OPTIMAL-LIVINGMAGAZINE.COM julY/AUGUST 2012
Coming into Agreement with your Season True Confessions of a Saved Black Man Calling in the Love of My Life... MUCH MORE!
Going Natural in Harlem
CONTENTS
05 PURPOSE DRIVEN LIVING TIPS
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06 GOING NATURAL IN HARLEM 09 TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A SAVED BLACK MAN 11 THE WIFEY 101 SERIES
13 LIFESTYLES 14 CAREER & LEADERSHIP INSIGHT 15 POETIC MOMENTS 16 THE SPICES OF LIFE RECIPES 17 A TIME OF INTERCESSION 18 OPTIMAL LIVING ABUNDANT LIFE PLEDGE
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Optimal Living Magazine is the premiere Christian lifestyle magazine encouraging readers to live the most abundant life possible as it relates to their spirituality, purpose, careers, and relationships.
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THE PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE COMING INTO AGREEMENT WITH YOUR SEASON!
OUR STAFF PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tanisha R. Hopson
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preached myself happy for the first time when I was five years old! At that time, I was living in a working class community in northern New Jersey, that most people would call “the hood”. Everyone knew each other by first name and looked out for each other, no matter what. In my “hood”, some of the 16 year olds had babies out of wedlock and sometimes they ended up being your babysitters while your mom worked during summer vacation from school. I really didn’t have much exposure outside of my neighborhood, at the time. However, my imagination was bigger than my little body could handle! One day, as I sat on the front stoop of my apartment building by myself, I looked up into the skies, and said, “God, this place is not for me. When I grow up, I am going to do much better for myself. One day I am going to be…” As soon as I uttered those words, I believe my season started to change. I imagined it, declared it, came into agreement with it, and started my journey. For everyone else in my neighborhood, the living conditions were normal. However, I just couldn’t get used to it. I was an odd apple amongst the other children because secretly in my heart, I had a bigger than life destiny. I was on my way to my wealthy place. When was the last time you spoke positivity into your own life? When was the last time you told your hard time where to go? I am a living witness that seasons in life are cyclical. There are some things that you have to go through and learn, within a certain period of time in your life. It is just the way it is. However, it’s the way that you handle your hard times that will determine your outcome. Therefore, whenever you find yourself in a season of life that is not favorable to you, begin to speak life to yourself. Don’t let your present condition influence your future. As long as you have breath in your body, everything is subject to change. Look up, look out and declare what your change is going to be! Walk in His Peace!
Tanisha R. Hopson
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ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Advertisement - Subscriptions - Circulation Christine Davis EDITORS Roberta Shannon Laketa Lewis Media Design Layout RNA PRoMOTIONAL DESIGN CONCEPTS CONTRIBUTORS Niya Allen Dr. Jerrod Henderson Christoph Jenkins Kuwana Haulsey-Tyler Wendye Savage Kesi Stribling
Optimal Living Magazine is published six times per year with a mission is to encourage our readers to live the most abundant life possible as it relates to their spirituality, purpose, careers, finances and relationships. Advertisers who offer products, services and events in support of our mission are encouraged to contact our Advertisement Sales Department at: 1-888-876-1722 or adsales@optimal-livingmagazine.com. © Copyright 2012. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced in any form, including photocopying, electronic retrieval of publication without written permission of the Publisher.
PURPOSE DRIVEN LIVING TIPS Enduring Hardship For the Sake of The Kingdom BY Jerrod A. Henderson Philippians 1: 12 -14 says, 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. (NIV) In the scripture mentioned above, we see that the apostle Paul has an interesting perspective concerning the persecutions that he went through for the gospel’s sake. First he says, “They happened for the furtherance of the gospel.” Not only that, they were visible “in all the palace and all other places.” The enemy wanted to make an open show of the bonds and pain that Paul might have experienced. Yet Paul’s results were priceless. He understood that the things that he went through were for a greater purpose and for somebody else. How could Paul be happy about going
through his trials? Jesus said it like this, “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10). Paul understood that he was blessed and that as he went through for the kingdom’s sake he was securing his grasp of the kingdom of heaven. We must understand that some of the things that we went through were so that others might be encouraged in the faith. Yes, like Paul, our pain might have been visible and everyone around us might have thought it was for your demise, but God allowed it and it’s working for our good. Remember Joseph’s testimony, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. (Genesis 50:20). You went through for someone else so that now they can be confident and speak the word boldly and without fear.
Dr. Jerrod A. Henderson earned a Ph.D. in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he currently is a member of the faculty. He also earned degrees from Morehouse College and North Carolina A&T State University. A native of Kinston, NC, Dr. Henderson has worked in ministry in various capacities since his youth. He was baptized in Jesus’ Name (age 17) and filled with the Holy Ghost at the age of 16. At the age of 25, Dr. Henderson acknowledged and accepted his call to ministry and has continued to be a faithful servant to God’s people at Church of the Apostolic Authority where he is affectionately known as “elder” or “AP.” Jerrod’s life motto is: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed.”
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GOING NATURAL IN HARLEM BY Ms. Niya Allen
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that are the same ingredients found in drain cleaners. Ouch! What we do for beauty, right ladies?
For most of us, getting relaxers in grandma’s kitchen was a huge part of the “big girl” transition, just like the training bra. As a child, little girls often hear the phrase “beauty hurts”, but does it really have to? We may not want to face it, but any chemical that we use on our hair has an effect on our scalp health. Excessive relaxers are full of harsh chemicals
On a recent salon tour, I was able to find out the do’s and don’ts of natural hair to help you make the transition, if you so choose. I’ve put together a mini-summer guide to help you along the way.
hat’s that smell? It smells like SUMMER! I absolutely love the summertime in New York City. Most of the time, the weather is great and each borough has its own sense of culture, style and festivities to be enjoyed throughout this season! People come out of their shells and experiment with the arts, fashion, and especially hair. One of Manhattan’s hottest neighborhoods is Harlem USA and, it is easily reflected in the individual style of natural hair.
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From severe scalp burns, thinning hair, and permanent follicle damage, relaxers may give you the straight look you desire, but at what cost? Natural hair can restore your scalp and mane health and give you many more options, including the look of straight hair! Also, having natural hair gives you variety without changing the overall structure of the hair.
You want straight? A simple blow dry with the right products with give you a temporary relaxed look. You want to wear your tight coils, but relax them a bit for manageability? Totally doable! With so many product and salon options, women are ditching permanent relaxers in droves.
Step One of the Natural Process: Finding the Best Transition Hairstyles When transitioning from straight hair to a natural hair style, working with a two textured head can be daunting task. Your hair can be too thick to lay flat, but too straight to be versatile. To handle hair of mixed textures, consider wearing a braided style that doesn’t cause the hair a lot of stress to allow the hair to grow out.
hair still need to be trimmed, but most of the time it’s not as often as permanently relaxed hair. As you take your hair from a relaxed state to a natural hairstyle, you will need to keep the following tips in mind: ● Find styles that will allow you to grow out your relaxer with as little stress as possible. ● Get to know your hair in its natural state and research the best products for your specific hair texture. Natural products without chemical ingredients are the best! ● Continue hair maintenance! I repeat, continue hair maintenance!
Braided styles with extensions last longer. However, braids can speed up hair loss if done improperly and too tight. If braids aren’t an option, try protective up dos that are sleek, sophisticated, and smoothes new growth process.
If you are ever in the Harlem, New York area, check out my top five salon picks that will satisfy all of your natural hair needs.
Step Two of the Natural Process:
Empress of Hair (www.empressofhair.com)
Finding the Best Products Natural Hair enthusiasts call Miss Jessie’s Curl Crème the best curl crème period....It’s on the expensive side compared to other products, but it is definitely worth the investment. Curly Pudding can be found in just about any beauty supply around the country. To find out the best products for you, you need to figure out what type of curl pattern you have. Is it coarse, curly, fine, or coily? All this information can easily be researched online. Komaza Hair Care (www.komazahaircare.com) is a great line of products. All of their product ingredients are basic and very understandable with no harsh chemicals included. The bonus is that it smells incredible!
Salon 804 (www.squad804.com) has its pulse on what’s trending in hair. ShowUpShowOut (www.showupshowout.com) hits Harlem this July 28th, 2012. This is an evening that will celebrate the natural you! It will include a fashion show, top vendors, mini makeovers, continuous dancing, and swag gift bags! This event was the brain child of Harmony Knight of ILoveMyFro (www.ilovemyfro.com) natural hair care products and Tami C., the owner of IMENA (www.imenainc.com) a salon that values customer services, education, and specializes in the transitioning process. Deirdre’s Hair Salon (www.deirdreshairsalon.com) Ademola Mandella (www.ademolamandella.com)
You will definitely notice the difference from the first use. The shipping time is the fastest I have ever experienced. Their customer service hair professionals are very helpful and will guide you through the ordering process, and give you a hair analysis coil by coil.
Step Three of the Natural Process: Continued Maintenance Maintenance is still necessary to care for natural hair. Therefore, daily watering should be a part of your daily routine. You can choose to use actual water, or a hydrating leave-in conditioner. Many women are not willing to go outside with a wet head, so a leave-in conditioner will give you the best of both worlds. In addition, the ends of your
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TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A SAVED BLACK MAN MARRIAGE IS AN ASSIGNMENT BY CHRISTOPH JENKINS I’ve learned many things about marriage as a young man. However, on one particular Sunday morning last year at my church, I took heed to the most profound revelation, as it relates to marriage that I have ever heard. My bishop enlightened all in attendance with this breathtaking statement: “Marriage is an assignment from God!” When this was revealed, my whole perspective on marriage changed. I no longer just hoped and prayed that my future marriage would stand the test of time. Instead, I truly saw marriage as an assignment from God that I must prepare for. Before attempting to begin any assignment in life, we must prepare. We need to
examine our lives as men and women. In my opinion, a lot of the pain in the world is the direct result of the breakdown of family. Personally, I want to make sure my fiancé and I take as many steps as possible to building a strong relationship with God together. Before I proposed to her, we completed a pre-proposal course together at my church. People ask us all of the time, “Why would you do that? Why would you go to counseling before you propose?” This was the same question I had before it was explained to me...and it makes so much since now. So many people get engaged and then go to marriage counseling outside of our church homes. Well, the only problem with that is, if we truly believe that our pastors
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are our spiritual coverings, have our best interest at heart, and we really value what he/she has to say regarding our relationship, then we should appreciate their counsel even if they disagree with you getting married. Although you may not like the answer you receive, you went to counseling for a reason and not for tradition. I’d rather address and discuss all of the myths, misconceptions, questions, and concerns about marriage before I planned an elaborate proposal. There are three conclusions that you and your significant other could come to in counseling. After being taught and advised about marriage God’s way, you’ll find out that you all are either on the right track, you’re not ready as of yet, or he/she isn’t the one for you. At my church, we do pre-proposal counseling. This precedes the elaborate proposal in front of friends and family because it is not fun to retract and issue a rain check on the biggest question a man will ever ask a woman. Therefore, you should take advantage of the opportunity to seek Godly counsel before beginning an assignment that God may have given you. Personally, I want to make sure that my plan lines up with my father’s plan. I would hate to take on an assignment that wasn’t meant for me. After all the proper preparation, I know for sure that I am ready and anointed for this assignment.
Lord, thank you for the privilege of seeking Godly counsel before making life altering decisions. It will be an honor to accept an assignment such as marriage. I submit myself to your authority in preparation for the assignment. I want to be well-prepared in order to be equipped to carry out such an assignment as this. Mature me during this season of training so that when the time comes, I will be qualified to carry out the assignment. Amen! CHRISTOPH JENKINS (www.christopheducates.com) is a writer, tutor, mentor, and entrepreneur. Christoph is now in the process of writing his first book titled, “Seoul of a Black Man”, chronicling his experiences living and teaching in South Korea. He has also started a new blog titled ChristophWrites. Visit Christoph’s blog at: www.christophwrites.blogspot.com and follow him on twitter @ItsChristophJ.
