Faith Based Journal Dec - Jan 25, 2013
INSIDE
Inspire, Inform & Educate
ReJOICE!
17 th Edition
Phillippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Rejoice this Season by Thanking HIM By Elvia Valdez Imagine a season where we did not ask for anything instead simply said “Thank You!” Two words that sometimes feel so small compared to the meaning they express. PAGE 6
Rise To your Destiny By Dr. Josie Carr Ever wonder why you were born? What’s your purpose for being here? PAGE 7
Former Councilmember Jarvis Johnson still serving the Houston community. Be Still! By Karen Anderson The world is moving at a super nova speed all day long and it seems to never end. How do you keep up with the mad house that is called “your life”? PAGE 7
Miss A Meal
M
ore than 50 million Americans go hungry every day. With those despairing statistics, fashion designer Tina Knowles has joined forces with Bread of Life, Inc. to make a difference. The Houston-based non-profit organization founded by Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, aim to fight for the needs of the less fortunate with the fundraising campaign, Miss A Meal. continued on page 5
“No nation has ever failed to prosper when its people put God first and their country second.” ~ Harold Lindsell
Dec - Jan 25, 2013
Behind The
Journal
3.
Publisher’s Message
Keith J. Davis, Sr.
SR. PUBLISHER Keith J. Davis, Sr. VICE PRESIDENT Kevin Davis
As I think over the year in retrospect, I am amazed at all we were able to accomplish with the support of our customers and friends in 2012. In an age where it is a struggle to maintain print media, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to the community for making our journal an important voice. We were not only able to continue our mission, but we also were able to celebrate and recognize community leaders in the legal and healthcare profession as a result of our combined strength. Our strength is fueled by your passion to be inspired, informed, and educated. As long as there is a need in the community for that voice, we make a renewed commitment to do everything in our power to continue to provide it. As always again, thank you for your continued support of d-mars.com. When you support d-mars.com, you are supporting more than just our company; you are supporting the communities in which we live and work. Working together, we can succeed in making positive things happen. Wishing You a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
EDITING CONSULTANT Sharon Jenkins OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Johnny Ray Davis, Jr. ACCOUNTING MANAGER Eugenie Doualla SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE C.T. Foster Eric D. Goodwine
CONTENTS
PHOTOGRAPHY L.C. Poullard Grady Carter Tony Gaines
Miss A Meal ................................................................................................................................ 1 Former Councilmember Jarvis Johnson … Still Serving Our Community ................................. 4
MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR Andrea Hennekes
Rejoice this Season by Thanking HIM ....................................................................................... 6
LAYOUT & GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Ferland Antwine
Be Still ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Rise To Destiny .......................................................................................................................... 7
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”
DISTRIBUTION Booker T. Davis, Jr. Rockie Hayden
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Elvia Valdez Dr. Josie Carr Karen Anderson Sharon C. Jenkins
MR. D-MARS Tip of the Month “A family in harmony will prosper in everything.” ~ Unknown
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Dec - Jan 25, 2013
Former Councilmember Jarvis Johnson … Still Serving Our Community By Sharon C. Jenkins, Contributing Writer
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ouston had the privilege of having former City Councilman Jarvis Johnson’s service as a political figure. He continues to hear the voice of his constituents asking that the quality of their lives reflect that of those in the neighboring sections of this great city. Those voices have compelled him to reopen a restaurant that is a Northside neighborhood landmark and has been for the last 45 years or more. In December of 2011, he brought “Aunt Bea’s Restaurant and re-opened its doors in February of the following year. When asked why a restaurant, Johnson stated, “Owning a restaurant has always been a secret desire of mine.” He has always been an entrepreneur and previously owned several businesses, yet his dream to own a restaurant seemed to somehow escape him. It was either not the right timing or the right location, so he put it on the back burner until, “the Lord gave him an opportunity,” to purchase Aunt Bea’s. He compared the transition from owning a small business to running a full service restaurant with his previous experience in running a child care center. Johnson stated that, “People
are very particular when you handle their children, just like they are very particular when you handle their food. You have to get it right, otherwise you don’t get the privilege of staying in business for long.” Johnson is proud of his new venture, primarily because it still gives him an opportunity to continue to serve the citizens of Houston. It is an abnormality to find a full service restaurant in urban neighborhoods, especially one that focuses on providing optimum customer service and “good food.” You often find one or the other, but Johnson has insured that your dining experience will be pleasurable and timely with enough wait staff available to meet your every need and they do it with a smile. As a result
of Aunt Bea’s re-opening, over 36 people are now employed from the surrounding neighborhood and adjoining businesses in the strip mall are experiencing an economic upturn instead of a drought. On any given day Aunt Bea’s will tantalize your taste buds with delicious delights such as chicken fried steak, turkey and dressing, or roast beef like your “Momma” use to make. Breakfast is served all day long and there are multiple early mealtime selections on the menu for your dining pleasure. The restaurant is open on Sundays and Thursdays from 6:00 am to Midnight. On the weekend (Fridays and Saturdays) it is open for 48 hours. They literally never close, just because they want to be available for you. They also offer catering services and have banquet rooms for special events and parties. They would love to have you come and share
For more information about Aunt Bea’s visit www.auntbeas.net or call 713-692-2432. Experience Our World of Marketing and Communication
some of your holiday cheer with them. While serving District B, Johnson would frequently hear his constituents wonder when they were going to get a Starbucks, or when were they going to have the benefit of a full service restaurant in their neighborhood. He also questioned the availability of the finer eating establishments in the inner-city neighborhoods until one day he decided to “lead by example.” He determined he would be the change that he was talking about. His philosophy was anchored in, “We should not be waiting for others to do for us, what we should be doing for ourselves.” Johnson said he decided to take the risk regardless of what the business plan was telling him to do. He challenges other businesses to join him in this entrepreneurial endeavor as Aunt Bea’s “creates jobs, generates revenue, decreases crime and increases the quality of local neighborhoods.” Johnson’s long term goal is to build a restaurant unlike any other restaurant the Northside has ever seen. His short term goal is to continue to provide a fine dining experience for his customers, but at an economical price that keeps their wallets happy.
