All posts by Naima Lett

About Naima Lett

Naima loves helping folks find their purpose and follow their dreams while deepening their faith. Often called The Hollywood Christian, she believes everyone should find a reason to dance daily, enjoy the 80 degrees and a breeze of the LaLa at least once, and have her Grandmother's bread pudding or sweet potato pie on holidays. Both are divine! :=) -- Dr. Naima Lett, Author: Confessions of a Hollywood Christian, CoPastor: Hope in the Hills, Beverly Hills

Tony® Awards Make History

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Tony® Awards Make History
© NaimaLett.com/blog

tonys2013
© Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance, Cyndi Lauper, Pantina Miller, Cicely Tyson, Billy Porter

While the San Antonio Spurs were losing spectacularly to Miami Heat last night (to my dismay), the Tony® Awards decided to make history. The 67th annual Antoinette Perry Awards represented Broadway and American theater’s biggest night.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

The ladies rocked the awards Sunday night.

Best Music: Cyndi Lauper

Pop star and 1st-time stage composer Cyndi Lauper, best known for her 1980s hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun and True Colors, made history as the 1st woman (without a writing partner) to win the Tony® Award for best original score for Kinky Boots, a controversial musical about drag queens who save a boot factory, which also won Best Musical, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Best Choreography, Best Sound Design and Best Orchestration.

Best Directors: Diane & Pam

Diane Paulus won Best Director of a Musical for Pippin, and Pam MacKinnon won Best Director for a Play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? This may have happened only 1 other time in the history of the awards show, that 2 women took home the Best Director awards. Amazing.

Oldest Winner: Cicely Tyson

Academy Award® nominee Cicely Tyson, reportedly 88 years old, returned to Broadway after 30 years and won the Best Leading Actress in a Play for A Trip To Bountiful, to become the oldest Tony Award winner ever. The only controversy is that some reports say she’s 79. Which is it Ms. Cicely?

“Thou art the Potter, I am the clay…”
Tyson quoted the shortened version of Isaiah 64:8 when she first stepped to the mic to accept her award. The Tony® Awards website conveniently deleted that part from the YouTube video on its site. But, we see you giving honor, Ms. Cicely.

Truly Colorful

A Tony® First: 5 African Americans took home statues: 4 Actors & 1 Producer

Cicely Tyson is one (info above). Patina Miller, previously nominated for Sister Act, won the Best Leading Actress in a Musical for Pippin. She also made history by portraying the first character to earn a Tony for both a man and man. Ben Vereen won the Tony for the same role in 1973.

Billy Porter won the Best Lead Actor in a Musical for Kinky Boots. This was his first nomination.

And Courtney B. Vance, previously nominated for Fences and Six Degrees of Separation, won Best Featured Actor in a Play for Lucky Guy, opposite Academy Award winner Tom Hanks. Courtney is married to Academy Award nominee Angela Bassett and praised her for holding it down with their twins while he played 8 shows a week.

Lastly, film and play producer Ron Simons won Best Play for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. He also received a Tony last year for producing Porgy & Bess.

Extraordinary Artists

The Tony’s can seem like an inside party. If you’re not a theatre fan, it’s hard to hang. Everything seems a bit over the top. But if you understand the sheer skill it takes to pull theatre off, you would appreciate the unapologetic BIG opening number starring Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Houser MD) and the BIG musical numbers throughout the broadcast.

Broadway is a LOT of work. That’s the reason so few actually become a part of that inside group. You have to be an EXTRAORDINARY artist to survive 8 shows a week at that level of artistry and professionalism.

Kudos to all the extraordinary artists on and off Broadway and all over the world keeping theatre alive.

One one theatre baby to another,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Headed to Long Beach Star Search Tomorrow @ Unity Festival

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Headed to Long Beach Star Search Tomorrow @ Unity Festival
© NaimaLett.com/blog

LongBeachFestival
© Long Beach Unity Festival’s Star Search, Saturday, June 9th

Happy Friday, Fam!

What are you doing this weekend?

If you’re in the LaLa, you’re welcome to come out to the Long Beach Unity Festival, founded by our friends, Stephen and Stephanie Adams on Saturday, June 8th, at Admiral Kidd Park, 2125 Santa Fe Ave, Long Beach, CA.

