The Top 10 Blog Posts and or Articles for Black Christian Women in February 2016

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Hello World,

Well, Black History Month 2016 is a wrap, but I’m still doing my monthly post in which I list interesting blog posts and or articles for black Christian women from last month that intrigued me as a black Christian woman ( but you don’t have be a black Christian woman to to check them out:) ! ) As usual, let me know if you like my list! Enjoy and share!

1. “Dancing 106-year-old Describes the Day She Charmed the Obamas: ‘I Can Die Smiling Now’” by

Excerpt: Deeply faithful, McLaurin attends a weekly Bible study, and she said it’s helped her stay upbeat and healthy. That, she said, and a diet of fried beans and peas. Other than a back surgery about 50 years ago, she hasn’t had any major health issues. See more at: washingtonpost.com.

2. “DeVon Franklin to Suggestion in Church That Wife Meagan Good Should Cover Up: ‘She’s Going to Wear What She Wants to Wear in the Name of Jesus’” by Yesha Callahan

Excerpt: “This is not offensive, but I was at the grocery store and I looked at a newsstand and I saw you, and you had your breast showing,” one woman in the audience said. “So, so, I wasn’t gonna come here, I wasn’t, but the Lord brought me here to see you. You’re beautiful. You are a beautiful young woman, and your testimony is awesome. It’s awesome. Amen. Amen! And the Lord let me come and push past the judgment … because you have to make sure what you say and what you do match up, you understand? So we gonna cover up, right?” See more at: theroot.com.

3. “Too Sexy for Church Appeal: When Does Cleavage Become Sinful?” by Charlene Aaron

Excerpt:  Ayesha Curry, wife of NBA player Stephen Curry, received a ton of backlash from people who said she was shaming women who dress less modestly. Actress Meagan Good, who is also a Christian, has often been criticized for wearing clothing viewed as too sexy. See more at: cbn.com.

4. “They Lost Trayvon, Eric, Sandra, Jordan, Dontre. Now These Mothers are With Hillary” by Juana Summers

Excerpt: As rain pelted the rooftop of Mount Zion Missionary Baptist church on Monday afternoon, five mothers — united both in their grief and their purpose — came to share their stories. The women, from five different cities, had each lost a child to a high-profile case of violence. And each had thrown her support behind Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. See more at: mashable.com.

5. “The Legacy of Women in the Black Church” by Pastor Tiffany Thomas

Excerpt: Black women have a long and intricate history with the church. Women, making up 70 to 90 percent of black congregations, have always found the institution of the church a place of refuge, of solace and hope. As far back as African American history begins, during a time when their bodies were bound by the violence of slavery, black women gathered to worship communally a God who gave freedom and liberation in the salvific power of Christ. See more  at: christianitytoday.com.

6. “Black Women and the Imago Dei” by Austin Channing Brown

Excerpt: In the late ’80s and early ’90s when I grew up attending a predominantly white private school, words like diversity and multiculturalism had not yet been popularized. So schools were still developing curriculum and experiences largely devoid of cultural depth. In my experience, all of my teachers were white, as were the principal, librarian, and other staff members. We regularly used illustrated Bibles, storybooks, and movies in which all the characters were also white. When teachers posted pictures of Jesus in the room, Jesus was always depicted as white. See more at: todayschristianwoman.com.

7. “Meet the Incredible Woman Chosen to Lead Mother Emanuel Church After Last Year’s Shooting” by

Excerpt: Clark is unabashed about being a woman at the pulpit. During a part of service where visitors to the church introduce themselves, one particular gentleman calls out, “I’m going to ask, like I do every year.” She begins to fan herself. “Will you be my valentine?” The church erupts into laughter and cheers. “The answer is yes,” she says to her husband. More laughter and clapping. See more at: fusion.net.

8. “Charleston Shooting Survivor Jennifer Pinckney: ‘I Want to Carry on (Clementa’s) Work’” by Jesse James DeConto

Excerpt: The first lady of Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church offered two enduring images: her late husband’s smiling face lying in a casket, and the bullet holes that riddled the church walls when she went to clean out his office a week later. See more at: religionnews.com.

9. “Professor Who Donned Hijab in Solidarity Announces Exit from Christian College” by Women in the World Staff

Excerpt: A college professor at a Christian college in Illinois has agreed to leave her position at the university after she posted a photo of herself wearing a hijab in solidarity with Muslims on social media. Larycia Hawkins drew ire from the administration at Wheaton College over the photo and her remarks on Facebook, where she wrote that Christians and Muslims “worship the same God.” See more at: nytlive.nytimes.com.

10. “First Female African-American General in the Army National Guard Visits Windsor Church” by Jenna DeAngelis

Excerpt: “I’ve had many people, both black and white, tell me that, ‘C’mon you can’t do that.  You’re never going any further than this.’ and to me that was always a challenge,” Cleckley said. Every challenge became an opportunity and every opportunity became another page in her book, A Promise Fulfilled. See more at: fox61.com.

Any thoughts?

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

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Hello World,

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.

Flanked by her parents and with a soloist singing Maurette Brown Clark’s The One He Kept For Me, Miss Ndoye walks down the aisle about the 47:00 mark. The wedding ceremony included readings from Genesis 2, you know the “God made a woman from the rib” from man and “one flesh” chapter, and a reading from 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter. What I found most unique about the ceremony were the thorough and beautiful vows, which start at about 1:06:16. They covered EVERYTHING. As a pastor’s daughter, I’ve been to countless weddings so I know what I’m talking about…Here they are below…

O: I know that love must be kept alive by active concern, and I pledge that in loving you, I will continue to court you in many and in new ways.

R: I promise to keep our love vibrant, to discover new ways of loving you and to make our love continue to grow in new riches.

