Category Archives: Church

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7 Reasons Why Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding Was the Best Royal Wedding Ever!!!

Hello World,

My husband couldn’t understand why yesterday I was nearly as excited as I was the day I got married almost five years ago (Yes, chile, we are almost at our first five-year anniversary!) A Royal Wedding is the like the Super Bowl, the NBA championship and the World Series (am I getting that right? so not a sports aficionado although I pretend to be sometimes) for romantics the world over! What’s better than an everyday wedding with a bride who feels like a princess and a groom who feels like a prince? A wedding with actual royalty!!! Bring on the Kings (with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. being my favorite earthly King…more on that later…) Queens, Princes & Princesses. Yes, I know as a Christian, I am a child of the King, but until Jesus returns, earthly monarchies will have to do 🙂 And I will not be made to apologize for my fan girl behavior…so take all of the shade elsewhere…And please indulge me as I make the case why Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding was the Best Royal Wedding Ever!!!

As a little girl, who just completed first grade, I woke up early with my parents and watched the wedding of Prince Charles & Diana on July 29, 1981. I actually do remember some of the details including her blue sapphire engagement ring. As the great lyricist Lil Wayne says, “bling bling.” (I had become familiar with that concept after my father read “Cinderella” to me.) Similarly, I watched Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding on April 29, 2011. I remember before William was born so it was nice to watch him grow up and get married.

But babay, when I learned that a shonuff sista (yes, I know she identifies as biracial and I respect that.) was the love interest of Prince Harry (my favorite of Diana’s boys. Who doesn’t love a red-headed bad boy?) I knew special attention must be paid. And my dues were worth it when they announced they were engaged on  November 27, 2017!  And from then, it was off to the races, galloping until their glorious wedding day May 19, 2018. And it was everything I hoped for and more…So without further ado, let’s go…

Started at the bottom, now I’m here!

1. It was the “Cinderella” story come to life! Complete with the evil stepsister Samantha Markle (the sister who is writing the book “The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister”), Meghan Markle was supposedly not princess material. (I know she is officially the Duchess of Sussex but whatever.) Biracial. Divorced. American. Roman Catholic. Older than Harry. An Actress. A Commoner. All are attributes that were supposed to disqualify her from going to the royal ball like Cinderella, but Harry didn’t care about all of that. She was the one and he knew that pretty quickly from what I’ve read. Ladies, if you love romance novels, “Cinderella” was likely the first one you read and this story showcases the same themes explored in this timeless love story. What others think of you and maybe what you think of yourself to some degree does not disqualify you from the best of what this life has to offer if only would believe.

2. What would Cinderella be without her prince? The Royals are usually austere at least by appearances but Prince Harry was in his feelings yesterday and he let the world into his adoration for bride when he uttered these words when he first saw her, “You look amazing.” Insert sexy lip bite and shy look from Meghan. “I’m so lucky.” My heart just melted. Like the songstress Anita Baker says, “I was caught up in the rapture of love.”

3. The inclusiveness of the wedding. As a black person, I was so proud that black culture was infused into the festivities. I’m pretty sure this is the first royal wedding to include an address given by a black minister. The Most Reverend Michael Curry, the first African American to serve as bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church, delivered a word on yesterday. You hear me! Replete with references to slaves in the antebellum South to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., you could not only hear his address, you could feel it. “There’s power in love!” Yeah, his message was a little lengthy, but that’s how the black church rolls. LOL. And did you see that woman? The Church of England’s Reverend Prebendary Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Queen Elizabeth’s chaplain no less? Who knew the Queen got down with blacks like that? And I love a female reverend! And she is Jamaican! Wah Gwaan! And “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King as sung by Karen Gibson and The Kingdom Choir was magical in that moment! A gospel choir at the Royal Wedding?! And did y’all hear them sing”Amen” as the ceremony ended. Let the church say, “Amen.” I cannot forget 19-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his cello! A prodigy he is…And most of all, a black mama with locs and a nose ring!

