Donald Lawrence studied at Cincinnati Conservatory, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in music. While in Cincinnati, he was also the Minister of Music at the Southern Baptist Church on Reading Road. To his credit, Donald's musicality has seen many incarnations, as vocal coach to the R&B group En Vogue, musical director for Stephanie Mills, songwriter for The Clark Sisters, and producer for a host of artists including Peabo Bryson and Kirk Franklin.
Lawrence took on The Tri-City Singers after a friend vacated his position as musical director.[1] (NOTE: The three cities that The Tri-City Singers come from are Spartanburg, SC, Gastonia, NC, and Charlotte, NC.) The group debuted in 1993 with A Songwriter's Point Of View on a then-brand-new independent record label called GospoCentric Records. The set debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top Gospel Charts.[3] The group's follow-up release Bible Stories would top those same charts when it arrived in 1995.[4] It was the first to be billed as Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers and featured black church-ubiquitous hits such as "A Message For The Saints", "I Am God" and "Stranger". The album was released on Lawrence's newly minted label Crystal Rose Records which was distributed through Sparrow Records.
In 1997, Donald Lawrence produced the live portion of Karen Clark Sheard's Grammy-nominated Finally Karen debut. Lawrence & Tri-City also released the seasonal Hello Christmas the same year. Later, Lawrence signed a contract with the Island Records imprint Island Inspirational. Though a live recording did take place for release, the album never materialized.
In 2000, Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers signed to EMI Gospel. To promote the new album, a maxi CD of the lead single "Testify" to the mainstream. House remixes by Junior Vasquez sent the song to #33 on Billboard's Mainstream Dance Charts. When tri-city4.com was finally released in 2001, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts. The album also got a profile boost from the all-star standout "God's Favor", featuring vocal turns from Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burrell, and Kelly Price.
Lawrence only waited a year before delivering the follow-up Go Get Your Life Back in 2002. "The Best is Yet to Come", a song sonically much in the vein of the previous smash "Testify," was chosen as the album's lead single. This release featured guest appearances from Ann Nesby (formerly of Sounds of Blackness) and gospel pioneer Walter Hawkins. The momentum continued with the 2003 release of Restoring The Years, a greatest hits album featuring two new songs.
The next album would mark a fresh start for Donald Lawrence. I Speak Life was his first solo album, the debut for his newly inked recording contract with Verity Records, and also the first release under his new sublabel Quiet Water Entertainment. Though the album was without The Tri-City Singers, guest appearances were plenteous. Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Faith Evans, Richard Smallwood, and Carl Thomas all contributed to the album. Even jazz notables Ramsey Lewis and Lalah Hathaway were on hand for a remake of the Bible Stories classic "Don't Forget To Remember". The effort earned Lawrence a total of 7 Stellar Award nominations, and 6 wins.
In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced that they would retire, but not before one last live recording. Finale: Act One and Finale: Act Two were released simultaneously on April 4, 2006. Each release was a CD/DVD set that chronicled the audio and video of one half of the concert, with packages that locked into one another respectively. A special edition of Finale was later released with both CDs and DVDs. The blowout concert included guest appearances from Karen Clark Sheard, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Daryl Coley, LaShun Pace, Darwin Hobbs, and many other gospel luminaries. The album's lead single "The Blessing Of Abraham" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance in December 2006. His sophomore solo album, The Law of Confession Part I was released in February 2009. Donald said in an interview that The Law of Confession, Part II will be released soon, but he's focusing on other projects.
Encourage Yourself
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test.
And no matter how you feel,
Speak the word and you will be healed;
Speak over yourself,
Encourage yourself in the Lord.
Sometimes you have to speak the word over yourself,
But God is present help.
The enemy created walls,
But remember giants, they do fall;
Speak over yourself,
Encourage yourself in the Lord.
As I minister to you, oh I minister to myself,
Life can hurt you so,
'til you feel there's nothing left.
(No matter how you feel),
(speak the word and you will be healed).
Speak over yourself. [x4]
I'm encouraged.
I'm encouraged.
I'm encouraged.
I'm encouraged.
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged.
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged,
I'm encouraged.
