Posted on Sunday, October 4, 2015

The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Articles for Black Christian Women in September 2015

Hello World,

I’m a media junkie with no apologies. My desire for media is completely insatiable so I’ve decided to start compiling monthly lists for me and you to help stay abreast of the media constantly being generated. Throughout the month of September, I kept a file of interesting blog posts and or articles that crossed my path as a black Christian woman. Let me know if you like my list! Enjoy…

1. “God Battles ‘Straight Outta Compton’ for African-Americans’ Souls” by Naomi Schaefer Riley

Excerpt: How did we go from “Straight Outta Compton” to the “War Room”? In one weekend, the top movie at the box office went from one that glorifies sex and violence to one that glorifies traditional marriage and God. These movies — the one that tells the history of the rap group NWA and the other that tells the story of the religious journey of a woman to save her marriage — surely represent the ideals competing for the hearts and minds of Americans. Particularly African-Americans. See more at: nypost.com.

2. “Matthews wins Senate District 45 runoff” by Sarita Chourey

Excerpt: The special election is being held to select a replacement for Sen. Clementa Pinckney, who was a reverend and married father of two. Pinckney was among the nine gunned down in June during Bible study at the historic black Emanuel AME Church. Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old who expressed white supremacist views and posed with the Confederate flag, could face the death penalty for the massacre, if convicted. “Most importantly, I want to thank the family of Senator Clementa Pinckney,” said Matthews after the votes were counted Tuesday. See more at: jaspersuntimes.com.

3. “103-Year-Old Ga. Woman Banned From Church for Criticizing Pastor’s Preaching Style” by Breanna Edwards

Excerpt: A 103-year-old Georgia woman has been kicked out of her church for disagreeing with her pastor’s preaching style, with members even calling the police on the woman, who has been a part of the congregation for some 90 years. See more at: theroot.com.

4. “Ferguson Mirrors Birmingham 1963? Minister on Ferguson Report Returns Home to Speak” by Greg Garrison

Excerpt: The Rev. Traci Blackmon grew up in Birmingham, Ala., in the 1960s and has been on the front lines of protests in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 and 2015. “What happened to Birmingham with Bull Connor is what happened to Ferguson,” said Blackmon, a registered nurse and ordained minister who is returning home to Alabama this weekend to speak at Covenant Community Church in Center Point on Friday at 7 p.m. and at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham on Sunday in the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services. See more at: al.com.

5. “Neighbors in Religion: Catholic nun celebrates 75 years of service to church, community” by Bea Hines

Excerpt: Sister Clementina is a member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the country’s first black order of nuns. Her celebration was spread over two weeks, in two states: Maryland, her home state; and Florida, where she has worked for many years. The first celebration was in August and 17 of her former students and parents from Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Liberty City traveled with her to Baltimore for the festivities. See more at: miamiherald.com.

6. “Black Sisterhood Was the Emmys’ Biggest Winner” by Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts

Excerpt: The demonstration of love and support among Hollywood’s women of color—e.g., Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, Uzo Aduba—was more extraordinary than any of the awards won. The tears kept rolling like rivers down my face. I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t want to stop crying. Her words were like a salve on my soul. An “I see you, Sis” from 3,000 miles away. I don’t know her. Not sure if I’ll ever meet her. But that brilliant, richly dark woman, with her glorious crown of natural hair, shined brighter than any star on my screen in that moment. See more at: damemagazine.com.

7. “‘Empire’ Actress Can’t Even Escape Fans at Church” by Richard Johnson

Excerpt: Ta’Rhonda Jones, who plays sassy assistant Porsha on the soapy Fox TV drama, confesses the show has made it difficult for her to attend church in her hometown of Chicago. See more at: pagesix.com.

8. “Domestic violence in the church: Former wife of an abusive senior pastor speaks out”

Excerpt: Gifted, beautiful and God-fearing, Janeen Michael would have never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would become the victim of domestic violence. And yet, for 15 years, she stayed in a marriage to a senior pastor who was brutalizing her behind closed doors. So why did she stay so long? “Pride, fear and shame were the bars of my prison,” the Journey to Love author and worship leader explains of what she calls the “toxic relationship.” See more at: buzz.eew.magazine.com.

9. “Mississippi Christian Living: Peggie Gillom-Granders, Journey of a Champion”

Excerpt: When she graduated from high school in 1976, she was the first African American female to be awarded an athletic scholarship to Ole Miss. Peggie is quick to say, “Yes, but you know I never thought of myself as any different from anybody, and none of my teammates treated me like I was any different. We were teammates and friends.” The “friends” part is past and present! She keeps up with most of her teammates even now, forty years later. See more at: hottytoddy.com.

