Category Archives: Writing

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Why I Have A Dead Spiritual Mentor Like Mo’Nique Does In Hattie McDaniel…

Hello World, moniquehattie

Tonight is the most exciting night in Hollywood! It’s the night that a new class of movie industry professionals will be bestowed with that unmistakeable gold statuette for reaching the zenith of their careers. Yes, you guessed it! It’s Oscar Sunday, and the awards ceremony will be telecast tonight at 7 p.m. EST! 

The Hollywood Reporter, as a part of its Oscar coverage, recently featured an article “Oscar’s First Black Winner Accepted Her Honor in a Segregated ‘No Blacks’ Hotel in L.A” about Hattie McDaniel, the first black person to win an Academy Award 75 years ago.  McDaniel won the Best Supporting Actress Award for portraying Mammy in “Gone With the Wind.” In addition, the magazine also interviewed actress and comedian Mo’Nique as she paid homage to McDaniel by wearing gardenias in her hair as McDaniel did on her Oscar night when she won the Best Supporting Actress Award for the role of Mary in “Precious” in 2010. Unfortunately, Mo’Nique had negative things to say in the article “Mo’Nique: I Was “Blackballed” After Winning My Oscar.” I don’t know all of the politics of Hollywood which was discussed in the piece so I have no opinion about that. But what did capture my attention was Mo’Nique’s mystical relationship with her chosen mentor Hattie McDaniel who died several years before Mo’Nique was even born…Below are just a few snippets from the article in which she describes this relationship…

Do you know I keep a picture of Hattie McDaniel in my closet in an 8-by-10 frame? As I’m looking at her right now, it looks like her smile is shifting. Yes, I’m talking about you, Miss Hattie McDaniel! (Laughs.) What that woman had to endure was criticism from the white community and the black community. She didn’t have options to say, “No, I’m not going to accept that,” because she was an actress. I’m just grateful. I’m appreciative that she endured all of that so that this little girl named Mo’Nique wouldn’t have to.

Spiritually, I’ve gotten an opportunity to meet and talk with her. And I read her life story, which is absolutely amazing — just to see how amazingly talented this woman was, and the mistreatment she received all the way up to her death. This woman gave everything to the business. It help me to put my priorities in order and realize that my family comes first. Because when all of this is over and they say the last “action” and the last “cut,” I want to have my family. When Hattie died, she died alone with a nurse by her side, and no money.

In having my conversations with Hattie McDaniel, you know what she said? “Mo’Nique, my story’s already been told. There needs to be a new story told.” So all I’ll do right now is wink my eye to you over the phone when I say that. (Laughs.)

catherineSo I’m sure that some people think it’s weird that Mo’Nique feels like she has met, connected to and is mentored by a dead woman….I’m not one of them because I too have a dead spiritual mentor that I feel like I’ve met, am connected to and am mentored by…My dead spiritual mentor is Catherine Marshall…I believe I first discovered her in 2002 through her book “Something More” Below are 10 Reasons Why I Chose Catherine Marshall as My Spiritual Mentor.

  1. Her personal relationship with God was the foundation of her creativity, and she wrote books that sold at least 18 million copies…I have wanted to be a writer since I was six years old, but it wasn’t until I developed a personal relationship with God that I had something to write about…
  2. She was spiritually adventurous…She was never satisfied with what she knew about God. Every book she wrote demonstrated that she aspired to know something more…I aspire to be that way…
  3. She wrote fiction and non-fiction books…I, too, don’t want to be confined to one genre…
  4. She was a pastor’s daughter…I am a pastor’s daughter, a pastor’s granddaughter and a pastor’s niece…
  5. She attended Atlanta’s Agnes Scott College where her papers are actually housed…I grew up in Atlanta…And a few years ago as a birthday gift to myself, I spent the day at Agnes Scott reading through her papers…
  6. She was a big dreamer…I am big dreamer….
  7. She believed in miracles….I believe in miracles…
  8. She really wanted to be married…After her first husband died and she lived as a single woman for several years, she wrote her desire to get remarried which she ultimately did…Her testimony inspired me during my single years…
  9. She was devoted to her marriage and family life although she was passionate about her writing career…Although I LOVE words, you can’t cuddle up to them at night or laugh with them at the movies, etc…Well, I guess you could, but it’s not the same…you know what I mean….
  10. She can’t reject me…Since she died when I was 10 years old, I didn’t have the chance to meet her as an adult…But honestly, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to approach her about mentoring me had she lived long enough to meet me…Thankfully, she wrote so much about her life in her books, I feel like she is personally advising me all of the time through her words…

One last thing: I hesitate to share this but here it goes…I feel like I’ve met her too…I had a dream about her shortly after I started reading her books…I won’t share all of the specifics, but I will say that she told me to look up Ephesians 5:1 “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” So as much as I look up to her, she advised that my ultimate guide is God…

So do you think I’m weird? My husband does 🙂 LOL…

Any thoughts?

