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Black Christians Making an Impact in Hollywood…

Hello World,

As you can probably tell by this blog, I’m a big entertainment and overall media junkie! My love for the entertainment world started as a child and although I am almost 40 years old (GASP), I still read my celebrity gossip magazines, try to see all of the hottest films and stay abreast of all pop culture trends…At times, my interest in entertainment and all media has conflicted with my faith as Christians are charged to focus on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) People who get to know me are surprised that I can quote popular rap songs as easily as I can quote Scripture…

However, in recent years, I have noticed that more and more Black Christians are committed to creating compelling and actually good entertainment outside of Gospel music and nowhere is this more apparent than in Hollywood…I’m loving how Bishop T.D. Jakes is making an impact in Hollywood from producing “Jumping the Broom” (the main character Sabrina Watson decides to forego premarital sex after one too many failed relationships with the wrong men) to writing the story for the recently released “Woman, Thou Art Loosed: On the Seventh Day” to producing the upcoming “Sparkle,” which features Whitney Houston’s final screen performance…

DeVon Franklin, vice president of production for Columbia Pictures, shared his faith in Christ through his awesome book/testimony “Produced By Faith: Enjoy Real Success Without Losing Your True Self.” And I actually got the chance to interview him about his book and life as a Black Christian in Hollywood. Check out my interview here! Also, I wasn’t aware that Meagan Good is a Christian until recently, but I have come across quite a few articles in which she only expresses her faith. And she is currently starring in “Think Like A Man,” which reportedly grossed over $33 million on its opening weekend (last weekend) and is no. 1 at the U.S. box office! I saw the movie last weekend, and I really enjoyed it! (Sidebar: I adored Good in “Eve’s Bayou!”, and I watched it again last weekend.) And incidentally, DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good recently announced their engagement! Congrats to them!

Good recently ministered to some girls in the FEARLESS Girls Club (a youth empowerment program for high school girls) and told them how her faith has sustained her, particularly as she has been taking care of her family financially since she was 14 years old. Apparently, some of the girls have seriously considered suicide and Good as well as Bre’ly Evans, an actress who appears in “Sparkle” shared their testimonies with the girls. Check out the video below.

I’m sooo excited that Black Christians in Hollywood are opening up about their faith and making a real impact as well…And I’m not even mentioning Tyler Perry, Kim Fields and others…This is sooo right on time…

Any thoughts?

 

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Loving My Neighbor as I Love Myself…

Hello World, 

As a single woman, it is sooo easy to get caught up in what happens to ME, MYSELF & I…But as a Christian, I know that I am charged to love my NEIGHBOR as much as I love MYSELF…(Luke 10:27)…And so from to time, I have to examine how I am actually helping those around me…

When I went to Blogalicious (a convention for bloggers) last year, I was introduced to the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign in which Americans are encouraged to learn about, advocate for, and donate vaccines to children around the world…

Below are the facts:

 1. 1 in 5 children die of a vaccine-preventable disease. That’s one child every 20 seconds and approximately 1.5 million children each year.

2. In countries like the U.S., most children already receive life-saving vaccines. Because of this, American parents don’t typically worry about losing their children to deadly diseases like measles or pneumonia.

3. Seventy-five percent of unvaccinated children live in just 10 countries. For children in India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, China, Uganda, Chad and Kenya, access to vaccines mean the difference between life and death, a healthy life or a lifetime of struggle.  

 What we can do to give every child a Shot@Life:

1. Donate $5 – For the cost of a gourmet coffee drink, you can protect a child from polio and measles for his or her lifetime…

2. Donate $15 – For the cost of an inexpensive concert ticket, you can pay for vaccines to protect a child from the two most deadly diseases – pneumonia and diarrhea…

3. Donate $20 – For the cost of a pedicure, you can give a child a lifetime of immunity from pneumonia, diarrhea, polio and measles…

Of course, you can always give more :)….The point I’m trying to make is that I can easily fritter away cash on all kind of things like gourmet coffee drinks, concert tickets, pedicures and on and on…While I love these things, I am also commanded to love my neighbor…

To donate, please go to this secure website.

Also please take less than 2 minutes to watch this video:

Finally, as part of World Immunization Week (this week), help spread the word about Shot@Life! Did you know that some mothers throughout the world walk 15 miles to get life-saving vaccines for their children?! I waste more than 15 minutes probably an hour on Facebook…Why not join me this week in not only investing my disposable income to saving the lives of the world’s children but also donating my time to spreading the WORD and the word…Next to loving God, we are also called to love others as we love ourselves…Shot@Life gives me the opportunity to love my neighbors….

Any thoughts?

 

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The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men Prey (New Book Alert)

Hello World,

I’m always on the hunt for the next new and interesting book! And y’all, by the title alone, this book is sure to get some buzz….Based on her inflammatory blog post  The Black Church: How Black Churches Keep African American Women Single and Lonely (which had the blogosphere blowing up) dating expert Deborrah Cooper has penned a new book “The Black Church: Where Women Pray and Men Prey.”

In her original blog post, Cooper asserted that good black men were not likely to be in church, and in fact, if you did happen upon a black man in church, he would fit into one of these categories:

  1. A loser working a 12-step program. These guys are in church looking for structure and something to believe in besides themselves, because they are weak and confused. They need help getting their lives back on track and are seeking solace and comfort in church. If they can hook up with a woman looking desperately for a church-going man of any ilk, they’ve got it made.
  2. Openly or in the closet gay men, neither of which is interested in marrying. Some gay men are wrestling with severe guilt and confusion about their desires, which they hope to pray away. Others are openly gay and attend church seeking acceptance from a community which turns its nose up at homosexuality; they are also seeking forgiveness for their sins. Whatever may be this guy’s issue, he is emotionally and psychologically unavailable.
  3. Opportunistic players on the prowl. Every player I know goes to a couple of different churches… some of them go quite regularly. They have easy pickings amongst the hundreds of horny, lonely single women that will cook and give them free meals and satisfy his sexual urges (though these players have no intention of marrying and committing to anyone). Since sex amongst unmarried singles is a sin, it is easy for him to gain the assurance of the women that they keep things secret and not speak of their “transgression” lest they feel the wrath of the Pastor. This secrecy makes it easy for him to hide the fact that he is bed hopping with four or five single ladies, right under their respective noses.
  4. Elderly reformed players. These guys have played themselves so hard and so long, they’re worn out. Their old butts finally realized that the end may be near and playtime is over. Worried about dying alone, they bring their behinds back to church to find a “good Christian woman” for marriage. Essentially they are looking for a free nursemaid and bed warmer… someone to provide comfort and take care of their old broken down a$$@s before they die.

I felt some kind of way about her blog post and wrote about it here so I’m not sure what to make of her new book. But I’ve got to admit, Ms. Cooper knows how to get a reaction! That’s for sure! Below are a few of the points Cooper says she will address in her new book:

    • Why the majority of black women in church will hear nothing but false promises made by false prophets
    • The real reason there are few single black males of marriageable quality in black churches
    • How to take charge of your financial future and spirituality without ever setting foot in a church again
    • How biblical scriptures are cleverly twisted to manipulate your thoughts and behaviors with guilt and shame

 The book will debut this month, according to her website Surviving Dating. Will you read it?

Any thoughts?