we're now going to apastor marvin winnans to give whitney's eulogy. >> you did the entrance that bring light and life and we pray that the glory is light. as never impressed by me through the glorious light to call these people to see you more clearly to love you more dearly and fall you neitherly. let the words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in my sight, and my strength and every glad heart said amen. first thing i want to do give honor to the pastor of this church, pastor carter.

[ applause ] >> for his spirit of humility. [ applause ] >> i want to thank mama houston cissy for your just willingness to forget about everything else and have this service here. [ applause ] >> that took a lot of courage. and because of that, you brought the world to church today. [ applause ] >> i want to give honor to all

of the bishops and pastors and folk that have come. i want to assure you that i won't be that long, but i've been waiting y'all all day. [ laughter ] >> i want to make a couple of disclaimers. one, most of this homily will be done in english but old habits are hard to break. if you hear language you don't understand don't worry about it because i wasn't talking to you no how. [ laughter ] >> i was hoping cici would be

singing. i would do something mama houston. if that is okay. we hear about bebe and cici. [ laughter ] >> you actually believe that bebe and cici new nippi first. that is not the case. [ laughter ] >> just like bebe knew whitney. i'm going to ask my twin brother to come. i'm going to ask bebe and cici to come. i'm going to ask my son marvin winans the second to come and angie and debby can come. my nephew can come. my mother can stay right there.

[ laughter ] >> where is butch? come on up here the truth is we met whitney first in beverly hills. that is very true. we were the wynans, i sell them i am cici's brother. i'm proud to be. the winans four brothers were signed to william morris. whitney, this young new star who i thought were a lot like cici when i heard her, she was also a signed to william morris agency at the time. we both had the same agent, a

name by marshall resnick. he said, have you heard of whitney houston? this is first album. so when she went on tour. he said, she is singing you guys' song. i said what song is that. he sings your song "tomorrow." he should have never told carvin that because he was going to stay awaning day and night until he got in touch with whitney houston. i remember going to the hotel in beverly hills and carvin and i, we didn't know. he told us where she was staying. probably shouldn't have told us. whitney came down. when i looked at her -- oh, lord i'm in trouble. you are going to be my missionary. you are going to sing and you are going to be my missionary. we thanking her for singing her

song. i'm asking carbin and we're going to sing a little bit of "tomorrow," and i'm going preach and we're going home. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

know. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ applause ] ♪ ♪

♪ >> we are happy to recognize pastor michael mcqueen from atlanta, georgia freda, georgia, he was whitney's pastor in alfreda. she was the last minister she heard. we are also happy to have the governor of new jersey here, governor christie who had the flags at half mast in honor of whitney. [ applause ] >> and stood by his decision.

[ applause ] >> let's go to the word of the lord. i can assure you that this is not a speech. i'm going to preach. some lawyer called my office to see if i wanted property rights or, i don't know how i could do that because all i'm going preach is the word today ♪ i heard of a land ♪ ♪ in a far away strand sthvts to the beautiful home ♪ ♪ of a soul ♪ built by jesus ♪ on high

♪ its land where we won't die ♪ it's the land where we will never grow old ♪ ♪ i just want to say one time we'll never ♪ ♪ grow old ♪ we'll never, never grow old ♪ there is a land where we'll never ♪ ♪ we won't grow old the word of the lord from matthew, sixth chapter, 25th

verse, jesus said these words. therefore, i say unto you, take no fault for your life what yee shall eat or what yee shall drink nor yet for your body what yee shall put on. it's not the life more than meat? and the body more than ramannt. so the far the scriptures, i want to concentrate our thoughts on the clause of this text. is not the life more than meat

and the body more than ramannt. in order to expedite this process, i am looking for my amen, sound like it may be coming from over here. i try to tell folks in the little church where i pastor, if you say amen, i'll get through this sooner. if you don't, i feel like you don't understand what i'm saying and i'll have to reiterate some things. if you want to leave here with a subject ever repeat after me --

prioritize. somebody lied on jesus, i just want to set the record straight. there is this untrue, this misrepresentation that living for the lord is somehow boring, dull, ho-hum, unfulfilling, second rate, dissatisfying. wait until you have foot on the grave and another on the banana peel sort of existence, which nothing could be further from the truth. jesus said in john 10:10. the thief kom common not to steal to kill and to destroy but he speaks of himself and said, i

am coming that they might have life. that they might have it more abundantly. the apostle peter speaks out of his experience in second peter one and three and says according as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. prioritize. prioritize simply means two arrange in order of importance. in other words, setting up your life based of things that really matter. in this discourse, that is exactly what jesus is trying to teach.

