Hello World,

If anything good has come from this whole Penn State scandal, it is the awareness that pedophiles are truly all around us, and often they are people that are trusted and revered by others. Since the news of these allegations broke, people across the nation are admitting they were sexually abused when they were children and are no longer hiding in secret shame.

Here is one person’s story on NPR: Penn State Scandal Emboldens Other Abuse Victims

This summer when I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference in August, I met Angela Williams, who shared her story of being sexually abused by her stepfather for 14 years. Williams, who lives in the metro Atlanta area, founded VOICE Today, a grassroots initiative to launch child sexual abuse as a highly visible public issue. It is a multifaceted program that engages all forms and outlets of media and is designed to bring about social change by increasing awareness and advocating PREVENTION education. Below are some alarming statistics about child sexual abuse from the VOICE Today website:

• Numbers of children abused before they are 18 years old: 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys. Only 1 in 10 children tell.
• 90 percent of children are abused by someone they know.
• Serial child molesters may have as many as 400 victims in their lifetimes.

VOICE Today offers various services for child sexual abuse victims including education and prevention workshops and healing workshops. For more information, please go here.

I also met New York Times best-selling author Cec Murphey, who was a victim of child sexual abuse as well. Through his blog menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com, he provides a safe place for other male victims of child sexual abuse to connect with each other. He is also the author of “When a Man You Love Was Abused: A Woman’s Guide to Helping Him Overcome Childhood Sexual Molestation” which is available on the blog site.

I pray that all of us, even those of us who are not parents, take care of our children…they need us…

Any thoughts?

The post Pedophiles Are All Around Us… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

If you have checked out my blog in the last couple of months or so, you know that my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God” will be released in February 2012….So leading up until that date, I’ ve been literally obssessed with marketing & promotion because I really do believe that this book will really help women in their walk with God AND let’s face it – publishing is a business….And your girl has to move books if I expect to last in this industry….

So each month leading up until February, I plan to let you know about my marketing & promotion efforts…And y’all let me know what you think because I’m up for any and all suggestions…If you want to read about my first month of marketing and promotion, check out “I’m Bout It Bout It Marketing & Promotion Month 1.”

One critical element of marketing & promotion, I believe, is supporting other authors. It is true that what you sow, you will reap so I’ve been attending the book signings of other authors to support them. And I hope that when my day or days come, I will reap the harvest of supporting other authors….Plus, I love to be around book authors anyway…they are a part of my tribe…lol…

So on Aug. 1, I started off the month by attending a book signing for prolific author Tayari Jones at the Camp Creek Barnes & Noble. She read from her latest book, “Silver Sparrow,” a wonderful novel in which the complex lives of a legitimate daughter and an illegitimate daughter are juxtaposed. The story takes place in our fair city…I have wanted to read her work since I heard about her first book “Leaving Atlanta,” a novel in which Jones explores the tragedy of the Atlanta child murders….As someone who grew up in the A and remembers the fear that gripped the city during that time, I appreciate her work. If you did not get a chance to go that book signing, Jones will also be at the Decatur Book Festival on Sunday, September 4 at 12 p.m. in the Decatur Conference Center Stage (Ballroom B). For more information, go to to TayariJones.com.

The next marketing and promotion activity was the ordering of 1000 postcards which feature the cover of the book, pictures of some of the women in the book and my website information…so if you see me somewhere, don’t act when I put one of my postcards in your sweaty hands and ask you to tell somebody….lol…

I met Rev. Owen Griffiths at the conference...check out his blog oldreligiousguy.blogspot.com...for some reason, I am fascinated with collars...

These postcards came in handy when I attended the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference from August 10-13…It is a non-stop learning event, and a must if you really want to focus on ministry as well as writing! I’ve been twice, and I just adore it! I was able to meet New York Times best-selling author Cec Murphey (who I wrote about in “A Saint & A Sinner”) and other authors…

On Aug. 19, I attended the Atlanta Blogalicious Meetup at Hudson Grille where I was able to network with other bloggers…I never knew when I started blogging in 2008 that I would LOVE it…and so now, in addition to launching my first book, I’m hoping to make this blog be the best it can be…And now I’m thinking of attending the Be Blogalicious conference in D.C. on October 21-23…

Panel Discussion at Atlanta Blogalicious Meetup (from left to right) Danica Kombol, Bren Herrera, Stacey Ferguson & Lamar Tyler

The next day, Aug. 20, I attended the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show where I networked and took in the sights and the sounds of this spectacular show…If you haven’t been, you definitely need to go…In fact, I also went in February and posted lots of pictures…check it out at “Saturday in the A – Featuring the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show.”

Four days later, Aug. 24, I officially launched my new website…Yay…I’m also pleased to announce that my book, which will actually be released on Valentine’s Day 2012,  is now available for preordering at Nevaeh Publishing for $14. 95 and (gulp) Barnes & Noble. I have an ISBN number and erething…lol…

Next month, I will be focusing on press coverage and setting up a signing tour…as always, more be revealed…

Any thoughts?

The post I’m Bout It Bout It aka Marketing & Promotion Month 2… appeared first on After the Altar Call.

If you haven’t noticed, I’m movin’ on up (Shout out to Weezie & George Jefferson)…Welcome to my brand new website! Since I will be a published book author soon, I thought I should get a bigger website with more features…take a look around my new space, and let me know what you think…just like when you move into a new place, there are a few “kinks” I need to work out, but basically this is my new home on the Internet. And love it Thanks Tess Gadwa of Yes Exactly: Websites That Fit!

Cec Murphey

Anywho, since I came back from the Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference at Philadelphia Biblical University in Langhorne, Pa. earlier this month, I’ve been pondering a message given by New York Times best-selling author Cec Murphey. His advice to an audience of published and aspiring writers:

“If you want to be used by God, be as honest, open and transparent as you can.”

Cec Murphey has an impressive résumé: He is the author or co-author of more than 100 books, including the New Times best-seller 90 Minutes in Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). He is also the author of When Someone You Love Has Cancer, When God Turned Off the Lights, and Christmas Miracles, all 2009 releases. Prior to launching his career as a full-time writer and speaker, Murphey served as pastor of Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Metro Atlanta, as a volunteer hospital chaplain for ten years, and was a missionary in Kenya for six. Many of his books have been inspired by his personal experiences…

Recently, Murphey also revealed that he was sexually abused as a child and is now using his platform to help other men who were also sexually abused. For more information, please go to menshatteringthesilence.blogspot.com.

His words got me thinking about these verses from Romans 7 (The Message version):

…I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time…(17-20)

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (25)

So in the interest of being as transparent as I can, I will divulge that I’m a saint since I’m a Christian, but I’m also a sinner since I’m still on the earthly side of heaven (in other words, I’m a believer and a make-believer)…For all of my praying, going to church, reading the Word and talking about Jesus, I’m still prone to sin…now what all those sins are…hmmm…not ready to be that transparent yet….but trust me, I’ve got some…

But before I go in too much on myself, Murphey also pointed out that in spite of all of David’s (from the Bible) sins, he was still the apple of God’s eye…And Murphey advised that we pray these two prayers:

“God help me to like who I am, who I used to be and who I am becoming.”

AND

God, show me the truth about myself, no matter how wonderful it may be.”

AMEN…

Any thoughts?

P.S. On my Gospel playlist right now…”Over & Over ” by Trin-i-tee 5:7 featuring PJ Morton…Saints & Sinners, He blesses us over and over again even though we are not deserving…

The post A Saint & A Sinner… appeared first on After the Altar Call.