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“Preachers of L.A.’s” Myesha Chaney is Coming to Atlanta This Friday/MY INTERVIEW…

Hello World, myesha book cover

If you’re a fan of “Preachers of L.A.,” I’ve got great news! Myesha Chaney, First Lady and executive director of Antioch Church of Long Beach and wife to Antioch Senior Pastor Wayne Chaney, is headed to the A as a part of the “Hiding Behind the Lipstick” Tour.  She will be hosting the women’s empowerment event, on which her new book “Hiding Behind the Lipstick” is based, at the dReam Center Church of Atlanta, 4209, Northeast Expwy, Atlanta, GA 30340 at 7 p.m.

If you’re unfamiliar with First Lady Myesha, she is also a songwriter, recording artist, motivational speaker, worship leader, and entrepreneur. In addition to starring on “Preachers of L.A.” First Lady Myesha and Pastor Wayne also co-host ““Real Life with Wayne and Myesha Chaney,” a radio talk show on KJLH, 102.3.  They are also the parents of three children: Wayne, Reign, and Cadence.

Below is my interview with First Lady Myesha about her new book, Preachers of L.A., her family life and MORE…

How did you come up with the “Hiding Behind the Lipstick” concept and write the book?

It was an answer to prayer. I was a young pastor’s wife, and I felt the expectations of others, and I saw the condition of the women that were in my sphere of influence. And I felt like everyone was just kind of putting on their best face, and they were presenting what they wanted people to see, not the truth. I didn’t want to live a life where I felt I had to be perfect, and I had to not have flaws so I asked God what can I do because I can’t live this life, I don’t want this so He gave me this concept of hiding behind the lipstick.

So I spoke about it at our women’s retreat, and it was so effective that we decided to do it again, and we kept doing it. And I said we need to put this in book so that we can reach more people. So it began as a women’s empowerment event that we host in different cities all across the country, and it’s also a book. Two different things but the same concept.

Tell me more about the women’s empowerment event and what happens.

We start off with some kind of musical component like a praise and worship. We play a video where women do what we call “lipstick confessions,” and they share things that you didn’t actually know about them or you don’t see it on the surface, but it is the truth. We do skits, we have dance, all of these things illustrate the pain we sometimes carry. We  have cardboard testimonies when women actually get up and they have where they were on the front and and they will turn it over and show where they are now. And I’ll get up and do a 40-minute talk about the whole concept of hiding, and I use a woman from the audience and do a kind of facial on the woman to illustrate the various things we do before we put on concealer which is hiding the imperfections. We end with allowing women to get up from the audience and stand and share what their lipstick was. And somehow between all of these elements women are much freer than they have ever been before, and they can share things and get healing for things they have had to struggle with their entire lives.

What has been the response to the women’s empowerment event so far? 

I have met women that have said, “Oh my God after 21 years of being the way I am, I finally changed,” and that is more than enough for me. I did it out of obedience. I didn’t attach anything to it. Sometimes we do things because want to make our name great and make our mark, but this is not one of those ministries. It is a labor of love.  So if a girl pulls me aside and I says, “I know you,” and I’m thinking it’s from the “Preachers of L.A.”or from Antioch Church, but she says, “You do that lipstick event,” that to me is more than enough for me.

I’ve done the workshop over 20 times in cities like L.A., Oakland, Detroit and in Texas in Florida. We’re going to D.C. It was shown on episode 10 of “Preachers of L.A.” too.

First Lady Myesha inviting the owner of a strip club to come to "Hiding Behind the Lipstick," from episode 10

First Lady Myesha inviting the owner of a strip club to come to “Hiding Behind the Lipstick,” from episode 10

How did you become a part of the “Preachers of L.A.?”

Actually, it was my husband. We had been in pitch meetings and kind of in that entertainment space. We prayed toward that from some years prior before any meetings. So when “Preachers of L.A.” came about, my husband was approached, and he was open to it. And I decided to do with him, and it has been a great experience.

How has the show changed your life and the lives of your family?

It has allowed us to reach more people. From Day One, I decided if it helped me to do “Hiding Behind the Lipstick,” easier, I was grateful. I got out of it what I wanted to get from it. I have been able to reach more women. We were on radio for three years so we were quite familiar in this region already. It hasn’t been an overwhelming change. People see you out and want to take pictures more so that has been the only difference that I have experienced. My kids want to be on TV more. They say, “They need to show more of us,” and I’m like, “Really kids?”” But we have normal lives, and our kids have a normal lives. It’s an opportunity that God has given us, and we are grateful.

myesha chaney picWhat has been your favorite story line on “Preachers of L.A.?”

