A Prayer In Community…Jacqueline A. Thompson

Pastor Jacqueline Thompson, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, CA. Credit: Amir Aziz, Oaklandside.org

Preparation:

“We come to church in community because sometimes it takes more than just us. We are intergenerational because when I look at seasoned saints, I see how God helped them make it through. When I look at young people, I understand what my charge is: ...I have to help them make it through. But sometimes when you’re in the middle you wonder, ‘who is going to help me make it through?’ Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief.

“God is able to do just what he said he will do. He’s going to fulfill every promise to you. Don’t give up on God, cause he won’t give up on you. He’s able! He’s able!”

The Bible says if we come touching and agreeing concerning any matter...because sometimes you need to feel another real live human with blood in their veins to know that God is a keeper...

Prayer:

And So God we come right now as our ancestors would say, ‘in the onli-est way we know how’... We come to you because God literally, there is no other help we know.

You are the God of our weary years and the God of our silent tears. We come before you with bowed down heads and humble hearts because we don’t know what the future holds but we know you hold the future.

God, we’re tired. Some of us are tired of ourselves. But you told us that we could cast all our cares upon you cause your yoke is easy and your burden is light. So God help us! We don’t want to be inauthentic. Something has happened that has shaken us! And it’s because we don’t know that makes us concerned.

But God, won’t you remind us? You said you will never leave us, and you will never forsake us. Some of us are in deep pain. ...you are a balm in Gilead. We thank you for angels that are being dispatched to deal with their situation... We thank you, as the saint of old would say, ‘for being God, and being God all by yourself’.

Help us to keep our confidence in you, not just today but in the days to come. Give us to know that the best is still yet to come. Holy Spirit, fall fresh right now. Stir up the passion and the gift of God! Renew our spirits and our minds, and our body. Help us to seek after you and run on and see what the end is going to be.

And because we are a people of faith, we not gon wait till the battle is over. God, we’re going to shout right now. We are going to thank you for it right now. God is able!”

—Rev. Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson, B.A., MDiv, DMin; Preacher, Author, Administrator and Senior Pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, California 

*Please note this prayer has been edited for this medium, but can be viewed below in its entirety along with the sermon delivered by Dr. Thompson on November 10, 2025 in Somerset, NJ. —Nona Ogunsula, Principal Creative, Liberty Ink and Founder, womenatliberty and #LeadershipTuesdays 

Mighty and Big...Zora Neale Hurston

"A thing is mighty big when time and distance cannot shrink it."

--Zora Neale Hurston

Impossible Then, Possible Now...Constance Baker Motley

"Something which we think is impossible now is not impossible in another decade."

--Constance Baker Motley (First Black Woman in the U.S. to become a Federal Judge)

As we await in 2022  President Biden's nomination of the first black woman to be a Supreme Court Justice, remember the quote of Judge Constance Baker Motley above and remember this wisdom: don't let people tell you what is or is not possible for you? 

Malevolence...Frederick Douglass

"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe."

--Frederick Douglass

Take Responsibility For Change...Cory Booker

"You don’t have to be one of those people that accepts things as they are. Every day, take responsibility for changing them right where you are."

– Cory Booker, U.S. Senator, 2020 Presidential Candidate, & Former Mayor of Newark, NJ

https://www.booker.senate.gov

Be inspired! Watch Heather Headley as she sings "Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand": 

I'm Clear Why I'm Here...Frederick D. Haynes III

Can you follow your Father’s voice in spite of the noise?

--Reverend Dr. Freddy Haynes III

To view more of this clip, go to: http://ow.ly/RSo330qgeqa

For the entire sermon, go to: https://youtu.be/WAPkBhcl0-8

Choose To Step Up...Andrew Gillum

"I don't want to be that person who's looking squarely at the shortcomings in the process right where I sit and then choose to walk away and do nothing."

--Andrew Gillum, 126th Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida 

In 2018, Andrew Gillum was the first black nominee of the Democrat Party for the office of Governor in Florida.

Respectability Defined...Frederick Douglass

"A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me."

