Beige World

Reverend Ike (1935 - 2009) And The Self-Help Movement

Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II - commonly referred to as Reverend Ike - recently passed away on July 28th at the age of 74, after complications from a stroke he suffered two years ago.

Many people may not know this, but Reverend Ike was, in fact, multiracial - part African-American, and part Dutch-Indonesian.

Regardless of how you feel about him and his ministry, one thing that was evident about Reverend Ike was how much of a pioneer and trailblazer he was in the self-help movement.

Here's an interesting YouTube clip of an excerpt from one of his sermons during the 1970's (entitled "You Deserve The Best!"), during which he talks about how our thoughts and feelings dictate our personal growth and development.

His "Science of Living" (also known as "Thinkanomics") is very reminiscent of similar philosophies shared by Napoleon Hill ("Think And Grow Rich"), Norman Vincent Peale ("The Power of Positive Thinking"), and Rhonda Byrne ("The Secret").

Rod Woodson Inducted Into Pro Football Hall of Fame

On Saturday (August 8th), NFL defensive back Rod Woodson was formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Back on January 31st, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

During his 17-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Oakland Raiders, Woodson was named to the Pro Bowl 11 times (a record for a defensive back), and set the NFL record for most career interceptions for touchdowns (12).  In 1994, he was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary Team.

In an emotional moment during his acceptance speech, he touched on the challenges of growing up biracial, and as the child of an interracial marriage.

Currently, Woodson is an analyst for the NFL Total Access on the NFL Network.