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THE WIFEY
SERIES
CALLING IN THE LOVE OF MY LIFE BY Kuwana Haulsey-Tyler Six years ago, I firmly believed that my life was ruined. It was September 2006 and I’d recently ended a relationship with “the love of my life.” Even though the relationship was clearly never going to go anywhere, even though I’d been trying to stop the on-again-off-again cycle for almost the whole time we were together—when it actually ended I was miserable. I’m talking can’t-get-out-ofbed-oh-Lord-why-am-I-here miserable. For months. Then one day, right in the midst of my self-imposed wretchedness, it hit me that I was in mourning (and apparently content to stay in mourning indefinitely) over something that I didn’t even want. After all, it wasn’t a very good relationship. It took way too much effort to sustain such large, totally unnecessary amounts of drama. But if you don’t want that, I asked myself, what exactly do you want? After much soul searching, I finally admitted to myself that I wanted a committed relationship with someone who was responsible, available and loving. I wanted someone who’d be there for me for the long haul. Hanging around with fun, but emotionally slippery, bad boys wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I wanted to get married. For most single, thirty-two year old women, this revelation could hardly be described as earth shattering news. However, like most things in life, it’s hardly that simple. If saying you want something automatically equated to
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knowing what to do to get it, I’d be living in a mansion in the south of France right now. More to the point, if I wanted a loving, supportive, healthy relationship with a good (make that great) man, why wasn’t he appearing? And why did so many of my beautiful, intelligent, spiritually grounded girlfriends seem to be waiting around for that same guy? I’d heard all the same tired stories about the disparity between successful, available black women and black men. I’d also heard the staggering statistics that 42.3% of black women in the US have never been married and 70% are currently single. Ouch. OK, that one hurt. But rather than dwelling on how bad the situation could be, I decided to take the opposite approach. Having great relationships, I reasoned, shouldn’t be anymore difficult than achieving anything else that is worth having in life. When we want a new home or a better job or a healthier lifestyle, we find out what we need to do to achieve that particular goal and we take the appropriate steps. So the question was: If I wanted a lasting love in my life, what “steps” could I take to help make myself more open and available to receive it? Right away, the first thought that came to my mind was to own my desire. First and foremost, that meant not lingering in thoughts or conversations about how there were “no good black men” and how “there just ain’t enough brothers to go around.” (I literally copied and pasted that phrase from an article about relationships between black men and women. Wow.) Yes, it’s been reported that there’s a three-to-one disparity between available black women and men. But what happens when we want to change that dynamic in our own lives, rather than complaining about it or being terrified by the implications? I decided to affirm, with unwavering
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clarity, that I would have what I ask for and desire. Setting strong, clear intentions works an unbelievable and unexplainable magic. Because beyond the statistics, facts, figures and fears that we face in life are the powerful spiritual assurances that truly guide our every step. The peace that comes from surrendering fear and opening up to the unconditional love of God helped me to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all that was for me would find me. Including my husband. The scripture, “Pray believing that ye have, that ye may receive,” popped into my mind one morning. So that’s what I did. I prayed, accepted my good and then let it go. “Guess what?” I told my friends later that day. “I’ve decided that I’m getting married in the summer of 2008.” I got a variety of responses to that announcement—considering that I had no boyfriend and there was no one even on the horizon. Most of the reactions included laughter. Strangely enough (or perhaps not strange at all) the women I knew who were most supportive were happily married themselves. But good responses or not, I claimed the goal, affirmed and accepted it. Then I let it go. I didn’t obsess over every man I met or start worrying as the weeks slipped past. I went on about living my life, knowing that God had it covered. I also started doing some serious work on myself, getting clear on who I had to become— not only to attract a happy, loving relationship, but to sustain one. The internal work can be by far the hardest, but it is also the most important. Because there is no man on the planet that can make an unhappy woman happy and no woman that can make an uncommitted man commit. So rather than looking outward for a new relationship, I turned within to rekindle the flames of the most important relationship, the one between myself and God. A week before Thanksgiving, I got a text from an old friend. Cory and I
