Today's New Leaders

Last Friday I had an opportunity to speak with young adults and teens at the "Dare To Dream" young entrepreneur camp at the Coca-Cola Headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. I must admit, I was blown away by how advanced some teenagers are, especially in the areas of mass media communication [TV, Radio, Social Media etc]. One would think that this upcoming generation is a lost cause. We hear about the crime of adolescents; we see teenagers in the store walking with their pants sagging and we just simply shake our heads.

This event was very different. I never witnessed so many African-American teens who had a clear understanding about their purpose and business. They were dressed very professional, asked a lot of questions and understood the significance regarding the different types of corporations such as LLC's, Inc's, Sole Proprietorship etc. Most of the students already had a business plan and were incorporated at this early age.

Not only were the teens prepared, organized and academic but they were also cool. Being academic was never the "cool" way to be when I was growing up.  Matter of fact,  you were looked at as a lame, weirdo, or simply a nerd if you were smart. Fortunately, today's society enables young leaders to be  academic and have swag!

I was inspired write this blog because we hear about so much negativity about the African-American culture but rarely hear about African American teenagers graduating as valedictorians and being accepted to Harvard and Yale. Today 500 African-American men graduated from Morehouse College with President Barack Obama as their commencement speaker. Today's new leaders deserve to be celebrated. They are not locked up nor running the streets, selling drugs.  Regardless of their individual obstacles, today's new leaders are choosing higher education, entrepreneurship and striving for success.
Not only will today's new leaders inspire the world but they will leave a mark that will never be erased.

If you interested in booking me you can send engagement request to PrayOrDieTeam@Gmail.Com if you are interested in ordering Pray Or Die or Jesus Im Bout Dat Life products you can do so at  WWW.PRAYORDIE.ORG for wholesale or group discounts send email to PrayOrDieTeam@gmail.com. Thanks

A God Experience

Last night I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker in Austell, Ga at Messiah's Temple Christian Ministries and was blown away from how God moved in that place. I have been to many churches where it was little or no presence of God within the sanctuary and it seemed to be merely an monopoly. I had the opportunity to meet the host of this event, Neely Terrell many years ago at Clark Atlanta University. She remembered when God first gave me the concept of Pray Or Die! and has always been a supporter. We stayed in contact via social media and one day she asked me to come out to her event and to share a message that may inspire the people. I accepted the invite because I am always honored to share the gospel of Jesus Christ any and everywhere. As I prayed about the message, I felt Holy Spirit say, "people don't need another witty, cleaver sermon but people need to  hear a story of a real overcomer so therefore just tell your testimony."

As always,  I was very nervous when they called my name to come speak. Even though I have spoken in front of thousands of people, I can never get over the feeling of being nervous. As I walked to the stage, I thought "will the people receive me because I'm dressed in Seven Jeans, and pair of fresh black Chuck Taylor's and my "Jesus Im Bout Dat Life" sweater." I said a prayer and left my nerves all in Gods hands.  As I was speaking, I became very emotional. The presence in the room was so overwhelming that non-stop tears began to flow from my eyes as I was sharing my story. It has been a long time since I felt the love of God so strong in a church sanctuary. Immediately after I shared my story, everyone came to the altar for prayer and the pastor publicly stated, "I don't know much about you but from this point you are my son and gave me a huge hug. I felt like sharing my testimony wasn't just for the guests, but for me as well.

Erik Vance sharing an inspirational message

Even though it was the first organized event for the Gospel Cafe, it was very powerful and I look forward to witnessing the growth because it's very much needed. Young Christian adults need a place where they can can fellowship in a true organic way and feel the true presence of God. I'm humbled and thankful to have been apart and this will be an experience that I will always remember. The love was unbelievable!!!

The most unique thing about the night was this guy that walked up to me and said "Pray Or Die! inspired me to started my clothing line." He went on to say that he never witnessed a faith-based movement that was so big and had everyone supporting from all walks of life and that he was inspired to start his line. He ended his statement by saying "Im just thankful to finally meet you and I just wanted to let you know that." His statement reminded me that there will always be times in life when we feel like the great things you do go unnoticed but know that many people are watching and receiving inspiration. After all, we shouldn't do things for public recognition because God is the ultimate rewarder.  Be you, be true to yourself, and the love will chase you.  I will never forget the experience from The Gospel Cafe, in Austell, Ga.

Performing Artist Doug "The Whatley"

"Jesus Im Bout Dat Life" Supporter

Erik Vance and the host Neely Terrell

If you interested in booking me you can send engagement request to PrayOrDieTeam@Gmail.Com if you are interested in ordering Pray Or Die or Jesus Im Bout Dat Life products you can do so at  WWW.PRAYORDIE.ORG for wholesale or group discounts send email to PrayOrDieTeam@gmail.com. Thanks