According to Shadow and Act, there is apparently another film being directed by Euzhan Palcy, starring Fantasia Barrino.
Now I am not hating on Fantasia but I do not see her voice nor her acting chops paying appropriate homage to the Queen of Gospel music, Mahalia Jackson but Fantasia might surprise everyone.
Mahalia's voice is so distinctive, moving and authentic. She was an absolute God given talented singer. Mahalia Jackson was a christian woman and was committed to gospel music. She rarely sang in secular environments. The only film she ever did was "Imitation of Life" which still brings me to tears everytime I hear her sing in that film.
I dare you to watch Imitation of Life and try not to do the ugly cry....LOL.
I can see Queen Latifah pulling this off seeing as she can both sing and has some serious acting chops!
Another contender could even be my girl Kelly Price, that is when she is not walking around with a bag of timberlands and vaseline trying shank and beat down her reality co starts on "R & B Divas LA"....LOl.
It is about time a film was made that showcases the incredible talent and contributions of this amazing woman.
So you gospel and music fans who would you like to see playing the great Mahalia Jackson?
My life recently has been in constant flux and transition. I was laid
off from my job of 12 years, and my partner and I, after almost 20
years together, made the mutual decision to split up.
Because of these changes, I find myself simultaneously excited and
vulnerable in this new space. Historically, when I find myself in flux, I
will commune with God and seek his infinite wisdom. But due to the
severity of these conditions, I needed something extra, like a safe
church to land and feed my spirit.
I have shared that I grew up in the church, but at some point when
you are trying to reconcile both your sexuality and faith, there are
many religious environments that not only make this difficult but near
impossible. So like many folks in similar situations, I made the
somewhat traumatic decision to leave organized religion. And just so
that I am clear, I said organized religion, not God, for he has been my
constant companion.
I have attended mainstream LGBT churches, and while I applaud their
efforts, there was still something missing. When you grow up in a
Southern Baptist environment, there is a certain feeling you get from
worship service that cannot be replaced with simple ritual and rhetoric.
In short, I need to hear a choir with a fierce soloist, an organ, a
piano and folks who holler out their joy (speaking in tongues and laying
of hands optional), all so I can seriously get my praise on….lol.
But back to my Sunday service adventure.
Second service was scheduled to start at 12:30, but Shannise assured
me that folks would be on CP time and that it might not start until 1
p.m. It was a rainy morning, so CP time really pushed service to start
at 1:30.
I was a bit nervous, I have to admit, but I immediately felt at ease
as we entered the sanctuary. Most folks were dressed casually, and
everyone had a pleasant and welcoming demeanor. I was also pleasantly
surprised to see so many gay and lesbian folks among the congregation.
Both choirs that morning showed up and showed out. As we approach
Mother’s Day, I have to confess that since I lost my mom, I have been a
little scared to enter a church because, as much as I felt I needed some
spiritual healing, I was afraid that the environment would unleash
emotions that, once tapped, would be impossible to stop. I did almost
lose it when the choir began to sing Tamela Mann’s “Take Me to The
King.” But instead of deep sorrow, I felt an overwhelming feeling of
calm.
Kee’s ministry is not only inspirational, it is affirming. The fact
that his church is among a community that the city would like to ignore
is more than admirable, but he also preaches financial autonomy and
leads by example. New Life Fellowship has been able to build and grow
not by traditional means and bank loans but by partnering with the
community and his congregation.
What I experienced on Sunday is what I believe a church and its
ideology should be about, and that is serving and supporting your fellow
man without judgment or condemnation. This was a church that welcomed
everyone, regardless of socio-economic background, education, pedigree
or sexuality.
I have always been amazed by Christians who will quote scripture and
text to highlight your so-called sins, not remembering that we all fall
short of God’s grace, but offer very little in support. If you are so
righteous in your beliefs, would you not want to share them with others?
Even in this column I have been demonized because of my sexuality and
have had countless scripture quoted to me, but other than maybe one
reader, no one has ever invited me to join them for Sunday service to
experience.
What I experienced at New Life Fellowship was a reminder of what true
Christian values should be -- inclusion, support, love and God’s
infinite power and grace. Thank you for the message, the spiritual
healing and a renewed faith in organized religion.
I came across a story that immediately caught my attention because it happened in Texas, my home state, and involved a gay teen.
Erica Moore, a suburban mom from Fort Worth, was checking on her kids
when she noticed that her 15-year-old son’s bedroom door was closed.
(We know this mom is old school because old-school moms don’t tolerate
closed doors.)
Moore walked in and found her son engaged in oral sex with her
18-year-old male cousin. She lost it and commenced to beating her son
with an electrical cord.
In an interview with AllChristianNews.com, Moore explained her
reaction: “When I walked in I saw my son, it was just disgusting to me,
the way he was looking and my cousin was looking, and my cousin
immediately ran out the door.”
