Looking Back: 2013 in Posts…

Hello World,

In just two days, we get to press the virtual reset button on our lives and begin anew…But before we plot our path into the future, it is always wise to see where we have traveled up until this point…One the ways that I reflect on my journey is to go through the posts on this blog month by month and consider the events of the year…so indulge me a bit as I highlight the best of After the Altar Call 2013….

2013 Emerging Writ E-Blast:Layout 1

January 2013I was one of two authors selected as an emerging writer for 2012 by Written MagazineKim Green (author of “Hallucination”) and I read from our work as a part of Written Magazine’s “Wine & Words” at the historic Hammonds House Museum. It was a real blessing in more ways than one! In January 13, my beloved sorority celebrated its 100th birthday!

February 2013 – I recounted some of the the scandals that have shaken up the church, particularly the Atlanta church …From Bishop Eddie Long Accuser Centino Kemp To Release Tell-All Book to RHOA Kandi Burruss Releases Gospel Song “Stay Prayed Up” with Marvin Sapp 

March 2013 – I revealed I am working on a novel in “The Next Big Thing…aka My Next Book in Progress…” I’m not quite finished with the rough draft, but my novel is shaping up to be a juicy page-turner (if I say so myself…at least prayerfully… 🙂 )

April 2013 – By April, I was in full wedding planning mode and was stunned by the average cost of a wedding…An astounding $25,656, according to theweddingreport.com….so of course I wrote the post “The Wedding Industry Heist aka maybe I should go in the wedding planning business.”  I was also saddened by the Boston Marathon bombing…Although I am a late bloomer to running, I have fallen in love with it and wrote “An Ode to Running (my tribute to the people affected by the Boston Marathon bombing…).”

May 2013President Obama becomes an honorary “Morehouse Man,” delivering the commencement address to the 2013 to the graduating class of Morehouse College! It was the first time that a sitting president has ever addressed a spring commencement in the state! I was blessed to be to cover the event…

Brand new Morehouse Man President Obama!

Brand new Morehouse Man President Obama!

June 2013 – I expressed my disappointment that a wedding vendor “jacked” $600 from me, but thankfully, with the Lord’s wisdom and guidance, I was able to get my money back!

treyvonskittlesJuly 2013 – The day after George Zimmerman was allowed to go free in spite of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, all I could do was be quiet and reflect in “Why the Trayvon Martin Murder Case Matters…Peace Be Still”…And while I am no psychologist, one has to wonder why George Zimmerman continues to get in trouble following the not-guilty verdict…Is his guilt prompting him to act out in ways that will get him locked up? I guess we will know in time…

wedding partyAugust 2013 – One of the best events in my life happened this month…I married my ace boon coon on August 10, and we traveled to Hawaii, the state of President Obama was born, for our honeymoon…Yep, it was the best month of the year…We also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his impassioned and ultimately prophetic “I Have A Dream” speech. 164

September 2013I joined the 4-0 club this month…I still cannot believe I am 40 years old…I remember when I turned 13…but those days are gone now…Hello Middle Age…LOL…Sadly, 50 years ago this month, members of the Ku Klux Klan, planted a bomb at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and killed four girls, Addie Mae Collins, 14; Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14…

LolaBrownOctober 2013 – On Oct. 22, my friend and Delta line sister went home to be with the Lord…Although she is with her savior, the one who knows her and loves her best, and is now cancer-free, we miss her so…I had a dream about her last night…Please keep her family in your prayers…“The Light and the Life that was Lola…”

November 2013I was blessed to be able to speak to students at Milligan College and take a trip down memory lane with my parents who accompanied me on the trip…My father received one of his several degrees there in 1972, the year before I was born. In fact, when my parents arrived on Milligan’s campus they had just gotten married

The entrance of Milligan College...

The entrance of Milligan College…

months before in August 1971.

December 2013 – Every holiday season, it is hard not to lose ourselves in the Christmas commercialism, but thankfully, I am always able somehow to remind myself that Jesus is the real reason for the season in “Seven Scriptures to Remind Us that Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season…(Repost)” I also celebrated my first Christmas with the hubby…we are still working on figuring out to celebrate holidays with two families…

Our first Christmas together tree ornament...I know it's corny but...

