Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Social Media Star KevOnStage & Wife Mrs. KevOnStage to Release Book ‘Marriage Be Hard: 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner”

Hello World,

Christian comedian KevOnStage has had me laughing for years on social media. And within the last few years or so, he has featured his wife Mrs. KevOnStage more and more so I’m not surprised that the two of them have written a book entitled Marriage Be Hard: 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner. The Fredericks’ new book is slated to be released on September 13!

See the official book description from Penguin Random House below:

Growing up, Kevin and Melissa Fredericks were taught endless rules around dating, sex, and marriage, but not a lot about what actually makes a relationship work. When they first got married, they felt alone—like every other couple had perfect chemistry while the two of them struggled. There were conversations that they didn’t know they needed to have, fears that affected how they related to each other, and seasons of change that put their marriage to the test. Part of their story reads like a Christian fairytale: high school sweethearts, married in college, never sowed any wild oats, with two sons and a thriving marriage. But there’s another side of their story: the night Melissa kicked Kevin out of her car after years of communication problems, the time early in their marriage when Kevin bordered on an emotional affair, the way they’ve used social media and podcasts to conduct a no-holds-barred conversation about forbidden topics like jealousy, divorce, and how to be Christian and sex positive. (Because, as Kevin writes, “Your hormones don’t care about your religious beliefs. Your hormones want you to subscribe to OnlyFans.”)

In Marriage Be Hard, the authors provide a hilarious and fresh master class on what it takes to build and maintain a lasting relationship. Drawing on interviews with experts and nearly two decades of marriage, they argue that

Compatibility is overrated.
•Communication is about way more than simply talking.
• Seeing divorce as an option can actually help your marriage.
• There’s such a thing as healthy jealousy.

Real marriage is not automatic. It ain’t no Tesla on the open road. Sometimes it’s a stick shift on a hill in the rain with no windshield wipers. But if you get comfortable visiting—and revisiting—the topics that matter, it can transform your bond with your partner and the life you’re building together. Written for those tired of unrealistic relationship books—and for anyone wondering if they’re the only ones breaking all the rules—Marriage Be Hard is a breath of fresh air and the manual you wish existed after you said “I do.”

Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2022

Famed Woman, Thou Art Loosed! Returns ‘Home’ to Atlanta for Grand Finale Sept. 22-24…

Hello World,

Global Christian leader, entrepreneur and film producer, Bishop T.D. Jakes will return to Atlanta, the home city for many years of the fan-favorite international gathering, for the conclusion of the Women, Thou Art Loosed! The Grand Finale conference at the Georgia World Congress Center Sept. 22 – Sept. 24, and will host thousands of women from around the world.

Jakes held the first Women, Thou Art Loosed! conference in 1996 after discovering the impact his Bible study message had on women. Over the years, Jakes has seen breakthroughs in thousands of women and Women, Thou Art Loosed! has since become a worldwide movement. Jakes, a pastor and accomplished entrepreneur and entertainment leader, is known for his influence beyond the pulpit as the conference spurred a stage play and movie.

The conference will take place over three days and will consist of distinguished speakers, including Serita A. Jakes, Pastor Cora Jakes, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts, Carloyn D. Showell and Priscilla Shirer.

In honor of this year’s final gathering and to pay homage to the conference’s original location, soft drink giant Coca-Cola will partner with the conference in support of the T.D. Jakes Foundation to celebrate the deep seated community roots in Atlanta.

For more information on Women, Thou Art Loosed! The Grand Finale and how to register, visit WTAL.org

WHEN:
Thursday, Sept. 22 – Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022

WHERE:
Georgia World Congress Center
285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW
Atlanta, GA 30313

REGISTRATION:
WTAL.org

2022 CONFIRMED CONFERENCE SPEAKERS:

Bishop T.D. Jakes is the senior pastor of The Potter’s House, a global humanitarian organization and 30,000-member nondenominational, multicultural church located in Dallas, and has been named “America’s Best Preacher” by Time magazine. A New York Times bestselling author, film producer and real estate developer, Jakes is the founder and creator of Woman, Thou Art Loosed!
Mrs. Serita Jakes is the executive director of The Potter’s House women’s ministry, WoMan-to-Woman, and founder of the acclaimed God’s Leading Ladies Life Enrichment program for women and The Potter’s House’s Debutante Program for teenage girls. She is the author of three books: Beside Every Good Man, The Princess Within and The Crossing.
Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts is redefining what it means to be a modern woman of faith. Her messages spread throughout the world, defying cultural, religious, gender and socioeconomic boundaries. Through her bestselling books, sermons and viral messages, she reaches people who are seeking to make peace with their past, maximize their present and deepen their relationship with God.
Pastor Cora Jakes is a powerhouse preacher, associate pastor, and overseer of the children’s ministry and intercessory prayer ministry at The Potter’s House of Dallas. She is also an accomplished speaker and bestselling author of Faithing It and Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Rise. In Ferocious Warrior, Jakes shares her powerful testimony of how she battled obstacles including infertility, loss, and depression and won. A powerful prayer warrior, Jakes has made it her mission to teach people how to fight for the life they want, armed with the weapons of faith, hope, and prayer.
Priscilla Shirer leads Going Beyond Ministries, which provides spiritual support and resources to the body of Christ, serving every denomination and culture across the spectrum of the church.
Carolyn D. Showell, PhD, is a certified Christian therapist. She has worked as a psychometrist for the Baltimore City Schools, a special projects developer for the Johns Hopkins School of Business and Administration. Showell was a finalist chosen for HUD’s Community Builders Program and received certification in Faith based Economic Development from the Harvard University Summer Leadership Institute. She returned as a member of the SLI teaching staff. She was selected as a member of the Steering Committee of the Black Alumni Network of Harvard University-The Divinity School. She serves as executive pastor of First Apostolic Faith Church in Baltimore, Maryland. She also serves on the Executive Board of the Joint College of Bishops and is currently the dean of the Senior Shepard’s Track. In 2014, Showell was consecrated the first female Bishop in the Global United Fellowship under the visionary leadership of Bishop Neil C. Ellis.

About Woman, Thou Art Loosed!

Woman, Thou Art Loosed! began as a Sunday school curriculum in 1992 by Bishop Jakes and has since birthed a best-selling book, a widely-acclaimed stage play, a GRAMMY®-nominated CD and a national conference that has drawn more than a half million women from around the world. In October 2004, Woman, Thou Art Loosed! was developed into a movie in collaboration with Reuben Cannon Productions and became a box office top-10 hit, winning a 2005 NAACP Image Award. More information can be found at WTAL.org

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2022

The 37th Stellar Gospel Music Awards Taping in Atlanta this Saturday!

Hello World,

Central City Productions has announced the nominees for the 37th Stellar Gospel Music Awards, the annual celebration honoring excellence in Gospel music. The Stellar Awards will return to Atlanta for the live-taped ceremony on Saturday, July 16, at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, as part of an illustrious weekend of events that will include a special announcement about the upcoming launch of the Stellar TV Network. Stellar Award-winning artists Jekalyn Carr and Kierra Sheard-Kelly will co-host this year’s event, which will air on BET, BET HER, and BET International in August, and will be syndicated in various local markets across the country between August 13 and September 11.

The 37th Stellar Gospel Music Awards will feature performances by Tye Tribbett, Marvin Sapp, Maranda Curtis, Ricky Dillard, Kelontae Gavin, Rudy Currence, Chrisette Michele, DOE, James Fortune, Jason Nelson, Travis Greene, Darrel Walls, and Jor’Dan Armstrong.

Leading this year’s nominations is Gospel music legend CeCe Winans, widely considered the best-selling female Gospel artist of all time. Winans has 9 total nominations including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Albertina Walker Female Artist of the Year, all stemming from her critically acclaimed album, “Believe For It.”

Pastor Mike, Jr., the 2021 Stellar Award winner for Artist of the Year, received 8 total nominations, including Producer of the Year, Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year, tied to “I Got It: Single’s Ministry Vol 1.” 2018 James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Tamela Mann, Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music, and Todd Dulaney all received 6 nominations, with Mali Music receiving an additional nomination for a feature on a separate project. Kelontae Gavin received 5 nominations. Other artists with several nominations for this year’s Stellar Awards include Maverick City Music, Israel Houghton, Ricky Dillard, E. Dewey Smith, and Jason Clayborn, all of whom received 4 nominations each.

“Gospel music has encouraged millions of people through more than two unrelenting years of the pandemic, and the Stellar Awards will, again, deliver in bringing the praise and recognizing the artists who bless us with their inspirational sounds,” said Don Jackson, Chairman and CEO of Central City Productions, which established the Stellar Awards. “Those who love Black, faith, and family-centric programs can look forward to both the Stellar Awards and to all that our Stellar TV Network has to offer when it premieres in September.”

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards also bestows special honors to industry titans who continue creating a legacy of excellence that reaches and influences the masses, both within and outside of the Gospel genre. Six-time Grammy Award-winning hitmaker and producer Aaron Lindsey will receive the Aretha Franklin Icon Award presented by Aflac, and renowned choir leader and recording artist Ricky Dillard will receive the James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Toyota. The Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legends Award is presented to Candi Staton, a music pioneer who, for nearly seven decades, has been a captivating Gospel music artist.

The Stellar Gospel Music Awards is proud to be presented this year by AT&T Dream in Black. This year’s sponsors also include Proctor & Gamble (P&G), Walmart, State Farm, Toyota, McDonald’s – Black & Positively Golden, and Aflac. The Stellar Gospel Music Awards are also proud to partner with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Spotify.

For a full list of nominees and for additional updates, follow The Stellar Awards on social media — @thestellars on Instagram and Twitter and Stellar Gospel Music Awards on Facebook — and check out the Stellar Awards website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: WWW.STELLARAWARDS.COM.