November/December 2015
Just Jesus
Kyle Speller, the voice and team chaplain for the Denver Nuggets walks in faith as a servant of Jesus Christ
I’ll Be The One Social media singing
sensation Briana Babineaux continues to make big moves in her budding music career
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* The VOUS * Gratitude Journal * I Am GPOV * Last Supper * 52 Week Challenge * What’s on the Menu * Chaplains- The Movie
Publisher Brittany N. Winkfield Contributors Bill Carpenter, Akande Davis, Marcus D. Porter GPOV, Journey Films, The Vous Cover Photo: Courtesy of KSG Enterprises, LLC Web Development Marcus Winkfield Advisory Board Tracy Augustin, Philip Baptiste, John Boston, Ramona Davis, Dean Dennis, Juanita Farmer, Kymone Hinds, Marisa Jackson, Timothy Olaore, Donald Rolle, Terri Roston, Michele Solomon, Jennifer Stone, Samuel Thomas Editorial and Advertising Inquiries 303-351-8180, info@back2basicsmag.com
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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.
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A Christian lifestyle magazine designed to inform and inspire young people in their walk with Christ www.back2basicsmag.com
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015
CONTENTS
BACK2BASICSMAG.COM
FAITH | MUSIC | MOVIES | INSPIRATION | NEWS | CULTURE | FASHION
Twitter @back2basicsmag facebook.com/back2basicsmag
volume 4 | number 4
features 5 B2B FEED 6 Music Notes featuring Davis Absolute 7 Chaplains- The Movie 8 What’s on the Menu: Honey Glazed Carrots 9 I Am Gifted, Passionate, Obedient, Valid 10 Just Jesus with Kyle Speller 13 The Vous 14 I’ll Be The One with Briana Babineaux 16 52 Week Gratitude Challenge 17 Gratitude Journal
B2B Tip: It’s all about JESUS!
Even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference
(Romans 3:22, NKJV)
B2B FEED
It’s not about you, no matter how good you’re doing or how much you’ve blown it, it’s all about Jesus. In this issue we talk to Kyle Speller, NBA team Chaplain, national public address announcer, husband, father, pastor. He reminds us that it’s not about this church or that denomination, but it’s just Jesus. His mission is to glorify God in his home and in his profession using the formula of Vision + Passion + Working as unto the LORD = Success. God calls us to be ready to be used. Briana Babineaux answered the Lord’s call after her vocal talent and music career launched from a post on social media. She is bodly saying that she’ll be the one He can use for His glory. When you feel like you have made a mess of things or you just can’t pick yourself up, or you feel unstoppable. It is still all about Jesus. Just Jesus! more at back2basicsmag.com
Music Notes Davis Absolute drops the first single of his debut EP project, Flood. Light.Forever titled Last Supper. The narrative of the poverty’s struggle is often seen through a lens of glamorization. Harsh realities are painted with a brush of respect and self-exaltation. Davis Absolute paints the picture of poverty and the environment thereof from two different points of view; from one perspective we see deadly circumstance and a threatening environment and another we see spiritual poverty in the midst of abundance and material success. As he develops the dialogue, the chorus rings true with the believer’s call to action as we are commission to break the Bread of Life with the world during these last days. Davis delivers a powerful message over Khompono’s alluring production, basslines and melodies contoured to the framework of the song. In these last days, who will you break the Bread of Life with?
@DavisAbsolute 6 | www.back2basicsmag.com
Facebook.com/DavisAbsolute
ON THE FRONT LINES OF FAITH CHAPLAINS is a new 2-hour documentary film that takes the viewer into the dynamic world of chaplains – men and women who represent their own particular faith tradition but are trained to be of comfort and support to everyone – religious or not. With a tradition dating back centuries, chaplains today are on the front lines – often in the midst of life and death situations – where the questions are the deepest and the need for spiritual and pastoral care the greatest. Of the eight featured chaplains is Barry Black, US Senate Chaplain. Chaplain Black continues a tradition that dates back to the Founding of the nation. What is the role of chaplain in government and is it a violation of separation of church and state? www.back2basicsmag.com | 7
I AM GPOV GIFTED | PASSIONATE | OBEDIENT | VALID Honey Glazed Carrots
GIFTED
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Yield 4 servings Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
PASSIONATE
Honey brings in such a wonderful sweetness to these sliced carrots in this easy 15-minute side dish - a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving spread!
