Tag Archives: Bishop Noel Jones

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Ten Things I Learned From Watching MergeTV’s ‘Preachers of L.A.’ Reunion Which Was 10 Years in the Making..

Hello World,

I know that I’m a bit late on reporting the recent Preachers of LA reunion, which happened last month. But if the Preachers of LA can take a whole ten years to reunite then I can take my time to react…That being said, I learned 10 things by watching the Preachers of LA reunion…See the official description of the reunion below followed by my list…

Ten years after the immensely popular Preachers of LA show, which aired for two seasons on OXYGEN, Bishop Noel Jones, First Lady Loretta Jones, Bishop Ron Gibson, Pastors Deitrick Haddon and Wayne Chaney are back, on a limited-run series exclusively on MergeTV, streaming on In The Black Network.

Ten years ago, Preachers of LA highlighted not only the amazing work these church leaders do in the community and with their parishioners, but also showcased the dynamic lives these men led when away from the pulpit, including the struggles they face as husbands, fathers and friends. The cast included Bishop Noel Jones, the brother of singer Grace Jones, who leads a church full of celebrities; Pastor Deitrick Haddon who, as the son of a bishop and an evangelist, has been preaching since the age of 11 and conducted the church choir at 13; and Bishop Ron Gibson, who joined a gang by the age of 16 and turned his life around to start a small church that has grown to a congregation of more than 4,000 members.

1.Part of the reason why Bishop Noel Jones took reportedly 28 years to marry his wife Loretta in 2022 is because his first wife (now ex-wife following their divorce) is still alive…I can respect that because it does say in the word, “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 7:39…However, while I respect where he is coming from, if I were in First Lady Loretta’s shoes, I don’t think I could have waited 28 years to marry any particular man for many reasons…

2.The demise of Bishop Jones’ first marriage still gets to him as he nearly teared up while explaining his decision to divorce to Bishop Ron Gibson. He darn near delivered a soliloquy in response…”The question that people like Ron should ask is, ‘What in the world was going on in the house of an individual who knows how he’s going to be viewed, who knows the pain that he’s going to have to deal with, who knows how he’s going to be judged by the majority of the people looking at him? What in the hell is going on in his house that in spite of all he has to face, he decides with his children, with this grandchildren, with the grandparents, with the congregation, with the other pastors, if he moves to divorce, they need to say, Something horrific has to be happening in that household.” Now the nosy part of me wants to know why did Bishop Jones divorce his first wife.

3. While we’re still on the topic of divorce, obviously it was notable that Pastor Wayne was there alone as he and his former wife Myesha Chaney divorced in 2022. He announced the divorce first, noting that the divorce was not caused due to “infidelity, abuse, or any gross immoral act.” Last August, Myesha released “The Untold Story of My Divorce” on her YouTube channel. This is a summary of my reaction to her video: But I will say this: Based on the first few minutes of the video, it doesn’t seem that their marriage had a firm foundation from the beginning. Some people think this is antiquated advice, but older women will advise that a woman should marry a man who loves her a little more than she loves him. She fell in love within days of meeting her former husband while her former husband had to be convinced by God that she was “The One” and even broke up with her for several months before he eventually resumed their relationship and proposed. To read my entire reaction, click HERE. Based on what Pastor Wayne said on the reunion, I’m convinced that my reaction was right. In response to Kym Whitley (who hosted the reunion) asking about whether he was open to marriage again, he said, “This time around, I’m not selecting anyone for the church or the broader community, it has to be for me.”

4. Pastor Wayne is dating. He told Kym Whitley that he is in the second quarter of dating someone…Alright now…of course, the nosy side of me wants to know more…I don’t follow him on social media or anything, but if you do, have you seen a pic of a new love interest? In my pre-twins’ phase, I would have scoured his social media to see if I could see something, but I don’t have time for that…After a quick perusal, I just saw ministry pics and pics with his children…so..

5. If Bishop Ron had a first class plane ticket and a coach plane ticket, his wife, First Lady Lavette would have to ride in the back of the plane…SMH…I can’t recall how they got on this topic, but the way Bishop Ron answered this question was very revealing. His exact words were: “Yeah, she don’t mind sitting in coach. I do. I can’t sit up there like sardines.” First Lady Loretta said, “It’s not whether she minds, it’s inappropriate for a man to sit in first class and put his wife in back.” I agree. Now, my husband hates tight airplane seats, but he wouldn’t nor couldn’t put me in the back…What happened to chivalry?

6. Bishop Ron is seemingly strapped at all times…Bishop Ron, a former Compton Crip, got up and showed that he had a 9 millimeter gun tucked in his pants at the reunion! I guess he thought things could pop off at the reunion or something…He said he carries a gun on him because of Luke 22:38. He also joked that he could carry a 22 or a 38 based on the numbers in the verse…Okaaayyy….