10. “Sierra Leone: ‘Power to Women’ Campaign Targets 10,000 Students” by Ibrahim Tarawallie

Excerpt: A campaign to promote the participation of women in political governance and propel them into leadership positions has commenced in Kailahun district, targeting over 10,000 students, 12 women councillors and 46 junior secondary schools. See more at: allafrica.com.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2015

‘The Neophyte Author’ Nigeria Lockley to Release Second Novel ‘Seasoned With Grace’ (MY INTERVIEW)

Hello World,

I’m always happy to help promote my fellow authors especially those of us who are beginning our author journey…Please check out my interview with Nigeria Lockley, whose novel Seasoned With Grace (Urban Books) will be released on July 28! Below is a synopsis of “Seasoned With Grace” followed by the interview…

Sentenced to probation, 30-year-old, supermodel Grace King must put her plans of transitioning into acting to extend the longevity of her career on hold. Desperate to keep a close eye on Grace and his job, Grace’s ambitious lawyer, Ethan Summerville has her complete community service in the last place Grace wants to be. His church.

Instead of God, Grace finds a “chocolate drop” of a man–Brother Horace Brown. However, Horace isn’t looking for a supermodel. He wants his woman saved and sanctified, but Grace has never met a man who has been able to resist her. Will Horace compromise his faith for a taste of fortune, fame, and Grace?While Grace focuses on the pursuit of passion Ethan finds one director willing to take a risk and cast Grace in his debut film, but this role fits Grace all too well. Will this film revive Grace’s relationship with God and her career or bring her closer to destruction?

1. What inspired you to write “Seasoned With Grace?”

I cannot say there was any one thing that inspired me to write this story. I just saw Grace King in my head on probation and cutting up. I simply wrote the story as it came to me.

2. Why did you choose a supermodel as the main character of your story?

I didn’t make that choice. I don’t impose my will on my characters. It may be about skill or just being organic, but I take them as they are and let them run wild.

3. How did you research the supermodeling industry?

On the low, I’m a fashion insider. I read Vogue, InStyle, visit various fashion blogs, and of course you know I’ve seen one too many episodes of “America’s Next Top Model.” Therefore, I didn’t have to do much research and bless the Lord for Google.

4. What do you hope readers will learn or understand by reading this story?

I hope that readers will learn that despite the hardships in life God has not forgotten them and you cannot go so far over the edge that you cannot be redeemed. Those are just two big lessons in the book, but one subtle lesson that I learned as I was writing “Seasoned with Grace” is to be thankful for your friends.

5. I read that you wrote most of “Seasoned With Grace” on your cell phone. Is that true? Why? How long did it take? Please explain.

I did write the majority of “Seasoned with Grace” on my cell phone. I started that way because the first time I saw the story in my head I was in the subway and the only thing I had on me was my cell phone. It was slightly more convenient than pulling out my laptop during rush hour, and once I realized I spend an hour a day on the train commuting to work I decided to capitalize on that. It only took me a few months to finish “Seasoned with Grace.”

6. I understand that you have started your own publishing company Inheritance Books. Why did you decide to start your own publishing company? When will the first book from your new company debut,and what is the title? (if you have that information)

Starting Inheritance Books was one of those move when the Spirit says move decisions. Last year, I started working on a novella that I planned to release independent of my publisher at the time, Urban Christian. I only had a two- book deal and my plan was to test the indie waters before attempting to renew my contract. Now fast forward to the last week of February 2015—I get selected for jury duty and while everyone is griping about having to be there I’ve got the name for the company, the tagline, and plans for developing authors floating through my head. For a moment I thought I was having delusions of grandeur, but something inside of me was telling me to form this publishing company. I applied for the LLC, got my logo done, and started taking coaching classes on publishing. When I showed my logo to my sister to get her opinion, she said, “It’s nice, but what is this for?” I replied, “For my publishing company. There’s a hole and I want to fill it.”

The very next day I found out that the Urban Christian line of Urban Books had been dissolved. So, it wasn’t a decision; it was more like an unction. The first release will be my novella, “Tempted to Touch.” I’d like to follow that up with an inspirational anthology, and by the grace of God start accepting manuscripts by the winter of 2015.

7. You refer to yourself as the “Neophyte Author.” How many books will have you have to write before you consider yourself a “seasoned” rather than “neophyte” author? What is the most important thing you have learned on your “neophyte author” journey so far?

There will always be something for me to learn and I will always be a new author to some reader regardless of how prolific I am, so I’m not sure when I’ll attain that seasoned status. The most important thing I’ve learned as a neophyte author is that you have to tell your story and live your story. You cannot allow other people’s idea of what works stifle your productivity and creativity. As you travel along the road to your goal, you’ll receive lots of advice, but you have to live your life and work in a fashion that works best for you and not anyone else.