Moore said she was “disgusted” by what she saw.
“They were committing a homosexual act in my house, and we are totally against that,” she said.
Moore, in her own words, was more repulsed by the idea of having a
gay son than she was by the fact that her son was having sex and
disrespecting her home.
I had a similar experience in my youth. I was playing fort with a
cousin -- I don’t remember what we were actually doing – when my mom
raised up the quilt and yanked me out of the fort. She slapped me across
the face and told me not to ever do that again. I distinctly remember
it was not so much disgust I saw in her eyes but absolute fear.
Years later, when I finally came out to my mother, we had another
talk. My mother shared that, since the day I was born, she knew how to
prepare me for a world that was not always so fair to black men. But
later, she said, her suspicions about my sexuality gave rise to new
concerns about how to prepare me for the world as a gay man, since she
had no point of reference.
My mom said she loved me unconditionally but worried that people would judge and even harm me due to my sexuality.
But back to our other Texas mom: Moore, because she whipped her son,
could be facing jail time. Several Christian groups are supporting her
actions.
The president of the Texas Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(TSCLC), the Rev. Kyev Tatum, wants the district attorney to drop all
charges against Moore.
“I have known Sister Erica for many years, and she did what we teach
every good God-fearing mother should do when their children disobey
their rules, values and standards,” he said in a statement. “Texas Penal
Code 9.61 gives her the legal rights and the Holy Bible gives her the
religious rights to discipline her child the best way she knows how.”
On one hand, I agree that families should have latitude to discipline
and raise their children, but is it fair to beat a child for being who
he is?
There were bigger issues the mother should have focused on. First,
this appears to be a case of incest between relatives. Second, her son
-- who was a minor -- technically was engaging in a sex act with an
adult.
What doesn't sit well with me is that this child was beaten because
he was gay. Would Moore have displayed the same outrage had it been a
girl-boy act?
As for those supporting her actions, when will the majority faith
community realize that, whether they like it or not, gay folks are
members of your congregations, families and communities.
The phrase “spare the rod, spoil the child,” although used in faith
environments, is not an actually Bible verse. Moore may have been guided
by the proverb, but in reaching for the rod she also may have done more
harm than good. The “disgust” she displayed toward her gay son may now
become his primary frame of reference.
I understand Moore’s fear, but I hope for her son’s sake that they
will have another discussion and she will accept and love him
unconditionally.
Well it looks like the hush money Bishop Eddie Long paid to his accusers was not enough to buy their silence. One of his accusers Centino Kemp has decided to release a tell all book documenting his relationship with the power house minister Long.
Kemp shares that he met Bishop Long when he was 16 and had just moved to the states from Barbados. He also shares that he was so close to the Long that he had his name tattoed on his wrist.
The book is entitled "First Lady." Well alright Ms. Lady someone is thinking very high of themselves...lol.
Seriously so much energy has been given to demonizing these young men especially by their so called church family.
I have been very out spoken about the fact that this entire scandal was less about Long's sexuality but more about his absolute abuse of power as a mentor and spiritual leader.
I just hope that Kemp telling his side of the story will help him in the healing process.
We live in a time when clergy have seen their share of scandal. So it
is through this filters that one minister finds himself in the middle
of an online hullabaloo.
Bishop Larry Trotter thought he was simply sharing a family moment when he posed for a picture while taking a bubble bath with his granddaughter. But somehow the photo got posted on Instagram, and that’s when things got crazy.
Holy hot tubs, Batman!
Trotter is a high-profile minister of the Sweet Holy Spirit Church in
Chicago, where he governs a following with more than 8,000 members. And
as for the picture, he said it was all innocent fun and that he is
dismayed by the ugly insinuations people are sharing.
“The vulgarities have been terrible,” he was quoted as said.
The bishop is referring to comments made on social media sites, where
the picture has been described as “sick” and “inappropriate,” and where
Trotter has been called a “pedophile” and “child molester.”
For my grandmother’s 90th birthday, I prepared a video tribute, which
called for me to review a mountain of family pictures. But among the
photos showing cookouts, Easter Sundays and life on their farm, I found
none of me bathing with our grandparents.
But I digress. Back to our story.
Trotter was invited to the John Hannah Morning Show to explain his
side of the story. Trotter said his granddaughter and her parents were
visiting when he decided to take a bath with swim trunks on. (Now to
each his own, but I typically do not bathe in swimwear.) Anyway, Trotter
said that when his granddaughter wondered into the bathroom and asked
to play in the bubbles, her mother put the girl into a swimsuit, placed
her into the tub for a few minutes and snapped the picture.
This all sounds pretty innocent so far, right?
Trotter said the picture got posted by another family member who had
access to his Instagram account. (See, this is what happens when you
have modern grandparents. My grandmother cannot work a camera, much less
open a social media account…lol.)
