Participants: Yvonne Lewis
Series Code: UBR
Program Code: UBR000133A
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00:01 Would you give up a life in the limelight to follow Christ?
00:04 Stay tuned to meet a woman that did all that and more. 00:07 My name is Jason Bradley and you're watching 00:09 Urban Report. 00:33 Hello and welcome to Urban Report. 00:36 My guest today is Dr. Yvonne Lewis 00:38 and she is the General Manager of the Dare to Dream Network. 00:40 Not only is she my boss but she's also my mom. 00:44 Welcome to Urban Report Dr. Mom... 00:46 Thank you Jason. 00:48 I know it has got to feel different 00:50 for you sitting in this seat 00:51 when you normally host this Program. 00:54 I know... it's weird sitting on this side 00:56 and getting the questions that you're going to ask me 00:58 that I don't even know what you're going to ask me 01:01 so that's interesting. 01:02 I know, I prepared something very special. 01:04 I'm sure you did. 01:05 Don't expect to get this seat back and take your job back 01:08 You know... okay... hmmm... 01:11 okay... You just go ahead and retire. 01:13 I want to talk... 01:16 I want to talk a little bit 01:19 about your background 01:21 because a lot of people... they see you in this chair 01:23 interviewing other people but they don't really know 01:26 your background so, were you raised 01:29 as a Seventh-day Adventist? 01:30 I was... I am a third-generation Seventh-day Adventist, 01:33 both of my parents 01:35 at one point or another worked for the Denomination 01:38 my Dad, Benito Hodge was the Principal 01:41 of the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist School in Brooklyn 01:45 and my Mom at one point 01:47 worked for the Northeastern Conference. 01:48 My Grandmother, Rosalyn Jones, 01:51 was a Missionary and Bible Instructor 01:53 for Ephesus Church so, yeah... 01:56 and my Paternal Grandfather was an Adventist Pastor. 02:00 So, yeah... I'm kind of dyed-in-the-wool 02:04 Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 02:05 Yes, you're pretty much born right in the church... 02:08 all those Adventists, generations of Adventists. 02:11 Yeah... yeah... That's great... that's great. 02:14 What major hardship did you face as a teenager 02:17 and how did that affect your life? 02:20 Hmmm... the main... 02:23 the most difficult experience that I had 02:28 when I was 19 was I lost my Mom 02:30 and that really did change my life a lot 02:34 because she was very strong and she was very... 02:40 she was very planted, she knew what she was doing, 02:46 she was a professional woman, she had a very strong work ethic 02:49 very spiritual and so for me to lose that, 02:53 at that point in my life, was very difficult. 02:57 My little sister was nine, and I was 19... 03:01 and I was at Oakwood... it's now University... 03:05 but... College... at the time 03:07 and when my Mom got sick 03:09 and I left... just before the end of the quarter 03:12 and I never went back there, I finished somewhere else but... 03:15 it was really, really a difficult time for me. 03:19 So when your Mom... my Grandma... 03:22 when Grandma died, did you have to take on 03:26 your sister... did you take Aunt Binkey under your wing? 03:29 I did... so she was like my daughter in certain ways 03:32 and... but yet... I was that teenager 03:37 that had been so sheltered that I really didn't... 03:41 I didn't know how to jump into that role, 03:44 so, it was just a really, 03:47 really difficult thing 03:50 because I wasn't... I had been really sheltered 03:51 and so with my Mom being as strong as she was 03:54 with her being gone, 03:56 and now, I'm having to make certain decisions, 03:58 and I'm having to do certain things... it was just like, 04:01 "Wow! this is a bit much for me" 04:05 so I really... I went back to school 04:08 actually I finished college, and I went to Graduate School 04:12 and while I was in Graduate School, 04:15 I just had... just like a real meltdown 04:17 because it was just too much pressure 04:20 and... so I ended up moving out of the house 04:23 and trying to take care of my sister from afar 04:26 but my sister and I went in two different directions. 04:31 Okay... She got into drugs 04:33 at a very early age and I didn't know it 04:36 and I was into the academic thing 04:40 and so I was pouring myself into the books 04:43 and my sister was just... 04:46 she just went, you know, really to the left, 04:50 at one point we had a little ministry called, 04:53 "Sisters... a story of Redemption" 04:54 and we talked about how at that stage of our lives 05:00 we went in such different directions. 