Category Archives: Prayer

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Tina Campbell Pens Open Letter, Sherri Shepherd Prays, Omarosa Manigault Shares Her ‘View’ About Trump & More…

Christian Celebrities Respond to the Presidency of Donald Trump

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Hello World,

Here I am writing another post about Donald Trump which I didn’t want to do except now he’s President Donald Trump and attention must be paid…We are only just one week and some hours into his presidency and he continues to incite explosive reactions on either side. From raucous women’s marches throughout the world the day after his inauguration to protests following his shocking Muslim immigration ban, the only thing that we can predict about his presidency is that it will be unpredictable. I readily admit that politics has not topped the list of my interests historically but in the wake of this historic election (as in the previous two presidential elections), I find myself engrossed in political discourse. And it seems that some of my favorite Christian celebrities are having a similar experience.

Tina Campbell of Mary Mary has received some criticism regarding on open letter she penned regarded her support of President Trump and shared on her Facebook page. Below are a few excerpts from the letter…

I understand that Mr. Donald Trump is our new president, not our God, so as a citizen I choose to have a sensible expectation of him, accompanied by much prayer for him, and a complete dependency on God to work through him, as well as the others that are in office, to secure the welfare of this nation. I choose to opt out of fear of the unknown but rather opt in to hopeful expectation because if God is for us nothing can successfully stand against us.

I believe that neither Mr. Donald Trump, nor any of us, are the sum of our mistakes, but instead, we are the sum of the potential and greatness that God, our creator, has deposited inside of us. I choose not to discredit that potential and greatness inside of Mr. Donald Trump simply because my previous perception of him has not been as great as the God who masterminded his existence.

I choose to believe in President Donald Trump. I choose to stand with him, and pray for him; because, as a follower of Jesus Christ and a firm believer in the Holy Bible, according to 1 Timothy 2:1-3, I have been commanded to: “The first thing I want you to do is pray every way you know how….. especially for rulers and their governments, to rule well…. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.” My prayer is that every person in this nation who has the unalienable right to choose their thoughts, their perspective, and their words, would make this same choice.

If you would like to read the entire letter, please see the link below…

 

I see nothing controversial about Tina’s stance. Basically, she is saying that she willing to not judge his unfolding presidency (which although has already been volatile is still new) by her previous opinions of him. And she will also pray for him.

Just days before Trump was inaugurated, Sherri Shepherd shared with Hollywood Today that she is praying for him although she is scared about what will unfold in his presidency based on his past…Start at the at 1:14 mark…

I understand where Sherri is coming from…As a Christian, I believe in Romans 13:1 “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” So I believe that God is the reason that Donald Trump was elected president. And I also believe that all Christians should pray for him according to 1 Timothy 2:1-3. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

And at the same time, I also believe Christians are ultimately and above all God’s children and if we or other people, who are also God’s children, are being mistreated, it is our duty resist the government. We see many examples of Christians resisting against the powers that be in the Bible as well. Check out Exodus 1-2 regarding when Moses was born or even  Matthew 2 when Jesus was born. And we all know that black people wouldn’t be where we are today in America had we not resisted the government.

One black person and Christian celebrity who is wholehearted in her support of President Trump is former Apprentice star Omarosa Manigault, who has been named assistant to the president and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison in the Trump administration. Maniguault, who is also an ordained minister, spoke about Trump when she was on “The View,” where Sherri Shepherd was formerly a co-host, a few days ago. My favorite part of the interview was when she deflected a question about whether Trump will ever release his tax returns and introduced her fiancé  John Allen Newman, who is the pastor  of the Sanctuary at Mt. Calvary in Jacksonville, Florida.

Check out the video below…

Are you praying for President Trump or are you simply resisting his presidency?

Any thoughts?

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Lil Wayne Almost Become a Christian Rapper & Other Reasons Why Christians Should Never Stop Evangelizing…

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Hello World,

I recently read an article about Lil Wayne’s new book Gone ‘Til November: A Journal of Rikers Island in which the prolific rapper chronicles the eight months he spent in jail in 2010 as a result of gun charges. According to the USA Today article “Seven Things We Learned from Lil Wayne’s ‘Gone ‘Til November,'”

4. He considered turning to Christian rap… briefly. 

In addition to a landslide of fan mail, Wayne also received a compelling letter from a church, urging him to use his artistry to spread the gospel. And for a moment, Wayne considered it. “I would truly have the power of having pop culture turn to God,” he wrote. “I would have straight killers in church every Sunday.”

But later on, the rapper said he had an epiphany that he was where he was supposed to be in his artistic journey — at least for the moment.