Dec - Jan 25, 2013
Miss A Meal cont.
According to a recent study, Harris County families struggling to keep food on the table have a food budget shortfall of $12.97 per week, per person. To fill the meal gap, $277 million is needed annually to ensure that every person has three meals a day. Miss A Meal meets the Needs of the Hungry! “When we say ‘we are starving’ we have to remember that there are people who are literally starving. If everyone fed one person, one meal, we could make a huge difference,” says Tina Knowles. “Miss A Meal is an amazing opportunity for all Americans to participate in the fight against hunger.” With a nominal cost of $1.00 per person to provide one well balanced meal, Miss A Meal supporters are able to donate multiple meals through a single donation. Tina Knowles has decided to take charge of passing the plate with the simple premise that one person has the power to help many. Miss A Meal today; It Only Takes One Plate! To learn more about the Miss A Meal movement visit www.missameal.net.
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5.
6.
Dec - Jan 25, 2013
Rejoice this Season
by Thanking HIM By Elvia Valdez
I
t is that time of year where everyone’s focus is on the holidays and questioning whether they have been naughty or nice. It is the inevitable feeling that was taught to each of us as children to ask for everything our hearts desire, a learned trait that we carry on with us into our adult lives. Nothing wrong with that, right? Imagine a season where we did not ask for anything instead simply said “Thank You!” Two words that sometimes feel so small compared to the meaning they express. It has been said that every change or moment in one’s life can be seen as a season. Just as the seasons change so do moments in all of our lives. Not one season in time lasts forever. So while today it may be cold and you feel the need to say everything but thank you and rejoice we can all trust that the warmth and change in the season will come in the morning. One can only imagine what the North Pole is like during the holiday season, so many requests from people all over the world from children and adults alike asking for things. That seems logical at this time of year because it is the season
where asking is so common. Instead of making the desires of your heart known imagine what it would be like to rejoice in everything we have instead of what we don’t. One can be rich materialistically but so poor spiritually. Want a get rich quick plan? Count your blessing and rejoice because HE is good not sometimes, but all the time. This holiday season, there may not seem like there are many reasons to celebrate or rejoice in HIM but know that when you have HIM in your heart you can trust that your season of challenges will not last forever and that it too shall soon pass. Now that’s something to be thankful for!
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Dec - Jan 25, 2013
7.
