Summer 2022
BLESSED MODE Kel Mitchell takes youth on a “Blessed Mode” challenge focusing on the blessings we receive when we place total faith and trust in God.
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* Relevant Connections * Juneteenth Facts * Mental Fitness * It Takes A Woman * The Brian Thomas Legacy Foundation
b2b live–a–thon Hosted on April 19, 2022 Benefitting the @briandthomas_
Featuring: @kymonehinds @williemoorejrlive @sheleamusic @aamphd @brotha_rico @sonsetfriday @virtuegirls @juzangmusic
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CONTENTS Summer 2022
ON THE COVER 05
B2B Next Chapter
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Juneteenth - Freedom Day
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Relevant Connections
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Mental Fitness
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Cleanse Challenge
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B2B Partners
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Celebrating 10 Years
10 Blessed Mode with Kel Mitchell
Features
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19 Facts About Juneteenth
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Brian Thomas Legacy Foundation
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It Takes A Woman
BACK2BASICSMAG.COM | SUMMER 2022
April 19, 2012
Summer 2022, Vol. 10, No. 2 Publisher Brittany N. Winkfield
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
B2B TIP: Embrace the next chapter. For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT Life is often compared to a book having many chapters. Each chapter has a purpose for the next, and every chapter is meant to point and prepare you for what’s next. There is foreshadowing, there is training (some lessons are harder than others), there is rest and there is blessing in the story that only a loving God could create. In this issue, Kel Mitchell shares his published devotional called Blessed Mode - 90 Days to Level Up Your Faith. He describes life as a beautiful blessing giving to us by God. “I cannot wait to show the world this side of me and how to activate BLESSED MODE!” The next chapter of Back2Basics begins with a new programbased lifestyle curriculum for young people. As the external environment changes, we recognize the need of our young people changing too. That is why we’ve tweaked our mission to teach basic life skills to empower youth and mold them into responsible and productive adults. Our vision is to equip and raise our children to be great while showing love to others. We are morphing into a more sustainable organization with values of Entrepreneurship, Confidence, Experiential Learning and Creativity. We want to pour back in to our youth on a practical, yet meaningful level and have conversations that elevate and inspire! 4
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Contributors Brian Thomas Legacy Foundation, Littlehousestudio.net, awelderswife.com, blissfullybrunette.com Web Development Marcus Winkfield Advisory Board Ramona Davis Juanita Farmer Kymone Hinds Terri Roston Editorial and Advertising Inquiries info@back2basicsmag.com Information is correct at press time. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the official company policy. Copyright © 2022. 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.
@back2basicsmag
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the next chapter
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Celebrating African-American Freedom,
families, heritage... and becoming the ancestors’ DREAM 6
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19 Juneteenth Facts You Should Know 1. Juneteenth (June 19) is not the day that enslaved people were freed, or the day that slavery ended. 2. The Emancipation Proclamation was effective January 1, 1863 3. More than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state of Texas did not know they were free until General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and announced the end of the Civil War and the end of slavery. 4. Union Troops announced complete emancipation on June 19th 1865 in Galveston Texas. 5. It was another 89 years before the civil rights movement gained traction and started to right the wrong of segregation. 6. Known to some as the country's “second Independence Day.” 7. It is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. 8. Juneteenth was declared a national holiday in 2021 by president Joe Biden. 9. It is a reminder that “nobody is free until everybody is free” 10. Emancipation Park in Houston began as a place to celebrate Juneteenth. 11. A group of African American ministers and businessmen purchased 10 acres of land and created Emancipation Park. 12. Juneteenth was widely observed following the assassination of Dr. King. 13. Communities celebrate in Colorado by supporting Black-owned businesses, education on Black history and celebrating freedom. 14. Celebrations often entail a cookout and sipping a red drink (honoring African American perseverance and bloodshed) or attend a local community event to show your support! 15. Other names for Juneteenth are “Freedom Day,” or “Jubilee Day” 16. Juneteenth is an opportunity to ask ourselves: what is America? 17. Colorado has one of the largest celebrations in the country 18. The Juneteenth flag has a white star in the center, meant to represent both Texas (the Lone Star State), as well as the freedom of enslaved people in all 50 states. 19. Early years of the Holiday saw different kinds of celebrations usually with baseball, fishing and rodeos. Have we missed anything important? What’s your favorite thing about Juneteenth? What will you be doing to celebrate? Let us know by email or on social!
