My aunt traveled from out of the state to come to my book launch party…

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Hello World,

At this time of the year, I always have to pause and thank the Lord for His Goodness to me…So let me list 12 reasons why I’m thankful for 2012…

1. My first book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God” was published this year. I have wanted to be an author since I was six years old so the publishing of this book represents the beginning of the realization of a lifelong dream… And since it was published, it has become an Amazon Best Seller and Black Expressions Book Club Best Seller!!! Thank you Lord for You are good…

Roses my boo gave me to help me celebrate my 39th birthday…

2. R. (my boo) was accepted into a college program in his chosen field this year…I’m so proud of him and happy for him…Like Brian in the movie “Mahogany” said, “…Success is nothing without someone you love to share it with! ” It has been wonderful to share our successes together this year, and I am looking forward to sharing many more of our successes together…Thank You Lord for You are good…

3. My book launch party was the visual representation of my lifelong dream coming true. And I was so blessed to see how many friends and family came out to support me!!! I will cherish this night for as long as I live…Thank You Lord for You are good…

Me and my lovely assistant at my first book signing at Lifeway Christian Store…

3. The journey of being a published author has been a lot of work, but incredibly gratifying…I have sold and signed books at Lifeway Christian Store, Nubian Bookstore, an Annual Writing Workshop and Fine Arts & Music Extravaganza( both hosted by the Stone Mountain-Lithonia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated),  in Nashville, Tennessee at 33st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat, at Central Christian Church’s 11th Annual Women’s Prayer Breakfast, at the 98th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference and at the AJC Decatur Book Festival. Also, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, I will be one of several authors participating in the Third Annual Southwest Arts Center Book Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The center is located at 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta, GA 30331. Whew!…Thank You Lord for You are good…

4. Although I’ve been working as a journalist for some time, I’m so grateful for more opportunities in my chosen field…I became an official contributor to Urbanfaith.com this year, and my contract as a columnist for THE LOOKOUT was renewed…I have been a freelance writer for Atlanta Tribune: The Magazine since 2009, but this past summer, I won an Atlanta Association of Black Journalists award for business reporting for the magazine! And I got to be part of the AABJ panel discussion “The Art of the Hustle” with The New York Times best-selling author Denene Millner (one of my mentors in my head). …Thank You Lord for You are good…

Praising the Lord at the 98th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference…

5. Although my primary purpose of attending the 98th Hampton University Ministers’ Conference was to promote and sell my books, God blessed me in other ways as a result of attending this conference…First of all, the music at this conference which was also held in conjunction with the 78th Annual Choir Directors’ & Organists’ Guild Workshop…And when I say the music was breathtaking, I really and truly mean that…I have never praised God like that in all of my life, and it was such a blessing to my spirit…Also, it was wonderful to visit Hampton University for the first time…It is such a beautiful school…

Also, while I did not get to meet Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, who is immediate past president of the HU Ministers’ Conference and the first female president of the conference, I was inspired to look her up after the conference…Her book “A New Dating Attitude” is one of the most important books I’ve ever read…I’m just going to put it out there…I want to meet her and interview her one day…maybe even collaborate with her on a book….(Dr. Sujay is a true friend and mentor in my head.)…Thank You Lord for You are good…

6. I’m always grateful for my wonderful family…As my family is originally from Jamaican and we have spread out all over the world, I don’t get to see my extended family as much as I would like to…However, I was able to spend some time with one of my cousins who lives in Jamaica…He was in Atlanta for a few months while pursuing his medical degree…Thank You Lord for You are good…

At Sunset at the Palms Resort in Negril, Jamaica…

7. Speaking of Jamaica, as it is my family’s homeland, I’m always grateful to visit although I’m no longer able to visit my beloved grandparents who are now with the Lord…In September, I was blessed to go back to Jamaica to be a bridesmaid in one of my best friend’s wedding.  While I was in Jamaica, I was able to see one of my beloved uncles that I haven’t seen in years. Also, it was great to visit this year as Jamaica celebrated 50 years of independence from Great Britain this year!…Thank You Lord for You are good…

8. I’m sooo thankful for my immediate family as I am every year…It continues to be a blessing to see my nephew and niece grow up….I cannot believe my nephew has entered middle school this year……Thank You Lord for You are good…

9. As of this year, it has been 20 years since I graduated from Benjamin Banneker High School in high school! For the first time since then, I was able to return and visit the brand new beautiful school as a part of its Career Day last month…What a blessing! …Thank You Lord for You are good…

10. I never take my health for granted…As of my last physical, I’m still healthy……Thank You Lord for You are good…

11. I never take my finances for granted…I’m so thankful that I’m able to pay my bills, save and invest……Thank You Lord for You are good…

12. And I’m always thankful for the little things…feeling the sun on my face as I drive…a good hair day…a kick-behind workout…Saturday mornings……Thank You Lord for You are good…

What are you thankful for in 2012?