We want to help the youth in our community find what it is they want in life and why.
Ingredients
OBEDIENT
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 (16-ounce) bag Grimmway Farms Baby Carrots 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons fresh dill 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves Easy Veggie Recipe, Perfect for Holidays
Instructions Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, honey,brown sugar, dill and thyme and gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately. 8 | www.back2basicsmag.com
We want to help young people find out who they are and what their gifts are.
10 health benefits of
We want our people to learn the value of respect and the importance of following directions. We want them to be true to who they are.
VALID
We want students to stop looking for the approval or acceptance from someone else. Acceptance is once you find your purpose and learn how to live in your purpose. And once you find it, you feel legit because you are confident in who you are and what you can do. We would love you to take a moment to check out our GoFundMe campaign: gofund.me/TakinIt2TheStreets God bless and thank you!
iamgpov.com Š 2015 Marcus D Porter Enterprises www.back2basicsmag.com | 9
God has the power to accomplish any dream He gives us. We talked to Kyle Speller, public address announcer and team chaplain of the Denver Nuggets, about walking with the Lord and walking in faith.
JUST JESUS with Kyle Speller
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." - Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV 10 | www.back2basicsmag.com
Entering his eleventh season as the voice of the Denver Nuggets, Kyle has always been a spiritually rooted man of God. Now known as Mr. #Yeeeaaaah, he recalls 10 years ago being at a place where he wanted to take his purpose to another level. When the opportunity came to be the public address announcer for the team, Kyle was working a janitorial service job after the games. He would leave the arena filled with 19,000 people to go clean office buildings in order to provide for his family, being the man, husband and father that God called him to be. He was grateful that God was opening doors and he wanted to do the best he could with what he had been given, praying through it the whole time. Faithfulness allowed Kyle to become the team Chaplain three years after he started as the public address announcer. He was tested by the former Chaplain before being invited to a chapel. Ultimately the former Chaplain began to have Kyle lead the chapel worship sessions and he transitioned to be the team Chaplain. Never did Kyle imagine this call on his life. God orchestrated and ordained each move for Kyle. He did not have any former experience in public announcing. As a teenager and throughout college, Kyle was a big Chicago Bulls fan. He remembers getting goosebumps when he would hear the player introductions. "I got my first taste in the voice industry shortly after graduating from high school, when I worked as a disk jockey on my college campus," says Kyle. Since then, he has worked diligently to perfect his art. He started announcing for local schools, churches and prisons in the Denver area. Today, he continues to be engaged and involved in community events. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Kyle has lived in Colorado since his youth. His passion for his family is first and foremost. He prioritizes time with his wife and has regular "Dad Hangouts" with his daughter and twin boys. A graduate of Regis High School, he continued his education at Eastern Wyoming College on a basketball scholarship. Upon receiving an Associate’s degree, he transferred to Adams State College also on Basketball scholarship – graduating in 1993. Kyle went on to become a Rookie Free Agent for the Denver Nuggets in 1999. Later he received an MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2007. www.back2basicsmag.com | 11
As a voice artist, his mission is to deliver the highest level of quality for an audience of one. He wants to glorify God in his work and he adopted the same driving formula for every commitment in life: Vision + Passion + Working as unto the LORD = Success. "Just Jesus" is his motto, keeping things simple to glorify God. "Who ever is listening to my voice, let them not hear me, but the Christ that's in me," says Kyle. Sometimes you find yourself doing things on your own, away from God. "I hate being in that place," explains Kyle. "I come crawling back to the Father every time." Staying engaged is how Kyle gets back to basics. "The Word says to pray continually and pray without ceasing, so I'm always talking to God throughout the day." Life has a tendency to disengaged you, which Kyle describes as "keeping plates spinning." When this happens it is important to reconnect to the Father through prayer for spiritual strength. Prayer is asking God to align you with His will, rather than asking Him to be aligned with yours. In addition to his role with the NBA team, Kyle serves as the Associate Pastor of The Potter's House Church of Denver. He leads the marriage ministry and men's ministry at church. During the offseason he administers a summer basketball league called the Koinonia Basketball League (KBL). Koinonia means Christian Fellowship, one body of Christ. "It's not about this church or that church, or this denomination and that denomination," explains Kyle. The KBL was created to encourage men to become better fathers and husbands, to be the spiritual heads of their households and to carry themselves with respect and dignity. "The basketball court is my pulpit." This is one of the things that Kyle likes to do the most because it's pure and it's only for the glory of God.
