To be or not to be! By Wendy M. Reynolds, MS/P Wendym.wordpress.com http://twitter.com/Wendymreynolds Have you ever thought about what success looks like? How do you really know if you're successful? It never ceases to amaze me as I talk to people across the country how unhappy they are in their search and daily grind for "success" and "greatness". Some people attribute success to the amount of dollars they have in their bank account, who they have on their arm, or in being the next great leader, mega church pastor, Grammy Award winner singer,... Listen, there is nothing wrong with those things. However, when we attach who we are and how we see ourselves to those things, we are setting ourselves up for trouble. When we get into the mode of defining ourselves (or letting others define us) outside of how the Creator defines us, we will forever be on a rollercoaster ride- going up and down, always striving and never really obtaining. We become blind to what's really important in life. Listen, real success comes in understanding who you are and operating out of that person. Too often today we are buying into the world's standard of success and greatness. We are losing ourselves and those important to us in the process! We are forgetting how to "be". We are getting stuck in performance mode- always grinding while never coming to the realization of the amazing people we already are- the realization of our authentic gifts, talents, and our ability to make a difference in the lives of others when we pour out of our authentic selves. This month I challenge you to "rediscover you". Revisit what is important to you and what defines you. Get out of performance mode for a little while. Allow yourself to be and feel wonderful and great without attaching someone else's expectation or value system to it. Our greatest success and our greatest impact will occur when we allow ourselves to be. I don't know about you, but I'm going for impact.
(F) Kim Martinez……….…..Stop faking your faith (A) Maria Trimarchi………..Absolute worst foods to eat (B) A Virtuous Woman.com…..Are you a good thing? (U) John Rampton………….Understanding Behavorial Psychology can help your business blossom (L)AOM Trunk Blog………Where are all the good men? (0) Erik Carter………………..Taking control of your money (U)Aric S. Queen……………..…10 Easy steps of traveling (S) Myra Wallace…………TransFormHer fashion spread Wendy M. Reynolds……………………. Just a smoke screen About BCF ……………………………….BCF Editor-In-Chief Sheila A. Taylor……………..………The pier & the gazebo
Stop Faking Your Faith By Kim Martinez “Fake it ’til you make it.” We’ve all heard those words. It’s great advice when you are in front of people, trying to make a good impression or learning a new skill. When it comes to faith, faking it doesn’t help—it hurts. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” You can see why people might fake faith; it is impossible to please God without it. So, just like kids trying to earn a treat, we try to be what we think God expects. When we fall on our face, the tendency is to hide it under the proverbial rug instead of openly admitting our lack. What Does Faking Faith Look Like? Imagine a relationship with someone you don’t quite trust. Do you tell them you don’t trust them? Not usually—you fake it when you are around them. You put on the smile and pretend that everything is fine. When we fake faith, we do the same thing to God. About 10 years ago, we were in a difficult time financially. Every month, the bills would pile up. I was never sure where the funds were going to come from, so I faked it. I tried to walk in “faith,” proclaiming that God would provide, but inside I stressed like crazy. I felt like I was on a bungee cord, hanging over the side of a bridge. Every month the ground rushed up to meet me. I had an internal battle on whether we were about to splat on the ground (financially) or whether I could trust the bungee cord (God). Every month, just as the ground was about to make contact with my face, the money would roll in and we’d be safe again. A year and a half into this ludicrous yo-yo, I started to get real. “When are you going to let me off this bungee cord, God?” I asked. He replied, “When you stop blinking.” Seriously?
Then, just a few weeks later, I got a hold of real faith. I had an epiphany one day. We’d been on the bungee cord for 18 months, and our bills had been paid every single month. We had clothes, food— all our needs were met. That was the last day I worried about imminent doom. I knew that God was my provider. My honest conversation with God about my situation turned into real faith. I’ve seen people fake faith in more creative ways—and it is dangerous. There is a truth that what you focus on becomes your reality. There are those that have taken this truth and made it an issue for God: “I want X, Y, Z, so I’m going to focus on it and quote Bible verses about God providing so God will give it to me.” Fake faith. Then there are those who go the other direction. I discovered this pattern on a long plane ride with a church group. As I stood up and stretched, I mentioned that my back hurt. A lady sitting near by, full of “faith,” reprimanded me: “Don’t say things like that. You are giving the devil a foothold.” Choosing to Believe There are times when we really don’t have the faith. Instead of pretending we do, honesty with ourselves and God admits the problem and is the first step toward true faith. Instead of covering for God, we take the problem to Him. We let Him fix it. When we aren’t sure, we can fully admit, “I am choosing to believe this. If I’m wrong, I still believe I’ve made the best decision.” This is how I came to real faith in God. I had no problem believing He was benevolent. After all, if He existed, then He was who the Bible described him as. He looked out for His own. But I would have seasons of real doubt about the whole deity thing. I’d wonder if all religion wasn’t man-made. I’d wonder if we had constructed gods in our own image to make sense of our existence. Instead of walking away from faith, I made a decision. I didn’t fake faith; I chose to believe. I studied all the different religions and discovered that the only religion that doesn’t require humans to work their way into God’s embrace is Christianity. Even those based on reincarnation required the individual to work for a good place in the next life. So I sat down one day and decided, "I’m going to believe in the God of the Bible. If I’m wrong, that is OK." That decision came about three months before God quickened my heart. My head knowledge became heart knowledge, and I’ve known God is real ever since. What is the difference between faking faith and choosing to believe? Honesty. God wants to have a real relationship with us. We can fake it and pretend that we have it all under control, or we can live in honesty, admitting that we don’t always get it and that sometimes God doesn’t make sense. Who would you rather be in relationship with? Someone who has you all figured out and works to manipulate you into doing what they want, or someone who has honest discourse, trusting you to do your part and asking questions when you don’t make sense? Kim Martinez is a regular contributor to Ministry Today. She is a writer, speaker and ministry coach. You can hear more from her at deepimprints.com.
