T.D. JAKES: Reposition Yourself, Go to Next Level

On Monday afternoon, hundreds of people lined up on 125th and Frederick Douglass Blvd. in Harlem waiting to gain entry to the world-famous Apollo Theater. Why? Because Bishop T.D. Jakes was appearing of course. The topic? The title of his new book, REPOSITION YOURSELF: LIVING LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS.

Along with a few other journalists, I had the opportunity to speak with Bishop Jakes for about 6.5 minutes before his sold-out event. His people were rushing him because apparently Radio One's Cathy Hughes was waiting to speak with him.

T.D. Jakes looks just like he does on television. As he talked to the small group of us, he was pleasant and humble. He spoke with sincerity and soft passion. And he was honest about his own fears. Which made me forget that he's a New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 books, that he started a gospel music record label, founded a Christian preparatory school, helms a Dallas-based megachurch that boasts more than 30,000 members, and that his TV show The Potter's Touch reaches 67 million households per month.

His new book is touted as a makeover for the soul and aims to provide tools to anyone who wants to attain success and prosperity. He addresses such issues as: facing failure and understanding that it's a prelude to success; creating your own personal brand by combining Identity + Expectations; getting rid of credit card debt; coping with setbacks; succeeding as a woman in business; keeping your family close; and giving back to your community. In August, he'll release a workbook to accompany REPOSITION YOURSELF and in November, he'll release a book of meditations.
Here's a snippet of the conversation with T.D. Jakes:

Did he think he was going to be head of a megachurch with a congregation of more than 30,000 people?
Not at all. It would have scared me to death. I started preaching in a small room. I didn't know about big churches in West Virginia. I didn't know about television, payroll, or staff. It would have scared me to death. I didn't really set out to do it. It happened. But you have to learn to manage it once it does happen.

How does he manage the fear that comes along with success?
The hardest part to manage is the fear. There's an unbelievable fear that comes with [success]. You rely on friends, prayer, and some days, quite frankly, you don't manage the fear. But you feel the fear and do it anyway. Work your way out of the fear. There are people in my life that when I'm really feeling overwhelmed, they calm me down. My wife is one of them.

How does he categorize himself?
I wanted to be a helpmate to my generation. A comfort to my community. Preaching became a vehicle to do that. I wanted to give people what I wanted: support, encouragement and help. My ministry, books, my movies and everything I do, is me saying, 'don't give up and quit, you can do this.' So I started to say to people what I really wanted to hear and hoped that it helped them.

How does he manage a megachurch with 30,000 members and maintain the necessary order?
I think a megachurch is a bunch of mini-churches that come together on Sunday. We have to be organized to service our people. That's why my books talk about organize and structure because that's what my church needed. As you start to grow, you need to have a plan in place.

I speak to people about putting the structure in place that you need to go to the next level, so that you don't become stuck. Sometimes our people fall in love with "low." And anything that is upwardly, we avoid. Somehow that slavery mentality has affected us so that we don't feel entitled to anything better. And anyone who escapes or goes higher, we think it's wrong. When some of us do make it to a high level, we want to take their black card away. I'm trying to get our people to understand that it's okay to go to the next level. And that's what REPOSITION YOURSELF is about.

After speaking with Bishop Jakes, I decided to stay for part of the program. I was feeling inspired. And I'm glad I did.

The elegant Ruby Dee recited stirring poetry. For such a small woman, she's incredibly powerful. One line that she spoke has stayed with me, "The day is ours, let's take it."

As a nice surprise, Donnie McClurkin sang Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song," as a tribute to Bishop Jakes. Then he brought church to the Apollo Theater and sang his famous, "Stand." He told the crowd he felt like singing. And did just that.

Each attendee walked away with a copy of REPOSITION YOURSELF and probably an urge to live a life without limits.