Our first Christmas together tree ornament…I know it’s corny but…

 

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, A Too-Sexy Wedding Dress and other religious and or interesting news…

Hello World,

This dress is similar to the one the would-be bride wanted to wear on Aug. 10…

My new hubby and I are still adjusting to married life and moving in together so keep us in your thoughts and prayers…

So on to today’s blog posts, there are many stories that have caught my attention, and I thought I would list them so that you can be informed and entertained as well if you haven’t heard of them already…

Of course, people traveled from all around to our nation’s capital to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his impassioned and ultimately prophetic “I Have A Dream” speech. On Wednesday, Aug. 28, the actual anniversary of the march, President Obama will speak at 3 p.m., the actual hour that King delivered his speech, from the Lincoln Memorial.  Also, Bounce TV will be airing the television premiere of “King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis” on Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. CST. “This rarely-seen 1970 film features historical footage of the event and includes appearances by Sidney Poitier, Diahann Carroll, Bill Cosby, James Earl Jones, Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Charlton Heston and other ardent supporters and friends of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. many of whom marched alongside him,” according to a press release. For more information about march commemoration activities, please go to 50thanniversarymarchonwashington.com. Also, go to MSNBC.com for photographs of this weekend’s events.

And some other stories caught my attention as well…

Antoinette Tuff and would-be school shooter…

2. If you live in Atlanta, you have heard of the heroism of Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper at Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy in DeKalb County, whom God used to talk a would-be school shooter out of using his AK-47 to kill and or harm her and the children…She credits her faith in God for enabling her to soothe this troubled young man and help him to turn himself in…To see an interview with Tuff, please go to wsbtv.com…this is evidence that prayer needs to return to school…

3. This story really caught my attention since it is about a wedding that was supposed to happen on Aug. 10, the date that I got married, but didn’t…After seeing the would-be bride’s scanty wedding dress, the pastor refused to marry her…When I saw a version of the dress, I agree with his actions…why marry in a house of God, when you look like a woman of ill repute? To read the story, go to americapreachers.com.

4. Americapreachers.com has been to the “go to” site lately…I recently read a story on the website about a pastor who refuses to allow his membership to wear weaves in church…Wow, what a controversial edict! To read the story, go to americapreachers.com.

5. Mother of slain, unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, Sybrina Fulton collaborated with a gospel artist to release a song “Joy in the Morning” to encourage people whom have lost loved ones due to gun violence. To read the story, go to huffingtonpost.com.

6. I’m a huge proponent of eating healthy foods so this story about a United Methodist pastor who became a vegetarian after visiting a farm sanctuary caught my attention…”Eating in Truth and Action” at humanesociety.org.

7. I saw this story on TheOldBlackChurch.blogspot.com. A church in the D.C. area brought in an Atlanta dj to hype up morning worship…I can dig it…To see a video about the story, go to washingtonpost.com.

What has been on your radar lately?

Any thoughts?

 

 

 

 

 

Little Black Boy Wonder – Black Male Actors Unite in Dedication to Trayvon Martin…

Hello World,

In all of the ugliness that has been uncovered since the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, some beauty has also emerged…It has been beautiful to see people pay tribute to this slain boy whether through banding together in rallies to creating art…

Fellow UGA graduate and well-known actor Omari Hardwick brought together several black male actors such as Aaron D Spears, Affion Crockett, Bill Duke, Brian Dobbins, David Oweloyo, Eriq LaSalle, Gary Dourdan, Isaiah Roberts, Jay Ellis, Marlon Wayans, Mo McRae, Omar Benson Miller, Omari Hardwick, Robbie Jones, Pastor Toure Roberts, Sugar Shane Mosely,Wesley Jonathan,and Wren Brown for a poem entitled “Little Black Boy Wonder.” Hardwick wrote and produced the video of the poem, and it was directed by Mo McRae.

See for yourself…

Any thoughts?