About the Narrators

Kirk Franklin is the top gospel artist in Nielsen Soundscan history, selling more than twelve million albums and more than twenty #1 gospel hits. The host of his own talent search program, Sunday Best, he is the winner of seven Grammy awards, six NAACP awards, and many other honors. Also the author of the memoir, Church Boy: My Music & My Life, he lives in Texas with his wife and children.

Tyrese Gibson is a dynamic figure in entertainment today who has had huge success as a multiplatinum and Grammy-nominated R&B singer, songwriter, actor, bestselling author, and television producer. His 2011 music endeavor, Open Invitation, debuted at number one and included the hit single “Stay,” which remained number one for eleven consecutive weeks.

Blair Underwood is an author and award-winning actor, director, and producer. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

James Brown is a sports commentator and former athlete recognized by millions. He is best known as the host of CBS’s The NFL Today and Showtime’s Inside the NFL. Brown earned a scholarship to Harvard, where he got a degree in American government, and had a chance at a professional sports career before moving on to broadcast journalism. He resides in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, Dorothy.

Bishop T. D. Jakes is one of the world’s most widely recognized pastors and a New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books. Named by Time magazine as “America’s Best Preacher,” his message of healing and restoration is unparalleled, transcending cultural and denominational barriers. Jakes is the founder and senior pastor of The Potter’s House, which has a congregation of over thirty thousand. His weekly television outreach, The Potter’s House, and his daily television program, The Potter’s Touch, have become favorites throughout America, Africa, Australia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Jakes lives in Dallas with his wife, Serita.

Tyler Perry is a playwright, producer, director, composer, and actor. He is the creative force behind ten theatrical productions that have toured nationally. He is also the writer, producer, and star of the recent number-one hit movie Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings is his first book.

Forest Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the award-winning television series, The Shield. He won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland.

Quotes & Awards

'...a full show of music, sound effects, and a dazzling array of celebrity voices. The producers...put together a cast of...actors who deliver a rich, diverse rendering of the contemporary Today's New International Version (TNIV) translation in gospel-meeting style. Listeners are treated to a sort of aural kaleidoscope with layers of voices, sound, and music....The lavish production pulls out all the stops....If a modern multimedia production experience is what you're after, enjoy the fine voices and often dynamic dramatized readings.'