Category Archives: Divine Love

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How Martin Luther King Jr.’s Last Sunday Sermon Speaks to Us Today – A Post from the Denison Forum…

Me and Dr. Bernice King, CEO of The King Center, at the Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine Women of Excellence reception last night…

Hello World,

I had planned to post about the fact that the 33rd Stellar Gospel Music Awards will be aired tonight on Good Friday no less on TV One at 9 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. CST and share some fun red carpet photos from the event which took place last Saturday, but then I received an inspiring post in my inbox from the Denison Forum  this morning which is the website where Dr. Jim Denison writes about cultural and contemporary issues from a Christian perspective.

His post was so inspiring and timely that I thought I would share a portion of it here particularly since I got the chance to hear Dr. Bernice King speak at the Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine Woman of Excellence Reception last night. I interviewed her in 2014 for the magazine so I got to know her a little bit back then, but last night she reminded everyone of something: When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., her father, became a martyr on April 4, 1968, 50 years ago next week, he was one of the most hated men in America. It was only because of the diligent work of his wife Coretta Scott King AFTER his death that he became a man loved the whole world over. Her statement spoke to me on so many levels. When we’re doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord we may not be liked, loved nor appreciated. In fact, we may not even live to see the fruits of our sacrificial labor. I’m reminded that when Jesus died he was treated as a common criminal, spat on, mocked and physically abused. So it is up to us to demonstrate that his actions in laying down his life were the ultimate in sacrificial love and that this gift of love is high, deep and wide enough to save whole world if only we share this Good News…

Below is a portion of Dr. Denison’s post:

Tomorrow marks the fiftieth anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last Sunday sermon.

On March 31, 1968, Dr. King preached at the Washington National Cathedral. An overflow crowd heard him deliver “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” calling his listeners to join God in a movement that would bring righteousness to a culture divided by racial bigotry and endemic poverty.

In his message, he noted: “On some positions, cowardice asks the question: Is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question: Is it politic? Vanity asks the question: Is it popular? Conscience asks the question: Is it right?”

Then Dr. King stated, “There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.”

Four days later, he paid for his conscience with his life.

Dr. King ended his sermon by invoking a hymn sung earlier in the service as a challenge to America, the church, and all of humanity:

Once to ev’ry man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Off’ring each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
‘Twixt that darkness and that light.

“God proved his love on the cross”

On this Good Friday, we remember Jesus’ choice “‘twixt that darkness and that light,” his “great decision” to bear the evil of our sin for the “great cause” of our salvation.

You and I have no ability to fathom just what this day cost our Savior.

See the rest at denisonforum.org.

I will share one snippet from the Stellar Awards. Below is a video snippet of Tori Kelly & The Hamiltones, the R&B trio made up of the three singers who sing background for Anthony Hamilton, performing “Help Us To Love,” which is appropros on this Good Friday.

Here is a excerpt of the lyrics written by Kirk Franklin:

This world is weeping, hurting, broken and begging for change
Oh yeah
But still we marching, praying, dying, and things stay the same
When will we see?
Till everyone’s free
There’ll never be peace between you and me
God, your love is the cure
For the rich and the poor
God, please will you open our eyes?

Any thoughts?

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From Doomed to Doctor – NEW BOOK ALERT!!!

Hello World,

I am a born storyteller. If you ask me a simple question, I am likely to give the answer plus many more extraneous details that you probably didn’t ask to hear. But I will tell you anyway because just about anything can be made into a story when that is your gift from God. And while that is true, there are stories. And there are stories that must be told because in their telling they have the capacity to bring joy, inspire change and unshackle chains. The best stories have these qualities.

