Wishing you and yours a harvest of blessings...Happy Thanksgiving Day!

The Sun Will Shine Again--New Music

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV

Sharing with you some music to brighten your day! 

To hear the song and/or purchase the single from iTunes, email:  nona@libertyinkpro.com.

Happy Veterans Day 2010!

Happy Veterans Day!! Dedication to those of you who serve this country and your families, Whitney Houston singing one of the greatest renditions of the National Anthem (1991).

 

Vote!!

11/2/10

When good people run things, everyone is glad, but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans. Proverbs 29:2 (The Message Bible)

1. Seek information and pray for wisdom.
2. Vote!
3. Pray for God's intervention and make your voice heard on the issues that are important to you.

I Voted...Early! Will You?

On Wednesday, October 27, 2010, by my actions, I paid tribute to those who bought my privilege with their lives, limbs, persecution and livelihood.  I VOTED...Early! 

In tribute to the many who made this possible, I want to highlight a few of the individuals and key legislation that helped to codify this right. 

U.S. Constitution - Amendment 15
(Proposed 2/26/1869; Ratified 2/3/1870)

 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am15.html
    

Fannie Lou Hamer, (1917-1977) Voting and Civil Rights Leader

A native of Mississippi she stood against scurrilous discrimination and racism to champion voting and civil rights in the state of Mississippi.  In 1962, Fannie Lou Hamer was evicted from her home after attempting to register to vote in her home state and in 1963, she was arrested on a false charge and brutally and savagely beaten by police in Winona, Mississippi.  On August 22, 1964, Ms. Hamer delivered a historical speech at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Also see,

1.  Video of Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, http://www.icue.com/portal/site/iCue/chapter/?cuecard=5752

2.  Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKXoXwYpzmU&feature=related

3. 1964 Speech at the Democratic National Convention, http://www.nowpublic.com/world/fannie-lou-hamers-speech-1964-dnc

4. Biography, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fannie_Lou_Hamer

James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner--Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) workers murdered in Mississippi

James Chaney, a 21-year-old black man from Meridian, Mississippi; Andrew Goodman, a 20-year-old white Jewish anthropology student from New York; and Michael Schwerner, a 24-year-old white Jewish CORE organizer and former social worker also from New York, were killed by the police and the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964 in Neshoba County, Mississippi while working there on voter registration efforts. 

Voting Rights Act of 1965

•  Introduced in the Senate as S 1564 by Mike Mansfield (D–MT) and Everett Dirksen (R–IL) on March 18, 1965. 
• Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965.

 This law prohibited the use of discriminatory voting practices, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans voters.  See also, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act 

President Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Rights Leaders at the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6,1965.

The Golden Voice of Smokie Norful, Masterful Musician and Singer

Just sharing some inspiration from Pastor Smokie Norful.  May it bless you.

Pastor Smokie Norful

NPR Interview & Performance, May 14, 2009
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122626591#commentBlock


I Need You Now, Live Performance
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=2&t=1&islist=false&id=122626591&m=122626580

For more information on Pastor Smokie Norful, see http://www.smokienorful.com/main.aspx

The Passing of Women History Makers: Albertina Walker and Apostle Betty P. Peebles

Within the last few days, two legendary women transcended the earthly boundaries of this world to be in the presence of the God they proclaimed in song, music, and sermon.  On Friday, October 8, Gospel Legend Ms. Albertina Walker, also known as the Queen of Gospel, died at the age of 81 in Chicago, Illinois.  Less than a week later, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area pauses to remember the life of Apostle Betty P. Peebles, the Senior Pastor of Jericho City of Praise in Landover, Maryland who died on Tuesday, October 12.  She was 76.  Both of these women have made tremendous contributions in their respective fields that deserve our recognition and respect.

Ms. Albertina Walker
Gospel Music Legend

Queen Albertina's career, that began as a protege of the late legendary Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, spanned over 60 years.  She recorded hits like "Please Be Patient With Me" and "I Can Go To God In Prayer".  She was peers with many of Gospel's greatest artists like the late Rev. James Cleveland, Shirley Caesar, and Dorothy Norwood.  She sang with the same fervor whether she was singing for U.S. Presidents, international dignitaries like Nelson Mandela, or at a local music festival.  As I listened to the radio this past Friday during The Yolanda Adams Morning Show,  I concluded from  Gospel Artist Yolanda Adams' comments honoring Ms. Albertina, that she will be remembered not only for her contributions to the idiom of Traditional Gospel Music, but also for mentoring and supporting younger artists.

Apostle Betty Peebles, preaching the Gospel

Apostle Betty Poindexter Peebles, with the support of her husband, the late Bishop James R. Peebles, Sr., built a church that started in 1964 from very humble beginnings to a campus that includes more than 150 acres housing a 10,000 seat sanctuary, a school for pre-kindergarten to High School students, a Christian college, and an administrative office building.  The church also owns a senior assisted living facility found not far from the church campus.  The Jericho City of Praise, located adjacent to Fedex Field where the Washington Redskins play football, leases parking spaces to season ticket holders during football season.  What an innovative way to get an offering! The Washington Post said of Betty Peebles, "[She] distinguished herself not only as a visionary who saw the expanded role her church could play, but also as one of very few women to helm a megachurch. By 2004, she had become the only woman leading any of the country's largest 100 churches." 

Apostle Peebles endured great tragedy in the lost of her husband during the building process of the Landover location and the subsequent death of two of her sons, Jaime Jr. and John.  Her eldest son, Jaime, died less than four months after her husband's death.  In the midst of grief and sickness, she continued to teach, caste vision, and pour into the members and community of Jericho City of Praise.  I will also remember Apostle Peebles as one who proclaimed that "Jesus Is Lord!".  Her son, Joel R. Peebles, Sr.  will succeed his mother as Senior Pastor.  

Apostle Peebles and her accomplishments were one of the motivations that initiated the planning of the Women's History Makers Event scheduled for March 2011.  This event will honor women, from the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including Maryland and Virginia, who are history makers, pioneers, and trailblazers in the fields of:

• Art & Literature
• Business
• Civic/Religious Leadership
• Media
• Medicine/Science
• Music and Entertainment
• Public Service & Education
• Sports

Please stay tuned for more details. 

_____________________________________________________________

Sources:

1.  Carla K. Johnson, Queen of Gospel' Albertina Walker dies at age 81, The Chicago Tribune, October 8, 2010 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-us-obit-walker,0,3598795.story

2. Hamil Harris and Emma Brown, Jericho City of Praise co-founder Betty Peebles dies; grew Pr. George's megachurch into social, economic force, The Washington Post, 10/13/10

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/13/AR2010101307002.html?sid=ST2010101307427