Any thoughts?

The post 12 Reasons I’m Thankful for 2012… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Since February 11, the world has mourned the death of the shooting star that was Whitney Houston, an iconic voice that is not likely to be matched for generations…But this Friday, when the movie “Sparkle” is released, the world will be able to see Whitney shine once again – her last time this side of Heaven…I do believe that “there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,” and I believe the world was being prepared to release Whitney back to the Father that bestowed her with the voice of angels although we did not realize it at the time…

Mara Brock Akil, who wrote the screenplay for “Sparkle,” discussed the synchronicity at work as the screenplay unfolded in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“She kept calling me her angel,” Mara says. But Mara was baffled when Houston said to her, “I really appreciate your putting my church in your script.”

“I didn’t put your church in my script,” Mara told her.

“New Hope Baptist,” Houston prompted. Mara had unwittingly given the church in Sparkle the same name as the church in Newark, N.J., where Houston had started to make her indelible mark, singing gospel as a young girl. (The same church hosted Houston’s funeral service.)

“I believe in divine order all the time,” Mara says. (She and Salim are Muslim.) “But this particular time, I really felt the presence of God all the way through. It was like it was meant to be.”

And I do believe each of us is afforded the opportunity to claim “new hope” in Christ Jesus if we would only take Him at His word. In spite of the addictions and ailments she suffered from throughout her short life, Whitney professed her faith in Christ Jesus over and over again, and I pray that He guided her safely into the arms of Her heavenly father…In fact Whitney’s devoted mother Cissy Houston always felt that Whitney would never be in the world for very long and revealed so in an open letter to Whitney that appeared in Whitney’s funeral program. A copy of that letter appears on Essence.com.

I never told you that when you were born the Holy Spirit told me that you would not be with me long and I thank God for the beautiful flower he allowed me to raise and cherish for 48 years.

The other day on February 11th He came for you. But not without warning. For two months now I have been depressed, crying, lonesome and sad not knowing why.

And I believe that if you choose to walk with the Lord, He will give you experiences that enable your burdens on earth to be a bit lighter in spite of the pain we all will experience from time to time…That is what He did for Cissy Houston on the very day of her beloved daughter’s death…

On Saturday, before I found out about your transition, my doorbell rang. I went to answer it but there was no one there. It rang again and again, no one was there so I called the concierge to tell him someone was ringing my doorbell. He checked the cameras and told me that no one was there. You promised me you were coming to spend time with me after the Grammys. I believe the spirits allowed you to come after all.

Last night, I attended a book signing for Denene Millner, who wrote the novelization of “Sparkle.” Millner detailed how she was entrusted with developing a back story for Whitney Houston’s character Emma, Sparkle’s single mother who was a former singer instead of a maid as in the original movie. In this modern-day version, Emma warns her daughters that show business has its pitfalls in spite of the dizzying heights of fame and fortune. We’ve all probably seen that the now haunting trailer for the movie in which Emma says, “Was my life not enough of a cautionary tale for you?” She said writing the novelization of the movie over a two-week period last month was particularly meaningful  in light of Whitney’s death months earlier. In fact, Millner wrote the book in two weeks as she only was offered the opportunity last month.

So, I hope you will join me as I plan to reflect on the beautiful brilliance of Whitney Houston in “Sparkle” this Friday! Your earthly vessel has been gone back to the dust, but your spirit soars on…

Any thoughts?

The post Sparkle…Whitney’s Last Time To Shine This Side of Heaven… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

Hello World,

If you weren’t able to make the AABJ (Atlanta Association of Black Journalists) panel discussion “The Art of the Hustle” last Saturday, thanks to blogger extraordinaire Yalanda Lattimore, editor of DryerBuzz.com who videotaped the event, you can watch it here! (Thanks ) Panelists endeavored to share how we have pursued our journalism and writing careers as the field of journalism continues to evolve in the wake of the Internet, bloggers, newspaper layoffs, decreasing budgets, etc.