O: I will continue to be your special friend, accepting and sensitive to your needs.

R: I will continue to be the companion who is always by your side, understanding and sharing in your laughter and tears.

O: I will continue to respect your opinions and feelings in all the ways you relate them to me, and I will freely share mine with you.

R: I will continue to be honest with you, not holding back what I feel, and I will continue to be open to hearing and responding to your feelings.

O: I know that sickness is often a real part of life, and I will meet these hardships with strength and courage.

R: I recognize that death and misfortune are untimely parts of life, and I will not let these events overshadow and take away from our life now nor will I turn from the burdens they may place upon me.

O: As individuals, we need the freedom to become ourselves, and I will live with you in a way that will allow you to reach your highest potential.

R: I promise to respect the individuality of yourself and will continue to work towards the development of mine so that each of us may live life to the fullest and yet I will be close enough to continue to share in your life and to share mine with you.

Together: You will be secure in my promise to you this day that during all the years of our life together, I will be ever mindful of the things we found important from our earliest encounter to this present moment. I am committed to grow and to let our marriage grow. So be it, and so it is. Amen.

invite resizedSee what I mean? Following their vows, famed gospel singer Byron Cage sang “To God Be the Glory.” Following his performance, the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Carter Sr., who was the celebrant, welcomed the couple to the “the halls of highest human happiness,” a phrase I first learned about after reading a “A Man Called Peter: The Story of Peter Marshall,” by my deceased spiritual writing mentor Catherine Marshall. Rev. Dr. Carter also introduced the couple as the 5th First Family of Ebenezer Baptist Church…

So what do you think of their very short engagement? The Warnocks went from proposal to wedding at a swift speed, particularly as it has been reported by the AJC that the two actually were actually first married at a private ceremony at According to TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com’s Real Weddings Study, the average length of an engagement is 13.8 months. And 7% of people surveyed said they were engaged for more than two years,” which is from the CNN article “Standing Engagement — Are Committed Couples Waiting Longer to Tie the Knot?”

My hubby and I got engaged in December 2012 and married the following August so we were engaged for eight months. I think longer engagements give couples more time to plan a wedding, but a wedding doesn’t have to take a long time to plan in my opinion. Actually, we didn’t start planning our wedding until February 2013 so it came together in an intense six months. Celebrity couple DeVon Franklin and Meagan Good-Franklin got engaged in March 2012 and were married by June. Earlier this month, the two released their book The Wait: A Powerful Practice for Finding the Love of Your Life and the Life You Love about their entire 13-month celibate courtship.

The Warnocks speedy proposal and wedding reminds me of a line from one of my favorite movies “When Harry Met Sally.” Harry and Sally were friends for a long time before they were lovers, and Sally realized first they could really spend their life together. Of course, their friendship breaks down when Harry doesn’t immediately return Sally’s feelings. However, on New Year’s Eve, Harry, who is spending the evening alone, suddenly realizes he is in love with Sally too. Instead of telling Sally the next day, he barges into a New Year Eve’s party where Sally is partying alone and tells her exactly how he feels. It Had to Be You by Frank Sinatra is playing the background…Below are his words…

I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

The video of the entire the wedding is below. Congratulations to the Warnocks!!!

Any thoughts?

DeVon Franklin & More to Merge Faith & Entertainment at Merge Symposium in Baltimore Tomorrow

devonHello World,

If you’re a person of faith AND ever wanted to delve into the entertainment industry AND will happen to be in the Baltimore, Maryland area this weekend, then I’ve got the juice for you.

Birthed from the Merge Summit, which is held every other August in Los Angeles and “features interactive panel discussions, workshops, and keynote presentations in music, television, film, branding, new media, artistry and more,” the Merge Symposium brings the Merge experience to other locales.

Held at the Pastor Jamal Bryant’s Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore on Saturday, the Merge Symposium includes confirmed master class presenters: The legendary SUZANNE DE PASSE, Film Producer and Author DEVON FRANKLINMIKKI TAYLOR from Essence Magazine, Grammy Award-Winning Artist MICHELLE WILLIAMS, TV Film Producer/Manager DR. HOLLY CARTER, Emmy Award-Winning Casting Director ROBI REED, Award-Winning Television Executive TRACI BLACKWELL From the CW Network, Pastor MARK BAKER, Pastor DR. JAMAL BRYANT, Actress LISA RAYE MCCOY, Media Personality ROLAND MARTIN and HARRY LENNIX From “NBC’S The Blacklist.”   Plus performances by JONATHAN MCREYNOLDS, DEON KIPPING, Y”ANNA, THOMAS CLAY & EVOLUTION and DANNI! 

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DeVon Franklin’s “Produced By Faith” master class sounds like it will be particularly interesting. The description is below:

Do you have enough faith to step out into your destiny? Great risk precedes great rewards and author/producer DeVon Franklin knows this firsthand. This past fall, he left his prestigious Senior Vice President position at Columbia Pictures to become a producer and launch his own entertainment company. Even with his recent successes, including the mega hit HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, nothing is guaranteed. Acting on purpose and emboldened by faith, DeVon is making the jump with excitement. Don’t miss this explosive, closing Master Class where he will share some of his secrets, industry insight, career strategies, faith tips and the encouragement you need so you can make the leap of faith for your own life and land on your feet! 

Incidentally, Franklin is currently in Atlanta filming “Miracles From Heaven,” starring Jennifer Garner. Franklin is producing the Christian film, which is slated for March 18, 2016, along with Bishop T.D. Jakes and Joe Roth.

To see the full schedule, click on this link, and to register, go to this link. Registration prices range from $10 to $100!

From the website, it looks like the Merge Symposium is coming to Atlanta and Chicago, but the dates have not been announced yet.

Any thoughts?