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Ten Things I Learned From Watching MergeTV’s ‘Preachers of L.A.’ Reunion Which Was 10 Years in the Making..

Hello World,

I know that I’m a bit late on reporting the recent Preachers of LA reunion, which happened last month. But if the Preachers of LA can take a whole ten years to reunite then I can take my time to react…That being said, I learned 10 things by watching the Preachers of LA reunion…See the official description of the reunion below followed by my list…

Ten years after the immensely popular Preachers of LA show, which aired for two seasons on OXYGEN, Bishop Noel Jones, First Lady Loretta Jones, Bishop Ron Gibson, Pastors Deitrick Haddon and Wayne Chaney are back, on a limited-run series exclusively on MergeTV, streaming on In The Black Network.

Ten years ago, Preachers of LA highlighted not only the amazing work these church leaders do in the community and with their parishioners, but also showcased the dynamic lives these men led when away from the pulpit, including the struggles they face as husbands, fathers and friends. The cast included Bishop Noel Jones, the brother of singer Grace Jones, who leads a church full of celebrities; Pastor Deitrick Haddon who, as the son of a bishop and an evangelist, has been preaching since the age of 11 and conducted the church choir at 13; and Bishop Ron Gibson, who joined a gang by the age of 16 and turned his life around to start a small church that has grown to a congregation of more than 4,000 members.

1.Part of the reason why Bishop Noel Jones took reportedly 28 years to marry his wife Loretta in 2022 is because his first wife (now ex-wife following their divorce) is still alive…I can respect that because it does say in the word, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 7:39…However, while I respect where he is coming from, if I were in First Lady Loretta’s shoes, I don’t think I could have waited 28 years to marry any particular man for many reasons…

2.The demise of Bishop Jones’ first marriage still gets to him as he nearly teared up while explaining his decision to divorce to Bishop Ron Gibson. He darn near delivered a soliloquy in response…”The question that people like Ron should ask is, ‘What in the world was going on in the house of an individual who knows how he’s going to be viewed, who knows the pain that he’s going to have to deal with, who knows how he’s going to be judged by the majority of the people looking at him? What in the hell is going on in his house that in spite of all he has to face, he decides with his children, with this grandchildren, with the grandparents, with the congregation, with the other pastors, if he moves to divorce, they need to say, Something horrific has to be happening in that household.” Now the nosy part of me wants to know why did Bishop Jones divorce his first wife.

3. While we’re still on the topic of divorce, obviously it was notable that Pastor Wayne was there alone as he and his former wife Myesha Chaney divorced in 2022. He announced the divorce first, noting that the divorce was not caused due to “infidelity, abuse, or any gross immoral act.” Last August, Myesha released “The Untold Story of My Divorce” on her YouTube channel. This is a summary of my reaction to her video: But I will say this: Based on the first few minutes of the video, it doesn’t seem that their marriage had a firm foundation from the beginning. Some people think this is antiquated advice, but older women will advise that a woman should marry a man who loves her a little more than she loves him. She fell in love within days of meeting her former husband while her former husband had to be convinced by God that she was “The One” and even broke up with her for several months before he eventually resumed their relationship and proposed. To read my entire reaction, click HERE. Based on what Pastor Wayne said on the reunion, I’m convinced that my reaction was right. In response to Kym Whitley (who hosted the reunion) asking about whether he was open to marriage again, he said, “This time around, I’m not selecting anyone for the church or the broader community, it has to be for me.”

4. Pastor Wayne is dating. He told Kym Whitley that he is in the second quarter of dating someone…Alright now…of course, the nosy side of me wants to know more…I don’t follow him on social media or anything, but if you do, have you seen a pic of a new love interest? In my pre-twins’ phase, I would have scoured his social media to see if I could see something, but I don’t have time for that…After a quick perusal, I just saw ministry pics and pics with his children…so..

5. If Bishop Ron had a first class plane ticket and a coach plane ticket, his wife, First Lady Lavette would have to ride in the back of the plane…SMH…I can’t recall how they got on this topic, but the way Bishop Ron answered this question was very revealing. His exact words were: “Yeah, she don’t mind sitting in coach. I do. I can’t sit up there like sardines.” First Lady Loretta said, “It’s not whether she minds, it’s inappropriate for a man to sit in first class and put his wife in back.” I agree. Now, my husband hates tight airplane seats, but he wouldn’t nor couldn’t put me in the back…What happened to chivalry?

