Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2018

Cherisse Stephens Ministries Presents God’s Cover-Girls Women and Girls Conference 2018!

Hello World,

Women and girls from around the globe will gather at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, June 1-2, 2018, for the God’s Cover-Girls Women and Girls Conference. This conference was founded by Cherisse Stephens, CEO of Cherisse Stephens Ministries. This year’s God’s Cover-Girls Conference (GCGC) theme, “No Shade, All Son” is sure to bring inspiration and empowerment!

Our message is clear! It’s your Time to SHINE, no matter what you’ve faced in the past. Our gathering will be a time of empowerment, healing, spiritual growth and self-awareness. We have organized classes, workshops, worship, a vision board party for the youth, shopping with specialty vendors and so much more! Orlando has so much to do and see.

Focusing on self-esteem and awareness, training for success, healthy living (mind, body and spirit), and more, GCGC offers something for all ages. Those looking for spiritual renewal, strategies to jump start their careers or discovering their life’s purpose, will find that the nationally recognized speakers will arm them with the tools for success.

Evangelist Cherisse Stephens, renowned Gospel recording artist, author and television host, founded Cherisse Stephens Ministries in 1994. Since then, the ministry has hosted several major conferences including Spring Forth into Destiny Family Conference, Prophetic Encounter and more. Cherisse Stephens is a graduate of The University of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University, where she received her associate of arts, bachelor of science in Business and master’s degree in Leadership. She is also a media specialist in the Gospel music industry and has hosted television for TBN’s “Praise The Lord” program and WATC’s flagship TV program; “Atlanta Live.” Additionally, she has also produced her own shows that air via television and social media. She has also appeared on The Word Network, TCT, Impact TV and many other Christian and secular networks. Cherisse Stephens is an international recording artist and her music continues to bless the nations. Most importantly, Evangelist Cherisse Stephens is proud to be the wife of Preston L. Stephens and the mother of their two awesome sons, Preston & Brandon. Her goal is to be the Proverbs 31 Woman, which is the Ultimate God’s Cover-Girl!

“We desire to provide a real-life transforming experience – spiritually, emotionally and physically for every woman and girl we encounter. I believe that faith-based teachings combined with practical application, truly empower people for change,” says Stephens. “We’ve been hosting these life-changing conferences for years, and each year we’re blessed to offer scholarships for our youth to attend our conferences, thanks to our sponsors and private donors. This year is no different. We are looking for businesses to sponsor a girl, a family or even a women’s small group to help offset the costs,” Stephens says.

Attendees can register for the conference through GodsCoverGirls.Eventbrite.Com and through our online store via Square Market. Adult registration is $50; $20 for Youth; and $40 for Groups of 10 or more if registering together. The VIP registration is $99 per person and includes VIP seating, welcome reception and more. Vendor registration is $100 and available on a first-come, first-served basis as space is limited. To book rooms, go to aws.passkey.com/go/GodsCoverGirls or call 1 888-421-1442 (God’s Cover-Girls Room Block). For more information about GCGC 2018, e-mail GodsCoverGirls18@gmail.com or call the administrative office at 678.341.0371.

Finally, Evangelist Cherisse Stephens will be appearing on The Word Network THIS Friday, May 4 if you would like to get a taste of her ministry. Please see the flyer to the left for the details!

Any thoughts?

Posted on Thursday, April 26, 2018

Software Developer & Author Vanessa Riley Writes Code By Day & Romance Novels By Night!

Hello World,

I’m always fascinated when I meet people who are truly multi-talented i.e. someone whose fields of expertise are on the opposite end of the spectrum. For example, I know a medical doctor who is also a budding author. That is astounding to me because as a journalist/author, anything involving math and science is like a foreign language to me. Aside from my medical doctor/author friend, I would like to introduce you to another multi-talented author, Vanessa Riley!

