Across Pacific Magazine




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.

Connie SelleccaSpeaking 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.”

John TeshTesh 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.



ASSIST News Service (ANS) -  www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com




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