05:02 So it was... that was a very pivotal place for me. 05:05 How did that affect your relationship with her, 05:09 I mean... did you guys... 05:10 I know you went in separate directions 05:12 but did your relationship suffer as a result of that? 05:16 It did... and it didn't... we were so far apart in age 05:20 nine years apart in age because she was 05:23 much younger than I and... so I was a mother-figure 05:28 but then she got into street life, 05:31 so she became much more streetwise as the years went on 05:35 than I was, because I was Miss... 05:37 you know, I'm going to study my way into whatever... 05:40 so we had two different paths and yet my sister's character 05:45 she was the sweetest, kindest, most generous person 05:49 you would ever want to meet so, just because 05:52 she went down that wrong road at the time, 05:54 it didn't mean that she wasn't a good person at heart, 05:58 she really was, she just missed our mom 06:01 and that's how she dealt with it. 06:03 Yeah... that's good that you said that, 06:06 I mean, good people can make some poor choices. 06:09 Exactly. You can be a great person 06:10 and then you make poor choices 06:12 but that doesn't define you as a person. 06:14 Exactly, exactly. 06:16 What did you go to school for? Which time? 06:20 Okay, so, 06:24 so in college 06:27 I majored in Psychology 06:28 but then I got a Master's in Social Work 06:30 and then... but right after that I went into the music business 06:33 and I practiced... I was in music for a long time 06:37 before I went into Alternative Medicine 06:40 and I studied that and I became a 06:42 Naturopathic Doctor 06:44 and then I went back to school for 06:47 Traditional Chinese Medicine and I got Board Certified 06:49 in Traditional Chinese Medicine 06:51 which includes acupuncture and herbs and then I... 06:57 I went to Massage Therapy School, 07:00 I was a Massage Therapist 07:01 I got certified as a Reflexologist, I mean, I just... 07:05 I went along the path of academia 07:09 because I loved to learn, I loved to know things, 07:13 I loved to study things and so... 07:15 that's the path that I took. 07:17 Well, if you ever get the urge, you can go and get an MBA for me 07:20 Oh... Yvonne is laughing... 07:23 I'm done... thank you very much. 07:25 You might want to go to school again. 07:27 No... no... I don't want to... 07:28 Back to the music part of it, 07:30 when did... how old were you when you first started singing 07:33 and when did you develop a passion for it? 07:34 When I first started singing, I was, I think in the 7th Grade 07:41 and it's so funny because, and I never heard this 07:44 I did not hear my dad say this 07:46 because if I'd heard it, it would have crushed me 07:48 but he told my Mom, 07:50 I guess he heard me singing or something, 07:52 he said, "She's never going to sing... 07:54 she's never had this told, she's never going to sing 07:58 but my Mom worked with me and some other friends 08:02 that I had as a child, and we had a trio 08:05 and my Mom just... my Mom played the piano 08:08 and she sang too and my Dad, of course, sang 08:11 and so... she worked with me 08:15 and I loved music 08:18 so I started singing really... 08:20 about the Seventh... Sixth or Seventh Grades 08:23 and then later on, I got into music professionally. 08:29 Hmmm... we should do a duet sometime. 08:31 Awww... you know what, I have to say, 08:34 you are a wonderful son, 08:36 you have so many gifts, but singing is not one of them, 08:40 and I would be a bad Mom if I encouraged you 08:43 in that arena, now some people would say, 08:46 you know, well, your Dad... your Dad says, 08:48 you wouldn't sing, but here's the difference 08:51 I was in the Seventh Grade okay, you're almost 29... 08:55 so it's a little bit different. 08:56 There's still hope... there's still hope... 09:01 Well, let's... I think you should practice piano. 09:04 Okay... Learn piano 09:05 and that kind of thing... 09:07 the singing part... 09:08 I'll leave that to you... 09:10 well, but that wouldn't sound nice 09:13 but you know, I just think you should focus on something else 09:17 where your talents can be better utilized 09:19 that sounded good. 09:20 All right, yeah, that was a very politically correct thing. 