August 2018Â
REAL LIFE REAL FAITH
The Movement Women Rising From the Dead Issues in Their Lives
EMPOWERING YOU TO EMPOWER YOURSELF
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Editor's Notes 5 Top Qualities of an Effective Leader
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NAACP Author's Pavillion 109th Convention of the NAACP welcomes it's 11th Author's PAvillion
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Meet Michael Brown Recipient of 20 Prestigious offers from Country's top colleges
picture courtesy news 2 houston
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Girl, Get UP! Women rising from the dead situations in their lives
AUGUST ISSUE 2018
REAL LIFE REAL FAITH
Editor in Chief Cheryl Lacey Donovan Publisher Elissa Gabrielle Senior Editors Hurley Morgan Cee Cee H. Caldwell Columnists Leroy McKenzie Alvin Romer Hurley Morgan Bryant Lewis Contributors Donna H, Richard Brody, Anastasia Kanli Designer Cheryl Lacey Donovan
EDITORIAL OFFICES P.O. Box 450121 Houston, Texas 77245 832-827-4438
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We were born free, but we refuse to turn the lock of the mental prison that we choose to be in. !
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Editor's Note Greetings The #MeToo phenomenon that is empowering women, in a way never seen before, to publicly confront their traumatic experiences around sexual harassment, misogyny, and violence by speaking out against their perpetrators takes incredible courage from the women involved but it is only the beginning of the healing. In our society, women often suffer from debilitating self-doubt and insecurity. Developing confidence and "creating a speak-up culture among women is essential in the #MeToo era," so, I have written a new book that shares actionable ways women can develop confidence, learn to love themselves, and live authentically. It is safe to say that there are women who admittedly likes the catcalls and looks and hey-babies. because they let those things validate them and build up their self-esteem. Often their trust in themselves isn’t as strong as their craving for validation from a man. These are the same woman who feel guilty for having liked those suggestive remarks and excessive stares even though they know there is a huge element of injustice that surrounds it all. The now that men shouldn’t talk to them that way. Yet, they have gladly let it happen. Now, this #metoo movement has them thinking about all the times' men cornered them, and] rubbed against them at a bar or club. Many are remembering how their comments were always laughed off or reciprocated because the women thought it was fun ok because they thought it meant they were desirable. They should never have learned that behavior or the mindset that it was okay. Little girls are raised to be accommodating, understanding, and submissive. Little boys are raised to be confident, commanding, successful. These toxic ways of thinking have ruined our own identities. The narrative must change. It will change. Much Love! Cheryl Lacey Donovan Editor-In-Chief
NAACP AUTHOR'S NAACP CELEBRATED 11 YEARS OF HIGHLIGHTING AUTHORS AT THE 109TH ANNUAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS
PAVILLION 2018
Authors Will Met Fans, Signed Books, and Presented Book Readings The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) invited authors to participate in the Author Pavilion during the 109th Annual National Convention (NAACP) scheduled for July 14– 18, 2018, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. NAACP is one of the premier conferences of its kind nationwide. Each year, the Annual Convention of the Association establishes policies and programs of action for the ensuing year. The NAACP Authors Pavilion showcased some of the best and the brightest from the literary community. The author(s) had the opportunity to meet fans, sign books, present book readings or participate in a panel within the Pavilion. Each participant had an assigned autographing area (with signage). In addition, their books were displayed in the on-site bookstore for a three day period. Among the moderators for the event was Real Life Real Faith's own Cheryl Lacey Donovan who moderated a panel on raising the next generation of trailblazers and leaders. Panelists included Charryse Johnson, Shondra Michelle Quarles, and Dr. Evelyn Bethune. The Author's Pavillion is hosted by Mocha Ochoa Nana and The Oracle Group.