Absolute Worst Foods to Eat By Maria Trimarchi Bacon There's no denying to the many bacon lovers that bacon is delicious. But it's not very good for you -- in fact, it's one of the worst things you can eat. One average serving of bacon -- three slices -- contains 435 milligrams of sodium -- about one-fifth of the average adult's daily allowance [source: Magee]. An average healthy adult eating a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet should aim for 45 to 65 percent of those calories to come from carbohydrates, preferably unrefined (and remember, carbs include all the sugar you eat, not just bread and pasta). You also want no more than 66 grams of fat (including less than 20 grams of saturated fat) and no more than 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day [source: Klein, Jacob]. If your daily diet is full of junk foods such as fried foods, processed deli meats, bacon and soda, you have an increased risk of some major health conditions -- and if you eat these kinds of foods six days a week, you increase your risk of stroke by 41 percent compared to if you only indulged in them once a month [source: AP]. Following nutrition guidelines and eating healthy foods does make a difference. People who eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day live longer than people who don't. But even if you'd rather have a slice of apple pie than an apple, you can make healthier choices, at least avoiding the foods you know absolutely aren't good for you [source: Paddock].
Soda Drinking soda is like drinking liquid candy. Seriously. Sodas are sugary calorie bombs that have contributed to the obesity epidemic in our country -- and our soda habit has also been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, premature aging and hormone disruption. Most sodas contain high fructose corn syrup (which is where all the calories come from), food dyes, preservatives and other sketchy ingredients. And your soda habit isn't just making you fat; it's also linked to cavities and tooth decay. Some sodas also contain an ingredient called brominated vegetable oil (BVO); BVO is supposed to keep the artificial flavors and the rest of your soda from separating -- and it also keeps plastics flame retardant and is linked to memory loss, nerve disorders and skin conditions. Diet soda drinkers also need to worry about the impact of artificial sweeteners on their health, which we'll go into detail on next. Artificial Sweetners
Every year, each American consumes more than his fair share of sugar -- about 150 pounds (68 kilograms) of it. And about 29 pounds (13 kilograms) of that is table sugar -- the granulated kind, which is also called sucrose
[source: Casey]. Some comes from honey, maple syrup or fructose (which is naturally found in fruits), but many of us also have a bad sugar substitute habit. There are five artificial sweeteners, also called non-nutritive sweeteners, that the FDA considers safe for humans to eat: acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K), aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucralose [source: USDA]. Some sugar substitutes may leave you with a bad taste in your mouth, literally, but that's not the only thing bad about them. While we love our artificial sweeteners because they're zero or low-calorie, we really don't know how bad they are for us. There have been some confusing claims over the last few decades, but at the end of the day, these sugar-free sweeteners may be significantly increasing your risk of health problems such as weight gain as well as metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease [source: Scutti].
Shelf Stable Condiments Shelf-stable condiments sure do make life a little easier -- we won't argue that. We're talking about those condiments that are kept at room temperature -- single-serving packets or tubes of dips, self-serve pumps of your favorite sauce, bottles of ketchup and other sauces and salad dressings that sit out on the table at your local diner, and even those little prepackaged creamers for your coffee. Convenient, yes, but at what price? There's a reason these foods can skip the refrigeration, and it's not because they're dried or fermented as shelfstable foods of the past were; these condiments have been engineered not to deteriorate -- and that means preservatives and additives such as food coloring, sweeteners, salt, bad fats (such as trans fats, which are linked to premature heart disease) and chemical agents such as dimethylpolysiloxane for texture. (That example, dimethylpolysiloxane, is used as an anti-foaming agent in ketchup and many processed and fast foods -- think about that: Should ketchup foam?) Any fiber, good fats and nutrients are stripped out in the process.
Swordfish & some Tuna Most fish and shellfish can be part of a healthy diet. They're packed full of protein and are good sources of fats (they're low in saturated fat and full of omega-3 fatty acids). Most also contain mercury, at least some amount, and some fish contain more than others. Swordfish, for example, is one of those mercury-dense varieties (also included on this fishy list are king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, and tilefish). Albacore tuna, too, contains more mercury than canned light tuna, so choose wisely. High levels of mercury in the fish we eat may harm the developing brain and nervous system of a fetus or young child because mercury is a neurotoxin, and because of this the FDA and EPA recommend against eating these fish, especially if you're pregnant, may become pregnant or are a nursing mother -- and kids need to avoid it, too.
Processed Meats According to researchers, eating processed meats will lead to your early death. Processed meat -- that includes bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausages, salami and whatever meat bits are used in ready-to-eat deli meats -- has been found to increase your risk for cardiovascular diseases as well as certain cancers. In fact, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that people who regularly eat 50 grams (about 2 ounces) of processed meat -- that equals one hot dog or 1-2 slices of luncheon meats on a sandwich -- have a 42 percent greater risk of heart disease as well as a nearly 20 percent risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than people who don't eat them [source: Micha]. Additionally, researchers at the University of Zurich concluded that more than 3 percent of deaths could be prevented if we all limit our processed meat consumption to less than 20 grams per day (just about three-quarters of an ounce), which is about the size of a matchbook -- and only on a special occasion [source: Rohrmann, Abrams].
While processed meats are comparable to unprocessed meats when it comes to saturated fat and cholesterol, processed meats contain a lot more sodium -- 4 times more -- and also contain 50 percent more nitrate preservatives [source: Micha].
Microwave Popcorn Movie-theater popcorn may be bad for you because of the oils it's popped in and the butter on top, but at least making it doesn't cause "popcorn lung" -- don't laugh, that's a real disease. It's also known as bronchiolitis obliterans. Butter-flavored microwave popcorn doesn't really get its flavor from butter; it gets it from chemicals and flavoring agents. Diacetyl is what most people will point a finger at when they talk about how the health risks of microwave popcorn. Diacetyl is a butter-flavoring agent used in microwave popcorn -- by the end of the 2000s, some manufacturers banned its use in popcorn bags because of its respiratory risks (and, separately, a link to Alzheimer's disease), but you'll also find it giving a buttery flavor and smell to baked goods, candy and margarine. Additional concern with microwave popcorn is what's in the bag -- aside from the popcorn. Without all the added chemicals, the popcorn would be an OK snack (high in carbs but low in fat – and a whole grain), but there are many chemicals coating the inside of the bag to keep the oils needed for popping from soaking through the paper, as well as chemicals to keep the bag from catching fire during the popping process. These chemicals also produce perfluorooctinoic acid (PFOA), which the EPA considers a likely carcinogen [source: Kotz]. Somehow, microwave popcorn doesn't smell so good anymore. Want to DIY your microwave popcorn and skip the chemicals? Toss popcorn kernels in a brown paper bag, double fold the top of the bag, and pop as you would the processed stuff. You can also use a microwave-safe bowl with a plate on top to keep kernels contained as they pop.
