January/February 2015
Plan For Me Carmen Cruz is a ray of light to the new generation bringing songs about real issues and hope on her debut album, Plan For Me
The Levite
Lola Moore serves by sharing messages that encourage and strengthen the people of God
+
* God’s Plan for Success * The Christian Radio Revolution * iEngage * Generation Youth for Christ * The Blessed Life * YG University
WELCOME TO 2015!
Publisher Brittany N. Winkfield Contributors Rebecca Barlow Jordan, A. Allan Martin, Tesryl Mathis, Lola Moore, They Overcame By Cover photo: Gilbert Pereda Web Development Marcus Winkfield Advisory Board Tracy Augustin, Philip Baptiste, Ramona Davis, Juanita Farmer, Kymone Hinds, Marisa Jackson, Timothy Olaore, Donald Rolle, Terri Roston, Michele Solomon, Jennifer Stone, Samuel Thomas, Jr. Editorial and Advertising Inquiries 303-351-8180, info@back2basicsmag.com Information is correct at press time. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official company policy. Copyright Š 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without permission is prohibited. Back2Basics Magazine is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit in the United States of America. www.back2basicsmag.com | 3
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
BACK2BASICSMAG.COM Twitter @back2basicsmag facebook.com/back2basicsmag
volume 3 | number 5
features 6 8
The Christian Radio Revolution The Levite ft. Lola Moore
10 Plan For Me ft. Carmen Cruz 12 Five Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You 14 GYC by Tesryl Mathis 16 Health: The Blessed Life 18 Younger Generation University
B2B Tip: There is perfect timing in God’s plan. Smile with joy and walk by faith today. He has got you.
By studying God’s Word and moving when He says go, God gives you a sense of what He is up to. Your life may not be going the way you planned it, but it’s going exactly the way God planned it. We must be willing to let go of the life we’ve planned so that we may have the life that is waiting for us. Trust that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf, and that He will lead you into the life of blessing that He has prepared for you.
CLICK TO PLAY OUR YEAR IN REVIEW
www.back2basicsmag.com | 4
he purpose of the iEngage is to begin or strengthen Youth Groups and Young Adult Groups in local churches and college/university campuses in the Mid-America Union of Seventh-day Adventists.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND iEngage TRAINING? iEngage Training is primarily for elected leaders (including persons older than twenty nine years) of their local church. Also welcome are individuals who have been asked to attend by their pastor or conference. Persons between the ages of seniors in high school and twenty nine years of age who are willing to become leaders in their local church are especially invited. You must register in order to receive training materials and meals. TRAINING EMPHASIS/RESPONSIBILITIES Youth Group and Young Adult Group responsibilities included in this training are: Youth Group Leaders (Junior High/High School) Social Activities Leaders Young Adult Group Leaders (Collegiate-Twenty Nine) Outreach Leaders Public College/University Campus Leaders Recreation Activities Leaders Sabbath School Teachers Drama Ministry Leaders Friday Night Bible Study Leaders Worship Ministry Leaders Evangelism Leaders Sermon Speakers/Preachers
www.midamericaadventist.org/iengage/ www.back2basicsmag.com | 5
www.back2basicsmag.com | 6
1
Realize Jesus is your boss. (Col 3:23)
2
Deny your selfish desires. (Luke 9:23)
3
Don’t excuse sins, but learn from them. (2 Cor 7:9-10)
4
Don’t let past failures hold you back, (Phil 3:13-14)
Do your best for Him!
5
Have your goal be to know Christ. (Phil 3:7-11)
www.back2basicsmag.com | 7
Characterized as a "Levite" before God, Lola Moore serves by sharing messages, that encourage and strengthen the people of God.
I
n the past few years, I've been able to articulate a burden I've been feeling to help individuals achieve their personal best life. When I think of the specific group I'd like to equip, I think of women around my own age bracket, from 25-45, struggling to find their life's purpose. Using my own journey toward identifying my own gifts and dealing with many emotional hurdles, I'd like to help them identify and maximize their own unique gift mix and to create lives that are meaningful, that they can be proud of and which make a positive and lasting mark on the world. So much happens before 25! Depending on the family you're raised in, where you attend school, if you're able to enjoy an education; you're life can have lots of positive and negative twists and turns. As if things are not complex enough, some of us suffer abuse, chemical imbalance, poor self-concept and peer pressure which further complicate life. No matter what happens before 25, the world around expects us to be attractive, successful, and self-actualized women by this time. So the questions about how dating is going and what our future plans involve make family gatherings and reunions into necessary evils if you have yet to discover your place in the world or work through your issues. We want fabulous lives for ourselves, but for some, it has been more difficult to understand and to manage. I've lived through it myself and have learned many principles and skills which, I pray, will be of benefit to other women.