I know for us, we dealt with a lot of family issues as well as the other cast members. It was phenomenal to see the pastors help reconcile things in their family relationships. So that was the most moving story line I think, the stories of us reconciling with family.

One of my favorite story lines is the relationship of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta. Are they ever going to get married?

(Laughing) I have no idea. I will be sitting and watching and waiting like everyone else.

To register for “Hiding Behind the Lipstick” in Atlanta, go to eventbrite.com. Free & VIP tickets are available!

Any thoughts?

 

 

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Believe, NIV – NEW BOOK ALERT!!! (GIVEAWAY!!!)

Hello World,

It’s hard to believe that the first month of this New Year, 2015, is almost gone. Although Photosome of us may have faltered a bit on our resolutions or goals or given them up altogether already, it is still early enough in the year to get back on your plan!

If reading the Bible more is one of your goals and or resolutions, maybe seeing the Bible in a fresh way could help get you more excited about reading God’s word. Zondervan recently released “Believe, NIV: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus” a topical abridgement of the Bible designed to help readers discover 30 key beliefs, practices and virtues of the Christian faith. With Randy Frazee, senior minister of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, as its editor, “Believe, NIV” is organized in 30 chapters that address three questions: “What do I believe?”, “What should I do?” and “Who am I becoming?” (Confession: This format makes the Bible an approachable book versus the 66 books that I should have read all the way through by now!)

In the first section which is under the heading “What do I believe?”, you can learn more about 10 areas including Personal God, Salvation and Eternity. In the chapter Personal God, you are introduced to David, a poet, singer, shepherd, warrior and king, who described what it means to have a personal relationship with God. He marvels that, “Your eyes saw my unformed body, all the days ordained for me were written in your book.” I’ve seen that verse, Psalm 139:16, before, but it still hard to fathom that God has a colossal heavenly library that literally contains the books of the lives of the billions of people that inhabit this world! As an example that God knows when the books of our lives begin and end, Hezekiah, the king, was also included in the chapter Personal God. At 38 years old, he got sick and was about to die. However, since Hezekiah had a personal relationship with God, he prayed, asking God for more time to live. God heard his request and added 15 more years to his life! I remember when I was a little girl (if I am remembering correctly) this woman who had cancer at my church, shared that she prayed to be able to raise her children. She eventually did die from cancer, but she was able to raise her children until they became adults…

“What should I do?” is the title of the second section which incorporates 10 themes including Bible Study, Single-Mindedness and Giving My Resources. I learned some information I frankly did not know before while reading the chapter Bible Study. (I hope my father does not read this post!) Did you know that Moses is thought to be the author of the first five books of the Old Testament? Also, prior to Moses, the word of God was simply verbally communicated from one generation to the next! Here is the another piece of important information that I missed: Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Also, the entire chapter is devoted the benefits of reading and studying the Bible. Here are three of the verses: “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches” Psalm 119:4, “Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors” Psalm 119: 24, and “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” Psalm 119:105.

The third and final section is entitled “Who am I becoming?” Love, Self-Control and Humility are three of the 10 topics covered in this section. I especially gravitated to the Self-Control section because if you have ever been a passenger in my car, you know this is an area that I need to work on. Thankfully, the word of God has many examples of what happens when you fail to control yourself. The life of Samson, who struggled with sexual self-control, is illuminated in this section. As a result of his lack of self-control, Samson lost the amazing physical strength given to him by God and was blinded. Samson’s life is compared with the life of Joseph, who had plenty of reasons to lose control, but ultimately he did not. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, he was wrongfully accused, and he was jailed for a crime he did not commit. Still, he continued to trust God and control himself and was placed in a position of authority as a result.

Below is a video about “Believe, NIV.”

“Believe, NIV,” has a companion book “Think, Act, Be Like Jesus,” which was released jointly with “Believe, NIV.” Written by Randy Frazee with Robert Noland, this book explains how to grown as a follower of Christ and become more like him in our thinking, actions and character. This book can be read with “Believe, NIV” or separately as an individual study.

So what do you think of this new approach to the Bible? Guess what? You can check it out for yourself! I partnered with Zondervan to give away three copies of  “Believe, NIV: Living the Story of the Bible to Become Like Jesus” All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post and share this blog post in social media whether it be a Facebook post, Twitter, etc. To prove that you shared this blog post, send a screen shot to me at jacqueline@aftertheatlarcall.com or just point it out to me if you are one of my Facebook friends or if you follow me on Twitter. The first three people to meet these requirements will receive a free copy of “Believe, NIV!”

Any thoughts?

Note: I did receive a free review copy of “Believe, NIV” but all of the opinions expressed are my own:) .