Check out the mini-bios of the illustrious panelists…

Curtis Bunn, Kelley L. Carter, Denene Millner, Dion Rabouin and me. (Malena Cunningham was there via Skype.)

Kelley L. Carter is an Emmy-Award winning entertainment journalist. A graduate of Michigan State University, Carter has been an entertainment reporter and critic for more than a dozen years. She’s worked for a number of national and international media outlets, including USA Today, VIBE, BBC, EBONY, ESSENCE, ESPN, MTV News, the Chicago Tribune and the Detroit Free Press. Carter has interviewed many of Hollywood’s elite including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Jada Pinkett Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Denzel Washington, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Foxx, Mark Wahlberg, Katie Holmes, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Tyler Perry, Taraji P. Henson, Ben Stiller, Bradley Cooper, Courteney Cox, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Aniston, Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Bullock, Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr. Carter also is regularly tapped for her expertise for TV networks, including CNN, HLN, E!, Fox News and the TV Guide Channel to deliver pop culture takes on entertainment, and give news updates to breaking entertainment news. She currently works as a freelance journalist and covers travel, lifestyle, music, film, celebrities and television. Twitter:  @KelleyLCarter

The New York Times best-selling author Denene Millner is a hotly sought after award-winning journalist whose insightful and captivating pieces have secured her foothold in the entertainment, parenting and book publishing industries. The former Parenting Magazine columnist is the founder and editor of MyBrownBaby.com, a critically acclaimed blog that examines the intersection of parenting and race. Millner also frequently contributes to ESSENCE, EBONY and JET magazines, and has appeared regularly on the “TODAY show,” CBS’ “The Early Show,”” The Nate Berkus Show,” HLN, CNN, and “The Rachel Ray show.” She’s authored 20 books, including the best-selling “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” co-written with Steve Harvey. Millner’s latest, the novelization of Whitney Houston’s posthumous movie, Sparkle, hits bookshelves in August. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two daughters. Twitter: @MyBrownBaby

Curtis Bunn is a 25-year, national award-winning sports journalist who has covered virtually every major sporting event and done every job in the newsroom. Bunn, who now serves are deputy editor of www.atlantablackstar.com, spent the bulk of his career as a beat reporter covering the NBA – first the New Jersey Nets as a 23-year-old for New York Newsday and then the New York Knicks for Newsday and the New York Daily News. In 1996 he joined the staff of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he worked for 13 years before accepting a buyout in 2008. The author of five novels, he is the writer of the book, “Yes Ma’am, No Sir: 12 Essentials Steps For Success In Life” with Coach Carter, the subject of the 2005 blockbuster movie starring Samuel L. Jackson. His next novel is “Homecoming Weekend,” to be released in September by Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster. Twitter: @curtisbunn

A packed house...

Malena Cunningham is president of Strategic Media Relations, Inc. a media consulting business she founded in 2005 and co-author of the book “Savvy Leadership Strategies for Women.” A graduate of the University of Georgia with a degree in public relations/journalism, she began her 23-year broadcast career in television news at CNN in Atlanta working first behind the scenes, then on-camera for WTBS. In 1992, Malena moved to WVTM/NBC13 in Birmingham as weekend co-anchor. Within five months, she was promoted to the 6 p.m. weekday newscast becoming the only African American at that time in Birmingham in a main anchor position. During her 12 and a half years at NBC13, Malena won two Emmy Awards (1995 and 1996) for special reporting. She was also part of the 6 p.m. news anchor team that won an Emmy for Best Newscast (1996). In 2004, Malena won the prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Award for anchoring the half-hour documentary “Beneath the Rubble,” which chronicled the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church. Twitter: @strategicmediar

Dion Rabouin is a freelance journalist whose writing has been published in The Hollywood Reporter, the Los Angeles Daily News, AllBusiness.com, The Atlanta Voice and many others. He has been featured on Los Angeles radio stations 90.7 KPFK and Southern California Public Radio’s 89.3 KPCC, as well as on television on “RT News” and “Today in LA.” He was formerly secretary of the Black Journalists Association of Southern California and currently serves on the board of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Atlanta chapter in addition to being a member of AABJ. Twitter: @DionRabouin

And I served on the panel too, and since this is my blog, I don’t feel the need to post my bio But you can follow me on Twitter @jackiehwrites

Any thoughts?

The post So you wannabe be a freelance writer? You wanna eat as a writer? You betta hustle…(the recap) appeared first on After the Altar Call.