Season 10 of BET’s ‘Sunday Best’ Premieres TONIGHT at 8/7C!

Hello World,

Returning to BET for season 10 is America’s most inspirational singing  competition, “Sunday Best,” on Sunday, July 5th at 8/7C. Season 10 welcomes back GRAMMY®-winning music legend Kirk Franklin as host; returning as judges are GRAMMY® winning songstress & host of “Get Up Mornings,” Erica Campbell, GRAMMY® nominated artist & star of BET’s “American Soul” Kelly Price and GRAMMY® nominated & multiple Stellar Award-winning artist Jonathan McReynolds.

Kicking off in Sunday Best fashion, the series returned from Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, the first two episodes of season 10 begin with the contestants having to show their true talent, with no smoke and mirrors, by performing acapella with no band support, as the judges narrow the field from 20 to the top 10. The top 20 contestants are:

  1. Armyia Bryant – Vienna, GA
  2. Ashling Cole – El Sobrante, CA
  3. Niiella Coffie – London, England
  4. Edward “Busta” Fields – Philadelphia, PA
  5. Jada Spight – Buffalo, NY
  6. Jamal Roberts  – Meridian, MS
  7. John Houston Smith – Detroit, MI
  8. Kay Racquel – Baton Rouge, LA
  9. Lonnie Banks – Charlotte, NC
  10. MarQuis Harris – Emporia, VA
  11. Mikaela Brown – Austell, GA
  12. Nicole Gregory – Kansas City, MO
  13. O’Livya Walker – Millington, TN
  14. Roman Collins – Hawthorne, CA
  15. Stephanie Summers – Colorado Springs, CO
  16. Sterlin Hill – Greenwood, SC
  17. Takira Rogers – Robbins, IL
  18. Tonyce Hollis – Toledo, Ohio
  19. Tyree Miller – Philadelphia, PA
  20. Veronica Stephens – Groveland, FL

Below is a preview of what you will see tonight!

In light of the of COVID-19 pandemic and in an effort to keep the shows judges, contestants and crew safe – new and innovative technology, techniques and artist-generated content were used to complete production of episodes four through eight of season 10 – allowing the viewing audience to join in on weekly praise & worship during the time when America needs it most.

Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment (BET Awards, The New Edition Story),  and Dionne Harmon (The Bobby Brown Story, Hip Hop Squares) serve as executive producers of season ten of Sunday Best along with executive producer and showrunner Jeannae Rouzan-Clay (Dear Mama, Black Girls Rock!), and Torrence Glenn (Celebration Of Gospel, Trumpet Awards) is co-executive producer.

Season 10 auditions were previously held earlier this year in Atlanta, GA at The House of Hope. The season 10 winner will receive a recording contract with RCA Inspiration, a cash prize of $50,000 and the title “Sunday Best.”

For updates and more information about “Sunday Best”, please visit BET.com/SundayBest. Join the conversation on social media by logging on to our social media platforms using the hashtag: #BETSundayBest.

Any thoughts?

The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Magazine Articles for Black Christian Women in June 2020…

Hello World,

Wow, the first half of 2020 is over… What a year so far, huh?!…Again, despite ALL that is going on in the country, which I won’t go into right now, black Christian women continue to make an impact.  So 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 June, 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. “A Missouri Woman Asked Merriam-Webster to Update its Definition of Racism and Now Officials Will Make the Change” by David Williams

Excerpt: Kennedy Mitchum wasn’t expecting much when she emailed Merriam-Webster last month, but she wanted to let the dictionary publisher know that she thought its definition of the word racism was inadequate. So she was surprised when an editor responded and even more surprised that the company agreed to update the entry. Mitchum has gotten into a lot conversations about racism and injustice where people have pointed to the dictionary to prove that they’re not racist. It’s happened a lot more lately as the world reacts to the death of George Floyd while in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers. See more at: cnn.com.