(Speak over yourself),
(encourage yourself in the Lord).
The lyrics of "Encourage Yourself" by Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers revolve around the message of self-encouragement through faith in the Lord. The song acknowledges the hardships of life that can bring one down to the point that they feel there is nothing left. However, the song emphasizes that those times are when one has to speak victory over the test and encourage oneself. The message is clear – when overcome by difficulties, one must never lose faith but instead encourage oneself in the Lord, knowing that God is a present help.
The lyrics focus on how speaking the word over oneself can heal one despite the pressures of life that are all around. A reference is made to the story of David and Goliath. David faced a giant and spoke faith-filled words even though the enemy had created a wall. Ultimately, David was victorious. The song emphasizes that no matter what the circumstances are, we can always speak faith-filled words and encourage ourselves.
Lastly, there is a reference to ministering. The message here is that while we minister to others, we can also minister to ourselves. Life can be hard, but we can speak the word of faith over ourselves and be encouraged.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes you have to encourage yourself.
There may be times when you have to motivate yourself without relying on others.
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test.
At times of hardship, it helps to have faith and reassure oneself that they will overcome the challenge.
And no matter how you feel,
Regardless of one's emotions,
Speak the word and you will be healed;
spreading positivity can help improve one's well-being.
Speak over yourself,
Encouraging words can be powerful when spoken to oneself, especially in tough times.
Encourage yourself in the Lord.
One can turn to their faith for comfort and encouragement in hard times.
The pressure is all around,
Some situations can be stressful and overwhelming.
But God is present help.
One can trust that their faith will guide them through turmoil, and blessings will come as a result.
The enemy created walls,
Some obstacles in life may be caused by opposing forces or negative influences.
But remember giants, they do fall;
Even the most insurmountable problems can be overcome, just as biblical giants were defeated by faith.
As I minister to you, oh I minister to myself,
By sharing words of encouragement to others, one can also reinforce positive thoughts to themselves.
Life can hurt you so,
Life may bring pain and disappointment at times.
'til you feel there's nothing left.
These tough situations can make one feel as if all hope is lost.
(No matter how you feel),
Regardless of one's emotional state,
(speak the word and you will be healed).
Speaking positive affirmations can help alleviate painful emotions and lead to recovery.
I'm encouraged.
After hearing these words of encouragement, the artist now feels uplifted.
Speak over yourself. [x4]
The artist repeats the message to reinforce the idea that one can benefit from self-affirmation.
(Speak over yourself),
The singer reminds themselves to use self-affirmation to encourage themselves.
(encourage yourself in the Lord).
The singer encourages themselves to turn to their faith while speaking positive affirmations to overcome obstacles.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Donald Lawrence
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rajakandil3135
I am not well physically.
I have my garage full of my grand children goods
The winter is coming They will need what I have
Please help me ship them I beg you
I love you MR TRUMP
YOU ARE THE ONLY PRESIDENT THAT RECONIZE
THE SAHARA
MAY GOD BLESS YOU.
HELP ME AND HELP THE MISFORTUNE MISFORTUNE
@itsmondli
It's 2024 and I am encouraging myself. I am encouraged!! 👏👏🙌
@WandaBeasley-pi4hl
Yes that what you do 🙏🙏🙏and mean it and you will be healed I believe that .ok keep your head up some time it might take years but don't give up ❤️🙏😁🤓✌️
@itsmondli
@@WandaBeasley-pi4hl thank you, kind soul! 🙏❤️
@NikkiaSings
Be Thou ENCOURAGED!!! 🗣️👏🏾❤️✨👑 Run On!!!
@abusednomoresilence
Encouraging ourselves. 🙏🙏🙏
@itsmondli
Amen!! 🙏❤️
@shaunp31329
Who’s still here, listening at this song in 2023? Such a powerful song! The tongue is powerful, and the WORDS we speak into existence is even more powerful. God bless you🙏🏾❤️!
@natashasmith108
I'm in the hospital right now in 2023 November and this song is speaking in volumes to me
@adiva4lyfe2
Whew I listen every single morning!!!!’
@michaelrussell761
I'm listening daily it powerful enough to motivate the world if we stop and listen