Posted on Sunday, November 3, 2019

The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Magazine Articles for Black Christian Women in October 2019…

Hello World,

As of today, there is only one month left before my debut novel Destination Wedding will be released. What does that mean? I’m all over the place, but I’m trying to keep it together. I’ll admit I may not keep up with all of my regular blog features, but for today, I’m back with my monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine articles for black Christian women. Below is my Top 10 monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine/newspaper articles for black Christian women for October but you don’t have be a black Christian woman to to check them out. As usual, let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!

1. “What’s Fact and What’s Fiction in Harriet” by Rachelle Hampton

Excerpt: The fact that Harriet is the first feature-length film to tell the story of one of the most famous women in American history may sound improbable, but it’s no less improbable than many of the facts of her life. The new biopic is mostly true to what we know of the real Harriet Tubman, though writer-director Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou) and co-writer Gregory Allen Howard (Remember the Titans, Ali) take some considerable liberties with both the timeline of events and the creation of several characters. We consulted biographies, articles, primary sources, and a few contemporary historians so we could break down what’s historical record and what’s artistic license. See more at: slate.com.

2. “Botham Jean’s Brother’s Offer of Forgiveness Went Viral. His Mother’s Calls for Justice Should Too” by Dorena Williamson (Dorena was featured in my last “First Lady Friday,” which I plan to resume after my book launch.)

Excerpt: Brandt’s offer of forgiveness and hug has been shared and praised widely across social media. But many have likely missed footage from the rest of the family, including these words from Botham’s mother, Allison Jean. “Forgiveness for us as Christians is a healing for us, but as my husband said, there are consequences. It does not mean that everything else we have suffered has to go unnoticed,” Mother Allison told the court. See more at: christianitytoday.com.

3. “Simone Biles Becomes The Most Decorated Gymnast in World Championship History” by Laurel Wamsley

Excerpt: Simone Biles is the greatest gymnast of our time – or any time in history. She proved that Sunday at the World Championships, where she raked in her 24th and 25th world medals, both gold. Biles, 22, took home five of the six golds to be won in Stuttgart, Germany, winning the top of the podium in team competition, all-around, and vault in addition to floor and beam. (On the uneven bars, she took fifth.) See more at: npr.org.

4. “Allyson Felix Just Broke Usain Bolt’s Record at 10 Months Postpartum” by Heather Marcoux

Excerpt: File this under “empirical proof that mothers are real-life superheroes.” Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix just broke a record held by none other than Usain Bolt…and is if that weren’t enough, consider this: She did it at just 10 months postpartum. Allyson, a US national sprinter, just won her 12th gold medal at the World Championships on Sunday. As of this win, Allyson now holds the record for most gold medals at the track and field world championships, according to CNN. See more at: mother.ly.

5. “NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill memorialized with USPS Forever stamp” by Gretchen Frazee

Excerpt: The stamp, which was unveiled Tuesday, features a 2008 photo of Ifill with the words “BLACK HERITAGE” at the top and Ifill’s name at the bottom. See more at: pbs.org.

6. “Daughters of ‘Real Housewives’ Star, New Birth Pastor Apparently Now Own a Restaurant” by J.D. Capelouto

Excerpt: The teenage daughters of Jamal and Gizelle Bryant are the apparent new owners of Arizona’s Steakhouse in Stonecrest. Gizelle Bryant is a reality star from “The Real Housewives of Potomac,” while Rev. Jamal Bryant is the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest. See more at: ajc.com.

7. “Unholy: Pastor Denied Me Communion Because I Wouldn’t Apologize For Being Pregnant & Unmarried” by Veronica Wells

Excerpt: When my parents brought up the topic of apologizing to the church, the pastor had six sons and three of them had kids out of wedlock at this point. And there were many other people in the church, male and female, who had kids and they were not married. And no one had ever been asked to come in front of the church. It was very targeted. He was in a position where he thought he could prove a point with me. He thought that I was just going to go with it. And I was like, ‘No. They’re only doing this because I am a woman and they’re only doing this because they think that they can control me.’ And I refused to do it. See more at: madamenoire.com.

8. “Georgia Board Approves Naming UGA School After First Black Graduate” by Eric Stirgus

Excerpt: The Georgia Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a request from the University of Georgia to name its College of Education after Mary Frances Early, its first African American graduate. Early arrived at UGA in the summer of 1961, a few months after Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes became the first African American students to enroll there. She became the first African American to earn a degree from the University of Georgia when she graduated on Aug. 16, 1962, with a master’s degree in music education. See more at: ajc.com.

9. “UGA’s First Black Sorority to Mark 50 Years on Campus This Weekend” by Ernie Suggs

Excerpt: When Helen Butler arrived on the campus of the University of Georgia in the winter of 1967, she had to go searching to find other black students. It was six years after Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter-Gault integrated the campus, but still fewer than 100 black students attended the school. “My first roommate was white, and I never saw anybody black in any of my classes,” said Butler, the executive director for the Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda. “So you had to go to the student center to see someone who looked like you.” See more at ajc.com.

