Tag Archives: Tess Gadwa

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Random Ramblings Quatre

Hello World,

When I showed my mother a picture of Amy Winehouse, she said she looked like a modern Barbra Streisand...what y'all think?

When I cannot find anything in particular I want to dedicate a post to, I find myself collecting my random ramblings as I have done in three previous posts Random Ramblings aka I didn’t have a topic so bear with me and Random Ramblings part deaux… So read on if you must…

1. As many of us are, I am incensed about this debt ceiling thing for the obvious reasons…But aside from the obvious, the older I get the more I realize that many of us choose to ignore the lessons that we learned (hopefully) in childhood. One of those lessons is compromise is typically better for all parties involved (pun intended)…Why can’t these politicians come up with something that can benefit the two schools of thought around this issue…Neither will get all that they want, but compromise already!

2. Another childhood lesson gone awry: Dominique Strass-Kahn’s accuser Nafissatou Diallo may be telling the truth about his allegedly sexual assaulting her, but the woman has admitted she has lied a LOT before…For instance, Diallo admitted she lied about “making mistakes in lying to prosecutors about an earlier rape in Guinea, filing false tax returns, and lying on an asylum application,” according to “Newsweek.” Clearly, someone needs to buy Diallo a copy of  “The Boy Who Cried Wolf,” a children’s book. You know what they say…if someone lies about one thing, they will usually lie about another…

Amy Winehouse did look something like her...at least from this photo...

3. Amy Winehouse…Two words come to mind…Wasted Talent…Remember these words from “A Bronx Tale?” This artist was crazy talented. RIP.

4. Divorces anywhere are a threat to marriages everywhere…Okay, Okay, I know I’m totally messing up Dr. King’s quote (“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”), but I think my retooled quote is also true…The J. Lo & Marc Anthony divorce…After all of her failed relationships, I thought she had finally found her “happily ever after,” particularly since she had children…I’ve been hearing about a lot of divorces lately, and every time I hear of a new one, I really do ponder why some marriages last while other marriages just disintegrate….

5. In other talented singer news….Lauryn Hill & Rohan Marley…Six children later, and there is still drama…Apparently, according to ABC News, Marley could be allegedly seeing another woman and is not exactly claiming to be the father of Hill’s sixth child…And Hill has responded to these news reports here…Obviously, since I’m not in the relationship, I don’t know what is the truth, but I think we can all agree that her onstage behavior hasn’t been right for years…If this is an indicator of what goes on in her private life, I cannot say but….

6. I haven’t thought too much about the Norway shooting although I probably should have…But my friend, fellow blogger and the web designer of my blog Tess Gadwa wrote an interesting post about it here….Check her out…Let her know that I sent you…

7. I’m a sucker for an interesting relationship article…I wanted to post about this article last month, but life got in the way…“Economy of Sex: It’s Cheap These Days.”

Any thoughts?

My favorite Amy Winehouse song…

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After the Altar Call: 2010 In Posts…

Hello World,

I don’t have to tell you it’s NYE! For all of the obvious reasons, I am reflecting on the journey that was 2010 and optimistic about the path that awaits me and you in 2011. With that in mind, indulge me as I refresh your memory about the topics that found their way to After the Altar Call in 2010!

As of January, 2010 was christened the year of the Single Black Woman with the circulation of this video….While this story originally aired on ABC in December 2009, it really started to be the topic of conversation the following month and created a year of events, books, shows, etc. all dedicated to finding husbands for single black women at all costs…Lord help us!

With a black president in the white house, Black History Month, which is celebrated in February, has taken on a new meaning for all of America’s people…In the A, we were a little shaken when the Epsilon Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpa, a white sorority, beat out members of the Divine Nine Black fraternities and sororities in the Sprite Step Off …But hey, if a black men is finally president, then white steppers can show out too…

In March, I blogged about the messages  in our dreams in Dream a little dream…(R.I.P. Corey Haim) Sadly, one of the teen idols of my youth, Corey Haim, passed away in March and so I dedicated the post to him as he starred in the movie “Dream a Little Dream” in 1989…

In April, I met Sherri Shepherd from “The View” at ABC News’  “Nightline” debate “Why Can’t a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?” This debate, which took place in the Dec (Decatur), happened due to the popularity of the aforementioned video dedicated to the plight of single black women…Did I forget to mention that Atlanta seems to be the capital of single black women?

