Donald Lawrence has been an inspiration to many.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.[2])
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,[1] 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.[5] When tri-city4.com was finally released in late summer 2000, the set peaked at #2 on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts and #13 on Billboard's Heatseekers Charts.[3] 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 waited almost two years before delivering the follow-up Go Get Your Life Back in early 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 Bishop 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.[6]
In March 2006, The Tri-City Singers announced that they would retire, but not before one last live recording.[7] 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 Bishop Walter Hawkins, 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.[8] 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.[9]
Encourage Yourself
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 encourage yourself
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test
No matter how you feel speak the word and you will be healed
Sometimes you have to speak a word over yourself
Depression is all around, but god is present help
Oh the enemy created walls
But remember giants they do fall speak over
Yourself encourage yourself in the lord
Oh as I minister to you, oh I minister to myself
Life can hurt you so, till you feel there's nothing left
No matter how you feel speak the word and you will be heald speak over yourself
Sometimes you gotta look in the mirror and tell yourself you can make it
Speak over yourself
You gotta remember that life and death lies in the power of your own time
Speak over yourself
Even if nobody tell you you can run on you tell yourself hey
Speak over yourself
You gotta remember I'm more than a conqueror
I'm encourage
Greater is he that's in me yeah
I'm encourage
I believe everything that the lord said about me
I'm encourage
Everything that enemy ever told me it's a lie it's a lie it's a lie
I'm encourage
Yeah, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh
I'm encourage, I'm encourage, I'm encourage, I'm encourage, I'm encourage
Speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the lord
The Tri-City Singers’ song “Encourage Yourself” speaks of the power of self-encouragement and faith in God during challenging times. The lyrics emphasize the idea that sometimes we have to be our own source of encouragement and speak words of victory and healing over ourselves.
The first verse suggests that there may be times when we find ourselves feeling down, but in those moments, we must speak the word of God over ourselves to find healing. The second verse reminds us that depression and obstacles can surround us, but God is always present to help us overcome them. The lyrics encourage us to speak words of victory and encouragement over ourselves despite how we feel.
In the third verse, the lyrics mention how the enemy creates walls, but we can remember that giants do fall and speak words of encouragement over ourselves. The song includes a personal touch when the singer mentions that they are ministering to themselves as they sing. The lyrics conclude with encouraging statements that we must believe everything that the Lord said about us and recognize that the enemy's negativity is a lie.
Overall, “Encourage Yourself” is a message of hope and faith that inspires us to speak positive words over ourselves and trust in God’s power to heal and guide us through the tougher moments in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes you have to encourage yourself
There will be times when you have to lift yourself up and provide yourself with the motivation you need.
Sometimes you have to speak victory during the test
Believe in yourself and speak positivity even during challenging situations.
And no matter how you feel, speak the word and you will be healed
Even when you're feeling down, speaking positive words and having faith can bring healing to your soul.
Speak over yourself encourage yourself in the lord
Have faith in God and speak positive affirmations to yourself as a source of encouragement.
Sometimes you gotta look in the mirror and tell yourself you can make it
Sometimes all you need is a boost of self-confidence and positive self-talk to remind yourself that you can overcome any obstacle.
You gotta remember that life and death lies in the power of your own time
The choices and decisions we make have the power to transform our lives - for better or for worse.
Even if nobody tell you you can run on you tell yourself hey
You don't have to wait for external validation, you can motivate yourself by reminding yourself of your own capabilities.
You gotta remember I'm more than a conqueror
It's important to recognize our own strength and abilities and use that knowledge to propel ourselves forward.
I'm encourage
I am filled with encouragement and positivity.
Greater is he that's in me yeah
Faith in God can provide strength and confidence to overcome any obstacle.
I believe everything that the lord said about me
Have faith in the power of God's promises and believe in your own potential to achieve great things.
Everything that enemy ever told me it's a lie it's a lie it's a lie
Don't let negative self-talk or external criticism bring you down, remind yourself that those words aren't true and keep moving forward.
Speak over yourself, encourage yourself in the lord
Speak positivity and encouragement to yourself, rooted in faith in God's power, to lift yourself up and stay motivated.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
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