Category Archives: Writing

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Pastor Tunya Griffin, Alleged Former ‘Girl Friend’ of Pastor Jamal Bryant, Refutes Statements He Made in His Clap Back Video…

Watch Episode 3 of the RHOP Reunion TONIGHT!

Interesting how she has speaking engagements as a pastor while having a sexual relationship with a pastor who is not her husband for several years…

Hello World,

I hope you had a socially distant Christmas with your family, friends and loved ones! I did 🙂 So y’all, last week, I wrote this post Why New Birth Pastor Dr. Jamal Bryant Was Right to Respond to ‘Real Housewife’ Monique Samuels & Say He Won’t Appear on the Show Again
Apparently, I made a mistake so let me correct that first of all. In the paragraph which starts with, “And most revealingly about Monique, he revealed that while she is steady calling him out, she has been calling him, trying to get a come up,” I attributed the quotes that follow to being about Monique, but actually Pastor Bryant was referring to woman he dated who lives in New York. During episode of 1 of the RHOP reunion, Monique provided information regarding his former girl friend’s texts with Pastor Bryant as well as some of the conversations he had with this woman.

Well since Pastor Bryant released his clap back video, this woman, who has now been identified as Pastor Tunya Griffin, was interviewed by All About the Tea and Leonardo Blair of The Christian Post wrote an article Alleged Former Lover of Pastor Jamal Bryant Speaks Out After He’s Accused of ‘Egregious Sexual Conduct’ about this interview. Below is an excerpt:

A woman who alleges she had a yearslong intermittent sexual relationship with Pastor Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Stonecrest, Georgia, is suggesting that he be removed from the pulpit because he’s not fit to be a spiritual leader.

“We all have sinned and we’ve all fallen short, but we can’t keep thinking that it’s OK to get your ‘get out of jail free card’ every time you do this,” said the woman, Tunya Griffin, who serves as associate director of university/community partnerships at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“That’s not grace at all. And so the response of the church is around this ideal: if somebody falls we help them get up. We clean them up and we bring them back into the fold. OK, yes, we do. They fall. We clean them up. We bring them back in. But that does not mean that you bring them back in to occupy the same space,” she said.

Griffin spoke out about her relationship with Bryant in an interview posted on YouTube Tuesday in which she claimed the unmarried pastor pursued other relationships and fathered at least two children over the period they were intimate. Read the rest HERE.

Below is the All About the Tea Interview:

So I have a few reactions to this video. Firstly, I watched about 43 minutes of the interview which lasts for 1 hour, 24 minutes and 54 seconds. She starts off by stating that she and Pastor Bryant met at a speaking engagement where Pastor Bryant signed copies of his book World War Me: How to Win the War I Lost in 2011. After she read his book, she posted on social media about how good the book was. Pastor Bryant saw the post and slid into her DMs, she said. From that point, they had an off-and-on relationship which was sexual for a period of years. At the very beginning of this video, Tunya introduced herself. The first thing she said about herself is that she is a pastor. Now, as a pastor, she must be familiar with the passage to “flee fornication” as an unmarried person in 1 Corinthians 6:18. So that is the first problem I have with her. She has every right to tell her story, but throughout the video, she questions Pastor Bryant’s character and morals, but what about her character and morals? She even had pictures of Pastor Bryant in bed which are displayed in the interview!

She also stated that Pastor Bryant contacted her about the time it was reported that he was reconciling with his ex-wife Gizelle Bryant. (This would be around September 2019.) Not wanting to be a homewrecker, she asked him about that and he said the reconciliation was simply a reality TV plot and not a real reconciliation. Monique produced texts between Pastor Griffin and Pastor Bryant that demonstrates this exchange. Once he explained the situation, apparently the two met in Buffalo, New York and spent time with each other as he was there for business purposes. Again, if you’re a pastor, why are you in relationship with a man who is a liar? It says Proverbs 6:16-19, that are six things that the Lord hates and one of those is a “lying tongue.”

She also talked about how his parents, who are in ministry as well, must be disappointed by his wrongdoings including allegedly fathering illegitimate children throughout the course of their relationship. In addition, she also said she was a parent at the beginning of the interview. If you’re a parent, why are you seeing a man who is allegedly fathering children here, there and everywhere and not claiming them as his children?