RISE TO YOUR DESTINY By Dr. Josie Carr
E
ver wonder why you were born? What’s your purpose for being here? Have you ever asked yourself, “Is this all there is to life; to be born, to grow up and to then die”? You are in good company with just about every other human being in the world. These questions have baffled most down through the years. Through life’s ups and downs, twists and turns, joys and sorrows, many people, Believers included, struggle with making sense out of this thing called life. Rise to Your Destiny is an exploration exercise that will assist you in discovering your reason for existence, which is sometimes one of the greatest of all mysteries. Within this exploration it is imperative to realize that you are a vital entity in the Master’s Plan. As a part of the Kingdom of God, you have a role in the over-all plan as well as the individual plan and purpose that you have been sent to fulfill. You live in a world of billions of people (7 billion, U.S. Census, 2012). It may be easy to think certainly God could not be depending upon you to walk out any significant plan. I hear you, and believe me; I have felt and expressed the exact sentiments. However, I am reminded of something King David said in the book of Psalms where he had similar mental perplexity. Look at what David says in Psalm 8:3-4: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” In other words David is asking God, “Who am I Lord, that You think so highly of me?” I believe David was on to something. In his quest, King David discovered that God had a plan and purpose for human beings that superseded the vast of the universe and the heavens. He perceived that no part of God’s physical creation even begins to compare with His purpose for you and me. David began reflecting on the dominion God gave mankind at creation, using some of the language from Genesis 1:26. Some kind of way, I believe David reasoned that if God created man, He knows the purpose of man and only He could reveal that purpose to man. Read what he says in Psalm 8:5-8: “For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen—even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.” In all of God’s physical creation, He made man, and man alone, in His image and likeness. He gave man, and man alone, dominion and rule over the creation. It is obvious that man is unique within the
creation of God, and that God has a plan and purpose for us collectively as well as an unfathomable destiny for each of us individually! When we speak of destiny, many people think in terms of the future only. They take the posture of one day they will walk in their destiny. I believe that every day we live we are living out a part of our destiny. I believe destiny is much more than a one-time future event but instead is a lifelong unfolding of events. According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, destiny is defined as “a predetermined course of events…” Let’s get some scriptural support. Ephesians 1:11- “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” 2 Timothy 1:9 “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Here is the point that I am trying to drive home. Your purpose was predetermined BEFORE you arrived on the scene. You were born for such a time as this! You were not born in 1886 because your purpose was not for that time period. Your purpose is for now. You are alive at the right time. You were born in the right family. Everything about you is PERFECT for the purpose in which you were created. In the natural you started out like everyone else…when an egg and sperm united. If the X sperm fertilized the egg, you are a female. If the Y sperm fertilized the egg, you are a male. At this stage you looked like every other female or male. It was only after you began to develop that certain distinctions became noticeable. It is not that the distinctions did not exist; they were hidden in your chromosomes which house your genetic blueprint. So it is at the beginning of your walk with God. Basically you look like all the other baby Christians…zealous, self-absorbent, judgmental and carnal. Just like in the natural, there were no visible distinctions. But as you began to study and grow in the things of God, your God Code began to emerge and your walk with Him took its path. Please note that what God pre-destined you to be and do is revealed by Him but must be developed and executed by you. Jesus was destined to be our Savior but God did not go to the cross for Jesus. Jesus had to walk out the pre-determined destiny and purpose for His life. He had to be about His Father’s business daily. He had to pray and commune with the Father. He had to walk from village to village healing the sick and raising the dead. Though God purposed and ordained it, Jesus had to
execute the plan. You must do like-wise. Find out what God has called you to be and do. Communicate with Him in prayer. Take a survey of the things you are passionate about. Who you are naturally can give you
clues to your divine purpose and destiny. Your personality, hobbies, interests, short comings and experiences can give insight into the purpose for which you were created. Discover the real you and Rise to Your Destiny!
Be Still! By Karen Anderson
A
re you looking for Christian dating help that will enable you to understand the reasons Christians end up in bad marriages? Here are the six most common reasons: Poor boundaries: Poor boundaries cause you to pick people who are unhealthy and then to tolerate things that are unacceptable. Boundaries protect you because you have standards and say no to things that aren’t good for you. With good boundaries, you would recognize the unhealthy things about the person when dating and would end the relationship before it became serious. The longer you stay in a bad relationship, the increased chance you will begin to excuse and tolerate things that you shouldn’t. Recreate childhood dynamics: This is done unconsciously with the purpose of giving you a chance to win battles you couldn’t win as a child. If abandoned, you pick someone who abandons you and you try to make stay. If you tried to change your parents and it didn’t work, you pick someone who needs fixing and you try to change so you can prove that you are powerful enough to do that and it wasn’t your fault that you failed as a child. If your parents were unavailable, you pick someone who is busy and inattentive and try to make pay attention to you. If your parents gave you conditional love, you pick someone who you try to make love you unconditionally. Inf luence for good: You first date someone who isn’t equally yoked in their spiritual life. You justify it by believing you can influence the person to either get saved or to make a deeper commitment to faith. Then once you fall in love with the person, you don’t want to end the relationship so you get married believing the person will change from your positive influence. It isn’t unusual either for a person to show an
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interest in faith while dating and then fall away from it after marriage. Inexperience in relationships: Christians often feel committed to the church they attend and have limited options on who to date, especially when the church is small. This results in less dating and less experience to help you figure out who is the best partner for you. It also results in being gullible and naïve when you get involved with people who are manipulative and unhealthy because you have limited experience in dating. Misunderstanding God’s will: Christians often have misunderstandings about God’s will and use circumstantial evidence to prove that God has ordained things. Here are some of the ways they misunderstand God’s direction: The belief that things “happened” in a way that God brought about; the belief that God spoke personally about the person; and the belief that God gave a Scripture that confirmed the relationship. God uses all of these at times; however, the direction that God gives should line up with the Bible, sound counsel, and be confirmed by the person being right for you. Commitment to vows: Christians that make a commitment to someone sometimes feel they have to keep their commitment or they are a bad witness. This can keep them in bad relationships when they would otherwise end the relationship. Your commitment has to first be to yourself. If you recognize at any point that a relationship isn’t good for you, you need to end it, even if it is at the altar. If you need more practical tips and Biblical truths to help you change your relationships, get my FREE “15-Day Relationship Challenge” designed to give you back the power over your life. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters. com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS