DEEP WATERS

I'm not much of a television-viewer -- except evening news and "The Voice". I am front-and-center for Pharrell, Blake, Adam and Gwen, whenever possible. Make no mistake about it. But there are a few shows I like to catch every now and then. ABC's "Blackish" is one of those shows. Now some of you are nodding your heads right now, because you love this crazy, quirky show. Others are shaking your head adamantly and have lost all respect for me for wasting a full half-hour on this crazy, quirky show. Wherever you are on the "Blackish" spectrum of love and hate, hear me out for at least the end of this blog. Because last Wednesday's episode spoke volumes about a weekly phenomenon rarely addressed in today's television world. Last Wednesday "Blackish" went to church. Yes, you heard (or read) that right. CHURCH. I won't rehash the entire episode in a day and age when television can be watched on-demand multiple ways...

On Thursday, December 5 we lost a legendary man that will never be forgotten. Nelson Mandela, a courageous, unwavering political and social leader of South Africa and the world, has left us with a beautiful legacy. In the Mandela family's first public statement since his death, his family members shared these words about their patriarch: "The pillar of the royal Mandela family is no more with us physically, but his spirit is still with us." Mandela's spirit of love and forgiveness and compassion for others does live on. And so do his words of love and forgiveness and compassion. When I thought of what I wanted to share about Nelson Mandela, I decided to focus on the eloquent words of our friend and leader.  1. "I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances." As I've heard many people speak of Mandela since his death, this quote resonates with me. I've heard extreme response...

Yesterday my husband Anthony and I returned from Long Beach, California. No, we weren't there to surf or walk hand-in-hand along the shore, the cool sand rubbing between our toes. We were there to attend the 2013 Mosaix Multi-ethnic Church Conference . We were there to hear from amazing speakers like John Perkins, Eugene Cho, Choco De Jesus, Efrem Smith , and many, many more. We were there to meet and reunite with friends and co-laborers - other pastors and leaders of multi-ethnic churches around the country, and world even. (There was an amazing group of church leaders from Congo, Africa.) But one special treat for me was connecting with other pastor's wives like me. Other women who get me and this life I'm living. Other women who know that it's hard being a pastor's wife, but it's even harder being the pastor's wife of a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, multi-social economic church. Other women who understand that we're waging war ev...