Steve conceived the idea for the festival after the 1992 Los Angeles riots as a way to mend the city’s wounds. There’s a Unity Walk at 8 AM, and the Festival kicks off at 10 AM – 4 PM.

There are free haircuts and free massages. There’s live music, fun, food and booths representing community groups, faith-based organizations, health- care providers, employers and public safety organizations.

Star Search Celebrity Judge

And I’ve been graciously invited to participate as a celebrity judge for the Festival’s Star Search Competition.

Auditions were held throughout the year at Long Beach’s high schools and the contestants will perform at the festival for the title. I love their mission. It’s “to gather diverse youth and young adults of the Greater Long Beach area through positive, artistic expression that empowers, inspires, and compels individuals to personal success.”

Randy, Paula or Simon?

I know this is an American Idol Season 1 analogy, but which of the 3 judges on the panel do you think I’ll most likely be? Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul or Simon Cowell?

What do you think?

You Know Me, Fam!

You know me! I’m at my best, Fam, when I’m “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15) and giving advice to our young artists. I’m frequently asked to judge film festivals and arts festivals, so I’m super thrilled.

If you can’t make it out tomorrow, but you want to give to the cause, the Festival is non-profit. I’m sure you can give through their site above.

Happy Friday, Fam!
And have a great weekend,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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The Bling Ring – Only in LaLa Land

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
The Bling Ring – Only in LaLa Land
© NaimaLett.com/blog

bling_ring

© The Bling Ring starring Harry Potter’s Emma Watson

I saw a screening of Sophia Coppola’s The Bling Ring last night.
It was eye-opening. Even though we’ve seen most of the events that happen in the movie on the news or blog sites when the story broke in 2009 (so I’m not giving anything away), do you know what I kept thinking throughout the film? “Only in LaLa Land!”

Only in the LaLa

Only in the LaLa would a group of teens from affluent Calabasas (where Justin Bieber, the Kardashians and the Jacksons live) flip through fashion magazines to find celebrities’ styles they like, then “go shopping” in celebrities’ Hollywood homes like Paris Hilton, Orlando Bloom and Lindsey Lohan, using TMZ, Facebook and Twitter to find out when those stars would be traveling or out partying.

Only in the LaLa could you gain access to celebrity private home addresses and pictures for a mere $19.99 a month on sites like CelebrityAddressAerial.com.

Only in the LaLa would a celebrity like Paris Hilton leave her house key under the doormat so the Bling Ring waltzes through the front door, on at least 10 occasions, stealing millions of dollars in jewelry, clothes, shoes, and purses (which she doesn’t miss until the last burglary) to then turn around and sell those designer items on Venice Beach.

Only in the LaLa, even more bizarre, would Paris Hilton then allow writer/director Sophia Coppola and her crew to film the actual scenes for The Bling Ring movie in her same house that was burglarized by the original Bling Ring. To top it off, Paris then goes on the press tour for the movie in France and Hollywood, championing the film.

Only in the LaLa could the teen thieves, who became known as the Bling Ring, become celebrities themselves, garnering a book and film to be made about them paving the way for the actors portraying them (mostly unknown with the exception of Harry Potter’s Emma Watson) to now become celebrities themselves.

The actresses on the panel last night marveled that they were on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France just a week or so ago in the very designer names they portrayed stealing in the film. “How ironic,” one of them commented.

Based on True Events

What makes the film so disturbing as you watch it is that it is based on true events, much of which played out in LA news, blog sites, and a reality show called “Pretty Wild” that stars the real Bling Ring’s Alexis Neiers and her former-Playboy-playmate mother.

The film’s creator is Sophia Coppola (Lost in Translation), the Academy Award winning daughter of Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather). Sophia based the film on the Vanity Fair article, “The Suspects Wore Louboutins” by Nancy Jo Sales, who has now authored the book, The Bling Ring: How A Gang of Fame Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World.

When I Was Burglarized

When I lived with 2 roommates in a 2nd floor apartment over a little law office on the East Coast, barely a year out of college, making $200 a week in the theater, we were burglarized while we slept. The Lord kept his protective angels around us, but the thief/thieves cleared out our living room, relieving us of our keyboard, video recorder, tech, etc.

