Winter 2021
MALE VS. MAN DondrĂŠ Whitfield shares how to honor women, teach children, and elevate men to change the world .
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* Build a Brand as an Influencer *The Basics * 5 Things to Quit Now * Workout of the Week * 20 Questions
CONTENTS Winter 2021
ON THE COVER 05 B2B Feed 06
How to Build a Brand as an Influencer
13
5 Things to Quit Now
14
A Prayer for the New Year
16
Recipe
17
Work It Out
18
The Basics
19
20 Questions
10 Male Vs. Man with Dondré Whitfield
Features
06
How to Build a Brand as an Influencer
14
Crispy Baked Falafel
18
The Basics
Fall 2020, Vol. 8, No. 4 Publisher Brittany N. Winkfield Contributors Kim Farmer, Debbie McDaniel LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
B2B Tip: One day at a time. Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger. Job 17:9 Lord! We made it through 2020. Stronger. Wiser. Better. No doubt we’ve been through some stuff this year, but God! #neverwouldhavemadeit I had the opportunity to interview for a sister publication and reflected on how blessed my life’s journey has been. I’ve learned to take life day by day and be grateful for the little things. My purpose has been to spread joy and inspire others as a living testimony of God’s great work. In this issue we chat with Dondré Whitfield about his book Male vs. Man and passion vs. purpose. He challenges us to recognize the power found in serving others. Looking ahead to 2021 I am praying for you and your family. Things will be different, but I know God has a plan in these wild times.
Photographers Couture Agency Web Development Marcus Winkfield Advisory Board Tracy Augustin, Philip Baptiste, John Boston, Ramona Davis, Juanita Farmer, Kymone Hinds, Marisa Daniels, Timothy Olaore, Terri Roston, Jennifer Stone Editorial and Advertising Inquiries info@back2basicsmag.com Information is correct at press time. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official company policy. Copyright © 2020. 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. In Loving Memory of Dorthy Davis
A Christian lifestyle magazine designed to inform and inspire young people in their walk with Christ.
However you celebrate the new year, stay safe and God bless you. 4 WINTER 2021 back2basicsmag.com
@back2basicsmag
b2b feed If You Don’t Know, Now You Know
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DondrĂŠ Whitfield
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Dondré Whitfield began his television career appearing in the recurring role on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show as Robert Foreman and most recently in Queen Sugar as Remy Newell. Whitfield was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a child he recalls feeling so much anger toward his father for several years. The trauma of being kidnapped by his father at the age of 6 caused a great disdain between father and son. “The thing that got me across the finish line was forgiveness.” Instead of thinking of his father as the 70-year-old version of himself that actively abandoned his son, Dondré started thinking of his father as the 7-year-old version of himself that never got what he needed as a child in order to matriculate into manhood. “When I decided to write Male vs. Man, I wanted to honor my father as a child. If he had that information and instruction, he would have become the man that he should have become and the father that I needed him to be. And beyond that, if God calls me home before I anticipate, I need my son to have a playbook for manhood that would stand in my state so that he has the information that he needs to matriculate into manhood.” Dondré and his father were estranged from each other for 20 years. At the age of 26, while Dondré was on All My Children, he threatened bodily harm if he ever saw his father again. It wasn’t until the age of 46 when his daughter came and sat down next to him and said, “Dad, do you know where your father is?” “I had no desire to reconcile with him at all, but I realized that as a father, I was teaching my children, despite the fact that I was saying, give people grace, forgive people, have the empathy toward them. I was teaching them, give everyone all those things, except one person who you deem unworthy. And I knew that I was going to have to reconcile in order to be able to show my children the right way to go about life. And at that point, I’d had so much anger, which really is profound hurt.” 10 years ago, Dondré Whitfield was on the doorstep of figuring out what he wanted to do with his purpose work. “I tell people often that acting is my passion, but activation is my purpose,” explains Dondré. People really don’t understand what that means. “The way I explain it to them is that my passions serve me, but my activation serves others. Acting has been a great passion of mine for over 36 years, but it’s one of my many passions. Scuba diving is a passion, horseback riding is a passion, and golf is a passion. All those things are my passions, but none of them is my purpose.” Christ was about the service of others. When I’m focused on my passions, I’m focused on me. Christ was focused on everyone else, so when I say focused on my purpose, then I’m walking a Christ-like life because purpose serves others, Christ serves others. So when I want to get closer to Christ and when I want to be more Christ-like, I just simply have to focus on my purpose. “When God created me, his intention behind my creation was for me to be a man,” says Dondré. In his book, Male vs. Man, he talks about how men look to be of service while males look to be served. “My purpose in life is to be able to walk through my time on this earth, being a servant leader, covering the women and children in my life, and helping elevate the brothers that also come into it.” Male vs. Man equips us to become men rather than simply “grown males.” Men are healthy and productive servant-leaders who bring positive change to their communities. Males are selfserving and stuck in negative cycles that we hear and read about daily. They create chaos instead of cultivating calm.