7. Bishop Ron told Bishop Noel that had he been strapped, then First Lady Loretta wouldn’t have been attacked last August…I remember hearing that she had been attacked, but I didn’t know the details…According to L.A. Focus on the Word, here’s what happened: First Lady Loretta Jones was attacked on Sunday in the sanctuary at the conclusion of the morning service at the Gardena-based City of Refuge.  The first lady was punched in the face and knocked unconscious by a woman who—according to one witness—walked up to the first lady as service had just concluded and sucker punched her. Security then grabbed the woman. An ambulance was called and the first lady had to be wheeled out,  “The woman was a big lady too. It was crazy,” said an eyewitness who observed first-hand the commotion. “There was a whole crowd of people near the altar and I believe Bishop had gone to change his clothes and I couldn’t make out what the woman was hollering and yelling as she hit the first lady. Some of the members appeared to be shocked and then you saw this surge of people and people shouting ‘no, no, no’ as security then grabbed the woman and took her into custody.” Read the rest HERE. That is wacko!!!

8. First Lady Loretta stands on business…According to her website, First Lady Loretta is a chef and nutritionist and owns a restaurant. She also travels with a staff, which Pastor Deitrick Haddon called an entourage, that includes a makeup artist, a stylist and a dog watcher. And while she waited for the first part of the reunion, which didn’t include the wives, she was working, she said. “I just can’t sit with idle time. We have to work.”  I know that Balenciaga outfit she was wearing won’t pay for itself so I understand the need to work…When Kym Whitley questioned whether a first lady should travel with an entourage, she said, “You can only do what you can afford to do.” I guess she’s saying, she can do what she wants to do because she can afford it…This reminds me of the recent pic I saw of Mariah Carey after she got off of a roller coaster. Her hair stylist was waiting for her at the conclusion of the ride to redo her hair…With a voice like Mariah has, she can afford to have a hair stylist with her at all times so…But back to First Lady Loretta, I also noticed on the credits that she is a producer of the reunion…I don’t recall seeing any of the other pastor’s wives as producers or pastors for that matter so…

9. Speaking of hair stylists, Bishop Ron has good hair genes… Bishop Ron Jones is still rocking a tight fro and mustache at his big age of 69…And is it just me or does he look like the twins in The Whispers?

10. Pastor Deitrick Haddon and his wife Dominique are unashamed about getting their twerk on in their private time. About this time last year, he was criticized when a video showing his wife twerking on him at his 50th birthday party was released…He said he’s not always in pastor mode and I get that…He explained, “That’s why pastors are public enemy number one right now because we’re being being fake and wearing masks.” I don’t think twerking with your husband or wife is a big deal. That being said, I’m not sure if I would do it in public if I were a first lady. I would say the same thing about former First Lady Michelle Obama. Twerking is a very sexual dance so I would exercise decorum in certain spaces. A house party is one thing and very public party is quite another…

Below are videos of the reunion….

Additionally, the Preachers of LA Wedding Edition is streaming now…See the trailer below…

 

Here is the official description: The Preachers and First Ladies are back! The long-awaited wedding event of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta Jones is finally happening and your favorite high-profile Pastors and First Ladies are together again to celebrate–but will they be able lay those long-standing arguments to rest, or resurrect the drama after all these years!

Any thoughts?

 

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Producer and Preacher DeVon Franklin To Host New Talk Show ‘Food For Thought’ & Allegedly Has New Girlfriend…

Hello World,

Producer and Preacher DeVon Franklin is combining two of my favorite things – good food and conversation – in new show Food For Thought! See his announcement below…

Below is an excerpt of the official Deadline article “Dr. Holly Carter’s MergeTV Launches On In The Black Network; Slate Includes DeVon Franklin Series ‘Food For Thought’ & More” by Denise Petski.

EXCLUSIVE: Dr. Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel) today announced the launch of her family, faith and lifestyle network MergeTV on James DuBose’s In The Black Network, a streaming service that highlights Black voices and original stories.

Carter also announced MergeTV’s slate of original programming dropping on April 2, which includes its flagship show Food for Thought with DeVon Franklin, hosted by the bestselling author, producer and preacher. Franklin will be joined by some of his famous friends “to bake up delicious desserts and share deep conversation,” according to the series description, with guests ranging from Smokey Robinson to Cedric the Entertainer.

Another interesting show that will be featured on In The Black is a Preachers of LA reunion, according to the Deadline article.

PREACHERS WEDDING EDITION
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Dr. Holly Carter, Keesha Brickhouse, Paul Mays
TALENT: Bishop Noel Jones and First Lady Loretta Jones, Pastor Deitrick Haddon and First Lady Dominique Haddon, Bishop Ron Gibson and First Lady LaVette Gibson, Bishop Clarence McClendon, Pastor Wayne Chaney and Myesha Chaney.
LOGLINE: The long-awaited wedding event of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta Jones is finally happening and your favorite high-profile Pastors and First Ladies are together again to celebrate–but will they be able lay those long-standing arguments to rest, or will the drama surface again after all these  years?

Click HERE to read the entire article…

Considering the wedding of Bishop Noel Jones and Loretta Jones that took forever and day to happen and the divorce of Pastor Wayne Chaney and Myesha Chaney, that should be an explosive reunion to say the least…

Now in more messy news, DeVon has been spotted with a new woman according to The Shade Room. Click HERE to see the paparazzi photos of him and this new unidentified woman. According to the photos, they are definitely dating at the very least. Just from the pictures, his type may have shifted a bit post his divorce from Meagan Good. While this woman is a pretty woman, she doesn’t have that actress vibe that Meagan Good has. In fact, she seems like the girl next door. Judging from Meagan Good’s new man Jonathan Majors, her type has most certainly shifted…Apparently, she is in love, according to People magazine…

I continue to wish both of them the best…

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?