10. “Jessye Norman, Opera Icon, Memorialized at Hometown Funeral” by Mesfin Fekadu

Excerpt: Laurence Fishburne, the Emmy- and Tony-winning actor who was born in Augusta, told the attendees as a struggling young actor looking for inspiration, he looked at photos of great artists, from Miles Davis to Zora Neale Hurston to Duke Ellington to Norman. “It made me feel connected to something bigger than myself,” Fishburne said, adding that his black-and-white photo of Norman revealed someone energetic, whimsical and vulnerable. “So I am here at the request of Jessye’s family to grieve with you, to say thank you to God for sharing her with us and the world, to celebrate her life, her good words, her accomplishments, and to praise her for using her talents, her gift, her compassion, her intellect to lift all of us up a little higher.” See more at: oanow.com.

If you know of any black Christian women bloggers and or writers, please e-mail me at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com as I’m always interested in expanding my community of black Christian women blogs and websites. As I noted before, while this is a roundup of interesting blog posts and or magazine and newspaper articles for black Christian women, you don’t have to be one to appreciate these pieces .

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Bishop T.D. Jakes Issues Apology After Potter’s House Fort Worth Volunteer Allegedly Assaulted, Handcuffed & Thrown Out of the Church!

Hello World,

Some Palm Sunday Shenanigans went down this past Sunday it seems! Media outlets from The Christian Post to Media Takeout are reporting that Audrey Stevenson, 22, a member of The Potter’s House of Fort Worth church under the leadership of Pastor Patrick E. Winfield II and First Lady Veronica Winfield, claims she was allegedly assaulted at the church. She argued with church staff regarding being able to be on the church stage…See the details below…

With gospel music playing in the background, presumably establishing a worshipful experience in the sanctuary, something that could have taken place on the street was going down in one of the the side rooms of the church building. In a video recorded by Stevenson, church elder and administrator Rhonda Lewis is heard saying to Stevenson, “So I want to be clear. On the stage, you are not allowed to do anything on the stage. Now they just said to me that you stated the pastor said you could do the stage? Am I clear about that?”

Stevenson responds with, “No, I called First Lady and she said they had no regulation of me not being able…”

Lewis interrupts. “Who has no regulation?”

“First Lady & Pastor has no regulation of me serving under any type of restriction and that we are going to have a meeting involving you and Louise so that’s where I’m at with First Lady,” Stevenson explains.

The back and forth continues until Lewis says to church security, “Dude, I want you to hear what I’m hearing right here so that when I confront this, so say what you said one more time. I just want to make sure he heard me.”

According to The Christian Post’s article:

The conversation soon devolved into a tense argument after Lewis indicated that Stevenson was out of order for having gone to the pastor’s wife with the dispute and indicated that there would be no meeting as she is the church administrator. She further called Stevenson a manipulative liar and noted that she had been “sat down” — meaning removed from service — and thus should not be on stage. Stevenson asserted that she has a right to call the pastor’s wife and told the elder she should be “ashamed” of herself.

As Stevenson tried to leave the room, a church security official, identified as Brandon Amie, blocked her way, saying he needed to “explain something” to her. She was then handcuffed and restrained as she begged him to let her leave. At one point, she indicated Amie had his knee in her back while she continued screaming.

There are many verbal bombs thrown during the conversation, mostly by Stevenson:

“You told me to shut up. I’m being spiritual.” (She even cussed with another s-word.)

“You’re an elder and you’re going straight to hell on a one-way trip.”

“I’m from Detroit! What’s up?”

“I’m bi-polar.” (Why did she say that? Was this to imply that she was about to do something as a result? And if she truly bi-polar, why did she say that then? Was she asking for medication? I don’t get this disclosure at this particular time.)

The Christian Post spoke with Stevenson’s mother who said the confrontation has been months in the making.

“These are despicable, ludicrous, demoralizing, hideous acts happening in the church of God. And these are the people who are in leadership, I want to tell you if they get away with this, they’ll do this to somebody else’s child. Or to someone else’s sister. This is a woman. Audrey is 22 years old. 5′ 2″. I’m short. I’m only 5′ 5″ and they would do this to her? What kind of people are these?” she asked.

Below is a video of the fracas:

Below is the apology that Bishop T.D. Jakes, leader of the entire The Potter’s House, issued on the Fort Worth church Facebook page: (By the way, T.O.R.I. stands for Texas Offenders Reentry Initiative. It’s such a shame that something that was supposed to be so positive ended up being so negative. The devil stays busy…He is the author of confusion and strife.)

I kinda believe that Ms. Stevenson went in that back room ready to get stuff started. I mean she had her phone on the entire time and from what I could tell the other participants in the confrontation were not even aware of the recording. (At least I hope not or else why did they act like that, particularly Brandon?) That being said, there was a more peaceful way to deescalate the situation. And she should have been allowed to leave when asked.