2. “Kadir Nelson’s Inspiration for the July Cover of Rolling Stone” by Kimberly Aleah & Angie Martoccio” 

Excerpt: He discusses the woman at the forefront of the illustration: “The people who were pushing for those changes were African American women,” he notes. “They are very much at the forefront in spearheading this change, so I thought it was very important for an African American woman to be at the very center of this painting, because they have very much been at the center of this movement.” See more at: rollingstone.com.

3. “NASA to Name DC Headquarters After ‘Hidden Figure’ Mary W. Jackson” by Ivan Pereira

Excerpt: Mary W. Jackson was once a “hidden figure” at NASA, but now her name will grace the agency’s office in the nation’s capital. NASA announced on Wednesday that its Washington, D.C., headquarters will be renamed in honor of Jackson, the agency’s first Black female engineer who spent decades juggling complex research with pushing for more diversity in scientific fields. See more at: abcnews.go.com.

4. “The Hidden Figures of the Church” by Kathryn Freeman

Excerpt: As evangelical organizations and white pastors speak out with new urgency to declare “black lives matter,” many have in mind the deaths of black men. The high-profile murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and George Floyd in Minneapolis have spurred a global outcry and shifted something within the church. But in this new iteration of evangelical reckoning with systemic racism and police brutality, there has not been the same attention toward black women—namely, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who was killed in March by Louisville police who entered her home unannounced in the middle of the night looking for suspects who were already in custody. The officers responsible have not been charged and are still on the job. See more at: christianitytoday.com.

5. “‘Aunt Jemima’ descendants upset her likeness is being ‘erased from history’” by Karu F. Daniels

Excerpt: An unlikely food fight is afoot. The descendants of two women who portrayed the Aunt Jemima character on Quaker Oats food products are expressing concerns about the company’s recent awakening and proposed decision to scrap the controversial imaging, saying it could erase their family histories. Relatives of Lillian Richard and Anna Short Harrington, the two deceased women who were hired by the company to portray the character in the 1920s and 1930s, spoke out this week after PepsiCo’s Quaker Oats said the brand’s “origins are based on a racial stereotype.” See more at: nydailynews.com. 

6. “Driving Parades and ‘Insecure’ Screenings: How 13 Black Women Are Celebrating Juneteenth This Year” by Shannon Barbour

Excerpt: “I’ll be participating in #BLACKPUBLISHINGPOWER this Juneteenth, an initiative to change the face of historically racist best-seller lists by buying books from Black authors. I’m a book lover first, foremost, and always and believe that indulging in Black joy, Black magic, and Black stories honors myself and our humanity. This is especially important right now, when we’re forced to prove we deserve to exist and be free while being inundated with fallacious reasons why we don’t. Our joy is revolutionary. It is an honor. And we deserve to be seen.” —Ashley Mitchell, 30 See more at: cosmopolitan.com.

7. “Joy Reid Set to Become Cable’s First Black Female Prime-Time Anchor” by Sara Nathan

Excerpt: Joy Reid is about to make history as cable’s first black female prime-time anchor. Back in March, Page Six first reported that Reid was on a short list — along with Shep Smith and Steve Kornacki — to take over the slot occupied by Chris Matthews until his abrupt exit from MSNBC. Now we’re told that the deal is all but done for Reid to assume the 7 p.m. hour. Reid hosts “AM Joy” weekends on the network, but has filled in for its big prime-time stars like Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes. The spot opened up suddenly after Matthews — who’d been hosting “Hardball” on the network since 1999, and had been expected to retire soon anyway — quit after accusations of “inappropriate comments,” including flirting with a guest off camera. See more at: pagesix.com. 

8. “Vegan Influencer Tabitha Brown Gets Own Show on Ellen’s Network” by Anna Starostinetskaya

Excerpt: Vegan influencer and actress Tabitha Brown will be the star of her own show on the Ellen Digital Network (EDN), a digital media platform operated by Ellen Digital Ventures—a collaboration between television personality Ellen DeGeneres and Warner Bros’ Digital Networks. The new All Love web show—which is slated for release during EDN’s 2020 programming schedule—will feature Brown’s advice on cooking, parenting, social media, and self-care. See more at: vegnews.com.

