SR - The Voice Whitney

 

Whitney Houston has never sung a song titled, I’m Gonna Sing and Shout. But that’s exactly what she did when she was alive. She did sing and shout. Whitney has sung as if she were singing out loud to the back row of an audience. Her voice did travel. She had a lot of power in her singing, and that’s how I was inspired to make the illustration for today’s SoReal strip. ... 

 

The Postcard

 

By: Gail Nobles

It was back in the 80’s when I wrote Whitney Houston a letter. I didn’t know anything about her trials and tribulations, but I knew there might be some hard times for her like anyone else in life. So I sat down and wrote Whitney a Christian letter. I really liked her a lot and saw her as a person. I thought, “I don’t know why I’m writing Whitney. I know I probably won’t hear from her. Them Hollywood stars always talking about they busy. All they got to do is slap a stamp on an envelope.” Well lol, that’s the way I thought. That’s the way a teenager should have thought about a celebrity in those days. It was normal though celebrities get lots of fan mail. I didn’t understand. 

Well, as time went on, I had forgotten all about the letter I had sent off in the mail to Whitney. I don’t even remember what I wrote to her. I think I remember writing something about Moses and telling her not to give up. The day I was writing her, I do remember having that part on my mind.

One day I came home from school. When I got home, mom was standing in the doorway with a little tiny smile on her face. Just a tiny one. I knew something was up. She was looking at me and wouldn’t take her eyes off of me. Now that I think about it, she saw herself. She knew what she had in herself and knew about what I would do. I asked mom what was wrong.

She said, “You got a surprise in the mail.” Mom handed me a postcard from Whitney’s fanclub. I don’t remember writing to Whitney’s fanclub, but anyway, I got a postcard. Mom asked, “What’s the matter?”

I said, “Mom, Whitney might not have gotten my letter. How do I know she got it? It probably got into the hands of someone else. She didn’t actually answer me. This is fanclub stuff.”

Mom said, “She might have gotten it. At least you got something. You could have got nothing.”

I held the postcard in my hand for a long time examining what was on the card. I put the card aside and right this very day I don’t know what I did with that postcard. I wish I had the mind then like the mind I have now today lol. Like I said, I didn’t understand.

The Symbolism of Nippy

Whitney Houston whose nick name is Nippy died a Hollywood star. It bothered some people that they had seen an Egyptian statue after her death at the private family viewing online. Don't let that bother you because that is not what Nippy was about. Nippy belonged to The New Hope Baptist Church in Newark New Jersey. She sung in the choir there and Whitney's mother Cissy Houston is also a lifelong active member of the congregation, and serves on the Deaconess Board. Whitney Houston (Nippy) never stopped visiting churches when she was alive and would sing. I've seen a rare footage of Whitney singing at Bishop Dr. Fred Jerkin's Evangelical Fellowship Church in Pleasantville, NJ in 1998. I'm sure Hollywood has it's own ideas away from church.

The Symbolism

Nippy has been known to help some people in Hollywood. She sounded like someone who would protect you and help you if she could. In the art above, I made Nippy a warrior with a weapon because I knew she was battling in spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:12 - For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

If Nippy had not been a Christian, we might not would have ever noticed her spiritual warfare. She was in a real battle. If you have been reading your Bible, you know the story of Job and Satan. You know how Peter denied Jesus (Luke 22:31-32). You know about Paul and how a thorn was given to him in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7). I believe the Shepard boy known as King David was in the battle too.

The Mummy  on the shoulder of Nippy means nothing but death. Sometimes men think they have murdered and buried the dead, but some men are not dead in Christ. They will have new bodies anyway. So why preserved the body like the Egyptians do? In the art, you see Nippy alive, and she wears the mummy to open the minds of men to make them think about what death and life really are.

Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Matt. 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

In the first bottom fold of Nippy's headband and helmet is written her nick name Nippy. The helmet represents rank. If Nippy (Whitney Houston) gets to heaven, she'll have a new name.

Rev. 2:17 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said to the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows saving he that receives it.

I Love Nippy (Whitney Houston)

I've always pictured Whitney Houston in movies as Nippy. I believed she would have been an awesome character as the bad girl. It would have been good to see her start in the beginning of a movie as the good girl and end with good reason to be the bad girl. I've seen Whitney in a rare video excited watching the movie "Set It Off". I've always pictured her in that kind of movie although she seemed to be a humble. loving, and very kind person. I'm glad that Whitney stayed that humble, loving, and kind person and did not change.

When I saw Whitney's video "Watchulookinat", it looked as if Whitney had something to say. She looked as if she had a lot inside. There was a Whitney I had never seen before, and I enjoyed her video. I didn't mind hearing Whitney Houston sing and act out a frustration. She had good reason for doing so because of the way she was being treated. It was good for Whitney to sing and act out her frustrations rather than keeping it locked up inside. I enjoyed her new look and style in the video, "Watchulookinat". I thought, "Whitney could be someone else, and she is a great actress, I love Nippy." 

I Love NIPPY

Whitney Houston - Cautionary Tale?

What is a cautionary tale? When it comes to Whitney Houston, should the story of her life and death be called a tale at all? A cautionary tale is a tale told in folklore, to warn its listener of a danger. For Whitney, there was danger but why warn the listeners that way? Everybody is saying different things about Whitney and how she lived and died. You can tell that there are things left out and not being said in the story. I don't believe that the whole truth is told. The story doesn't add up and left as a mystery of how she really died to my mind.

Sometimes I have to wonder if the story was being told to us from the beginning while Whitney was alive. She told us about some of the fears that she had. We saw signs of depression on her face. Whatever it was about, I do not believe that some of it was of her own demons.

Whatever happened to Whitney Houston, God is not pleased. If other people were involved in Whitney's death, they also have a price to pay. It is possible that they will pay the price worse than whatever so called price Whitney had to pay for fame. Whitney may not have been an angel, but she still was somebody's child. That child belonged to God. It was him that took her on out of this world to be with him. And if she is not gone, (because I didn't see her body, and I didn't see her buried) God is with her where ever she is.

Hollywood dressed Whitney in a black cloak in the movie, The Bodyguard. It is a place of fantasy. It is a place that can tell you the truth in diguise through movies and stories. Maybe that movie told us what was actually going to happen to Whitney. Usually, black represents darkness or death. However, if Whitney is in heaven, God has given her a white robe. He has more to offer in his kingdom than that of Hollywood. And remember, life is not fantasy, the people .. they are not fantasy, and neither is God.

Whitney and The Sand of Time

 

Whitney and The Sand of Time

Ecclesiastes 3:8

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The Heart of Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston traveled all over the world. She liked visiting places like Israel. Whitney loved reading her Bible, and she loved children. Sometimes she was troubled like a human being sometimes will be, but there were good things in her heart that came out.

Fans still mourn about Whitney Houston's death. They comment and post on her pictures and videos on social media everyday.

St. John 14:1 Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled .........

The Voice In the Rock

When Whitney Houston was alive, she would sing the gospel song, "I Go To The Rock". She could move the audience singing that song. Now that Whitney is not with us, I think of her with God and still singing better than before. I think of her as the voice in the rock.