Whether it’s the black church or the white church, probably whatever church, we love our potluck dinners! Food and the Bible seem to go together…something about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good :)!
But one pastor was willing to push back from the potluck and lose weight so that his wife could live…When Pastor Hosea Collins of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California found out that his wife needed a kidney, he immediately volunteered one of his own. Because of his weight, he was deemed an ineligible candidate to help save his wife’s life. Collins went from 352 pounds to 222 pounds for a total loss of 130 pounds, solely by watching what he ate, adhering to Dherbs.com cleanse regimens and continually exercising. At his new weight of 222 pounds, Collins was recently admitted into a kidney swap program. Whether or not he is a match for his wife, he will still donate a kidney and the program will find her a replacement. He has fully turned his life around and plans to continue his weight loss quest to reclaim his high school weight of 200 pounds. The pastor is now devoted to assisting others, helping them find self-fulfillment, or helping them to unlock a God-given purpose. His belief is that every person can use this purpose to make a difference, and that’s exactly what he did.
Tune in to “Steve Harvey” on June 6, 2016, to hear Pastor Hosea Collins’ story as he appears as a guest, along with his wife, Terrekia Collins. “Steve Harvey” airs weekdays. Check local listings or go to http://www.steveharveytv.com/ for time and channel.
The Family Megachurch Drama from Lionsgate Debuts with Two-Night Premiere on June 21 and 22...
Look at Oprah at the back looking all mysterious…
Hello World,
The new original series “Greenleaf,” featuring Oprah Winfrey’s first recurring scripted television role in two decades, will launch with a two-night premiere on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 p.m. ET/PT and Wednesday, June 22 at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET/PT on OWN. The show was originally supposed to premiere on this Tuesday, May 24 & Wednesday, May 25. The megachurch drama from Emmy nominated writer/producer Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”) and Lionsgate Television will regularly air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT for the remainder of its 13-episode first season.
“Greenleaf” centers on the journey of estranged daughter and disillusioned preacher Grace Greenleaf (Merle Dandridge, “The Night Shift”) who has returned home after 20 years on the occasion of the mysterious death of her sister, Faith. As she reenters the world of Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, the Memphis megachurch run by her powerful parents Bishop James Greenleaf (Keith David, “Enlisted” and “Community”) and Lady Mae Greenleaf (Lynn Whitfield, “The Josephine Baker Story”), it becomes evident that things are not as virtuous as they seem and that the family’s outward display of faith hides sin and misdeeds.
In the season premiere, directed by Clement Virgo (“Book of Negroes”), Grace and her teenage daughter Sophia (Desiree Ross, “Falling Skies”) are warmly welcomed home by Grace’s father, Bishop James Greenleaf, but tensions quickly rise soon thereafter at a family dinner in the Greenleaf mansion. Grace’s mother is cold and hostile; her sister-in-law Kerissa (Kim Hawthorne, “Rake”) questions her about her faith; and sister Charity (Deborah Joy Winans, “Whitney”) erupts with jealousy at the suggestion that Grace might preach at Calvary.
Later, blues club owner and Grace’s Aunt Mavis (Oprah Winfrey, “Selma”) discuss the circumstances of Faith’s death and Mavis reveals some shocking information about Grace’s uncle “Mac” (Gregory Alan Williams, “Terminator Genisys”). Mavis is still estranged from the Greenleaf family and it starts to become evident that she intends to use Grace to sow the seeds of its destruction.
The new original drama series “Greenleaf” from award-winning writer/producer Craig Wright (“Lost,” “Six Feet Under”) takes viewers into the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch, where scandalous secrets and lies are as numerous as the faithful. Like so many megachurches in America, Calvary Fellowship World Ministries is more than just a house of worship. It’s a home. It’s the center of the community for the thousands of predominantly African-American members who attend services there. But beneath its steeple lies a den of iniquity — greed, adultery, sibling rivalry and conflicting values — a multigenerational matrix of deception that involves the church’s founding family, but also extends to the congregation and prominent members of the Memphis community and beyond. Yet, amidst all of the mayhem and deception, the power of something greater persists, calling everyone to conscience for their sins.
“Greenleaf” stars Merle Dandridge (“The Night Shift”) as Grace Greenleaf; Keith David (“Community”) as Bishop James Greenleaf; Lynn Whitfield (“The Josephine Baker Story”) as Lady Mae Greenleaf; Kim Hawthorne (“Rake”) as Kerissa Greenleaf; Lamman Rucker (“Meet the Browns”) as Jacob Greenleaf; Tye White (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) as Kevin Satterlee; Deborah Joy Winans (“Whitney”) as Charity Greenleaf-Satterlee; Desiree Ross (“Falling Skies”) as Sophia; and Oprah Winfrey (“Selma”) in a recurring role as Mavis McCready.
“Greenleaf” is produced for OWN by Lionsgate Television. Executive producers are Oprah Winfrey, Craig Wright and Clement Virgo.
Check out the extended trailer below…Kinda reminds me of a Christian version of “Empire.”
Today is going to be an interesting Sunday morning in two churches, and I would give my May tithe to be in either New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia or Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore, Maryland! Just kidding about my tithe! But seriously. According to Bishop Eddie L. Long’s Facebook page, he will be selling limited copies of his book “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience” exclusively after the church’s two services! Can someone get out there to get me a copy? I couldn’t even find this book on Amazon! Is Bishop Long going to address what really happened with those young men who accused him of sexual misconduct as their claims were settled out of court and why he settled? That’s all people want to know at this point! And I’m not going to lie. Am I the only one surprised that he has TWO services to sell books after as well? I don’t know if Bishop Long is guilty or not guilty of what he was accused of but after all that went down(Not to mention that Ephren Taylor II and his Ponzi scheme), I wouldn’t be able to receive Biblical instruction from him, but to each his own, I guess.
UPDATE:
According to the AJC, Steve Harvey’s interview with Bishop Eddie Long about his new book “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience” will air tomorrow, Wednesday, June 25 at 3 p.m. on WAGA Fox 5 in Atlanta. Check your local listings for when it will air where you live. Below is a video snippet from the interview. He asks the question that we are all asking…
Meanwhile, up north in Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore, you know folk gon be looking for non-verbal cues from Pastor Jamal Bryant as he preaches since he said on a Periscope broadcast last Thursday that he won’t be addressing recent claims that he fathered a child out of wedlock! According to a “Christian Post” article, Bryant said, “Keep praying for me and I’ll keep praying for you. I wanted to come on tonight so there will be absolute clarity – Sunday morning is to discuss Jesus, it is not to talk about Jamal. So when you come to church, get ready to talk about how great God is. And not the frailty of what Jamal possesses. Love y’all but I declare that God loves all of us best. Let me say to you in closing in case nobody told you, prayer still works.”
During the broadcast, he didn’t say he was the father, but he did say, “God ain’t finished with me.” He also said that his lawyers advised him not to say more. I don’t know what the truth is, but Latoya Shawntee Odom, a 34-year-old former “masseuse,” didn’t come to play with Pastor Bryant, she came to slay the man of God. She has science on her side, according to a paternity test from LBG Genetics, which was referenced in the article. The test results indicate there is a 99.9999 percent chance Pastor Bryant is the daddy of her son John Karston Bryant who was born last July…smh…I can’t even call it, but after all that reportedly went down with Pastor Bryant’s divorce back in the day (His ex-wife Gizelle Bryant is now on “The Real Housewives of Potomac”)and now this? Dis tew much…I know the other preachers on his new talk show “Preachers,” which will debut this July on FOX, are feeling some type of way…Least I would…
All these #preacherproblems got me thinking about what are Biblical qualifications for a pastor…Nobody can tell me or you who should be our pastors, but the Bible does tell us the qualities that a good (not perfect) pastor possesses…Below are a few from Acts29.com.
A pastor must be self-controlled (Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2). Self-control is a characterization of every area of a pastor’s life: diet, time, mouth, exercise, relationships, sex, and money.
A pastor must have financial integrity — not greedy for gain (Titus 1:7; 1 Tim 3:3; 1 Peter 5:3). A pastor is to be upright in his financial dealings and not accused of pursuing money over the kingdom of God.
A pastor must be humble — not arrogant (Titus 1:7). A pastor must constantly demonstrate the gospel by admitting when he is wrong and assuming responsibility and restoring relationships.