6. Bishop Ron is seemingly strapped at all times…Bishop Ron, a former Compton Crip, got up and showed that he had a 9 millimeter gun tucked in his pants at the reunion! I guess he thought things could pop off at the reunion or something…He said he carries a gun on him because of Luke 22:38. He also joked that he could carry a 22 or a 38 based on the numbers in the verse…Okaaayyy….

7. Bishop Ron told Bishop Noel that had he been strapped, then First Lady Loretta wouldn’t have been attacked last August…I remember hearing that she had been attacked, but I didn’t know the details…According to L.A. Focus on the Word, here’s what happened: First Lady Loretta Jones was attacked on Sunday in the sanctuary at the conclusion of the morning service at the Gardena-based City of Refuge.  The first lady was punched in the face and knocked unconscious by a woman who—according to one witness—walked up to the first lady as service had just concluded and sucker punched her. Security then grabbed the woman. An ambulance was called and the first lady had to be wheeled out,  “The woman was a big lady too. It was crazy,” said an eyewitness who observed first-hand the commotion. “There was a whole crowd of people near the altar and I believe Bishop had gone to change his clothes and I couldn’t make out what the woman was hollering and yelling as she hit the first lady. Some of the members appeared to be shocked and then you saw this surge of people and people shouting ‘no, no, no’ as security then grabbed the woman and took her into custody.” Read the rest HERE. That is wacko!!!

8. First Lady Loretta stands on business…According to her website, First Lady Loretta is a chef and nutritionist and owns a restaurant. She also travels with a staff, which Pastor Deitrick Haddon called an entourage, that includes a makeup artist, a stylist and a dog watcher. And while she waited for the first part of the reunion, which didn’t include the wives, she was working, she said. “I just can’t sit with idle time. We have to work.”  I know that Balenciaga outfit she was wearing won’t pay for itself so I understand the need to work…When Kym Whitley questioned whether a first lady should travel with an entourage, she said, “You can only do what you can afford to do.” I guess she’s saying, she can do what she wants to do because she can afford it…This reminds me of the recent pic I saw of Mariah Carey after she got off of a roller coaster. Her hair stylist was waiting for her at the conclusion of the ride to redo her hair…With a voice like Mariah has, she can afford to have a hair stylist with her at all times so…But back to First Lady Loretta, I also noticed on the credits that she is a producer of the reunion…I don’t recall seeing any of the other pastor’s wives as producers or pastors for that matter so…

9. Speaking of hair stylists, Bishop Ron has good hair genes… Bishop Ron Jones is still rocking a tight fro and mustache at his big age of 69…And is it just me or does he look like the twins in The Whispers?

10. Pastor Deitrick Haddon and his wife Dominique are unashamed about getting their twerk on in their private time. About this time last year, he was criticized when a video showing his wife twerking on him at his 50th birthday party was released…He said he’s not always in pastor mode and I get that…He explained, “That’s why pastors are public enemy number one right now because we’re being being fake and wearing masks.” I don’t think twerking with your husband or wife is a big deal. That being said, I’m not sure if I would do it in public if I were a first lady. I would say the same thing about former First Lady Michelle Obama. Twerking is a very sexual dance so I would exercise decorum in certain spaces. A house party is one thing and very public party is quite another…

Below are videos of the reunion….

Additionally, the Preachers of LA Wedding Edition is streaming now…See the trailer below…

 

Here is the official description: The Preachers and First Ladies are back! The long-awaited wedding event of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta Jones is finally happening and your favorite high-profile Pastors and First Ladies are together again to celebrate–but will they be able lay those long-standing arguments to rest, or resurrect the drama after all these years!

Any thoughts?

 

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Kirk Franklin’s Son Caziah Franklin & ‘War Room’ Actress Alena Pitts Are ENGAGED!!!