My aspiration is to be an author, journalist and speaker so I felt particularly blessed to be chosen to be the keynote speaker at the 31st Annual Christian Women’s Retreat banquet which was held at the Westin Atlanta Airport hotel in May. My girl Latoicha from Luxe Tips did my makeup!

In June, I blogged about author Sherri Lewis’ book “The List” as I was asked to moderate a discussion on the book at  the Faith & Fiction Retreat which was held in the A this year…I could not help but post my own list…

front page of my list...yes, the back of this page is completely filled up...

I tried to avoid blogging on the plight of single black women in July, but the slant of this article, The Black Church: How Black Churches Keep African American Women Single and Lonely forced me to reckon with this topic again…We took a licking but we kept on ticking…

In August, I was saddened to hear that R&B star Fantasia Barrino, another single black woman, attempted to commit suicide  after being ”overwhelmed by the lawsuit and the media attention”  concerning her alleged relationship with her married boyfriend Antwaun Cook, her rep told TMZ.com. Just a week or so ago, a judge declared that Barrino did not break up the Cook’s marriage as his ex-wife originally claimed in the lawsuit against Barrino…

In September, I was blessed to see “the Black Man-O-logues II” written by Jacquay Waller! R&I had a good time that night…

In October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my sorors of DST actually donned pink  in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk at Atlantic Station to honor our line sister Kimberly Hudson Causby, who we lost to this disease and honor those who are survivors!

In November, my girl Tess Gadwa, the designer of this blog, released her book, Southern Cross: True Stories of miracles, visions, voodoo, snake handling, civil disobedience, and my search for existential answers along the back roads of the Bible Belt.  Again, You got to check out this book…and it’s free on her website!

As love and relationships is one of my favorite topics, this month, I blogged about marriage as The National Marriage Project, which provides research and analysis on the health of marriage in its yearly State of Our Unions Report, released its 2010 report. To read the entire report, please go here.

I also want to mention that my sorority lost two influential and beloved sorors this year – Sorors Dorothy Height & Lena Horne…I would be remiss if I did not mention them.

I thank you for taking this journey with me!!!  How was your 2010?

Any thoughts?

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Relationships, Inspiration & Holy Ghost Tent Revivals: NEW BOOK ALERT!

Hello World!

Jay Bakker (right) with Matt Debenedictis, Atlanta, Georgia...This is an illustration from Tess' book as she is also a gifted illustrator...

Well, I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of Thanksgiving food. It’s time to back away from that fattening dressing and throw them stanky collards out although I was so thankful to gather with family and friends…But now, it’s officially time to celebrate the Christmas season…YAY!

It’s time  to “make that list and check it twice.” Yes, it’s time to make that Christmas list and budget. If you’re anything like me, a good book is always a good Christmas gift, and most books are reasonably priced too..And if you are looking for some good books, consider the ones I will tell you about below…

1. Southern Cross: True Stories of miracles, visions, voodoo, snake handling, civil disobedience, and my search for existential answers along the back roads of the Bible Belt by Tess Gadwa. (Full disclosure: My friend Tess designed my blog for me, and yes, I am completely biased about her work.) This is a book chronicling Tess’ spiritual journey to various towns, locales and cities in the Southeastern part of the United States. In fact, I met Tess when she stopped in Atlanta for a convention. We were both trying to convince Anne Lamott, the featured speaker, to take a look at our works in progress, get us a book publishing deal and make us famous…Well, maybe Tess did not want that, but that was my master plan…As it turns out, as far as we know, Lamott did not even peruse our work, but it’s all good…Tess & I are friends for life…

Below is an excerpt of her interview with Jay Bakker, son of Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker…If you haven’t heard of them, a quick Google search will get you up to speed. Basically, Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker, were the quintessential televangelist and wife team of the ’80s who preached prosperity for the masses, but it all call came down due to scandals of sex and money…In spite of it all, though their son Jay lost his faith in God, he found a new faith in God and began a very different type of church than the one he grew up in….

Eventually, Jay returned to the ministry he had founded. But his anger at the church still shows.“The best is when you’re on top and they love you. They treat you well, and they care about you, and they make you feel that you’re important. And when you’re on the bottom, they kick you when you’re down,” he says with resignation.

“I’ve sat in churches and watched preachers preach against my dad, not knowing
that I was in the congregation. I went to a youth group, and this youth pastor started
making jokes about my parents, and I was just so brokenhearted, trying to give church a
chance.”

It’s easy for me to shrug and think to myself, well, your dad was a convicted
criminal. He exemplified a lot of the worst traits of Christianity. Of course other church
leaders are going to want to distance themselves. I think I first read about the PTL scandal in the Bloom County comic strip, when I was 10 years old. I remember a joke about the characters scrounging their savings to keep Tammy Faye in eyeliner a few weeks longer.

How weird would it be to have your mom and dad be the butt of these jokes? You
might not have seen too much of them back in the era of the private jets and round-the-clock
bodyguards, but they would still be your parents.
“I hate legalism, man,” Jay says. “I hate when people’s lives are hurt by the
church. And they think it’s Jesus, or they think it’s God. And that’s why I’m angry,
because I lived through it.”

You got to check out this book…and it’s free on her website! As my friend is a talented writer, this work is literally a steal…

2. 30 Days to a More Powerful You: Inspired Sistah Style by Tangie Henry. This is a daily devotional book that focuses on critical areas in self-development from self-examination to self-acceptance…A registered nurse and certified life coach, Tangie Henry is also the founder of Inspired Sistah LLC, a faith-based company dedicated to “Inspiring Women to Live on Top of the World.” Below is an excerpt from the book…

At Tangie's book release party!

From Day 29

Run Your Own Race

“…And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” -Heb. 12:1 (KJV)

While watching an episode of the Oprah Winfrey show one day, Sean “Diddy” Combs was the guest. Their discussion led to Mr. Combs talking about running the NYC Marathon. He made a statement to Oprah that was along the lines of running as fast, in the amount of time, that she did. Her response to what he stated was that he should run his “own race,” because there would be a time where he would “hit the wall.” She was implying that essentially, he needed to have his own motivation for running.

For the rest of devotional, you must by the book. You can find and buy the book at her website.

3. And if you are a woman and ready to meet and marry the One, you need to check out Dr. Alduan Tarrt’s latest book, The Ring Formula: How To Be the Only One He Ever Needs. This is Tartt’s second relationship book  in which he further expounds on what was presented in his first book, The Ring Formula: How to Meet, Date & Marry Mr. Right. Below is an excerpt…

First, these women do not misinterpret He who findeth a wife, findeth a good thing to mean sit around and wait on a man…Here’s what I want you to do. Do some homework and strategically position yourself at places where your caliber of man is likely to frequent. Be sure to select events where the male to female ratio is almost certain to be in your favor (i.e., Chamber of Commerce meetings, business networking events, fraternity and male conferences, sports bars, political fundraisers, sporting events, men’s
ministry, etc.).

Find a reason to be there that makes you feel comfortable and initiate operation F.L.I.R.T. Why can’t a woman network and exchange business cards? You have business about yourself too. What’s wrong with volunteering at fraternity conference or two? Why can’t you watch the game, get more informed about who’s running for office in your community or become more active in the male mentoring campaign at the church?

To buy Dr. Tartt’s book, which is available in e-format and traditional format, please go here.

Any thoughts?