Posted on Sunday, January 3, 2016

Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Proposes to Girlfriend During Watch Night Service! (VIDEO)

Why You Should be at Watch Night Service Next Year...

Hello World,

If you’re in the A, you may already know the news, but since my audience is worldwide ( 🙂 ), I hope I’m the first to bring you the news! Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the “spiritual home of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” preached the Watch Night Service that will probably go down as the most romantic Watch Night Service of all times. At the end of the two-hour service, Rev. Dr. Warnock (who sounded a bit hoarse from preaching I guess or maybe it was nerves considering what he was about to do next) acknowledges Mrs. Christine King Farris, the longest serving member of Ebenezer and sister of Dr. King and people from his circle including his siblings, a friend from high school and one of his best friends who “know [him] before [he] was Rev. Dr.” BEFORE introducing the church to a Miss Ouleye Ndoye about the 2:07 mark of the video below.

He says that “Morehouse men don’t get far without Spelman women.” He goes on to say Ndoye, who is a graduate of Spelman, Oxford and Columbia, is the “one of the most brilliant people I know” and the tone of his voice lowers a bit before completing his statement with “and one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen” after which a collective “Oh” comes from the congregation…

Then he walks over to her at which some woman in the congregation says, “Uh oh, Pastor?” And then many members of the congregation armed with cell phones vacate the pews, furiously corralling themselves around the pastor and his special guest like he is a football player about to score a touchdown! (I saw “Concussion” last night so football motifs are on the brain. A must-see movie by the way!) He responds with, “Why y’all carrying on like this?” in the midst of the commotion. And the same woman it seems yells, “Go head pastor! Work it pastor!” “Can I talk?” says the Ebenezer Baptist Church pastor finally before beginning his proposal.

Obviously inspired by the words Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, Pastor Warnock recites his words to Ndoye, who is seated, as he stands before her.

“Those who are near me do not know that you are nearer to me than they are. Those who speak to me do not know that my heart is full with your unspoken words. Those who crowd in my path do not know that I am walking alone with you. Those who love me do not know that their love brings you closer to my heart.”

And then he quotes from the Word, reciting Proverbs 18:22 with a sweet twist as he pulls out a red jewelry box from one of his front jacket pockets.

“The Bible says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. So, will you do me a favor and be my good thing? Will you marry me?”

Pastor Warnock, who is on bended knee by the end of his words, had to stop for a moment the applause was so loud but he was able to get the words of his proposal out. Ndoye, who is trembling and intermittently clasping her hands around her face, responds by saying, “Yes, I will.”

All this time, I thought that Rev. Dr. Warnock, who became senior pastor of the church as a single man in 2005, was like Paul and had the gift of singleness. But as it turns out, he was just waiting for his “good thing” to arrive 🙂

Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

This Watch Night Service proposal reminds me on an episode of “Sex and the City” when Charlotte, who has converted Judaism to be a suitable marriage candidate for her Jewish boyfriend Harry, but they have a fight before he proposes. Still, Charlotte, who was serious about her conversion despite the breakup, goes to a Jewish mixer for singles where she bumps into Harry, who has by that time forgiven her for the fight. He proposes to her in the middle of mixer! One of the single Jewish women, who watches the proposal, responds by saying, “I’m so coming back next week!”

Maybe if more women knew they could score a marriage proposal (the football motif returns) at a Watch Night Service in church rather popping champagne in the club, they would show up there instead for their NYE festivities 🙂

Watch the whole service or just the proposal (which begins around the 2:07 mark below) below! Happy New Year Y’all!

Any thoughts?

P.S. UPDATE: Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock and Ouleye Ndoye are now married as of Valentine’s Day 2016! Read the story – Why Wait? Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Marries on Valentine’s Day After NYE Proposal (VIDEO)!