This is not the first time the bishop has seen controversy involving
his granddaughter. In September 2012, he used the child to stage a mock
crucifixion, cross and all, to protest a teachers strike.
There are cultures where children, men and women walk around in
various stages of nudity. So, I have to wonder, are we being a bit
puritanical in our sensibilities. I mean, it’s not like they were in a
sunken tub with candles, rose petals and a bottle of Cristal chilling in
a bucket.
Trotter’s picture has even been mentioned on the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad Teachings Testimonial Facebook page, where it shared this
caption:
“NO SIR BISHOP TROTTER!!! No man should ever ever ever take a bath
with a female in his family or friends. That’s only for a man and his
WIFE! This is totally inappropriate behavior!”
I mentioned earlier the video tribute to my grandmother. The most
compromising picture I came across was one of me in the buff screaming
my lungs out as someone was changing my diaper. Frankly, I was more
embarrassed by the ’70s picture of me in cutoff jean and a lop-sided
afro flanked by my sisters wearing afro puffs where we looked liked a
broken-down, country-ghetto version of The Jacksons….lol.
Times are definitely different. We have kids nursing and texting at
the same time, grandparents with Instagram accounts and the Honorable
Elijah Muhammad with a Facebook page. Go figure!
Posing for a picture while bubble bathing with his granddaughter may
not have been the best PR move, but Trotter’s daughter -- the child’s
mother -- was involved in the picture taking. So is this not just a case
of a “Modern Family” grandfather getting stuck in the middle of some
Victorian-era values?
Apparently some Black pastors feel that the choice between a Mormon candidate and one that supports gay marriage is not a choice they want their followers to have to make.
Poltical analyst are predicting how close this election will be so to have a significant number of African-Americans not participate could be critical.
Here we go again!
I swear this is déjà
vu because this is the same propaganda and rhetoric that got Bush re-elected. What is it with Black Christians that they respond like some Pavlovian knee jerk reaction to any mention of gay marriage.
So these Black pastors would just urge their followers to stick their head in the sand and not participate at all?
You are not helping your situation. The Black community will still deal with high unemployment, an epidemic of single mothers, health insurance and a laundry list of other issues that will still be there if you do not support a candidate that has your "overall" interest at heart.
Chick-fil-A has historically been known for their sometimes not so overt religious values. Hello, they are closed on Sunday which would be the best time to catch hungry Christians after church service.
But recently the President of the organization, Dan Cathy confirmed what many already suspected in regards to Chick-fil-A's stance on gays. Cathy expressed in a recent interview with the Baptist Press that:
This of course has created a lot of stir among the GLBT community as well as folks who are against any kind of bigotry.
The truth is that they are a family owned company and they have the right to have their own views and opinions but as consumers we also have the right to decide who and what we support with our money and resources.
The sad thing is that Chick-fil-A has such a narrow minded idea of what a family looks like and you are obviously not very wanted if you are not a Christian.
I am a believer but do not subscribe to this type of devisive religious dogma.
Hey guys I got a message on Face book from my girl Ramona Holloway that she wanted me to come on the show The Satisfied Life and give my opinion on North Carolina's voting on amendment 1.
I am late posting this to my blog but better late than never. As usual I had a great time hanging out with the crew Ramona, Pam and Bandy of The Satisfied Life and always enjoy when they invite me to share and discuss!
May 6, 2012 The Satisfied Life
ReleasedMay 06, 2012
3 Things You Can Do To Stand Out At A Job Interview; What A Gay Man Of Faith Thinks About Amendment One; The Skills That Kids Are Losing Because They're Using Computers
I am really struggling these days to have some pride in the state of NC. I know we all are not small minded bigots but it is fools like this that give the entire region a bad name.
We first had to deal with Rev. Sean Harris who suggested parents beat their kids into traditional gender roles, another “man of God” then Pastor Charles L. Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church’s took it to another level by saying he thinks all gays and lesbians should be placed behind electric fences and left to die.
First of all the isolation theory has been tested and failed it's called the Castro District...lol.
Gay folks are known for turning transition areas into prime real estate due to their fierceness so he would only succeed in attracting other people to his so called camps.
News flash it is straight couples who produce gay children.
I think he is taking the gospel lyric "Jesus build a fence all around me everyday" in the wrong direction...lol
And if anyone should be isolated and not allowed to reproduce it is these characters.
I was asked to comment on a subject I had written about earlier regarding NC's amendment 1, the church, the African-American community, gay rights, religion and President Obama's recent statement.
I have copied my contribution from the transcript.
CHARLES EASLEY: My first reaction was like, really? Could you not have said this, like, two days before?
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
LATHAM: Easley is a professor at The Art Institute of Charlotte, and he's been in an openly gay relationship for 18 years. He thinks the president could have influenced the debate before the vote.
EASLEY: That really could have swayed some people because he has been very forthcoming in terms of that he is a Christian, he is a man of faith, but he is also this pinnacle of pride and success for the community.