Vanessa writes Regency and historical romances of dazzling multi-culture communities with powerful persons of color. She writes for historical romance readers who admire and acquire books that showcase women who find joy in sweeping kisses and strong sisterhoods. Even in the darkness, she promises to give you laughs, maybe a few cries, to show you how light always prevails and how love always, always wins.

Below is my interview with Vanessa:

1. You write novels about the Regency & Victorian time periods. For those people who don’t know about these time periods, please tell me about these time periods and what attracted you to writing about them?

I have always loved history, and the Regency and Victorian periods are strong draws for me because of the changes society was undertaking, moving from agrarian to industrialization, from structure to naturalism, and wrestling with new thoughts of freedom. I particularly enjoy English society and international settings because slavery ended as early as the 1790s and more broadly by 1833 in Europe and the colonies. That same evolution doesn’t happen in the US until 1865 and it occurs by bloodshed and bullets, not by better angels or better thoughts.

2. In addition to your eponymous website, you also have a website christianregency.com. What is Christian Regency? And how do people of color fit into this era or do they?

Everyone say this and repeat it often, “The Regency was diverse.” During the time of Jane Austen, the patron saint of the time, there were 10,000 free Blackamoor and mulattoes living in London. As with all cultures yearning to live full worthy lives— some had means, many struggled, but all were vested in the society.

3. Tell me about your most recent and or upcoming books. Also, one of your books “The Bittersweet Bride” was chosen as a favorite book in February by Sarah MacLean, romance columnist for The Washington Post? How does that feel and has this particular book received any other accolades that you would like to highlight?

It was a great honor. Sarah is a hero and her voice makes a difference. It opens doors.

4. How did you get started as a writer, and how many books have you written to date?

I started writing in high school and never quite stopped. By the end of the year, I will have over 19 books published.

5. Your biography is very impressive. You have a doctorate degree in mechanical engineering, a master’s degree in industrial engineering and engineering management from Stanford University in addition to bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Penn State University. What do you do for a living and how do you find time to write?

I am a software developer by day, so one could say I am always writing, code or prose. I feel I write the best when the house is quiet—with a teen that’s two in the morning.

6. In your biography, you also share that you have an unusual romance story as you and your husband married after a 30-day Christian courtship (How long have you been married?). How did that happen and does your romance story weave itself into your novels? You also share that you have uncles who are in arranged marriages. What?! Please share.

Yes, my husband and I have been married for 22 years. We met by a mutual friend and a miracle German chocolate cake. Girls, friends and baking skills are good things.

As far as my uncles are concerned, my mother told me my grandfather was very active in telling his boys where to go and get their wives. My aunts are lovely women so Grandpa was right in his arranging.

7. According to you, you were raised in the “restrictive Southern Bible Belt with its stringent definitions of decent behavior and life expectations.” (Where were you raised?) Given your upbringing, what are three things people would be surprised to know about you?

Aiken is a small horse friendly town. Three things…hmmm. Well, I love to cook. I know how to knit and crotchet. I once wrote a 10,000 line program which after sleeping on it, I was able to rewrite in 12 lines.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Only that I am thankful for the opportunity to spend this time talking to you and your readers. Thank you.

Vanessa’s novel “The Bashful Bride, (see cover above)” No. 2 in the Advertisements for Love Series, will be released on May 28. Below is a description of the novel.

When a newspaper advertisement for a bridegroom nets London’s most famous actor, a shy, sheltered heiress risks all to be with him in a mad dash to elope, escaping her overbearing family’s plan for an arranged marriage. But does the actor with the voice of honey have far too many secrets to make a safe happy match?

A friend’s newspaper advertisement for a groom nets the most famous actor in London, Arthur Bex. Shy heiress Ester Croome proposes to elope with the handsome man, who she’s secretly loved for two years, in order to escape an impending engagement arranged by her overbearing family.

Trying to outlive the shadow of his infamous slave-trader uncle, Bex needs to marry quickly—to a woman of good character. And smart, beautiful Ester fits the bill. But a harrowing trip to Gretna Green and dangerous abolition rallies prove to be a more treacherous stage than either imagined. Infatuation and a mutual love for Shakespeare might not be enough to bind a couple looking to outrun the chains and secrets of family and the past.

