SHADES OF BLUE:
THE TSUNAMI
CHILDREN'S RELIEF PROJECT
John Tesh launches book
to help the Sri Lankan victims after traumatic family visit there with
Operation Blessing
By Dan Wooding
ANAHEIM, CA (ANS) -- John
Tesh, the gentle blond giant has been a fixture in the American
entertainment scene for more than 25 years as a television host,
recording artist, music director and syndicated radio show host.
But then at the height of his fame he, in 1996, after 10 years as
co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” surprised many by leaving the
highly visible position to pursue his career as a fulltime musician,
now specializing in worship music and also being music director in his
Sherman Oaks, Calif. Messianic Church.
Three of Tesh’s most recent releases, A Deeper Faith, Christmas Worship
and Power of Love all resided on the Billboard Pop and Christian Music
charts. Power of Love was nominated for a 2003 Grammy for Best Pop
Instrumental Album. Releasing A Deeper Faith 2 and his book "The Power
of Prayer and Worship" last year, Tesh stepped further into a world in
which he desires only to be “useful” to others.
Now Tesh has had his life turned around after taking his family on a
harrowing visit to Sri Lanka with Operation Blessing to distribute
food, medicine and clothing and also see first-hand the devastation of
the Tsunami tragedy in that Asian country.
 Speaking at an NRB 2005 press conference before
leading worship at Aspire 2005 on the Sunday night service at the
broadcaster’s convention in Anaheim, California, Tesh revealed that
after the trip he, and his wife, actress Connie Sellecca, have now
created a book called SHADES OF BLUE: The Tsunami Children's Relief
Project. (Pictured: Tesh's wife,
Connie Sellecca, with Sri Lankan
girls - picture byBonnie Gillespie, Operation Blessing).
Tesh began by saying how he got involved with Sri Lanka. “I got a call
from the CEO of Operation Blessing (OB), Bill Horan, right after the
Tsunami had hit asking if I would go over for our radio program (The
John Tesh Show), which is carried on 160 radio stations and has five
million listeners a week,” he said. “I was to talk about their efforts
over there, ostensibly to raise awareness for Operation Blessing and
have us partner with them and help raise funds for them. OB had been
working on the ground in Sri Lanka and South East Asia before this.
“He ultimately invited our family to be part of this. I thought I was
going on my own originally, but we ended up taking my wife Connie and
my son Gib, who is 23 and has a great deal of experience of working
with children and also my 10 year old daughter, Prima. We went over
there not knowing what we were going to do, but we thought it would
start with raising awareness for Operation Blessing by sending back
reports for our radio program and also to Fox News and some of our
other partners.
“However, it ended up beyond that with us interacting with the kids and
my wife ministering to, sharing stories with and listening to stories
from the mothers who lost children the same age of our daughter. My son
did what he does best, as a pied piper running around and interacting
with kids. I worked with the medical team and my daughter taught the
kids.”
 Tesh went
on to say, “In the middle of this whole thing, my wife Connie Sellecca,
had an idea to have the kids to create artwork in an art therapy form
in painting pictures about what was on their minds. What the waves
looked like. We learned that these kids were having nightmares since
December 26 about the waves landing on them. Out of district of 500,000
people they don’t have one therapist; not one family counselor. We had
these kids do these drawings and we thought we would bring them back
and auction them on the radio show, but then decided to take it one
step further and turn it into a book. (Pictured:
John Tesh with a drawing he brought back with
him from Sri Lanka).
“There are a couple of hundred paintings and I brought just two of
them. The theme is the same; it is a giant wave with people, their
family, lying in the water. There is always a boat trying to rescue
someone and in many of the paintings there is hope and still the
village, but always the giant wave.
“What we did was we put these paintings in a book called Shades of
Blue. This book comprises of the pictures, our journal entries while we
were there and the artwork which is compelling and pieces of scripture,
when appropriate, and the book is 64 pages and we are not involving a
publisher at this time.
“We feel we can make more of an impact more quickly by offering it on
our website which is www.tesh.com.
Our goal is to raise a quarter of a million dollars in the next three
weeks and we already a third of the way there. The idea is to take this
money back there and build a manufacturing plant for boats so that the
men could operate them because all of the boats were destroyed and they
don’t have any livelihood and also to take care of the kids. The school
needs to be rebuilt and they need stuff like their uniforms that were
all gone. Our whole goal here is to try and spread the news and get
organizations involved and keep the story alive and to that end my
family and I are not many TV shows.”
I was able to then ask Tesh about his time at “Entertainment Tonight.”
I told him that I used to be a tabloid journalist and that he did
“tabloid television.” After seeing the horror in Sri Lanka, I wondered
if he had any regrets doing what I called “pretty silly stories” for so
many years.
He smiled and then said, “I was there for ten years (with Entertainment
Tonight) and many times I will tell people that I have regrets that I
didn’t leave earlier and the answer I usually get back is that it was a
great platform for what I am doing now. I often give my testimony where
I say, ‘Don’t miss this opportunity to change your life.’
“I was on the edge for so many years and was really enjoying that seven
figure salary, but I had a bunch of my friends in church who would ask
me, ‘How can you do that show?’
“There was actually a list on the wall the wall at Entertainment
Tonight of things that I wouldn’t say which I won’t go over now, but it
got to the point that it just wasn’t a great end I knew I had to leave.
The point for me was I was doing the music and this is what I enjoyed
doing.”
Tesh said that the turning point took place at a Promise Keepers rally
that he was attending.
“A guy named Tony Evans was beating us up in the audience for being
‘frothy Christians’ and it really spoke to me. Looking back on that
show, I have to say, ‘What the heck was I thinking?’ But then I really
wouldn’t have the platform for what I am doing now. I do wish I had
left earlier.”
Tesh then was intrigued when I mentioned the name of Rick Wakeman, who
has been my friend now for 35 years. “Rick Wakeman is the reason I am a
keyboard player today,” he said. “Wakeman is the keyboard player for
YES and he is a strong Christian now I understand.”
What more can you say about John Tesh. With three gold albums and a
career that includes six Emmys, two Grammy nominations, an Associated
Press Award for investigative journalism, a Keyboard Magazine Award,
several number one radio hits, three hit PBS specials and two tours as
an Olympic announcer/composer, it’s obvious that Tesh has a drive for
versatility.
Tesh lives in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Connie Sellecca, his
ten-year old daughter Prima and his 23 year old son, Gib, a senior in
college.
For further details on how to purchase the SHADES OF BLUE book to help
rebuild lives in Sri Lanka and details of John Tesh’s career today, go
to www.tesh.com.
Dan Wooding is an award
winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his
wife Norma. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid
to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service
(ANS). Wooding is the co-host of the weekly radio show, "Window on the
World" and was, for ten years a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network
in Washington, DC.
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