began to rewind that song over and over crying.......tears falling down my face. And I asked the Lord to please hear me because I had prayed before and it seemed like he didn't before. But I began to fast and God opened up the heavens. I have a place now. I don't have a car yet but I am still driving and I still have a job. Thank you, Jesus. But every time I hear that song, it always reminds me of where I was and where I am now. If I don't win a thing it’s OK. I am here to tell my testimony. I will always support their ministry. The song that I listen to weekly is Hold On......at first I didn't like the music but it stayed with me and when I can't see clearly, that song keeps playing in my mind. “Hold On, Hold On To Your Faith No Matter What You Have Been Through. I Know He’ll Make A Way, If You Just Hang On”. Let them know for me that someone is being reached and blessed in St. Louis, MO. Even though I’m still struggling, I am encouraged. God bless You!!!
Yolanda Watt (Stone Mountain, Georgia)
My family and I went to the Atlanta Hawks game and could hardly wait for the game to end because they were scheduled to perform. We waited anxiously to see the blossoming talented young ladies that have taken on the Gospel world with a blast. Needless to say, we thoroughly enjoyed the concert and to this day, often bring up the occasion in conversation. In the concert, they sang the songs from their first album. They also sang songs from their upcoming album at that time. In The Morning is the first song to come to mind. I can remember them stating that it had not yet been released yet but they were giving us a taste of it. I think that was marvelous! I was on cloud nine. I count it an honor and a blessing to have been in the midst of such great talent. I look forward to more inspiration and gospel music from one of God's best gospel group! Keep up the good work. And may God continue to use you for his glory! Love Ya! Leonard Chisholm (Maple Heights, Ohio) My name is Leonard N. Chisholm and I reside in Maple Heights, Ohio. My memorable moment with Mary Mary was in the Cleveland Municipal School District during the 2002-2003 academic year when my wife, Shawn, and I were choir directors for the all-city middle school choirs. In a day and time where everyone is afraid to say Jesus or give God any type of praise in the public eye, especially in the school system, we decided that although we were asked to participate in this choir that we still had to represent our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ without compromise! The demographics of the all-city choir was quite unique in that it consisted of different races and hearing impaired children and some who were labeled as attention deficit/ADHD. We decided that we would teach them something that would get them up and make them dance....That's where Mary Mary came in! As great appreciators of Mary Mary's ministry, we needed to find just the right song. Everyone we knew was familiar with Shackles and Wade In The Water but with this demographic of children and parents, many were not even familiar with Mary Mary nor Gospel music to be honest. When the time came for us to present the song that we wanted to teach the choir, we chose Joy. My wife and I sang our hearts out that day to over 250 children and their parents at the Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus. Their faces were so bright with excitement and we saw right away that we had picked a winner to teach. The children took to Joy so quickly and learned the song that day. After the rehearsal, many of the parents wanted to know the artists....needless to say most of them went to purchase a Mary Mary CD that weekend. Well, to make this long story shorter.....God truly blessed the all-city choir that year and in December of 2002 at the Gund Arena, over 250 children dressed in "black and white" with red cumber bunds and ties and sang to the city of Cleveland, Joy! My wife and I will never forget that year because it opened up a door to teach Gospel to children who had never really been introduced to the ministry. And to this very day, even though we don't direct the all-city choirs anymore, our students still sing Joy... one of their favorite songs. Thanks Mary Mary for your ministry and continue to plant seeds in song because the crop that you're reaping is very lush and green. We Love Ya'! Lakeeta Smith-Fullwood (Union City, Georgia) Mary Mary has truly touched the lives of my daughters and I. My oldest daughter is 13 years old and when she was going through some of the worst years of her life, about four years ago, she changed from a sweet child to a child who behaved poorly all the time and couldn’t concentrate or stay focused on anything. She was always hyper-active and then started becoming depressed at the age of nine. She would put on the Thankful CD and listen to their song called Little Girls. The message in that song was so powerful that she started using it as a tool to calm herself down and to meditate and pray. The entire Thankful CD helped me because I could listen to it when I was down and excited or just plain sick of things. At that time, I was going through a rough marriage and separated from my husband. I took my three daughters and relocated and the transition was very rough for the first year. It seemed like everything was going wrong and the weight of the world was pulling me down further and further. But, I was able to break free and rejoice to their hit song Shackles. This song helped me to break-free of the bondage of depression and doubt. I was able to get back on my feet and give God the glory and full authority over the lives of my three daughters and me and stop trying to take care of things on my own. Their new song Heaven is right on time for me...I am so ready to go to Heaven. I’m so excited about the prospect of going to a place where I will not have any worries or fears. This song will also be a big hit for them. Their music is such an inspirational tool to all generations, races, nationalities, and religions. It is also inspiration to see two sisters rejoicing in the name of God together during times where families have fallen apart. They give hope to girls and women now and to the future. I am grateful for them, to be able listen to such beautiful music at anytime no matter what’s going in my life and be able to find peace and comfort