Stick Margarine If your buttery spread can stand on its own, it's the fats that are making that happen -- specifically, its saturated fats. Saturated fats are more solid than, for example, a monounsaturated fat such as olive oil, and these fats are bad for you because they expand your waistline, raise your bad cholesterol levels (while lowering levels of good cholesterol), raise your risk of heart disease and raise your risk of suffering a stroke. Stick margarine used to contain trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated oils, and some brands still do (always read the ingredient label); trans fats are considered one of the worst -- if not the worst -- fats for you to eat.
Any Deep Fried Food Deep-fried foods are the weakness of many; even First Lady Michelle Obama has confessed her love for french fries. One of the problems with eating deep-fat fried foods is that cooking foods at such high temperature may cause them to form toxic chemical compounds -- that we then eat. You see, too many french fries won't only increase your waistline (which they will); your side order is also linked to health problems such as stroke and an increased risk of certain cancers including breast, esophageal, head and neck, lung, pancreatic and prostate. Men, for example, who eat fried foods -- doughnuts, fried chicken, fried fish and/or french fries -- once or more per week increase their risk for prostate cancer as much as 30 to 37 percent [source: Paddock]. High-temperature cooking, and especially deep frying, also causes foods to develop AGEs (short for advanced glycation endproducts), and AGEs have been linked to chronic inflammation and disease-triggering oxidative stress.
Are YOU A Good Thing “10 Virtues of a Proverbs 31 Woman” www.AVirtuousWoman.com Often women believe that Proverbs 31 doesn’t really apply to our modern lives. Here at A Virtuous Woman, we believe that God’s Word stands the test of time. I wrote the 10 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman as the mission statement for A Virtuous Woman, but soon realized that it was more than a mission statement. The 10 Virtues of the Prov erbs 31 Woman demonstrates how, as Christian women today, we can all be Proverbs 31 Women.
The 10 Virtues of the Proverbs 31 Woman 1. Faith - A Virtuous Woman serves God with all of her heart, mind, and soul . She seeks His will for her life and follows His ways. (Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 31: 29 – 31, Matthew 22: 37, John 14: 15, Psalm 119: 15 2. Marriage – A Virtuous Woman respects her husband. She does him good all the days of her life. She is trustworthy and a helpmeet. (Proverbs 31: 11- 12, Proverbs 31: 23, Proverbs 31: 28, 1 Peter 3, Ephesians 5, Genesis2: 18) 3. Mothering - A Virtuous Woman teaches her children the ways of her Father in heaven. She nurtures her children with the love of Christ, disciplines them with care and wisd om, and trains them in the way they should go . (Proverbs 31: 28, Proverbs 31: 26, Proverbs 22: 6, Deuteronomy 6, Luke 18: 16) 4. Health – A Virtuous Woman cares for her body. She prepares healthy food for her family. (Proverbs 31: 14 – 15, Proverbs 31: 17, 1 Corinthians 6: 19, Genesis 1: 29, Daniel 1, Leviticus 11)
5. Service - A Virtuous Woman serves her husband, her family, her friends, and her neighbors with a gentle and loving spirit. She is charitable. (Proverbs 31: 12, Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20, 1 Corinthians 13: 13) 6. Finances - A Virtuous Woman seeks her husband’s approval before making purchases and spends money wisely. She is careful to purchase quality items which her family needs. ( Proverbs 31: 14, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 18, 1 Timothy 6: 10, Ephesians 5: 23, Deuteronomy 14: 22, Numbers 18: 26) 7. Industry – A Virtuous Woman works willingly with her hands. She sings praises to God and does not grumble while completing her tasks. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 16, Proverbs 31: 24, Proverbs 31: 31, Philippians 2: 14) 8. Homemaking – A Virtuous Woman is a homemaker. She creates an inviting atmosphere of warmth and love for her family and guests. She uses hospitality to minister to those around her. (Proverbs 31: 15, Proverbs 31: 20 – 22, Proverbs 31: 27, Titus 2: 5, 1 Peter 4: 9, Hebrews 13: 2) 9. Time - A Virtuous Woman uses her time wisely. She works diligently to complete her daily tasks. She does not spend time dwelling on those things that do not please the Lord. (Proverbs 31: 13, Proverbs 31: 19, Proverbs 31: 27, Ecclesiastes 3, Proverbs 16: 9, Philippians 4:8 ) 10. Beauty – A Virtuous Woman is a woman of worth and beau ty. She has the inner beauty that only comes from Christ. She uses her creativity and sense of style to create beauty in he r life and the lives of her loved ones. (Proverbs 31: 10Proverbs 31: 21 – 22, Proverbs 31: 24 -25, Isaiah 61: 10, 1 Timothy 2: 9, 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6)
Minding Your Business Understanding Behavioral Psychology Can Help Your Business Blossom By John Rampton According to the American Psychological Association, behavioral psychology (or behaviorism) is a “scientific approach that limits the study of psychology to measurable or observable behavior." In fact, if you've ever attended a Psych 101 class, you can probably recall the names of famous behaviorists like Skinner, Watson and Pavlov. While this concept may not sound all that relevant to business owners, there’s actually a lot to be learned from behaviorism. Why? Perhaps no one explains it better than Darren Kaplan, co-founder and CEO of the analytics firm HiQ, who notes, "When you understand human behavior, you improve your chances of making your business succeed." Here are six ways to do so: Related: 5 Personality 'Flaws' That Are Entrepreneurial Gold
1. Be aware of the six human needs According to author and personal coach Tony Robbins, “Whatever emotion you’re after, whatever vehicle you pursue -- building a business, getting married, raising a family, traveling the world -- whatever you think your nirvana is, there are six basic, universal needs that make us tick and drive all human behavior.” What are the six human needs we all share?