9. Rayshard Brooks’ Widow Gifted Car, Life Insurance, College Tuition for Kids

Excerpt: Some of the good people of Atlanta are pitching in to help Rayshard Brooks‘ wife and kids … with some very generous and useful gifts. Rayshard’s widow, Tomika Miller, was surprised with a new car Friday, plus life insurance for their 3 children and full rides for them to attend Clark Atlanta University. Tomika’s new ride is a Ford Escape, and it’s already paid for … she got the keys at her lawyer L. Chris Stewart‘s law firm. A couple of Atlanta restaurant owners are picking up the tab on the car, life insurance and college tuition … Slutty Vegan owner Pinky Cole, and Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks owner Derrick Hayes. See more at: tmz.com

10. “A Record Number of African American Women Graduated from West Point in 2020” by Michelle Ruiz

Excerpt: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is known for producing white male generals and future presidents—George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, to name a few. But among the 1,017 cadets who graduated from West Point on Saturday in a social distanced, no-audience ceremony with President Donald Trump as commencement speaker was a record number of African American women. According to the Diversity and Inclusion Studies program at the prestigious Army academy, 38 Black women graduated with the class of 2020, the most in the school’s 218-year history. See more at: vogue.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 blog, magazines 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?

Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2 : The Second Day…

Hello World,

If you’re looking for an exhaustive and entertaining Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second Day, you’ve got the right one! So let’s get into this thang, ya’ll…

Seconds…

First of all, I’m thinking that since the first episode of Season 5 was named “The First Day” and this week’s episode is “The Second Day” and next week’s episode is entitled “The Third Day,” something is going to break next week as Jesus rose on the third day and what was thought to be dead was resurrected! Will the truth about the real A.J. be revealed next Tuesday? I’m thinking so…But back to this particular episode….

“The Second Day” begins with Jacob in his uncle’s storage locker looking for some documentation that will help him refute the will that his estranged wife Kerissa is holding over his head. But he finds nothing of interest except a fishing rod and tackle box that he takes with him as he leaves in frustration. He only seems to be there for a few seconds, but this is TV time so…

Thankfully, Grace found A.J. just in time as he seemed to be already dead from cutting his own wrists in last week’s episode. But the seconds mattered and A.J. is now in a hospital room recovering from his injuries while Grace and Sophia wait for news of the prognosis in the waiting room of the facility. A nurse or a doctor or some medical staffer tells Grace at A.J. is “stable” although “he lost a lot of blood.” She asks Grace was she cut with the razor blade that A.J. used to cut himself. It’s a standard question according to the woman, but Grace is bit disturbed by it. She says that she wasn’t. And the woman tells her that A.J. will now have to be held for 72 hours for observation, that he will have to see a psychiatrist AND that it will be up to A.J. if he wants to see Grace or not.

Since Grace convinced everyone else to go home, the next scene takes place at the Greenleaf estate. Lady Mae is still fasting! “You need to eat something,” Bishop tells her. Lady Mae replies, “I will eat when my Lord tells me to eat.” If only it were that easy for me. I try my best to eat when the Lord tells me to do so, but chile I can be so disobedient. That’s why I punish my sins with exercise! LOL…But I digress…Then Bishop pressures Lady Mae about setting a date since their City Hall wedding was sidelined with A.J.’s suicide attempt. “I can’t get married while A.J. is in the hospital,” Lady Mae tells Bishop. But Bishop is not to be deterred. Lady Mae finally tells him she will marry him on Flag Day! That’s a random day, but y’all know Lady Mae just says stuff sometimes….

Grace shows up then and passes a key to Mavis’ club to her father. Apparently, the club has been empty for a year. Bishop has plans for the club and if you keep reading, you will find out more. Charity and her self-centered self shows up then and laments that Grace isn’t really trying to communicate with her. But Lady Mae is never at a loss for words. “You almost had her son arrested and you gave away our church,” Lady Mae says to Charity. But she’s not done. She tells her daughter that she should be sitting in a “dunce’s cap in the cold swinging shadow of your favorite Bible hero, Judas.” Again, she’s got the most eloquent bless outs ever! She doesn’t need a knife to cut, that’s for sure…

In Jacob’s suite, Kerissa and Zora fold clothes together. Kerissa takes the opportunity to tell her daughter that she can always discuss her problems with her mother. In Zora fashion, she spits out, “I talk to Jesus every day.” We know that’s not true and Kerissa does too. “Don’t make jokes about Jesus, ” she says. Jacob comes in and the tension between the couple is palatable. Zora knows her parents are about to have some sort of meeting, and she correctly guesses this meeting is not about therapy. Yeah, Zora, your parents are past therapy at this point…no use in prolonging the pain for a second longer…

As Grace gets on her laptop in her suite, Darius calls. She tells him that A.J. attempted suicide. He feels bad for calling about investigating Harmony & Hope Ministries, but she tells him that she needs to be distracted anyway, particularly as A.J. will be off limits for a while. At her request, he comes to pick her up and they go over to the home of Cal Weaver, a Harmony & Hope Ministries pastor. Without even giving Grace more than a few seconds of an explanation, he sputters, “Bob told us all not to talk.” Whoa. What is that about? Especially since Cal has already told Grace that he is not going to be a part of the church merger…And none of the H&H pastors are allowed to speak to the press?… Cal shuts the door on them and shuts down the conversation.

At this point, Grace wants to get back to the hospital where she will meet Noah, A.J. father. Darius is obviously still checking for Grace because he wonders aloud if Noah and Grace plan to couple up again since they now have a son to care for. But Grace tells him that he shouldn’t be worried about that. They’re just concerned about their son. “I’m sorry I’m not more fun,” she tells Darius.

Darius is chasing Grace but unfortunately, Grace’s daughter is chasing Dante who doesn’t seem like he wants to be caught. She calls him and leaves this kind of whiny and wandering message asking about his relationship status with Nikki…Obviously, with her brother nearly dead, she is in an emotionally fragile state and it shows…

Second Chance…

Bishop and Lady Mae have moseyed over to Mavis’ blues club in another part of Memphis. Is the club on Beale Street? As they enter the abandoned club, Lady Mae doubts that this “den of iniquity” can be transformed into a new location for Calvary! That is if they intend to call the church the same name as before. Despite the fact that they own the property fee and clear (well Grace does anyway since Mavis left it to her), Lady Mae reveals, “I’m a little bit daunted by starting over.” She looks around the dusty and smoke-infused club and doesn’t see what Bishop sees. She says a either a “wrecking ball or a match” is what the club needs. “That this building can become a church is a stretch” particularly since it is probably built on “bodies and barrels of bootleg liquor.” And furthermore, Lady Mae plainly tells Bishop, “Gut it, start fresh or I’m out.” Do it Bishop! Your second chance with Lady Mae is depending on it!

Phil DeMar’s second chance relationship with Judee is giving Charity the blues. When she shows up at Calvary, she sees that her office is being painted “plantation pink” and “confederate gray.” What in the Gone With the Wind is going on?! And to add insult to injury, the reason that the office is being painted in such ghastly colors is because Charity’s office will now be Judee’s office! Charity storms Phil’s office where she confronts her ex fiance’! Phil reminds her that she is an associate pastor while Judee will be the First Lady. Charity excuses herself to the bathroom where she collapses in tears while sitting in a bathroom stall.

Jacob aine tryin’ to give Kerissa a second chance so it’s full steam ahead with their divorce. They finally meet with Kerissa’s lawyer and the lawyer promptly instructs Jacob to sign paperwork that will give Kerissa primary custody of  Jacob Jr. aka Winkie. How many times in these five seasons have we seen Winkie anyway?! I would guess like five episodes…like an episode a season…Anywho, Jacob momentarily pushes back and says he wants shared custody. Kerissa’s attorney says to Kerissa, “I thought you said this was settled.” Jacob’s memory is revived then…That’s right Jacob. You better get down or lay down because Kerissa will have your parents in the pokey if you act up! He signs those papers and that’s that.

