Category Archives: Culture

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Preachers of L.A. : Sayin’ It Like I Mean It…

Hello World,

I must confess when I started hearing about the new reality show “Preachers of L.A.” earlier this year, I thought “here we go.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of reality shows. I started watching MTV’s “The Real World,” the first official reality show in college and even considered auditioning to be on the show. But back then, although the show had it’s fair share of likely contrived drama, the show did seem to be a realistic and sometimes even poignant portrayal of the lives of people you would probably never meet. I remember being particularly struck by Pedro Zamora, who revealed that he was living with AIDS. At that time, I had never met someone (as far as I know) that was living with AIDS and his inclusion in the show gave me an opportunity to see someone living and coping with the disease.

But now, chile please, reality shows seem to be scripted, over-the-top, spectacles designed to either launch of the pop culture career of some fame addict or revive the career of people who may be talented but have lost their platforms for whatever reason. But let me not be a hypocrite. Trust and believe I will be watching the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” when season 6 premieres tonight! (Is Todd an opportunist or is he really the one?)

But when gospel artists and other Christians began diving into the swamp of reality programming, I was giving them the side-eye but watching to see what happened. I like Mary Mary’s reality show. They are bonafide celebrities without the show, and their fans are able to see the women behind the award-winning gospel duo. I gave the “The Sisterhood,” which featured preachers wives from Atlanta, a chance, but the fact that some of them weren’t technically First Ladies and some of the crazy things that were said on the show made me stop watching after a few episodes. I guess I wasn’t the only one because the show was canceled. I never watched “Preachers’ Daughters” because I have been a preachers’ daughter for as long as I can remember so I don’t need to see that on television. Is that show still on?

If you’ve noticed, all the reality shows I’ve mentioned above thus far have featured Christian women, and that is to be expected. I bet women are the main target audience of most reality programming anyway. And let’s be real. Women, we can be really messy, and we like some mess too! I’m sure that when I get to heaven, I will no longer like gossip, but right now, I’m praying to be freed from the gossip demon! LOL! And it sure don’t help that I’m a reporter by trade! I never expected men of God to get involved in this mess! My husband can’t stand that I watch the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” and even refuses to be in the room when I do. So when I heard about the “Preachers of L.A.,” I was like, “Really, men of God, really?”

So now that the show has been on for a month, I must confess I have watched every episode. And now, I feel I am capable to giving an informed opinion about the latest “reality” offering. I must saying watching a reality show about the life of someone is kinda like being their friend on Facebook. Either you’re opinion of that person will get better or worse, but it won’t stay the same. Prior to the show, I was somewhat familiar with three of the preachers – Bishop Clarence McClendon, Pastor Deitrick Haddon and Bishop Noel Jones.

Here is my opinion of them now:

Bishop Clarence McClendon – I ‘ve really only seen Bishop McClendon as I was flipping through channels either late at night or early in the morning. I’ve never stopped to listen to any of his sermons. He seemed to flashy for my taste. I prefer a more humble looking pastor. Not that you have to have holes in your shoes or anything, but I don’t…something about the flashy look screams salesman. And based on at least one episode where he was arguing with Dietrick Haddon about not going agreeing to speak at churches that couldn’t afford to pay him and accommodate his entourage, my five-second appraisal seems to be right.

Pastor Dietrick Haddon – First of all, this man can blow. Period. The End. No doubt about it. But I must confess, I like him a little bit less after watching the show. I like the way he challenges the other preachers – like the time he challenged Bishop Ron Gibson to show him where the Bible states that “no shacking” is allowed in defense of him considering living with his then fiancee Dominique. But dude is waaaay too emotional for my taste…I’m like “that down a thousand” every.single.episode. But his over-the-top emotionality is not a testament to his character or anything…He actually seems to be refreshingly real about all the contradictions that Christians deal with from time to time living in this fallen world…he just couldn’t be my man with all of that goin’ on…

Bishop Noel Jones – I saw Bishop Noel Jones speak for several nights as the featured speaker at 98th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference in Hampton, Virginia. To say this man is not a enthralling speaker would be wrong. I was captivated every night. But he is coming off too “single and ready to mingle” on the show for me. The woman that he could be dating is Loretta, who is also a business partner. But their relationship is not defined on the show. She is just there. He is cool with her but that’s about it. I went to therapy behind men like that. They cool with me. They just didn’t want to define their relationship with me. We just kickin’ it. Please. In the words of Sweet Brown, “ain’t nobody got time for that!”