Certainty/Comfort: assurance you can avoid pain and gain pleasure Uncertainty/Variety: the need for the unknown, change and new stimuli Significance: feeling unique, important, special or needed Love/Connection: a strong feeling of closeness or union with someone or something
Growth: an expansion of capacity, capability or understanding Contribution: a sense of service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others
As Robbins states, “Understanding these needs...can help you create new patterns that lead to lasting fulfillment.” Related: Flying Blind: How Instagram Measured Success In the Pre-Analytics Era
2. Personalization makes people happy The Journal for Applied Psychology published a fascinating study about personalization involving waiters and mints. Entitled Sweetening the Till: The Use of Candy to Increase Restaurant Tipping, three control groups were monitored:
The first group had waiters hand out mints alongside the check while making no mention of the mints. This increased tips by around 3 percent against the control group. The second group had waiters bring out two mints by hand (separate from the check), and specifically point them out to tables. This saw tips increase by about 14 percent. The last group had waiters bring out the check along with a few mints. Shortly thereafter, waiters came back with another set of mints and let customers know that they had brought out more mints just in case. This group saw an increase in tips by 23 percent.
Gregory Ciotti of Help Scout, a web-based customer service platform, writes, “Researchers concluded that this 'personalization' aspect (even if the waiter did this for every customer) was what set off the increased tips.”
3. Do unto others... You’ve probably been reminded of the Golden Rule throughout your entire life: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” While that’s sound advice, is it applicable to your business? Related: Biz Stone Discusses How the Right Connection Led to the Creation of Twitter According to author Dr. Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, if you do something for another person, they’ll likely return the favor. This idea of reciprocity can be employed in business, such as by giving away branded coffee mugs or free 30-day trials. Even saying ‘thank you’ can be a small but important way to build a community of loyal advocates.
4. Provide a novel experience Always remember that people have a need for the unknown. In fact, scientists have long backed up this claim. According to Dr. Emrah Düzel of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, “It is a well-known fact amongst scientists that the midbrain region regulates our levels of motivation and our ability to predict rewards by releasing dopamine in the frontal and temporal regions of the brain. We have now shown that novelty activates this brain area.” This explains why people wait in line and pay hundreds of dollars for a new iPhone even when they already have a perfectly functional model. They want the newest features and a novel experience. Related: Why Data Trumps All When Plotting Your Growth Strategy
5. You can’t always get what you want “In 1975, researchers Worchel, Lee and Adewole wanted to know how people would value cookies in two identical glass jars," according to Nir and Far. "One jar held ten cookies while the other contained just two stragglers."
Naturally, participants were attracted to the near-empty jar due to the basic psychological principle of supply and demand. Think about the early days of Facebook, when it was only for college students. Very quickly, buzz surrounded the social network due to its limited availability.
6. Tell a story Human beings have always told one another stories -- whether through cave drawings, Shakespearean plays or the latest Hollywood blockbusters. As the entrepreneur and film executive Peter Guber states, “Stories, it turns out, are not optional. They are essential. Our need for them reflects the very nature of perceptual experience, and storytelling is embedded in the brain itself.” Stories don’t just take us to another world, they are able to activate the parts of the brain that are associated with our senses, such as sight, sound, taste and movement. And they light up our emotional brains, which can impact buying decisions.
Get Inspired!
Where are all the GOOD MEN? Originally written in AOM Trunk Blog Over the weekend, AOM readers flooded my inbox with this article from the Wall Street Journal called “Where Have the Good Men Gone?” It was written by Kay S. Hymowitz, who recently published a book entitled Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men into Boys. In the WSJ article, Ms. Hymowitz laments that there are no longer good men out there, just a bunch of overgrown man boys. She then gives the same tired reasons for why American men aren’t doing so well today: the economy, pop-culture, delayed marriage, video games, etc. Personally, I’m getting tired of these “What’s wrong with men?” articles and books. I’ve lost count how many of them I’ve read over the past five years. I seriously have a bookshelf full of tomes on the subject. At first they were somewhat interesting–at least the place of men in society was being discussed and studied. But I feel like it’s just become an endless piling on. My biggest beef is that the authors typically don’t offer any solutions to the problem. Instead, they just pity these hapless men or laugh at them, but never try to help, mostly because the solution–that men need to revive some of the lost virtues of manliness might seem sexist. The WSJ article says: “What explains this puerile shallowness? I see it as an expression of our cultural uncertainty about the social role of men. It’s been an almost universal rule of civilization that girls became women simply by reaching physical maturity, but boys had to pass a test. They needed to demonstrate courage, physical prowess or mastery of the necessary skills. The goal was to prove their competence as protectors and providers. Today, however, with women moving ahead in our advanced economy, husbands and fathers are now optional, and the qualities of character men once needed to play their roles—fortitude, stoicism, courage, fidelity—are obsolete, even a little embarrassing.” Those virtues are embarrassing? Embarrassing to whom? The truth is we need those virtues more than ever– they’re not just important in war and crisis, but in the everyday decisions that we make, in how we lead our families, and build our communities. These kinds of articles also always frame the issue in a way that makes all modern men seem like boobs, with the implication that all modern women are paragons of maturity and success (just look at the picture above that ran with the article!). Are men the only ones who need work? You would never see an article called, “Where Have All the Good Women Gone?”
Also, I have a feeling that these articles just perpetuate the low expectations that society has for young men today. The articles and books simply stereotype all men as loutish, clueless, Neanderthals. If you want men to man up, we need to highlight the positive examples of masculinity in society and expect more from men instead of throwing up our hands and exclaiming “Men! What can you do?” How about an article on the fact that tens of thousands of men are extremely interested in bettering themselves these days? How about an article on the fact that while a lot of men grew up without a strong male mentor in their lives, and do in fact feel a little lost, they earnestly want to catch up on what they missed out on and are eager to become the best husbands, brothers, and citizens they can be? At AOM, we recognize that many young men are struggling today, but instead of just talking about the problem, we’ve made it a goal to provide the tools, information, and inspiration men need to improve their lives. We’ve also made an effort to highlight positive examples of manliness. I’m really proud of the AOM Community that has built up these past few years. It’s an army of men who are sick of low expectations and unfair stereotypes. If women are wondering where all the good men have gone, then they simply haven’t met the men who I interact with every single day; honorable men who are doing their best and who are dedicated to living a manly and virtuous life. Thank you for being positive examples of manliness and your efforts in reviving the lost art of manliness. I know with all our efforts, we can improve the lives of men everywhere.
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BEAUTY COME FORTH Online Magazine
STOP playing with my $$$ “Taking Control of Your Money” By Erik Carter Do you sometimes feel like you’re living paycheck to paycheck and not knowing where your money went by the end of the month? Regardless of how high your income is, what really matters is how much you make relative to how much you spend. If you’re earning $3k and spending $2k a month you’d probably be less financially stressed than if you’re making $8k but spending $9k a month. We recently received a question on our Financial Helpline from someone in a similar situation. He and his wife work multiple jobs and take home about $5,700 per month, which is well above the median household income. Yet, they spend about $6k a month, not including miscellaneous shopping which can vary considerably from month to month. This is leaving them with no savings and a growing mountain of credit card debt. Since they’re struggling to pay their bills and have been late with payments, they’ve also seen the interest rates on that debt jump to as high as 29%. Even worse, the financial stress has put a strain on their marriage. If any of this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. We’ve talked to many people who have suffered from a job loss or other financial emergency in this economy. Even if you haven’t been so unfortunate, you’re probably bombarded every day by people trying to make demands on your money. Many of them have hired some of the smartest minds on Madison Ave to employ every psychological trick they know to convince you to give them your hard-earned money. Here are some steps to help get you back in control over your finances: 1. Figure out where your money is currently going. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Take a look at the last 3 months of your bank and credit card statements and categorize each of your expenses on a worksheet like this. That will cover everything purchased by automatic withdrawal, check, or debit or credit card. While you can’t see what you bought in cash, you can at least see how much cash you withdrew. By looking at 3 months, you can get an average of variable expenses like utilities, gas, and food that aren’t always the same every month. You’ll also capture quarterly expenses like some taxes and insurance premiums. However, that still leaves some spending that may happen once or twice a year like a summer vacation or holiday gifts. You can divide what you spend on those expenses in a year by 12 to convert them into a monthly amount. For example, if you tend to spend about $1,200 a year on a family vacation, you would say that you spend $100 a month on vacations.
There are also sites like mint.com and yodlee.com that can help you to continue tracking your spending online for free. This is especially useful if you have lots of different accounts since they consolidate everything on one site. You can even get set up to be alerted by email or text message if you start spending more than you budgeted for in any particular category. 2. See where you can cut back. Start with your fixed expenses and think about how you might be able to spend less on each one. Have you tried to refinance or negotiate down the interest rates on your debt? When was the last time you shopped around for lower cost insurance, cable, internet, and/or phone service? Are you paying for insurance coverage, services, memberships, or subscriptions you don’t really need? Can you be more efficient with your energy and water use to cut down on utility bills? Are you taking advantage of coupons or warehouse clubs for groceries? If you really need additional money, you might even want to consider working a part-time job, moving into a lower rent apartment, getting a roommate, or renting a room in your home to a boarder. Here are some other saving ideas that are relatively painless. 3. Set priorities. If you’re still having trouble making ends meet, make sure you prioritize things like your mortgage or rent payment and your car payments over unsecured debt like credit cards. The last thing you want is to lose your home or car. Not paying your credit card bills will hurt your credit score but will also make your creditors more likely to be willing to negotiate an affordable payment plan with you. If you prefer, you can work with a non-profit credit counseling agency to negotiate a debt payment plan on your behalf. The goal is to eventually pay off all debt that is costing you more in interest than you could reasonably expect to earn by investing that money instead. For a conservative investor that would be about 4%, 6% for a moderate investor, and 8% for someone more aggressive. If the interest rate is below that, it can be considered good debt. 4. Pay yourself first. Once you know you’re able to cover all of your expenses, be sure to pay yourself before you pay anyone else by having some savings automatically set aside for non-monthly expenses like vacations and holidays as well as the emergencies that will eventually arise. Ideally, you’ll also want to do a retirement calculation to make sure you’re saving enough for retirement but for now, at least try to put enough in your employer’s retirement plan to get any matching funds that are available to you. That’s free money you don’t want to leave on the table. 5. Give yourself an allowance. Here’s the fun part. Now that your basic expenses and savings needs are met, you know how much money you have to spend guilt-free on anything you want like shopping, eating out, and entertainment. You and your spouse can then have that amount in cash each month but when the money runs out, it’s gone until the following month. Anything you don’t spend can be carried over. The key to marital bliss is that neither of you can question how the other spends their allowance. After going through this exercise, our helpline caller discovered that he and his wife could live within their means simply by eating out less. They can also use his upcoming bonus and a small inheritance to pay off their credit card debt in 3 years. That will then free up money they can use towards their other goals like saving for retirement and making some home improvements. The whole idea is to get control over your financial future. After all, you know how hard you work for your money. Don’t you want to make sure it’s working hard for you?
**Erik Carter, JD, CFP® is a resident financial planner at Financial Finesse, you can follow Financial Finesse on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.
10 Easy Steps of Traveling By Aric S. Queen Those who leave their homes for temporary jaunts to other places can be sorted into three basic categories: Tourists, travelers, and good travelers. (Notice that last one wasn’t capitalized — this isn’t about me.) I owe many of my most memorable trips to the serendipitous kindness of strangers, and am firm in the belief that you get what you give when you travel. Here are a handful of easy tips to help you bring the good to your own journeys: 1. Stop acting like you know. Taxi drivers and bartenders are your consiglieres, your guides. Don’t tell them where you want to go; ask them to point you where you should be. This also applies at restaurants. I gave up menus and entrees years ago. Make snacks your friends and simply ask the experts (i.e. people who work there) what you should be eating. If you already know what you want, then you really didn’t need to leave home in the first place. 2. Tap your friends (and friends of friends) for advice. Ask people what you should go see. I found all the highlights of this road trip by following suggestions from locals (some of them strangers, but now friends). Avoid highways: stick to the small roads to soak up real flavor while you travel. (Photo by Vijendra Singh, My Shot) 3. Take care of the people who help you. Everyone at the hotel gets a tip except for the people who make sure your sheets are clean and your bed is made? C’mon. Leave a few bucks with a note attached to thank the maids, the most under-appreciated (and most important) people there. 4. Be British. I never thought I’d say that, but one thing the Brits do well is self-deprecation. Be fully prepared to make fun of yourself, or your hometown. There’s nothing worse than a traveler who’s deadset on convincing everyone that they’re not a stereotype. 5. If you’re a sports fan, watch (and cheer) from your hotel room. Nice as most people might be, there is a line. And it usually involves the score.
6. Stay away from Interstates if you can. A city’s charms lie miles from the fast roads. Who doesn't like getting good old-fashioned mail? Postcards especially. (Photo by Pedro Goncalves, My Shot) 7. Take chances with conversations. Oh sure, we can be reserved back home, but sitting down and talking to people on either side of you makes for a more authentic experience… or that might be the Okie in me talking. 8. Write postcards, not emails. Let’s bring back the images that got us wanderlusting in the first place. And speaking of bringing things back, how about classing it up again on airlines? I’m the biggest offender of this rule, refusing to travel in anything but my worn-out yoga pants, but still. Let’s bring style back to travel. 9. Take people up on their offers.When someone invites you over to their house, or out to dinner, or on a tour — take them up on it (but be safe). Heartfelt generosity is the reason I’ve been able to travel so long on so little money. People love being ambassadors of their town/state/country and will enjoy it as much — if not more — than you. The Golden Rule of Guesting: bring your host a gift (books work well). (Photo by Andy Walters, My Shot) being ambassadors of their town/state/country and will enjoy it as much — if not more — than you. 10. Follow the Golden Rules of Guesting: leave a room/house in better shape than when you got there and never ever show up at a host’s place empty handed. I usually take 4-5 copies of my favorite book for these occasions (if you follow my 10 rules of packing, you should have plenty of room); ink on paper lasts a lot longer than the predictable bottle of wine will. I’ll leave you with one last tip — the most important of all: Go to places for the experience, not just to see stuff. You can see stuff at home. Go for the people. And go for the good. Follow the Good Traveler’s adventures on Twitter @GoodTraveler and on Instagram @GoodTraveler. _______________________________________________________________________________________
THE “ MYRA WALLACE� COLLECTION Designer Myra Wallace introduces the TRANSFORMHER. For the lady who believes she has everything in her closet, this clothing item will take the place of five pieces in her wardrobe and set her on a path for true transformation. Bold, rich and vibrant colors set the backdrop for what is truly the next generation of contemporary lifestyle apparel for her. Myra has designed a single garment that transforms itself into 5 distinct outfits that transition with a woman's personal sense of style and flair. The garment is made of comfortable, wearable, worry-free fabrics that are uber-forgiving to the body and allow for freedom of movement. It takes the fashion-forward consumer from day to evening in effortless transformations and silhouettes that compliment her mood and the occasion. Glammed up, pared down, rocked by itself with her favorite pair of pumps the TRANSFORMHER is that garment in her closet that gives her not only options but freedom. As a businesswoman she is on the road more than 300 days of the year. Myra Wallace knows firsthand the importance of packing that perfect piece for the woman on the go. After designing a piece for herself, every woman she encountered had to have one too. Now Myra has created an entire capsule collection to not only dress today's discerning and fashionable woman but to also TRANSFORMHER.
To order go to: www.MyraWallace.com
Photo by Tamsin Delong
Photo by Tamsin Delong
Photo by Tamsin Delong
Photo by Tamsin Delong
Photo by Marcus Redd
Photo by Marcus Redd
Photo by Marcus Redd
JUST A SMOKE SCREEN By Wendy Marie Reynolds Inspiration of the Holy Ghost
T
hings have been a little bit distressing in my life lately. It was like I woke up and I was living someone else’s life. I was 30 something and my life was seemingly way off track. I had not obtained the level of living in which I wanted. I wasn’t living my dreams. I had drifted away from the important things in my lifethe things I once held dear. I had a bunch of unfinished works and broken promises. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn’t recognize the person staring back at me. Suddenly I felt as if life had thrown me a mean curve ball or a hard blow and I had not seen it coming. Suddenly I was feeling as if my life was over. I tried to dig down deep and muster up some encouraging words- words that I often give to other people to help them keep going- to help them fight their battles. I couldn’t find any. Had I given them all away and saved nothing for myself? I had entered the most difficult time of my life. It seemed as if my very life was in the midst of falling apart and being destroyed internally and externally and it was too late to fight. The battle was over and I had lost. How could this have happened to me? How could I lose? I knew too much to lose! But yet I sat with a deep sense of defeat. I found myself talking to God. He is amazing. He always has an answer to my questions and situations if I just take time to listen to Him. As I talked with Him, He began to remind me of a story in the Bible. I closed my eyes and mentally recalled it in my head. It was a story of David. Now he is a very familiar man in the Bible but there is one story that always captivated me. It was the story of Ziklag. It is in 1st Samuel 30. But it actually starts before that. If you need a brief recap: David, as a young Shepard boy was anointed to be a future King. We know the story of how young David defeated the giant after which King Saul found favor with him and took him in as his own son. David became a little bit too famous a fighter and Saul became jealous and sought to kill him. Eventually David had to flee and Saul pursued after him. David had an opportunity to kill Saul but he wouldn’t lay his hand on God’s anointed. At that point Saul stopped his pursuit. David and those with him took up with the Philistines. He fought side by side with them for years. He was given the land of Ziklag to dwell in and call home. Now, the Philistines were about to encounter Saul and Israel. All of a sudden, David, who had been a faithful ally to the Philistines for years, was told that he could no longer fight with them because they didn’t trust him. They figured David might try to get back in Saul’s good graces by betraying the Philistines to Saul in battle. So, David and his boys were now rejected and told to go home to Ziklag. How that must have hurt. I’ve been
fighting with you side by side and now you don’t trust me? Now you are sending me away? However, I guess when you think about it, you can see the Philistines point. They were just afraid and David did have a strong history and connection with Saul and Israel. This is where the Lord began to deal with me- on David’s journey back to Ziklag. I can see him feeling a bit down- a bit rejected- a bit tired but also a bit happy. At least he would get the opportunity to go home and see his family, get some rest, and eat a good meal. I can see him taking his three day journey home. Although he is a little tired, the closer he gets to his destination, the greater his expectations become. He is excited. “Can’t wait to see my wives and children. Can’t wait to lie in my own bed after sleeping in tents. Can’t wait to hang out by the fire with friends and talk about our victories without the threat of death over our shoulder.” You know David was a praiser. As his excitement grows, he saying, “Thank You God for keeping us in battle and for bringing us back home. Thank You for keeping me and causing me to prevail just like You did when I was faced with the bear and the lion and Goliath and so many other things in my life. I praise You for Your mighty works and for Your power! Your loving kindness is better than life!” But wait, something is happening. Some thing is not quite right. I can see David still far away from his home but close enough to recognize a sign of smoke in the distance. “What’s that? What’s that? Where’s is that coming from?” The closer he gets, the stronger the sight and scent of smoke. He knows its coming from the direction of home. Panic falls upon him.
I imagined his heart sunk or nearly stopped beating. The blood vessels in his head and neck are about to explode. He probably stopped several times and bent over in anguish crying out in turmoil, “Don’t let it be!!! Lord, don’t let it be!” There’s trouble at home. David should have gotten a hero’s welcome. His children and wives should have seen him coming in the distance and ran out to meet him and celebrate his homecoming! There should have been a big feast thrown in the men’s honor. After all, they are coming home from battle. But as David and his men entered into Ziklag, they received no hero’s welcome- No wives and kids running up to them throwing their arms around the men’s neck- no songs of celebration. They came home to the discovery that their city had been invaded by an enemy and burned. The pain they must have felt as they walked into their burned city with no signs of life. There is enough in the 30th chapter to teach on for forever. There are so many powerful nuggets. But the main thing that God dealt with me on is this: Envision David and his boys walking around seeing everything they worked for destroyed. Their legacy gone. I could hear them saying to themselves, “We’ve been out helping other people fight their battles- saving their lives- making a name for them and what did it get us? Who fought for us? We are in ruin. If I had been here- If I only had known maybe- maybe things would have been different.
There’s nothing left. No reason to go on! Everything is burned. Everything is destroyed! Gone!” But get this: As David and his boys walk around through the rubbish, pushing over burned lumber that was once home, there is a powerful moment of illumination. They found no signs of life but they also found no signs of death. There were no bones found and although there was a powerful scent of smoke there was no stench of death in the air. I can see them running around to the areas where people once inhabited and seeing no signs of people alive or dead. See the enemy (the Amalekites) had come in and invaded their home and burned everything giving the appearance of total destruction. But what David and his boys discovered was that their wives and children had been taken captive. They were not dead. Now they were still saddened, hurt and full of pain because their families were gone. They didn’t know who took them or what was being done to them. The scripture says, “Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep (vs.4).” Have you ever cried so hard that there are no more tears? You can’t produce a tear- can’t even produce a sound. Now that’s pain. David’s boys were in so much pain and experiencing such grief that they wanted to stone David because they faulted Him. He kept them away from home. 6
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved a , every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them , and without fail recover all.” David was at a moment of truth. Everything seemed to be stacked against him. His home destroyed, his family taken and his own people ready to stone him. He could have just given up. He probably thought about all the stuff he had been through over the course of his life. What was he to do? Should he just give up or will he believe in the God that he had been praying to all his life. Will circumstances dictate to him what actions should be taken or would he take his eyes off the circumstances and trust God in spite of? David encouraged himself in the LORD his God. He enquired at the Lord as to what he should do and what the results of his actions would be. This is where my illumination came. Often times the enemy comes in and attacks- burning us bad- so badly that we believe that all hope is lost. It brings us to a point of decision. Do we give up or do we press? Do we stretch out our faith and trust in the Word of God? You know from a distance I as well saw the flames. Everything that seemed important to me looked as if it were destroyed- my hopes and dreams all up in flames. No chance of recovery. No signs of life. I couldn’t even see my way through the smoke. God, how did it happen? If I only had known then maybe I would have made different choices. I have felt anguish so deeply that I thought my heart would literally stop beating. But then God said, “Open up your eyes and see that it is only a smokescreen. There is no sign of death here. Don’t be deceived. Pull yourself together. You know what to do! Inquire of Me. Seek My face! Ask Me what it is that I would have you to do and then do it. I will make a way where there is no way! I am the God of miracles. I am the God of restoration. I am that I am!” I have discovered that places of intense pain, places of darkness, places where there is the threat of death don’t always mean that life is over. Sometimes our hopes and dreams are only being held captive and we have to have the strength in the midst of adversity to inquire of God and then have the courage to pursue what has been stolen from us. It is often in those places where God begins to unveil to us the real strength that is in us- not strength of our own, but His strength that He has placed on the inside of us. We have to have the faith that God has a purpose for us and a plan to bring us to the place of restoration and provision. So in the midst of my pain I asked, “God, what should I do? Should I give up? Is it too late? Did I miss it? Should I pursue?” He said, “Pursue.” After David followed God’s instructions to pursue the enemy, God supernaturally put people and things in to place that were so incredible. Stuff just fell into place for David on his pursuit to regain his family and possessions. David and his boys kicked their enemy’s butt and recovered their families, spoil, and all that was
due to them. That was because David had enough courage to take God at His word even when circumstances looked hopeless. You have to read the whole chapter.