Posted on Thursday, September 17, 2015

Crushin’ & Cussin’: ‘Born Again Virgin’ Season 1 Episode 8 & 9 (the Season Finale!)Recaps

Hello World,

I’m back with your regular dose of a weekly “Born Again Virgin” recap. And this time I’ve got two since after Episode 8, the season finale of BAV was broadcast as well! But don’t despair, “Born Again Virgin” AND my recaps will be back in December!

Episode 8: “Woman Crush Wednesday”

This episode was officially titled “Off to See the Wizard,” but I think “Woman Crush Wednesday” was more apropos for this episode. And you will find out why shortly! This episode begins with Jenna, Kelly and Tara having a meal at a restaurant somewhere in Atlanta. (Sidebar: This restaurant looks familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. However, I did recognize another restaurant in this episode that I will reveal later.) Kelly is eating sweets like she wants to go into a diabetic coma presumably because she is going through a drought. However, Kelly, does stop eating sweets long enough to scold Jenna when her credit card is declined. “Maybe it’s time for you to get a real job,”she says to Jenna who is trying to live off of her blog about being a born again virgin.

In the next scene, Jenna is making pancakes for Donovan as she apparently owes him dinner but cannot afford to take him out. At this point, her bank account must be pretty much empty if she can only afford a box of pancake mix. I say this because Jenna doesn’t look like the type of girl who would make pancakes from scratch. Donovan, while appreciative of Jenna’s gesture, is not too pleased that he will be forced to eat pancakes, potentially making his rock hard abs go soft. As the two are eating, Kelly, who is trying to make partner at her pr firm, interrupts their dinner to tell Jenna about a new opportunity at her pr firm. Apparently, Kelly’s firm is handling an account for famous fashion designer Quinn Reed, who is portrayed by none other than Tichina Arnold aka Pam from “Martin” aka Rochelle the mama on “Everybody Hates Chris!” Apparently, Quinn Reed is starting a fashion blog and is in need of a ghostwriter. Jenna, who is a big fan of Quinn’s, is elated about the opportunity to work with the fashion designer and boost her bank account!

When she meets Quinn, the worldly fashion designer who comes off like a Svengali, Jenna is surprised that the fashion designer is just as enamored by her as as she is enamored by Quinn – but for different reasons. Jenna comes over to her home where Quinn allows her try on one of her dresses, a cute little black dress. Not only does Jenna compliment Quinn for her clothes, she notes the designer’s skin is flawless and asks her about her skin care regimen. Quinn reveals that is the “sweat from younger women” that keeps her pores tight. Wayment….But it is Women Crush Wednesday….

Tara, on the other hand, takes it upon herself to help Kelly, who is now eating cupcakes (albeit mini ones) for breakfast, with her dry spell. She sets her up with a man from her “Never Did” file. Kelly agrees to let Tara fix her up as far as her looks are concerned AND with a man. With Tara and Donovan a few tables away to observe, Kelly, who is wearing a little black dress as well but with the sides cut out, platform heels and a black wig with blonde highlights, meets the man for dinner at Tom, Dick & Hank on Abernathy! (Yes, I recognize this restaurant!) This chocolate hunk, who looks like a mini cupcake himself in comparison to the chocolate cake of a man in the finale episode (yes, more on that later), assumes that Kelly wants to skip the appetizers and go straight to dessert. Kelly, who has proven to have a sweet tooth, is nevertheless offended and ends the date.

Jenna, who was not expecting Quinn to hit her on her, returns to Quinn’s home after running scared not only to apologize but to make sure her money is still straight. Thankfully, Quinn still wants her to write for her blog and in general but she is willing to allow their relationship to be strictly business. Quinn tells Jenna that she read her blog and knows she has given up men. Jenna corrects her and says she has given up on sex not men to which Quinn responds, “I just want to let you know that you have options.” Well, alrighty then….

Episode 9: Curses, Curses….

This episode was titled “TMF” which is an abbreviation for a the [expletive], but since this is a Christian blog, I’m not going there. This episode has the best beginning of all the episodes. Jenna is shown making out with a HOT, muscled, chocolate man in previous years and now he has shown up at her door step again. The born again virgin is forced to reconsider her celibate stance since the hot pilot has breezed into town. He is her kryptonite as she has never been able to resist him in the past, and you know what they say: the past is the best predictor of the present….Hmmm….

