Good Afternoon Orgers,

On Friday 9/9/05 I met Denise Matthews bka (Vanity) she was at a church called Linda Vista Christian Center in Culver City. This was first time I was able to hear her speak, everytime she was in LA I couldn't make it or i missed her, well that was not the case this time. For anyone who has not heard her speak it is a blessing, especially bouncing back from the depths of hell. One thing that stuck out in my mind was how she said that she had old memorabilia from her Vanity days in storage and had not had time to discard of it, well she stated that God finally gave her a month off from speaking all over the world, which gave her time to deal with old stuff from back in the day, she also said that she asked God why did she have to discard the old Vanity items since they were out of sight out of mind, but she said Gods response was, "I brought you out of bondage therfore things you did back in the day are dead so there is no need to hold on to dead items".

wow,that is so friggin cool-meeting Denise and what she had 2 say about her old things.I want 2 meet her 1 day.thanx 4 sharing...

this might be a crock---she said a long time ago she threw out "vanity" things

origmnd said:

she sure did. Maybe she forgot what she had in storage and threw out what was in her house the first time

Look don't shoot the messenger, I am just simply stating what she said, Its not like she had a little bit of Vanity things. She said she threw out old magazine covers with her and Prince, she threw out Movies and Albums she'd done, its not alot but its no little bit. It does take some time to rid yourself of worldly possessions. but she did it. I commend her. Those of you who says its a "Crock" you are indeed entitled to your "OPINION".

Janfriend said:

which is so easy to do.



I sure the woman isn't lying about this. I would love to hear her as well.

Could it be that God first told her to hoold onto all that stuff in case she fell on hard times and needed to cash them in?

No, I do not think God would have told her that, because as long as she has FAITH and TRUST IN THE LORD, she will never have to revert back to her worldy ways.

soul41 said:

I think they meant that what SHE was saying was a crock, not you. That's a cool story though. I hope she sold the things on ebay and donated the funds to charity rather than just chucking them out though

awhile ago someone who claimed to be her brother was selling "bootleg" remix CDs of Vanity on Ebay. dont know if she had anything to do with it


So who knows about any of all this..

Well,why is she still dwelling on it? It's been 20 years!

She is holding onto the story of her past because it's her hook...it's her story and how she makes her money..she's marketable because of her past associations. Think about it - there's millions of ex-junkies that have hit the bottom and come back but nobody is interested in them because there past might not be as colorful as Denise Matthews. Believe me, she's not living in poverty - I saw a copy of her engagement riders somewhere and it looks like she still travels in high style.

I'm not critisizing her - it's just a fact.

Maybe she should take that month off to finish that damn book.

Voidra said:

Your not critizing her, that is exactly what you are doing, Do me a favor and post a copy of the rider if it exist. I heard her speak at this church and from I what I saw she was not traveling in High Style, so speak what you know and not what you hear from others. When you can produce the RIDER then and only then will I believe it is a FACT. The only reason I am responding this way is people on this site have a tendency to claim everything is a Fact when half of the time they no nothing about that person except for hearsay.

Voidra said:

Also I forgot to address the holding on to her story part of your comment. If you have never been in a situation like hers then you need not pass judgement. If you know anything about GOD, then you know he has the ultimate power to raise someone like her from the bondage that held her down for so long. Her story is called a TESTIMONY. A testimony is a revalation of God's will.One more thing she also lives in an apartment in Freemont, not some big lavish house and the pastor of the church can vouch for that as he and his wife were guest at her place, she also stated that she has four cats.

In keeping with the org quality posts---WHo She BANGIN?

soul41 said:

The rider has been posted here before. She demands a lot of things due to her health
[Edited 9/15/05 20:45pm]

I think its wonderful how God saved her from near death, but was Vanity really so evil? because she sang about sex?

Voidra said:

its called a testimony..just as soul41...and yes even ex addicts share their stories. I ran a program with many women who were in recovery who shared their stories with others. So just saying she uses her past, isn't so. I've heard her speak on TBN (not in person) and you'd be surprise how often she doesn't mention being "Vanity". Its normally others that bring up the topic.

You can go to her site regarding the rider. Like Jan said....its mostly about her health situation.

it wasn't about her singing about sex but how she was living. She was living raw.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Someone who knows what I was trying to say. Others just do not get it.

origmnd said:

Me

That's a cool story, soul41, thanks for sharing. I think it's great that Denise is a cat lover, like I am. I wonder if one of them is named Prince? Just a silly thought that popped into my head over here.

I just went to hear here today in Pasadena. Bottomline is she is doing something better for herself and it's positive. This is a women who is truly sincere and still has a lot to face regarding her past. She does not leave anyone in the dark about it. To knock someone who is trying to better themselves is just a person who has issues theirselves. I am happy and impressed with the change she has made. It's her story,you have not walked it. I will continue to see Denise and for those of you who get the chance you should too.

Her former popularity and Prince are still her marketing hook anyway you want to look at it. That is not putting her down or taking anything away from her. Ministers need marketing too...especially if that is how they make their living.

If it weren't for her looks and her previous association she would just be like any other person that almost OD'd and found Jesus.

You guys went to see her because she was 'Vanity' and associated with Prince. Say what you want - I'm only stating my observations from a business perspective.

Go ahead now - flame away!

Voidra said:

You won't get no flames from me.I agree with you

Voidra said:

Well I am going to flame away..... FYI I for one do not look at things at a business perspective, not everything is BUSINESS RELATED. I went to see her because I wanted to hear what she had to say, while she wa speaking she also stated that she does not charge the church a particular fee because she walks by FAITH. I have heard about other ministers who charge and large amounts of money just to hear them speak. I know of one minister who turned down an invitation because they did not want to pay for his jet fuel. Speaking and Ministering the Word Of God is not a business for her.

Some people soul's are sooooo lost.

Comment on this if you want, I could care.

sorry but i see it as a damn shame the way religion gets a hold of some people and completely changes them.

cammille said:

You are entitled to your opinion, But really bothers me is people who do not have a relationship with God are the main ones saying things like religion changed this or it changed that. The bottom line is no one is offering religion, I could care less if you were Catholic, Baptist or Muslim, what I mean and what Ms Matthews is saying when she speaks is get to know God and have a relationship with him, he can do all things.

Voidra said:

I get your point and I agree. I know I wouldn't go out of my way to go see her except that she use to be "Vanity". But I must give her, her props, because she has come a long ways. And I know she is an inspiration for a lot of people out there, a lot that don't know who she use to be. I respect Denise a lot, and I don't know if I could have made it through as much as she has.

soul41 said:

EXACTLY!!