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January 2018 ©
board chairman
executive director senior editor comptroller
senior advisers
Lee P. Brown
Joseph Green-Bishop Joshua C. Johnson
Yolanda Frazier-Gills Robert Ashley
Kareem El Amin Ken Glaser
Tim Livingston
Kenneth Parker Syed Hassan
Elizabeth Sobanjo
Julius Sonko
Jim Washington Anita Weinstein
there was a time when reverend mullens lived a life outside the law.
Community page 5
Jewish women reach out to aid children experience better lives.
Education page 7
We must support our local educators. They are a valuable societal resource.
Once She Picked Cotton page 8
Bobbie Edmonds overcame a harsh early life. Now she is a champion for children.
To Your Health page 10
The end of life can be enhanced by Hospice Care.
A Family Of Faith page 12
Billy Mullens heads one of the world's most significant children's charities.
Business page 13
Networking is key to continued business growth. Participating in networking events, especially with local chambers of commerce, can have big dividends.
Mamie A. Williams Michael Williams William Woodfin
James Yoon editorial
directors
advertising directors
creative director
photo editor web master
virtual director
Carlton C. Douglass Sierra Vieregge
Samuel Muwanguzi Sarah Davenport John Derewitz
Keona Lambert Oscar Warren
Bhakti R. Maiwala Hasson Diggs
Corey Kirkendoll Grace Cook
Vol. 1 No. 4 January 2018
Arise & Rejoice is a publication that demonstrates the goodness and grace that abounds within all people. It seeks to bring all of us closer together, promoting understanding and reconciliation. It believes in the development of a community of "we" where no one is seen as "the other" and where all people are acknowledged and respected! Information concerning advertising may be obtained from the Advertising Coordinator, Arise & Rejoice Media Inc., P.O. Box 612964, Dallas, Texas 75231. Contact via Telephone: 214-886-3716, E-mail: joegreenbishop@aol.com. The description and attribution of advertisements are the sole responsibility of advertisers. Visit us online: www.ariserejoicemag.com
www.facebook.com/ariserejoicemag
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Guided By Prayer January 2018 | SHEPHERDS IN THE PULPIT
Prophet James and his wife, First Lady Frances, work daily to help people overcome the difficulties that life can bring.
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P
rophet James Andrews has traveled the world with messages of hope, vision and forgiveness. When he began his life as a preacher nearly 50 years ago his father, who worked as a bartender in Dallas, wanted nothing to do with his son's new calling. Prophet James was encouraged by his mother, Phileace, and his grandfather, Reverend R. L. Robertson, the pastor of Baxter Street Baptist Church in Dallas. "My father never heard me preach, " said Prophet James who pastor's the Dallas Rhema Word Revival Center in Duncanville. "I had a yearning that I wanted to do something positive with my life. I wanted to help people." While running the mile as a member of the Lincoln High School track team, Prophet
James learned that life was not a sprint. "I learned the importance of endurance," he said. Throughout the years Prophet James has ministered and studied in nearly every state and in many foreign countries. "Once I preached every day of the year, said Prophet James. "I have done tent revivals and run crusades. I have prayed in the mountains of Korea." "My message to humanity is to look beyond the outward appearance of those we meet," he said. "We must know that from the heart flows the issues of life." In addition to his church, Prophet James has a radio ministry in North Texas that reaches thousands of people weekly. "I have been led by prayer," he said. "Without prayer there is no power. Much prayer, much power," he said. | AR
Daughters of Abraham Help Children
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ationally acclaimed author and Dallas native Casey Gerald recently delivered a moving address at the Dallas CASA Cherish the Children luncheon at the Fairmount Dallas Hotel. However the big winners of the night were the ladies of the Greater Dallas Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). The Greater Dallas Section of NCJW, was presented with the newly named Caroline Rose Hunt Cherish the Children Award. The award was presented by Mark S. Berg, a past chair of the Dallas CASA board of directors. Berg’s late mother, Rose Marion Berg, was a member of the NCJW and one of the
COMMUNITY | January 2018
founders of Dallas CASA nearly 40 years ago. “CASA is about a group of mothers who could not stand to see children mistreated,” said Berg. “Dallas CASA is now within reach of achieving what was unthinkable a few years ago—serving every child in need. We’ve all stood on the shoulders of those dedicated mothers.” Hosted by the Children’s Council, the luncheon is an annual fundraiser for abused and neglected children served by Dallas CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Award recipient NCJW founded Dallas CASA, then called FOCAS (Foster Child Advocate Services), in 1979 and
“CASA is about a group of mothers who could not stand to see children mistreated.”
