Posted on Sunday, February 9, 2014

7 Ways Churches Are Celebrating Black History Month…

Hello World,

If you didn’t know, February is Black History Month in which Americans celebrate the achievements of black people as well the overall contributions of black Americans to our country…At my church, we celebrate Black History Month by highlighting notable black people each Sunday of the month. Last week, we highlighted Barry Black, 62nd Chaplain of the United States Senate and the first African American and the first Seventh-day Adventist to hold this office, and Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States and first African American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General, by having youth in the church compose biographies of their lives that they read to the congregation…

Below are seven ways that other churches are celebrating Black History Month….

1. Two Oxford ministers who share Monroe County, Mississippi roots will exchange pulpits at a traditional African-American and a white church on Feb. 16….Read more in “Pulpit Switch Advances Racial, Christian Harmony” on hottytoddy.com.

2. Today at 5:30 pm, the Emmanuel Temple Holiness Church (Alabaster, Alabama) Drama Team will present its second-annual black history drama, “The Cry of a Black Slave, Struggling for the Dream.” Read more in “Emmanuel Holding Black History Drama” on alabasterreporter.com.

3. Today at 10:15 am, Cornerstone Community Church in Hobart, Indiana will be presenting “Celebrating the Heroes of Black Church History” with a special emphasis on Daniel Alexander Payne, sixth bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the first African-American president of a college. Read more in “Celebrating the Heroes of Black Church History: Daniel Alexander Payne” on rpmministries.org.

4. Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake, Illinois Hosts Free Organ Concert Sunday, Feb 23, 4 p.m. featuring works of African-American composers played by Fisk University Organist & Music Professor Anthony Williams. Read more in “Bethany Lutheran Church Hosts Free Organ Concert Sunday, Feb 23, 4 p.m.” on chicagotribune.com.

5. The transatlantic slave trade and black migration will be explored through a Black History Month program sponsored by the DuSable Museum of African American History, Trinity United Church of Christ (Chicago, Illinois) and the Amistad Commission. Read more in “DuSable Museum, Trinity Team Up on Program on Slave Trade, Migration” on suntimes.com.

6. Today, at 5 pm, King Salim Khalfani, executive director of the Virginia State Conference NAACP will be the keynote speaker at 27th Annual Black History Month Program of Union Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Virginia. Read more on dailyprogress.com.

7. On Feb. 23 at 12 pm, Memorial Chapel in Fort Myer, Virginia will host Dr. Clarence Lusane, author of The Black History of the White House with a book review following the worship service.

How is your church celebrating Black History Month?

Any thoughts?

P.S. Please see my latest article on Black History Month “7 Ways Churches, Celebrities & More Are Celebrating Black History Month in 2016 Despite Stacey Dash…”

Posted on Sunday, February 2, 2014

How Are You Doing With Your New Year’s Resolutions?…It’s only February…

This shows my weight loss and fitness journey…before I lost the weight in college, after I lost the weight in college, celebrating 10 years of fitness by running a marathon, working out for my wedding dress…With God, all things are possible!

Hello World,

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Now, that the first month of 2014 is behind us, I thought I would check in with y’all about your New Year’s Resolutions. As I said in a previous post, it takes me a month of prayer and reflection to make my resolutions. I believe that if God directs me to make the resolutions, He will help me to achieve them within His will…This year, I believe that God wanted me to simplify my list of resolutions. In years past, I have come up with a complicated list of resolutions in which I was likely trying to do too much… This year my resolutions are pretty simple…My main two resolutions for 2014 are to continue to cultivate my new marriage and help my husband achieve his goals…My third big resolution is to write my novel and some other stuff related to my book that I’m not bold enough to share here…at least right now…

According to statisticbrain.com, the TOP 10 RESOLUTIONS for 2014 are:

Lose Weight

Getting Organized

Spend Less, Save More

Enjoy Life to the Fullest

Staying Fit and Healthy

Learn Something Exciting

Quit Smoking

Help Others in Their Dreams

Fall in Love

Spend More Time with Family

I remember when I was in college, in 1994 to be exact, one of my New Year’s Resolutions for the year was to lose the Freshman 15 (or 20 pounds in my case) I gained…At the beginning of the New Year, I joined a weight-loss and nutrition program that was offered to students for free, and I took my one mandatory P.E. class (it was a running class) at the same time. In a three-month period, I went from 145 pounds to 125 pounds, and thanks to God’s help, I have kept that weight off since (I haven’t had any children I must say…)…In fact, I weighed myself yesterday and I was the same weight…I’m not saying this brag…I’m explaining all of this to say that with God’s help, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE…however, a resolution without a plan is only a dream…In fact, only 8 percent of people that make resolutions actually achieve them! Every resolution that I have ever achieved came because I had a plan and typically some accountability…Hopefully, you don’t think I’m giving advice…I’m just sharing what has worked for me…

If losing weight and or eating right is one of your New Year’s resolutions, you many want to check out 1245 Salon and Spa’s Annual Raw Eating Event on Monday, February 3 at 7 pm…The event will include samples of raw foods, testimonials from individuals who’ve had first-hand experience with raw diets and a presentation by a Living Foods Institute representative. Some of the foods available to sample during the event will include: raw chili, marinated greens, curry dip, and stuffed peppers with meatless meat, spinach and tomato sauce. There will also be giveaways! 1245 Salon and Spa is located at 1245 Fowler Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30318.

Any thoughts?

Posted on Saturday, February 1, 2014

Watch “The Gabby Douglas Story” on Lifetime on Saturday, Feb. 1!!!

Hello World,

Gabby Douglas!

I cannot believe it was nearly two years ago when Gabby Douglas wowed the world in the gymnastics competition in the 2012 Summer Olympics! If you don’t remember, below is a refresher…

A prodigy from a very young age, Gabby Douglas originally made her mark on the world of competitive gymnastics at age eight. She won numerous state championship titles in her age group throughout her early competitive career. While her star was fast rising in the arena, Gabby and her family faced economic challenges at home and she made the difficult decision to leave her mother Natalie, three siblings and grandmother in Virginia Beach and move to Des Moines, Iowa, to train with renowned coach Liang Chow to pursue her dream of Olympic glory.

Buoyed by her early success, dedication and unyielding love from her family, Gabby made it onto the 2012 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team, with whom she faced intense competition in the London Games. Her sacrifice and perseverance were triumphantly rewarded with Team Competition and Individual All-round gold medals, placing Gabby and her teammates – known as “The Fierce Five” — among the world’s all-time greats in gymnastics.