5 COMPONENTS OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Cheryl Lacey Donovan
If you think that all that there is to health is sleep, exercise, and diet, you're off to a good start but you still may be neglecting other important factors of your overall wellbeing. Your overall health is composed of several areas of wellness, including emotional wellness. But what constitutes emotional wellness? These five aspects of emotional wellness have been identified by the National Institute of Health. While this article aims to offer a brief introduction to this topic and so will not go into great detail on how to improve aspects of your emotional wellness, identifying which of them maybe areas of concern for you can help you identify solutions or resources for further study. Outlook How you see the world and your place in it is an important aspect of your emotional wellness, largely because of how it impacts the other aspects. You will form relationships differently, find stress in different places, cope with loss differently, and understand yourself differently if you see yourself as a puppet of fate, a master of your own destiny, or anywhere in between. Your outlook also includes how you see yourself in relation to other people, which can play a huge part in how you form relationships with those around you. ,
Relationships Relationships with romantic interests, friends, co-workers family members, and even strangers can have a strong impact on emotional wellness. Relationships can be supportive, harmful, or challenging. They can help you out of trouble or get you into it. Sometimes honing your relationships for better emotional health means pruning less healthy relationships, while other times it means nurturing or pursuing healthier relationships. Understanding other people and where they come from is important to healthier short-term relationships with people that you bump into every day, but this skill is reliant on a realistic outlook. Stress Stress can come from issues or imbalances in any of the other aspects of emotional wellness and how you handle it can have serious implications for your emotional and physical wellness. Your stress and emotional health are closely related – lots of stress can upset your emotional health, and strong emotional health can contribute to controlling stress – but lots of stress can also make you feel physically worse. Fortunately, developing a better outlook, fostering healthier relationships, developing coping mechanisms, and practicing mindfulness can all help to decrease stress.
Coping People usually think about coping in terms of recovering from the loss of a loved one, but the loss of a job, of property, of opportunities, can all be traumatic experiences with a painful recovery. Also, like stress, grief can have physical symptoms as well as emotional symptoms. Your outlook and mindfulness can impact your coping mechanisms, stress and coping can impact each other, and your healthy relationships can help you to cope in quicker and healthier ways. Mindfulness This aspect of emotional wellness refers to how well you understand your own mental and emotional health. While there are some systems of understanding and control that make mindfulness easier to wrap your head around, it's less about learning and more about paying attention. Some people lose touch with their mindfulness because they feel that their emotional health is unimportant, while others may feel that an unhealthy level of emotional distress may be normal, and therefore does not need to be addressed. Of the other aspects of emotional wellness, mindfulness is most closely tied to stress: the higher your level of mindfulness, the lower your stress. Hopefully, this brief introduction to the aspects of emotional health will help you to increase your own emotional health and reap the wide array of benefits, both emotional and physical.
MICHAEL.
Brown Picture Courtesy of Bethinia Rutledge Brown
What was it like raising a child like Michael? Micheal was an easy child to raise. He was independent and determined.
I know you and Michael's father are divorced. How important was it to you that his father remains a part of Michael's life? I felt his father’s presence was important. He has not been a large part the last 2 years, but thy have their own relationship and it continues to evolve. I encourage him to respect his father and remember that even as adults we make wrong decisions and mistakes.
When did Michael first become focused on his education? Middle school. He started fining programs and made decisions about his foreign language. He started to research different schools.
How much input did you have into Michaels decisions with regards to the schools he chose? None at all. He made up his mind on his own.
How important were some of the programs Michael was into helping him attain the ability to go to these colleges? Breakthrough was a huge help. He went in the summer and was able to get ahead in his studies. Emerge provided exposure to many opportunities for other programs, schools and for scholarships.
How does it feel knowing your son will get the education you might not otherwise have been able to afford? It is the biggest blessing. I am very grateful. It has been a humbling experience.
What was your reaction to the Fox reporters who called Michael obnoxious for applying to all 20 schools? It was hurtful and disappointing. However, Mike was good and basically was like, who cares. So, I moved on quickly and did
not give it too much energy.
What advice would you give other parents who might feel giving their children an Ivy league education is impossible? Believe!! Be supportive and encouraging. Learn, research and reach out for help if needed. And pray, pray pray!
Michael
Did you always believe you could get into all 20 schools or were you shocked when you got the news? I did not think I would get into all 20 of them. I knew it was competitive. I was really surprised.
To what do you attribute your success in school? Hard work and never giving up. Always challenging myself to perform at the highest level.
How important was having a support system and who was that support system for you? My support system was an important aspect. It helped me to remain steady and focused. It consisted of my family, friends, teachers and counselor.
How important was your mom's example of going back to school? My mother’s example was very important and showed me the right path to take. It was a catalyst for my pursuit of higher education.
Why Stanford Michael? I choose Stanford because it felt right. It is an amazing institution with many resources. I feel I can develop into who I am to be without pressure of judgment.
What advice would you give other students who might feel getting into these colleges is impossible? I would remind them that it is not impossible. Work hard, be engaged, informed and proactive throughout all steps of the process, starting as early as possible.
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CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD
CIRCLE OF TRUST Kathy Robbins Maqsood
As I was pondering this morning, suddenly I had a vision and read these words "Circle of Trust". I saw the dove leave Noah's ark and went out seeking for a dry leaf to bring back to the ark saying "it is safe to exit this place." The bird went out and returned and again went out and did not return releasing the message 'where I set my foot is a safe place'. I have been walking through a very deep place of facing many insecurities. My mother passed away 8 1/2 years ago and my former husband passed away eight years ago. We were her care givers and lived at the home place in the country. Raising our food from seed was a lifestyle. During those seven years God blessed this family garden and I preserved thousands of jars of food. I brought the canned food when I purchased a home in the city seven years ago. Holy Spirit told me I had been operating under the Joseph anointing. So I have been eating much food from those days because of a trying season we have been walking through financially. God had provided in advance.Six weeks ago Holy Spirit showed me to begin to pour out those older foods. Growing up around much poverty and sickness I had developed a hoarding mindset. I was zealous over that harvest of food. But He wanted me to sacrifice
that which was good that had become an enemy of the best He has for me. I felt faint in my soul as I have been sacrificing before the Lord the thousands of hours of time and energy and the monies used to preserve the harvest. So many prayers were prayed over those fields. I did not give it to others for I was uncertain of the quality of the food at this time. You cannot hoard FAITH.Faith is active. It is a daily walk with God and receiving from Him. Man cannot live by bread alone BUT by every WORD that proceeds from the mouth of God. He is teaching us to come and receive from HIS table DAILY what is needed for life, health and godliness. I had poured my soul into that garden. Day and night, rain, wind, sun, lightening- I worked those fields grown from a seed. I gathered the harvest all hours of the day and night by flashlight and turned it to intercession and prayed over God's garden and harvest fields worldwide. Six days a week I was up until the early morning hours canning. We opened this garden to family, church and the community at large. But the season changed. Just as it does in your life. To everything there is a season, a time and a purpose for it. I have washed hundreds of jars and was reminded about gathering the vessels to contain the oil for the provisions for the widow woman. When she had no more vessels to fill
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FAITH
FEATURE
the oil stopped. So I am parabolically walking out something in the spirit. If the things you are holding onto have their roots in fear, doubt and unbelief and pride, POUR IT OUT out before the Lord. This sacrifice has cost me much. Allow Holy Spirit to wash you in the water of the word preparing you for a re-filling and re-firing. Get in His presence and receive your healing deep within and let faith arise. This fruit is by the power of Holy Spirit and will be rooted deep in love which is driving out ALL fear. Thus, the fruit you pour into others will not be defiling but instead will draw others to the Lord to taste and also to see that He is good. It is time for the fruit in our lives that is steeped in traditions and in the wrong belief systems from early childhood to be completely removed. It has a bitterness connected with it. God is not condemning us but searching our hearts that He may remove those things that do not bring fulfillment and are rooted in fear, doubt and unbelief. Instead, He will fill up those empty places with Himself and His fruit. His fruit is eternal and He promised to satisfy our souls with fresh grain, fresh oil and new wine which is the Kingdom of God.
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Grandma's Hot Flaky Butter Biscuits This is very popular for breakfast in many southern states but has spread to almost the entire country. The trick is to get a very flavorful gravy is to cook the flour and sausage together for a while before adding the milk, totally leaving open for how much browning your prefer. What could be better than to add homemade biscuits for your gravy? They are really easy to make adding a great touch to your meal.
By Debora J. Reckley
What you need:Â
2 1/2 Cup all Purpose Flour (plus a little more for dusting pans) 2 Tbsp Baking Powder 1 Tsp Sugar 1 Tsp Salt 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter 1 Cup Buttermilk 2 Tbsp Butter melted
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir all ingredients together then transfer to a food processor. Cut the butter into cubes and add to flour, pulse 6 to 7 times until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Or, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl, add buttermilk and stir with a fork until it forms a coarse ball, don't worry if it a bit sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll it into a rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Fold it over and gently roll it down again.