4. How Harry Remembered His Mama. If you are in my age group and older, you remember the tragic death of Princess Diana and the heartbreaking funeral featuring two lonely looking boys. I cannot imagine the pain they felt having to face the world (and what a big world they have) without the protection of their mother as they grew up. He was a mere boy of 12 when his mother passed away. But from various accounts, he thinks of her all of the time. And that was evident in the Royal Wedding. Princess Diana’s sister Lady Jane Fellowes gave the reading and all of her siblings were there. Princess Diana’s favorite flower, forget-me-nots, were featured in the bridal bouquet, and Prince Harry reportedly hand-picked flowers from their private garden at Kensington Palace for the wedding. Also, “Guide Me, O Thy Great Redeemer,” a hymn sung at his mother’s funeral, was also sung during the ceremony. Meghan’s engagement ring also includes diamonds from her late mother-in-law. And Meghan is 36 years old, the age of his mother when she passed…Coincidence? Maybe, but maybe not…

5. The Celebs! I’m a pop culture Ph.D. so seeing some of my favorite celebrities in the mix made it all the more festive. New mama Serena, one of the sports wonders of the world, slayed with those gorgeous braids! The ever handsome George Clooney was giving me geriatric goosebumps. The newly married Idris Elba looked at home in his home country. (What the ’90s Gucci Purse was his girl (wife) wearing though? The sweater dress in spring of it all!) Our American Queen, Oprah, was flitting about, seemingly spreading fairy dust, like the fairy godmother that she is. (Cinderella y’all?) There were others that I spotted but these are the ones that I was watching.

6. One of the Mulroney Twins’ reaction when the doors opened to St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England. His face captured how we all felt when Megan Markle was about to become the Duchess of Sussex! His toothless mouth agape with wonder was adorable and appropriate for the grandeur of what was to come…

7. Meghan Markle’s Wedding Reception Dress. I loved the demure quality of her wedding dress. But the dress that she wore to the reception “suits” her best…Not to mention it actually resembles the style of my wedding dress….

And I hope Harry turnt up just like dis at his wedding reception…

 

And there you have it…there’s more I could say, but I’ve given you enough to relive the highlights the royal wedding…So did I prove my case? Do you agree? What are your top 7 reasons?

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Restoring the Years Global Ministries’ Founder Dr. Rhonda Travitt Heals Through Counseling…

Hello World,

I’m all about healing – in mind, body and spirit.  To that end, let me introduce Dr. Rhonda Travitt, who primarily addresses spiritual healing which I’ve learned affects the mind and body. Dr. Travitt is a noted author, entrepreneur, certified life coach, and professional counselor. A celebrated international speaker, Dr. Travitt has a passion through a practical and Biblically sound approach to empower the life of the everyday believer and help restore them to proper spiritual health. The founder of Restoring the Years Global Ministries in Marietta, Georgia, Pastor Travitt genuinely engages her past experiences and openly shares her heart with those seeking an empowered and fulfilled life. Her commitment to reach the lost expands beyond the lines of age, nationality or gender. Please see my interview with her below.

Tell us more about you and your ministry, including any particular focus areas.

Restoring the Years Global Ministries is a five-fold ministry located in Marietta, Ga. Through five-fold, we believe in apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers and pastors as well as signs, wonders, and miracles. Our primary area of focus is inner healing, simply being healed internally from the wounds, scars, past emotional conflicts and trauma through the power of the Holy Spirit. We’re no longer concealing our wounds with titles, relationships, labels and the like, but allowing the Holy Spirit to penetrate the deep and dark places, addressing them spiritually.

Please share more about your book “Rejection and Rebellion: The Twin Towers.”

“Rejection and Rebellion” is a self-help book that confronts both rejection of self and others while at the same time addressing rebellion — rebellion being the force that prevents us from making the necessary changes in order to be successful to be in our own personal life and space.

I found that a lot of people were masquerading in life because they felt they had to. I wrote the book to pull down the masquerade that some of us have felt is so necessary for survival, to allow for complete healing.

You recently launched Game Changers, an organization focused on helping tackle the recidivism rate in Georgia. What is Game Changers?

In essence, a reentry and mentorship movement Game Changers is a nonprofit organization focused on promoting successful re-entry and reintegration of returning citizens, ultimately reducing recidivism here in the state of Georgia.

We understand that the re-entry process begins the day incarceration begins, but the reintegration process is much more in-depth and takes time and customization. We have partnered with both the Department of Community Supervision and Department of Juvenile Justice, to name a few, and are looking to build and leverage these partnerships to accomplish a great work.

