Like me man Mark J (Mark J)said in his first album “from the apple to the peach”. We had a ball in Hotlanta. I’ve always loved Atlanta. When I came out of Tennesee my senior year, I remember how bad I wanted to play for the Hawks because it was close to Tennessee and all my family. We just left Atl from the 2^nd Camp of our FKB NATIONAL TOUR. I think the facility was by far the best we’ve had. Sampson Sports and Fitness Center was a perfect venue.

Thanks Bishop Eddie Long and the Newbirth family, Leo, and Morris for blessing us with your awesome vision.

 

My son and I won the 3pt shootout. My man Ivorie Manning (who runs the clinic portion of the day with Rodney Heard) told me if I wanted to have a trophy just buy one and put your name on it! I felt funny winning my own camp shootout, but it IS for the sons too. When my son wants to compete I gotta ride with him.  I figure if you’re going to put host a father/son shooting clinic, we might as well prove that it works.

 

The funniest part was probably Harry the Hawk mascot made me dance in front of the camp. I looked like a nut! I think no one wanted to tell me how ignorant I looked because it was my camp.

 

The workshop my brother Blake Wilson and I did was powerful.  We addressed the definition of REAL MANHOOD. Men came up to Blake and I with some real emotion- expressing to us how the challenge to fight for real manhood changed their lives.

One man gave his story of how he actually came to the camp by mistake (NOT GOD’S MISTAKE). He was planning to come to a football camp, but saw the registration for ours. When he heard Blake speak, he said it was EXACTLY what was going on with him.

The panel discussion was one of the best we’ve had also. Atl showed us a lot of love. We had Searcy from Hot 107 ATL, Kevin Willis (Hawks, Spurs-21 seasons in the game), Rushia  Brown (WNBA Atlanta Dream), Eric Snow (NBATV host, Sixers, Cavs), and Derek Anderson (Uof Kentucky- NCAA Championship, Miami Heat Championship 06). It was hosted by none other that my man and mentor, Elder Eddie Valez, host of  the Holy Hip Hop show and ministry.

            Searcy spoke about his being on the radio gives him an opportunity to have a platform to encourage young kids. He also told the men how he’s not afraid to continuously tell his son he loves him.

Kevin Willis talked about the value of hard work. He mentioned that he always prepared for life after basketball because he never knew when it would end. He, like Searcy emphasized the importance of telling our young men how much we love them daily-no matter how old they get.

E Snow gave us insight on how he took things from so many players that he played with throughout his career to never stop learning and gain an advantage. He also stressed how important have a strong family and foundation is to a young man. He says 3 things with his children every day: Thank God, Work Hard, and Have fun!

Derek Anderson’s story really hit our men right on target. He talked of not having a mom or dad, and staying with an uncle and coach growing up in our hometown of Louisville, Ky. He said that through basketball, God saved him from so many things that could have killed him in the street life. Now he is a successful real estate developer. I saw Derek play as we were growing up in Louisville. It made me proud of him because when he realized that his relationship with  God through Jesus Christ was his hope, he wasn’t afraid to embrace it.

 

Rushia’s presence was a first for us and it was right on time. She hit the fellas hard when she gave us a strong woman’s perspective. Even though she worked her butt of four 12 professional years, she wanted to remain faithful and knew her identity as a woman. We asked her, “What does it mean to a woman to see a REAL man?”

She also gave us an explosive charge as a woman to be responsible, do not neglect our daughters, because if they don’t get the love, communication, and adoration from their fathers, they’ll get it from someone else. She gave us a vivid illustration of how we copy what we see more that what we hear, so we MUST be a good example.

My Father spoke about not just looking to our immediate children as our responsibility, but children in our community, that we coach, children that we have influence on. They are our children too. It DOES take a ‘village to raise a child’. This was his response to the question of raising me growing up. He added that I had a lot of good models around me in the players that he coached. They raised me as well. We have to see our impact outside our immediate home as well.

 

We has a couple of performances by Young Ed and Mark J, two extremely talented hip hop and r&b artists in Atl. Thanks fellas!

 

Thanks also to Harry the Atlanta Hawks mascot. He has crazy energy. The boys loved it.

 

During the middle of the panel discussion, Bishop Eddie Long came in and blasted us with a strong word of encouragement for the men and young men. He told us about the only hug he ever received from his father, and how he has never forgotten it. He called attention to an identity crisis with our young men. Without a secure sense of who we are in God’s eyes, we will drift from what our true potential is. It is up to us as men in our families and communities to give them their identity just as our Heavenlty Father has given us through His son Jesus Christ. Our young men and women need that from us!

 

Well next stop in is HARLEM USA. FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND. JUNE 20-21^ST.

LET’S KEEP BUILDING AND FIGHTING !

 

---