For more information about Vanessa, please go to vanessariley.com.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2018

7 Reasons Why I Love That Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child is Engaged to Pastor Chad Johnson!

Hello World,

By now, you’ve probably heard that Michelle Williams, a member of the former trio Destiny’s Child, is engaged to Pastor Chad Johnson! I ALWAYS LOVE a love story, but I particularly love a love story that demonstrates how God works! Won’t He Do It?! Yes, He did and that is evident in how God brought the two of them together (at least from what we are privy to via the media)! Let me break down seven reasons why I love the love story of Michelle Williams and Pastor Chad Johnson…

1. Michelle Williams had to wait on the Lord…We’ve all heard that God is an on-time God, and He is. But the caveat is He may not come when you want Him to come, but He’s always on time…I must confess that I hate that sometimes…God’s timing that is…But there are so many verses that address waiting on God’s timing that I have to conclude that waiting is a part of the Christian life…Below are three of these verses:

“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.” Lamentations 3:25

“Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7

I bet it was hard to watch Beyoncé get married 10 years ago, Kelly get married 4 years ago while Michelle, who is making gospel albums, was just waiting for God’s best to arrive! She had even gotten to the point where she was bitter about love. This is a quote from her Instagram page: “I used to be so bitter and a hater when Valentine’s Day would come around. I even found myself tweeting things like “Valentine’s Day is for suckers!” Welp….I’m a sucker! The Lord has been kind!” But her “someday my prince will come” story started last year and from what I’ve read, he is an admiral man of God, a pastor no less! But like I’ve learned”“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

I used to be so bitter and a hater when Valentine’s Day would come around. I even found myself tweeting things like “Valentine’s Day is for suckers!” Welp….I’m a sucker! The Lord has been kind! 😂😂#HeDatesMe #HeBuildsMeUp #HePraysForMe #HeBelievesInMe #HeLovesMeTheWayIAm #HePlucksMyChinHairs #HeToleratesMyMoodSwings #HeCooksForMe #HeSwagsMeOut #HeKeepsJsOnMyFeet #HeTeachesMeTheWORD #AndTheListGoesOn #YouGetThePicture #BeEncouraged #LoveIsOnTheWayForYouToo #EveryDayIsValentinesDayForUs #LoveIsAnACTIONWord #MyChad

A post shared by Michelle Williams (@michellewilliams) on Feb 14, 2018 at 12:33pm PST

2. Pastor Chad Johnson had to have faith in God that his princess was on the way…Do you know that without faith it is impossible to please God? It says so in Hebrews 11:6! Read it for yourself! What does that mean? That means when even when you cannot see how God is going to come through, you just know that He is and act on that belief. That is what Pastor Chad did when he started saving for an engagement ring that he would present to his fiancée 11 years ago!!! ““On my 30th birthday, everybody came and celebrated me. The next day, I woke up alone. I was so lonely. I had a little pity party. My personal life was lacking so much, and I was living so single,” recalls Johnson, who turns 41 in July. “So as a response to that moment, I opened up a ring account, and for 11 years, I put $150 into a ring account.” Read the rest of this story at people.com. He bought her a 5-carat ROCK! You hear me! Now that’s faith!!!

3. Michelle & Pastor Chad were looking for God before they were looking for each other…God absolutely insists that no one come before Him! And waiting/searching for that mate can become an idol if we’re not careful. But from what I’ve read, Michelle & Pastor Chad did not succumb to that temptation…They met at a Christian retreat…”Though Williams and Johnson hit it off immediately, both remained focused on the purpose of the Elevate International retreat. “I mean, he was cute,” the singer admits, “but I did not go to flirt with the pastor!”” Read the rest of the story at people.com.