17
And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil. It’s an amazing story. I shook my head when I went back to read the story. I turned the page of the bible and I entered 2nd Samuel. Shortly after David’s victory over the Amalekites (probably a matter of days), he was told about the death of Saul and Jonathan whom he loved dearly. It was a tremendous loss for Him. He had to grieve. But He stayed before the Lord and David was soon anointed King. Can you imagine if David had given up back at Ziklag? Had he not inquired of the Lord, the men would have probably stoned him. His family would have remained captive and David would have never walked into his destiny as king. Wow. When life gets tough and intense- when it becomes unbearable, we cannot give up. That is the time when your miracle or your point of destiny is right around the corner. God has a greater plan for our lives than we know. But we have to hang in there. So what is it? What looks lost to you? What have you given up hope on? What parts of your dreams and desires have been stolen from you? What’s causing you to cry in anguish? I challenge you just as God challenged me: Magnify the Lord in spite of. Encourage yourself! Remind yourself of who you are and to Whom you belong. Don’t worry about people and if they turn their backs on you. Circumstances can cause someone to be a friend in one moment and in the next moment they’re ready to stone you. You can’t depend on people. You have to depend on God and His word. He won’t ever change on you. If He has made you a promise, He’ll bring it to past. Have the courage to inquire of Him and then do what He says. Your end result will be worth it. You will recover all and walk into the purpose and the destiny that God Himself has designed for you. ___________________________________________________________________________________
Editor-In-Chief
Myra Wallace is an enthusiast for sharing the joy of living the abundant life from the inside out. Living beautifully is her daily motto. This diversified entrepreneurial spirit is owner and founder of numerous businesses, including He’s Tied Up her fashion apparel company and Myra Wallace Productions, which oversees her on the go lifestyle while maintaining her online Beauty magazine, her book promotions, Life skills seminars, tradeshow consulting, financial planning consultant and production of her talk show. Myra has used her fashion savvy on numerous projects over the years, receiving accolades for many of her contributions as a Fashion Designer, producer, director and businesswoman. Her extensive background has afforded her numerous speaking platforms which has allowed her gift to encourage growth in all aspect of the beauty both personally and professionally as well as inside and out. Her uncanny knack to transform dirt to diamond in the lives of many, has won Myra the reputation as the transformer. She has served as staff writer for “In the World, But not of it” for Christ-teen Magazine, guest writer for That Girl online Magazine, founder of Y-LOOC (Young Ladies Of Our Community) Girls Club, Staff Speaker for Milk and Honey Life Retreats, Women of Noble Character Conferences, The Beauty Come Forth Conference and many more. Over the years, she found a niche audience that openly receives her words of wisdom and encouragement. Her favorable years as a designer and business woman coupled with her 31-plus year extensive traveling career as an international flight attendant, clearly shows her gift has made way for her. Myra has landed plenty opportunities to meet, greet, and entertain the likes of many influential people around the world, affording her the opportunity to experience the richness of the world through the eyes of other cultures, various social environments and business lifestyles. Myra has unmistakably shown herself to be a major player on the front line of the fashion & beauty industry, and a trailblazer in the business world. In 2009, she was nominated as Rising Star of the Year by the LA Business Journal “Women Making a Difference, named Woman of the Year 2010 by the For You Network and recognized for her community advocacy by President Obama in 2011. With plans on the way for the launching of her Men’s Necktie & accessory line “He’s Tied Up” (HTU), Myra recognizes that success is not measured
strictly by financial gain, but by the lives you affect for good on this path called life. Ms Wallace has numerous business affiliations including, Cambridge Who’s Who, NAFE, West Coast Women of YTB, Compton Education Foundation, For You Network and West Coast Expo, where she currently holds the position of General Manager. After the release of the second edition of her book “Beauty Come Forth- Unleash the Beauty Within”, and the launch of the Beauty Come Forth Online Magazine & Movement, this spiritually grounded powerhouse is convinced that the boundaries of one’s greatness, are determined by the stature of their thoughts. Myra believes that her past successes were simply the foundation for what God has in store for her in the beautiful years to come. Her motto: Trust God, Believe in Yourself, Dare to Dream BIG! Myra welcomes the opportunity to speak at your women’s organizations, seminars & conferences. For more information go to www.afashionpreneur.com or email her at myra@afashionpreneur.com
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Overcoming Fear:
The Pier and the Gazebo
By Sheila A. Taylor
While on vacation with my sister, I had an experience that I related to Peter’s walk on the water as Jesus beckoned him to come forward, keeping his eyes on Him. One sunny and balmy afternoon I took a walk on the beach to take in the beauty of the Choptank River on the eastern shores of Maryland. It was a glorious time of worship and reflection. I soaked in all of the majestic beauty created by God’s hand. It was breathtaking. I noticed a pier that was a path right in the middle of this vast river. A gazebo sat at the end of the pier. The fact that the pier emerged from the middle of this river and had no rails on either side caused fear to rise in the pit of my stomach. I watched as people casually strolled along the pier toward the gazebo. I wanted to see the wonderful structure that awaited those who walked the distance of the pier so I decided to go. My first few steps were ok but as I moved further out along the pier, fear gripped me with such intensity. I recognized that I was actually in the middle of a river with only the narrow path of the pier keeping me from submersion. I had to go back. I felt defeated. I had allowed fear to cause me to be daunted from stepping out. The next day, before our departure, my sister and I decided to take another walk along the beach. The day was overcast, a complete opposite of the crisp blue skies the day before. Dense fog had rolled in and muted the visibility of the river and the gazebo. Unlike me, my sister loved the walk on the pier to the gazebo and wanted to go one more time before we left. I wasn’t having any of it. On that day, the fear was even worse. I feared the river and now, because of the fog, I could not see it at all nor could I clearly see the pier or the gazebo at the end of the pier. I had no intention of attempting to walk that pier. I told my sister to go ahead and I would wait for her. She wasn’t having it. She encouraged and beckoned me to come with her. Fully aware of all that made me afraid, I took her hand and moved forward. Shaking like a leaf, unsteady in my gait, I continued to move forward with my eyes set on my destination, the shelter and stable surroundings of the gazebo. We talked nonstop and I would not allow my eyes to venture upon the waters on either side of the pier. When we reached the gazebo, we joined hands and thanked the Lord for such a blessed time of spiritual refreshing and fellowship together over the past few days during which time He gave us so much revelation of His love and goodness. I related that experience to Peter in Matthew 14:22 where Jesus beckoned Peter to step out and walk on the water to Him. Peter did fine until he allowed the wind and waves- the distractions of life to take his sight off of Jesus. That experience was rich in spiritual truths. God showed me that keeping my eyes on Him is of vital necessity to reach my destiny. He also showed me that we don’t reach our destiny in a vacuum, without the encouragement and help of others. Without my sister’s steady confidence, encouragement, strength, and hand holding, I would not have stepped out and faced that fear. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." We need one another. Our gifts and talents were not designed for our benefit alone. They were designed by God to strengthen and encourage others to grow in their purpose and destiny.
Beauty Come Forth Webzine--- the New Beauty Paradigm….
VISION This BCF Online Magazine is a monthly magazine featuring articles that address the lifestyle of women in transition to greatness.
MISSION The mission of BCF Online magazine is to Inspire, Motivate and Transform women’s Beauty through; fashion, finance, fitness, food, health, environment, entertainment, relationship, charity and spirituality.
PURPOSE To “Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in”
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