Fred Hammond’s back with

LoveUnstoppable

Fred Hammond’s back with

LoveUnstoppable

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By Darryl H. Ford, Sr.

Fred Hammond’s first release in

three years features a thematic

approach to God’s Love, ranging

from acoustic, Latin, pop, soul, and

of course straight-up urban gospel

influences. “Love Unstoppable” (LU)

shows that Fred Hammond is not

through blazing a trail in gospel

music.

“The sound is unique, avant-

garde and atypical,” says

Hammond, re-inventing himself as

he has over the years. Of LU, Kirk

Franklin says, “The sound is a fresh

wind blowing across the gospel

music landscape. People are going

to fall in love with Fred all over

again, just as I have.”

It’s fitting that guest artist John P.

Kee make his duet debut on this

Hammond recording. “He’s my boy,”

says Fred. “At the end of the day

JPK is one of the premier voices of

our generation. Stevie, Rance,

John.” Of Kee’s approach to

singing, FH says, “His thought

process is crazy! I waited for the

right song, appropriately titled ‘They

That Wait’, and he lit it up! He is

amazing.”

Another cut FH feels will touch

hearts is what he described as a

“simple” track, “Take My Hand,” a

soulish ballad derivative of the

standard, “Precious Lord.”

“Performance for me is a place

where the enemy is less loud,

angels are on guard, and I can lose

myself leading worship - not being

worshipped. Working in studio is a

mutual exchange of inspiration -

inspiring others and being inspired

by others.” Having inspired scores,

FH’s own inspirations include the

Reverend Rance Allen, Stevie

Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,

Babyface, Andre Crouch, The

Winans, The Clarks Sisters, and his

late mother, Mildred Hammond, for

her work ethic and passion. “She

could have been a major artist, but

was never encouraged to believe

she could achieve. It was an uphill

climb for a single mom those days.”

Recently relocating from Detroit

to Dallas, FH misses Detroit

“because family’s there, it’s home,

and I feel for what Detroit’s going

through right now.” He loves Dallas

because “It’s home now. No hard

winters, great people, weather, and

church (The Potter‘s House, Bishop

T.D. Jakes).”

As seasons change, FH pays

attention to what his supporters

want and need. “Most artists get

caught up with ‘their’ ministry,

inspiration and direction; to me

that’s like trying to sell hair brushes

at a bald head convention. I can be

slick - and alone. Q (Quincy Jones)

(cont. on p 6)

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When I was diagnosed with

breast cancer in 2006, I was

ashamed and embarrassed

to have cancer. I assumed

that I was going to die,

because cancer kills. I

figured, if I did live, I would

have a miserable life. My

doctor informed me that the

cancer affected breast

needed to be removed. That

sent me even deeper into

despair. “How would I go on

with only one breast?” I cried.

In my sorrow, the Lord

dried my tears, and led me

to research reconstructive

surgery. I learned that it was

possible to actually have

both breasts removed and

have them both

reconstructed. What a

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Survivor urges...Take Care of Yourself!By Sheron C. Patterson

God is good, even in the worst of situations.God blesses even in the midst of burdens.That is what happened to me. I am a survivorof breast cancer. The Lord spared my life fora reason, and I am not shy about letting othersknow the power of early detection.

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5

blessing. With God’s power I

have turned what could have

been a tragedy into a triumph.

Now I urge, push and encourage

women everywhere to take a

more assertive role with their

health.

Why share all of this? I want

to remove the stigma of breast

cancer. There was a time when

no woman would even mention to

close friends that she had this

disease. I know with certainty that

there are women who have

gotten a breast cancer diagnosis

and are afraid of they will be

talked about and looked down on.

My advice? Go with God into

breast cancer and consider it a

divine journey with an unknown

destination..

I share my testimony to also

encourage women to think

outside the box when it comes to

breast cancer treatments. My

cancer was non aggressive, so I

did not need chemotherapy or

radiation. If you do need these

treatments, don’t fret. There are a

host of treatment options

available. Look at all of them and

do not rest until you have a

number of directions. Don’t feel

locked into the medical options

offered decades ago. God is

empowering medical science to

enter awesome and unique

avenues.

My breast cancer bout did

something else amazing in my life.

It enabled me to bless others in a

mighty way. Once God picked me

up out of despair after my

diagnosis I partnered with an area

hospital to present “The Patterson

Pledge.” Together we have

empowered hundreds of women

to take charge of their lives with

the four part pledge- 1) I will

exercise regularly, 2) I will eat

healthy, 3) I will get a

mammogram annually, and, 4) I

will think positive thoughts.

I soon learned that God was not

finished blessing me through the

breast cancer. While I was at

home recuperating from surgery,

with six drains protruding from my

sides, God stepped in with another

blessing. He gave me the

inspiration to found a non-profit

organization called BraveWellness. Its goal is to help low

income persons embrace health

and wellness in their lives.

Brave Wellness launched two

projects; “Breast Cancer Builds”

and “Mammograms for the

Masses.”

Breast Cancer Builds unites

other survivors of breast cancer

with Habitat for Humanity to build

houses as fund raisers for free

mammograms.

Mammograms for the Masses

gives funds to local hospitals so

that their mobile mammogram

units can go to low income areas

October is PastorAppreciation Month!

Order a subscription foryour leader at

gospeltoday.com!

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Fred Hammond (cont. from p 3)

said, “Hang your art upon the wall,

but give the people what they want.”

What’s eluded FH is a crossover

hit. “I asked God for it in prayer. God

told me, ‘I didn’t grant it so the world

would see you don’t need it.’ Then,

‘Pages of Life’ went double platinum,

thanks to gospel announcers. God

put his finger on it and said ‘I

gotchu.’”FHammond Family entertainment

(fhammond.com) is home of FH’sindependent projects, such as theWarehouse Worship TV Show, and Life In theWord CD.

“Love Unstoppable” hits the stores isavailable from Verity Zomba Label Group, JiveRecords and Sony Music Entertainment.

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American women have the highest

death rate from breast cancer and are

more likely to be diagnosed with a

later stage of breast cancer than

White women. Too many of us are

afraid of mammography machines.

I’ve heard women who seem to be

able to do anything else in the world,

suddenly get weak, at the thought of

getting a mammogram. Others of us

are simply too busy taking care of the

other people in our lives.

Care givers often put themselves at

the bottom of the list, and they should

not. Let me tell you, a mammogram

is not that bad. Just pray and go get it

over with.

It’s interesting, but I did not want to

go get my annual mammogram that

day back in 2006. If I had not,

perhaps the cancer would have

spread, and perhaps things would be

different for me.

Early detection saved my life and

gave me the opportunity to be

somebody else’s blessing. gt

For more information please visit

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Breast Cancer (cont. from p 5)

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