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The mission at The Brian Thomas Legacy Foundation is to empower individuals, families, and communities to unlock their true potential, achieve their goals, and make living on purpose contagious. We believe that it doesn't matter where one starts in life, but how one finishes. Brian Thomas, evangelist and motivational speaker, was committed to keeping young people from making the kind of mistakes he made as a youth. Even after converting to Christianity, he still had to deal with the consequences of his past life. Sadly, Brian died in a car accident March 28, 2021 in Huntsville, Alabama. The focus of the foundation is to inspire, motivate, and educate individuals to create a legacy of purpose.
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n this riveting and soul-stirring Audible Original, author and Hollywood insider, DeVon Franklin introduces us to the women who raised him, a “village of love” that selflessly came together to shape him into the man he is today in the wake of his Father’s tragic death. With this heartfelt memoir, Franklin inspires listeners to celebrate the universal power of women and embrace his village as their own. There’s an African proverb that says, “It takes a Village to raise a child”. Hollywood producer and best-selling author DeVon Franklin offers a personal twist: It Takes a Woman. In this riveting and soul-stirring Audible Original, Franklin introduces us to the women who raised him—a “village of love” that selflessly came together to shape him into the man he is today.
For the first time publicly, Franklin and his family discuss the aftermath of his father’s untimely death and the despair that could have destroyed their future. It Takes a Woman offers listeners an emotional journey of tragedy, triumph, and healing as Franklin, his mother, and his five living great-aunts recall how the women heeded the call to help raise him and his two brothers. The candid conversation—covering everything from marriage, death, divorce, and regret to colorfully frank advice about dating, sex, and money—uncovers old wounds that are still fresh and pain that is still piercing, as well as a family bond that is unbreakable. The women’s willingness to open their hearts and souls elevates this listen beyond simple memoir. Guided by their faith, they share decades of hard-earned life experiences and inspiring lessons. It’s the foundation of love and communication that nurtured Franklin and his brothers, and one that will inspire listeners to embrace this village as their own. It Takes a Woman, one family’s true story of hope, faith, and resilience, honors the sacrifices of a remarkable village of Black women as experienced through the eyes of a Black man. It’s also a universal celebration of the power of women to alter and enrich the lives they touch.
Listen to the interview
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Q&A BLESSED Mode WITH KEL MITCHELL
Following his extensive career in entertainment, starring in beloved fan favorites including Nickelodeon’s Kenan & Kel, All That, and cultural epic feature film Good Burger, among many others, Kel Mitchell shares the spiritual side of himself with his fans in Blessed Mode. Kel knows what it’s like to struggle through depression and addiction, but he also knows the power of God’s presence to 10
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help you find freedom and the blessings in your life. As a youth pastor at Spirit Food Christian Center, Kel is passionate about sharing this testimony of hope with the next generation, and he wants to share it with his audience, too. In Blessed Mode, Kel Mitchell offers 90 powerful devotions to help you including:
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• Find freedom in God’s lifechanging presence. • Experience God’s power through prayer. • Recognize God’s many gifts in your life. • Share the blessings you’ve received with others. “As you read through the pages of Blessed Mode, you will learn that in every emotional wall there is a blessed way out! You will be breaking through these walls widening that crack of light a little bit, day by day, so you can discover God’s blessings on you,” said Kel Mitchell. ”I hope this book can inspire others to embrace their blessings and find strength spiritually, mentally and physically! Life is a beautiful blessing giving to us by God! I cannot wait to show the world this side of me and how to activate: BLESSED MODE!”
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Q&A
B2B B2B
Congratulations, on Blessed Mode – the book and the new song; it’s so neccessary for our young people. KEL Thank you; I’m so happy you know that it’s out, and it’s in people’s hands and yeah, God is awesome.
Yes, He is, and with the new music you definitely show that you’re a man of many talents. The visuals in the video give reference to Daniels in the lion’s den and the messaging was a whole vibe. One thing that I like to start with is just to get perspective and ask you where were you in life 10 years ago? KEL 10 yeas ago was 2012, and that was the year that I married my best friend, my beautiful wife.
All God The All God collection designed by Kel Mitchell. God is All that so represent your favorite show and your faith in God at the same time! Now that is All That! www.kelmitchell.com
Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God truly righteous and holy. - Ephesians 4:23-24
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KEL CONTINUED
KEL
2012 was an awesome year. An awesome, beautiful year! With us deciding to take it to that next level, you know, that next level of a blessing. We talked about our love for God, how we put God in the forefront of everything. We wanted Him to be within this marriage, and part of this marriage and a part of this union.
In my happiness box, my faith is there, my children, my family. I think that our Happiness Box is really our heart. When you look at your heart as the box, then it’s you responding in love to everything. A lot of times we might not have the box to run go get, but God has given it to us, just boxes in our heart. So whatever situation we’re in, or wherever we are, we can always go in there and get the tools that He has put inside of our heart, with the Holy Spirit to comfort us.