--Frederick Douglass

Madame Tussauds' Frederick Douglass 

Your Mission & Challenge: Are You Willing To Accept It?...Cheryl Sanders

"But the challenge, particularly in a Christian perspective, is how do we get along? I mean, how do we make reconciliation work? How are we truthful about the things that have separated us, and then how do we chart our course for the future so that everybody has a fair opportunity for a good quality of life?"

--Rev. Dr. Cheryl J. Sanders, Pastor, Professor, & Mathematician

Cheryl J. Sanders

Dr. Cheryl Sanders is Professor of Christian Ethics at the Howard University School of Divinity and Senior Pastor at Third Street Church of God in Washington, DC. Her research and teaching focuses on African American religious studies, bioethics, pastoral leadership. and womanist studies. She is the author of Ministry at the Margins (1997); Saints in Exile: The Holiness-Pentecostal Experience in African American Religion and Culture (1996); and Empowerment Ethics for a Liberated People(1995), as well as numerous articles. Sanders earned her BA at Swarthmore College and MA and Phd at Harvard Divinity School; she also holds honorary doctorates from Asbury College and Anderson University.

Self Love...Tyra Banks

"Self-love has very little to do with how you feel about your outer self. It's about accepting all of yourself."

--Tyra Banks

Source: http://twitter.com/TyraBanks

ModelLand Announcement: Iconic Supermodel turned Super Entrepreneur Tyra Banks announces her biggest venture yet, Modelland. A first-of-its-kind experiential attraction, Modelland will intersect a fantasy version of the modeling world with state-of-the-art interactive entertainment, creative collaborations, curated retail, dining and special events. The breakthrough new attraction is set to open in late 2019 at Macerich’s Santa Monica Place, the iconic open-air shopping, dining and entertainment destination just blocks from the beach in Santa Monica.

As the godmother of breaking beauty barriers, Banks continues her mission to bring modeling to the masses and expand the definition of beauty. Banks first let...

Read more: See Press Release, 

https://www.model-land.com

But Love...Elaine Welteroth

"We live in a world that trains women to believe the only love worth having is the kind that hurts. The love we must bend and shape-shift and perform for. 

But love—in its truest, purest sense—is just the opposite. Love is liberating. It is about expansion, not restriction. It creates even more space within you to actualize each and every part of you. When you give into it, when you GIVE it—to YOURSELF and to your partner—you expand in ways your old self never thought possible."*

--Elaine Welteroth

Elaine Welteroth is a former Editor-In-Chief of Teen Vogue, a speaker, journalist, and upcoming author. She made history twice: 1) She was named the youngest Editor-In-Chief in Teen Vogue history; and 2) In 2012, she was the first African American to hold the position of beauty and health director at a Condé Nast publication.

Her new book, More Than Enough, is due out June 2019. Follow her on Instagram at: http://instagram.com/elainewelteroth.

*This post is an excerpt from Ms. Welteroth's 2/14/2019 Instagram about her fiance, Jonathan Singletary.

Anyone Can Make A Difference...Mari Copeny

“Anyone can change the world no matter how small you are.”

--Mari Copeny, "Little Miss Flint"

MariCopeny.com

Mari Copeny is a eleven year who began her work as an activist when she, as an eight year old, wrote a letter to then President Barack Obama about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. The President responded to her letter with a visit to Flint. Since then, Mari has been using her voice to advocate for clean water in her city as well as other projects that inspire and uplift children. You can follow her on social media at @LittleMissFlint.

Picture Credit: 

Lulu Brezzell

via Fortune, http://fortune.com/2017/09/12/include-u-challenge-day-12/

Being Black...Leontyne Price

"The way I was taught, being black was a plus, always. Being a human being, being in America, and being black, all three were the greatest things that could happen to you. The combination was unbeatable."

--Leontyne Price, World renowned Opera Singer

On February 10th, Diva Leontyne Price celebrated her 92nd Birthday. Happy Birthday #DivaLeontyne!

Born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1927, Leontyne Price was first influenced by her mother's musical ability. She played the piano and sung at church and school at an early age. When she was nine years old, she heard opera singer Marian Anderson sing in concert; that, Price said, "was what you might call the original kickoff" of her pursuit of a vocal career in opera.