continues to be key supporters of the agency’s mission. NCJW has contributed more than 100 years of volunteer service to the Dallas community by funding, launching and maintaining organizations like Dallas CASA. Last year, more than 4,600 Dallas-area children were in the protective care of the courts because it wasn’t safe for them at home. For many abused children a CASA volunteer is the only constant adult during a frightening, uncertain time. CASA vol-
unteers can make an immediate and critical difference in the lives of abused children. Keynote speaker Gerald overcame a harrowing childhood in Oak Cliff to receive degrees from Yale and Harvard Business School. He rose to prominence after the speech he gave at his 2014 Harvard commencement went viral.His 2016 TED talk on the gospel of doubt has been viewed more than one million times. “This is an organization that’s dedicated to keeping kids alive. So I thank you!” Said Gerald, “But, how do we put ourselves out of business? What if we didn’t make the best CASA—but made a country where we don’t need CASA?” | AR
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January 2018 |
Duncanville’s Award Winning Senior Living Bring in this ad for half off the community fee.* ($250 value)
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972.298.5545 *Must tour before January 31, 2018.
Supporting Our Teachers
S
ome of the most important people in our society are teachers who educate our children. On a daily basis they make impressions on young minds that last for decades. Many of us remember the men and women who helped to mold our minds and our characters when we were in elementary school. Those who teach today are confronted with a number of issues that did not confront teachers many years ago. Some who teach today are confronted with violence, animosity and hostile debate. And in that environment they are expected to teach young minds. It is not easy being a teacher today, and those outside
Some who teach today are confronted with violence, animosity and hostile debate.
of the classrooms should do all that that they can to support those on the front lines of education. There are numerous stories about teachers who use their own money to purchase supplies for students. Perhaps parents could join together and financially assist teachers in purchasing those supplies. It would not require a great deal of money. But it would require compassion, and a sense of appreciation for what teachers
EDUCATION | January 2018
are doing for children, and for society. It is unfortunate that in some circumstances teachers are threatened with violence. It is disturbing that there are schools where metal detectors are as common as books. Certainly, parents and
guardians and ordinary citizens could play a role in disciplining those who would want to harm teachers. One of the most valuable resources in a civil society is a teacher. We must do more for them.| AR
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Once She Picked Cotton!
January 2018 | COVER STORY
G
rowing up in rural Louisiana Bobbie Edmonds picked cotton with her mother in hot and dusty fields. It was not the life that she wanted, even at the age of nine. "When my mother was not in the fields she was a domestic worker," said Edmonds, one of the leading lawyers and philanthropists in North Texas. "We did not have much while growing up," said Edmonds who for the past 25 years has enriched the lives of children by proving them with school supplies, clothing, scholarships and encouragement. "I have always felt a responsibility to help others," said Edmonds, the oldest of six children. "I was raised by parents and oth-
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ers in our small impoverished members of the community and community who insisted that I are showered with presents, indo that." cluding books, bikes and clothAfter graduating from law ing. "My personal philosophy school at Southhas always been to ern University, reach back, uplift she relocated to “I have always felt a and motivate," said responsibility to help Dallas where Edmonds. "I have she began to others ... My personal been blessed to excel as an atmake a difference philosophy has always in the lives of more torney. been to reach back, Twenty-five than 20,000 chilyears ago she dren." uplift and motivate." began to invest During the in the lives of course of the school children in Fort Worth. school year Edmonds particiEach December she hosts an pants in as many career day ac"education rally" held in a Fort tivities as possible. Worth courtroom where middle " I think it is very important school students learn about the that children who come from imlaw. poverished backgrounds witness They also meet successful successful people, " she said.
"We must encourage them to pursue excellence." Among the many success stories that Edmonds points to is a young man who is now working as an aide in the U.S Congress and a young woman who now works in television. "Our children are precious," she said. "They are our future and we must do all that we can to ensure that they have a chance in life," said Edmonds who was admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court, and who has represented entertainers such as game show host Steve Harvey. "I am very grateful for everything that I have been able to do," she said. It is a long way from the cotton field to where I am today." | AR
Each holiday season Bobbie Edmonds works with judges and deputy sheriffs to bring joy to young students.