I remember everybody just smiling the entire day. I smiled the entire day as well. It was just such a beautiful touching wedding and it was us literally saying, “Let’s do this, let’s step out on faith, and let’s do this. We know this is right.” Before we got married, even before I proposed, we were both saying, “Oh, well before we get married some things that need to happen first”. Then we just decided to say, “No, let’s go ahead and do this now.” And that’s what faith is all about. When we practice it, it’s going to bless all the things that are on our list. We had remained celibate and I remember someone at our chuch saying, “You guys are together on a boat, and there are waves going and going, and God is just saying, trust me, trust me, just walk out into the waves and hold my hand. I am right here. You can let go, and let God basically. We did that, and, man, the blessings are still going. It is such a beautiful thing to trust God, and putting Him at the forefront of everything that you do including marriage. B2B Yes, it really, really does, and that’s a powerful story. One thing that stood out to me tin the book, you mentioned at your daughter’s school they wanted you to create this Happiness Box. I love that analogy and representation of having something that brings you joy. What would be in your happiness box? Have you considered that?
B2B Amen. We know and love you, from the hit show, All That; and also, in the book, you talk about this phrase, you use, All God. I can definitely relate to that. When you reflect on your life, you’re able to see how God worked all these things out for you just to be where you’re at today. Can you just talk about how you, Kel, get back to the basics in your walk with Christ? KEL Back to the basics, it’s the essential; So if you look at it in the way of essentials, it’s like we need water, we need oxygen. The basics for me is prayer. Connecting with God daily. My favorite verse is to renew your mind daily. It’s so important that we renew our minds daily, because it gets crazy. We go through the fields every day and everybody deals with emotional walls and things like that. When you wake up, the enemy wants to remind you of everything, “Remember, this happened, that happened”. What about your future? What you have to do within that time, is go, okay, time to pray. Let me take this anxiety, let me take this stress, and let me take whatever I’m thinking about to God first before I start my day, so that way I can have a sound mind, I can be clear, and I know that my family is protected by the blood of Jesus.
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KEL CONTINUED I tell my students you can pray at any moment. You can pray right now, as you’re reading this magazine. Prayer is the conversation with God in meditating, listening to Him, listening to what He’s saying, then you have to take action on that, and that’s where the faith comes in, and so, it’s getting get back to the basics. B2B Yes! Lastly, as a youth pastor, and even you as the father, I want to know, do you have faith in the next generation, and if so, why? KEL Absolutely, absolutely, I feel like every generation has its good parts and bad parts too. It is what it is because we all have free will, we all have choices, right? But I see that I’m out there speaking to kids, I’m speaking to the youth. I’m part of the National College Resource Research Foundation, and I’m talking to the youth and teens every Sunday. And the thing about it for me is that I do see youth that are big on their faith, they love God,and then I see ones that have been broken by certain things, but then they are open to being righteous in learning how to be righteous. It starts with us saying, “Hey, I’ve been through this before, or I’ve gone through this too,” and tell the next generation, how to do it. That’s the whole point. I mean, that’s what the Bible is. It’s all these stories by people’s life lessons. It’s a motivation for us, it’s an encouragement for us to keep our faith and get through this emotion. By telling our story, even the hard stories, the teens can see the transparency and they see the God in you, and they see that, “Oh, you did do that.” And then you start to see their lives change around. So yes, I definitely have faith in the next generation. They’re going to be alright. They’re going to be good!
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B2B We’re going to be alright, yes! Is there anything exciting that you’re working on something we can just look out for? KEL Definitely, so I’m excited about new music and more songs that are committed to the book. Then there’s also Deliciousness, my new show on MTV. It’s about food sales, but you see a lot of people messing up on TV eating cakes and things like that. We have the third season coming out soon so lookout for that. I’m just excited, we have some other big news coming up later this year. Just a whole bunch of things that are going on that God is doing. And if you want to see me, go to myspiritfood.com. I am there every Sunday. B2B We can’t wait to see God use you as you. You are representing well, and I just want to encourage you. We will continue to pray for you, and your family and your ministry. So thank you again for your time. KEL Thank you. I appreciate that - Bless Mode, yes!
@iamkelmitchell www.kelmitchell.com
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Relevant Connections Linking you to what matters most! Relevant Connections equips organizations with resources to educate, connect through training, development, and grant writing towards success. www.relevantconnections.org
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Mental fitness The Basics
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CELEBRATING 10 Years