We believe in changing mindsets through mentoring, education and advocacy to invoke cognitive thinking as well as service programs tailored to meet the needs of our individual clients. Some of our service programs include mentoring and counseling, workforce development, adult literacy and GED classes and family reunification.

You have a passion for helping to equip women and men to embrace inner healing. Why a focus on inner healing, and what are some steps to take toward inner healing?

I focus on inner healing because I saw so many people who were labeled as successful, but they weren’t because they were not healed inwardly. To the human eye they possess all of the material possessions and prestige that we equate with success. Still, they lack empathy, compassion, peace and gentleness toward themselves or others they interact with on a daily basis. Thus it compels me to address these inner inequalities to bring wholeness and solidarity to every individual — man and woman —so that they may live and experience a holistic life as God has ordained through divine intervention by inner healing. The first step to inner healing is pulling down our inner mask we hide behind. Address the damaged little boy and the damaged little girl on the inside that hides behind facades, seemingly making them appear whole and complete outwardly but leaving them naked and afraid inwardly.

Is there anything more you’d like to share?

I’m currently keeping busy with NACC (National Association of Christian Counselors), teaching the concepts of Christian Counseling as well as certifying teachers/counselors. The school is available to leaders as well as lay members.

As chancellor and founder of the Apostolic and Prophetic School of Inner Healing & Deliverance, I teach on deliverance, and spiritual warfare — training deliverance ministers and five-fold ministers on the art of spiritual warfare. I teach on how to be free mentally, emotionally, socially and economically. I don’t want to be the church that focuses on one issue.

I love helping women and bringing them together. I love tearing down stigmas that women can’t get along. I have a new women’s empowerment group called the Queens and Rubies for ladies 18 and older. We meet monthly, coming together in our “safe space.” We’re naked, transparent, raw and unmasked — all for the sake of healing, deliverance and empowering one another to know that she’s worth it, she’s enough and that she is a Queen and a Ruby!

I serve on the Board for the Music Foundation of America and the Young Men of Standard. I have a passion for people and life, and also serve as the chaplain for the Motherless Daughters Foundation.

For more information about Dr. Travitt, go to www.rhondatravitt.com.

Any thoughts?

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Ebenezer Baptist Church First Lady Oulèye N. Warnock Appointed as Senior Human Trafficking Fellow of the City of Atlanta!

Hello World,

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced  that she has appointed Oulèye N. Warnock, First Lady of Ebenezer Baptist Church, the pastoral home of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as Senior Human Trafficking Fellow of the City of Atlanta. In this role, Warnock will lead the transformation and acceleration of how the City approaches the prevention of human trafficking and the extension of support to trafficking survivors. Warnock is specifically tasked with developing and implementing a citywide policy blueprint on current anti-trafficking programs, critical gaps, and recommended new or strengthened policies and practices to be rolled out across all City departments.

The appointment of an expert solely dedicated to addressing Atlanta’s human trafficking issue was a promise Mayor Bottoms made during a January press conference in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. This appointment marks the fulfillment of that pledge.

“Just as there are top-level officials who plan for the City’s economic growth and development, it is equally important to have members of my administration who plan for the safety and protection of all who come through Atlanta, particularly those who are most vulnerable amongst us,” said Mayor Bottoms.

Warnock brings a wealth of global humanitarianism expertise to the City of Atlanta. She has conducted policy research and planning domestically and abroad including in Tel Aviv, Israel, Dakar, Senegal, and Northern Thailand. Warnock received her B.A. in International Studies from Spelman College and holds postgraduate degrees from Oxford University and Columbia University, where she is a Richard Hofstadter Fellow.

“Human trafficking in our city is part of a global network of modern day slavery, and we are committed to bringing it to an end in Atlanta.” said Warnock. “I am grateful for this opportunity to work in Mayor Bottoms’ administration as we build a safer Atlanta and a promising future for all who call this great city home.”

The Senior Human Trafficking Fellow is part of the Mayor’s Executive team and reports to the Chief of Staff. The position is funded for a minimum of two years through a grant from The Partnership for Freedom. Warnock assumed this new role this month.

Any thoughts?