Repeat 6 times. Gently roll out the dough some more, so it forms a rectangle. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Do not twist cutter when cutting, this will crimp the edges of the biscuit causing it to not rise. If you have scraps, form a new rectangle and cut more biscuits. Place biscuits on baking sheet and place in oven. Bake until golden brown, around 10 to 15 minutes. Brush melted butter on top and enjoy. Serves 6 to 8.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9886735 NOMADIC | 24
Robert E. Person Vocalist Robert E. Person has become one of Jazz and Gospel music's most quintessential singers. His extraordinary vocal control, his definitive and polished stage presence and his gorgeous tenor tone have given the Washington, DC native an undeniable reputable artistic presence in music and performing arts. Robert honed his musical gift at the prestigious Morehouse College—where he held membership in the world-renowned Morehouse College Glee Club—as well as at the University of the District of Columbia. The recent three-time 2016 Rhythm of Gospel Awards recipient has a shelf full of independent music awards for his vocal performances of classics like "Someday We'll All Be Free," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" and his original works "God Has A Plan," "Clap Your Hands" and "Testify." Continuing to expand his musical brand, Robert has joined the league of on air personalities with his own radio show SOULFUL SESSIONS with ROBERT E. PERSON. This show highlights new and independent artists in Gospel (Traditional, Contemporary and Praise & Worship) and Inspirational and Contemporary Jazz. www.soulfulsessionsradio.com After releasing an impressive and award-winning catalog of indie Gospel albums, Robert just released his first Jazz album CLASSIC COVERS on June 1, 2018. This EP blends Robert’s stunning vocals with beautifully arranged Jazz, Sacred & Classical music. These 5 extraordinary cover tunes are selected from the great American songbook.
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GIRL, GET UP: MORE THAN A CONFERENCE IT'S A MOVEMENT WOMEN RISING FROM THE DEAD PLACES IN THEIR LIVES The atmosphere was full of love and support as you entered the room at the Verona Villa in Frisco, Texas. It was apparent that every woman in the room was there to receive what was in store for them at this year's conference. What they didn't know was that they were at the forefront of what is suer to become a movement of change and transition for women all across this country.
#METOO In a time when #metoo is the mantra of the day, you must eventually find yourself asking #nowwhat? The Girl, Get Up movement is clearly the answer to that question.
The Girl, Get Up Movement is about empowering women to get up and rise above the dead areas in their life that prevent them from moving forward. It is a statement of power and accountability.
DON'T FORGET TO TRAIN YOUR IG BAE It is inspired by Tabitha's Tea Partya non profit organization committed to helping women rise from dead places. This year the movement launched at Tabitha's Tea Party 5th annual women's conference. To learn more visit: http://www.girlgetupmovement.com
REAL LIFE REAL FAITH MAGAZINE
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10 Ways to Take Charge of Yourself
Taking charge of yourself, showing self-control, and being responsible for your actions are crucial to maturing and developing as a person. Without selfcontrol, you run the risk of developing addictions, losing money, gaining weight, or otherwise developing unhealthy habits. Not taking responsibility for yourself and your actions can be detrimental to yourself and your relationships. Taking charge of yourself is an important part of being a fully developed and well-functioning adult. There are ways to improve this behavior, however. We’ve compiled a list of ten positive habits you can develop to help you take charge of yourself. 1) Monitor yourself One of the easiest ways to take charge of yourself, be responsible for your actions, and strengthen your selfcontrol is to monitor yourself on a regular basis. Think before you speak or act and decide whether what you’re saying will be helpful or hurtful and if it’s necessary. Analyze your actions at the end of the day; determine if there’s something for which you should hold yourself accountable and if there’s anything you should learn from to improve in the future. 2) Admit when you’re wrong For some, this is the most difficult challenge to overcome in their lives. Admitting you’re wrong can be extremely hard, but necessary in order to learn and grow from our mistakes and move on. In order to take responsibility for your actions and take charge of yourself, you must first admit you are wrong; this will lead to repentance, forgiveness, and redemption with the friend or loved one you hurt. 3) Strive to be better One of the most important ways in which you can take charge of yourself is to always make improvements. Strive to be better, learn from your mistakes, and implement changes to improve yourself, your selfcontrol, and your personal responsibility.
4) Own your mistakes While similar to admitting when you’re wrong, owning your mistakes can be slightly more involved. Owning your mistakes involves admitting to them, accepting responsibility for and the consequences of your actions, and using every opportunity it’s brought to the forefront as another opportunity to learn from your mistake and remember the error, so you don’t make it again. 5) Make achievable personal goals A large part of taking charge of yourself is personal reflection, work, and growth. Admitting there’s a problem with you or your habits can be challenging, but even more so is confronting those problems head on and putting forth the effort to change them. Making a list of achievable personal growth-related goals can help you start to progress along your journey to become a better person. You should start small with these goals, making sure each of them is achievable. Make sure you keep track of your progress as you go. 6) Make sure you’re staying motivated Working on yourself can be challenging, but it’s a necessary step in taking full control of yourself and your actions. Staying motivated along your journey is key to seeing success. A good
way to ensure you keep your motivation is keeping track of your progress as you proceed with your efforts to better yourself and rewarding yourself as you hit certain milestones. 7) Know your limitations An important part of any effort is to know your limitations. Limitations do not make achieving your goals impossible, but rather, they make them puzzling. While some limitations can keep you from achieving particular goals, there’s often a way around our limitations that we can find if we try and get creative. This is most pertinent to taking charge of yourself in the way that it will help you identify the areas of this effort that are the most challenging to you. 8) Forgive yourself While it’s important to own your mistakes and learn from them, it’s equally important to forgive yourself. You can carry the lessons you learn from your mistakes with you without having to carry the guilt. It’s important to allow yourself the freedom of forgiveness; besides, it’s unhealthy to hold a grudge, especially one against yourself. 9) Move past your flaws and errors Moving past your mistakes, flaws, and faults is crucial to becoming a better person, improving your selfcontrol, and taking charge of yourself. While forgiving yourself for these things is an important step, you can’t hold on to them forever. Moving forward involves releasing the feelings of guilt and the weight of the mistake while internalizing the lessons that you learned from them, so you don’t make them again. 10) Take care of yourself One of the most important steps in taking charge of yourself is taking care of yourself. Know your body and take care of it. If you need to take one day off a week to rest and relax with self-treatment, take one day for yourself. If you need to step away from a particular situation to avoid backsliding into bad habits or behavior, remove yourself from it. You are important and so are your needs; respect that.