“I believe that God called me to set people free. I’m really passionate to be able to see people move and live in complete freedom as Jesus Christ intended.� www.back2basicsmag.com | 8
GETTING BACK2BASICS WITH LOLA 1
Acknowledge and honor the One who Created me.
2
M
oore currently serves as the Pastor of the Panama City/Greenwood, Florida district. Most recently, Pastor Moore was invited to serve as the South Central Conference Young Adult Ministries Director, effective January 1, 2015. She will work with the conference young adults, and our churches to help them to maximize the gifts and talents. Additionally she has been tasked with working directly within the church of her choosing, in the Nashville vicinity in young adult ministry, once she relocates. This will enable her ministry to be less theoretical and more practical.
Forgive those who hurt me.
3 Forgive myself for letting it happen.
4
Learn everything I can about myself and pledge, from this point forward, to deal responsibly with ME!
5
Change what I can and must change, learn to gracefully interact with things out of my control.
lolamoore.org www.back2basicsmag.com | 9
PLAN FOR ME
with CARMEN CRUZ photos by Gilbert Pereda words by Brittany Winkfield
With the release of her first album, Plan For Me, Carmen Cruz tells a story of her spiritual walk. Throughout the album, the songs reflect on many different problems and frustrations that she has experienced. “Everybody is struggling with something and I wanted to write about those struggles that we face in our daily lives,� says Carmen. With positive and encouraging lyrics, this project is a reminder that God has a plan for every single one of us.
C
armen describes the song “Plan For Me” as a wakeup call. “We all face our challenges, but we all can go back to one person who knows exactly who we are. He has a beautiful plan waiting for our lives.” That is the hope that Carmen wants to bring to young people. Carmen expalins that if we completely surrender ourselves to Him and have faith, He’s going to take care of our lives. Carmen has always had a passion for music. She would travel with her father who is a pastor to different churches and always enjoyed ministering to others. She grew up observing her dad’s passion to reach out to young people. Whether is was at homeless shelters or nursing homes, Carmen would have fun sharing songs with individuals during her childhood. Her desire to reach out to her community and friends is even greater now that she is a young adult. “I want to let people know that they are not alone. I’m going through the same things as my peers,” says Carmen. Having recently moved from Maryland, Carmen is discovering how people and relationships change over time. “The same people that I grew up with and went to church with find themselves in not a very good environment.” That is what inspires Carmen to continue with her music. She describes a characteristic that she sees in the new generation as passion. “If we are passionate about something, we strive to do it.” Sometimes it’s a good thing and sometimes not so good. Ultimately we are all given gifts and talents that can help and impact those around us. We can choose what direction to go at the end of the day. “If we put our passions to use in God’s way, I know we’ll be doing some great things.” “Prayer is a huge thing and important for us to have.” For those just starting a relationship with God and even those who have been on this walk with Christ for some time. prayer in a neccessity to maintain oneness with Him. “Talking to God as if He was a “bestie” has been very helpful in my walk.” Carmen admits that it can be hard talking to someone who we cannot her talk back. She has witnessed people with amazing faith who refer to God as their best friend and desires that relationship with Him for herself. Carmen’s spiritual walk has not been perfect. Like most, she’s had her doubts and questions about what her purpose is on this earth. Even the thought of “does God truely care about me?” There have been times where she’ll attend a youth event or go to church and hear a really great song where the lyrics really speak to her. She describes herself as being on fire for God and wanting to go out and tell people the good news. With the passing Available on iTunes! of time, the fire dies down , we go back to our daily lives and get distracted with routines. Carmen always finds her way back on track through prayer, putting her complete trust in Him and having faith in something we cannot see. She can testify that there have been doors opening in her life and with her latest project because of her faith.
