Category Archives: Book Notes

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Why Did You Allow This to Happen, God? A church tragedy unfolds…

Hello World,

By now, many of you know about the tragedy that occurred at World Changers Church International in College Park, Georgia last Wednesday? If you have not heard of it, let me fill you in. As Greg McDowell, 39, was leading a prayer service Wednesday morning, Floyd Palmer, 59, a former World Changers employee allegedly walked into the church and shot McDowell six times, according to the AJC. McDowell, a husband and father of two toddlers, died shortly thereafter.

Later on Wednesday, Palmer, who apparently has shot a man before and spent time in a mental institution, was arrested and will likely be punished for his alleged actions. Still, whatever satisfaction McDowell’s family may feel as the alleged shooter is now in police custody,  it does not answer the question, “Why Did You Allow This to Happen, God?”

The day following the shooting, I overheard some people at work discussing the shooting and they pondered why God would allow a man to be shot and killed as he was praying inside of a church no less. And it does seem ironic that a man who was obviously demonstrating his dependence on the Omniscient Power of the universe was not made aware of pending tragedy and spared from harm…

I’m not even going to lie. I don’t understand. I won’t even pretend that I do. But I do think that God will comfort McDowell’s wife and children and extended family in the days to come and give them insight as they seek His guidance and care. As one pastor said at a memorial service I recently attended, we won’t always understand everything that happens which is the essence of faith, but God will see us through everything that happens. My all-time favorite writer Catherine Marshall’s husband Pastor Peter Marshall, 46, died after suffering a heart attack when she was 34 years old, and she too pondered why God would allow this happen to them? She wrote about seeking God for answers to this tragedy in one of my favorite books “To Live Again.” She writes about feeling duped by God, being angry with God and questioning her faith altogether…She got all sorts of answers that can be read about in the book, but ultimately, she claimed this verse, my absolute favorite verse in the entire Bible, for herself and her nine-year-old son as they faced life without her husband…

And we know that in all things (good and bad) God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Why do think God allows tragedies to occur in the lives of Christians? This song seems appropriate this morning…

Any thoughts?

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Meagan Good’s new hubby DeVon Franklin reveals he was celibate for over 10 years…

Hello World,

The more I discover about DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, author “Produced By Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self and most recently and actress Meagan Good’s new hubby, the more I admire him. I was introduced to him first through his awesome book which is actually his testimony and then I interviewed him for MOVIEGUIDE. If you have not read my interview, please check out my story “Faith is This Movie Executive’s ‘Competitive Edge.'”

In a recent interview with GlobalGrind.com, Franklin, 33, who is also a preacher, revealed that prior to marrying Good in June, he was celibate for over 10 years…Below is the video and a quote from the video…

“The thing I couldn’t do which was eating me apart, going back to this idea of being whoever God created you to be. Sometimes we want to be this person at home, this person in the office, this person at church and then we get our lines mixed up. And trying to be different people to different situations, it tears you apart. So what was happening with me is that I would go and preach one thing but then I was living another, and I could not do it. I could not look at myself in the mirror. I’m like, no, I can’t live like this, so I had to stop and say, ‘You know what, until I get married, [sex is] off the table.'”

What a testimony! And I’m so glad he was willing to share that “intimate detail.” It seems that most men believe it is impossible to be celibate for any length of time…Obviously, Franklin, who was and is likely surrounded by some of the most beautiful women in the world in Hollywood, is an example that long-term celibacy is possible. And now he is married to Good, who is considered one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood…Take note fellas…

In other Black Christian in Hollywood news, it is no secret that Tamera Mowry-Housley of “Tia & Tamera,” the reality show on the Style Network, and her new hubby Adam Housley were celibate before getting married last year. In fact, I blogged about in “Re-Virgins Get No Love…”   However, in a recent interview with Ebony.com, Tamera, who is now pregnant with their first child, shared about why she had to say no to “missionary dating.”

 I tried the ‘missionary dating’ [in the past] where you have a person with a great heart who you think is perfect and wonderful except for this one important area that you try to change. That’s unfair to that person. That person needs to be who they are 100%. And it’s unfair to you. You don’t want to drag somebody to church with you. My husband wakes up on Sundays and says ‘Hey, are we going to church today?’ It just makes [waiting] all worthwhile. I dated guys who did not share those same beliefs and it was hard. There were many nights of heartbreak and crying, and that’s not what God wants for us.

Amen sister! I have firsthand knowledge of “missionary dating.” It is no fun to try to convince your guy, who may be a great guy in every other way, to get his behind in church on a Sunday morning….And I too have experienced a lot of heartbreak and crying over this…To read the entire interview, go to [INTERVIEW] Tia and Tamera on Marriage and Motherhood on Ebony.com.

And DeVon Franklin and Tamera Mowry-Housley are not the only black Christians in Hollywood that share openly about their Christian faith. Cee Cee Michael Floyd, who was once a staron the UPN hit comedy “Girlfriends” and is now a minister, was celibate for 10 years and 9 months before marrying to Rev. Wilbert Floyd last year. If you would like to read her entire testimony, which is awesome, you have to get a copy of my book After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God, which is now available on Amazon Kindle! You can also read an excerpt there!  (Y’all know I had to plug my book too 🙂 )

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 


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When We All Get to Heaven…RIP Dee Stewart aka Miranda Parker…

Hello World, 

When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be according to the beloved hymn. I believe that is true, but until we all get to heaven, we will experience grief and heartache when we lose a loved one. So it is with a sad heart that I type these words this morning. The Christian writing world specifically and the book publishing industry in general lost one of its own last week so as a fellow writer myself I’ve decided to post a picture of Dee Stewart and as well as her biography. While we are all sad that she has left this world, I am confident that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord…In spite of the many health challenges she faced including lupus and heart disease, Dee Stewart was a committed mother and crafted a wonderful career….

Below is her biography…

At DeeGospel PR, my role is to share my client’s stories with my peers, who are also gatekeepers. Be it traditional pr opps: radio, tv, print and performance engagements, online(internet tv, radio, networks, media,) or new marketing initiatives and inbound marketing services that infuse traditional public relations and events promotions with new technologies that channel and broadcast our client’s core messages, I work hard to build a communication bridge for my clients. I specialize in supporting publishers, music lables, musicians, authors, events planners, and businesses that support the publishing industry(music and literary.)

At Christian Fiction Blog, my role is to support writer’s of Christian Faith. I started Christian Fiction Blog in 2005 to help other writer’s deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of book promotion and book events marketing while still running a household and increasing in spiritual maturity. Today the blog has over 1000 email subscribers, a blog community of 300+ authors, and has been the catalyst for launching DGP.

As a journalist, my role is to compile and share stories I know will benefit the media outlets I support. I have been an editor, book reviewer and journalist for ten years. My writing has appeared in: RT Book Reviews, Gospel Today, Precious Times, Anointed, Hope for Women, Rejoice Atlanta, Romantic Times,Christianity Today, Spirit Led Woman, Atlanta Christian Family and Spirit Led Writer Magazines, to name a few. I also edit non-fiction for Christian ministers and authors.

As author Miranda Parker for Kensington Publishing’s Dafina Books, my role is to create stories my readers would love to read over and over again. My two books are “A Good Excuse to Be Bad” and “Someone Bad and Something Blue.”

If you would like to more about Dee’s commitment to raising awareness about heart disease, see the article “Survivor of Heart Failure Dedicates Birthday to Educating Other Women” on cnn.com. Also, here is a radio interview Dee conducted with Christian fiction author Tiffany L. Warren on blogtalkradio.com.

We will miss you…

Any thoughts?