Well, Black History Month 2016 is a wrap, but I’m still doing my monthly post in which I list interesting blog posts and or articles for black Christian women from last month that intrigued me as a black Christian woman ( 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. “Dancing 106-year-old Describes the Day She Charmed the Obamas: ‘I Can Die Smiling Now’” by Colby Itkowitz
Excerpt: Deeply faithful, McLaurin attends a weekly Bible study, and she said it’s helped her stay upbeat and healthy. That, she said, and a diet of fried beans and peas. Other than a back surgery about 50 years ago, she hasn’t had any major health issues. See more at: washingtonpost.com.
2. “DeVon Franklin to Suggestion in Church That Wife Meagan Good Should Cover Up: ‘She’s Going to Wear What She Wants to Wear in the Name of Jesus’” by Yesha Callahan
Excerpt: “This is not offensive, but I was at the grocery store and I looked at a newsstand and I saw you, and you had your breast showing,” one woman in the audience said. “So, so, I wasn’t gonna come here, I wasn’t, but the Lord brought me here to see you. You’re beautiful. You are a beautiful young woman, and your testimony is awesome. It’s awesome. Amen. Amen! And the Lord let me come and push past the judgment … because you have to make sure what you say and what you do match up, you understand? So we gonna cover up, right?” See more at: theroot.com.
3. “Too Sexy for Church Appeal: When Does Cleavage Become Sinful?” by Charlene Aaron
Excerpt: Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA player Stephen Curry, received a ton of backlash from people who said she was shaming women who dress less modestly. Actress Meagan Good, who is also a Christian, has often been criticized for wearing clothing viewed as too sexy. See more at: cbn.com.
4. “They Lost Trayvon, Eric, Sandra, Jordan, Dontre. Now These Mothers are With Hillary” by Juana Summers
Excerpt: As rain pelted the rooftop of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist church on Monday afternoon, five mothers — united both in their grief and their purpose — came to share their stories. The women, from five different cities, had each lost a child to a high-profile case of violence. And each had thrown her support behind Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. See more at: mashable.com.
5. “The Legacy of Women in the Black Church” by Pastor Tiffany Thomas
Excerpt: Black women have a long and intricate history with the church. Women, making up 70 to 90 percent of black congregations, have always found the institution of the church a place of refuge, of solace and hope. As far back as African American history begins, during a time when their bodies were bound by the violence of slavery, black women gathered to worship communally a God who gave freedom and liberation in the salvific power of Christ. See more at: christianitytoday.com.
6. “Black Women and the Imago Dei” by Austin Channing Brown
Excerpt: In the late ’80s and early ’90s when I grew up attending a predominantly white private school, words like diversity and multiculturalism had not yet been popularized. So schools were still developing curriculum and experiences largely devoid of cultural depth. In my experience, all of my teachers were white, as were the principal, librarian, and other staff members. We regularly used illustrated Bibles, storybooks, and movies in which all the characters were also white. When teachers posted pictures of Jesus in the room, Jesus was always depicted as white. See more at: todayschristianwoman.com.
7. “Meet the Incredible Woman Chosen to Lead Mother Emanuel Church After Last Year’s Shooting” by Collier Meyerson
Excerpt: Clark is unabashed about being a woman at the pulpit. During a part of service where visitors to the church introduce themselves, one particular gentleman calls out, “I’m going to ask, like I do every year.” She begins to fan herself. “Will you be my valentine?” The church erupts into laughter and cheers. “The answer is yes,” she says to her husband. More laughter and clapping. See more at: fusion.net.
8. “Charleston Shooting Survivor Jennifer Pinckney: ‘I Want to Carry on (Clementa’s) Work’” by Jesse James DeConto
Excerpt: The first lady of Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church offered two enduring images: her late husband’s smiling face lying in a casket, and the bullet holes that riddled the church walls when she went to clean out his office a week later. See more at: religionnews.com.
9. “Professor Who Donned Hijab in Solidarity Announces Exit from Christian College” by Women in the World Staff
Excerpt: A college professor at a Christian college in Illinois has agreed to leave her position at the university after she posted a photo of herself wearing a hijab in solidarity with Muslims on social media. Larycia Hawkins drew ire from the administration at Wheaton College over the photo and her remarks on Facebook, where she wrote that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.” See more at: nytlive.nytimes.com.
10. “First Female African-American General in the Army National Guard Visits Windsor Church” by Jenna DeAngelis
Excerpt: “I’ve had many people, both black and white, tell me that, ‘C’mon you can’t do that. You’re never going any further than this.’ and to me that was always a challenge,” Cleckley said. Every challenge became an opportunity and every opportunity became another page in her book, A Promise Fulfilled. See more at: fox61.com.
Today’ s post is the third installment of my 7-month interview series entitled “Resilience & the Bible” which is about how Scriptures can be used to bounce back from the trials we all have to go through from time to time. Once a month, I feature someone who has used Bible verses to bounce back! If you know of someone who has bounced back using Scriptures and would like to be featured on my blog, please e-mail me at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com.
How to bounce back from losing your voice is the focus of this month’s “Resilience & the Bible” blog post. At this time of the year, more than any other, music, whether Christmas carols, traditional hymns or funny ditties, can be heard everywhere! Those who are blessed with the gift of music, particularly singers, must really revel in this season…But what about those singers who have lost their voices? That is exactly what Linda Brown, who had grown up singing, faced in 2010. In fact, Linda taught choral music at Westinghouse High School and at the Pittsburgh Creative & Performing Arts High School. During her last year at the Performing Arts High School, the school was the site of the G-9 Summit, attended by world leaders. Linda wrote a song for the seminal event and was blessed to perform with First Lady Michelle Obama in the audience, accompanied by world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Linda relied on many Scriptures, but these three helped her the most as she went through this trial.
How did you lose your voice? When did this happen?
I’ve been singing all of my life. I started as a little child singing so singing and playing the piano was something that I always did. Even as an adult, that continued. Even humming a lot. Even without thinking about it, I go through the house humming. So this started in 2007 and at that time, I had started a singing group “Voices for Christ.” There were four of us. And I also decided I would join the Pittsburgh Bach Choir for one year. At the end of that year, I had already been experiencing trouble with the singing group, I was becoming hoarse often and my throat was getting tired very quickly. And then it progressed – not just discomfort but pain. So then I had to drop out of the Bach Choir, and eventually, I had to stop singing with the group “Voices for Christ.” And I was also teaching choral music so I needed my voice to demonstrate to students, and even there, I had to start using a microphone. I was often hoarse and sometimes I would lose my voice altogether. I didn’t have a cold though. That continued so then I started seeking out doctors. I went to some of the best laryngologists, voice specialists, in the country, and they didn’t know what the problem was. They ran tests. They gave me medicine. They weren’t sure what it was. They had me taking voice therapy so I would go to voice therapy for many months at a time.
How did your Scriptures help you to cope?
There were times when I started to wonder, “Well, Lord, how long,” and I would start losing my peace so Isaiah 26:3 helped. With Psalm 34:19, we’re just gonna go through trials and tribulations, but we have that assurance that God will bring us through. He will deliver us. And for me, obviously, this was not the first trial so as you go through trials, we do get stronger and stronger. So I knew. God has a track record with me! I know what He had brought me through in the past so this time with losing my voice, as difficult as it was, I still had faith that He would sustain me and bring me through. According to Psalm 107:20, he is Jehovah Rapha. He is still in the healing business so I trusted Him to heal me. But there were times, I have to say, when I started to doubt that I would ever get through this.
What was the turning point?
This went on for three years, and finally one of the voice therapists said, ‘How long have you been dealing with this?’ I told her three years, and she said, ‘Three years is just too long. You need to just sing. Just start singing.’ It was something about that, and I had tried before but something about when she said that, I said ‘I’m just gonna start.’ And that’s how it began. Maybe it was something about the number 3. It’s a rebirth. God rose in three days. The number three is in different passages of the Bible that we can look at and certainly God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – the Holy Trinity. And my voice ended up being stronger than it was before that three-year period. Not all of a sudden, gradually.
So I started singing, but I was still hoarse. It still hurt. And I was singing softly. That went on for a while, but my voice got stronger and stronger until I was able to sing enough to hear myself here in the house. And I will say this also, during that time of having no voice, my brother passed. And for the first time, I wrote a gospel song, and it was in memory of my brother. I had done some arranging before but for different kinds of music for my school choir but never gospel even though I was singing only gospel or classical music. I wrote the song for him knowing I couldn’t sing it. I had a friend who would come in from New York every so often. She is an excellent singer, and she happens to be a lyric soprano. So I wrote the song knowing it was for her voice. She is a soloist for Abyssinian Baptist Church, a paid singer there. She didn’t even realize I was writing a song for her to sing, but during one of her trips here, I mentioned it to her. I could play the piano still, and I would hear the song in my head but that was it.
How did your CD “Bread of Heaven” happen with the loss of your voice?
