Tag Archives: COVID-19

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Retrospect: My Top 10 Posts of 2020!!!

 

Hello World,

If you’re reading this, y’all we made it…well, a few hours from now, we will have!!! This morning as I was writing in my journal, I realized that God has blessed me in ways that I hadn’t even acknowledged before today. (Please forgive me Lord!) Despite the trials of this particular year, which includes family members getting sick and or hospitalized with COVID-19, I can list and have listed the ways that God has continued to prove He’s my good shepherd and your good shepherd as well! After the Altar Call, my humble corner of the world wide web, is one of God’s blessings ever since it first launched in 2008! I’m so grateful that each year, more and more of you come here for content at the cross section of faith, relationships and pop culture! Below are the top 1o posts that brought you here in 2020!

1. ‘The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel’ Executive Producers & Cast Attend Television Critics Association Panel (PHOTOS)

Excerpt: According to Deadline.com, there was some tea spilled at the TCA panel, “… one question was gotten out of the way early:  Was estranged sister Denise Clark-Bradford consulted in the making of the movie? ‘Yes, she was absolutely given the opportunity to participate in her story,’ said Executive Producer Holly Carter, who was joined on the panel by Executive Producer Queen Latifah (Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott are also EP’s) and cast members Christina Bell, Kierra Sheard, Sheléa Frazier, Raven Goodwin and Angela Birchett.” Read the rest of the article HERE.

2. Former Follower of Pinky Promise Founder Heather Lindsey Implies She’s a ‘False Prophet’ & Says She Owes Her Money!

Excerpt: And since D. Danyelle ended her blog post with mentioning money, let’s start with that in 2020. A whole four years later after what D. Danyelle wrote, Jaleceya Tate via YouTube claimed she is owed a refund for buying Heather Lindsey’s products in addition to criticizing her in much of the same way that D. Danyelle did. Jaleceya said she became a follower of Heather Lindsey in approximately 2013 because of her “cute kids, cute husband and cute testimony.” She subsequently attended a Pinky Promise conference, bought two of Heather Lindsey’s books and even attended Heather Lindsey’s cooking class.  She revealed that perusing Heather Lindsey’s perfect Instagram page over time caused her to feel her life, in comparison, was inferior. As a result, she began to not go her page as much.

3. Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Raphael Warnock & Wife To Divorce as He Runs for U.S. Senate…

Excerpt: Earlier today, I checked the analytics for my website and noticed that many of the posts I have written about the Warnocks have received traction in the last couple of days. I wrote about their their romantic engagement in “Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Proposes to Girlfriend During Watch Night Service! (VIDEO)” in January 2016,  their beautiful marriage ceremony just over a month later on Valentine’s Day in “Why Wait? Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Marries on Valentine’s Day After NYE Proposal (VIDEO)!” and even the birth of their first child in “Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor & Wife Become Parents!” later that year. I think they are a beautiful couple, and I have visited Ebenezer several times over the years. But when I Googled them today, this AJC article appeared…”Warnock, Wife Involved in Dispute” by Stephen Deere and Greg Bluestein. Rev. Warnock told the AJC that he and his wife have been separated since November and plan to divorce.

4. Greenleaf Recap Season 5 Episode 8, Series Finale: Behold…

Excerpt: Saints, unfortunately what we feared is true, Bishop has gone on to his final reward and is with the Lamb of God in that pasture in the sky. After last week’s episode, when it appeared that Bishop had a stroke, I felt like I had lost a beloved family member rather than a character on a mere television show. And even the next morning, I felt melancholy. But that is what great television or any great work of art will do: illuminate real life so much that you have no choice except to contemplate what has been presented and incorporate the message in your real life. The reality is that we all have an expiration date and hopefully we will leave this sphere as Bishop did, having poured out everything in service to God and what He has called us to do for our fellow man…

5. OWN ‘Greenleaf’ Creator Craig Wright & Executive Producer Kriss Turner Towner Share How ‘Greenleaf’ Started, Secrets from Season 5 & the Spinoff & MORE (MY INTERVIEW)

Excerpt: I must say that I’m very much disturbed by recent events in my city of metro Atlanta, but that is why quality entertainment is more important than ever. Although I’m tempted to tune into 24-hour news stations 24 hours a day, I must detach myself periodically and de-stress somehow. Along with exercise, watching my favorite television shows is one of my easiest ways to de-stress, and as most of the readers of my blog know, OWN’s Greenleaf is at the top of my list. That’s why I feel so incredibly blessed that I was able to recently interview Craig Wright, the creator of Greenleaf AND Kriss Turner Towner, executive producer of Greenleaf AND the writer behind Something New, one of my favorite films of all time (more on that later). Yes, after four seasons of recaps (that took me about three hours to write apiece), I finally have some of the answers to some of the questions that I have asked myself and you as we got to know the Greenleafs over these last four years…

6. New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Jamal Bryant Takes Daughter Grace to Daddy-Daughter Dance, Some Critique Her Dress…

Excerpt: The first time I officially danced with my father was during my wedding in 2013. It was one of the most special moments in my life because the first man I had ever loved gave me away to the man I will forever love. I don’t recall any of the schools I attended when I was growing up having a Daddy-Daughter Dance, but I hear about them all of the time now. Apparently, the school where Grace Bryant attends had a Daddy-Daughter Dance on Saturday as Bravo reported that New Birth Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Jamal Bryant took his daughter Grace to one. Grace is also the daughter of Gizelle Bryant, who is on the cast of  The Real Housewives of Potomac.  Both of the Bryants, who are back together after being divorced for several years, posted about this special occasion on their Instagram pages. But Grace’s dress, which is somewhat short and tight and shiny, has received some critical feedback…

7. Seven Reasons Why Dr. Charles Stanley Stepping Down as Pastor Makes Me Sad…

Excerpt: He taught me how to “Obey God and Leave the Consequences to Him.” Of all of the sentences I’ve heard Dr. Stanley say since I’ve been following his ministry, this sentence is what I’ve heard him say the most. It’s a simple sentence but the power of this singular sentence can impact every area of your life if you let it. I remember when I decided to live up to my Christian convictions when I was in my 20s although I had been baptized as a teenager. One of the decisions I made was to stop clubbing and be in church on New Year’s Eve. Babay, although my best friends at the time grew up in church like I did, they did not understand my decision and I found myself alone a lot. And even when I was around them, I felt rejected. There were many times I sobbed because I felt so alone and rejected. I wondered why if I knew God and was getting to know Him better, my life seemed to have gotten worse, particularly my social life. But I kept obeying Him, and I realized that I had to only depend on God and not my friendships. And in time, God brought certain friendships back into my life, but by then I had learned that God moves friends in and out of your life and to not hold on to any of them too tightly. Only hold on to God…I obeyed and left the consequences to Him and eventually I learned the lesson…

8. Kierra Sheard Shares Wedding Photos on Her Instagram Page!

Excerpt: Clearly God is still in the blessing business even in 2020! Hallelujah! On the heels of her self-titled album KIERRA being a #1 on Billboard Top Gospel Album and the success of the Lifetime TV original movie The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, Lifetime’s highest-rated movie since 2016, Kierra Sheard has married Jordan Kelly! Apparently, it was a small wedding, but a bigger celebration is planned post pandemic!

9. Bishop T.D. Jakes Says We Should Pray for President Trump as He Battles Coronavirus, But Should We?

Excerpt: Even if you’re not a fan of President Trump, we all have to admit The Apprentice reality star turned politician knows how to get headlines and change the topic of the national conversation when he sees fit. A week ago Sunday, The New York Times reported that the president only paid $750 in taxes during 2016, the year he was elected president. Of course, that revelation caused a flurry of conversation. Although some may have thought the president won the presidential debate on Tuesday, others criticized his approach to debating and his directive to the white supremacist group Proud Boys. But by Friday, he managed to trump both of those conversations by announcing in the wee hours via Twitter that he and the First Lady have been diagnosed with the scourge of 2020 – COVID-19. And just like that, there has been very little talk of his taxes, debate performance and Proud Boys directive since.

10. Kierra Sheard Reveals Grandparents’ COVID-19 Diagnosis, What it Was Like Playing Her Mother in ‘The Clark Sisters’ Movie on Good Morning America

Excerpt: This morning on Good Morning America, gospel music star Kierra Sheard, who was interviewed by Michael Strahan, revealed that her grandparents are recovering from COVID-19, how she had to audition to play her mother Karen Clark Sheard in the the movie The Clark Sisters and more.

Sooo, whoomp, there it is..2020 is a wrap, folk! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Any thoughts?

 

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Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church Received 4.4 Million in Federal COVID Loan and Folk Mad…

Hello World,

Whew. I really don’t know what to say, but plenty of folk on Twitter said a lot. First the official news and then the Twitter reactions…

“Want to Know How Much Money Joel Osteen’s Megachurch Received?” by Shelby Stewart of Houston Chronicle

Lakewood Church received a $4.4 million Paycheck Protection Plan loan during the coronavirus pandemic, according to federal data. The loan was disbursed in July of this year.

U.S. Small Business Administration data, which was released at the beginning of December, showed that Lakewood Church’s PPP loan was created by Bank of America. The megachurch’s hefty loan was the third-largest PPP loan approved for a Houston-area entity during all of July and August, according to Chris Matthews at Houston Business Journal.

The church, like many other businesses, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lakewood’s in-person services were halted due to the pandemic, but were able to resume in October, at 25 percent capacity. According to a statement from Lakewood spokesperson David Iloff, the church’s PPP loan was used to provide support for the church’s employees. Read the rest HERE.

 

Any thoughts?

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Bishop T.D. Jakes Says We Should Pray for President Trump as He Battles Coronavirus, But Should We?

