Hope and faith provide inspiration as Dallas preacher keynotes Legacy
Bishop T. D. Jakes, a Christian minister who is well-known through his many television appearances, books, compact discs and other media, regaled an audience of about 4,500 in HSBC Arena on Wednesday night with a message of hope and faith.
Jakes, pastor of the Potter’s House, a 35,000-member church in Dallas, was the keynote speaker for the five-day 2008 Legacy Conference organized by Zion Dominion Global Ministries, 895 N. Forest Road, Amherst.
The conference will feature several nationally and internationally known Christian speakers, as well as Grammy award-winning gospel music performers, educational workshops and a charity soiree.
“It’s to draw people back to God,” said Zaynah Lane, a congregational care pastor at Zion Dominion.
“It’s not really about being religious; it’s about living a holy life, being holy in your body . . . and having the right mind, a mind of prosperity, not in the sense of finance, but in the sense of wellness.”
Jakes, who did not appear until almost three hours into Wednesday night’s program because his flight had been delayed, addressed the weariness many in his audience felt as they face modern-day struggles that to many seem to get worse and worse.
“We’re living in toxic times,” Jakes said. “There are no absolutes anymore. Everything is variable. Everything is relative. The thinking is, there is no right or wrong.
“This is not the type of battle where it’s about gaining ground. It’s about resisting the temptation to quit, fighting off fatigue and nervousness and restlessness, because you’re constantly resisting pressures and forces that are trying to pull you down.
“But I’ve got good news for you tonight: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are flowing through God. . . . The good news is, you have courage to fight. The bad news is, you have to fight.”
Hours before, Lisa Napier of Buffalo, a member of The Chapel at CrossPoint in Getzville, was eagerly anticipating Jake’s message.
“Bishop Jakes is a man with a message that really speaks to your heart,” Napier said. “He’s just a profound minister.”
The conference’s opening event was free and open to anyone who wanted to attend, though not everyone seemed to have the same expectations.
Charles Burgin, an East Side activist with the organization Brotherman’s Progress, said he attended in hopes of engaging some of the many local ministers who were present about their plans for helping his beleagured community.
“Oh, I’m not here to hear the Gospel,” Burgin said. “Anything T. D. Jakes has to say that’s not about helping the black man prosper and get out of the hole he’s in, I don’t really care to hear. I didn’t come here for pie in the sky.”
The conference continues today with a session on faith and health that will be hosted by television personality and Harvard graduate Dr. Ian Smith, a medical and diet expert. The session will take place at Zion Dominion.