And Pastor Griffin knows scriptures too because she refers to the Bible many times during the course of the interview…

I must say that if these allegations are true, I really hate it for the flock at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church because they’ve already suffered through having a scandalous shepherd. But at the same time, I wouldn’t want Pastor Tunya Griffin as my pastor nor my parent either…But for entertainment purposes alone, the video is worth watching…She even compares Pastor Bryant to President Trump…

And I let me share this verse as I conclude. Do with it as you will:

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1

Anywho, episode 3 of the The Real Housewives of Potomac will be broadcast tonight at 9 p.m. on Bravo, and I will be watching…smhh…(shaking my holy head)

Will you?

If you would like to keep up with pop culture from a Christian perspective, please click on this link to subscribe to my blog 🙂!

Any thoughts?

 

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OWN ‘Greenleaf’s’ Uncle Mac aka GregAlan Williams Returns to TV in Lifetime Movie ‘Envy’ & More Book To Film News!

Hello World,

I didn’t want to admit it, but now that OWN’s Greenleaf has ended, I must admit that Uncle Mac, as evil and depraved as he was, was my favorite character. And unless I’ve somehow missed it, I haven’t seen GregAlan Williams, the actor who masterfully portrayed Uncle Mac, on television since. (Aside: if you missed my interview of GregAlan Williams, check it out HERE.)

But he’s coming back to television via Lifetime! GregAlan Williams will portray Elijah in the upcoming Lifetime movie Envy, which is based on the novel of the same name by my sorority sister novelist Victoria Christopher Murray! Her novels Lust, Greed and Wrath will also be made into Lifetime movies! The air date for Envy hasn’t been announced yet, but you know I will keep you in the loop! Below is the synopsis for Envy followed by Victoria’s FB post about Envy below…

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Gabrielle Wilson has the perfect life: a Beverly Hills mansion, a loving family, and a massively successful PR firm. When her father admits that an affair he had years before resulted in a daughter, Gabrielle is shocked, but is actually happy. Could this be the sister she has been praying for all her life?

Keisha Jones’s life is a struggle. Her late mother worked on the streets, and school was its own nightmare. When Gabrielle offers to fly Keisha out of Arkansas to meet the family, Keisha instantly agrees. But Gabrielle doesn’t realize that Keisha has known about the Wilsons for years. Keisha is determined to have everything she has always envied, and nothing can stand in her way.

ENVY filming has wrapped! LUST begins today and I’ll share that cast soon!
And yes, they will do GREED and WRATH next,…

Posted by Victoria Christopher Murray on Friday, December 4, 2020

 

Tiffany L. Warren

And in other book to film news, novelist Tiffany L. Warren, who graciously allowed me to interview her for my first book, will see her book The Favorite Son on BET in 2021! Jonathan McReynolds and Anthony Evans Jr. are among the stars who will be in the film. Below is the synopsis of The Favorite Son followed by two of her jubilant posts about the upcoming movie!

Do family, faith–and fame–go together?

They’re handsome, smart, and musically gifted. Brothers Camden and Blaine Wilson have put their talents together and founded a gospel group. The quieter one, Camden is the songwriter, while charismatic Blaine is the performer. At first, their Reverend father is against the idea–until Blaine, his favorite, wows the congregation at a church revival. Sure enough, once the reverend witnesses their effect on the crowd he wants them there every Sunday. But he may have set the stage for trouble. . .

As the group’s popularity grows, so do the groupies–and promiscuous Blaine is more than happy to share his love. Gigs across the country, meetings with music execs, a chance to sign with a major label, and a sexy new band member bring new connections–and dangerous new temptations. Soon, a slew of rumors and a shocking betrayal threaten to destroy the group–and the brothers’ relationship. But one event is going to rock their world forever. Do they have enough faith, forgiveness, and brotherly love left to find harmony once more?…

Meet the Wilsons! Blaine, Camden, Pastor B.C., First Lady and Dawn. Yes, gospel fans, that is Jonathan McReynolds!!!!!…

Posted by Tiffany L. Warren on Saturday, December 12, 2020

And another one! Anthony Evans Jr. is Royce London in Favorite Son! #booktofilm #BET #dreamcometrue

Posted by Tiffany L. Warren on Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Exciting news for these two authors! I’m so happy for them 🙂

Any thoughts?

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New York Times Bestselling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby Launches The Woman God Created You to Be Podcast Starting Tomorrow!

Hello World,

In January, fiction dynamo Kimberla Lawson Roby, a New York Times bestselling author known for her Reverend Curtis Black Series, released her very first nonfiction title The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith — Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally! Now, Kimberla is launching a podcast based on that book entitled The Woman God Created You to Be Podcast, which will start tomorrow!