Years ago, through some mutual friends, I met Dr. Bonita J. Gay-Senior, and as we became friends, as friends do, we shared various details from our lives. As she would share a snippet here or there, I began to realize that this woman had been through some situations that would have caused many people to collapse into themselves, sentencing their souls to be among the walking dead. Have you ever met a person who was so beaten up by life, they seem to operate on autopilot? I have, and it is startling. Others would have retreated to a maze of deadening behaviors to distract themselves from the pain. And some would have taken what was never theirs to take: their very lives. She shared about being mercilessly teased by not only by her classmates but by her brothers as well.  The teasing was so toxic, she was later diagnosed as having Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Her first boyfriend punched her face so hard that he broke part of one of her front teeth. On one occasion, he pointed a loaded gun at her face and threatened to shoot her. Despite the abuse, she dropped a warrant she had against him and had to go to jail for perjury (although she was telling the truth initially.)! When she was in her freshman year in college, she was raped by two men. Sometime later, while still in college, she got pregnant by another man. She watched a brother commit suicide by cop. Her only sister disappeared and has not been found to date.

And yet, the woman I met was a decorated teacher on the way to earning her doctorate in education at Clark Atlanta University. Laughter punctuated nearly all of her sentences. Her optimism rekindled that wonder that all children experience before the duties of adulthood and appropriateness take over. She had a trove of wisdom that she freely shared. ‘How did this woman come to be,’ I asked myself before I eventually found the courage to say the words aloud to her. She was surprised that I was surprised. She thought that many had suffered through similar challenges. I agreed that all of us suffer through challenges but not many people start from so low to ascend to so high. I know a good story when I hear one.

I kept telling her this until she decided to tell the whole story in a book “From DOOMED to DOCTOR 280 Chestnut Street: Born in the Crack but Didn’t FALL Through.”  (In fact, she shouted me out in the acknowledgements!) On the very street, Chestnut Street (which has since been changed to to James P. Brawley Drive), where she experienced most of her childhood abuse is the very street where she received her doctorate degree years later at 48 years old (I was there cheering her on 🙂 )! It’s amazing how God can use the details of our lives to demonstrate that He has brought us from a mighty long way. And she says God is who redeemed her tests into a testimony. She is using her story to mentor other women who have experienced similar challenges.

If you would like to meet her and get a copy of her book, join her at the One Love Spiritual Center, 180 Lakepoint Lane, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215 (Lakemont Subdivision) TODAY at 3 p.m.  She is the featured Women’s History Month Speaker!

But if you don’t live here in the A but want to read her story, her book “From DOOMED to DOCTOR 280 Chestnut Street: Born in the Crack but Didn’t FALL Through” is available on Amazon! And if you like to know more about Dr. Bonita, go to her website fromdoomedtodoctor.com.

Any thoughts?

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‘Black Panther’s’ Letitia Wright, T’Challa’s Little Sister, Nearly Gave Up Acting for Christian Faith!

Hello World,

I cannot unpack all that is #BlackPanther the movie at this moment because there were levels and layers to this movie. I saw the movie yesterday, but I think I will have to see it again so that I can take in all that was offered in the movie. I mean it touched on so many areas worthy of dissertations from the divide between Africans and African Americans to the warriors that are black women and how they have saved black people to boys growing up without fathers in the black community…

But when I came across this article, I knew I needed to share it with my tribe. As I joked this morning on social media, all praises to Black Panther but ALL of the honor, glory and praise belongs to the Lion of Judah, JESUS! Apparently, Letitia Wright, who portrayed Shuri, T’Challa’s impish and brilliant little sister, agrees! She nearly gave up acting before landing this role of a lifetime…Apparently, acting had become an idol in her life…I can relate. I have some writer goals that have probably taken up more residence in my heart than what God intended…So I’m working that out…But check out what Londoner Letitia Wright said on “This Morning” about developing a personal relationship with God and how that relationship changed her perspective on acting and everything else… See the quote and video below…

I was going through a lot. A very difficult time in my life. I just needed to take a break from acting because I really idolized it. So I came off from it. And I went on a journey to discover God and my relationship with God. And I became a Christian. It really just gave me so much love and light within myself so much so that I felt secure. I felt like I didn’t need validation from anyone else or from getting a part. My happiness wasn’t dependent on that. It was dependent on my relationship with God.

Let the Church Say Amen…

Just for kicks, here I am at the theater to see Black Panther last night…#WakandaForever…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you seen #BlackPanther yet?

Any thoughts?