More than 20 years later, he pastors what Christianity Today calls “one of America’s fastest growing mega-churches.” The Potter’s House, a multiracial nondenominational church with 59 active outreach ministries, has dominated church growth records since 1996. In only eight years since relocating the church from West Virginia to Dallas, The Potter’s House has grown from 50 families to more than 28,000 members to date. Rivaling many corporations, The Potter’s House employs more than 300 staff members including full-time finance, human relations, information technology, materials distribution, public relations and television production departments. The Potter’s House is fiscally sound, having recently paid off its newest $45 million, 191,000 sq. ft. structure that was completed less than four years ago.
Bishop Jakes was born on June 9, 1957 in South Charleston, W.Va. His parents, businessman and entrepreneur Ernest Sr. and educator Odith, were charitable benefactors in their community and to whom their son credits for his own integrity, discipline and selfreliance. Bishop Jakes is the CEO of The Potter’s House, a nonprofit organization that produces three major national conferences – “The Pastor’s and Leadership Conference,” “ManPower” and “Woman, Thou Art Loosed.” WTAL, a powerful and popular symposium, addresses specific needs of all women and has helped many go from welfare to work. The conference has set national indoor attendance records with an average of 84,500 attendees per day at the Georgia Dome in 1999. “ManPower,” equips and encourages men to build strong marriages, increase their confidence and take on more responsibility in their community. “Mega Fest” is a family affair combining “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” “ManPower” and the “Youth 3-D Experience,” a new youth conference. This summer, Mega Fest attracted more than 140,000 people from 55 countries and set a cumulative record attendance of 560,000 over the four-day period. Through broadcasting efforts, Mega Fest impacted more than 314 million homes in 235 countries and territories outside of the U.S. Mega Fest 2005 is scheduled August 3 – 6 in Atlanta, Georgia.
In addition to the major conferences, Bishop Jakes hosts the God’s Leading Ladies conference, which is designed to help women in leadership positions to develop financial, relationship and balancing skills.
In an effort to remedy social and economic voids in Urban America, Bishop Jakes founded the Metroplex Economic Development Corporation in 1998. The nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation has sponsored home ownership conferences and youth mentorship programs.Currently, MEDC is developing a job placement center, a skills training center, a small business counseling hotline and a housing development that will include affordable homes for senior citizens and single-parent families.
Additional endeavors to improve society include building two Habitat for Humanity homes in conjunction with the 2003 ManPower conference and making a $107,000 donation to relocate Dallas citizens from an economically and environmentally disadvantaged area. The Potter’s House was also responsible for building a hospital in Belize, Central America, named Belmopan to whom they later sent $400,000 for medical supplies. Bishop Jakes and The Potter’s House invested over $500,000 in outreach to prison inmates. Their “Adopt A Prison” program has impacted inmates giving them a way to reduce the rate of recidivism through spiritual support and a network of churches who have awareness to the plight of
inmates reentering the system.
He is also the founder of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, through which he employs his other aptitudes as author, songwriter and playwright. A renowned religious author with 30 books to his credit; Bishop Jakes’ works have been featured on Christian, secular and business bestseller lists. His top five nonfiction bestsellers are: Maximize the Moment; Woman, Thou Art Loosed; The Lady, Her Lover and Her Lord; The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance and God’s Leading Lady, which has peaked at #4 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice List. He released his first novel, Cover Girls, in the summer of 2003, and later that year; he released Follow the Star, a compilation of Bishop Jakes’ personal Christmas stories. His latest book He-Motions, which is currently #10 on the New York Times Bestseller List, is a tool for both men and women written with intimate personal stories and painful lessons he learned through life. His best-selling book, Woman Thou Art Loosed, has finally come to the big screen debuting in 400 theaters across the nation and winning the 2004 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Bishop Jakes has developed business partnerships with Sony, EMI, Time Warner, Warner, Rueben Cannon Productions, Clear Channel, Thomas Nelson Publishing and a host of other highly respected companies. His theatre production company, Touchdown Concepts, created and produced the Christian plays “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” and “Behind Closed Doors.” Both became number one gospel plays in the United States. Recently his advocacy for women’s rights enabled him to develop the cinema production “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” with Rueben Cannon Productions. The movie is based on his book “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” and speaks out against domestic violence while encouraging women to rise above injustices. Bishop Jakes also operates Dexterity Sounds, a music label in collaboration with EMI Gospel Music that develops music with a divine message. The label has produced eight albums, five of which have received Grammy nominations. The album, “A Wing and a Prayer” featuring Bishop Jakes and The Potter’s House Mass Choir, received a 2004 Grammy award in the “Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album” category. His album “T.D. Jakes presents Follow the Star” also received a nomination in the category of “Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album.”