4. Pastor Chad tried to holla at Michelle first…Y’all, I’m a liberated woman. Trust. But I have learned that man likes to hunt not be hunted. I know there are some who think that a woman should ask a man out, but I’m not one of them. Now I think it’s cool to flirt and let a dude know you’re interested but pushing up first i.e. asking a man out makes them feel like they got cheated in the game of pursuit…Like my favorite rapper Tupac says, “Hate to sound sleazy, but tease me, I don’t want it if it’s that easy.” And in the Bible it says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.” Proverbs 18:22

5. Michelle & Pastor Chad pushed beyond negative experiences…As you get older, unfortunately, often negative experiences come our way. That is why God’s word says that we are to remember our creator in the days of our youth before the evil days come. And when they do come, if we have that foundation of faith, we know that sun will shine again after the rain and there is ultimately gain in our pain…Both Michelle and Pastor Chad were having negative experiences personally when they met, but they pushed beyond that to come together…“When we met, both of us were in very similar places on a personal level,” says Johnson, who at the time had all but given up dating. “Michelle was coming off the heels of a really bad relationship, and I was just in a place of despair as well.”

6. Michelle & Pastor Chad were willing to try “something new…”…One of my favorite movies of all times is the 2006 movie “Something New” in which black corporate exec Kenya McQueen dates and eventually marries white landscaping company owner Brian Kelly. At first, she is wary of dating a white man not only because of his race but also because he is not a corporate type. But his temperament and demeanor prove to be what she needed all along…Although Pastor Chad could pass for black (at least from pictures and has the nerve to have a black last name LOL) he is, in fact, white. And he is willing to be with a superstar and all that must entail. And he has proven to be up to the challenge according to Michelle’s Instragam page: “That amazing feeling of getting off the stage, running back to the dressing room and I see someone standing there waiting for me! I always wondered how our worlds would mesh. I always wanted to protect who you are, your ministry and platform because people are nuts and cruel, but you have covered me, prayed for me and told me that wherever I go, and whatever stage I stand on to be a light! Soooooooo sorry I jumped on you but I’m glad to know you have muscles to hold me! You so stronnnnnnnng! 😂😂 I’ve waited yeeeeeeears for someone who could come in to my world and be CONFIDENT and NOT insecure, love who I love and genuinely be there for people!! I LOVE YOU.”

That amazing feeling of getting off the stage, running back to the dressing room and I see someone standing there waiting for me! I always wondered how our worlds would mesh. I always wanted to protect who you are, your ministry and platform because people are nuts and cruel, but you have covered me, prayed for me and told me that wherever I go, and whatever stage I stand on to be a light! Soooooooo sorry I jumped on you but I’m glad to know you have muscles to hold me! You so stronnnnnnnng! 😂😂 I’ve waited yeeeeeeears for someone who could come in to my world and be CONFIDENT and NOT insecure, love who I love and genuinely be there for people!! I LOVE YOU @chadjohnson77!!! ❤️ #HoldOn #LoveIsComing #IPrayRealTrueGodlyLoveForEveryone #ThankYouJesus 📸: @parsons

A post shared by Michelle Williams (@michellewilliams) on Apr 17, 2018 at 2:36pm PDT

7. Michelle & Pastor Chad’s engagement story is viral…You don’t have to be a superstar for God to work in your life, but when God has orchestrated a blessing in a star’s life, God’s name is lifted up! There are people out there who need to know that God loves and cares for each one of us and sometimes God elevates people so that His Good News can be spread throughout the world. What was Destiny’s Child – Beyoncé, Kelly & Michelle – have had a worldwide stage in Coachella these past two weeks. And it was during this time that Michelle and Pastor Chad announcement their godly engagement! God is the ultimate show director and we are but characters in His world. I believe that He wanted as many people as possible to know that what He did for them, he can do for you if only you would have that personal relationship with Him FIRST…

So do you love that Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child fame is engaged to Pastor Chad Johnson?

Won’t He Do It? Yes, He Did…I LOVE this song below…Check it out…