I’ve always loved the game “20 Questions” so below are Nigeria’s answers to 20 of my random questions in no particular order 🙂

Nigeria Lockley possesses two master’s degrees, one in English Secondary Education, which she utilizes as an educator with the New York City Department of Education. Her second master’s degree is in Creative Writing. “Born at Dawn” is Nigeria’s first published novel. Nigeria serves as the vice president of Bridges Family Services, a not-for-profit organization that assists student parents interested in pursuing a degree in higher education. She is also the deaconess and clerk for her spiritual home King of Kings and Lord of Lords Church of God. Nigeria is a New York native who resides in Harlem with her husband and two daughters. Visit her online at www.NigeriaLockley.com

Any thoughts?

Posted on Friday, May 8, 2015

Tongues, Tears & Tina: Mary Mary Season 4 Finale Recap…

Hello World,

It’s time for your weekly recap of the Mary Mary reality show, but I’m sad to say that as of tonight, this will be my last recap as this episode was the FINALE of Season 4…And what a finale it was y’all…Last week was all about Erica and her 1,2,3, 4 Dove Award nominations (see last week’s recap for the explanation of 1,2,3,4 instead of four or 4) and ended with Tina basically ignoring all of Erica’s accolades and asking her sister to sing background on HER solo project…

Erica’s Awards…

Well, if 1,2,3,4 Dove Award nominations wasn’t enough (she won one of the 1,2,3,4), this week’s episode begins with Erica finding out she is also up for a two Grammy Awards!!! I’ve got to admit that securing 1,2,3,4 Dove Award nominations and two Grammy Award nominations for a debut album is awesome!!! But before we find out if she won anything, we discover that Tina has to take care of some business…

Snitching On Mitch…

Now that Tina’s sisters have snitched on Mitch about his shenanigans at Tina’s wedding, she confronts Mitch during a lunch meeting at a restaurant…Mitch doesn’t lie about nor downplay his actions…”It was not one of my prouder moments,” he explains. He admits that he “spun around and lost it like a crazy man.” Tina shares that she, too, used to be controlled by her emotions, but she finally learned that doing the same things and expecting different results is the ultimate in crazy…Those are some of the wisest words ever said…Please believe them…We don’t get to see the end of the conversation so there is no telling what else transpired…Will Mitch manage Tina’s solo career? From the snippet we saw from the lunch meeting, I could not make any conclusions…

Grammy Awards…

At first Erica tries to be just happy that she was even nominated but a short while later, she starts begging Jesus again to win an award…And she does! She wins Best Gospel Album for her album “Help.” “To have your music acknowledged this way is priceless,” Erica says…

One-Woman Show…

Teddy and Tina discuss what Tina is going to do next in her solo career. Tina explains her vision to her husband….”I don’t want to do a regular concert. I don’t want it to be all about music or storytelling.” She proposes an “Evening With Tina Campbell” to be held at their church In His Presence Church (pretty name) in Woodland Hills, California. “It will be the most ‘truest,’ honest version of me the world is going to get.”

But as we found out in last’s week episode’s Tina’s vision for her one-woman show includes her sister’s background vocals. So Tina goes over to sister’s house to convince her sister to sing for the show…When she shows up at Erica’s house, she finds Erica in the kitchen shining her Grammy Award…Tina shares her joy, at least initially. When she found out that her sister won a Grammy, Tina says she “screamed for five minutes straight.” After she congratulates her sister again, Tina tells her sister about her one-woman show idea which will incorporate her music as well as excerpts of her book.

However, Erica, especially now that she is a Dove Award and Grammy Award -winning solo artist, says that her schedule is full and doesn’t know if she can fit in her sister’s show. She concludes by saying that she will do the best she can to make time to be her sister’s background singer…Tina may be a less fiery version of her former self, but she aine trying to keep her feelings to herself. ” Why don’t you stop the spit-shining and come sing?” Tina says to Erica.

