by Alicia Carson

From one coast to the other, the United States is buzzing with talk of race and politics. We each have opinions about Barack Obama’s now notorious former pastor, and we wait with bated breath to learn how Jeremiah Wright’s controversial sermons will ultimately affect 2008’s presidential campaign. The power and influence of the pulpit is undeniable, for throughout American history, preachers have always maintained an influential post among the masses. Their weekly sermons shape our ideals and our political persuasions; most of all, how we understand God and how we choose to represent Him every day are likely fashioned by what our preachers have taught us.

As an example, consider Martin Luther King, Jr., who from his pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church spearheaded the Civil Rights movement. Although he was killed 40 years ago, his messages about love and hope and brotherhood continue to resonate around the world. Many of us recall at least this snippet of King’s “Drum Major Instinct” sermon:

I’d like somebody to mention … that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I’d like for somebody to say… that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody… Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind.

That’s the snippet we know best. But actually, the speech is so much longer. During that Sunday morning sermon, King tried to persuade his middle-class, exclusive congregants at Ebenezer Baptist Church to disregard the drive to be out front, to be seen, to be impressive and to seek public admiration. Instead of being that kind of drum major, King recommended Christians simply seek to use their positions, their gifts, and their resources to serve others. It was a compelling sermon offered with conviction and passion. And the ideals this admirable American pastor offered so many years ago are the standards that drive many in our Gospel music community today, including the award-winning Gospel Jazz singer, Kim Burrell.

In this week’s High Notes, Kim Burrell discusses the drive behind her passion for ministry and shares the Walter Hawkins songs that inspire her to trust God no matter what she faces.

Kim Burrell: Believe it or not, just music without words can inspire me. But if I have to choose a song with words, it's Be Grateful by the Hawkins Family. It has inspired me in moments when I’ve felt like what I was doing or what I was involved with was not enough. It reminded me that actually, what I needed was a world of maturity.

Be Grateful made me put some things in perspective. There’s a line in the song that says, Be grateful because there’s someone else who is worse off than you. And I never saw that line as a mockery against anybody. It just makes me look within myself and kind of calm down and say, You know what? Somebody else somewhere probably has less than what I have. I’ve already had some great accomplishments. And then God [tells me], “You’re getting in a hurry [and you're] headed in the direction that I haven’t told you to go in yet. Here you are telling Me what you want, and now you’re becoming impatient because I won’t let you have it? Are you kidding me? (Laughter). So Be Grateful. That’s the song that inspires me.

A. Carson: There’s a video on YouTube of you singing to an audience in New Orleans , and you’re actually singing a different song by Bishop Hawkins, Thank You, Lord. How difficult is it to sing a song like that right after a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina?

Kim Burrell: Actually, putting things in proper perspective – God is a sovereign God, and He does whatever He wants to do. At the end of the day, if you don’t know how to respect God’s choices, you will go in a terrible cycle of trying to figure it out, and trying to outdo and out-think a power that created all of us, and that’s not a challenge I am up to. So what I do is I learn how to agree with God quickly. I pray, “Instead of my dwelling on what’s happening right now, please let me understand why and where I am going after this because there’s got to be an after this; but if You don’t even choose for there to be an after this, please give me an understanding about what’s happening right now so I’ll just know how to respect you more.”

A. Carson: Wow, Kim…

Kim Burrell: Honest to God, Alicia. That’s why I am able to sing a song like Thank You, Lord, because the Word of the Lord says “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I’m convicted by that – that if God tells me to give thanks in everything, then if somebody tells me I have cancer, I have to be able to say thank you, God, even in the midst of that.

God is the God who says, “Above all I wish that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers”. So that’s an indication to me that there’s got to be a purpose for any negative thing in my life. Since God told me in Romans 8:28 that all things are working together for my good, then I say to Him, “Ok well, I tell You what – I’m just going to trust Your Word so that I won’t trip on what’s happening in my life now, because there’s got to be something after this moment. Since You told me that You wish above all that I prosper and be in health even as my soul prospers, then what I will do is concentrate on the growth of my soul, and I won’t concentrate on what’s happening to me right now. I’ll thank You so that my soul can grow."

A. Carson: You know, whenever we talk, I tell you that you sound more like a preacher than you do a singer, even though you are one of the best vocalists ever. Think you’ll ever be a pastor?

Kim Burrell: (Laughter). I’m not a pastor. You know what I am? I'm a lover and a nurturer of people. And I think probably what you hear is love for God’s creation. Most of all, I absolutely want to see every person being what they were created by God to be, and I think that’s what you hear: my passion. My passion is to see God’s creation do what He put it here to do. Whatever He saw us being before He placed us in our mother’s womb, in its entirety – from the moment we cry our first cry until the day we die, and all of that in between. I think I have a passion and a love to see what that is; I think that’s probably what you hear.

A. Carson: Kim, before you go, please recommend one of your songs to our readers for inspiration.

Kim Burrell: Believe it or not, I’m gonna always leave what I know will is effective when heard, and that is the Word of God. In my song, I Come to You More Than I Give, I sing a verse that happens to be Romans 12:1. It says, I beseech ye therefore brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies wholly, and then I add, which is your job. The Word of God actually says it like this: “…present your bodies wholly and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” And that is what I encourage every one to do: present yourself to God who has already made you so that you will always be able to have full clarity of why you exist.

Burrell has recorded three CDs – Try Me Again, Everlasting Life, and Live In Concert. She is also featured on projects with Harry Connick, Jr., Pastor Hezekiah Walker, Richard Smallwood, and many others. Burrell will return to studios to begin work on a new album later this year.

To learn more about Kim Burrell and the annual Ephesians 4 Conference she hosts each year, visit www.kbcrew.net [1] or www.ephesians4.net [2].