Hello World,

Even if you’re not a fan of President Trump, we all have to admit The Apprentice reality star turned politician knows how to get headlines and change the topic of the national conversation when he sees fit. A week ago Sunday, The New York Times reported that the president only paid $750 in taxes during 2016, the year he was elected president. Of course, that revelation caused a flurry of conversation. Although some may have thought the president won the presidential debate on Tuesday, others criticized his approach to debating and his directive to the white supremacist group Proud Boys. But by Friday, he managed to trump both of those conversations by announcing in the wee hours via Twitter that he and the First Lady have been diagnosed with the scourge of 2020 – COVID-19. And just like that, there has been very little talk of his taxes, debate performance and Proud Boys directive since.

In fact, because of his ability to get headlines and shift the national conversation AND penchant for being less than truthful, some are questioning if his diagnosis is even real. In The New York Times article, “Liberals Ask: Why Should We Believe Trump Has the Virus?” reporter Davey Alba included tweets from The New Yorker staff writer Jelani Cobb and actor Susan Sutton.

Here is Jelani’s tweet below:

Here is Susan’s tweet below:

And my husband is also skeptical. I do, however, believe he is sick and others do as well. And because that is the case, there are those who are praying for his recovery and asking others to join them. Below is Bishop T.J. Jakes Instagram post about praying for him:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

This morning, Americans awoke to the sad and deeply troubling news that President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for COVID-19. Please join me in praying for the first family. These are challenging days for our nation and the world.⁣ ⁣ Please don’t turn this into a political issue. ⁣ ⁣ We must be more humane toward one another. Compassion has nothing to do with politics; it has everything to do with being a Christian and a human being. While we’re on our knees, take this opportunity to pray for the millions suffering during this pandemic. These are dire times, and we must be “our brother’s keeper.” I urge skeptics and those who have grown lax about exercising the necessary safety precautions to take this pandemic seriously. As a pastor who has buried many, I can assure you that this virus is a-political and definitely not a hoax. Let’s work together to defeat it!

A post shared by T.D. Jakes (@bishopjakes) on

And Bishop has received quite a few critical responses to this post. Below are a few:

With all due respect Bishop. Donald J. Trump was the one who turned this into a political issue.

With all due respect we should have been praying that the lord changed his heart and wicked ways. You reap what you sow.

More humane? Did you hear what he said about Joe’s son the other night?? Donald isn’t humane.

In a Facebook group that I’m a member of, one member posted this statement:

Praying🙏🙏🙏🙏 for our president and country as he flies off to Walter Reed Medical Center “out of an abundance of caution” for the next several days. I do not agree with many of the policies and personality, but as children of God, we MUST pray for him and his family.🙏🙏🙏🙏

And below are some of the responses to this post:

I saw this and had to double check and see if I was in a Trump support group. As others said, I wish no ill will towards him but the fact remains that he and his Trumpicans downplayed this pandemic the entire time. God has a way of humbling us. This situation should be his wake up call.

I’m not calling the fire department because the plantations on fire.

211,000 people are dead because of his lack and failure to protect this country naw then he tried to disrespect RBG wishes not to fill her seat until after the election nope the fool was asking for karma it comes back 10 fold strong.

So let’s dig a little deeper into what was said. One of the reasons why people are having a hard time praying for the president is because since the news of this pandemic broke, the president has been playing it down and even said as much to Bob Woodward.

Additionally, he has eschewed methods of curtailing the virus such as social distancing. When public health experts warned about holding large rallies and leaders responded such as North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, rather than try to work within the guidelines, the president responded by moving the GOP convention to Florida before ultimately bringing it to the White House. Although it’s not clear where businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain contracted COVID-19, Cain attended a Trump rally in Tulsa and according to a photo he tweeted, he was not practicing social distancing. Unfortunately, Cain died not long afterward due to COVID-19 complications.

Also, Trump has rarely been seen in public in a mask and in Tuesday’s debate, the president made fun of former vice president Biden for wearing his mask AND on top of that, according to Chris Wallace, the moderator for the debate, no one other than Wallace, Trump and Biden were supposed to be free of masks according to the official rules. But Trump’s family did not wear masks and when they were presented with masks to wear, they did not accept them.

And speaking of those around him, Trump is not the only one in his circle to have been recently diagnosed with COVID-19. According to USA Today, at least 11 in his circle have come up positive with coronavirus. It is believed that many of them contracted it while attending the announcement of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett at the White House Rose Garden last Saturday. Some believe this twist of events is a case of divine distribution or the last case that the notorious RBG tried as an attorney before THE JUDGE of all judges, the Lord! Reportedly, before she died, she requested that her place on the Supreme Court not be filled before the election, but within days of her death, her dying wish was ignored by the president and the Mitch McConnell who refused to even entertain President Obama’s nominee of Merrick Garland during 216 when Justice Antonin Scalia died February of that election year.

See the meme below:

Now in Scripture, we are advised to:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:12

However, in the Word, it also says:

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Galatians 6:7

So given all that has been presented here, what are you opting to do? Will you or have you been praying for the president?

Any thoughts?