I felt violated. It was awful that someone could walk through our home and “go shopping” for things they had not worked for or bought. But then, they came back. Our landlords had secured the windows, so they couldn’t open them. I woke up screaming as my window was busted in the middle of the night by someone who was determined to get in my room. My piercing shrill scared them off, but I ran and got my roommate’s bat, just in case. We called the cops. Then, we moved.

What material possession is so important that you feel the need to break into somebody’s house to take it? What part of “Do not steal” (Lev 19:11) don’t we understand?

Our Teens

If we want to get a better understanding of what our teen generation is going though, this film makes a good case study. Now, it is Rated R. There’s a lot of teen drug and alcohol use and lots of profanity. Mind you, it’s being released as the teen movie of the summer. Yeah.

But there is a moral ending. You can look online and find out what happens to each one of those in the Bling Ring crew. The film follows the real events, and fortunately for all of us, they didn’t get away.

Only in the LaLa though.
Only in the LaLa,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Why Didn’t We See Will Smith’s After Earth?

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Why Didn’t We See Will Smith’s After Earth?
© NaimaLett.com/blog

after-earth

© Sony’s After Earth starring Will Smith & Jaden Smith

Will Smith’s film After Earth opened at $27.5 million in 3rd place.
That’s a 1st (in 20 years).

For indie filmmakers like Tyler Perry/Madea, a $27.5 million opener is a major success.

But for 2-time Academy Award nominee Will Smith, who produced and co-starred in After Earth and actually conceived the film idea as a trilogy vehicle for his son Jaden while producing the re-make of The Karate Kid in China, $27.5 million is a hugely-discussed failure.

Most Bankable Star

The reason for this perceived difference is that Will Smith has been Hollywood’s “most bankable” star for over a decade.

Here are some of the numbers reported before After Earth.

Will Smith has been the:
– only actor with 8 consecutive films (which he stars) opening at #1 in US
– only actor with 8 consecutive blockbusters: films grossing over $100 million in US
– only actor with 10 consecutive films grossing over $150 million internationally
– 16 of his 20 fiction films grossed over $100 million worldwide
– 4 of his films grossed over $500 million worldwide
– $6.36 billion = total global box office gross of his films

That’s a lot of bank.

So, Why Didn’t We Go?

There’s a lot of speculation out there as to why only $27.5 million worth of tickets were bought this weekend for a film that cost $130 million, including the hit/miss record lately of director M. Night Shyamalan, but I think the biggest reason that audiences didn’t go to see After Earth was the story simply wasn’t very appealing.

When I saw the trailer, I wasn’t moved. I didn’t want to see Will and Jaden, with questionable accents, fight digitized baboons from the future. And they looked so sad and serious.

Will’s Appeal

Will’s appeal has always been his likability. As one reviewer noted, “Lighten up. Will Smith, you’ re supposed to be fun.”

Will’s interview and reunion with Alphonso Ribeiro that I shared in the post, Best, Fun Reunion!, was hilarious and amassed almost 15 million hits on YouTube. Why? Because that’s the Will Smith his audience wants to see. Will still has the top grossing romantic comedy of the last decade, Hitch, which grossed over $179 million. Will’s core appeal is the fact that he makes us smile.


© Fresh Prince Will Smith and Alphonso Ribeiro aka Carlton reunite and dance.

Transitions

Will transitioned from 6 years on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air to box office superstar fighting aliens because he had a quality that allowed audiences to laugh with him or root for him. This doesn’t mean he couldn’t do serious roles for Oscar consideration i.e. Ali and Pursuit of Happyness. But it means that this last attempt lost the Will Smith who audiences want to pay $13-20 to see.

Plus, there have been so many strange articles about family rearing and millions given to Scientology. Folks are tired. It might be great to take the Denzel route and enjoy your family and a normal life and only do press tours when there’s a film coming out.

Comeback

The theologian in Ecclesiastes 3:1 surmises that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Maybe this isn’t the season for a somber science fiction father/son flick about fighting the elements of a post-apocalyptic earth.

If nothing else, this prepares Will for a major comeback! Which shouldn’t be that hard with Bad Boys 3, Hancock 2 and I, Robot 2 set to come out over the next few years.

What do you think about After Earth?
Did you see the film?
If not, why didn’t you go?
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Ready for Summer?