this is sermon on the mountain known as the attitudes and it starts according to mark's account in the fifth chapter and ends in the eighth. i would suggest and pay attention to the second chapter. at the end of the eighth chapter people were astonished at his doctrine because he spake with such authority. in other words, he talked as if he knew god. it amazes me -- i'm getting loud shall i'm sorry. it amazes me ambiguous the believer is about god, when in fact we ought to know him. i'm going preach in a moment,

stay with me. the only way to know him is to have him included in what you do not excluded. and jesus says here, take no fault that word in the greek, its verb which simply means don't be anxious. don't get nervous about life, which simply means to breathe or to have the psyche or mind of an individual. don't get nervous about life because the life, the breath is more important than what you eat what you put on cannot equate to

life itself. so jesus says take no salt for your life. in no way he at the sikt go to live a life aimlessly without dreams or aspirations, not just let life happen and accept what comes your way. he is actually saying the opposite. i want you to understand that our salvation was not given to christ. he has to buy it. and jesus came with purpose and salt to obtain our deliverance. salvation is free, but it ain't cheap. one of the qualities of faith is expectation. now faith is acceptance of

things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. if you find someone without expectations station or hope, that individual is void of faith because faith always expects and faith always moves towards its goal. don't think that the church is for somebody that doesn't want anything. don't think that the church is for somebody that can't get a gig anywhere else. [ applause ] >> don't think that the church is for people that do not have hope or cannot make impact. at a matter of fact that is the

opposite. it's diametrically opposes what jesus is about. john says, i would above all things that we might prosper and be in health even as your soul most percent. what we're dealing with is the misappropriation of what is important. the devil wants you -- i say the devil -- the devil wants to use your circumstance against you by making you become anxious when things don't happen on your timetable. he wants you to assume responsibility in that you become the master of your own fate and trust in your fweilts make things happen and thereby

abby indicating your faith in jesus. but jesus is saying i don't want you to become anxious about life. i don't want you to feel if life happened without purpose. for i want you to understand according to ethesians the first chapter that god works all things after the counsel of his own wheel. to understand that you are not a mistake, that you are not a mishap but god had a purpose before he ever created a person. that your existence on earth has significance. y'all got to help me preach there. look at somebody and say i'm significant.

so when you recognize that you did not just show up, but that god has purpose for you, i like to use the analogy that everyone buys a new car, when you buy that car there is a manual in the glove compartment. most of us because we have our license and have had it for some time, we don't even go through the owner's manual. because it tells us how often we should take it in for a tune-up and the oil we should use and gas we should use. aide car that i used to put just mobile premium in. these guys' prices ran me to regular right quick and hurry. [ laughter ]

>> the owner's manual for the car doesn't tell you where to drive. it doesn't tell you who to let in your car. it tells you how to get the best performance. when people look at bible think look at it from the wrong perspective. because this is the owner's manual. and things that god has set up is so that you can get the best performance -- i don't hear nobody talking to me -- so you can hear the best performance out of your life. so let's take another look at what jesus said. and i'm finished. if we read this text in its entirety, jesus said, he said no

man can serve -- in other words, somebody has to be in control. someone has to be sub ser yant to the other. eerp either you love god or you'll serve money. but you can't serve money and god. somebody holler back at me prioritize. i don't want anybody to leave here thinking that god wants anybody here broke. i just need to say this as i have your attention. we have a lot of folk -- i don't agree with prosperity gospel. i don't know where the gospel is. if god wants somebody to be broke, would you tell me who

that is. who is volunteering? i just believe the bible. you have to understand this manual gave us examples and testimonies of how we should live. when god brought israel out of egypt, everybody came out with something. i don't hear nobody talking to me. but you believe somebody has to be broke, is to say god doesn't have enough sufficiency to supply to everybody. you know coming to the church, what are you going to say, i'll be there sunday. all the people that were trying to hear me preach. come sunday, come there.

all the news agencies, i do this every sunday. i want you to understand that what god desires for everyone is that everyone would be healthy and prosperous. so he said, you don't have to worry about it because i, i -- i want to say it in the vernacular he says i got you. [ applause ] >> i know that may not proper english but the text seems to emphasize the fact, if i'm not going to worry what is going to become of me, then god says, i

got you. so he says here is the priority for the believers. because sometimes the world is afraid of church folk as one muslim said. he said he wished he had met christ before he met the christians because sometimes we are believers behaving badly. jesus says that i am going to give you the order of how this should go. in that same text he says, seek ye first.

