MegaFest17 was just what the name implies: a festival on a maximum scale that feeds your spirit, ignites you to seek God, and encourages you to chase your dreams. And the cool part is it provides this for every member of the family. From empowerment sessions, to packed out preaching, to concerts and celeb sitings, Megafest17 delivered more than enough for the whole family to enjoy themselves and build their faith. I got the chance to be press for MegaFest which was a dream come true and also my first time attending. Listen, #MegaFest17 was e-va-rything! I can’t believe how amazing it was. So, have a look below for the pics and tidbits I picked up along the way at MegaFest17 to help us single moms win.
Why You Should Go to the Next MegaFest
This was a time to renew and refresh ourselves as single moms, as women, and children of the King. And what I love is we didnt have to worry about the kids because they had a space to renew and refresh as well. MegaFest17 had a contest for young entrepreneurs. A long man won 15,000 to support his dream. My oldest has an idea for a business and I wanted him to attend. He learned a lesson in “staying ready so you don’t have to get ready.”
Day 1 Recap of MegaFest17:
Ok, I had a blast on day 1. When I arrived to get my press credentials, everyone was so nice and organized. I knew this was purpose and I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity to share with you what I experienced. On my way out to begin the festivities, I met an old friend from Louisiana. What are the odds of that? I know! It was good catching up, and then I went on to Periscope about how we must chase our dreams because that is what this was. Me casting a dream, putting action to it, and God opening the door. I had a blast. Let me tell you what i did and how it’ll benefit you.
1st Stop at MegaFest17
I went to the Kay Baily Hutchins Convention Center and walked around the expo for a bit. Then I sat in on my first session with Dale Foote. Wow! He broke down PR and what we need to be doing as business owners, authors, speakers, etc. to get good publicity. I took many notes and a friend asked me to share later what I learned. He also offered us his PowerPoint if we joined his mailing list. So, if you are interested in learning how to get better PR, check out his site. I mean he only was the reason a small radio host got chosen for so many opportunities starting out- Tom Joyner .
2nd Stop Find My Girls
After this session, I met up with my blogger boo Christine St. Vil of “Moms ‘N Charge® is a community committed to inspiring and empowering moms to feel good without feeling guilty. When mom can learn to FLY (First Love Yourself), everyone else will benefit from her self-care.” We had a blast. She was there doing social media for the Dream Project #MegaDreams which had 4 days of empowerment sponsored by Toyota. (Side note: It was amazing.) The four sessions were led by Teneshia J.Warner of Egami Consulting who founded the Dream Project.
No conference would be complete without sharing it with friends in the blogging, journalist, and social media space. I had to hook up with my other boo Shanta Develle of Style Follows Her. We had separate events to attend, but shared lunch and dinner whenever we could. Here we are after shopping on the Expo floor.
3rd Stop WTAL with Bishop T.D. Jakes
Let me tell you that this was everything. If you follow the Bishop, you know he always comes with a word. What was amazingly beautiful to me was seeing a room full of women hungry for Jesus, for breakthrough, for what the Lord had for them. I periscoped a good bit of this and if you were on live or lucky enough to see before I took it down, I had to get my praise and dance on.
As single moms, we have to learn to feed ourselves. If we do not, we serve from an empty cup and that’s when frustration and yelling and disdain for this new life sets in. I know it’s hard to parent alone, and depending on how you became a single mom, parenting gets harder. But sis, God has a way to heal those wounds and refresh you. He uses people. He asks to meet with you as often as you think of him. So, you can half-parent, half make it because you are half-full. Or, you can choose to refresh yourself and get around folks who want to be refreshed. That’s why I loved MegaFest17. There was so much to do and it all centered around us growing spiritually, financially, emotionally, and mentally.
Day 2 Recap of MegaFest17:
I tried to do better than I did the day before. Better as in catch more presentations, enter more sessions, and not mis any moments. Again, there was so much goodness that I really had to choose everyday what to attend. Here are highlights from my MegaFest17 Press Access.