January 2018
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Facing Death With Tenderness January 2018 | TO YOUR HEALTH
A
s people face the end of their lives, Hospice Care is a meaningful alternative that is comforting to patients and members of their families. In hospice, a team of caring professionals manage the pain that a patent is experiencing and assist patients and their families with the emotional, spiritual and psychological components of death. The primary caregivers for many hospice patients are members of their families. Hospice professionals, whether a patient is at home or in a hospice facility, provide support to those who are
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grieving the impending loss of a loved one. They also provide medications, medical equipment and supplies. Hospice care is provided to patients who are at home, who are in nursing homes and to others who reside in residential facilities. Leading causes of hospice care include cancer, stokes, respiratory failure, dementia, heart failure and circulatory problems. In 2015, the latest year that statistics were available nationally, 58 percent of all Hospice patients in the country were female. For more information on Hospice in North Texas call 972 283 5590. | AR
Angel In A Storm
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hree years ago Leslie Makhani encountered a 34-year old man who was dying. She felt compelled to help him, and his elderly mother. He was bed-ridden and did not have the energy or knowledge to access state and federal benefit programs that would assist him. Makhani, a licensed insurance agent, spent countless hours assisting the man and his mother. She became their angel in the midst of a storm, helping them with no thought of financial gain. “One of my great passions is to assist others," said Makhani, the mother of three children, whose husband, Amir, is a business owner and president of the Muslim Democratic Caucus in North Texas. “I have so much to be thankful
| January 2018
“Assisting those who need help is my passion. I am happy and blessed to be of service ... ”
for," said Makhani. "I am obligated to reached out to others because I have been blessed with a wonderful family, and a wonderful life.” The youngest of seven children, Makhani immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1987. They first lived in Chicago. She relocated to Texas in 1993. "There are times when I am up until two or three in the morning working on issues that people cannot resolve for themselves,"
Leslie Makhani, right, and her husband, Amir, assist others in the North Texas community. Their three children are inspired by their parent's example.
she said. A member of the Ismaili Community Church, Makhani also works with a team of people in the church who perform social outreach.
“Assisting those who need help is my passion," she said. “I am happy and I am blessed to be of service to others. I believe that giving is important in the world we live in." | AR
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A Life Renewed
January 2018 | A FAMILY OF FAITH
W
hen Billy Mullens was a small boy growing up in public housing in Grand Prairie with his mother and two sisters his view of the world was shaped by brutal violence. "There were gangs all around me ," said Mullens. "I joined one in order to survive. I started my drug use in elementary school and I quit school in the 9th grade." Before he reached his 21st birthday he found himself facing life in prison on assault, weapons possession and counterfeiting charges, he said. "Fortunately the jury was not able to reach a unanimous verdict and I received a suspended sentence, said Mullens, an ordained minister, who now heads an international children's charity named
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"As a charity we have impacted the lives of more more than six million children ... �
Manna Relief Ministries. "The root of my transformation was prayer," said Mullens who lives in Grand Prairie with his wife, Vicki, and their two sons, Samuel and Nicholas. In 2007, Mullens became the executive director of Manna Relief which was founded in 1999 by two of his sisters, Linda and Lydia and their husbands, Sam and Don. "I have been blessed to travel throughout the world bringing whole food nutrition to children
Billy, his wife, Vicki and their two sons, Samuel and Nicolas.
who were in desperate need," Mullens said. “As a charity we have impacted the lives of more more than six million children in this country and abroad." Mullens said that the prayers of
his family members were crucial to renewal in his life. "I could not have gone from the valley of despair to where I am today without my family, and without my God," he said. | AR
Networking Is Crucial To Business
BUSINESS | January 2018
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ttending networking events is extremely important to small and medium size business owners. There is no cost to most networking events, and they are usually attended by people who are engaged in business and who are looking for clients or people they can do business with. The majority of networking events provide opportunities to meet and communicate with business people. It is not uncommon to leave a networking event with a pile of business cards and the possibility of business opportunities. It is important to contact those people whose cards you receive and let them know that you enjoyed meeting them, and that you would like the opportunity to sit down with them to present your
the very first places that many successful businesses start is at networking meetings where they market themselves and create important relationships.
Ribbon cuttings are a great tool for networking. Events like the DeSoto Dental Grand Opening drew the attention of elected officials, residents, nearby business owners and local media.
services and products. One of the best places to find out when and where networking opportunities occur is your local chamber of commerce. More than any other entity, they are knowledge about businesses that operate in your community and beyond.
The chambers in Desoto, Duncanville and Cedar Hill are excellent sources to make business contacts. If you are not a member, you should join them immediately! Networking sessions provide vital information that can be used to enhance your business. One of
The chambers in DeSoto, Duncanville and Cedar Hill are excellent sources to make business contacts. If you are not a member, you should join them immediately!
You should never feel that you are too busy to attend networking session. There is a direct relationship between your potential net worth and your networking activities! | AR
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