Six gospel artists will have the chance to become a gospel music star on a new reality program called The Gospel!The Gospel chronicles 10 days with eight episodes as contestants compete for a national management contract with T.D. Jakes’ Dexterity Sounds and Marquis Boone Music Group. The first of its kind for Gospel music, the winner of this Christian music competition will be announced with the opportunity to perform at the International Pastors & Leadership Conference in Tampa Bay on April 25.
The show is executive produced by T.D. Jakes and Marquis Boone and hosted by Darlene McCoy. The Gospel will serve as a platform for up-and-coming gospel artists while inspiring viewers through their faith-filled musical performances. Not only will artists discover stardom, but also experience the hustle and drive necessary to rise in the entertainment industry. The program will air beginning March 10 (TODAY) exclusively on the Bishop’s Village, T.D. Jakes’ online streaming platform with behind the scene videos, messages and content. Visit bishopsvillage.com to subscribe, stream, and vote.
Contestants were discovered via video recordings submitted on social media and through the Bishop’s Village platform. Mentors, including Micah Stampley, Jekalyn Carr, Q Parker, Devyne Stephens and more, will help mold them into polished performers. Each week, viewers subscribed to Bishop’s Village will have the chance to vote and select the winner of the artists’ weekly challenge. In the end, T.D. Jakes and Marquis Boone will select the winner of a national management contract.
The 2019 International Pastors & Leadership Conference is April 25—27, 2019, at the Tampa Convention Center. At the conference, Jakes will also be unveiling his latest book, Crushing: God Turns Pressure into Power.
Visit PastorsAndLeaders.org for more information on confirmed speakers, talent, the full schedule and special event updates. Stay connected on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by following @IPLExcel.
In other negative gospel music news, Tamar Braxton, without her sisters, has offended all of the Pace Sisters! According to madamenoire.com…
And most of the comments corroborated this fact. Sadly, Tamar left this comment on the post:
‘Yeah but the wig is stressing me out.’
For those who don’t know, Duranice is one of several sisters. And when they saw Tamar’s comment, they immediately came to her defense.
LuShun Pace, known for her rendition of “I Know I Been Changed,” was the first to respond. In the same comment section, she wrote:
‘I love my oldest sister! With everything she has gone through in life she is yet singing through it all. Touch not mine anointed @tamarbraxton.’
Later, Leslie Pace shared a Facebook Live video to share her thoughts about the whole situation. And she spoke directly to Tamar.”
Below is Leslie Pace’s Facebook response…
And to end on a positive note, (Watch + Share) the new official trailer for ‘AMAZING GRACE!’
“AMAZING GRACE” is a documentary presenting the live recording of Aretha Franklin’s album Amazing Grace at The New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972. It will be in select theaters on April 5!
Insecure actress Yvonne Orji is not my friend in real life, but she is my friend in my head for many reasons. I interviewed the Christian actress for THE LOOKOUT in 2017, and I really admired her stance on virginity. This is what she told me:
“From the time I was 17 until now that I’m 33 going on 34, I’ve seen too much. I’ve seen the hand of God over the years in my life, and this one thing that he asks of me. I mean he asks many things of us. But this one thing [virginity] that is a roadblock for so many people, he’s been so faithful to me in the darkest of my days, it’s no biggie.”
Although I am married now, I was single for several years before then and I know her struggle. Also, since Yvonne is the first generation of her Nigerian parentage to grow up in America, I identify with her on that topic as well. My parents are Jamaican, but I was born and raised in America. She has even created a show based on her experience as a first generation American. Below is more about her show:
Aside from this series, Yvonne is also developing her own half-hour sitcom, FirstGen, which is executive produced by media mogul Oprah Winfrey and actor David Oyelowo. Semibiographical, the show features a Nigerian girl who drops out of medical school for a stand-up comedy career and the shenanigans that ensue after her strict African mother discovers her plans. “This is my vision so it’s a very family-friendly show.”
If you would like to read the entire story, go to lookoutmag.com.