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Ready for Summer?
© NaimaLett.com/blog

f0unta
© LATimes, Hollywood & Highland, photo source

It’s June, Fam!
Which means summer’s here (officially June 21st).
Are you ready?

School is out.
Temps are rising.
Work seems lighter. A little.

Fun, Freedom & Creativity

I originally re-posted the picture above last year. It’s the LA Times’s photo of two sisters, Cassy and Darcy, cooling off in the fountains at Hollywood and Highland, not far from the Walk of Fame.

What I love about this pic is that it captures the feeling of summer in LaLa Land: fun, freedom and creativity.

That’s what I pray for each of you this summer. That you would have fun, freedom & creativity. And that “your joy might be full”.

Full of Joy

I remember that expression from John’s writings several times. First in John 15:11, Jesus tells His disciples that He shares with them His teachings about abiding in Him and loving and walking in obedience so that “your joy might be full.”

John circles back around and uses the same expression when he explains why he’s writing the letter that became 1 John (1:4) and why he wants to visit the church instead of writing the letter that became 2 John (1:12): so that “your joy may be full.”

That full is like complete. That’s what I pray for you. That you have joy that is complete this summer.

You’re welcome in the LaLa

And if you have a hard time choosing a place to va-cay or need 80 degrees with a breeze, you are welcome in the LaLa! We’ve got beaches and palm trees and movie premieres. Take a tour of the studios or walk up Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood sign.

What are you doing this summer?
Got any ideas to walk in full joy?

Guess we could all do somersaults in the sprinklers… and then go get our “hair did”!
Lots of love from the LaLa,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Wolverine Talks Body Transformation

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Wolverine Talks Body Transformation
© NaimaLett.com/blog

TheWolverine
© Academy Award Nominee Hugh Jackman returns as The Wolverine in July.

The Wolverine is back…
and he’s talking food.

In several articles released this week, including an interview with CNN, Tony/Emmy/Golden Globe Award winner and Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman, age 44, talks about his physical transformation from Les Misérables’ Jean Valjean’s thin physique back to X-Men’s muscle-sculpted Wolverine.

70% Is Diet

“70% of the way we look is diet, 30% is training,” Hugh shares when explaining that some people erroneously think that getting in better shape is just about training, training, training. “…If there’s anything you’ve got to concentrate on, it’s the food,” he advises.

Say What?

Now, Wolvy ain’t saying training’s not important! Mind you, he still worked out 3 hours a day, mentored by friend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. What he is saying is that we are what we eat. We can impact the way our bodies look and feel the most by taking a serious look at what we consume.

Wolverine’s Diet

I don’t recommend Hugh’s diet unless you’re filming The Wolverine or competing for Mr. Universe. Most of us aren’t 6 feet 2 1/2 inches and most of us don’t have to walk around half a movie shirtless. But just in case you’re wondering what The Wolve’s diet is, here you go:

6 months
6 meals a day only between 10 AM – 6 PM
6,000 calories per day
Protein (i.e. chicken, steak, fish, eggs), brown rice, sweet potatoes, steamed vegetables.
No salt, very little seasoning.

Not for Bulk of Us

The reason I say The Wolve-Master’s diet ain’t for the bulk of us is this simple revelation: Who has 3 hours per day to dedicate solely to sculpting up and burning off 6,000 calories?

A one-size-fits-all calorie plan doesn’t work, but most health authorities agree that a general healthy baseline is 1200 calories/day for women and 1800 calories/day for men. And that’s if we’re walking or doing something physical at least 20-30 minutes per day.

Wolverinono is eating more than 3 times as much as a healthy man and working out 6 times as long each day. Let’s just say Hugh Jackman is earning every penny of his $20 million pay check. And he’s smart that he’s also a producer on the series, whose origin movie grossed over $374 million worldwide. He’s understandably making big sacrifices for a big payoff.

What About Us?

For the rest of us mere mortals, I think the moral of the story is if we want to stay in great shape, we can eat for life and work out periodically. Paul talks about athletes who train and discipline their bodies in order to win the prize in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. He says, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.” Likewise, he disciplines his body and spirit. So can we.

Why? Because that “70% of the way we look is diet” is true all day long whether we eat fruits and veggies or chocolate covered bon bons.