Kelly, who hasn’t sworn off sex, is nevertheless swearing calling her boss “tmf” because he promoted a co-worker, who has only been at the pr firm for six months, over her. Also, not only is Bryan, the co-worker, not as qualified for the promotion as she is, he is also male chauvinist asking her to take notes at a firm meeting and saying she talks too much like other women.

Tara, who is forever on the prowl in more ways than one, has her eyes on a hot designer bag that is way out of her budget. This scene reminded me so much of the SATC episode in which Samanatha lusted after a Birkin bag (So that threw me off a little bit, and I didn’t like it because it felt unoriginal.) But Tara’s cash is not long like Samantha’s cash was so she has to resort to other methods. So Tara ,who hasn’t sworn sex either, decides to parlay a paramour for a purse…In other words, this man, a judge, loves to lavish gifts on Tara, particularly after sex. However, this time instead of offering to take her to the store to buy the purse and hand it over to her, he simply pulls out a wad of cash and puts in the night stand. Tara is insulted because cash on the nightstand is the universal sign for prostitution although parlaying a paramour for a purse is pretty much prostitution in my eyes…

Anyway, the three women meet in the kitchen to discuss temptation, “tmf” and Tara. Both Kelly and Tara tried to get advice from Jenna regarding their respective travails, but Jenna seemed to be “tied up” with Vince in her bedroom. Still, they were able to think through their problems by themselves. Kelly has decided to quit her job and start her own pr firm, swearing while she is telling the story. Her swearing means she has to contribute money to the girls’ swearing jar where they are hopefully saving enough for a girlfriend getaway to Jamaica. Tara, who confronted the judge in his courtroom about leaving cash on the nightstand, ends up with a bag and a proposal. She proudly shows off her engagement ring which leads to Jenna stringing together a few swear words of her own. More money for swearing jar! Although she is happy for her friend, she is a bit discouraged that Tara’s stance on sexuality has resulted in kissing singlehood good-bye while being a born again virgin has pretty much only led to her being broke. She is so broke that she has been stealing from the swear jar, and there is not enough money to go to Jamaica after all! And now it is time for Jenna to spill what happened with Vince. Is her born again virgin status still intact or did she succumb to temptation?!!! Jenna reveals that while they shared some hot and steamy kisses, she remains a born again virgin…More to be revealed in Season 2 of “Born Again Virgin!!!”

Did y’all like my recaps?

Any thoughts?

Posted on Thursday, August 6, 2015

‘Born Again Virgin’ Recap: Did You Watch Last Night?

Hello World,

I have a confession. Although “Sex and the City” went off of the air more than 10 years ago at this point, I still watch at least one rerun a week. I’ve been on the SATC tour in NYC, and I even have the SATC board game. I truly feel like I know Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda & Samantha, and the girlfriends are really a part of my life even now.

That’s why when I heard about a new show featuring 30-something girlfriends (Not “Girlfriends”…another confession…I only discovered that wonderful show after it went off of the air, but that is another post for another day.) looking for love, and one of those women is choosing to do it (or not do it actually) while celibate, I knew I had to least watch once. “Born Again Virgin” is not a Christian show. Let me get that out of the way. Jenna, the central character of the sitcom, is a born again virgin meaning she is taking sex off the table so that it won’t cloud her decision in making the right choice of a mate. She decided to become celibate after realizing that her “body count”has surpassed her age. Ouch. Although “Born Again Virgin” is not a Christian show, however, I still think it has the potential to introduce many women to the best way of making a choice in a mate. And many of these women may not have considered this style of dating before…

The pilot episode of “Born Again Virgin” originally aired in February, and the feedback to the innovative show was so positive that the show is now back for a full season. The new season debuted last night with two, 30-minute episodes…