So in July 2018 when I learned that Yvonne had a new boyfriend after openly expressing her desire to meet her mate, I was hoping he was the one and wrote a happy blog post about it – Christian Actress Yvonne Orji Shares Prayer She Used to Attract Her New Boyfriend Emmanuel Acho! Emmanuel seemed like he could be the one she was waiting for…I mean his name means Messiah first of all and he is a Christian! And then they had the Nigerian connection. His father is from Nigeria. Also, although he works as an ESPN analyst, he has an artistic side as he can sing and play the piano! And on top of all of that, both are committed to charitable causes. Yvonne worked in Liberia with Population Services International, and Emmanuel worked in Nigeria with Living Hope Christian Ministries! And to put it all together in a pretty package, as a former Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker, her man was all swole and stuff! When Yvonne announced their relationship on Instagram, she even said, “Jesus out here answering prayers on a Sunday.” He did seem like the answer to prayer…
But Yvonne Orji recently told her friend and author Luvvie Ajayi, who also has Nigerian heritage, on their Jesus and Jollof podcast that Emmanuel is no longer her man. Yvonne and Emmanuel have broken up. This is what she said about it, according to madamenoire.com:
“I just have to say, the reason I am so good and so happy is because I know how God works,” she said. “I have seen God’s MO so many times, that like in the way that you can be like, ‘Aw man, I thought this was it! I thought this was the one!’ God be like, ‘Oh that’s what you thought? I got the goods for you.’ It happened in my career when someone offered me a show and I was like, ‘This is it!’ and then the show went to nowhere. I got borderline depressed. Cut to Insecure. Cut to my life has changed.”
I believe Yvonne is right. Emmanuel may have been the prototype, but the finished product is on the way…and soon too…I’ve seen God do this many times in many areas of my life as well…But as it relates to romantic relationships…I remember in November 2009. I was despondent after yet another relationship blew up in my face…I had suffered through many breakups before but this one really took me out. This particular boyfriend/manfriend (I mean he was in his 30s at the time…) was one who I had dated before. When we first dated, he told me that he did not want to have a relationship. I wasn’t happy with his stance, but I respected his honesty. We remained friends for years. And then he changed his mind. My feelings hadn’t changed and I was available. It was so on until it wasn’t…It seemed cosmically cruel for life to play out that way…
But February 2010, the week of Valentine’s Day, I went out on a first date with the man who would become my husband…It was literally months after the breakup…Nothing but God…And if He did it for me, He can do it for you…
So Yvonne, you better be happy because I am claiming on your behalf that the one worth waiting for is on the way!
As it is Women’s History Month, I’m back with my monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine articles for black Christian women! So below is my Top 10 monthly roundup of blog posts and or magazine/newspaper articles for black Christian women for February ( 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. “Favorite Oscars Moment: Regina King’s Divine Acceptance Speech” by EEW Magazine Entertainment Editors & Associated Press
Excerpt: Regina King was honored as best supporting actress for If Beale Street Could Talk at Sunday’s Oscar Awards ceremony. “God is good, all the time,” she said in her divine acceptance speech, EEW Magazine’s favorite moment of the night. See more at: eewmagazineonline.com
2.”Ida B. Wells Becomes First Black Woman With A Chicago Street Named After Her” by Tanya Y. Christian
Excerpt: On Monday, Chicago officials, along with family members and community leaders, made Ida B. Wells an official street designation. The signs bearing the African-American journalist, author and activist’s name were unveiled at the Chicago Public Library. They now hang on what used to be Congress Parkway. “This woman … was not just an inspiration to me, as a Black woman in politics, but one who endured so much so that we could all stand here today in service to our communities,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said at the naming ceremony. “Ida B. Wells spent her life as an activist, and seeking to ensure that women, and Black women in particular, were not isolated from political movements, despite the racism and sexism we must often contend with, even to this day.” See more at: essence.com.
3.”You Know Her as Harriet Tubman—We Call Her Aunt Harriet” by Donna M. Owens
Excerpt: Ernestine “Tina” Martin Wyatt, 65, a nurse, educator, and artist who grew up in Buffalo, New York, is Tubman’s great-great-great-grandniece. Tina has always known she was related to Tubman. “My great-great-grandmother, Ann Marie Stewart, was the daughter of Soph, one of Tubman’s sisters who was sold away, we think to Georgia,” she says. Tina’s family often visited Auburn, New York, where Tubman owned land and died in 1913 around age 90. See more at: glamour.com
4. “Meet The World’s First Black Woman Cruise Ship Captain” by Laura Begley Bloom
Excerpt: But those statistics didn’t let Belinda Bennett — the world’s first black woman cruise ship captain— hold her back. Bennett has worked for the small ship line Windstar Cruises for 14 years and sails the MSY Wind Star through the Caribbean in winter and Europe in summer. She recently won the U.K.’s prestigious Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service. With Black History Month coming to a close and International Women’s Day and Women’s History month just around the corner, we caught up with this trailblazing woman who is making history and helping create a sea change in her industry. See more at: forbes.com.