Although, Lil Wayne ultimately decided not to become a Christian rapper, I applaud the church that 1. paid enough attention to pop culture to know that Lil Wayne was in jail (0r even who he is) 2. took his salvation seriously enough to reach out him at what probably was his lowest point…And although he may not have turned his life over to God at this point, a seed was obviously planted and God can make it bloom in His own time…

It was a joyous occasion in the A when Atlanta rapper Gucci Mane who had served three years in an Indiana federal penitentiary was released earlier this year…I wonder if any church or any individual Christian thought to reach out to him for Christ when he was locked up…I certainly didn’t…

So wanna know a secret? I’m not big on evangelizing…I’ve been around Christians all of my life, and I became a Christian when I was a teenager but the evangelism piece has always scared me…I remember times when I was a kid I would go along with my father and a group from the church who would knock on doors and tell people about Jesus Christ. I enjoyed that mostly because I liked to see how other people lived, and I enjoy people watching so it was an opportunity to see people up close in their natural habitats so to speak…I think the last time I did that I was in my early 20s….but I would be hard pressed to do that now…I’m not shy about the fact that I’m a Christian but as far as saying the words, “Have you considered giving your life to Jesus Christ?” or something similar doesn’t roll off my tongue so easily…I will give you an example why…

I remember once in my early 20s, I said something like that to a girl who I met in the gym. She was a kind of popular underground singer in Atlanta but she seemed to be going through some things at the time and I told her how the Lord was working in my life. Incidentally, I told her how I would never go to this one concert venue The Tabernacle (Check out a post I wrote about The Tabernacle – Should Beyoncé and Jay Z Have Bought a Converted Church Mansion?) in the A because it used to be a church and how a place that had been dedicated to uplifting the Lord was now being desecrated….Well, the devil is busy because shortly after that conversation, I was given a free ticket to see Jill Scott, one of my favorite artists, at the Tabernacle, and you know I went…Chile, that singer just about the first person I saw up in there…my testimony on behalf of the Lord was literally shot to hell…

All of that to say, I’m not a holy rolly type of Christian…I enjoy much of the secular world, and I enjoy the Christian world too…Thank God my husband is the same way…We kick it on Saturday wherever we find ourselves and we kick it in church on every Sunday too…I remember when I was a little girl telling my parents that if every day would be Sunday in Heaven like that old gospel song “Walk Around Heaven All Day”suggests, I just want to stay here…LOL…They laughed too…I pretty much know I don’t always live up to the ideals I profess although I’m much better than I used to be…and I don’t cloister myself around Christian culture either, but that is another discussion for another day…

But despite my ability to navigate the secular and the saved worlds, every morning, I get on my knees and worship God in prayer because knowing Him is my only salvation. As the old saints say, He is my rock and my shield…And in His word, He says…

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

So even though I can be a hypocrite and I will never be the type of Christian who wants to be in church every day, I’m going to open my mouth (and not just write) and tell somebody (and they don’t have to be famous either) about Jesus sometime soon…

Any thoughts?

 

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’90 Minutes in Heaven’ in Digital HD as of TODAY and on DVD & Blu-Ray December 1!!!

90 minutes

Hello World,

I wish I could craft eloquent words to encapsulate all that I feel about the terrorism that unfolded in Paris last Friday. As many have said, the best thing to do right now is to #PrayforParis and pray for our world leaders as they come together to address these heinous crimes of inhumanity. It disturbs me that “man’s inhumanity to man” knows no boundaries! As pessimistic as this may seem and it is certainly not a reason to be passive, but we live in a fallen world where there will always be “wars and rumours of wars.” It is only in Heaven where there will be “no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Below is a description of one man’s encounter with Heaven…

Based on the true story that inspired a New York Times best-selling book written by Don Piper and Cec Murphey,  “90 Minutes in Heaven” is a thrilling and touching account of a struggle for life that is nothing short of miraculous. The movie is in Digital HD as of TODAY and will be in Blu-ray with DIGITAL HD, DVD and On Demand on December 1, 2015, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Both the Blu-ray™ and DVD versions are filled with inspiring bonus features that take audiences behind the scenes of “an intimate story of survival and faith” (Movieguide®).

During the 90 minutes he is declared dead after a traffic accident, Don Piper experiences love, joy and life like he’s never known. But when he finally wakes in the hospital, Heaven’s bliss is replaced by excruciating pain and emotional turmoil. With the support of his family and community, Don clings to his faith and fights to recover the life he’s lost. Featuring Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth, 90 Minutes in Heaven is an emotional and inspiring story of perseverance that will bring hope and encouragement to all who see it.

Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episodes II and III, Shattered Glass) and Kate Bosworth (Still Alice, Blue Crush) carries a film that Movieguide.org calls “Powerful and inspiring!” and what critic Joe Leydon of Variety describes as, “…more bluntly realistic than many other faith-based dramas in its depiction of an ordeal that likely would challenge the faith of even the most devout Christians.” Available in time for the holiday season, “90 Minutes in Heaven” is a gift of comfort, hope and encouragement for when we don’t have the right words to say.

BLU-RAY and DVD BONUS FEATURES

Meet the Real Pipers — The Pipers discuss how faith in the midst of crisis brought their family together.
The Making of 90 Minutes in Heaven — Stars Hayden Christensen and Kate Bosworth, along with the cast and crew, share their experiences in filming 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Giving Films — Learn how Giving Films is giving back

Below is former NFL Coach Tony Dungy speaking about the film “90 Minutes in Heaven.”

If you want to be entered into a random drawing to win a free copy of a “90 Minutes in Heaven” DVD, click HERE to subscribe to my blog and receive an email whenever I post AND leave a comment on this post! I have 4 DVDs of the movie! The drawing ends on Friday, Dec. 4!

Any thoughts?