in their songs. Thank you Mary Mary and God bless you both for being wonderful, talented and blessed sisters in Christ. Brandon Marshall Colar (Chicago, Illinois) My most memorable moment with Mary Mary outside of listening to my favorite album in the whole wide world, Incredible would have to be this summer. I am from Chicago, and we have a Gospelfest every summer. For along time, I would try to make it there but would usually be so busy that I never could make it. Well this year, I found out that Mary Mary was going be there, so I had to go!!!! Even though the forecast was rain and the concert was outdoors, the Lord blessed and I made it on the Last day, (Sunday) which was the day Mary Mary was scheduled to perform. It was packed, but again the Lord blessed us to find some satisfactory seats. As long as I could see Mary Mary, I was cool. To make a long story short, it was time for Mary Mary to perform. I couldn't believe I was about to see them live, they entered the stage and took my breath away. Not just with there Beauty but with there energy, and there undeniable love for the LORD!! Many artist today you think is living for the Lord, until you find out something negative about them. But not MARY MARY, you could feel their anointing even from the noise bleeding section, where I still felt blessed to even be there! They sung past hits like Dance, Dance, Dance, then blessed up with new songs from the upcoming album like Heaven and Yesterday. In between the songs, they shared their testimony about someone they knew who was healed from head to toe and could walk after being in a wheelchair paralyzed. Even though I didn’t meet them, nor even got close enough to wave, that whole day which revolved around Mary Mary was a life changing experience...and it didn’t even rain. Shana M. Scoggins (Hawthorne, California) I remember the times when I would be worried about my fiancé’ who was over in Baghdad. I missed him. And many times I just worried about safety and how his mind would be after being in such a different atmosphere from what he was used to. We would get some chances to chat via email. But in tough times, mentally and spiritually, I would always put on music to soothe me. I recall putting on Mary Mary’s song I Can’t Give Up Now. When I put that song on, I of course would be brought to tears, but it always helped me realize that though I was going through some trying times, I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t give up on love, trust, faithfulness and most importantly God. It helped me to remember where my help comes from. And I am happy to say that my fiancé’ returned home safely with a sound mind. And he is no longer my fiancé’ but my husband. Thank you Mary Mary for not just having tight beats in your songs but having powerful messages behind each and everyone of them! Tiana Kelley (Tallahassee, Florida) Honestly, my most memorable moment was when one of the sisters got married on "A Wedding Story on TLC. It was memorable to me because I have always dreamt of my courtship and marriage taking place exactly and as romantically as that particular wedding. It was wonderful to me to see a Gospel artist featured on such a popular show. It touched me so deeply at the time that I waited around for the rerun of that particular episode, just so that I could videotape it and I cried every time I watched it. It was that beautiful I remember the episode because that is when I first found out that Warryn Campbell could sing. They only showed a small snippet of them singing and clowning around but I remember it like it was yesterday. To see two young artists not ashamed to share their love with a television audience was something almost ethereal for me because it showed that you can be saved and fall in love and do things the right way. It was an encouragement to my heart. I really loved the ending when he had to sit while she serenaded him. I almost can't type because my eyes are welling up at this very second. Before I can no longer continue, let me just say, whether it was their most memorable moment or not, it was and most certainly will always be my most memorable moment with Mary Mary! Lyn Keller (New York, New York) My memorable experience concerning Mary Mary is not so much about how they touched me directly although I do love them. It is about how their song touched my 10 year old son, thereby touching me. I started to notice that my son continually asked me for batteries for his Sony discman or I would notice the cabinet to my Gospel CD's was always open. One day, I questioned him about this and he looked at me and quietly said, “Mom, I just want to hear this CD but I can't find batteries. I asked him which CD and he said, "I will know it when I see it". So the next day, I brought home some batteries and helped him look for the CD that he just had to listen to. He pulled out each and every CD and discarded them one by one until he picked up Mary Mary's Thankful. His little eyes started to twinkle and he jumped up and put it in his discman. He started to dance and sing and praise. He began to drum with a pencil on the table and took this CD wherever he went. I asked him if he ever heard Mary Mary before and he said no. But he had to hear it and he loved it. A few days later he approached me and told me he wanted to learn to play the drums and keyboards for the church. God called on my son to be a part of our church's music ministry and directed me to fullfill my son's wish to learn to play the drums and keyboard. I thank Mary Mary for being the tool God used to give my son his stewardship in the church and a means to serve him. He is still playing the drums and keyboards and now wants to learn the guitar. To God be the Glory, and to Mary Mary you do inspire people more than you realize and if you can move a 10 year old boy to serve, praise and worship God through a song, then you must know that you are anointed and sent by God to do just that.
What is the Gospel?
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It’s
been five years since mega superstars - Mary Mary
- first wade in the music waters to make a huge
splash in the music industry. Their funky
style and music has not only changed the musical
landscape of Contemporary Gospel music forever but
their unflappable ministry has left a deep abiding
impact on the lives of millions beyond their wildest
imagination.