Pastor Jay Haizlip – First of all, he is just as cute as he wants to be 🙂 He is a little flashy too with his perfectly coiffed hair and slim fit jeans, but somehow, his image doesn’t rub me the wrong way. Plus, he seems to be a really nice guy. I liked his interaction with the woman in the park who appeared to be an anorexic in crisis. His relationship with his wife also seems to be very genuine. But he’s probably too boring to be featured on the show very much….sad to say…

Bishop Ron Gibson – He’s actually my favorite preacher thus far. I like his Magnum P.I. mustache, but more importantly, I like the way that he continues to reach out to the hood where he came from. The episode in which he brought two O.G.s to a shoe store to try on some church shoes was really nice. (Did he actually buy them shoes though?) And I like the way he is trying to help his sister who is a drug addict. Now, his wife Christy, however, likes to get stuff started. Did y’all see the episode where they had the tea party and invited Bishop Noel Jones’ girlfriend I mean “friend” I mean business partner I mean…I don’t even know what I mean…She know she just wanted to get in their business….

Pastor Wayne Chaney – Hmmm…I don’t what to say about him because he really hasn’t been on the show very much at this point. His wife seems nice, and she is pretty. Her blossoming friendship with First Lady Christy seems to be genuine…I guess more will be revealed…

Did y’all see them on Arsenio last week…Arsenio challenged them to a “Preach Off.” No judgment, but I just cannot imagine my father or Dr. Charles Stanley (my second favorite pastor) taking part in a “Preach Off” not even even when they were younger…Maybe I’m wrong, but I just can’t see it… If you haven’t seen the video, take a look…

And in the second video, they address their haters…Bishop Noel Jones said if you don’t have any haters, you’re not that gifted…Meoowww…

Any thoughts?

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I’m In Love With a Church Girl (GIVEAWAY)

Hello World,

As a pastor’s daughter who was in church every Sunday and every Wednesday and who couldn’t go to parties until I was in college, I looked forward to the day I could break out! I wanted to do whateva I wanted to do with anyone I wanted to do it with…Dating a “bad boy” was at the top of my list! Now that I’m 40 and married and a devoted Christian woman on my own terms, I’ve outgrown my need to be a wild child, but every once in a while, I’m reminded of just how I felt back then…

That’s why when I heard about about this new movie “I’m In Love With a Church Girl” at Blogalicious earlier this month, I was intrigued….Below is a synopsis of the movie from imbd.com.

Miles Montego (Ja Rule) has it all – cars, boats, good looks, mansion, money, women, but more importantly, he has a past. Miles is a retired high level drug trafficker who is now completely legitimate. Even though Miles has turned over a new leaf, the DEA can’t seem to let him out of their sights. Miles’ only downfall is that he is extremely loyal to his circle of friends and former colleagues who are not retired from the lucrative business.

Struggling to keep on the right side of the law, Miles meets the one girl of his dreams but she’s not the usual type of girl that he’s used to dating. Vanessa (Adrienne Bailon) is a church girl in every sense of the word. They are tested to their last ounce of faith and strength in God and each other. God continues to chip away at Miles through struggles from his past, having to live up to his reputation, feelings of unworthiness, the death of his mother, federal charges, his friends being indicted, the strain on his relationship with Vanessa, almost losing her in a near fatal car accident, and finally the spiritual breakdown and one on one with God that brings Miles to his knees.

Sounds intriguing, right? Well, Adrienne Bailon, who stars as Vanessa stopped by Blogalicious to promote the movie and tell all of the bloggers about herself. As someone who has interviewed hundreds of people at this point in my journalism career and has not been impressed with some Hollywood types, I was really impressed with her fun and unaffected personality…

Here are a few quotes from her interview with Stacey Ferguson, Blogalicious co-founder –

  • On being confused with being one of the Kardashians – “I’m not a Kardashian. I’m from New York. My mom works at Cornell Medical. My mom is from Puerto Rico, and my dad is from Ecuador.”
  • On being a ‘church girl’ – “I grew up in church singing. I was saved, sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost… My father was the worship leader.”
  • On being discovered – “I thought I wanted to be an obstetrician so I had an internship at Beth Israel. This guy came up to me one day and said, ‘Yo ma, you sing?’ I sang ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’ He told me about an audition for a girl group.  That was in April, and by August, I had a record deal with Tommy Mottola for 3LW. After that was the Cheetah Girls. It was very random.”
  • On being a star – “When you come from not having much, I feel so grateful. I’m not special, but I’ve been given special opportunities.”
  • On being grounded – “I have an incredible family. I don’t have a mom that is my manager. She works in the pharmacy department at Cornell, and she still says sometimes, ‘You know we have great [medical] packages!”
  • On being a Sunday School graduate – “I learned in Sunday School that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Romans 8:28]”
  • On her ‘Church Girl’ co-star rapper Ja Rule who plays Miles – “I known Ja for years. 3LW was the opening act for Ja Rule. People don’t know that Ja Rule has been married for 12 years, and he has three children. He is married to his high school sweetheart!”
  • On her role as Vanessa in ‘Church Girl’ – “Vanessa goes against stereotypes of being a Christian. I wore my own clothes. Jesus didn’t say we couldn’t be fly! I love that she was sassy, she was witty, she was fun. She is Christlike. She is non-judgmental, and she shows unconditional love. It’s a great love story…It is a movie with a message of hope and faith. It shows that your past does not determine your future.”
  • On sending Hollywood a message – “As a consumer, you dictate what is in the box office. We can send a message to Hollywood that we want more faith-based movies. And this movie can compete with mainstream movies. Your cousins Chachi and Hosea didn’t come with their camcorder to film this movie.”  LOL!!! Love it!