Back at the hospital, Noah joins the mother of his only child and brings coffee to her. “So what happened with Isabel?” Grace asks. He tells her that she wants a divorce and that it’s okay because he was “holding onto something that was never really there.” And now, Noah is staying with his mother. There’s something about the way he told this news to Grace that leads me to believe he’s trying to make a little family with Grace. More on that later. They don’t get to explore my suspicion any more because the two find out that A.J. doesn’t want to see either of them. And they are told to come back the following day.

Zora and Sophia may have a second chance to restore their severed cousin relationship. Sophia stops by Zora’s home (you know the smaller home on the property where Noah used to live) to ask Zora for a play list that she can give to A.J. “I’m not entirely cool with you,” says Zora. I swear she has a perpetual attitude. I really don’t know why she is more loyal to this Nikki rather than her own flesh and blood. Still, despite the fact that Sophia is no longer saved and sanctified, she still seems to be a peacemaker. She tells her cousin to cut her some slack. “I lost my virginity to a guy who cut me off three days later.” That bomb softened Zora’s stance…at least for the time being…smh…I would not care at all if Zora were on my side…she’s tew murch…

I do think that Charity and Phil will be able to give their relationship a second chance but not right now. While Charity and Phil are discussing some sort of ramp that needs to be constructed as a part of the new church, Judee shows up and clutches Phil in such a way to stick it to Charity. Charity can’t take the heat and spews out the truth like hot water! “He’s only marrying you because your father is making him. He’s still in love with me.” Judee quotes Proverbs 12:15-16 but changes some of the words to suit the situation. She tells Charity to “move the eff on.” That’s right Judee mixed with Scripture with Satan’s Language! Then Judee flounces out of Phil’s office. “You have a good Christian woman, pastor,” Charity remarks. “You should be proud.” Well, Charity aine no Moral Mary nor Martha either so…

Speaking of names that begin with M, Bishops calls some place to speak with Mavis. While he’s waiting for her to pick up the phone, there is all this din in the background. But mysteriously, Bishop just hangs up without speaking to his sister in law…(Oprah, Oprah, where art thou?)

As I said before, Noah is trying to get with Grace and have a second chance at having a family. He says to her,”Can we talk tonight? How are we going to dealt with all of this? I want us to be a family.” Noah sounds as crazy as he looks. Can I get a witness? Grace replies, “I’ve been here for three years, and I still don’t feel like I’m a part of the family.” Noah tells Grace, “that’s how you work.” For some reason, that remark perturbs Grace. “Take it back,” she demands. Grace is a loner. That cannot be denied.

A little while after that, Lady Mae finds Grace sitting on the steps of their palatial home. Lady Mae is coming back from visiting Faith’s grave. She says to Grace, “This whole thing with A.J. has got me thinking. You get a second chance to know your child.” Ever since Grace’s paternity was revealed, and it was revealed that Grace had a secret child, the two have finally been able to fix their relationship because of their common ground. And now the two have something else in common. Both of them have children who are suicidal…(except for the fact that the young man thought to be A.J. is really not….That will be revealed next week on “The Third Day”…mark my words…) Grace reveals to her mother that not only did A.J. attempt suicide, he doesn’t want to see her. Lady Mae tells her daughter about why she goes to Faith’s grave and how she fantasizes about seeing her in Heaven…Grace still says, “All of that is different from being told that you’re not wanted.” Was she talking about herself or A.J.?

While Lady Mae and Grace are exploring this unique mother-daughter connection, another daughter walks up on them…You already know…Instead of recognizing what was happening between the heartbroken women, Charity makes the moment about her. When she approaches them and Grace walks off, Charity laments, “Is this how it’s going to be for the rest of our lives?” Lady Mae pulls no punches per usual. “I’m fresh from the grave of Faith. You don’t know what real problems are.” And then she leaves like Grace did. Will Charity get a second chance with the family? Does she deserve one?  That’s the charitable thing to do…but Charity does work the nerves, right?!

