Hello ESSENCE friends! I am so honored and delighted to be a part of the ESSENCE.com blogger family! For my first official blog post, please allow me to take a moment to share a bit about myself, and how I ended up becoming a blogger for ESSENCE.com. I am a single parent of one beautiful and talented sophomore in college. No, I was never married, and yes her father is in her life. Isn’t it funny the tacky questions strangers ask you? I successfully raised her with the help of my village: mom, dad, step-mom, grandparents, and girlfriends, and she is a better kid than I was. Truly–praise God! I experienced a lot in my life because I have always been willing to take risks. I had a successful corporate career, which I left to become a successful entrepreneur. Then I left that to go into them Christian Music Ministry. Ahem… I very quickly needed to go back into the corporate world, and now I split my time between singing, speaking, writing (books and music, film and blogging), and working full-time in corporate America. I have experienced wealth, I have experienced an empty refrigerator. I have dated some wonderful men, and I have dated some psychopaths. I have seen the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship and climbing the corporate ladder. Just ask–I have plenty to share (smile). I am grateful for my family and also for my girlfriends. I have TRUE girlfriends, most of whom I have been friends with since elementary school. We talk all of the time, (and some every morning at 6 AM). I have some brothers who keep me grounded, and have been great life coaches in this post-gentlemanly era of dating. I still have hope and high expectations. So, I look forward to sharing “High Notes” with you. Through it all, I am blessed! I started blogging online last year, and I do a video show on YouTube every Monday called “Get Your Praise On Mondays with Kelly Chapman.” We begin every Monday morning with thanks and praise! I added all of my old blog posts to my Essence.com blog, so please take a look at them. I hope they encourage you as you walk through your own journey called life. My message today is, when you are called–GO!! I was invited to sing at a benefit for teen girls who are in the foster care system. Black Entertainment Television was there, and I hear BRAVO was somewhere in the building. When I was asked to come, I actually wasn’t sure if I would do it. I had to go to Seattle, and also the Stellar Awards were in Nashville that same weekend. Is it cool for a Christian artist to miss the Stellars??? Not always the prudent thing to do. But I felt that God wanted me to sow into others lives that weekend. I mean, it isn’t always about me. In fact, it is rarely about me anymore. So, I took the red-eye and landed 3 hours before the luncheon, bloody-eyed and hair “all over my head,” arriving at the W Hotel in Washington DC. From that moment on, I experienced a whirlwind of blessings. After getting physically sick, I got up the nerve to walk on stage and sing (yes–THE NERVE–girlfriend you know if I cracked on national TV, BRAVO would have played that clip over and over–that’s how they do it). I hear many cried. I also met some of the most amazing women at this event. From Debra Lee to Victoria Rowell, to Beverly Kearney, powerful women who are passionate about giving back. And when Stacey Turner shared her story of growing up in Foster Care and wanting to give an ExtraOrdinary life to girls in the same situation, the tears really started to fall. I KNEW that God was clear about his plan for me that weekend. It was another opportunity to pay it forward. And when you do, often you walk away more blessed than the person you blessed. But here is the “coup de gras”: I was sitting next to the Essence executives, and by the end of our brief chat, I was asked to send my information to ESSENCE.com! So, sure I started the day out a bit weary, but ended the day rejoicing! God is Good! High Notes: Life. Love. Fatih. You can expect some honest conversation from me, some may be too honest for a few people, but that is how He’s called me to do it. And I look forward to your feedback. Talk again soon! Kelly And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Click here for more High Notes from Kelly Chapman Read More:
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