Hello World,

When I saw this on my IG timeline last night, I need I had to share it with my After the Altar Call fam! Kirk Franklin’s son Caziah Franklin proposed to his girlfriend Alena Pitts, who starred in the blockbuster movie War Room, when she was a little girl. Obviously she is now a young woman. See the beach proposal photos below…

I actually interviewed Alena and her mother Wynter Pitts back in 2017 when she was 12 years old (so according to my math, she is now 19).  Below is a snippet of the interview…

1. How does it feel to be the youngest, African- American female author to be represented by a major book publisher?

Alena: Kind of surreal still. Like it hasn’t really hit me. So it’s crazy. I’m just grateful that it happened to me! And then I’m like, ‘Thank you God!’

And how did you get a book deal for Hello Stars?

Alena: So, my mom was like, ‘Hey Alena, do you want to write a book together?’ I was like, ‘Sure.’ My mom was like, ‘That would be so fun!’ I really didn’t think that was going to happen, but she was like, ‘Let’s just pray about it.’  So I prayed about it not really expecting anything to happen. So like two weeks later, we got an e-mail from Zondervan asking if we wanted to write a book for them. So I was like, ‘Wow, this must be God’s plan!’ (Laughter)

Wynter: It literally happened just like that! It was just this random thought I had one day, and I just looked at her and said, ‘It would be so fun if we wrote a book together.’ And that was it. And then, a few weeks later, we got an e-mail from Faithgirlz saying they wanted to talk to us about the project. It was so bizarre. Because of my ministry with girls, I had done some Faithgirlz product giveaways and helped them promote some things so I had a relationship with the publicist there. Since then, I found out the publicist mentioned our names to their team over the last year or so, but I didn’t know anyone else on the team!

See the remainder of the interview at ‘War Room’ 12-Year-Old Actress Alena Pitts & Mother Pen Children’s Book ‘Hello Stars!’ (INTERVIEW).

When I heard about Wynter’s death the next year following my interview with her and her daughter in 2017, I was stunned and saddened, but I believe Alena’s mother is with the Father in Heaven where we all aspire to go some day. And obviously, our Father is still leading Alena today. May God bless Caziah and Alena on their new journey together!

Any thoughts?

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Famed ’90s R&B Star Montell Jordan Launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT With Special Guest DJ Tony Tone…

Hello World,

Grammy Award-Winning and ’90s R&B icon Montell Jordan launches THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT with special guest DJ Tony Tone.   This is the ultimate ’90s themed dance party for couples on April 12 in Atlanta, Georgia at Ponce City Market’s Rooftop Terrace.  Montell and his wife, Kristin have focused their ministry on marital counseling and coaching. Together, Montell and Kristin Jordan began both their marriage and music career journeys over 20 years ago. They entered the recording industry as artist and manager with the #1 hit song This Is How We Do It less than one year after saying “I do.” The challenges of being married in the music business resulted in an unpredictable story where after two decades of world tours and millions of album sales, they chose marriage over music, faith over fame, and significance over success. Ultimately, they allowed God to reinvent their lives to focus on their family values, their passion to see the covenant of marriage reestablished, and to restore hope in the hearts of men and women everywhere.

In a society where divorce has become commonplace and the very institution and definition of marriage is under attack, they have navigated some of the roughest waters and returned to help others in their marital journey.  Their marriage has endured and overcome some of the greatest trials imaginable, however, they now are able to serve as ambassadors of hope.  Recently, Montell and Kristin have co-authored their first book This Is How We Do It! Making Your Marriage A Masterpiece. They now travel the world with a goal of spreading that hope and love to help others.  A reconciled husband and wife make a stronger marriage; a stronger marriage makes a better family; stronger families make better churches; stronger churches make better communities and stronger communities make a better world.  With that said, the Jordan’s are bringing their world culture back to their backyard in launching THIS IS HOW WE DATE NIGHT.

The event will start for VIP early entry at 6pm and 7pm for general admission.  For more information, please go to ThisIsHowWeDateNight.EventBrite.com.

“Music has a powerful way of bringing people together, and ‘ This Is How We Date Night’ is all about creating unforgettable moments withloved ones,” says Montell.

For more information on Montell and Kristin Jordan, go to montellandkristin.com and Instagram.

Also, I saw this great interview with Vlad TV and Montell Jordan a while back. If you’re interested in that interview in which Montell recounts his childhood, how he got into the music industry, cheating on his wife, becoming a Christian and more, click HERE.