Episode 1: “No New Friends”

In the first scene, we see Jenna (Danielle Nicolet) dreaming about having sex…While Jenna is not doing it in real life, she can at least dream about it! So Jenna gets mad when she is awakened and thereby deprived of the only sexual experience she can have since she declared herself celibate four months ago…

Once she completely wakes up, she realizes that long-term celibacy is going to be hard, and she decides to join a Modern Day Virgins celibacy support group to the ridicule of her roommate Kelly (Meagan Holder), a hard-driving pr exec and her other roommate Tara (Eva Marcille), who is an over-the-top actress. During the first meeting, it becomes clear to her that the group is not made up of born again virgins. The group is for actual virgins. But she keeps her secret opting to stay in the group for the support she thinks it will give her particularly as she is constantly being tempted by one of her neighbors fine-as-wine Donovan (Durrell “Tank” Babbs). In fact, Jenna was dreaming about Donovan in the beginning of the show. How many of you know that when you are trying to walk on a higher path, the devil will set up a roadblock! At the end of the meeting, the group leader encourages the virgins to either call Jesus or her if they get weak in between meetings. Amen!

Jenna decides to host the next meeting of the Modern Day Virgins at her home, but her friends, who are curious about the group, crash the meeting. A random remark from Tara, who has no-filter (Think Samantha on SATC), reveals that Jenna is not an actual virgin. The group leader goes crazy and yells, “She’s been deflowered” while making the rest of the virgins evacuate her home like a bomb went off. But one virgin stays behind. She is intrigued that Jenna has actually been where she wants to go and asks for her help, saying that she is going to have sex with or without her help. Jenna makes up the plain Jane virgin with “hair and makeup,” and she is ready to go get her blessing so to speak. And before she even leaves the building, she encounters Donovan who is willing and able to bless her. The next day, her hair askew and her makeup smudged, she bumps into Jenna as she getting on the elevator to leave the building as she never left in the first place! She recounts her experience to Jenna who realizes that her temptation has deflowered her new friend. She is not pleased and decides she needs “no new friends.”

Episode 2: Go Hard or Go Home

Another reason why I like the show is that Jenna is a writer and has committed herself to blogging about her no sex in the city experience (I think the setting is Atlanta). (Sound familiar? Think me two years ago.) Although her blog seems to be successful as it is, she decides to take it up a notch by adding vlogging to her site. During her first video which she makes in a luxurious bedroom (sidebar: Why does every writer on TV seem to be doing better financially than most of the writers I know in real life?), she gets up from her laptop to show her audience something and realizes that she is wearing granny panties! Why wear sexy panties if no one is going to see them? Jenna’s vlogging, however, does attract new visitors to her site, particularly one 15-year-old girl who wants to stop having sex with her boyfriend but worries he will leave her if she does. Jenna is able to give some good advice to the teenager based on her own experiences.

Meanwhile, Kelly is working hard to get a new client, an NBA basketball player who is interviewing pr companies to market and promote his new video game. Kelly, who is very competitive, beats the basketball player at his own video game so to speak but simultaneously loses the account. The male ego is very delicate. But she won the account back by pretending she cannot play actual basketball very well, and his male ego is restored.

Tara, on the other hand, is trying to get the attention of Lisa Wu, yes Lisa Wu from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and now “Hollywood Divas” as she is trying to position herself as a reality star. When Tara and her roommates meet for dinner one night, Tara, who is secretly video recording the dinner, manufactures a crazy fight with her girlfriends and knocks all of their food of the table in “anger.” She shows the video to Lisa expecting to impress her with her antics but instead the reality show star encourages her to not sink that low! The irony is that Lisa was taping their conversation for her reality show…

So that is my quick and dirty recap of the first two episodes of “Born Again Virgin.” The show airs on TV One on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. EST/9 p.m. CST.

FYI: I didn’t take the best notes this time around because I wasn’t sure that I would like it, but I will be back next week with a thorough recap!

Will you be watching?

Any thoughts?