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As he got clear about what God wanted him to do there was always an eerie space of calm and clarity that would come over him. “Whenever something significant was about to happen to me, it was so clear to me and I would become so calm where people around me would go, “Well, what do you think? What do you think?” “Like, relax, that’s already done.” Dondré explains when Oprah Winfrey left the airwaves as a host, she left the market at a deficit. People were looking for someone that they could sit down with every day, trust, laugh, cry, grow, and learn all those things. There has not been anyone else who checks that box or fills that void. There’s only one Oprah Winfrey, but the people are looking for someone who fills the void of having a broader audience that trusts someone like that. The problem is that our society is looking for it to be a woman because they think, well, we had an Oprah and she was a woman and we don’t trust very many men because they think that those males are men and don’t know the difference. In these times during this #MeToo movement and Time’s Up era, it is absolutely ordained that that next voice comes from a man because a man has to bring repair for what has been otherwise been in disrepair. “I really feel like that is my calling. I absolutely am in much calm and much clarity about the fact that that’s my next step.” In 2002, Whitfield married actress Salli Richardson. They have two children: a daughter and a son. The couple has partnered on a new relationship book called The Hero and the Heard. “I’ve been partnering with my wife for 23 years. I tell people all the time, I have a wife of 18 years and a girlfriend of 23 years. Every man needs to feel like the hero of his house and every woman needs to feel heard. And when one of those is out of place, when a man doesn’t feel like he is the head of his house and a woman doesn’t feel heard, there’s going to be trouble. The Bible tells us, “Faith without works is dead”; likewise, a marriage without works is dead, a relationship without works is dead. We can’t pray away a bad marriage, we have to work away a bad marriage. We must get information and instruction that allows us to show up the way we need to show up. “God is always going to be at the center in order to give us clarity and strength, but many of us pray to God like he’s a magician. Like, I want you to snap this away. I want you to give me success. I want you to give me a great marriage. I want you to make me a good person, right? And that’s the presto changeover. That’s pulling a rabbit out of a hat. God is not David Blaine or David Copperfield, he doesn’t work like that. Right? So as a parent, I’m a father of two, God is our ultimate parent. The ultimate parent wants you to do what you can do. God does what you are incapable of doing, but the things that you can do, you must do, because that is how you grow. We have free will because God allows us to grow ourselves. The things that we can’t change, the things that we can’t improve on, or influence, God handles that part, but the things that we absolutely can do, God will require us to do it. We have to be stewards of His life.”
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5 Things to quit right now
1. Trying to please everyone. 2. Fearing change. 3. Living in the past. 4. Putting yourself down. 5. Overthinking.
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A prayer
for the New Year
D Dear God,
Thank you for making all things new. Thank you for all that you've allowed into our lives this past year, the good along with the hard things, which have reminded us how much we need you and rely on your presence filling us every single day. We pray for your Spirit to lead us each step of this New Year. We ask that you will guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire you above all else. We ask that you will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask that you would help us release our grip on the things to which you've said "no", "not yet", or "wait." We ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire you've put within our hearts. We ask for your wisdom, for your strength and power to be constantly present within us. We pray you would make us strong and courageous for the road ahead. Give us ability beyond what we feel able, let your gifts flow freely through us, so that you would be honored by our lives, and others would be drawn to you. We pray for your protection over our families and friends. We ask for your hand to cover us and keep us distanced from the evil intent of the enemy; that you would be a barrier to surround us, that we’d be safe in your hands. We pray that you would give us discernment and insight beyond our years, to understand your will, hear your voice, and know your ways. We ask that you would keep our footsteps firm, on solid ground, helping us to be consistent and faithful. Give us supernatural endurance to stay the course, not swerving to the right or to the left, or being too easily distracted by other things that would seek to call us away from a close walk with you. Forgive us for the times we have worked so hard to be self-sufficient, forgetting our need for you, living independent of your spirit. Forgive us for letting fear and worry control our minds, and for allowing pride and selfishness wreak havoc over our lives. Forgive us for not following your ways and for living distant from your presence. Keep your words of truth planted firm within us, help us to keep focused on what is pure and right, give us the power to be obedient to your word. And when the enemy reminds us where we have been, hissing his lies and attacks our way, we trust that your voice speaks louder and stronger, as you remind us we are safe with you and your purposes and plans will not fail. We ask that you will be our defense and rear guard, keeping our way clear, removing the obstacles, and covering the pitfalls. Lord, lead us on your level ground. We ask that you would provide for our needs, we ask for your grace and favor. We pray for your blessings to cover us, we pray that you would help us to prosper and make every plan that you have birthed in our heart to succeed. We pray that others would take notice of your goodness and could not help but to say, “These are the ones that the Lord has blessed.” Help us to be known as great givers, help us to be generous and kind, help us to look to the needs of others and not be consumed by only our own. May we be lovers of truth, may the fruits of your spirit be evident in our lives - your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Shine your light in us, through us, over us. May we make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes. Set you way before us. May all your plans succeed. We may reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your presence and healing. To you be glory and honor, in this New Year, and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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~Debbie McDaniel
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Crispy baked falafel Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • •
1 cup uncooked chickpeas, soaked 24 hours, drained, rinsed, and patted dry ½ cup chopped shallot or yellow onion 3 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ¾ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon baking powder 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems, patted dry 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves and stems, patted dry 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Directions Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Step 2 In a large food processor, place the chickpeas (they will be plump but still raw at this point), shallot, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, baking powder, cilantro, parsley, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined but not pureed. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Step 3 Use a 2-tablespoon scoop and your hands to form the mixture into 12 to 15 thick patties (be careful not to pack them too tight or your falafel will be dense). If they’re not holding together, give the mixture a few more pulses in the food processor. Step 4 Place the patties on the baking sheet. Drizzle generously with olive oil (this is the key to making these moist and crisp since we’re not frying) and bake for 14 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 to 12 minutes more or until golden brown and crisp on the outside. During the last few minutes of baking, wrap the pita in foil and warm in the oven. Step 5 Assemble pitas with a slather of hummus, diced veggies, falafel, herbs, pickled red onions, and generous drizzles of tahini sauce. Recipe source: https://www.acouplecooks.com/5-minute-pesto-arugula-breakfast-sandwich/ 16 WINTER 2021 back2basicsmag.com
Work it out Mile High Fitness & Wellness
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Don’t live a lie Don’t feed your fears Mind your business Read God’s Word Listen, follow and Trust God’s plan Take care of your mind and spirit Love God Love yourself Love all people 18 WINTER 2021 back2basicsmag.com
20Q UE STIO NS
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01 Are we there yet? ------------------------------------------------------------------------02 Did you rotate 5 outfits for 365 days? ------------------------------------------------------------------------03 What was the best part of 2020? ------------------------------------------------------------------------04 How’s your vision board looking? ------------------------------------------------------------------------05 Any new hobbies thanks to quarantine? ------------------------------------------------------------------------06 What have you learned about yourself this year? ------------------------------------------------------------------------07 How can we pray for you? ------------------------------------------------------------------------08 Are you happy ------------------------------------------------------------------------09 How do you find happy? ------------------------------------------------------------------------10 How do you stay happy? ------------------------------------------------------------------------11 Is the budget better or worse? ------------------------------------------------------------------------12 What was the biggest disappointment in 2020? ------------------------------------------------------------------------13 Are you hopeful? ------------------------------------------------------------------------14 How do you celebrate life? ------------------------------------------------------------------------15 What are you grateful for? ------------------------------------------------------------------------16 Vaccine or nah? ------------------------------------------------------------------------17 How do you inspire others? ------------------------------------------------------------------------18 Will outside open in 2021? ------------------------------------------------------------------------19 How many covid tests did you take? ------------------------------------------------------------------------20 Have you thanked God for your life today?
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m ay yo u r
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be bless ed