the kingdom of god and his righteousness. you got to put in there. seek ye first the kingdom. in other words, the first thing that comes to our mind when we begin to do things would be -- is this consistent with kingdom living? we want to get the proverbial cart before the horse and we start seeking things before we can see the kingdom. seek ye first, the kingdom of god and his righteousness. in other words, with everything i do, i want to remain in right

standing with god. i'm going to preach now. i want to remain in right standing with god. in other words, i want my life to please him. the gifts that we have are god's gifts to us, but the life that we live is our gift to god. [ applause ] >> god says, i got you. so if you can see first the kingdom of, if you seeking first the kingdom of god theng then all these things shall be added. see that is the part that allows you to work the foundation of

your faith. to allow god to take you through a wilderness area knowing that he is going to make you the better for it. that when i get in the middle of the valley that is not a time for me to leave my faith, but to trust that god is still with me. if he has me in the middle of a sunny afternoon then he has to have me in the middle of a dark night. look at somebody and say -- he got you. he got yeah. >> i want us to recognize of our faith in god must not be something that we attach to the end of our lives but that we

must prioritize, you make your decision based on your faith. that you walk according to what you believe knowing that you can never say yes to god and god make you ashamed. [ applause ] >> that you could never put god first and god forgets and leave you. i'm finished. thank you. [ applause ] >> every head bow.

father, we thank you for this life of whitney elizabeth nippy houston. we thank you that she was a dear friend. we echo the sentiments of all that have come to show their love. father i pray by the power of the holy spirit that you would give all that under the sound of my voice the thought to prioritize. to make you first. for us not to talk about you but for us to live for you. let us leave here recognizing that whitney left too soon. let us leave here impacted by

her life saying that i want to finish what god has started. let us make you physical. i pry that you would lift up mike and gary and pat and father lift up cissy. left up dionne, all of us that are touched and hurting, that you would lift us up. father we will not leave here bitter or upset. let the church ♪ ♪ say amen ♪ let the church say amen ♪ god has spoken ♪ let the church say amen

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ let me see your response

♪ whatever you say ♪ from the healing of your body ♪ ♪ to the day ♪ no matter what you are feeling ♪ ♪ how was it really ♪ you belong to the light ♪ and glory and the fire ♪ speeding into an the night ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ say everybody ♪ ♪ ♪ god is talking

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ god has spoken ♪ so let the church ♪ hey! ♪ ♪ i need you to finish ♪ with the dream that i started ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ no matter what the devil does ♪ ♪ say it from me

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> let's give the lord a hand clap. we're going to ask everyone except for the family, first three rows, if everyone could please have a seat except for the first three rows, please have a seat.

thank you. i'm going to ask, as you can see we have more stars than the grammies. that says something, hallelujah. i'm sorry tyler. [ laughter ] >> i love you. that is the only way i know now. so what we're going to do, please ask everyone to be patient, all of you right now with the exception of the governor and mayor, everyone to please clear this bay area for right now. we're going to ask the family, this is way we're going exit. the family will go first, three rows. i'm going to now ask, all the security that goes along with it

we're going to ask if the first seven rows would please stand on my right. don't go anywhere. clear the aisle, keep the aisles please. everyone else stay seated. carolyn, it's on you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you, darling you

♪. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ please don't cry ♪ we both know. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ i, will always love you ♪ i will always love you ♪ i will always love you ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ applause ]

>> we're going to ask everyone to have a seat except for the first seven rows. we will get you out quickly, i promise. thank you. >> in a service that ran really four hours, originally planned at two but ran world says goodbye to a superstar, the entertainer whitney houston. absolutely very moving service there the reverend marvin winans

that official yiatd at ceremony where she married her husband, bobby brown, a stirring sermon from marvin winans. >> listening to the song at the very end, how moving was that. watching the casket go by, it was so powerful. it was a powerful image there. we heard from so many people who love her greatly in the four hours. nothing but the love of god to the crowd there and reminded how strong she was in terms of her faith and to her church. very, very touching reflections, don't you think. >> i wrote down the words are kevin costner that spoke early in the service, she is a lady now in heaven who is making god wondered how he created something so perfect. when you heard that song, i will

always love you, dolly parton song that was spine of the movie "the bodyguard," it took your breath away. >> indeed. several of the people that spoke was trying to fight back holding tears. people who have spent so much time to her over the years and come to know her, family members that knew her at nippy. wonderful thing that talked about her innocence and love of family. i found it to be quite moving. >> there were about 1500 people inside the service, all invited guests. some of the heavyweights of the music and entertainment industry. people like clive davis who spoke, oprah winfrey was there. people in the neighborhood who did not get a chance to go inside have absolutely surrounded the new hope baptist

church with balloons and flowers and candles. there is it waving in the wind. that whitney houston called home. mesmerizing the parishioners. let's check in with kelly wright. they are preparing to load whitney houston's casket -- or they just did so. they just did so. you see the pall bearers, marching away in procession. give us an update. >> kelly: we understand that whitney's body will go back tomorrow and tomorrow she will be buried next to her father. this not typical because you go

right to the burial site. the way things have gone with this four hours of ceremony, because of the celebration of whitney life that could change but that is our understanding right now. here outside, we are waiting for people to come out of the church to their cars, people are waiting around to actually file out of the church to give whitney her last respects, to give the family the privacy they desire. they going to stay here and watch her drive off. this was when it necessity l any's home. the people of north new jersey is very proud of her and legacy behind. albeit, challenges and tough obstacles to overcome. yet as we've heard today she was still a child of god, still loved by god despite those setbacks and circumstances of going through the demons, truth be known, we all fight with

demons. marvin winans along with so many other people. >> ricky minor, even the mayor corey booker going on saying, god is in heaven and we know whitney is in heaven with god right now. very proud mayor. the governor lowering the flag to half-staff amid criticism because whitney's sordid past but the governor taking a stance whitney deserves this honor. whitney is an american icon who contributed so much not only to african-americans but to all americans representing throughout the world and that talented voice. rubbing can i minor recalling her work, she was god's gift to me and i was god's gift to her because of her i am here. ricky is the banld director for

jay leno. having so much of an impact. i could go on. tyler perry, quoting roman, nothing can separate us from god not principality, nothing. there is more. it was just a touching, moving memorial that whitney is gone but not forgotten. as one entertainer told me, james walker that works with a lot 6 artists, james said we were enamored but sometimes we enabled her. her bodyguard said today, our stars give us so much and we as our fans and those around her and even other superstars by making sure we try to help them to avoid the obstacles they go through life. that requires prayer and requires more than adoration,

giving them the love that they have given to us over the years. it's really a touching day. i think a lot of people will walk away with fond memories of whitney houston and the life she has led, hopefully the gift she has given and her mother, sissy houston that has to be -- cissy houston. all will remember whitney houston as a mother, daughter and a sister and some has said, a child of god. >> kelly wright our colleague who is outside baptist church where we are awaiting the departure of the hearst. they can be sad events but they did very best, to make it an uplifting event. home going celebration for whitney houston.

one minor hickup, you might call it. if you watched the entire thing and wondering what happened. dionne warwick introduced aretha franklin but because of last minute health issues, aretha franklin was not able to speak. >> i want to ask you, your thoughts. it was brought up by her sister-in-law. no matter what criticisms whitney endured, she forgave everybody. she did have to overcome a lot of criticisms and people out there that were ready to judge her? >> there is always that harsh judgment in the public spotlight. whitney had given much of her adult life to the public arena starting at the age of teenager being discovered by clive davis.

rest is history and emerging as a superstar, breaking all kinds of barriers, socially, racially and economically. with that comes some heat. when you are standing in the spotlight and under fire. when you give them fodder, you give them something to criticize they will come after you and that is something she had to endure. pray for me not about the drugs. pray for me. when she talked to an interview, i'm the demon. i'm the worst enemy. she was dealing with them. to the public, she was trying to be the fan of the public, trying to be the person that could bring someone joy with songs. what i recall those days when i met her in north new jersey when she was giving clothing and

gifts to hundreds of kids that was part of her annual christmas program, i was touched. i even asked her, what compels to give the way you do. she hugged every child. words of affirmation, you can be anything you want to be. a child in the ghetto, a child in the hood they need to hear that. and her response to me, god has given me so much. how can i not give back. just a beautiful way i want to remember her, not about the demons. scrutiny she had the capacity to forgive. but was he is able to forgive herself. the word we received that she was. that she did. she has moved forward at a time, 48 years of age, nobody wanted to hear she died. we wanted to see her triumphant. >> stand by for just a moment.

jehmu greene she is here with some of other reflections. the fact that her siorl point out, he pointed out the choice was always her how to respond. in the celebration of love and life. i thought it was interesting. she did take a moment to reflect on this. absolutely. >> i think whitney houston would be happy. she took america to church. it may have been scheduled for two-hour service, she took america to church for four hours. when the world learned of her death, in the hour we learned of her death, two million tweets were sent out. i think when you look at a thousand tweets a minute, the impact that she had, i heard many people referred to her impact as being the sound track of our generation. i think her lyrics were the sound