had known each other for more than three years and had dated for a couple of months back in 2005. What in the world does he want? I wondered. But “something” told me to text him back (as the old saying goes, “something” is just another word for “God”). Cory invited me out for Thanksgiving dinner that year…and we’ve been together ever since. On July 2, 2008 I married the kindest, most honest, loving and wonderful man on the planet in a fairy-tale wedding that exceeded all of our expectations. Marriage, I’ve found so far, is an extraordinary challenge. But the rewards are equally extraordinary and exhilarating. One of the best parts of this experience for me is having demonstrable proof that you can have what you say, in any area of your life—if you’re willing to claim it, pray believing, surrender, and then do the work to bring your best self to the relationship that you desire. Kuwana Haulsey is the author of The Red Moon, which was a 2002 finalist for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Award for Debut Fiction. Born and raised in New York City, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Rutgers University magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Kuwana has led seminars for the PEN/Faulkner Foundation in Washington, D.C., and at Rutgers University. She’s taught writing at UCLA and Agape International. She is an actress and currently lives in North Hollywood. Kuwana and her husband Corey Tyler are now the proud parents of the very vivacious three year old son, Kingston. “With keen vision, careful research and nuanced sensibility, Kuwana Haulsey captures in this novel the triumphant spirit and amazing accomplishments of Dr. May Chinn, an early twentieth century heroine whose story has been too long forgotten. From the humble and hopeful strivers of the Harlem Renaissance to the glamorous glitterati, Haulsey’s characters faithfully evoke the era’s immense promise and stark contradictions.” - A’Lelia Bundles, author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker.
LIFESTYLES
The Best Food for Your Skin, Hair & Nails! BY Brandi Friday hair, skin and nails. One of the first things that many women notice as they start consuming more greens is that their fingernails start growing. Replace regular lettuce with fresh spinach in salads and you will notice remarkable differences in your appearance.
You are what you eat. We’ve all heard that saying before, right? Food not only gives us energy to sustain us throughout the day, it gives our body’s nourishment and vitamins to help us look and feel our best. Ladies if you are wondering what to eat to look vibrant and refreshed then read on. Below are recommendations on what to eat for healthier skin, nails and hair. So, be sure when planning your meals to include plenty of the foods listed here. Water: First and foremost we need to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Water keeps the skin supple and helps to cleanse the body of toxins. Water is the first defense in helping to clear your complexion and ward off wrinkles. Green Tea: There is a reason that the Chinese have been drinking Green Tea for over 4,000 years. Green Tea is said to have medicinal properties and used to treat everything for headaches to depression. Drinking Green Tea is also
really good for your skin. Green Tea is an anti-inflammatory and helps reduce the risk of UV Rays caused by the sun. Lean Protein: Our bodies need healthy fats and protein to build new cells and repair damaged tissue. Poultry and fish, like salmon, are also high in Omega 3 and Omega 6. These good fats help keep the skin moist and less prone to acne, redness, and psoriasis. Nuts and eggs also contain protein as well as Vitamin B-12, which is also very good for skin, hair, and nails. Low Fat Dairy: Packed with Vitamin A and calcium, dairy foods keep skin and hair healthy. Vitamin A repairs skin cells and keeps skin looking supple. Dark Leafy Greens: Mom was right when she told us to eat our veggies, greens in particular. Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli, all contain Vitamin A, Vitamin, C, Iron and Calcium. All of these vitamins are essential for healthy
Fresh Berries: Berries are packed with antioxidants that fight off free radicals and prevent aging. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and plums, just to name a few, can be added to cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, and the darker the berry the more antioxidants. Whole Grains: White carbs are out and whole grains are in. Whole grains are awesome for healthy skin especially. Containing the antioxidant rutin and B Vitamins, whole grains help combat inflammation and skin damage. White carbs cause insulin to spike and that can lead to stress and acne. Whole grains like whole wheat pasta and brown rice will keep your skin clear and moisturized. When it comes to eating right for healthier skin, hair and nails, remember that fresher is better. Whole foods are better for you than packaged foods. If you can’t get fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen is better than canned. Keep your dinner plate well balanced and full of fruits and veggies. Drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. The next time you are craving a cup of coffee, grab a cup of hot green tea. Remember, eating well can make a huge impact on your health as well as your appearance.