1. Cicely Tyson
I had to really keep myself from crying and “fangirling.” She was so gracious, cute, and tiny. Here is my fave pic of her and Bishop T.D. Jakes. Again, I really had a moment standing there with fellow journalists capturing life. These two have devoted themselves to sharing with others whether it be film or preaching the word. They are reminders that stars are regular people who simple pushed for their dreams. Many stars line up on the red carpet on their way in to support Mrs. Tyson.
Let me tell you (one more time) seeing her was amazing and then Malik Yoba shared what it meant to him to honor such a Living Legend Awards Luncheon. Watch his truth here. We need to celebrate the activists and change makers in our community. I’m so glad to see she is the first.
2. Yvonne Orji
I caught up with Yvonne on the Toyota stage and we chatted about her still being a virgin at the age of 33. I first heard of this feat when she was on The Breakfast Club. Amazed and laughing up a storm, I had to research this rising star. She is on the new series on HBO, Insecure where she plays a lady who has no problem being loose and free. Far from her real life situation. But, she is an actress and is proud of her work that shows the vulnerability of women in dating situations no matter how “independent” they think they are.
3. WTAL Joseph Prince
It was awesome to see a man I’ve watched on tv live. He taught plainly and the room was ready to receive what he delivered. God was in the place and the word that we are loosed and free reverberated around the room. It was an amazing time and I’m so blessed to have seen it. When I think of all the old clips of Bishop Jakes preaching in previous and the early days of Woman Thou Art Loosed (WTAL), I think of pack stadiums, the Spirit of God flowing and people passing out. But, this session was Joseph Prince being himself. He was calm, engaging, clear, and straight to the point about what believing God will do for your life. I like the balance between the speakers and that each person shared what God had given them.
4. Prayer with Pastor John Hannah
My goodness! THIS was powerful. He took us through steps to pray deeper. I tell you my friends and I had a blast. You know, sometimes you look at others and think “They have it all together.” Well, I watched my friends worship and pray for themselves, their families, and others. I took the time to be present *when not streaming and while) to focus on my needs, hopes, and prayers. God is so good. This was needed because many of us don’t know how to pray.
We say our grace and we recite “The Lord’s Prayer” but that isn’t praying. So sorry to break it to you sis. Pastor Hannah shared that prayer is a conversation, and if you want God to move, you’ve got to be prepared to have a deeper conversation with Him. He gave us about 5 steps and one of them blew my mind: adoration. How can we ask God for something as much as we do and not stop to just worship and adore him! I learned that I need to do this more and not because I want something.
Truly impactful portion of the program. The common theme I saw was everyone was there to worship, to connect, to get an answer to something they were seeking God for. What a time!
Day 3 Recap of MegaFest17:
WTAL Closing Session
Wow! By the time I got to Day 3, I was full. I was ready to get to the final session and of course, I had so many choices and events to attend that I couldn’t get to it all. I went to the expo floor again, chatted with booth vendors, bought a few items, and took it all in. Again, this was an amazing opportunity and a chance to meet with God.
The Bishop preached this final session and brought out all the stops. We had a few surprises and it was just the beginning. There were still movie filming going on and other sessions to be enjoyed. But I knew, I got what I came for. I wanted to do social media for the event and I got press pass. I thought “Oh! I’ll enjoy myself” but I met God there and got to work on my own life as I chronicled the events for you. So, do I recommend you come next time? Absolutely.
Overall, I was amazed at the caliber of events, exhibits, shows, sessions, speakers, etc. It was amazing. As single moms, we have a hard time finding sitters when we want to do things. Here, they had events and sessions for the ENTIRE family. So, you have 2 years to save your coins and to get ready to bring the whole family. Don’t tell me it’s hard. In two years, you will not be in the same place. Believe it and work toward it. Be here next time mama! It will bless you! And you know what I say when people tell me I can’t do something. It’s the same I say to you now.
Do It Anyway!
