Imagine you and your spouse are walking the milky-colored beaches of Turks & Caicos with another BMWK cruise couple. Your spouse grabs your hand and points towards a purple starfish on the edge of the water. “Babe, look at that starfish. I didn’t know they could be purple.” You nod (without looking up), say uh-huh and continue thumbing through your Instagram feed. You … [Read more...]
7 Phrases Every Pregnant Woman Really Really Needs to Hear
My husband and I are expecting our first child next month. I’m waddling. I can no longer see my feet, and wearing shoes with laces is no longer an option. (Chile, bending down to tie shoe strings just requires too much effort!) Aside from all the changes happening with my body, there is so SO much to think about and consider: Will our baby be healthy? Will I be a good … [Read more...]
Money & Marriage: 2 Ways Couples Can Get on the Same Page Financially
Soon after Derek proposed to Carrie, he got a bit of a surprise. He found out her house was headed into foreclosure. They still got married and faced the financial disaster together because, as they put it: "We had no choice. The bank wasn’t taking excuses in lieu of mortgage payments.” The conversations and decisions that Derek and Carrie had to make early in their marriage … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Spread a Little Love for Your Single Friends This Holiday
It was Christmas of 2006, and my boyfriend had dumped me a few months prior. So that holiday, there would be no small boxes with bows, no ringing in the New Year with expectancy for what might happen and no "plus one" for the office Christmas party. All around me, people were celebrating. Friends were getting engaged, buying gifts for their boos and celebrating peace, love … [Read more...]
Trying to Explain a Trump Presidency to Your Children? Here’s 7 Verses That Will Help
“You voted for Trump?!” That’s what a fourth grader said to me as she marched up to my desk yesterday. “No, I didn’t!” “Yes, you did. Tennessee voted for Trump. Now, he’s going to be President,” she said. I looked at the disgust/fear painted on her face and took a deep breath as I tried to explain the Electoral College. After two minutes, I succeeded in convincing her … [Read more...]
Does the Civil Rights Movement Still Matter? My Walk Through History to Explore the Truth
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I visited the National Civil Rights Museum last week. Because I think I’ve fallen into the trap of seeing The Movement as a brief period in history: Brown v. Board of Education (1954) through the Voting Rights Act (1965). But the Civil Rights Movement actually spans 12 generations. While the museum is built inside the Lorraine Motel, … [Read more...]
The Freedom Awards: A Reminder Freedom Ain’t Free
[tps_header]What do Nelson Mandela, Oprah and Soledad O’Brien have in common? They’ve all received the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM). The NCRM is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and thanks to African Pride, I was able to tour the museum, interview several of the awardees and attend the awards … [Read more...]
Dating as a Christian: Biblical Lessons from Rahab, Ruth and Mary
Before my husband and I started dating, I took a three-year dating hiatus. I think the Lord was trying to heal my heart from the relationships that didn’t honor Him. I believe He was also working on some MAJOR character deficiencies: pride, selfishness and a whole bunch of things that would have been poison to a marriage. Once we started dating, I sort of had this cloud … [Read more...]
3 Black Dads Speak: Kaepernick, The Election, and The Long Road to Change
A few short weeks ago, Colin Kaepernick drew widespread criticism—even from some of us—for sitting during the national anthem. But now, he has almost single-handedly forced a national dialogue on police brutality/free speech/patriotism. The thing is athletes in activism isn’t new. It’s just returned after a generation of fearful, endorsement- protecting athletes (I’m looking … [Read more...]
How to Guide Your Children into a Lifelong Relationship with God
Most parents want to pass along their faith and values to their children. But it’s difficult with so many negative influences and images that flood our screens. In fact, a study conducted by the Pew Research Center last year found that millennials are walking away from Christianity in record numbers. This statistic worries me. I'm worried because my husband and I plan to … [Read more...]
Housing Horrors: 10 Things to Know When Buying a Home
Three months ago, my husband and I finally realized a long-term dream and purchased a home. We were thrilled. For the past two years, we've been looking for homes, either falling in love with a home we couldn’t afford or finding a slew of dumps and duds within our range. Well in May, it seemed like everything was finally falling into place. We found a house—a turnkey home … [Read more...]
Fall Fashion Fails: 6 Things You Wear that Men Absolutely Hate
Summer is almost over. And you may be planning your fall wardrobe. As you know, I’m all about connecting Christian singles. But sometimes, we, women raise barriers we are unaware of. So today, I wanted to chat about fall fashion pitfalls. I am by no means a fashion expert. So, I asked the interwebs “what do most women wear that most men hate?” There were almost 9 million … [Read more...]
The 6 Most Powerful Family Films That Discuss Racism Yet Show Your Kids How to Respond Positively
It seems like we can’t escape one day without another act of racism grabbing the headlines. If you have young children, it may be difficult to explain the systemic suffering our people have endured and how proud we should be to have arrived at this point in history. I mean, we do have a black family in the White House. But it wasn’t an easy road to this point. It was the … [Read more...]
What You Should Be Doing to Your Spouse 8 Times a Day, But You’re Not!
An embarrassing incident happened in my hometown last week, involving a stolen mannequin. The details about the incident are further below if you're curious. But what struck me about the odd incident was not about how strange and crazy the man seemed. I was more curious about his state of emotional suffering. What would lead a man to such as bizarre action? What makes … [Read more...]
5 Lessons in Fatherhood from President Obama
[tps_header] Even though, President Obama didn’t grow up with his father…he turned out to be a good father. And I think he is a great example of fathers that break the cycle of abandoning their children. The thing is, it’s easy to forget that President Obama experienced the pain of not knowing his dad when we see him being the leader of the free world. In his book, Dreams … [Read more...]