What do you think?
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Best Reunion! Will Smith & Alphonso Ribeiro “Carlton” Dance

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Best, Fun Reunion! Will Smith and Alphonso Ribeiro aka “Carlton” Dance
© NaimaLett.com/blog


© Fresh Prince Will Smith and Alphonso Ribeiro aka Carlton reunite and dance.

Sometimes, it’s just good to laugh.

That’s exactly what I did when Kevin showed me this video.
And it’s what I invite you to do now.

Take a mini break and go down this comedy trail with Will Smith and Alphonso Ribeiro as they break out “The Carlton” dance once more.

What makes this duo so hilarious is their commitment to their cause. They are serious!

What a Reunion!

It started out as just another interview on BBC’s Graham Norton Show as Will and Jaden Smith promote their new father/son science fiction film After Earth, directed by M. Night Shyamalan, which opens in theaters this weekend.

The Youtube video clip above picks up with Graham inviting Will (now 44) and Jaden (14 years old) to do some music together. For a family who’s always ready to express themselves, Will starts beat boxing and Jaden improvises a verse. (Will recently explained that there’s always a microphone on and studio recording devices at their home piano, ready for Will, Jada, Jaden, or Willow to capture their creativity.)

Then the reunion kicks off.
Will is first joined by DJ Jazzy Jeff and goes into the Fresh Prince theme. [01:38]
And surprise! Enter Alphonso Ribeiro. Cue Tom Jones. [03:42]
Then they top it off with their routine from Sugar Hill’s Apache. [04:36]

Cheerful Heart

If you’re running tight on time, feel free to skip directly to the Alphonso Ribeiro reunion at 03:42. That dance, like lots of dance, has the ability to lift because it’s just good, plain fun. So, let your cheerful heart be good medicine today. (Proverbs 17:22)

Let us know what you think!
Enjoy,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

willsmith

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Former Child Star. Rough Week.

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Former Child Star. Rough Week.
© NaimaLett.com/blog

amanda2
© AP, Former child star Amanda Bynes in court

And you think you’ve had a rough week?
Rough is relative, isn’t it?

Drug arrest, alleged harassment, leaked party pics, twitter wars.
Some say former child star, Amanda Bynes, now 27, is mid-melt-down.
Maybe she could use some support, some prayers.

The Amanda I Met

When I met Amanda on Lifetime’s Living Proof starring Harry Connick Jr. about 5 years ago, she was professional and kind. We didn’t have a lot of scenes together, (my main ones were with Harry and Regina King), but Amanda seemed solid. She kept to her crew mostly, but she understood her role, as so many others, in bringing celebrity to this heart project executive produced by Renée Zellweger.

Child Professional

Amanda’s been a professional, working actress since the age of 7. By age 10, she got her break on Nickelodeon’s hit All That, which garnered her spin-off, The Amanda Show by age 13. She did films like What a Girl Wants, She’s the Man, and Hairspray.

But what happens when the roles slow down, as they inevitably will? How do you make the transition from working child star to not-so-working adult actress? Amanda publicly announced that she was retiring from acting a couple of years ago, and that’s when all the drama seemed to begin to unfold: arrests, drug accusations, strange pictures, on and on.

An Insider’s View

A very interesting essay, 7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy (An Insider’s Perspective), was released yesterday by fellow child star, Mara Wilson (Mrs. Doubtfire, Nine Months), now 25.

Mara tries to give some explanation as to why “Not many child stars make it out of Hollywood alive or sane, and at any given time there are at least three former ones having very public breakdowns.”

She explains that many of the stars’ parents can’t or won’t help them, the kids gain then lose love and attention, many are sexually exploited, they’re not able to go through normal teen rebellion (seeing as so many paychecks are depending on them), and they can’t escape their own fame. What was really telling is when Mara said that she’d recommend former stars just quit acting, but they don’t know what else to do. She recommends getting an education as a way of empowerment and building a future beyond vanquishing fame.

Chasing Fame

Last week, we kicked off a lively discussion about Amanda’s and Mara’s generation, the Millennials, based on Time Magazine’s May 20th cover story, “Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation”. In my blog response, Are Millennials Lazy, Entitled and Selfish? Is That True?, we talk about the generations’ desire for celebrity and fame.