“It’s a journey. It’s a process. We’re all in this together.”
www.back2basicsmag.com | 11
feature Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You by Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Is it possible we sometimes complicate God’s will or God’s plans for our lives? How do we figure out those plans? Maybe you’ve asked: Who should I marry? Should I go back to school? Is this the place where God wants me to serve? Should I start my own business? Should I homeschool my kids? When should I buy a home? When should I retire? Where is God calling me? Is this job a dead-end? What’s the next step in my life? Which church should I attend? Am I really on track with God’s will for my life? God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 gives us a clue: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
2 Things to Believe from that Verse: 1. God’s plans are always good (not harmful to us).
2. God’s plans are always designed to bring us good (hope and a future). But how do we handle the big decisions in life? How do we know if we’re making the ones that will bring good for us?
www.back2basicsmag.com | 12
The 5 Simple Steps: ASK. You want wisdom? James 1:5 says to ask God for it. But believe God will give it to you. Most of us have a tendency to figure things out on our own. God is saying, “Hello, I’m here. I made you. Trust me.” BE FAITHFUL WHERE YOU ARE. God will not give you greater opportunities or responsibilities if you aren’t faithful with what He’s already entrusted you in the smaller areas of your life (See Matthew 25:21). Serve Him cheerfully, gratefully, faithfully, wherever you are, no matter what your lot in life may be right now. LISTEN. Continue to study and pray (and even fast), watching for insights from God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Other trusted believers can help balance your perspective. But in the end, God and His Word never change (Malachi 3:6, James 1:17). God will not “tell” you to do something that is against His righteous character or contrary to the principles in His Word. His Word is powerful, bringing instruction, correction, training, and equipping us thoroughly “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Trying to make decisions without consulting God or His Word is like trying to find our way through a dark tunnel without a flashlight. WAIT. Waiting is not always easy. Sometimes God gives you more than one good choice. Wait and pray and God will clear the way for the best choice. OBEY. Similar to #2 above, simply keep doing what you know to do, day in and day out. Stay faithful, keep growing, stop worrying, and obey God with the light that He has given you. If your heart’s desire is to please and honor the Lord in all you do and in all your decisions, will that decision really be a “bad” one?
Rebecca Barlow Jordan is an inspirational author, speaker, and passionate follower of Jesus who loves to encourage others heart to heart. She has written 11 books and over 1700 other articles, greeting cards, and other inspirational pieces. Her daily devotional Daily in Your Presence is available for delivery through Crosswalk. com. You can find out more about Rebecca at www.rebeccabarlowjordan.com.
www.back2basicsmag.com | 13
#GYC2014 by Tesryl Mathis
G
eneration Youth for Christ (GYC) is a movement of any age group, yet geared toward ages of 1835. This was only my second GYC experience and it is just as genuine as my first experience. I was skeptical when I heard about this conference. I was a skeptic because I was tired of the church trying to entertain me and appeal to my five senses instead of my mind. If you are looking for something to entertain you with the label of Christianity painted over it, this is not for you. However, if you are seeking a spiritual uplifting change in your ever growing or stagnant walk in the Lord, this is for you! A few of the events that happen at GYC are sessions, outreach, small groups, united prayer, exhibit hall and networking. One of my favorite things about this conference is the sessions and the topics that are presented. This year the topic that sparked my interest was “Raising the Remnant” by Scott Ritsema. In the book Adventist Home, a statement is made that “In the near future many children will…do a work in proclaiming the truth to the world that at the time cannot well be done by the older members of the church.” Everyone is important in finishing the work but let us not neglect the little children every soul is of great value therefore teaching the children to stand is just as important. I learned many things to apply to my daily living, but what stood out the most was the word “epigenetic.” The reason why I am so fascinated by this word is that often times we are taught that genetics has a final say so in our DNA and our heredity but with epigenetics, a reprogramming can occur. For example, a man and a woman get married and have a child. The mother has a violent temper that has not been overcome by the Lord. This trait can be passed down to the child. The child is not at a disadvantage because by the grace of God, the child can overcome this temper, but how much easier would it have been if the parents laid out all their flaws before our heavenly father and overcome these traits before passing them down to the child. www.back2basicsmag.com | 14
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within in me.”- Psalms 51:10. I see that my heart can be cleaned and not only a new but a right spirit within me, genetics does not have the final say so with my walk with God. I could go on and on about this seminar and a few others that I visited, but I won’t. I hope you make the choice to attend GYC 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. It is an experience you will not regret if you are seeking a genuine walk with God. I look forward to checking out the website www.gycweb. org to catch the other seminars on audio that I did not get to attend.
