The Whole Duty of Man…

Hello World,

As we begin Holy Week culminating in Easter a week from today, I just want to focus on Ecclesiastes 12:14….This is the meaning of life….Nothing more and nothing less…

“Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Below are some of my favorite praise and worship songs that inspire me to fear God and keep His commandments…

1. Israel & New Breed….”Alpha & Omega”

2. Kirk Franklin…”Hosanna”

3. Richard Smallwood…”Total Praise”

As I go through this week, I plan to focus on how I can fear God and keep His commandments…How about you?

Any thoughts?

The Next Big Thing…aka My Next Book in Progress…

Hello World,

Senalda in my next book

Senalda in my next book

I’m never been one to participate in chain letters, but sometimes you have to stretch yourself a bit to grow sooo…I’m taking the plunge to participate in a writer chain letter where different writers tag one another and write about “the next big thing” that they are working on…It’s an exercise to help us formulate our ideas around our next books in progress and promote other writers at the same time…So I will answer questions about my next book and at the end of this post, you will see information about other writers…Those writers will then post about “the next big thing” they are working on and on and on…Get it?

Tempestt would be a great Jarena!

What is the working title of your book?  I’m not sure yet…It’s about being a single black woman in Atlanta in particular and a single black woman anywhere in general…

Where did the idea for the book come from? My journey as a single black woman…Now that I’m about to be married and entering into another phase in my life, I feel I want to capture the feeling of being single and wanting romantic love while I can still taste it…so to speak…

What genre does the book fall under? Literary fiction

Which actors would you choose to play the characters? Senalda, Malinda Williams; Jarena, Tempestt Bledsoe; Mimi, Goapele; and Whitney, Essence Atkins…I will have more main characters, but these are the ones I have so far…

Goapele as Mimi…

What is a one sentence synopsis? I’m looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can’t-live-without-each-other love…Okay, so this is not one sentence…And these aren’t my words…these are the words of Carrie Bradshaw from my all-time favorite show “Sex and the City.” And yes, my next big thing is partly inspired by this show…

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m not sure yet. I’m open to God’s plan…

How long did it take you to write the first draft? I want to write the whole thing in six months, preferably by my wedding date…Really, I’ve been writing this book since I was 30 years old so it should come pretty easily…Lord please…Also, I am starting to work with a critique group tomorrow so hopefully that will get me going…y’all pray for me…

Whitney in my next big thing…

What other books would you compare it to? I’m not sure yet…Am I being vague? Yes…I don’t really like to share the dish while I’m still cooking it, but I thought it would be cool to get some feedback while I can rework things…

Who or what inspired it? Chile, love.

What else about your book will pique the reader’s interest? I intend for this to be my love letter to single ladies all over…Although I will be married in a few months, I will treasure my single journey forever…after all, we came in this world alone and that is how we will leave it… I pray this book will be available in 2014. Please check out some of my author friends to see what they are up to…

“hallucination” is a story about unexpected occurrences and how they can stop your life and change it whether you are ready for change or not. This is a story of surviving some of life’s unavoidable miseries and coming out on the other side, a little wiser and a little closer to yourself. “hallucination” is a story of regular life, sudden illness and irregular outcomes. “hallucination” is NOT a story about being sick. It’s a story of becoming well…inside and out…Check out Kim Green at hallucinationthenovel.com. (By the way, she invited me to participate in “The Next Big Thing.”)

When former chart-topper Tiffany Knightly learns that she’s dying from cancer, she leaves behind her plush California lifestyle to return to Hempstead, New York, with Karlie, her reluctant teenaged daughter. Her fans think she has simply gone home to die, but Tiffany has another mission. She desperately wishes she could leave her past in the past,
but in order to secure her daughter’s future, she must tear open past wounds…This is from the book “Sing A New Song” by debut author Michelle Lindo-Rice…Check out Michelle Lindo-Rice at michellelindorice.com.

Ciara is an ambitious freshman, sure that life will only get better as she joins her long-time boyfriend at Aurbor Grove University. Before the first day of class, she’s hit with a tragedy and finds herself at the center of controversy. Raised by a no-nonsense, Christian grandmother, going to college is a non-negotiable for Nick. Once there, the study hard, play harder culture awakens a dangerous addiction that could not only cause him to lose his scholarship, but his livelihood. “Don’t Let Me Fall” is the first in The Village Series by L. Michelle…Check L. Michelle out at TheVillagebyLMichelle.com.

Any thoughts?

 

Spelman College’s WISDOM Center Celebrates 10th anniversary with Ministry Conference & Book Launch

Hello World,

As the last few days of January slip by, I hope your year is off to a wonderful start…If you need some divine inspiration to chart a path for the rest of 2013, a visit to Spelman College this weekend may be in order…

The school’s WISDOM Center is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary beginning this weekend and continuing throughout the year. This year-long celebration, entitled “A Legacy of Women in Transformational Ministry, will be inaugurated on Friday, Feb. 1 with an awards ceremony featuring the official launch of the center’s new anthology, “If I Do What Spirit Says Do: Black Women, Vocation, and Community Survival,” followed by a book signing. The anthology includes essays by theologians, religious scholars, preachers and community leaders who presented during the WISDOM Center’s 2006 global conference. The evening will conclude with the Wisdom Café,  which will feature spoken word artists, and jazz, and gospel selections by faculty, staff, alumnae and students.

On Saturday, Feb. 2, the center is hosting it’s one-day ministry conference “Finding Your Way Home: Transitions, Transformation and Triumph,” which promises to include women pastors, clergy wives, lay leaders and students for a series of workshops and discussions that will explore issues such as life/work balance, resources for inner strength, overcoming personal challenges, transforming the mind and spirit, and the personal and family struggles of women in ministry. Some of the workshop titles are: Dream a Bigger Dream, Understanding and Balancing Our Roles as Women of Faith, and Overcoming Brokenness, Betrayal, and Bitterness. Some of the speakers will be: Reverend Renita Weems, Ph.D., co-pastor, Ray of Hope Community Church, Nashville, Tenn.; Beth-Sarah Wright, Ph.D., independent scholar and first lady of St. Paul Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Ga. and Lisa Williams, founder and executive director, Living Water for Girls, Atlanta, Ga.

Finally, on Sunday, Feb. 3, the weekend will culminate with a worship service at Sisters Chapel with brief sermons presented by three Spelman alumnae.

The events are open to the public. To learn more about the schedule and to register, visit this link. To register youth (ages 11-18), call 404-270-5729 or e-mail SistersChapel@spelman.edu.

Any thoughts?