Second Heartbeat…

Unless God touches the relationship of Jacob and Kerissa, their relationship is lifeless and without a heartbeat. The two argue in front of Winkie just after Zora leaves the suite. She takes medication for her chlamydia and Jacob refers to the pills as “slut meds!” LOL And he threatens to tell Zora about her mother’s moment of indiscretion, but she reminds him that he has 20 years worth of moments of indiscretion. And she reminds him of that will once again. “I will march that will down to the police, and we will see how soon Bishop gets a phone call.”

In Grace’s suite, she is once again disturbed by Charity. Charity brings a poem to her that she wrote about her daughter Eden that she lost. Remember her son had a twin sister. Grace reads the poem out loud. Once she finishes, Charity says, “I’ve lost a child too. I know how you feel.” And then Grace blows up as she should. Grace tells Charity that she has found a way to make her “son’s” attempted suicide all about Charity. Instead of trying to see Grace’s point, Charity gets defensive. “You and Mama deserve each other.” So now she’s mad that Grace and Lady Mae have something in common. She is such a petulant child. In five seasons, Charity still manages to be childish! What is it gonna take?! Have heart girl and just leave your sister alone…

Maybe Charity gets her persistence from Bishop. He is always trying to get Lady Mae to see things his way. In another part of the house, he tells her that he’s called some contractors to get some estimates for redoing the club. “You’ve got my sister’s permission?” Lady Mae asks. “Who needs it?” Bishop says. Uh oh…I’m sure his response will lead to some trouble later in this season. Then, he presses Lady Mae to set a wedding date! Huh? While I’m watching this, I’m like, Lady Mae said that she would remarry Bishop on Flag’s Day. And Lady Mae confirms what I was thinking. “I told you earlier today.” She told him Flag’s Day on June 14. He then kinda seems to remember and says he will put the date on every calendar in the house? She’s puzzled as to why Bishop doesn’t remember. Now, I’m sure this is important. I wonder if this means that Bishop is showing symptoms of dementia…I want to be concerned, but I’m not…reason being that Bishop’s Parkinson’s Disease was supposed to slow him down seasons ago, but that hasn’t come to pass so…

Speaking of things not coming to pass…Sophia calls Dante again and Nikki answers. Then, she hangs up on Sophia…She gave up the goodies only to get got. She better go back to God and soon…

Sometime later, Marisol catches Lady Mae savoring the flavor of week-old pasta salad. “You’re eating,” she exclaims. “The Lord informed me that I need strength for the days ahead.” (Aside: I’v got some pasta salad in the fridge that I plan on enjoying tomorrow. Not that you care, but’s it’s rare that someone mentions a particular food on a television program that you have in your fridge at that very moment.)

Anywho, Jacob and his second heartbeat, aka Winkie, go fishing on the Greenleaf estate. But the fish aren’t cooperating. Jacob opens the tackle box and wouldn’t you know it, he finds a weathered envelope containing a will for a Loretta Davis. Who is she?  Whoever she is, she is certainly the key to stopping Kerissa from blackmailing Jacob.

Speaking of underhanded, Zora calls Sophia and asks Sophia if she sent a topless pic to Dante! She may have only sent it to him but now the image is everywhere. God is trying to tell you something, Sophia.

God is trying to tell something to Grace too! He delivers a message to Grace through Cal Weaver. He calls Grace and simply says, “Eden Vale Lending.” He also tells Grace to stop Darius from ever contacting him again. I can’t call it at this moment. I guess I will just have to keep watching…

And I’m glad I kept watching this episode because the shocker comes in the final moments. Jacob goes by the apartment of Tasha Skanks (remember her?). “Tasha, I need to find Basie,” Jacob says. “Jacob, Basie is dead.” What?!!! Basie was my favorite short man on TV since George Jefferson! Yes, I’m a ’70s baby. Millennial readers, Google “The Jeffersons.” What does Basie have to do Loretta Davis? Saints, do y’all know? It looks like we will just have to run on (or watch on in this case) and see what the end will be…Can I get an “Amen” on that?!

Thank you sooo much for reading my Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 2: The Second Day… and my other recaps so far. If you would like to keep up with OWN’s “Greenleaf,” and my recaps, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

Any thoughts?