Words that shook and renewed me!
This Is Us has been a favorite show since it premiered. The series finale aired in May 2022. This song was performed shortly before the last episode. The first chords have played at the beginning and end of every episode. It wasn’t until the final season that we got a full sing with amazingly poignant lyrics.
Listen to The Forever Now
Instrumental:
Mandy Moore episode performance:
Spoiler: More audio and video!
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💻 Zoom Bible Study
🎙Conversations/Interviews (#twitter #spaces + #zoom)
🏠 Home Ownership
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#harvestlife #harvestbooks #harvestphotography #harvesthomes #harvestlifer #keepmoving #forward #grace #space #opportunity #harvest
I had a very good conversation with Michelle Jackson of Black Writer’s Workspace about my book, I AM WOMAN: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America. Listen to the interview below.
This is such a great conversation on faith, growth and leadership.
Conversation: JD Jakes and Steven Furtick
This book list is derived from the African American Women Using Our Words Timeline I developed for I AM WOMAN: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America. As with most creative projects, I had no idea where the timeline would lead.
This is by no means a full list of creative works or published/recorded documents by Black Women in America. More accurately, it’s a highlight reel of some of the historical works in the public domain. Some of the women were/are prolific writers and have multiple publications which are not listed within my timeline.
The I AM WOMAN Project began with the idea that resistance and speaking up for ourselves are not a new concepts for Black Women. Lo and behold, a bit of digging reveals Black Women have been speaking, shouting, fighting, and resisting being controlled and abused since before our words were written down.
The Timeline in I AM WOMAN: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America includes 421 years of documented words by African descended Women in the United States of America proclaiming who they are and telling their stories in their own words. The Book List spans 421 years of Black Women in America advocating for themselves, their families, their communities and their people while exhibiting an impressive breadth of accomplishments throughout the centuries.
Black Women in America have a long and truly empowering history. Our truth cannot be hidden forever. Neither will freedom elude us forever. We are our most loyal encouragers. We are our own best defenders. Black Women have always been their own most worthy heroes.
Everything before 1924 is public domain and can be downloaded for free. May the readings liberate your mind, heart and soul. May your vision and understanding be infinitely expanded. Asè.
| 1600 | Isabel de Olvera | Affidavit |
| 1746 | Lucy Terry Prince | Bars Fight, August 28, 1746 |
| 1773 | Phillis Wheatley | Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral |
| 1849 | Jarena Lee | Religious Experience and Journal of Mrs. Jarena Lee |
| 1854 | Francis Ellen Watkins Harper | Poems on Miscellaneous Subjects |
| 1850 | Sojourner Truth | The Narrative of Sojourner Truth |
| 1859 | Harriet Wilson | Our Nig; or Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, In A Two-Story White House, North |
| 1861 | Harriet Jacobs (aka Linda Brent) | Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl |
| 1863 | Old Elizabeth | Memoir of Old Elizabeth a Coloured Woman |
| 1863 | Susie King Taylor | Reminiscences of My Life in Camp |
| 1865 | Charlotte Louise Bridges Forten | Life on the Sea Islands |
| 1868 | Elizabeth Keckley | Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty Years a Slave and Four Years in the White House |
| 1890 | Octavia R. Albert | The House of Bondage |
| 1891 | Lucy Ann Delaney | From the Darkness Cometh the Light; or Struggles for Freedom |
| 1892 | Anna Julia Cooper | A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South |
| 1892
1895 |
Ida B. Wells | Southern Horrors: Lynch Law and in All Its Phases
A Red Record: Tabulated Statistics and Alleged Causes of Lynchings in the United States |
| 1893 | Amanda Smith | An Autobiography: The Story of the Lord’s Dealings with Mrs. Amanda Smith, the Colored Evangelist: Containing an Account of Her Life Work of Faith, and Her Travels in America, England, Ireland, Scotland, India, and Africa as an Independent Missionary. |
| 1896 | Gertrude Mossell | The Work of the Afro-American Woman |
| 1898 | Kate Drumgoold | A Slave Girl’s Story: Being An Autobiography of Kate Drumgoold |
| 1926 | Hallie Brown | Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction |
| 1904 | Virginia Broughton | Women’s Work, as Gleaned from the Women of the Bible |
| 1919 | NAACP | Thirty Years of Lynching in the United States: 1898-1918 |
| 1942 | Margaret Walker | For My People (poem reading) |
| 1950 | Gwendolyn Brooks | Annie Allen |
| 1953 | Katherine Johnson | Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position. |