5.”Black Woman Replacing Alabama Newspaper Editor Who Endorsed KKK” by Associated Press
Excerpt: A white Alabama newspaper editor who advocated for the revival of the Ku Klux Klan is turning over control of the small weekly to a black woman. The Democrat-Reporter of Linden, Alabama, announced Friday that Elecia R. Dexter will take over as publisher and editor from Goodloe Sutton, who has run the 140-year-old paper since the 1960s. See more at: nbcnews.com.
6. “Making History: Miss University of Alabama Crowns First Black Queen” by Kinsley Centers
Excerpt: Tiara Pennington, the first African-American to be crowned as Miss University of Alabama, knows that the color of a person’s skin should not stop them from reaching their goals, because if she did, she would not be where she is today. See more at: cw.ua.edu
7. “Female Football Player Makes History With Full College Scholarship Offer” by Emily Caron
Excerpt: Toni Harris became the first female football player at a skill position to sign a letter of intent for a football scholarship on Tuesday when she committed to Central Methodist University in Missouri. See more at: si.com
8. “NASA Renames Facility in Honor of ‘Hidden Figure’ Katherine Johnson” The Atlanta Voice staff
Excerpt: NASA has redesignated its Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia, as the Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility, in honor of the West Virginia native and NASA “hidden figure.” “I am thrilled we are honoring Katherine Johnson in this way as she is a true American icon who overcame incredible obstacles and inspired so many,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “It’s a fitting tribute to name the facility that carries on her legacy of mission-critical computations in her honor.” See more at: theatlantavoice.com
9. “Ga. Teen Accepted to 31 colleges Goes Viral For Inspiring Photo” by Cheryl Preheim & Christopher Buchanan
Excerpt: Kayla Willis wasn’t sure if she should share the fact that she had been accepted to 31 colleges – but the Internet was pretty inspired when she did. Kayla attends Westlake High School in South Fulton but she’s now known around the world after a photo from the senior hall in her high school went viral. See more at: 11alive.com
10. “Ida Belle Dixon, Longtime Princeton Resident, Will Celebrate Her 100th Birthday in March” by Jean Stratton
Excerpt: How to tell Ida Belle Dixon’s story? During her 100 years of living, she has witnessed history, and made her own. She has endured poverty and hardship, experienced joy and love, all the while sustained by her deep Christian faith. See more at: towntopics.com
Also, another black Christian woman will be highlighted on tonight’s season opener of “Uncensored” on TV One at 10 p.m.!
Long before she rose to fame as the winner of the third season of “American Idol” in 2004, Fantasia was always destined for greatness. Fantasia grew up in a large, musically inclined family that was heavily involved in church. Disputes with her father led her to move out of her family’s home, drop out of school and eventually leave the church. Fantasia bounced around on friends’ couches until she became pregnant. The struggles of being a teenage mother solidified her relationship with God and with the help of her grandmother, she rejoined the church and moved back home with her family. Through the encouragement and support of her local community, Fantasia tried out for and eventually won “American Idol.”
With the success of “American Idol” came the realities of becoming an instant music sensation and household name. On this episode of UNCENSORED, Fantasia gets real about how the pursuit of stardom can drive people to unhappiness. She reveals how close friendships with Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin helped her navigate her voice, career and personal life along the way. Launching a new business “Rock Soul” that focuses on the next steps for her career and music, Fantasia is ready to give back and take control of her voice once again.
Check out the trailer below:
If you know of any black Christian women bloggers and or writers, please e-mail me at jacqueline@afterthealtarcall.com as I’m always interested in expanding my community of black Christian women blogs and websites. As I noted before, while this is a roundup of interesting blog posts and or magazine and newspaper articles for black Christian women, you don’t have to be one to appreciate these pieces .
As usual, let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!