Adrienne Bailon On Being With A Man Who Will Pray For You
When Adrienne Bailon and Israel Houghton married in 2016, it was no quiet affair. Israel proposed to the now 35-year-old talk show host shortly after a scandalous divorce with his ex-wife and mother of two of his children and the Internet was shook. Although Adrienne and Israel say that their story has been less than perfect, one thing that has been consistent in their relationship is prayer.
Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
In a recent episode of All Things Adrienne, Adrienne Houghton opened up her faith journey and why she still chose Israel despite his imperfections. The host said that while before meeting Israel, religion wasn't a major factor when it came to choosing a partner, she soon learned that she had to adjust her rubric:
"It was really important to me to marry somebody with the same faith as me but I didn't realize that and I wasn't conscious about that. Because I had dated people before that didn't attend church and later on in the relationship, it became a weird spot for us cuz I'd be like, 'Hey, I really want to go to church' or I'd want to listen to worship music. And they'd be like 'Eeh not so into that.' So that was extremely important for me. I think it's beautiful to be able to bond over something like that."
Adrienne said that another thing that makes her fall in love with her husband every day is his selflessness in prayer. Get a man that's rich and you can pay the bills; but if you get you a man who can pray for you, it can sustain your life. According to Adrienne, the quality that she appreciates most about his husband is that he has consistently been a spiritual warrior on her behalf:
"That was really, really important to me. And I just feel really, really blessed to have someone in my life that I can pray with, someone that prays over me. Someone that covers me, that I can worship with. I just think that that's so special. That means so much to me."
While Israel and Adrienne may not have the fairytale love story we dreamed about as kids, what they have works for them. When it comes to critics of their relationship, Adrienne asks for them to trade in their insults and offer some empathy:
"My answer to people who want to be controversial or think that I'm controversial or that think that I don't represent a perfect Christian, my answer to that is please pray for me. We're all a work in progress. We're all under construction."
While she says that her DMs are always open to constructive criticism, she suggests that those who disapprove of her choice in a partner worry more about their own spiritual journey:
"So many different questions of drinking wine or listening to worldly music. Some people it doesn't affect their walk with Christ, other people it does. At the end of the day, it's about your heart and your relationship with Christ. That's between you and Jesus. That don't have nothing to do with me. I'm on my path, you're on yours. I felt like if we all did that a bit more and joined mind your business ministries, that's where the love of Christ really is."
Watch the full clip below!
Storytime: My Faith Journeywww.youtube.com
Featured image by Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com
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Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images