Meanwhile at My Block…

So Warryn is feeling pretty good about his award-winning wife until he gets a call from Sony….He has been summoned to meet at its location but the reason for the meeting is not revealed…He concludes that it can’t be good. “Why does this feel like I’m going to principal’s office?” Warryn says…

However, in the next scene, we see that some potentially bad news is tempered by some good news…He calls his wife to tell her what’s going on…He briefly tells her about the Sony call, but then he shares the good news…Erica has been asked to perform at Lakewood Church….”They want you for the whole weekend,” Warryn says…It is the SAME DAY as Tina’s one-woman show…Sister or not, she decides this is too good of an opportunity to let slip by…

In the next scene Erica is at My Block studios with her husband…I’m no fashionista by anyone’s definition, but the first thing I notice is an old school Gucci purse…The one with black “G”s and the red stripe down the middle…Also, Erica is wearing black cat-eye framed glasses and has a top knot…The whole look is fabulous…While she is at the studio, she won’t be there for long as she prepares to leave to fly to Texas…Tina and more of the Atkins’ sisters are expected to arrive at the studio shortly, but Erica asks her husband to explain what had happened was…

All My Sisters Except Me…

But before she gets away without having to explain to Tina face to face, she runs into her sisters in the parking lot…Erica has to explain about her performance at Lakewood and the fact that she is getting ready to fly out of town…Tina tries to convince her sister to stay…”I aine asking you to cancel. I’m asking you to delay.” But when Erica is not convinced to stay or delay, Tina raises her hand in the air and states, “Daddy, this is the kind of child you raised.” Deep. Now, that’s a guilt trip to from Heaven to hell… “Me and the rest of my sisters gon get the job done,” Tina concludes. Erica is a little upset too. “I’ve got 172 sisters and ain’t none of them can be on my side?”

Showdown at Sony…

The student aka Warryn arrives at the Principal’s Office aka Sony…And just as Warryn thought, it’s not good. The last Mary Mary album came out in 2012 and Sony wants another one…yesterday…Warryn tries to explain how the sisters are pursing solo projects, but Sony is not having it…In fact, he is told that if there is no Mary Mary album, then Tina can forget about a solo album….”I spent weeks breaking them up and now I’ve got to get them back together again,” Warryn says….

From Test to Testimony…

It’s the day of Tina’s one-woman show “An Evening With Tina Campbell,” and Tina is coughing in spasms it seems…”I’m losing my voice of the worst possible time,” Tina shares…She prays…”God, you’ve got to heal me tonight because I need my voice tonight.” But it’s not just Tina’s voice that is wavering…Her faith is wavering…She feels emotionally drained…She doesn’t want to be a hypocrite…She is unsure about her songs because they are a departure from her Mary Mary music…She alternates between crying and praying…

She finally begins speaking in tongues…Even though she feels she may look weird, she explains, “When you are struggling in your faith, you pray in your Heavenly language.” Teddy also tries to comfort his wife…”God responds to faith,” he declares. “Look what you birthed out of being in pain.” As all of this was happening, I thought of two things…Maybe God was allowing Tina to go through all of those emotions so she could sing out of a place of total reliance on God and that was what she was supposed to be ministering about in the first place…The second thought I had came a result of Teddy’s statement about birth…Maybe was what was going on backstage was like the labor process because she was about to literally share new life…

Babeee, in spite of Tina’s nerves, her hoarseness, lack of faith, etc., her voice combined with her testimony of feeling schizophrenic and homicidal and turning to the Bible for comfort ministered to the audience…Teddy says, “She’s shining and I can’t believe she’s mine.” Sweet…Shoot, he has more of a testimony that Tina in my opinion…The two of them even performed together….

Tina is euphoric after her performance and thanks her sister who called to encourage her. “Thank you for pushing me out,” Tina says to Erica…More pregnancy imagery…Erica’s performance at Lakewood, by the way, seemed to go well from the little bit of the performance that was included in the episode…

Mitch, however, was there to see Tina’s performance…”Maybe the fact that I’m here and Erica is not speaks volumes.” I don’t know how good of a manager he is, but Mitch always comes through with the drama…

Sony or Solo?

Although Erica & Tina were high after their respective solo performances, a crash had to come…Warryn meets with his wife and sister-in-law aka Mary Mary to tell them about Sony’s ultimatum….But neither one of them bows down to Sony’s demands…Warryn finally realizes that his original plan worked too well…”Dear Jesus, I’ve created a two-headed solo monster.” And he can’t be mad about it because he did it…

So that concludes Season 4…No Mary Mary album on the horizon, but there is more solo news to share…Yesterday, on the National Day of Prayer, Tina released her new book I Need A Day To Pray and her album “It’s Personal.” Another “Evening With Tina Campbell” will be held at her church In His Presence in California on May 30. Go to eventbrite.com for ticket information.

In addition, according to Billboard Magazine, Erica has started a 20-city national tour entitled “Help 2.0,” which is the name of her latest album…She has also created “More Than Pretty,” which is a “female empowerment movement” that will begin at Los Angeles’ Faithful Central Bible Church on May 23.

So there you have it…For now, at least Mary Mary is now Erica & Tina…

Any thoughts?