But what happens when fame is fleeting? What happens when you give your all to it and lose everything else? Jesus asks it this way, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Mark 8:36. There has to be more to life than desperately trying to keep our faces in front of the camera and posting questionable pics on Twitter.

Could Happen to Anyone

As a family of faith, we accomplish nothing by standing in judgment. We have a calling to pray. This could happen to anyone. Besides, honestly, I know just as many Christians chasing fame as I do non-Christians. The difference is the Christians are doing so in the name of Jesus and expecting God to blow them up for His Name’s sake.

So, Lord, help us all. That’s my prayer today.
Lord, help us all.

On bended knee in the LaLa,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Percolating in the LaLa

DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
Percolating in the LaLa…
© NaimaLett.com/blog

percolate
© Good ole’ percolation

It’s the day after the holiday…
and I’m percolating in the LaLa.

Been planning, strategizing, going over some things.
1/2 the year is just about gone, and there’s so much to do.

Most times, when we think of percolation, we think water.
It was also a dance. Do you remember that?
Either way, it’s about action.

Acting Up!

Just finished up preaching our Acting Up Series on the Book of Acts.

Jesus told His disciples that they’d “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 And that’s exactly what happened. They really did ‘act up’!

Can we get some folks that are ready to ACT UP?!

Short Post

This is a short post today.
Honestly, I lost track of time all day in my own little “situation room”.
Got my board up. Mapping stuff. Moving things around.
It’s bout to be on, Fam.

What about you?
What do you have going on?

It’s time to percolate,
Naima

P.S. Thanks a million for all the wonderful anniversary wishes. Kevin and I really appreciate it!

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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Happy Memorial Day! Die-for-You Love


Happy Memorial Day!,
BY NAIMA LETT | BLOG, HOLLYWOOD CHRISTIAN
© NaimaLett.com/blog


© NaimaLett.com

We were so young…
and happy and in love.
The picture above says it all.

We practically glided back down the aisle. I don’t remember my feet touching the floor. I’m pretty sure I started dancing at some point. Who knows? It was a beautiful day.

And all these years later, the memories are still fresh.
I can still see the way Kevin looked at me.
I can still smell the ivory roses that formed my precocious bouquet.
I can still feel the love from so many family and friends who supported us, stood with us, and traveled near and far to be with us.
I wish those special memories for every bride and groom.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is about remembering. Traditionally, it’s the time we set aside to remember our men and women who passed while serving in our U.S. Armed Forces. We remember their sacrifices for us, that we can live in the “land of the free and home of the brave”.

There’s something life-changing about knowing someone will die for you. Jesus says “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 True love is deeply felt when we realize the sacrifice of life that has been made on our behalf.

Die-For-You Love

On the day we said “I do”, I’m sure Kevin and I felt like we loved each other enough to sacrifice our lives for one another, if it came to that. Die-for-you love! Little did we know how many times we’d actually have to make that decision. Our lives are a constant sacrifice for the well-being of each other.

We’ve been through close encounters with death together. Kevin sacrificed and moved cross country to marry me so I could keep my career. I sacrificed and moved cross country to follow him when he felt it best to go back to his home state. We both sacrificed to step out on faith and follow God when He called us to our Great Adventure in LaLa Land.

Same Name On Our Throwback Jerseys

We’ve had plenty. We’ve had nothing. We’ve experienced tremendous joy. We’ve survived devastation. Our life together has not been easy, but it has been full and adventurous, and we have each other. We have learned not to put our faith in anything other than God. We have a trust for one another that has been forged through the fire.

So yes, I’ve got his back. He’s got mine. And we’ve got the same name on the back of our throwback jerseys. LETT, baby!

We work together and play together and still know how to laugh together. Don’t get me wrong. Marriage is hard work. We have forgive each other, a lot. But we make the choice to fight for our marriage and each other, and we get professional help when we need it.

We’re Not As Young…
as we once were in our wedding picture.
But we still choose to be happy with one another.
And we still choose to love each other and make sacrifices for each other on a daily basis.

What About You?
You choosing to love others like die-for-you love?
I hope so. There is no greater love.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend.
Enjoy your family and friends.

Lots of love from the LaLa,
Naima

Rev. Naima Lett, D.MIN, ABD
Author of coming release Confessions of a Hollywood Christian

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