| 1959 | Lorraine Hansberry | Raisin in the Sun |
| 1968 | Audre Lorde | The First Cities |
| 1969 | Maya Angelou | I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings |
| 1970 | Shirley Chisholm | Unbossed and Unbought |
| 1983 | Alice Walker | The Color Purple |
| 1988 | Toni Morison | Beloved |
| 1986 | Rita Dove | Thomas and Beulah |
| 2001 | Mae Jamison | Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life |
| 2001 | Condoleezza Rice | Extraordinary, Ordinary People: A Memoir of Family Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me. |
| 2008 | Kamala Harris | Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer |
| 2009 | LaShawnda Jones | My God and Me: Listening, Learning and Growing on My Journey |
| 2010 | Carole Simpson | NewsLady |
| 2015 | Amanda Gorman | The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough |
| 2018 | Stacey Abram | Lead from the Outside: How to Build Your Future and Make Real Change |
| 2018 | Michelle Obama | Becoming |
| 2019 | Valerie Jarrett | My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward |
| 2019 | Susan Rice | Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For. |
The opening of the The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC was a big event for me. I had been looking forward to it for years and truly tried to score tickets to any grand opening event. It opened in its state of the art designer building in September 2016. I wasn’t able to reserve a slot online until May 2017. The museum was truly in demand. They are still issuing “timed-entry passes.” Despite being free, availability is limited. See how the museum is honoring Dr. King’s memory here.
I made a weekend of the DC visit when I got my ticket to the museum. It became a weekend focused on African American presence in the Capital of the United States. An added bonus for being able to enjoy a colorful Eco protest in front of the White House. This was the cherry on top of a great American weekend in Washington, DC.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and holiday, I’m sharing some images from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial built to honor his life and work. I arrived to the memorial just before twilight on April 30, 2017. It was a beautiful spring evening well-suited to reflecting on profound ideals from a great man. Quotes from the stone walls surrounding the MLK Memorial are shared below in the slideshow. Photos from my 2016 visit to the Center for Civil and Human Rights can be viewed here.
What’s your favorite MLK quote or speech?
Myles Munroe is one of the most phenomenal Bible teachers I’ve ever listened to and read. I came across him early in my studies, so I’m sure some of his explanations are embedded in my thinking. I’ve been listening to sermons this weekend and thought about him. He and his wife died in a plane crash in 2014, but thanks to technology, specifically #Youtube, he’s still easy to find. This sermon begins with how ideas outlive people. How wonderful that his teachings remain with us.
This is a teaching on God’s Kingdom – Heaven – and how the Kingdom of Heaven was Jesus’s reason, purpose and message on Earth.
Key Points
Ideas
Precepts
Concepts
Understanding
Communication
Continue reading Sermon: God’s Original Idea, Part 1 by Myles Munroe
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. ~ Jeremiah 17:7-8
Having a relationship with God does not exempt us from troubles. It gives us a foundation to draw from when hard times come. It enables us to not only survive, but to bear fruit during the most difficult season. Droughts and storms, summer, winter. Fake trees look good but they can’t bear fruit.
Strong people do not happen by accident. Strength is not revealed during the dry season. It just reveals itself
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. ~ Luke 1:28-38
Blessed are you among women. Blessed is the fruit of your womb. ~ Luke 1:42
Discussion Questions: Marriage & Relationship, Part 5
This sermon is a gift.
For me, it encompasses two big projects I’m working on: a re-edit of my book, Desert of Solitude: Refreshed by Grace and the Marriage & Relationship: Modern Concepts vs. Biblical Principles Virtual Bible Study Series.
I’ve added so much to Desert of Solitude since it was published in 2018, that it’s more of a re-write at this point. One of the strongest themes in my book is the cycle of endings and beginnings aka life and death. This sermon has touched on a vein and exposed perspectives I hadn’t considered. It is also a great addition to the Marriage & Relationship discussion series. Pastor Steven Furtick gives an excellent perspective and understanding of Jacob, Rachel and Leah (covered in Part 1 of my study) and Mary (covered in Part 5).
“The relationship between fear and favor cannot be overstated. Choose favor over fear.” ~ Pastor Steven Furtick
Reference verses:
Related posts:
Related books:
Times Square Church Holiday Event Calendar – all virtual live streams and possible replays. I’ve enjoyed every performance I’ve attended at this church. May you also be enriched by the wonderful messages of the season.
