Posted on Friday, December 30, 2016

Retrospect: My Top 10 Posts of 2016….

bishop eddie long book cover

Hello World,

Wow! In just TWO more days, a New Year will dawn and 2016 will be in our past…One of the ways that I like to reflect on a year is to take a look at what made you come to this blog! Thank you for stopping by After the Altar Call and hopefully staying as a subscriber (THE SUBSCRIBE BUTTONS ARE TO THE RIGHT!)! So take a look below at your favorite blog posts of 2016!

1. Bishop Eddie Long Releases New Book ‘The Untold Story’ While Pastor Jamal Bryant Sidesteps Paternity Claim Today…

Excerpt: Today is going to be an interesting Sunday morning in two churches, and I would give my May tithe to be in either New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia or Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore, Maryland! Just kidding about my tithe! But seriously. According to Bishop Eddie L. Long’s Facebook page, he will be selling limited copies of his book “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience” exclusively after the church’s two services! Can someone get out there to get me a copy? I couldn’t even find this book on Amazon! Is Bishop Long going to address what really happened with those young men who accused him of sexual misconduct as their claims were settled out of court and why he settled? That’s all people want to know at this point!

2. Why Wait? Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Marries on Valentine’s Day After NYE Proposal (VIDEO)!

Excerpt: Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, senior pastor of Atlanta’s Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, the “spiritual home of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” already created headlines when he proposed to Miss Ouleye Ndoye at the end of Watch Night Service at the church last month! Well, Rev. Dr. Warnock capitalized on another romantic occasion, marrying the former Miss Ndoye during a Valentine Day’s wedding ceremony at the church last Sunday!

So I watched the video of the ceremony which came in at about 1 hour and 37 minutes. The wedding colors seem to be shades of lavender, purple and white as all of the flowers and decorations were in those colors. The wedding started off with a solo of Sweet Sweet Spirit which set the tone of the wedding. Also, there was a beautiful flute solo and a heartfelt solo rendition of Steve Wonder’s Ribbon in the Sky. The music lasts for nearly 40 minutes as the mothers walk in together about the 38:09 mark of the video. I counted 10 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen along with a ring bearer and two flower girls.

3. Greenleaf Season Finale Recap, Season 1 Episode 13: What Are You Doing Here?

Excerpt: At long last, Women’s Day has finally arrived! Lady Mae preaches on Proverbs 31:30. Lady Mae tells the women who are decked out in their Sunday best hats and flowery and flouncy dresses that while charm and beauty are weapons, fearing the Lord is the greatest strength a woman possesses. I want to know what First Ladies Lynn Whitfield, who plays Lady Mae, consulted because her First Lady mannerisms are flawless. She imparts Scripture like she is truly the helpmate of a man who has made his living in the Gospel. She explains that the Hebrew word for fear doesn’t mean “cowering” but rather it means awe! While rubbing her belly, she explains that Mary the mother of Jesus was filled with awe about how God’s plan to save the world came through a woman. Then she acknowledged that Calvary was at a crossroads and said that the only way forward for the church is in the footsteps of a virtuous woman!

4. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 6: Good Morning, Calvary

Excerpt: At church on Sunday, Lady Mae, who is happy to see Jacob and his wife smiling and happy together, tells him that Grace will not be able to get the upper hand although she is preaching. She says, “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God and believe in me.” So that is a Bible verse: John 14:1 and refers to Jesus, but it seems that Lady Mae was referring to herself…So obviously, she has got a scheme planned. Her husband may be the head, but she is the neck which is how she was able to get Deaconess Connie Sykes back on as the head of the deacon board in this episode after the new head of the deacon board would not approve of the purchase of a new plane that the Bishop plans to buy…

5. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 7: One Train May Hide Another…

Excerpt: After a long day at Calvary and the “Memphis Man of the Year” event, Mac returns home to see the young girl in the lobby. Apparently, she does not feel comfortable going to her place. This really grown man invites the young, forlorn, girl up to his place. Mac fixes himself some whiskey and gives the girl a non-alcoholic beverage initially. Mac tells her that he was once a disillusioned young person himself and even tried to commit suicide at 12 years old after his mother died on some train tracks. She was crossing the tracks in front of a train that was stopped, but she didn’t see the other train coming. Obviously, the title of this episode has to do with that incident.

6. Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Proposes to Girlfriend During Watch Night Service! (VIDEO)

Excerpt: Then he walks over to her at which some woman in the congregation says, “Uh oh, Pastor?” And then many members of the congregation armed with cell phones vacate the pews, furiously corralling themselves around the pastor and his special guest like he is a football player about to score a touchdown! (I saw “Concussion” last night so football motifs are on the brain. A must-see movie by the way!) He responds with, “Why y’all carrying on like this?” in the midst of the commotion. And the same woman it seems yells, “Go head pastor! Work it pastor!” “Can I talk?” says the Ebenezer Baptist Church pastor finally before beginning his proposal.

7. Greenleaf Recap Season 1 Episode 8: The Whole Book…

Excerpt: Grace does the walk of shame the next day back up to the Greenleaf mansion as Noah lives on the property and hope that no one notices. Unfortunately, her archenemy Lady Mae is up and confronts her with the words, “You look like you’ve been rolled hard and put away wet.” And that’s a GREAT line OWN! I will have to remember that line…She also says, “You won’t be satisfied until you’ve burned this place to the ground.”

8. Pastor Le’Andria Johnson Isn’t the Only Reason I’m Watching ‘Preachers of Atlanta’ Tonight, But She is the No. 1 Reason…My Interview With Her & More

Excerpt: When I wrote the blog post “Was It Wrong for ‘Sunday Best’ Winner Le’Andria Johnson to be Drunk Allegedly on Periscope?” back in September, I had no idea she was a pastor of a church or that she would featured on the Preachers of Atlanta which premieres TONIGHT! I thought the name of her church I.P.C. (Imperfect People Changing) Ministries was simply the name of her ministry organization. Now that I know she is a pastor, I still think her being allegedly drunk on Periscope was bad judgment as I noted in my original post and now that I know she is a pastor, I feel even more strongly about this because James 3:1 is true. That being said, I appreciate her “keeping it real” attitude, but as we all know, keeping it real can go wrong real fast…

9. Original Dreamgirl Sheryl Lee Ralph Featured at Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival in Atlanta This Saturday!

Me and Sheryl Lee Ralph, my soror and fellow Jamerican, at For Sisters Only in 2011.

Excerpt: Ralph, who currently has a reoccurring role CBS’ hit drama “Criminal Minds,” has found new success with her production company, Island Girl Productions, writing, directing and producing her award-winning film short “Secrets“, which will be showcased at Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival. “The Delta Sigma Theta International Film Festival was created to support Delta’s global initiatives and to promote cross-cultural awareness within the Atlanta community. Another very special component of the event is to give filmmakers interested in cross-cultural stories a forum to exhibit their best work. The evening promises to be enlightening, engaging, and enjoyable,” stated Andrea L. Morgan, chair of the chapter’s International Awareness and Involvement Committee.

10. Atlanta Multimillionaire Business Woman Mary Parker to Award Scholarships to Inner-City Youth on Saturday!

Excerpt: Parker, author of The Chick in Charge, is extremely transparent about her humble beginnings. “My parents were sharecroppers,” she recalls. “We lived in a shack in rural Mississippi. It’s those small beginnings that help me appreciate everything I have now.” The pioneer runs a multi-million-dollar security firm with multiple offices in the United States and Africa. Parker, and her team of nearly 300 employees, have secured major events such as the Super Bowl, NBA All-Star Game, PGA Tours, Trumpet Awards and the commencement speech given by President Barack Obama at Morehouse College.

See you in 2017!

Any thoughts?

Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2016

Former Bishop Eddie Long Protégé Pastor Andre Landers to Start New Church After Higher Living Christian Church Foreclosure…

Where Will You Be on New Year's Eve?

landers-long

Hello World,

We’re on the last page of the book of 2016, and who knows how our stories will unfold in the New Year. For Pastor Andre Landers, his days of preaching at Higher Living Christian Church are over as of 2016 as the megachurch building in Hampton, Georgia will be sold by the Evangelical Christian Credit Union at a public auction on Jan. 3, 2017 to recoup a debt of more than $21 million, according The Christian Post. But Landers is looking forward to the New Year according to his Facebook page. In a post, he said, “2017 begins an era of resilience and renewal! Our next service will be our first service as iThrive Christian Church. Join us on January 8, 2017 at Charles Drew High School in Riverdale. Our service times are 8 and 10 am.”

If that was all there is the story, that wouldn’t be a big deal… Unfortunately, a church shutting down or facing a foreclosure even is not a rarity. And I’m sure a church opening isn’t either. But from what I’ve read there is a backstory that makes this particular church opening worthy of a blog post as 2016 closes. Before I get into the backstory, I must say I’ve never met Pastor Landers (although I did see him in a DSW a few years back) nor did I have the opportunity to visit Higher Living Christian Church so I’m only blogging based on what I’ve read. Well, according to the news source Because We Care – Atlanta South, which is also cited in the CP article, the church once had 10,000 members on two campuses. However, the church began to lose its membership a few years ago when Pastor Landers was rumored to be having an affair. An unnamed member of the church told 11 Alive the same story. “From that point, people started to leave. I think some differences of opinion as how things are being run internally, so the congregation started to shrink.” The story took an even more scandalous turn when the pastor allegedly suddenly divorced his then wife Kim Landers who was also reportedly struggling with breast cancer at the time. Apparently, his then wife had no idea that her husband no longer wanted to be married and said so in a Facebook post….

Further complicating the story is the fact that Pastor Landers remarried this year. “In a twist Pastor Landers then remarries and makes his new wife the first lady of HLCC, seemingly the last straw as member numbers dwindle over the years, our source continues.” And he is not shy about his new wife… Check out this Instagram post from a few months ago…

Today my best friend and the woman of my dreams became my Wife!!!!! 🎊🎊🎊🎊 Lady E and I can’t wait to see you at Church on Sunday! #lovewins

A photo posted by Lets Go Higher (@andrelanders) on Jul 15, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT

But wait, there’s more story to tell, chile…Before Higher Living Christian was named Higher Living, it was originally named New Birth South Metropolitan Church, which officially opened on February 25, 2001, with a congregation at 300 at the AMC 24 movie theater in Morrow, Georgia. As suggested by the original name of the church, Landers was once a protégé of Bishop Eddie L. Long…I wonder why the name of the church was changed…Whatever the reason was at the time, it makes sense now given what Bishop Long is still going through…I won’t rehash that story except to say read my blog post Bishop Eddie Long Releases New Book ‘The Untold Story’ While Pastor Jamal Bryant Sidesteps Paternity Claim Today… (my most popular post of 2016 by the way…)

Well, a few months ago, Bishop Long has revealed that he is struggling with his health. Although he declared himself healed, CP also reported earlier this month that Bishop Long “has taken another sick break from church to get rest as church officials fended off rumors Thursday that he is now under hospice care.” It doesn’t help that he appears shockingly gaunt in a recent service…A pic from his Twitter account is below…

bishop-long

Nevertheless, New Birth is having a Watch Night Service at two times this Saturday, according to the church’s Facebook page. A service will be held at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 a.m.

So my question to you is this: Given what we know about the stories of New Birth South/Higher Living/iThrive & the original New Birth, are either of these churches where you want to start your 2017 story? (And I must point out that the God I serve is a God of grace and mercy despite our backstories.)…It has been said that how you spend your New Year’s Eve is how you will spend the rest of your year. And while iThrive is not hosting a Watch Night Service per se, it is having its inaugural service on Jan. 8…

Any thoughts?

Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2013

Looking Back: 2013 in Posts…

Hello World,

In just two days, we get to press the virtual reset button on our lives and begin anew…But before we plot our path into the future, it is always wise to see where we have traveled up until this point…One the ways that I reflect on my journey is to go through the posts on this blog month by month and consider the events of the year…so indulge me a bit as I highlight the best of After the Altar Call 2013….

January 2013 – I was one of two authors selected as an emerging writer for 2012 by Written Magazine! Kim Green (author of “Hallucination”) and I read from our work as a part of Written Magazine’s “Wine & Words” at the historic Hammonds House Museum. It was a real blessing in more ways than one! In January 13, my beloved sorority celebrated its 100th birthday!

February 2013 – I recounted some of the the scandals that have shaken up the church, particularly the Atlanta church …From Bishop Eddie Long Accuser Centino Kemp To Release Tell-All Book to RHOA Kandi Burruss Releases Gospel Song “Stay Prayed Up” with Marvin Sapp

March 2013 – I revealed I am working on a novel in “The Next Big Thing…aka My Next Book in Progress…” I’m not quite finished with the rough draft, but my novel is shaping up to be a juicy page-turner (if I say so myself…at least prayerfully… 🙂 )

April 2013 – By April, I was in full wedding planning mode and was stunned by the average cost of a wedding…An astounding $25,656, according to theweddingreport.com….so of course I wrote the post “The Wedding Industry Heist aka maybe I should go in the wedding planning business.” I was also saddened by the Boston Marathon bombing…Although I am a late bloomer to running, I have fallen in love with it and wrote “An Ode to Running (my tribute to the people affected by the Boston Marathon bombing…).”

May 2013 – President Obama becomes an honorary “Morehouse Man,” delivering the commencement address to the 2013 to the graduating class of Morehouse College! It was the first time that a sitting president has ever addressed a spring commencement in the state! I was blessed to be to cover the event…

Brand new Morehouse Man President Obama!

June 2013 – I expressed my disappointment that a wedding vendor “jacked” $600 from me, but thankfully, with the Lord’s wisdom and guidance, I was able to get my money back!

July 2013 – The day after George Zimmerman was allowed to go free in spite of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, all I could do was be quiet and reflect in “Why the Trayvon Martin Murder Case Matters…Peace Be Still”…And while I am no psychologist, one has to wonder why George Zimmerman continues to get in trouble following the not-guilty verdict…Is his guilt prompting him to act out in ways that will get him locked up? I guess we will know in time…

August 2013 – One of the best events in my life happened this month…I married my ace boon coon on August 10, and we traveled to Hawaii, the state of President Obama was born, for our honeymoon…Yep, it was the best month of the year…We also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his impassioned and ultimately prophetic “I Have A Dream” speech.

September 2013 – I joined the 4-0 club this month…I still cannot believe I am 40 years old…I remember when I turned 13…but those days are gone now…Hello Middle Age…LOL…Sadly, 50 years ago this month, members of the Ku Klux Klan, planted a bomb at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and killed four girls, Addie Mae Collins, 14; Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14…

October 2013 – On Oct. 22, my friend and Delta line sister went home to be with the Lord…Although she is with her savior, the one who knows her and loves her best, and is now cancer-free, we miss her so…I had a dream about her last night…Please keep her family in your prayers…“The Light and the Life that was Lola…”

November 2013 – I was blessed to be able to speak to students at Milligan College and take a trip down memory lane with my parents who accompanied me on the trip…My father received one of his several degrees there in 1972, the year before I was born. In fact, when my parents arrived on Milligan’s campus they had just gotten married

The entrance of Milligan College…

months before in August 1971.

December 2013 – Every holiday season, it is hard not to lose ourselves in the Christmas commercialism, but thankfully, I am always able somehow to remind myself that Jesus is the real reason for the season in “Seven Scriptures to Remind Us that Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season…(Repost)” I also celebrated my first Christmas with the hubby…we are still working on figuring out to celebrate holidays with two families…

Our first Christmas together tree ornament…I know it’s corny but…

Any thoughts?