What do you say to younger people who may not be ready to listen to their religious elders?
It is time to listen. (laughs) We live in a society that does not honor elders enough. And that’s one of the commandments in the Bible, is to honor your mother and father, to respect your elders, and with that comes a blessing. And so this is an alarm for them to listen. Humble yourself. Seek out older people. As a teenager, I loved hanging out with the mothers of the church. I saw them walk out life in a total different way than the younger people did: They weren’t stressed. They weren’t full of anxiety. They weren’t full of fear. But they filled their lives with prayer. And because of that, they gained wisdom. And so, young people, if you’re going to have wisdom, if you really want to succeed in life, you got to listen to those who have already been there.
You described your life as a “mix of sparkly, public successes and unseen, holy moments.” Could you briefly describe a key example of each?
“Believe for It: Passing on Faith to the Next Generation” by CeCe Winans. Courtesy photo
Well, sparkly successes, we talked about the award shows and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, all the things that are on my bio. It’s a pretty impressive list (laughs) that I look at and say, “Really? Wow, how did this happen?”
But it’s the holy moments that really bring the meaning to the public successes. It’s fasting, praying and crying out to God, asking him what he wants us to minister and how he wants us to sing or who he wants us to go see. That’s really what life is all about. It’s those holy moments.
It’s laying down your life for your brothers and your sisters, making disciples. It’s the unseen part that fuels the seen part. The private ministry is the thing that fuels your public worship.
You say in the book that you are often a “verified homebody,” but you nevertheless have sung on Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker’s “PTL (Praise the Lord) Club” program, toured with your brother BeBe Winans and have had a solo career. What gets you back on stage, especially now with your newest album?
I’m not my own. This last record really struck a nerve. It really touched people where they needed to be touched really bad. I think (with) the pandemic, the isolation, the loss, the discouragement, people were ready to celebrate, they were ready to worship again, they were ready to praise God. I believe this record really encouraged people to believe again, to take out their faith, to wipe off their dreams.
So when management started talking about (how) they want us to go out and do this fall tour, and later on the spring tour, I was excited but not excited. I love being at home. I love working at the church. I’m a grandmom now. You know, that’s my favorite position and title. But I knew it was something I had to do.
You did mention not being ready to rest on your laurels after 40 years of ministry. So is retirement — I know you said generally people shouldn’t — but for you personally, is it a thought for you?
It’s not even a thought. (laughs) No, retiring is not anywhere to be found. I’m busy with the church, busy at home. And now I’m busy again in the music. And you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Because all of it is for the glory of God, that we’re seeing lives change and people’s destiny changing, eternal destinies are changing. And so I’m excited about staying in the game, staying in the race.
This article originally appeared here.