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CAREER & LEADERSHIP INSIGHT
Dealing with Your ‘In the Meantime’ Malaise BY Kesi Stribling help improve your community. Host a voter’s
or family member to encourage you when you
whether it’s a longsuffering job search, stagnant
registration drive, initiate a neighborhood watch
encounter a road bump or feel unmotivated.
sales, an ailing business, we can be heavily
program with the local police, or organize a
Your positive outlook will diminish your overall
burdened by fear, stress, and uncertainty.
community clean up and beautification day.
malaise.
When we encounter career challenges,
Improving your community benefits you and However, the time spent in your holding pattern until you achieve your goal, can cause a malaise in the most valiant of us. It is imperative that
those who live in your neighborhood.
Go educate yourself
you alter your way of thinking, embrace the
Education does not have to be in the form of a
challenge, and be proactive during this time.
four-year degree. To enhance your educational
Most of all, positive action during this time will
portfolio, enroll in a certificate program in your
help you endure your situation and thrive.
career field, or another area of interest to you.
Volunteer Your Time
Community colleges offer a host of continuing education programs that can help you learn a
If you are looking for a job and having no luck,
foreign language, learn website design, and
do not let your skill set wane. Identify volunteer
discover how to gain government contracts.
opportunities that showcase your know-how, such as organizational skills, event planning, and knack for engaging others. Opportunities to volunteer can be found through your college alumni association, homeowner’s association, place of worship, or children’s school. A volunteer activity that can have an impact is participation in your high school’s career day.
Your in the meantime period can be the open door to participation in a class you never made time to take while you were working. Your leisurely classes can add value to your knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Strengthen your mind, body, and spirit
Develop your ‘in the meantime’ plan There are three steps to help you develop your plan to cope with ‘in the meantime’ malaise: conceptualize, strategize, and implement. Conceptualize what it is you want to do while in your holding pattern, such as improving a particular skill, or attending one networking event per week, and create a plan for how you will achieve those goals. Most important, whatever your goal, it should be a benefit, and not a hindrance, to you. Next, strategize your approach. Who should you talk to in order to get started? Are there online or community resources to help you get started? How much time do you want to spend on the ‘in the meantime’ activity? Finally, implement your plan. It is great to
Speak to youth about your career successes
Use your holding pattern to explore ways to
identify positive ways to occupy yourself in the
and challenges – they are lessons learned
improve your mind, body and spirit. If you
meantime; however, all will be for naught if you
for students and a cathartic experience for
have made a bucket list of things to do while
do not follow through with your endeavors.
you. If the school does not have a career day,
you are still on this earth, get out and conquer
start one! It may lead to a new professional
one of them! Embarking on a goal helps
Kesi Stribling
opportunity from a high school alumnus who
you build strength and endurance, coping
is the founder and Chief Strategist of
participates during the activity. Even if it does
mechanisms, and self-confidence. Reinstating
KSG Strategic Consulting (www.ksgsc.com), a
not, at least you have utilized public speaking
family dinnertime, reading a book, and building
Washington, DC firm specializing in strategic
and interpersonal skills that you can now list on
relationships with loved ones, can leave a
planning, operations improvement, and
your resume.
lasting impact.
training. Career Connect USA, their workforce development initiative, will host The Wealth
Improve Your Community One of the best ways to shake off sullenness is to focus on others. Use your energy to
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Your quest to a peaceful mind, body and spirit
& Wellness Summit TM this fall. Author of
should be fun and exciting, and should never
The Enterprising Entrepreneur, Kesi hosts The
be burdensome or stressful. Pursue each goal
Strategy Sessions radio show every 1st and 3rd
at your own pace, and engage a trusted friend
Tuesday. Follow her @KesiStribling on Twitter.