By 1961, her debut as Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City landed her on the cover of Time magazine and made her a bonafide legend. However, she was already well known to opera lovers in major cities in the U.S, such as San Francisco, and abroad. Ms. Price has received numerous awards including 19 Grammys and three Emmys.

For more info on Ms. Price, visit:
https://www.arts.gov/honors/leontyne-price

Somehow, God...Frederick D. Haynes

"Faith means you keep on going anyhow. Faith means you don't feel it, but you do it anyhow. If I go on anyhow, God will handle the somehow.

Somehow God will make a way.

Somehow God will give you peace.

Somehow God will give you strength."

--  Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas TX

Frederick D. Haynes, III

Excerpt from Sermon, "Walk By Faith", see here: http://ow.ly/Ey4V30nE6ZC
Slightly edited for clarity.

My Focus, My Goals...Venus Williams

"I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest."

--Venus Williams

CREDIT: Miller Mobley

In case you're not up to date on what Venus Williams has been up to especially with her business, EleVen by Venus, and her motivation for becoming an entrepreneur, check out this INC magazine profile, "What Made This Tennis Champion Become an Entrepreneur? Her Dad's Cassette Collection".

No. Thank You...Yara Shahidi

"What modeling taught me at a young age was how to say 'no,' which is something girls - we're not always good at saying 'no.' We want to be nice, and then we forget to look out for ourselves."

--Yara Shahidi, Actress and Model

Image credit: http://instagram.com/yarashahidi
https://www.instagram.com/p/BjYlUHanKGS

Of The People...Ta-nehisi Coates

"The question is not whether Lincoln truly meant “government of the people” but what our country has, throughout its history, taken the political term “people” to actually mean."

--Ta-Nehisi Coates, Writer, Journalist and Author of Between the World and Me

Be The Queens That You Are...Suzan Johnson Cook

We come from a great people. Start thinking big, off the chain thoughts. Don't think about boxes, don't think about ceilings. Crush them, break them. We're crushing this thing, baby. Don't think about a box. Who says there has to be a box, anyhow? Start thinking big, huge thoughts.

I am a queen.

You don't know like I know, what [God's] done for me.

I'm fierce.

I'm fabulous.

I'm phenomenal.

I'm faith-filled.

I'm fun-filled.

I'm action-oriented.

And I've got a made up mind.

I'm a queen!

Oh yes I am!

--Rev. Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, Author, Charisma Speakers CEO & 3rd U.S. Ambassador at large International Religious Freedom 

*Excerpt from "Be The Queens That You Are" sermon, January 26, 2019 (slightly edited for clarity) 

As A Black Woman...Tamron Hall

"I remember reading the cruelest, most awful thing about my hair online. A person speculated about who I was as a person and even read into my personal life based solely off my hairstyle. He or she said I must be lazy because I have short hair. It was just devastating.

We all have these challenges and stereotypes that exist, but you can't let that hold you down... If that's the first thing you think about as a black woman - the challenge that lies ahead - you are thinking in the wrong direction, in my opinion.

...I cannot - we cannot look at the roadblocks and see the road at the same time."

--Tamron Hall, Journalist, Philanthropist, & Talk Show Host

Tamron Hall is wearing a purple turban made by @thehatshopnyc to honor her late sister, Renate. It is available from thehatshopnyc.com and proceeds benefit SafeHorizon.org.

This Fall in September 2019, Tamron Hall will debut as the host of her own self-titled talk show and we're super excited! Tamron made history as the first black woman to co-anchor NBC News' Today Show in February 2014. Now this veteran journalist gets to bring her vision to life in a Disney/ABC syndicated talk show.

Stellar journalism skills, she's got that. Upbeat and engaging personality, she's got that. Award-winning Executive Producer, oh that would be former "The View" and Barbara Walters' Executive Producer Bill Geddie. So, she got that, too. 

Tamron, we can't wait to see the show and watch you shine. We're rooting for you!

For a sneak peak at the new show, "Tamron Hall", click here.

📷: http://instagram/tamronhall
https://www.instagram.com/p/BojVmPzFPHa/

Talent vs. Opportunity...Idris Elba

"Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not."

--Idris Elba