Chile, don’t get it twisted. Just because you’re in church doesn’t mean that confrontations won’t happen. Anywhere that people can show up, people will show out. But at least at church, we know that we are saved through the blood of Christ and allowing that blood to cleanse us of unholy tendencies. It may take a while, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. And that is why Jesus died. To cleanse us from our sins…

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” I John 1:7

Do you believe that Audrey Stevenson was assaulted at The Potter’s House of Forth Worth? Should she had been handcuffed? Should she have been thrown out the church? I hope to see you in church on Easter Sunday this Sunday…

Any thoughts?

Posted on Monday, October 27, 2008

A Change Is Gonna Come…

Hello World!!!

As we enter the last full week before the presidential election next Tuesday, I thought I would post a sober and reflective entry about “how we got over” thus far, and those who God has used thus far to exact change in the United States of America. ( will try anyway. I just love making people laugh!)

Last month at a journalism conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Charlayne Hunter-Gault, the first black woman to attend the University of Georgia. As she spoke about race relations during this current election cycle and compared and contrasted it with her bittersweet experiences at UGA, she mentioned that she is the daughter and granddaughter of ministers. Since I, too, graduated from the University of Georgia with a journalism degree, (I don’t care what you FAMU Rattlers say, I’m proud of my HWCU) and am the daughter and granddaughter of ministers, I knew I had to talk with her after her speech.

So as she signed my copy of her memoir In My Place, I asked her if she would be interested in being interviewed for my blog. She gave me her contact information and asked me to contact her later! But after a few weeks of playing phone tag, her daughter called me and told me that Mrs. Hunter-Gault was world traveling and wouldn’t be able to do the interview…oh well, you win some, you lose some…

However, I did read her book while I was on vacation, and I wanted to share some interesting passages in the book and my insights.

As I read her memoir, I was again reminded how the church has shaped many of the lives of American black heroes including Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Benjamin Mays, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. and Martin Luther King Jr. – and this is just a sampling… She wrote about being a part of her church’s annual Easter program, attending Vacation Bible School and traveling to church conventions – near and far. I can relate, I can relate. In another passage, she said, “the difference between my father and my grandfather as preachers was that my father was a minister – more cerebral, less theatrical.” That’s true for my Dad and my Grandpa (I know you’re in heaven, Grandpa!) too. She wrote about a grandmother that fasted and prayed on Fridays. My dear grandmother, who is now deceased as well, used to scare me when she prayed. First of all, she prayed in a stream of consciousness way and a sob seemed to be caught in throat as she prayed. I could actually picture her vocal chords quivering. Plus she was loud! I always thought if the Lord doesn’t answer her prayer “just now,” somebody needed to so she could stop…

There are also a lot of interesting pop culture details for voracious pop culturists in this book. For instance, Hunter-Gault attended Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Atlanta, which is still in existence today, where she listened to her first elementary school boyfriend, William, and his cousin, Gladys, sing in the “Sunbeam” choir. They also sang at the Royal Peacock on Auburn Avenue on Saturday nights. (Y’all from the A know about the Royal Peacock!) Gladys, William and others later became Gladys Knight and the Pips!

I love history, but since I graduated from college, I haven’t been as motivated to read as many historical texts as I should. In reading this memoir, I was delighted to learn some Atlanta history that I probably should have known before now. For instance, civic and political leader John Wesley Dobbs, grandfather of the late Maynard Jackson, Atlanta’s first black mayor, was said to the originator of the term “Sweet Auburn.” Dr. King Jr. grew up in the Auburn Avenue area, which was and is a symbol of black pride in the city. Big Bethel, which is decorated with the words “Jesus Saves” on its tower, was the site of Morris Brown College’s first classes.

While she was in high school, Hunter-Gault and her family lived in Alaska. I wonder if she could see Russia from her house. (Shout out to Gov. Palin!) Jokes aside, maybe moose meat ain’t all that bad. Hunter-Gault described sampling and actually enjoying it. Her grandmother prepared it by marinating it with vinegar and onions and “cooking the stew out of it.”

Hunter Gault also talked about her decision to pledge Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., which is, of course, the best sorority in the world! Of course, I’m bias! (OO-OOP MY SORORS!) “They represented the kind of woman I wanted to be: soft and appealing, clear-headed and strong without being strident. And I liked the fact that they seemed to have steady relationships with their boyfriends.”

When it came time to endure the jeering, taunting and even a gun-toting madman as she started her life at UGA, the voice of her grandmother reciting the Twenty-Third Psalm comforted her. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me.”

I don’t know what’s in store this historic election and I don’t want to jinx anything, but even Hunter-Gault said she believes an aura surrounds Barack Obama. And a lady said to me yesterday that she feels that like our ancestors(a “cloud of witnesses” if you will) are gathering around here to see…it’s been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna come…

Any thoughts?