He is also the founder of T.D. Jakes Enterprises, through which he employs his other aptitudes as author, songwriter and playwright. A renowned religious author with 30 books to his credit; Bishop Jakes’ works have been featured on Christian, secular and business bestseller lists. His top five nonfiction bestsellers are: Maximize the Moment; Woman, Thou Art Loosed; The Lady, Her Lover and Her Lord; The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance and God’s Leading Lady, which has peaked at #4 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice List. He released his first novel, Cover Girls, in the summer of 2003, and later that year; he released Follow the Star, a compilation of Bishop Jakes’ personal Christmas stories. His latest book He-Motions, which is currently #10 on the New York Times Bestseller List, is a tool for both men and women written with intimate personal stories and painful lessons he learned through life. His best-selling book, Woman Thou Art Loosed, has finally come to the big screen debuting in 400 theaters across the nation and winning the 2004 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Bishop Jakes has developed business partnerships with Sony, EMI, Time Warner, Warner, Rueben Cannon Productions, Clear Channel, Thomas Nelson Publishing and a host of other highly respected companies. His theatre production company, Touchdown Concepts, created and produced the Christian plays “Woman, Thou Art Loosed” and “Behind Closed Doors.” Both became number one gospel plays in the United States. Recently his advocacy for women’s rights enabled him to develop the cinema production “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” with Rueben Cannon Productions. The movie is based on his book “Woman, Thou Art Loosed,” and speaks out against domestic violence while encouraging women to rise above injustices. Bishop Jakes also operates Dexterity Sounds, a music label in collaboration with EMI Gospel Music that develops music with a divine message. The label has produced eight albums, five of which have received Grammy nominations. The album, “A Wing and a Prayer” featuring Bishop Jakes and The Potter’s House Mass Choir, received a 2004 Grammy award in the “Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album” category.
His album “T.D. Jakes presents Follow the Star” also received a nomination in the category of “Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. http://www.godsleadingladies.com/_downloads/bio_td_jakes.pdf
You Always Cared
Bishop T.D. Jakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And change will come I know
You won't be there, my heart and soul
With every time and place
But time cannot erase
The smile that lines your face
As you gaze in mine, you will always shine
And you would always be
An angel making sure I care
The memory, that's always there
Your dreams won't die, they live inside of me
You know you'll always be
My heart and soul
The years roll on and on
I looked and you were gone
I miss you so, my heart and soul
The years can make you wise
Now I finally realize
That if I just close my eyes
I can see you there, and the love we share
And you will always be
A dream so real, that cannot die
A trusting faith that lets me fly
A love so strong that just belong to me
You know you'll always be
My heart and soul
Oh, an angel making sure I care
The memory that's always there
You'll always be my heart and soul
In Bishop T.D. Jakes's song "You Always Cared," the lyrics depict the concept of loss and love that remains despite separation. The first stanza of the song highlights the inevitability of change and how it can result in separation from loved ones. However, the memories of the love shared remain to be a guiding force that keeps the love alive. The second stanza, on the other hand, talks about the acceptance that comes with the passage of time. The singer is now wise enough to understand that love transcends the physical realm and that through the power of memory, the love shared with a loved one can still be felt despite their absence.
The chorus of the song serves to remind the singer and listeners of the angelic presence of the loved one that remains to be a source of comfort and assurance. The singer acknowledges that the loved one has always been there, even in dreams and memories, making sure that they always cared. The song ends with a reaffirmation of the love shared, "You'll always be, my heart and soul."
Line by Line Meaning
The years they come and go
Time passes by with its constant cycle of years.
And change will come I know
Change is inevitable and will happen no matter what.
You won't be there, my heart and soul
Despite the changes, the person's heart and soul will remain without the loved one.
With every time and place
As time goes on, different places and experiences will be encountered.
But time cannot erase
Although experiences change, time can never erase the love and memories of the past.
The smile that lines your face
The memory of the loved one's smile is forever etched in the heart.
As you gaze in mine, you will always shine
The loved one's radiance shines on through the memory of their gaze.
And you would always be
The loved one will always be present in the heart and mind.
An angel making sure I care
The loved one was a guardian angel, ensuring that the person cared for themselves.
The memory, that's always there
The memory of the loved one remains constant and present.
Your dreams won't die, they live inside of me
The person carries the loved one's hopes and dreams within themselves, keeping them alive.
You know you'll always be
The person recognizes that the loved one will always remain in their heart.
My heart and soul
The loved one held a special place in the person's heart and soul.
The years roll on and on
Time continues to move forward without pause.
I looked and you were gone
The sudden absence of the loved one caused pain and longing.
I miss you so, my heart and soul
The person's heart and soul aches for the loved one who is no longer present.
The years can make you wise
Through the passage of time, wisdom can be gained through experiences.
Now I finally realize
The person comes to a realization after much reflection and thought.
That if I just close my eyes
The loved one can be seen and felt through the memories that are vividly remembered.
I can see you there, and the love we share
Despite the physical absence, the love shared with the loved one remains present and alive in the heart.
A dream so real, that cannot die
The memory of the loved one feels like a dream, but it remains undying, true, and real.
A trusting faith that lets me fly
The person is able to fly, take risks, and grow because of the loved one's trust.
A love so strong that just belong to me
The love shared between the person and the loved one is unique, strong, and belongs solely to them.
Oh, an angel making sure I care
The loved one is remembered as a guardian angel who wanted the person to care for themselves.
The memory that's always there
The memory of the loved one remains present and forever cherished.
You'll always be my heart and soul
The loved one will always hold a special place in the person's heart and soul.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARC SHAIMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind