Transformation Newark Magazine: July 2014

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Magazine TransformationMagazine.Net

July 2014

Will He Be Able To Transform Newark???

Be Vulnerable If You Want To Get Ahead...

Go To Bed!

Ras Baraka Mayor-Elect 2014

3 Steps To Getting Paid on Time

Celebrate Your Healthy Lifestyle

Making Decisions... Together!

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IN THIS ISSUE! Ras Baraka: You Are The Mayor

Transformation Newark magazine is a monthly publication focused on changing the city of newark through the Nehemiah model of rebuilding a city. And through providing practical information and tips to transform lives.

Contributors Curtis Mincey Jerri Mitchell-Lee

Be Vulnerable So You Want To Get Ahead... Go To Bed The Big Bang In Theory

IN EVERY ISSUE!

Relationships Making Decisions Together Publisher Rick Greene Life No Membership No Problem In cooperation with Dominion Ministries & The Urban Convoca- Money tion Strategic Operations Coun- How To Manage Your Finances cil’s Media & Technology Depart- Business ment 3 Steps To Getting Paid On Time Health Celebrate Your Healthy Lifestyle A Metro Christian Education Media publication Buy A House Or Start A Home Day Care City 1 Court St. Suite 4J Be A Reading Tutor In Newark Newark, NJ 07102 MetroChristianMedia.com Life Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated Ministry ADVERTISERS & C O N T R I B U T O R S “Doing The Deed” Book Review On Preaching WANTED EMAIL OR CALL FOR DETAILS Pub@MetroChristianMedia.com

862-888-8238

We’re Back...

And Better Than Ever!

I know its been awhile but when you’re doing as much as we are it sometimes becomes overwhelming and somethings have to be put on hold.

I can however assure you that this won’t be happening again due to some new systems that are being put in place. As we expand we are bringing on new people to share the load.

Transformation Magazine will be bringing on a new editor. Transformation Magazine will be going in to newsprint. Our TV network MCTV Newark will be taking on new legal and financial partners to take back to the airways. The Church At Newark is now holding Sunday Worship Services and Bible Study at the Court Towers at 1 Court St. in Newark. Also The Church At Newark TV Show, this season is filled with exciting new celebrity guests. Our Metro Christian Graphic & Web Design division has new lower prices and our Photography & Video Production division has become more systematic which allows for rapid production of photos and video.The Relationships with Pastor Rick website has been thriving and we are averaging about 600 readers a month. Our Metro Christian Radio has relaunched online at Live365.com & BlogTalkRadio.com, additionally we are in talks with Newark Radio Series to help tutor young radio broadcasters and return to broadcasting Politically Correct on several local AM radio stations

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POWER MINISTRY ASSEMBLY OF GOD 1O24 Bergen Street Newark NJ 07112 PRESENTS FOUR WEEKS OF POWER-PACKED SALVATION, HEALING, DELIVERANCE AND RESTORATION

TENT CRUSADE CORNER OF LEHIGH AND BERGEN STREET

Sunday June 22nd – Friday July 18th …7:30 pm Nightly Holy Spirit Anointed preaching from anointed men of GOD. To stir your soul, elucidate your mind, and revive your spirit. Come believing go receiving. The Power of God will be present each night to meet your every need.

THE DEVIL WANTS YOU DEAD, BUT GOD WANTS YOU ALIVE, SERVE GOD AND DISAPPOINT THE DEVIL. LET’S PUT HIM OUT OF BUSINESS. JOIN US IN THIS CRUSADE TO TAKE BACK NEWARK FROM SATAN’S STRONG-HOLDS.

THERE ARE STRONG-HOLDS OF: CRIMES, DRUGS, THIEF, MURDER, RAPE, SEXUAL- PROMISCUITY, HOMOSEXUALITY, ADULTERY, GREED, LAWLESSNESS, DISOBEDIENCE, UN-GODLINESS, UNTHANKFULNESS, SELFISHNESS, INJUSTICE, RACIAL PREJUDICE, and such like, degenerating and destroying our city, YOUR PRAYER FOR AND PRESENCE IN THIS CRUSADE CAN HELP TURN THINGS AROUND AND DRIVE THE DEVIL OUT. HOST: Rev. H. Ottley – Pastor ; Tim Maire Asst. Pastor. For information call (862) 902-7237

Men and Women of God, Are You Hungry for God? Join us for our monthly Gatekeeper Gatherings and hear what “The Spirit is saying to the Churches�

Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month Prophetic Prayer & Worship Starts at 7:30 PM In The Greater Newark Area +BNFT 4USFFU t /FXBSL /+ t www.FrankDupree.com Call for more information t

Apostle Frank Dupree

YOU ARE...

THE MAYOR While Baraka the team has proven to be outstanding unbeatable campaigners, we must remember that there is a total difference between campaigning and governing. So the question is... Can Baraka transform Newark?

THE GOOGLE PROFILE REPORT

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T h e B a r a k a Tr a n s i t i o n Team is Filled With Wisdom & Power “My campaign was about empowering the people of Newark. I said that “When I become Mayor, we become Mayor. This transition is the first step.” - Ras Baraka

Co-Chairs of Transition Committee Ken Gibson, Former Mayor, Newark, N.J. Al Koeppe, President and C.E.O., Newark Alliance, Former President and C.E.O., P.S.E. and G.

Education: Dr. Marion Bolden, Former Newark School Superintendent Dr. Nancy Cantor, Chancellor, Rutgers Newark

Housing & Economic DevelopmentSam Delgado, Vice President for Externbal Affairs, Verizon N.J. Richard Cammerrerei, Director of Special Projects, New Community Corporation Public Safety Dr. Todd Clear, Provost, Rutgers; Former Dean, Rutgers School of Criminal Justice Robert Rankin, Former Police Director, Newark N.J.

Departmental Operations Joel Freiser, Former Director, Newark Urban Enterprise Zone Karen Hilliard Johnson, Former Project Coordinator, Newark N.J.

Executive Recruitment: Tracy Munford, Vice President for Community Affairs, Beth Israel Hospital Jeannine LaRue, Former Vice President for Public Affairs, Rutgers University

Budget Tim McDonough, Mayor, New Hope, N.J.

Workforce Development, Training and Re-entry: Penny Joseph, Vice President for Corporate Outreach, Panasonic Ken McNamara, President, C.W.A. Local 1037

Legal Review Ed Florio, Partner, Florio and Kenny Anthony Mack, Partner, Mack and Gil

Recreation Luis Lopez, Principal, Roberto Clemente School Pat Council, Coordinator of Athletics, Newark Public Schools

Public Health Dr. John Brennan, President and C.E.O. Beth Israel Medical Center Dr. Janice Johnson Dias, President, Grassroots Community Foundation Milly Silva, Executive V.P., 1199 S.E.I.U.

Environment and Sustainability Robin Dougherty, Executive Director, Greater Newark Conservancy Stephanie Greenwood, Director- Office of Sustainability, Newark NJ

IT Seth Wainer, Senior Technology Advisor, Newark, N.J. Joel Bloom, President, N.J.I.T.

Community Engagement Junius Williams, Director of the Abbott Leadership Institute, Rutgers University Raymond Ocasio, La Casa de Don Pedro

Arts, Cultural Development, and Tourism John Schreiber, President and C.E.O., N.J.P.A.C. Gloria Hopkins Buck, Vice President, Newark Museum Trustees

Independent Authorities Joseph Garcia, Administrative Law Attorney, Chasan, Leyner abd Lamparello Bessie Walker, Former Councilwoman, Newark, NJ Senator Ron Rice

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Arthur Cifelli, Former Deputy Director, Port Authority Gary Love, Vice President, Foreign Auto Processors, Inc.

Transition Steering Committee

Tai Cooper, Director, Spokesperson Ras Baraka for Mayor Baye Adofo-Wilson, Co-Founder Lincoln Park Cultural District Chigozie Onyema, Counsel and co-Director Analilia Mejia, Director, NJ Working Families Alliance Linda Carter, Professor, Essex County College, Division of Social Sciences Frank Baraff, Communications Director

LIFE TRANSFORMATION

NO MEMBERSHIP NO PROBLEM! There are many of the big box, big quantity retail wholesale clubs around such as Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s to name a few. But what if you just really aren’t a joiner?

You might be surprised to know that there are somethings that are available without a membership!

1

Get Your Eyes Checked: Costco stores have an optometrist on site and you can schedule an appointment whether you're a member or not. The downside is that you need a membership to buy Costco's offering of glasses, contact lenses, or other eye-wear.

2

The BJ’s prices online are the same for non-members. When you shop at Costco.com, non-members pay a 5% surcharge except on prescription drugs and gift cards. Non-members cannot shop at SamsClub.com.

3

BJ's accepts manufacturer coupons from the Sunday newspaper and they issue their own. Costco only accepts their own coupons and Sam's Club does not accept manufacturer or competitor's coupons.

4

Use a Costco Gift Card: As long as the gift card (which can go up to $1000) is bought by someone with a membership, you can buy anything in the store. You can also use it to get into the store without a membership card.

5

Get Medicine from the Pharmacy or Immunization Shots: You can get your prescription medicine at Costco too, but you still need a doctor's note to fill it. Costco also offers immunizations without a membership.

6

Buy Alcoholic Beverages: Most states prohibit the forming of alcohol or tobacco "clubs", so you can tell them at the door that you're there to just buy alcohol and they should let you in.

7

Go Window Shopping: Tell the rep at the entrance looking for member cards that you would like to go to membership services and ask about joining. Once you're at the service desk, get an application and ask to browse the store before making your decision.

8 Eat at the Food Court: Many Costcos have food courts outside, so you can order whatever you like as long as you have cash. If the food court is inside you can use an old gift card to get in or use the window shopping trick.

9

Most offer FREE MEMBERSHIPS. Check with the individual store to find out their membership promotions. They range from 1 day to 60 days

There are a lot of reasons to go to these big box membership clubs but its also good to know that just because you don’t want to give them your $40-$50 a year, there are still some saving that you can take advantage of.

MAKING DECISIONS TOGETHER Scripture tells us that If a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

(Mark 3:25) And thus couples must learn to make decisions together as partners; because all of your major decisions will affect both of you and the children as well.

When one of you is left out of the decision making process it can lead to anger, resentment, and even hatred. Some partners will for example go out and buy expensive items on credit without consulting their partner and it often times leads to putting the couple in a financial bind.

And this as you may very well know will lead to resentment, anger, and even hatred.

Relationship expert Pastor Rick is the author of the soon to be released book and ebook entitled “5 Secrets to A Great Relationship”,; He is also the host of the international internet radio show “Relationships with Pastor Rick”, Remember when your decisions are and writes weekly about Datbased on fairness and equality you en- ing, Love, Marriage, Sex, and tire family will benefit... not just you! Divorce; find out more at What do you think?

PastorRickGreene.com

CITY TRANSFORMATION There are many ways to transform your city. One great way is through reading. Contact your local church, school, or community center about volunteering as a reading tutor this summer. Not only will you have a great feeling of accomplishment, know that you are making our city better, but also you are transforming the lives of children which will impact them for the rest of their lives!

Be A Reading Tutor In Newark American Youth Literacy Foundation Have you ever wanted to do something AMAZING to change the world but didn't know where to start? Here is an opportunity to help underprivileged children, to help under-served children, to help gifted children, to help ALL children, to help teens and young adults and to help you and the people you know and love.

The American Youth Literacy Foundation is the ONLY organization in the country implementing a comprehensive strategy to reverse the Literacy Crisis and, by extension, the Education Crisis in America by delivering a transformational "Synthetic Phonics" reading curriculum to children through a process known as "Applied Dissipative Social Structure Theory." What that means in English is that we are building a "Benevolent Hurricane" of human energy, human experience, human compassion and human connectivity to bring literacy and opportunity to America's "New New Poor," the 65 million intellectually and educationally impoverished children of the United States who either cannot or can only barely read. We are looking for academically talented and socially compassionate high school and college students who want to make a memorable and powerful contribution to children's literacy and help us transform the educational landscape in America. We are all about "Doing Good!" If you can imagine how the face of a child brightens the moment they first truly understand what it means to read, this is the moment and the feeling that we want to bring to millions of children nationwide who have been left behind. You can make a difference in someone's life this spring or summer by helping us connect to the people we need to connect to. Become a certified reading tutor for the American Youth Literacy Foundation dba Youth Lit and YouthLit.org. This opportunity is for high school and college undergrad students grades 9-college senior. (Grad students and adults can also apply for our Youth Lit Outreach program which includes the same basic training.) Teach children in your community at a YMCA or local public library.

Set your own hours. Students we teach are in grades 1-5. Earn community service hours while helping someone learn a critical life skill! Must be self motivated and willing to learn. 12 hour online training requirement counts towards your community service hours. After training we are seeking approximately 1.5-2.5 hours of committed time per week. Please see our website for more information about our foundation. www.YouthLit.org.

CALL US AND LET US HELP YOU DO WHAT YOU DO!

862*888*8238

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH

World Impact has maintained a presence in Newark since 1976. Early emphasis was on Bible clubs for neighborhood children. The ministry expanded over the years and currently includes four active church plants, a Christian mission school, theological training for local leaders through The Urban Ministry Institute, a job-training program for teens and a community thrift store.

EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION There are two FREE upcoming workshops being held at the Newark Public L i b r a r y, 5 Wa s h i n g t o n Street P.O. Box 630 Newark, NJ 07101 (973) 7337784, which are be beneficial to those of you interested in owning your own home and/or becoming a home child care provider which could earn you $1000 per week!

19

11:00A - 1:00P

Sat

Programs For Parents Family Childcare Provider Orientation Workshop.

Main Library Centennial Hall - 2nd Floor 5 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102

26 Sat

11:00A - 2:00P

NACA Home Buyers Workshop. How to prepare for NACA process.

Main Library Centennial Hall - 2nd Floor 5 Washington Street Newark, NJ 07102

BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION 3 STEPS TO GETTING PAID ON TIME!

The 1 thing that is more important than closing the deal is getting paid for the deal! Heres how to not only get your cash but to get it on time.

1. Do your research.

Before closing your sale you need to determine how willing and able your client is to pay you on time. Adjust your payments so that the riskier the client is the moire of an initial downpayment you get.

2. Send correct invoices immediately.

Never delay sending out an invoice! Many businesses wait about a week to invoice but conditions within a clients company can change over a short period of time, so send the bill when the most likely have the money, and thats usually close to the time the order and the completion of the order take place. Another key point is to make sure that the invoice is sent correctly, with all of the necessary information (ie. prices, quantities) and it is sent to the clients standards and to the right person!

3. Follow up.

A friendly reminder email the day after an invoice is past due could be all that’s needed to get payment.

Don’t hesitate to go after you money; however always be business like, professional, and courteous, after all everyone has had to pay a bill later than they’ve wanted to, and you do want to retain their business.

HEALTH TRANSFORMATION Reverend Jerri Mitchell-Lee

YOUR START DATE OF A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE There will be a lot of dates set aside for celebrating during the summer months. The 4th of July, birthdays, beach days, carnivals, parades and the list is endless. With all this celebration everyone should add one more occasion to celebrate… the date you made a healthy decision to begin to eat right, exercise, get regular checkups and include mental health on your check list.

When we write or program an event on our calendars, we tend to remember the event as oppose to just saying it in our minds. In fact you can even set an alarm or notification of an event to remind you on your tablet or cell phone. This very moment is an excellent time to schedule a date on your calendar or in your appointment book to celebrate your day to begin a healthier lifestyle. You can begin by setting a date to celebrate once a month.

This way if you get off schedule, there will be a monthly date to remind you.

A great way to begin your celebration is to start each day with a 10 minute meditation and stretching. After the first three days add more movement into your day. Then begin to consciously chose healthier foods, mini meals with small portions (no more than 5 per day) and work your way from there. Before you know it, it will be time to celebrate your first month of healthier living.

It’s hot. ( let’s not forget the long cold winter). If you are one of those people who do not like water, the following is a possible solution to staying hydrated during the summer. If you do like water, then these suggestions will give you an extra treat. Remember heat exhaustion can sneak up on you. Make sure you hydrate.

REMEMBER: sugary drinks take longer to provide the body’s cells with fluid, and provides less fluid once digested.

NUTRITIOUS WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BODY HYDRATED 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Crushed pineapple and mint leaves with ice cubes and water. Good for digestion.

Lime and orange juice add ice cubes and water. Vitamin C Ginger tea- soak slice of ginger in hot water. Add ice cubes. Increases energy Lemon tea for skin and immune system Sliced strawberries with mint leaves in chilled water. Great antioxidant builder Mango sliced in water and ice. Aids in digestion.

Sliced cucumber in chilled water. Helps maintain good blood pressure and cholesterol

In Biblical times where did they find water?

What foods did they eat to quench their thirst?

Answer 10 Hydrating foods: Cucumbers- 96% water, watermelon- 96% water, pineapple-95% water, lettuce95% water, tomatoes-94% water, melon- 89% water, pear- 92% water, blueberries- 95% water, grapefruit -90% water.

PEOPLE OF COLOR OR DARKER SKIN STILL NEED SUNSCREEN TO PROTECT THE SKIN IN SUMMER.

MINISTRY On my recent trip to the Hampton University Minister’s Conference curiosity lead me to sit in on a class on sermon preparation... I ended up taking all six classes! What I learned from Martha Simmons not only changed my view on the powerful importance of “good” preaching but it has taken my sermons and my studies to a “Hampton” level of biblical exposition.

If you’ve been called to preach, this is a must have in your library! -Pastor Rick This book is a preaching study guide for those interested in learning about the ways in which some of the mechanics of preaching have changed. Although the book admittedly has leanings toward the African American Protestant faith community (because so few books on the mechanics of preaching have been written with it in mind), the mechanics of preaching discussed in this book apply to all preachers, regardless of ethnicity.

It is simply a matter of applying them to fit one's context. This study guide is offered for use in the classroom, by pastors to train their preachers, and for all who desire to strengthen their preaching skills. If you want to use the mechanics of preaching effectively in the 21st century, this book is your road map.

Martha J. Simmons is now the leading scribe on African American preaching. No one else has edited a larger number of sermons, edited and co-edited a larger number of books, and or written more about African American preaching in the past 15 years, than she has. She served as the head of The African American Pulpit Journal (TAAP) for more than a decade. TAAP remains the only African American-owned preaching journal in history. In 2007, she created The African American Lectionary, an online free resource for clergy, Christian educators, and worship leaders, As of summer 2012, it contained more than 11,500 pages of material for churches. She is also the coeditor of the only African American preaching anthology, "Preaching With Sacred Fire: African American Sermons from 1750 to the Present" (W. W. Norton Publishers, 2010). She holds a Master of Divinity from Emory University (Candler School of Theology) and a law degree from New College of Law, San Francisco, CA.

LIFE

If you aren't happy with the way others treat you, it may have something to do with you. One Motivational speaker says "You teach people how to treat you by what you allow, what you stop, and what you reinforce."

There are some real obnoxious people in the world, and they’ll always exist—but you might be surprised how many people back off when you stand up for yourself. Moat people might not even realize that they treat others badly. Remember this... its important —You reinforce behavior by how you act towards others. It's the golden rule again: So lead by example.

MONEY TRANSFORMATION

How to Manage Your Finances Personal financial management is a subject that is not taught in many schools, but is something that nearly everyone has to deal with in their lives later on. Here are some statistics: Some 58% of Americans do not have a retirement plan in place for how they'll manage their finances when they get old.[1] While people generally believe they'll need about $300,000 to support themselves in retirement, the average American has only about $25,000 saved at the time of retirement.[2] Average household credit card debt among Americans now stands at a distressing $15,204.[3] If these facts are alarming to you, and you want to reverse the trend, read on for specific, targeted advice geared towards giving you a better future.

Part 1 of 4: Make a Budget

1.

For one month, keep track of all your expenses. You don't have to limit yourself; just get an idea of what you spend money on during any given month. Save all your receipts, make note of how much cash you need versus how much you expense to credit cards, and figure out how much money you have left over when the calendar turns.

2.

After the first month, take stock of what you spent. Don't write down what you wished you had spent; write down what you actually spent. Categorize your purchases in a way that makes sense to you. A simple list of your monthly expenses might look something like this: ◦ Monthly income: $3,000 ◦ Expenses: ■ Rent/mortgage: $800 ■ Household bills (utilities/electric/cable): $125 ■ Groceries: $300 ■ Dining out: $125 ■ Gas: $100 ■ Emergency medical: $200 ■ Discretionary: $400 ■ Savings: $900

3.

Now, write down your actual budget. Based on the month of actual expenses — and your own knowledge of your spending history — budget out how much of your income you want to allocate to each category every month. If desired, use an online budgeting platform, such as Mint.com, to help you manage your budget. ◦ In your budget, make separate columns for projected budget and actual budget. Your projected budget is how much you intend to spend on a category; this should stay the same from month to month and be calculated at the beginning of the month. Your actual budget is how much you end up spending; it fluctuates from month to month and is calculated at the end of the month. ◦ Many people leave significant room in their budget for savings. You don't have to structure your budget to include savings, but it's generally thought of as a smart idea. Professional financial planners advise their clients to set aside at least 10% to 15% of their total earnings for savings.[4][5]

4.

Be honest with yourself about your budget. It's your money — there's really no sense in lying to yourself about how much you're going to spend when making a budget. The only person you hurt when doing this is yourself. On the other hand, if you have no idea how you spend your money, your budget may take a few months to solidify. In the meantime, don't put down any hard numbers until you can get realistic with yourself. ◦ For example, if you have $500 dollars allocated to savings every month, but know that it'll consistently be a stretch in order to meet that goal, don't put it down. Put down a number that's realistic. Then, go back to your budget and see if you can't tweak it to loosen up cash somewhere else, and then funnel it into your savings.

5.

Keep track of your budget over time. The hard part of a budget is that your expenses may change from month to month. The great part of a budget is that you'll have kept track of those changes, giving you an accurate idea of where your money went during the year. ◦ Setting a budget will open your eyes to how much money you spend, if they haven't been opened already. Many people, after setting a budget, realize that they spend money on pretty petty things. This knowledge allows them to adjust their spending habits and put the money towards more meaningful areas. ◦ Plan for the unexpected. Setting a budget will also teach you that you never know when you'll have to pay for something unexpected — but that the unexpected will come to be expected. You obviously don't plan on your car breaking down, or your child needing medical attention, but it pays to expect these contingencies to happen, and to be prepared for them financially when they come.

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A Unique SUNDAY WORSHIP where you can participate!

EVERY 3RD SUNDAY AT 3PM An Interactive BIBLE STUDY where the scriptures come alive!

EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 7PM 1 COURT ST., NEWARK, NJ FOR MORE INFO CALL

862-888-8238 OR 862-336-5871 Pastor Rick Greene Minister Curtis Mincey-----Minister Brenda Bristol

MEN APOSTLE AJ RONEY INVITES

YOU!

NEW JERSEY'S BROTHERS KEEPERS Every 3 Tuesday night at 7pm at The Transformation Center, 628 Grove St. Irvington. (Enter on 17th Ave.) This isn't a Church service but an empowering Men's group addressing issues that effect our community as well as our individual lives.

Dinner will be served immediately following.

If You Want To Get Ahead...

Go To Bed! Our society puts a high value on achievement but not much on rest. I hear people brag about how much they work and play but never how much they sleep—usually the opposite. But what if sleep could help you achieve more?

The Sleep Deficit In our high-risk, high-reward economy, there’s a healthy pressure to do more with less. It makes sense with time and money. But it’s a productivity killer when it comes to sleep.

Experts say we need about eight hours a night.

But the national average is about 6.8. I get a lot fewer hours than that most nights, but I’m working to improve that. And the truth is the real average might even be lower. We usually report how much time we spend in bed, not how much time we actually sleep. It turns out we only get about 80 percent as much sleep as we think.

Why aren’t we getting enough sleep?

The Myth of Sleepless Productivity

Maybe it came too easy for us in college or we’ve watched too many movies, but it’s easy to think that one hour of lost sleep is equal to one hour of bonus productivity. I’m afraid it doesn’t work that way.

I’ve discovered by painful and groggy, first-hand experience that sixty minutes of one does not equal sixty minute of the other.

I’m not saying that we don’t face emergencies and need to give up sleep every now and then.

But our lack of sleep isn’t usually about emergencies. For instance, how many product launches have I done this year compared with how many hours of lost sleep? Not enough to explain my sleep deficit.

We act like sleep is a luxury or an indulgence; as a result, sacrificing sleep in the name of productivity has become routine.

But the opposite’s true. Cheating our sleep is like maxing our credit cards. There’s a benefit now—at least, it feels like it—but the bill always comes due in the form of decreased health and mental ability.

No one would choose to be sick and stupid, but depriving our bodies of sleep is the same thing.

Robbing our sleep is robbing our productivity.

Four Crucial Ways Sleep Helps Us Achieve More There are several ways sleeping more at night can help us accomplish more during the day: 1.

2.

3.

Sleep keeps us sharp. How many times have you gone blank in a meeting, nodded at your desk, or forgot where you were going? It’s happened to me more than I’d like to admit. Skimping on sleep—even a little—can dramatically impair our mental performance, creating fatigue, inability to focus, slow reaction times, and more. Did you know that in one study test subjects going on six hours of sleep a night for two weeks functioned at the same level of impairment as someone legally drunk? But those who got eight hours demonstrated no impairment at all.

Sleep improves our ability to remember, learn, and grow. I’m sure brain teasers are fine, but adequate sleep is the best learning tool there is. Our minds are particularly active when we sleep, integrating new information learned during the day, processing memories, and sorting the significant from all the meaningless stuff we pick up. Even dreaming is critical to this process.

If our work depends on our creativity and insight—and whose doesn’t?—then sleep is essential.

Sleep refreshes our emotional state.

I’ve mentioned before a time I feel really discouraged after a lot of travel. Weariness was the real culprit. Nothing can

make us feel depressed, moody, and irritable like missing sleep. Here’s the good news: Getting enough sleep is like hitting the reset button.

In his book Eat Move Sleep, Tom Rath explains that sleep reduces stress chemicals in the brain and dials back the part of the brain that processes emotions. The result is that we can start fresh if we invest in our sleep.

4. Sleep revitalizes our bodies. We all have a body clock. When we ignore its signals to play longer or work more, we create unnecessary stress, and that stress contributes to depression, fatigue, weight gain, high blood pressure, and a lot worse. But sleep lowers the stress chemicals in our bodies, boosts our immune system, and improves our bodies’ metabolism. Instead of waking unrested after putting in extra hours on a project, why not wake approach it recharged the next day? You’ll do better work and feel better about it.

Bottom line: Instead of thinking of sleep as self-indulgence, we need to think of it as selfimprovement.

There’s nothing wrong with doing more with less, but if we’re not smart about it, we can really hurt our productivity and even our health.

It hardly matters what the short term gains are if we try making that our norm.

If we want to get ahead, we need to go to bed.

Be Vulnerable

By Curtis Mincey vul·ner·a·ble adjective

1.

capable of or susceptible to being wound ed or hurt, as by a weapon: a vulnerable p art of the body.

2.

open to moral attack, criticism, temptatio n, etc.: an argument vulnerable to refutation ; He is vulnerable tobribery.

3. (of a place) open to assault; difficult to d efend: a vulnerable bridge.

The truth is nobody likes to be vulnerable. Nobody likes to be open to attack or criticism. Being vulnerable is a sign of weakness and God forbid someone would discover our weaknesses. Being vulnerable in this modern day American society is not one of the best attributes that a person can display: and as we grow older and hopefully wiser. We start to realize that being vulnerable or being open to being hurt or wounded is not something that we desire.

Being vulnerable is uncomfortable. It puts us in positions where we are not in control, which I believe is the main issue. We want to be in control. We want to manage how people will respond to us. We want to govern the outcome of various situations and circumstances. Our natural selfish and self-centered tendencies cause us to remain in a mode of self protection.

Past failures and painful relationships have shaped and molded us into the hardened individuals that we now are.

Which can be a problem for those of us that have been called out by God to serve Him and to commit ourselves to being disciples of His Son Jesus. We have to be vulnerable. As a matter of fact being vulnerable isn't a matter of religion. It is a fact of life. We must recognize our life and our existence for what it is. We are vulnerable as a creation. We are susceptible to attacks from nature, from disease, from each other. In some some form or fashion we can be hurt even destroyed by something.

But as Christians we have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. We must deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Christ. In other words we must be vulnerable. We have to be able to endure the persecution, cursing, and rejection all for the sake of the gospel. We have to put aside our shame and embarrassment of the gospel in order to proclaim it and teach it. We have to resist the temptation of allowing our doubts, fears and confusion to prevent us from being disciple makers.

We have been called out of darkness so that we may give glory to God by being a beacon of light in a very dark world. Vulnerability is what keeps us humble and on our knees asking God to give us strength, wisdom and courage. So now is the time to put aside the excuses, to stop hiding, to stop running from what God has called each one of us to do. Now is the time for us to be vulnerable not for our sake, but for the building up of the Kingdom of God. It will be uncomfortable and painful. there will be a sting even some bruising. But as long as God is with us it will be worth it.

Join Chaplain Gary Holden & The Police Chaplain Program of New Jersey First Annual Conference August 16, 2014

Chaplain Gary Holden CEO & Founder

To Reserve Your Seat Contact: Chaplain Eric McCoy @rmccoy5911@aol.com Chaplain Gwendolyn Ann Cook @ 609-781-2026

Advance Registration Fee: $15.00 (Lunch Included)

If You Minister In Newark Your Conference Is Here!

To my co-laborers in Christ, I would really, like to again, thank you for being a part our 2014 Newark Minister's Conference.

Because of your support, encouragement, and participation, the Lord has allowed us to experience His joy at a high level.

We thank God for your support and we look forward to seeing you again at the 2015 Newark Minister's Conference on February 20th & 21st.

The NMC is the only conference dedicated to building up you; the ministry leader; through panel discussions, lectures, Q&A sessions and workshops by led by experienced ministry leaders.

Our prayer is that you will partake of what the Lord is doing through the NMC, you will be built up, and you will be better able to strengthen your community as you go forward in HIS will. Be sure to visit our website at www.NewarkMinistersConference.com and join our mailing list to stay up on the latest ministry info and tool to help you do what God has called you to do!

Yours In Christ Jesus Pastor Rick

Genesis 1:1-5 King James Version (KJV) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."

I just read this article concerning the big bang theory, and I'm not talking about the TV show. Something about how scientist have discover the "smoking gun", and how it "reveals how the inflationary big bang happened" It goes on to talk about a lot of scientific stuff that I really don't understand. and to be honest with you I don't think I really want to understand. Now I realize that there is this debate that has been going on between evolutionist and creationist for decades if not centuries. I understand it's a hotly contested topic of conversation. But the question is can we really trust science? I know that some will argue if can we really trust the bible. But my point is do we really need to know the gritty details about our creation?

The reality is we are in the here and now. We are some messed up creatures living on a messed up planet. Or let me put it this way. We are some sinful and depraved individuals that are living on a planet that is under a curse. So what does that mean? It means that we should probably pay more attention to our future destiny than our distant past. I believe that God wants us to have just enough information about our creation to give Him g l o r y.

Think about it, the creation story in the bible points to what God did. It's not pointing to the universe as a whole, or the cosmic accident that is known as the "Big Bang". But the word of God is pointing to God and giving him the credit for what He has done.

And to be honest that's all that really matters. What He has done. God the heavenly father created everything that is in existence; and that's good enough for me.

I believe that a lot of this scientific stuff could very well be a distraction from the truth that is right there in front of us. We were created by someone. The truth doesn't change my friend, you cant get something from nothing no matter how hard you try. But if it's more convenient to deny the existence of God and put yourself on the throne, all I can say is may God have mercy on your soul.

IN

Now I am aware that there are a few individuals with open minds that may be tempted to synchronize the two and come up with a new scientific formula: and I'm okay with that. But I believe that less is best, and the more I learn the more I find I don't understand. As we journey into the garden and eat of the enticing fruit of knowledge and science.

We have to make sure that what we eat doesn't poison us to the point that we lose our memory and forget our purpose. We were created to give glory to God. We were created to worship God. We were created to give honor and praise to God. Not the universe and not the big bang.

Blessed, be the name of the LORD