09:23 Okay, good, good, good. 09:24 How did you get your big break, 09:26 when did you get your big break and make it 09:28 into the actual Music Industry where you've sung with people 09:33 such as Luther Vandross 09:36 and Whitney Houston and Roberta Flack, 09:38 like... when was it that you crossed that threshold? 09:40 Um... let's see... 09:44 I started singing professionally in 1977, 09:48 so this was a long time ago, 09:50 and... it's a very relationship-oriented business 09:56 and very cliquish, the Background Singers, 09:58 the Studio Singers in New York, 10:00 it's a very small group of people that do a lot of the work 10:06 and so, they have to like you to call you 10:10 so if... so you establish relationships 10:14 so, how, I guess, 10:17 I started by... I met... 10:22 well the Engineer that was the Manager 10:26 of the group that I sang in, he was an Engineer in the city 10:30 and he knew some jingle singers so, I said, 10:33 "I like to do the background singing 10:35 because I heard on the radio 10:36 you know... people just doing ooohs and aaahs 10:38 and I figured, "I can do that" but it was so naive 10:41 I mean, I know now how difficult it is 10:43 and all the things that you have to go through 10:46 and all that but... back then I didn't... 10:48 so, he said, "Well, I'll introduce you to this singer" 10:52 and he did... I met her and then she introduced me 10:55 to some others who then started calling me 10:58 and they were doing big jobs 11:01 they were doing things with Harry Belefonte 11:03 and oh... you know... the names... 11:07 "the names" at the time, Frank Sinatra, 11:13 they were just doing big, big gigs 11:16 and so they started calling me to come in to sing background 11:20 and it's interesting because they would call me to sing, 11:23 what they call "bottom" which was Alto 11:26 so I did the Alto parts because some of the women 11:30 wanted to be divas and sing the Soprano, 11:31 I didn't care, I really didn't care, 11:33 just call me, I just want to work, 11:35 so they called me and I started singing, 11:37 and I was singing bottom and then at some point 11:39 they discovered that I really was a Soprano, 11:42 and then I started singing the top parts, you know, 11:44 because sometimes... some of the Altos that were there 11:46 didn't want to try for that, 11:47 so, it was good and I started... 11:51 I sang for all different artistes 11:53 and I started doing commercials then 11:56 and commercials... that's where you really make a lot of money 11:59 so I was really in the clique in New York 12:04 doing the work and... same with like... 12:07 Wrigley's Spearmint Gum, Quaker Oats, 12:11 Kentucky Fried Chicken, Folgers Coffee, 12:16 Ruffles Potato Chips, just a bunch of them 12:21 right... Sesame Street... 12:22 Sesame Street... I did a lot of Sesame Street 12:24 yeah... and it was great, but... but... 12:29 the interesting thing Jay was that the more money I made 12:33 and the more things I had, 12:35 just didn't satisfy me 12:38 I just wasn't... it just wasn't enough for me 12:41 like, I would think, 12:42 "Oh man, oh I saw this coat, 12:44 I really want this coat" do you remember that coat, 12:47 the Fox Coat? Oh yes. 12:49 it was a beautiful coat, 12:50 I really wanted that coat and I thought, 12:53 "Okay, now, if I sing this much I can make it... " 12:56 you can't control how much you're called... but... 13:00 so, I sang all these jingles and I got the money for the coat 13:04 and I got the coat, and then, it's like, 13:07 "Okay, so now what, you got the coat, what's next?" 13:11 Yeah... yeah... 13:12 Because nothing satisfies the heart. 13:14 Now, at this point in time, 13:16 were you out of the church did you stop, 13:18 what was your spiritual life like? 13:19 That's a good question, it gradually... 13:24 like people in the music business 13:25 saw me as a very spiritual person, 13:27 because there were things... I did not use profanity, 13:30 I didn't smoke, drink, do drugs, 13:33 wasn't that party girl, wasn't... you know... 13:37 so they knew... they knew that I had 13:39 certain standards, but yet, 13:41 the people in the church saw me as... 13:44 "Oh, she is gone, she is out there," 13:46 and all that... so... 13:48 You were just in that gray area pretty much. 13:50 I was in the gray zone, 13:51 I was in the zone of delusion though 13:54 because I thought that, 13:56 "Okay, so I am in the music business, 13:58 but I'm not working on Sabbath 14:00 so, I'm okay," it's like... 14:03 but you're not really... I was saying prayers, but... 14:06 just like in an obligatory way, 14:09 I was reading my Bible sometimes it was by my bed, 14:12 but I was not in a relationship with Jesus Christ 14:16 I was just doing ritualistic-type things 14:20 I wasn't going to church, I had stopped going to church 14:23 but I thought, "Well, if I don't watch TV 14:25 and do this and that on Sabbath, I'm good" 14:27 it was all "works oriented" 14:29 it was all connected to what I did or didn't do 14:33 but then I started working on the Sabbath, 14:35 and what had happened was, I hit... 14:39 I was in a... in fact, you weren't born when I started 14:44 you weren't born then but 14:47 I was working... living on 2nd Avenue 14:52 on the upper Eastside... in a very expensive apartment, 14:55 and the bottom kind of dropped out 14:58 with jingles... you know... you get called 15:00 and then you don't get called, you get... you know... so... 15:04 if you get called, you're working 15:06 and if you don't get called, 15:07 and if you don't have much on the air, 15:08 you're not making much money, so, I hit a snag in point, 15:13 and I was thinking, 15:15 "Okay, so, what am I going to do?" 15:19 I did not have a strong relationship with the Lord, 15:21 where I was really praying and all that 15:23 and this job came through with Roberta Flack 15:26 to go on the road on the weekends, 15:28 and I thought, 15:30 "Oh, man, are they booking on Friday nights?" 15:33 Well, at first... well they were... 15:36 and some of my friends said, 15:38 "You know, it's okay, God gave you that talent, 15:41 and you're using it, and you're making people happy 15:44 and so... you know... and God understands" 15:47 and, of course, because I did not have that 15:49 that firm relationship with the Lord, 15:52 I'm thinking, "Well, maybe I'll just do it 15:55 for a little while and then I won't do it anymore" 15:56 Hmmm... hmmm... 15:58 so, I started singing... and you know what's interesting Jay, 16:01 the first two or three engagements with Roberta, 16:06 that were on Friday nights got canceled 16:10 so I didn't have to sing on Friday night 16:13 but then... one came up and I did 16:16 and it was the weirdest feeling, I felt so... 16:19 like a fish out of water, I felt so uncomfortable 16:23 and yet I did it, and I was on the road with 16:27 your Uncle Luther, Luther Vandross 16:29 and Brenda White 16:30 and we had a great time on the road 16:32 but I learned from that 16:35 that you can get used to doing something 16:39 that you know is wrong, you can get used to it 16:43 and you can get comfortable in it 16:45 and that is not what God would have 16:47 so I ended up doing that, I was on the road for weekends 16:52 doing weekends for about, I guess a year or two, 16:55 and then I was back in the jingles kind of... full force 17:00 and then I wasn't on the road anymore. 17:02 Okay... okay... wow... so, 17:05 there were Friday nights that got canceled 17:10 and so that's almost like a little Divine intervention 17:15 That's what it felt like. 17:16 and then, on a Friday night 17:18 that didn't get canceled it was almost like, 17:20 "Okay, this is your choice, what are you going to do, 17:24 make your decision. " Exactly... exactly... 17:26 Wow! And I chose the wrong... 17:28 I chose to go... 17:30 to succumb to the economic pressure 17:35 instead of trusting God, to open a door for me. 17:39 Hmmm... hmmm... 17:41 I didn't trust Him enough to open the door. 17:44 Yes... yes... after the Music Industry, 17:47 how did you transition, 17:49 where did you go after the Music Industry? 17:52 Well, you know, it's funny, it was... 17:55 as a Studio Singer, your career is like an Athlete's 18:02 you have a peak and then you have a decline, 18:04 right? and it's interesting 18:06 as you get older... they start slowing phasing you out 18:10 and bringing... now, you're not even on TV, 18:12 so it's not like people see you getting older, 18:14 but they see you and they want to keep things 18:17 young and fresh, and all that 18:18 so, as my decline began, 18:23 I just developed this passion for natural health 18:28 and I started studying alternative health things 18:32 and I started taking classes and I loved knowing 18:36 about the herbs and things that you could do naturally 18:39 and so, I started studying it as my music career was declining 18:45 now interestingly enough, I stayed in the Music Industry 18:48 for a long time but it was... 18:52 as it was going down, 18:53 my interest in natural health was going up 18:56 and I just got consumed by it 18:58 and I started studying, buying books, as you know... 19:01 Yeah, I know how you are in school, 19:03 I know, and when you got into acupuncture, 19:07 I was your pincushion. 19:09 I know, bless your heart honey, I owe you something 19:13 for being my guinea pig for everything 19:15 massage therapy, reflexology, 19:18 all the... unfortunately New Age things 19:21 which I ended up getting into 19:23 which I didn't realize... I was really doing, 19:25 but, anyway, you were my guinea pig for all that, 19:27 bless your heart, I owe you... 19:29 Yes, yes... I will collect on that. 19:32 I'm sure you will. 19:33 Now, once you realized and once you became 19:36 convicted that acupuncture was wrong, 19:39 you wrote a booklet, 19:40 I did... we actually have that booklet 19:43 in-house and it's called, "What's Wrong with Acupuncture?" 19:47 How can people get that booklet? 19:50 They can contact us here at the Call Center 19:55 at 3ABN, the phone number is 618-627-4651 20:00 and just ask for the the Call Center 20:02 the number will be up on the screen 20:05 yeah, and they can just call the Call Center and order that 20:08 because so many people are thinking acupuncture is okay 20:12 and as I was studying it, 20:14 I thought it was okay while I was in School, 20:17 it wasn't until after I got out of school, 20:19 and it was brought to my attention, 20:22 that it was wrong, that I really researched it 20:25 and found out it was really wrong, 20:28 and God wanted me out of it. 20:30 Yes, and people also, if they want that booklet 20:33 when they call the Call Center, they need to specify 20:36 that they want the, "What's Wrong with Acupuncture" 20:38 booklet and it's available for a suggested donation of $10 20:42 which is for Dare to Dream, 20:43 yeah, we need to let people know that... 20:45 yeah, this is going to Dare to Dream 20:47 this is a Dare to Dream book... 20:48 so we're trying to raise funds for Dare to Dream 20:51 and so... yeah... thank you... 20:52 Absolutely, no problem, so after the acupuncture 20:56 after realizing that it was wrong, 20:58 being convicted of that, you were on the Dean's List 21:01 while you were in school, you're making amazing grades, 21:05 and you just gave it all up because you were convicted 21:09 that spiritually... this is wrong 21:12 this is... it's New Age... 21:13 let's bring it, I guess, more current, 21:17 how did you end up coming to 3ABN, 21:21 how did you become the GM of Dare to Dream? 21:24 You know, Jay... 21:25 you cannot lose when you obey God 21:29 that's the bottom line. 21:30 When God told me, He led me to the resources 21:35 that let me know that acupuncture 21:37 and the philosophy behind it, 21:40 the underpinning of it, the foundation of it, 21:42 these are incompatible 21:44 with Christian values, 21:46 once He showed me that, 21:48 I had a decision to make, it's either... 21:51 and it was 95 percent of my income, 21:55 so, it is either, stay with that... 21:58 and lose my soul 22:00 or trust God to provide for me to make a way for me 22:07 even though, I no longer have the same income, 22:11 and Jay... every... God is so faithful 22:16 because in every juncture, He took care of me. 22:20 Everything that I needed, whether it was my rent, 22:24 whether it was my... a website, 22:28 to print a book, I wrote a book called, 22:31 "Great Days: Nine Principles To Revolutionize Your Life" 22:35 and that book is what got me to 3ABN. 22:40 Wow! So if I had not left acupuncture 22:45 if I hadn't obeyed God, I would not have gotten the best 22:50 job I've ever had in my life, 22:53 this is the best place that I've ever worked at, 22:56 this is best job I've ever had, 22:58 I love the people, I love what I'm doing, 23:01 and I'm so grateful to be in the seat that I'm in 23:06 and it's because, you can't lose when you obey God 23:11 so that's how I got here, I wrote this book, 23:14 and C.A. Murray was supposed to interview me 23:18 on the "Today Program" about the book, 23:20 but he wasn't here, 23:22 he had to leave 23:24 so Danny Shelton interviewed me 23:26 and Danny and I began to talk, 23:28 and he told me, he said, 23:30 "I feel impressed that you should be 23:32 the one to head the "Urban Network" 23:34 and I just thought, "Me?" I mean... I've never... 23:38 it just never dawned on me that I would be working here 23:42 that I would be the Head of the Urban Network 23:46 but God had a plan, and that's what everyone... 23:50 every Viewer should know that there's nothing special 23:53 about me or you or everybody... we're all special, we're all... 23:57 we're all unique in God's sight 23:59 and there's a plan for each of us 24:02 and so we can thank Him for that plan. 24:05 Absolutely, I often say that 24:06 a true testament of faith is the ability to tolerate 24:10 uncertainty while trusting God and that's exactly what you did 24:14 and then it led you to your Divine purpose. 24:18 Amen... that's deep Jay, I'm proud of you. 24:20 All right then... 24:22 No, that's true though 24:24 that's really true, it is... say that again, I like that, 24:29 "The true testament of faith is the ability to tolerate 24:33 uncertainty while trusting in God" 24:36 Hmmm... because you step out on faith 24:39 you don't know what God has in store for you 24:42 but if we trust that His plan is the best plan 24:45 and you pray and ask God to put you into your Divine purpose, 24:50 He'll answer you. Yes, He will. 24:54 And He answered your prayers. Yes, He did. 24:56 And you are now the GM of Dare to Dream Network 24:58 and I am sitting in your seat. 25:00 I know and you know what, 25:01 I think you're getting a little too comfortable, 25:03 don't get comfortable though, 25:04 don't get too comfortable in that seat, 25:06 that's all I have to say, 25:07 no seriously, you will be doing more interviews 25:11 and I think it's great, 25:12 I want you to do more interviews and continue to grow 25:17 because God has His plan for you too. 25:19 God is so good, He's so faithful 25:24 and He will reveal to you what you need to know 25:27 at that point in time, 25:29 you might not know what's going to happen over here, 25:31 but He will give you step by step 25:34 what you're to do, if we just ask Him. 25:36 Just ask Him, it's all about relationship 25:39 if the Viewer doesn't get anything else today, 25:42 they need to know it's about relationship 25:46 not about rules because the rules come into play 25:49 as a result of the relationship. 25:51 Yes, and doing stuff out of love. 25:54 That's right. Yeah, yeah, absolutely 25:57 and what is your vision for Dare to Dream? 26:01 Hmmm... wow! you know, TV shapes values 26:05 I think that we are seeing that 26:08 in this whole cultural revolution that we have 26:11 television shapes values 26:15 and so, since we know that to be true, 26:17 we want to shape the values, we want to lead people to Christ 26:22 we want to lead people in the inner city 26:26 in urban areas to Jesus Christ, 26:28 people who wouldn't walk into a church 26:30 you know, we want to give them Jesus Christ 26:34 and show them how relevant the Word of God is 26:38 how applicable to today the Word of God is 26:42 and so we can do that by offering television programs 26:46 that offer the gospel and tools for living. 26:50 I just feel like God would have us 26:53 to continue to do programming that reaches... you know... 26:56 we want programs for young moms 26:59 and for fathers 27:00 to teach our young men how to be fathers, 27:03 how do they deal with the mothers 27:06 and all these things, so we really want to help 27:11 get the word out everywhere. 27:14 That's amazing... well I want to thank you so much 27:17 for joining us today. 27:19 Thank you, you did a great job too. 27:21 Oh, praise the Lord, that's why we always pray 27:23 before we get started. Yes we do... 27:25 Matthew 16:24 through 26 says, 27:30 "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 27:33 if anyone wishes to come after me, 27:35 he must deny himself, 27:37 and take up his cross, and follow me. 27:39 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it: 27:42 but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 27:46 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, 27:49 and forfeits his soul? or what will a man give 27:53 in exchange for his soul?" 27:54 If you haven't done so already, I encourage you 27:57 to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior 28:00 because without Him, you have nothing. 28:02 Join us next time and remember 28:04 it just wouldn't be the same without you. |
Revised 2015-11-18