Below is the description including a trailer:

Are you the real woman God created you to be? Do you want to become her? Join New York Times bestselling author and speaker, Kimberla Lawson Roby, each week, as she inspires and encourages you to become the best you can be in all areas of your life—spiritually, personally, and professionally. In every episode, Kimberla will transparently discuss topics, such as faith, purpose, relationships, self-care, women’s issues, fear, failure, success, and so much more—all of which she has struggled with or experienced herself. Additionally, she will share three things you can do, as well as a scripture to help you. Kimberla is a Christian woman, wife, bonus mom, speaker, and author of 28 books, including, The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith — Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally.

Each Monday, you’ll be able to listen to a new episode via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, or Amazon Music. Also, so you don’t miss any of the weekly episodes, subscribe to the podcast at no cost to you.

If you haven’t read her book The Woman God Created You to Be: Finding Success Through Faith — Spiritually, Personally, and Professionally , I interviewed her about this book earlier this year. A portion of that interview is below.

1. In your latest title The Woman God Created You to Be, your first nonfiction title, you reveal so much. You reveal that you wrote your last seven fictional stories “in misery,”  that you didn’t meet your biological father until you were an adult, that you were touched inappropriately as a child, that you’ve been married before and more. Why reveal all of this now after cultivating a career in writing in which you have kept your personal life to yourself?
That is a very, very good question, even one that I sort of had for myself, and the only answer that I have is what the truth is: This is not necessarily the book that I wanted to write. But it is a book that God laid on my heart, and one that just wouldn’t go away. First of all, the idea of just writing a nonfiction book, and also the idea of writing a book in which I am so transparent. But as I continued to pray about it and move forward with it, I decided, ‘Okay, yes, Lord, I hear you, and I am going to write this book.’ Especially if it is going to help women. I also had to come to the understanding that the only way I was going to do that was to share my own experiences whether they were the successes and the accomplishments that God has allowed me to have, as well as the fears, the flaws, and the failures.
2. You said you wrote your Rev. Curtis Black Series so that readers would pay close attention to who their church leaders are. Do you feel you accomplished this goal?
I do. From when the very first title in the series ‘Casting the First Stone’ was released in January 2000, I’ve heard many, many stories from readers in cities and states throughout the country. So many people have said to me, ‘It made me take a look at my pastor. It made me take a look at my church leader.’ I heard them say that it wasn’t something they’d thought to do, and that it really made a difference in their lives, so that was my whole point. I also mentioned in the book that I love God too much to have written that particular series to criticize or ridicule the church or pastors. I would never do that, and my hope was that people would come to realize that it’s not about worshiping another human being who is standing in the pulpit, but it is absolutely about making sure your own personal relationship with God is intact.
No one is perfect, but what do you feel that people should look for in a church leader, particularly for those who are sour on church as you mentioned in your Church People chapter?
I think people should certainly look for a leader who is following God and then also one who has great integrity. I speak very highly of my own pastor because those were two of the things that Will [her husband] and I looked for when we began looking for a different church several years ago. And that makes all the difference – looking for a pastor who not only does what he says he is going to do but that you can see that he is doing it. And you can feel that he cares, not just about himself but that he cares about people in general.
3. In your chapter The Comparison Game and Pretending to Be Someone You’re Not, you write about writers who have often said they want to be like you with a wonderfully successful writing career without realizing that if that were true, they would have to be like all of you – which includes still grieving the loss of your mother after she passed away 18 years ago and having anxiety attacks. Why do you feel that this is an important message for writers?
I think that it’s a very important message because especially in this day of social media, so many times, people are scrolling through timelines and they’re looking at the next person, thinking, ‘Wow, I wish I could trade places with them,’ or ‘Wow, there’s no sense in me following through with the purpose that I know God has given me because someone else is already doing it.’ That’s what I believe really gets us in trouble. The best advice I could give to anyone, and this is across the board, is to just be who God created you to be. Focus on what your own passions are. Pray and ask God to show you what your purpose is so that you can begin walking in it. One of my lines that I like to say is, and it’s not brand new, but I really believe in staying in my own lane. I just suggest that everyone do that.
And for some writers, you are a New York Times bestselling author, but for some authors, their writing path may not include that kind of accolade. What do you say to that?
My thoughts have always been to focus on what God created you to do. Maybe He has brought you into this world to bless 20 people versus 20,000 or 20 million. But we have to be okay with that. We have to do what God has assigned to our lives.

To read the entire interview, click HERE. 

I will definitely be listening tomorrow! How about you?

Any thoughts?