POETIC MOMENTS
“ALL DONE IN HIS NAME” BY Wendye Savage
Like the turning colors of the leaves I accept my seasons; Knowing God gave me joy and despair All for His perfect reasons. And just like the sun will shine, It must surely set; Rainbows in the sky, Help me not forget. Those storms will often rise, But if I place my faith in Thee; My seasons, the sun’s shining and setting It’s all part of His Harmony. So, I embrace my Joy with gladness, And know that tears are not in vain; Like the turning colors of the leaves, It’s all done in His name.
“ONE SWEET DAY”, is a soul-stirring collection of poetry, written by Wendye Savage, an over comer of mental illness, mental abuse, sexual abuse and the frustrations of everyday living. Wendye is a candid voice for many, attributing her success to faith and God giving her a gift of writing to inspire herself and others available on www.amazon.com.
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SPICES OF LIFE RECIPES
Crab Salad with Mango
Ingredients: Salad: 2 lbs. lump crabmeat, picked over 2 Stalk celery, finely diced 1 Cup mango, finely diced 1/2
Cup thinly sliced scallions
2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped cilantro Dressing
1. Whisk together the zest, lime juice salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Add the oil and whisk until well combined. 2. In a medium bowl, toss the crabmeat, mango, scallion and cilantro. Add dressing and toss to combine.
2 Tsp. lime zest 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
3. Serve on lettuce leaves if desired.
1/2
Tsp. salt
CANDACE THORNLEY
1/2
Tsp. black pepper
1/2
Tsp. dried red pepper flakes
(Owner, Around the Table) Personal Chef Service providing nutritious and delicious menu planning for the whole family. For more information contact Ms. Thornley at: 973-713-4425
2 Tbsp. olive oil
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Preparation:
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes
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“No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper.”
A TIME OF INTERCESSION Father God in Jesus’ name.. We love you, we adore you and we pray for more of you in our lives. In this hour, we ask for Your loving grace, mercy, provision and protection to surround us as an invisible shield that only we know and understand. Keep us from hurt, harm and danger. And, God while we are on the subject, we ask that you would protect our nation from dangers seen and unseen. Lead us all back to your loving arms and show us how to forgive each other, as you have continued to forgive us. Father God, we ask that your hand would rest upon our children wherever they may go. Teach them in the way of your Word; give them ears to hear from your thrown. Lead them out of temptations and help them to have wisdom in all things. We pray for peace around the world as well as in the gates of our own government. We pray for reconciliation within Congress, the Senate and in the White House in the United States of America. We ask that peace would walk the halls of all that are in power on Capitol Hill, state governments and local municipalities throughout this land. Father, at the end of the day, we ask that you would keep us in your Word and in your will. Help us not to slip into sin that can surely bring shame to ourselves, our neighbors and families. We can’t afford to live without you. We need you, we love you and we ask that you would simply cover us now. In Jesus Christ name we pray, Amen.
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THE OPTIMAL LIVING ABUNDANT LIFE PLEDGE! 1.
I will always put God first in everything I do!
2.
I will love God & love my neighbor as myself. (Matthew 22: 36-40)
3.
I will keep my vow to pay my tithes, give with a cheerful heart and look for opportunities to bless others as God freely blesses me.
(Nehemiah 10:37; Malachi 3:10)
4.
I will be joyful as I live within my means and not covet my neighbor’s blessings. (Deuteronomy 5:12)
5.
I will study God’s Word daily and make it come alive by living it every day of my life! (Psalm 1: 1-3; Psalm 119:15)
6.
I will honor my mother and father all the days of my life. (Exodus 20:12)
7.
I will learn to forgive others, as God forgives me. (Ephesians 4: 32)
8.
I will strive to be at peace, as much as possible, and treat others with respect and kindness. (Galatians 5:22-23)
9.
I will be sure to feed and clothe my brother or sister in their time of need. (Proverbs 19:17)
10.
I will intercede daily for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, those that have not come to Christ yet, the President of the United States of America and all those in power all over the world.
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