Mary Mary is the gospel duo of sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, and though they have world-wide recognition, three Grammy Awards and sold millions of records, Mary Mary feels a strong calling to inspire, encourage and motivate young girls to live an authentic and integrity-filled life.
In their debut book release, Be U: Be Honest, Be Beautiful, Be Intentional, Be Strong, Be You! (Howard/Simon and Schuster, April 2010) Mary Mary builds on their “Be U” slogan through personal stories, spiritual encouragement, and words of empowerment, as they remind young women to understand who God created them to be and discover the courage to be themselves.
“Be you is our mission statement for life, it keeps us focused on authenticity and truth, and keeps us honest: honest to God and honest to ourselves,” says the Campbell ’s. “God didn’t make a mistake when He created you, so you should accept who you are and what you are and live on purpose and not by accident.”
Be U includes over twenty messages inspired by several popular Mary Mary songs and complimented by an interactive Q&A for readers, Bible scriptures, and Be U Affirmation statements. Be U is divided into four sections -Be Honest, Be Beautiful, Be Intentional and Be You featuring topics that include:
So Close: “If you are crying out to Him and you don’t sense His presence or see your prayers being answered, why not try and speak His language? Speak the words of the Bible… His presence is not contingent upon your behavior, good or bad.”
Try: “With Him, I’m able to manage the craziness, and take the challenges in stride. No matter how hard Tina tries, Tina will fail. But when I put my life in God’s hands, He looks beyond my faults and gives me another chance.”
Stand Still: “If we all made a greater effort to stand still, wait, and try to hear what God is saying, we could avoid some of the trouble, hassles, and headaches we experience. Stand still and watch your great big God move on your behalf.”
Forgiven Me: “When we hold onto sin, we convince ourselves that we deserve to live a miserable life and that God will never bless us again. Stop blaming yourself and hanging your head in shame and celebrate what God has done for you. Leave your old, forgiven sin with Him, and move on.”
What a Friend: “Don’t think that God can’t be a friend to you because you’re not deserving of Him. God loves you. He still cares. He is about lifting, restoring, repairing, renewing and reviving. He’s that kind of friend today, tomorrow and forever.”
Other Be U themes include God’s unconditional love, the importance of trusting in God, solitude with God, helping others, expressing gratitude and the importance of honoring friendship and family. “I definitely feel privileged to have been brought up in a Christian family,” says Erica. “Our mom used to say it is better to be saved from things rather than to be saved out of things. A lot of what our parents taught us kept us from living like we were completely out of control – although we weren’t perfect.”