The movie (which also stars T-Bone, Stephen Baldwin, Toby Mac, Michael Madsen, Vincent Pastore and Martin Kove) comes out THIS FRIDAY, Oct. 18!  Below is a trailer from the movie….

Also, I received a ‘Church Girl’ t-shirt and a copy of the novel “I’m in Love With a Church Girl” by Ryan Phillips with Galley Molina, writer and executive producer of the film. Actually, the film is based on the life of Galley Molina…If you would like to receive the t-shirt and the novel, name three famous church girls, whether fictional or real, who have fallen in love with bad boys! If you are first to tell me in the comments, I will mail the items to you! You’re welcome!

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Any thoughts?

 

 

 

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Through It All: Getting Personal With ‘Sunday Best’ Winner Le’Andria Johnson…

Hello World, le'andria

A few weeks ago, I was one of 30 bloggers given the opportunity to take part of a blogger conference with Le’Andria Johnson, season three winner of BET’s “Sunday Best!” Below is a brief biography, if you have not heard of the rising gospel singer…She has an inspiring testimony that I’m sure will minister to some…

Her debut CD, “The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson,” entered at #1 on multiple music charts.  She received her first GRAMMY nomination for Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian music performance for her debut single “Jesus.” Le’Andria Johnson became the first “Sunday Best” winner to go on to win a GRAMMY.

Le’Andria Johnson’s journey to the spotlight in the gospel music industry has not been one without controversy and backlash.  The 30-year-old, twice divorced, mother of four has dealt with ridicule, judgment and her own personal struggles.  In 2012, an unwed Johnson announced that she was pregnant with her fourth child which was not received well within the gospel industry or church community.  Johnson continued to minister where she was invited but dealing with the closed doors that were once open was a test.

It was suggested by some for her to have an abortion.  Her manager at Music World Gospel told her it was career suicide to carry the baby.  Johnson was fully persuaded that she would not abort her baby but allow God to use the very thing that man tried to kill her with as a testimony.  “I did not kill to be killed” became one of Johnson’s slogans during that time.  Johnson continued to stand in spite of.  “He was my strength.  He said I’ll never leave you nor forsake you.  God I know that you forgave me and if you forgave me, you’re telling me to move on.  But I knew there were millions of Le’Andria’s in the world.”

While expecting, Johnson went on to record her third album under The Music World Gospel label, “Le’Andria Johnson, The Experience,” a live recording.  It was during Johnson’s pregnancy that God began dealing with her and pushing her to minister beyond the music.  Imperfect People Changing Ministries would be birthed during that time.  God was birthing something in and through Johnson in the natural and spiritual.

Below are few questions and answers that I believe will really help people who are going through similar struggles…

How have you overcome the stigma in the church of being a two-time divorcee?  Well, that’s life. Being a two-time divorcee is life. I’m not the only two-time divorced woman in the world or man. There are men that have been divorced twice…I was never bound by the stigma in the church. People knew that I was divorced twice because I decided to tell it, not because somebody read up on it…

What was the toughest part to deal with when the public criticized you for having a child out of wedlock while continuing to minister?  …The tough part was trying to show these women that this mistake or whatever you want to call it. This turnaound. This detour has been made. It’s a part of our life now, but we’ve got to keep moving forward. Ain’t no way that we should abort or kill or give away, put away or whatever you want to do. That was the tough part of trying to tell these women, ‘listen, live and not die’ so that was the toughest…

As a pastor’s daughter, did you ever resent the requirements of ministry on you parents? Heck yeah! Yes, I did, because I was taught God, God, God, God, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There ain’t anything wrong with that but I never understood life because we were always in some Bible meeting. We were always in some revival. We were always in some shut in…Being in church all of my life crippled me. That’s how the whole issue with men that I was dealing with came to be…I couldn’t wait to put on a pair of booty shorts. I couldn’t wait to put on a pair of hoop earrings, red lipstick, eyelashes…I couldn’t wait to get tattoos… I couldn’t wait to smoke, couldn’t wait to drink, couldn’t wait to have sex…But by me doing those things, I had to go through my own personal issues and in that I found God to be who they didn’t teach me He was. I was taught that God is a ‘reprimander’ and that He was jealous. I was taught that God was going to punish you for this. It was negative…But I found out He was the sweetest. He is the sweetest man I’ve ever known…I had to find all of that stuff out after I did the sin…

Wow, she really said a lot…(On a side note: I’m probably the only pastor’s daughter that can’t carry a tune in a bucket…oh well…)

Below is a video of Le’Andria on “Sunday Best.”

You can connect with Le’Andria Johnson by following her on Twitter and Facebook! The blogger conference was hosted by Rhachelle Nicol’, founder of Mother 2 Mother, freelance writer and owner of RN Brand & Design.

Any thoughts?