13 Quotables from GYC 2014 We collected some of the most quotable/tweetable/bloggable lines from the main meetings at this year’s GYC in Phoenix, Arizona. It was hard to choose only thirteen—there are so many more we could have included! 13. “Jesus was not loaned, He was given.” (Pr. Kameron Devasher) 12. “Today’s mantra is freedom, but it is Jesus Who offers ultimate freedom.” (Dr. Michael Hasel) 11. “When Protestant leaders are going back to Catholicism, God is calling for a generation of young people to go back to the Bible.” (Pr. David Shin) 10. “In this culture it is very popular to search and search and search. But it is very unpopular to find the answer.” (Dr. Michael Hasel) 9. “Lean hard.” (Natasha Nebblett) 8. “It’s about time to put your faith into action.” (Esther Caukill) 7. “It is only through connecting to the Bible that we can be fruitful and faithful in this age of faithlessness.” (Elder Ted Wilson) 6. “Obedience has nothing to do with legalism and everything to do with loyalty.” (Pr. Kameron Devasher) 5. “The DNA of our Adventist message is prophetic, not pathetic.” (Dr. Ingo Sorke) 4. “…nevertheless.” (Pr. Adam Ramdin) 3. “But God did the opposite of Adam. He was willing to give up His most prized possession.” (Pr. Stephen Bohr) 2. “The sanctuary is more than a doctrine. It is to be a roadmap for doing theology.” (Pr. David Shin) And perhaps the pithiest of them all: 1. “It is OK to be SDA.” (Dr. Ingo Sorke)
www.back2basicsmag.com | 15
Your body is a temple, a gift from God. You will be blessed as you care for it. www.back2basicsmag.com | 16
LIVING A HEALTHFUL LIFE
health
We believe God calls us to care for our bodies, treating them with the respect a divine creation deserves. Gluttony and excess, even of something good, can be detrimental to our health. The key to wellness lies in a life of balance and temperance. Nature creates a wealth of good things that lead to vibrant health. Pure water, fresh air and sunlight—when used appropriately—promote clean, healthy lives. Exercise and avoidance of harmful substances such as tobacco, alcohol and mind-altering substances lead to clear minds and wise choices. A well-balanced diet that avoids the consumption of unclean meat coupled with intake of legumes, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, along with a source of vitamin B12, will promote vigorous health. Such health is a gift from a loving God who wants us to live life in its abundance. When we benefit from such love, we feel a sense of gratitude and appreciation toward our creator. Because of this, we praise God with joyful living.
www.back2basicsmag.com | 17
by A. Allan Martin YG University [YGU] is our endeavor to be a life-long learning community of disciples, seeking to deepen the Christ-centered devotion of next generations, beyond the contours of Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church. YGU aspires to be of benefit to the larger sphere of young adult ministry development across the Adventist landscape. We pray to be a blessing to many others and we are excited for the learning opportunities it will offer us as well. Over the past ten years, Younger Generation Church [YG] has learned a great deal about young adult ministry in the local context. We’ve experienced great successes and seen our share of failures, but through it all we’ve been humbled by what GOD has done through YG to deepen the devotion of next generations to Christ Jesus. As we begin a new decade, we wish to engage with other local churches, ministry leaders, and young adults who share our passion for young adult ministry. It’s our hope to learn from others and to share, as open source, YG resources, insights, experiences, expertise, and assets. It’s for this reason YG University [YGU] has been launched. Beyond the important work of weekly young adult ministry, in our local context of the Metroplex and Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church, YG aspires to be of benefit to the larger sphere of young adult ministry development across the Adventist landscape. We pray it will be a blessing to many others and we are excited for the learning opportunities it will offer us as well. So here’s to the start of a new year and to the start of something new, YGU.
www.back2basicsmag.com | 18
www.back2basicsmag.com | 19