Where everything comes together
"The VOUS" is a Columbus, Ohio based young adult gathering that will IGNITE your PASSION, INSPIRE your heart, and IMPACT your world. There's a place for you every 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Saturday.
"At the end of the day I'm going to stand before Him and be held accountable for what I'm doing with the gifts He's given me." God has the power to accomplish any dream He gives us. All things are possible for the one who believes!
12 | www.back2basicsmag.com
www.ksgvoice.com @KyleSpeller
Opening night! @nuggets #ItsANewDay
www.back2basicsmag.com | 13
I’ll Be The One with Briana Babineaux
She’s been called the Justin Bieber or Ariana Grande of Gospel because Briana Babineaux, affectionately known as Bri, is a social media phenomenon that is making a compelling impact on the millennial generation. The riveting vocalist and exotic beauty rose to sudden fame after a friend posted a dramatic video of her singing “Make Me Over” on You Tube and the rest was history. She quickly amassed over 300,000 Instagram followers and the type of pandemonium reserved for rock stars or tabloid celebrities. Big name producers and record labels started courting Bri to record Pop music but she passed on the deals because her heart is rooted in gospel music. “I want to minister to people,” she says. “I wanted to be with a label that would help me spread the gospel in song and Marquis Boone offered that.” Bri was born August 26, 1994 in Honolulu, Hawaii but her family moved to Louisiana when she was three months old. Her family is rooted in church where her stepfather is pastor of Refuge Temple in Lake Charles, LA. She began singing at the age of three and has developed an incredible vocal range that has left her fans on social media begging for more music. “I’ve always been outgoing with lots of energy, so it led me to playing sports in school like basketball, volleyball and running track,” she remembers. “Although, I was very good at sports, I really had a strong passion for singing within my church at a young age. In doing so, I was always singing in the Praise team or choir.” After graduating from Northside High School in Lafayette, Bri was awarded a track scholarship to McNeese State University but eventually lost interest in competitive sports and enrolled at University of Louisiana at Lafayette criminal justice major instead. She intends to graduate next year and focus on her music full time. “I’m so humbled by everything that God is allowing to happen,” she says. “I’m telling God that I’ll be the one. It’s my vow to Him that I have his back and I won’t let Him down. In this song, I’m letting God know He can always count on me. In essence, it’s a love song to God, pouring out my inner most thoughts and feeling to Him and just letting him know that whatever He needs me to do, I’ll do it.” 14 | www.back2basicsmag.com
HER DREAM . HER PASSION Now signed to Lawrenceville, GAarea’s Marquis Boone Enterprises that has had tremendous success with gospel artists such as Casey J (#1 for 14 weeks on Billboard Magazine’s Gospel Airplay chart), Bri is living her dream. brination.org
Her debut radio single “I’ll Be The One” was secretly released to digital retailers at midnight one Tuesday morning and twenty-four hours later; the song was in the Top Ten on the iTunes Christian/Gospel chart without radio airplay. The petite vocal powerhouse is now in the studio with her manager Marquis Boone and his team of producers creating an intriguing inaugural album that will hit the streets in the coming months.
@simply_bebe_
@BrianaBabineaux
www.back2basicsmag.com | 15
Change your life with gratitude We truly have more to be thankful for than complain about, it’s a hard thing for some of us to do but get into the habit of looking at each negative situation in a positive light because there’s always a bright side you just have to look carefully enough. B2B challenges you to 52 weeks of gratitude!
16 | www.back2basicsmag.com
There are many benefits to keeping a gratitude journal. The time you spend purposefully thinking and writing the parts of life that fulfill you can pay dividends. Researchbased tips – and your favorite pen – can help you on your way to creating your very own gratitude journal.
www.back2basicsmag.com | 17
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thank you
2015 proved to be a banner year for B2B. We thank you for your support in the mission to inform and inspire young people in their walk with Christ. We’re bringing the Word to an entire generation! Consider making a monthly contibution or a one-time pledge. Make checks payable to: Back2Basics Magazine 2455 E. 36th Avenue Denver, CO 80205 www.back2basicsmag.com info@back2basicsmag.com