So toward the end of that three-year period, God started putting songs in my spirit like five or six in a month. So I would sing them softly and put them on a recorder. I go back to listen to them sometime, and I’m like, ‘Oh my.’ My voice was so breathy and prior to that time, it was always clear. So some of those songs He gave me are on my album “Bread of Heaven.” And on that album, the song that I wrote for my brother is on there too. It’s called ‘Together In the Morning,’ and that particular song, the melody is much higher than all of the others because it was originally written for someone else to sing. I was thinking I’m writing songs and eventually they are going to go on a CD, and I know that I can’t sing on the CD so I’ll have to find someone to record these songs. Not my friend in New York because I only had that one song for her because that wasn’t the style I wanted for the whole CD. I kept thinking about who could sing the songs. But I wasn’t able to find anyone or God didn’t just put anyone in my path. So then it was, ‘I guess I’ll do it myself.’ And then I had to find a producer and that took another two or three years to find a producer. But then I did find someone through ‘word of mouth’ in Memphis, Tennessee although I live in Pittsburgh.
So I ended up going to Memphis, and I was really concerned that my voice would not hold up for the recording. And I think if I had known the extent of the recording, I would probably not have even tried it, but God knew I needed to do it. Because I love singing background and always have, I decided I would do the background for the recordings as well for all of them except for one. And recording background music in this case means I had to record the soprano four times, sing the alto four times, the tenor part four times and more times if you mess up so I didn’t know I would have to do that much singing – it’s called stacking the background – and of course, do the lead.
There was a difficulty in one of the recordings. I got sick all of a sudden one time and we had to record later in the day. But all through this, when I look back on it, the loss of my voice, the attacks we had in the recording, some of the equipment that the producer had never had problems with started having problems. I say it now, it was an attack, a spiritual attack. God was in control, but the enemy did not want to see this come to pass. But through prayer, and I had prayer partners praying for me back in Pittsburgh and leaning on my Scriptures, God saw me through the recording.
“Bread of Heaven” came out in 2013, and but this year, I remixed “He’s Faithful,” one of the songs on the CD. (Below is the remixed “He’s Faithful.” )
Why do you think God allowed you to lose your voice? What caused it?
I really can’t say. I don’t know what caused it. It wasn’t from using poor voice technique because I know about teaching voice and using the voice. These were questions that I would ask myself even when I was going through this three-year-period of having no voice. It was like, ‘God, what do you want me to learn from this?’ And I think one of the things was trusting Him to build more faith in Him and even patience. And at the same time, He gave me these songs which were and are to encourage people. And the feedback I get from this CD, it’s just amazing. Also, before I lost my voice, I usually sang background, but once God pushed me in this direction, He took away my desire to go back to the group I started. I always thought once I got my voice back I would go back to the group although they continue to sing today, but He pushed me into solo ministry.
Also, I eventually left teaching altogether at the end of the school year in 2010 because God put into my spirit that I was to do missions. And that was a powerful year because that was the year that the First Lady came to my school, but in the middle of that, God put in my spirit to do missions. And my husband was already pressing me, ‘Let’s go to Haiti.’ But I said, ‘I don’t want to go to Haiti.’ But two days after I left the school district, we were in Haiti. And he left his job three months before I left my job. And after we started doing missions, I saw the greater need. And I saw this CD could help fund some of the projects that we wanted to do and support other mission organizations. We then started our own non-profit organization Mercy Acts International. We go to different countries and see what the need is, come back here and raise money for the needs. I use money for the proceeds from my CD. Most of it goes to the mission field. I say most of it because my producer, who made a substantial contribution in the beginning of this project because he knew it was going to missions, I make sure that he is covered in terms of what comes in. That’s why I say most of it, but all of my proceeds go to missions.
Also, the first time we went to Haiti, I started a choir which had almost a 100 students that I worked with by the end of our time there. I used my voice without amplification. That’s God!
Below are three principles Linda used to go through this trial.
Serve God regardless even when you are going through trials yourself. I could encourage others. I could still help a child or a family in need.
Look at the areas where God is moving in my life, where God is blessing me. They outnumber what I’m going through regardless of how bad it can be. You can still look at areas where He is blessing you and be thankful. I thank God for my husband during that time who was so supportive. That didn’t have to be. I could have been going through it on every side.
Recognize that God is still working it altogether for your good like in Romans 8:28. I said, ‘Lord I can’t see the good in this, but I trust you to work this out. Even if I don’t sing again, you have still blessed me greatly and I believe you still have work for me to do in other areas.’ Maybe God is blessing is other gifts that need to be developed. I already played the piano, but I started playing the piano more so I still had a connection with music.