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7 MAIN TENANTS OF SELF GROWTH CHERYL LACEY DONOVAN cherylspeaks.org A tenet can be defined as, “A principle, belief,
When a plant begins to wither, even when given
or doctrine generally held to be true.” It is
adequate water and light, they may be unhappy in
universally accepted that plants need
their present environment. By moving them to
sunlight, and water to properly flourish and
another area of the home, they may begin to thrive
grow. Those principles help to shape the development of gardens and wildlife all around the world. When it comes to personal growth, there are similar principles that we must abide by to avoid stagnation.
again. Similarly, if we never embrace anything new, we will become stagnant in our thinking. There is much to be learned from trying new things, meeting new people, and immersing yourself in a new culture. 3. Challenge Yourself-Sit in Discomfort
1. Reshape Your Personal Perception
The greatest gain comes from extreme discomfort.
When a flower is healthy and confident, it
When starting a new exercise routine, typically the
stands tall. It allows the sun to bask in its
first few sessions will be difficult. You may
beauty. Similarly, when we feel good about
experience pain, discouragement, and even
ourselves, we demonstrate that same
temptation. Nonetheless, as you push through the
confidence. In order to grow in a strong manner, you have to eliminate negative selfperception. You must see yourself as valuable, capable, and highly skilled. By doing so, you will begin to behave in a way that aligns with your self-affirmations.
anxiety, you will achieve that muscle growth. In the same manner, when we endure obstacles, we are strengthening ourselves. It is easy to give up and walk away from something difficult. However, what are you learning? In essence, you are inhibiting evolution. In every difficult situation there is a valuable lesson. Stick it out, and you’ll begin to see a
2. Embrace New Concepts
strength you never knew you had.
4. Eliminate Toxic Relationships When plants have dead leaves or weeds growing in their area, that rot tends to move upward; thus, overtaking the plant. Gardeners must clip away the dead ends in order to save the future of the plant.
When you keep unhealthy individuals in your life, their bad habits will eventually rub off on you. They won’t encourage you to broaden your mind or leave behind old habits. Have the courage to notice who in your life is toxic and walk away from them with urgency!
5. Accept What You Cannot Control When a terrible storm ensues, plants in a garden cannot pick up their roots and run for shelter. Rather, they have to endure the storm and accept what is to come. In our lives, we encounter situations that are beyond our control. We may try our best to manipulate the conditions, but that ultimately leaves us with anxiety.
In order to grow and flourish, you have to accept people, and situations for what they are. You are only in control of how you react. Learn to regulate your emotions and embrace spontaneity.
6. Stray From Inactivity It’s easy to remain stagnant while wishing for an opportunity to occur. Wishes only turn into reality through taking action. If there is something you are desiring to do, eliminate unnecessary brainstorming and begin to create. Accomplish the items on your list without making excuses. By doing so, you will see what you are truly capable of.
7.Nurture Yourself Thoroughly Plants and flowers require care from outside sources to survive. We as humans have the ability to nurture ourselves through self-care. Designate a few minutes each day to taking care of yourself. Indulge in an activity you love, pamper yourself, or take a moment to relax. You will restore your energy without having a meltdown!
Growth is a beautiful part of life as it challenges our mind and body to perform in surprising ways. Embrace growth and never fear the endless possibilities associated with it. Soon, you will appreciate the time and care directed towards your self-improvement.
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REAL LIFE REAL FAITH CONTRIBUTOR
2018