Linda Ross Brown, a singer-songwriter and five-time Rhythm of Gospel Award nominee, received a bachelors of Creative Arts at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and two masters degrees, one in Music Education and one in Secondary Education, both from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Blending contemporary and traditional sounds, her debut CD Bread of Heaven, which is available on Amazon, provides something for every music lover. Most of all, there is an uplifting message on each and every track. Her Christmas album Linda Ross Brown At Christmas is also available on Amazon.
Linda and her husband, Rev. James E. Brown started Mercy Acts International in 2012. A non-profit organization 501(c)(3), the mission of Mercy Acts is based on the Gospel and compassionate acts of Jesus Christ. The goal is to provide nutritional food service programs, clean water initiatives, educational programs, and medical support to help foster the spiritual, physical, and intellectual needs of families. The organization shares the love of God by spreading the gospel and making available humanitarian services to individuals throughout the world including the United States and the countries of Liberia, Haiti and Zimbabwe.
Tamela Mann performs during “The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House” in the East Room of the White House, April 14, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Hello World,
As you can see (if you’ve been to my blog before), I have moved into a new blog space!!! Check out the new After the Altar Call!!! Don’t you love it? More information to come in a later post, but I’m honored today to share my interview with all around entertainer Tamela Mann!!!
Tonight at 9PM/ET, TV One, along with PBS, will jointly premiere the Black Music Month special The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House. Showcasing an evening of celebration with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House, the spectacular event honors gospel music and its profound influence on American music. The broadcast event also includes exclusive behind-the-scenes content including exclusive interviews with the artist and footage from the First Lady Michelle Obama-hosted “History of Gospel Music” workshop.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks during “The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House” in the East Room of the White House, April 14, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)
The evening features performances:
Aretha Franklin – I Love the Lord He Heard My Cry & Higher Ground
Bishop Rance Allen – I Stood On The Banks of Jordan
Pastor ShirleyCaesar – Sweeping Through the City
Rhiannon Giddens – Up Above My Head
Darlene Love – People Get Ready
Lyle Lovett – I’m Gonna Wait
Tamela Mann – Take Me to the King
Michelle Williams – Say Yes
T Bone Burnett as Executive Music Director, Bill Maxwell as Music Director and Robin Roberts as program host.
1. What was it like to perform for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama?
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama listen to Michelle Williams perform during “The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House” in the East Room of the White House, April 14, 2015. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
It was such an honor to sing for them. But you know what, let me back up a little bit. I was really, when I got the call, when I was told I had the opportunity to sing there, I was like, ‘WHAT?!’ But I was quite loud! I was a lot louder than I am right now. I told David (her husband), but my eyes just really watered because I could not believe that this was happening. And my mom is deceased, and she used to always tell me that if I love the Lord with my whole heart, God would take me far. But I never dreamed or imagined something like this happening to me, me being there. I never even thought. That was not even in my plan, like one day singing for him or any president period. So when it happened, I was like, ‘Oh My God!’ Like I can’t believe that this. I actually said it while I was singing. Oh God, Oh Lord, I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. Them standing or sitting right there in front of me. It was an amazing night! Everybody did a great job. And just to be a part of it. When I finished, of course, I’m a church girl so I just kept praising God while I was coming off of the stage because I was just thanking God for the opportunity to just do what I do and just show hopefully people the Christ that I live through me on that night. And that was wonderful for me.
2. Congratulations on being the first artist on the Billboard Gospel Radio charts to have three consecutive songs from one album to earn the No. 1 spot! Of those songs, “Take Me to the King,” “I Can Only Imagine” and “This Place,” which one is your favorite song and why?
My favorite out of all those three songs is “This Place.” And the reason why I say “This Place” is because I couldn’t even imagine being at this place. For all of these things to have happened the way that they have happened. You know you kind of plan stuff. And you say that this may happen like this, this may happen like that, but I didn’t know any of that. And I’m just in amazement of God and the doors that He has opened so “This Place.” So I’m talking right now, but my eyes are just watering up because I’m just so grateful because I feel like there are so many other people that are better than me. Not that I don’t have great confidence in myself. But I don’t feel like I’m the best. I feel like I do pretty good, but I’m just really honored for the opportunity to be able to stand before God’s people, and I want to make Him proud bottom line. So “This Place” would be my song.
3. You’ve done theater, television, film and music. What is your favorite of what you have done and why? Is a book in the works?
Singing is my favorite. Singing is my passion. And acting is like icing on the cake. But singing would be my first love because that’s the one thing that I feel like I do the best. It’s like when people ask you what is your favorite meal to cook? I feel like meat loaf is my best meal. (Laughs), but singing is the best for me.
Me and David do have a marriage book in the works. But we’ve just got to sit down. I’m talking to myself right now, and get this done! It should have been out yesterday! Hopefully, next year. I’m going to put it in the air, next year. I’m going to say by the second quarter.
4. You work with your husband David in various ventures. Along with your husband, you are the co-star of the Bounce TV comedy, ‘Mann & Wife,’ and you have a family reality show on BET, ‘It’s A Mann’s World. And the two of you have been married for 27 years. What is it like to spend so much time together?
It’s the bomb! And I’m not kidding! He’s my best friend, and you know you tell your best friend everything. And I like him. I’m not just in love with him. I like my husband. Like I was just sitting with him outside earlier because he was doing some stuff outside. And just doing stuff together. It’s just simple. We’re simple people. We’re not really flashy. We have a few nice things, but it’s not about the things. It’s about our family, loving each other, loving the Lord. And by us pleasing the Lord, the Lord has given us the desires of our hearts. We always say we’re taking the world over together. It’s just about being together and doing it all together. It’s just amazing that after 27 years, he still gives me goose bumps, and I still enjoy his company. And he still makes me cackle like a teenager, blush, all that! And we’re just still enjoying each other. And we prayed for that, that the Lord would keep that in us and with us for each other until we die.
I’m going to say this, and I know I have to move on because David always says I should keep my answers short. But we were riding, and we were just saying that it is inevitable that one of us one day is going to have to, we may die or go. And I was sitting in the car and my eyes just, Jacqueline, they just filled up with water. And he was like, ‘What?’ And I was like, I say, ‘It’s true, but I just wouldn’t want to live without you.’ We both feel the same way. And I know that one day, it’s gon happen, but our prayer is that we go together. I know that’s hard because we have kids and grandkids, but it would be rough, Jacqueline. That would be a hard pill to swallow.
5. What is your secret for being married for 27 years?
That’s not a secret. I’m in love. It’s love. Love is not a secret. But that is what has kept our marriage together. We’re in love, and we like each other and spending time together. Divorce is not an option. It’s not even on the table. We’re just in it to win it. That’s what I encourage and try to pass on to other couples. That you stay in love and yes, there are going to be some times that are going to be rough. Marriage is just like your job. You have to work at it. It’s not something that is just going to fall in your lap. You have to please each other. And we try to outdo each other doing for each other. And then nothing goes lacking because you’re making sure that I get the things that I want and need and me vice versa doing the same for him.
So what have you done recently to outdo David?
Well, for Father’s Day, I went and got him this Egg (a grill). He’s a griller. And he has this Egg, but he wanted the bigger one, but he was like it costs too much. For my birthday, they really went out, the family went out. I just wanted a birthday party, a pool party. And they really went out for me. The day before I was like, ‘Wouldn’t it be just cool for us to just watch movies outside?’ So they went and got me this big screen and had it outside for my birthday. It was around the playoffs. So we watched the playoffs from the pool. And we had a whole bunch of people over there. And we had the game on and a lot of people were just watching it. So I used my birthday money to get him his gift. And he was like, ‘That was too much!’ And I was like, ‘No, I used my money.’ So I’m on the ups right now! (Laughter)
6. I’ve read that David revamped his diet since being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and that you’ve lost over 100 pounds? How long did it take to lose the weight, and how do you keep it off?
Over a year or so. And I’ve put some on because I’ve dealt with weight my whole life. To me, that’s my thorn in my side. It’s something that I have to constantly work on even right now getting back in the gym and eating right. I’ve been blessed because I haven’t had any problems or been diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes. I’m just a thick girl. David has overcome his with working out and changing his diet. He has regulated his where he is no longer diabetic. He still has to watch and really pay attention to what he is eating and all that kind of stuff. So he is really mindful of what he does. We both kind of try to monitor each other so that is how we go about it.
7. I read that you and David come from humble beginnings and couldn’t afford to have a wedding which one reason why the two of you had a wedding vow renewal ceremony in 2013. What is your favorite perk of being a celebrity and making more money?
I don’t know. You know, honestly, I don’t look at myself as being a celeb. I tell people I’m a regular Joe. I know that sounds probably lame, but it’s true. I just tell people that we’re all stars in God’s eyes. There may be a few more people that know me than know you, but there’s no difference between me and you. I notice now that people give me stuff and when I didn’t have anything people wasn’t giving me nothing. (Laughing). People should be more giving. But I just try to give back and just be helpful to my family and others. I don’t know Jacqueline. I don’t have an answer for that. I never prayed to be rich. My prayer to God was to be well off so that when I helped somebody, I wouldn’t have to worry about the money if I loaned it. I wouldn’t have to worry about getting it back. That’s my prayer.
Please be sure to watch The Gospel Tradition: In Performance at the White House at 9PM/ET Tonight on TV One!!!
