Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day…An Atlanta Salon & Spa Gives Back….

Hello World,

As a black woman and an American (via Jamaica), I am in awe of the legacy of service of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. To me, he is one of the founding fathers of this nation although he was born centuries after the official founding fathers.  The fact that we have a holiday to celebrate his life is a testament to the power of God! I love always love being an Atlantan but on this weekend, it is particularly special to be here, the birthplace of Dr. King.

One Atlanta salon is celebrating his legacy by serving the community. As part of a day of service, the team at 1245 Salon and Spa will do its part to give back to others Monday, January 20 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The salon, at 1245 Fowler Street NW near Atlantic Station, will open its doors to the nonprofit organization Uplifting the Community.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1245 Salon and Spa will provide free hair services and free clothing and shoes, along with free tax preparation advice (handled by a professional tax preparer) to approximately 50 clients of the Atlanta-based organization that serves adults 18 to 61 with serious mental health and substance abuse issues.

kingUplifting the Community, located at 2001 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, will provide shuttle service for its clients to and from 1245. The salon has collected donated clothing, shoes, food, including canned goods, beauty supply products and more to help make the day a success. This will mark 1245 Salon and Spa’s first time providing a day of service at the salon. Stylists previously have volunteered on MLK Day on location through Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless.

Some 16 stylists will donate their services; this includes salon owners/siblings Terrell Mack, Tammy White and Rodney Mack, who will be joined by other 1245 Salon and Spa stylists plus professionals from four additional salons. A makeup artist and styling team from Forever 21 at Cumberland Mall also will be on hand.

Salon owners say they hope to make this an annual project. “Giving back is important to us at 1245 Salon and Spa, including with our work with Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless for many years on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” says Terrell Mack, master stylist and co-owner. “We wanted a way to continue serving others and for this year’s day of service, we’re honored to offer our time and talent to Uplifting the Community.”

Incidentally, I featured 1245 Salon and Spa back on October when the salon and spa showed off its renovations in “Taking Care of Your Temple: Introducing 1245 Salon and Spa’s New Look!!!”

Any thoughts?

A NEW YEAR IS HERE…And what are you gonna do about it?

Hello World, valorieandnewhubby

I know I haven’t written about it yet, but I am well aware that God has blessed us to see a New Year – 2014...It takes me a month of prayer and meditation to discern what resolutions and or goals that God wants to help me reach for this year so I’m not quite ready to write a New Year’s Goals or Resolutions post yet…but I found this great blog post by (the recently married 🙂 Congrats!) Valorie Burton, a life coach and author, that I interviewed in my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God.” Enjoy….

“What is it finally time for you to do?” It’s a great question for the beginning of the year. Perhaps there is something you’ve been talking about doing, thinking about doing, even daydreaming about doing. And in 2014, it’s time to make a move! A few years ago, I discovered a scripture in Ecclesiastes 5:3 that inspires me whenever I get stuck in a rut of over-thinking my vision in a particular area of my life:

“A dream comes through much activity, but a fool is known by his many words.”

Whether your dream is related to your work, relationships, finances, health or spiritual life, it will only come to life when you take action! So what is it time for you to take action on? Consider these examples to help you identify what it’s time for you to take action on in 2014:

Your Work

– Is it time to change jobs? Change careers? Ask for a raise? Launch your own business? Take your existing business to a new level.

Your Relationships

– Is it time to move past fears or past heartbreaks so that you are healthy and ready for love in your life? Is it time to forgive a family member or friend against whom you’ve been holding a grudge? Is it time to carve out more time for the people you love? Is there a conversation that’s long overdue?

Your Finances

– Is it time to stop using those credit cards that you don’t pay in full every month? Is it time to set up an automatic debit from your checking into an investment account so that you can finally bring your savings goals to life this year? Is it time to take action towards getting more (and better) clients or customers? Is it time to stop spending money to impress others?

Your Health

– Is it finally time to get serious about exercising consistently? Or is it time to cut back on the sugar or fried foods, or add more vegetables to your diet?

Your Spiritual Life

– Is it time to trust God in a particular situation or area of your life? Do you finally need to find a “church home” that nourishes you in the way that you need to be nourished? Is it time to get serious about studying the Word?

Whatever it’s finally time for you to do, make a decision this week to do it. It’s not about creating a New Year’s resolution. It’s about making a shift and recognizing that the time has come for a change. If you ignore the need for a change when it’s time, you will find yourself increasingly frustrated with the situation. Often God will allow you to get frustrated so that you will finally become fed up enough to do something about it! Your dreams can come true, but your job is to take action! It begins with a decision and continues with each step you take forward.

It is essential not to begin the year by overwhelming yourself with multiple, large changes and goals. Get clear about what’s most important and focus your actions on it.

My challenge to you this week:

Identify the “thing” that it is finally time for you to do. Then take action!

Journaling assignment:

What has kept me from taking action on this particular circumstance or issue in the past? What will I need to do differently to make it easier for me to accomplish my goal? What is my goal in this area for 2014? Leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Last year, my major goal was to plan a beautiful engagement/wedding/honeymoon and start a wonderful new life with my husband, and God really blew me away…Thank you God! This year, my major career goal is to finish my first novel, etc. which I must confess is really challenging me…but I am working on it although I have the worst habit of taking on too many things at once and being a procrastinator at the same time…a deadly combo…So in the words of Valorie Burton, what is the “the ‘thing’ that it is finally time for you to do?”

Any thoughts?

Below is a video of Valorie Burton speaking about her latest book “Happy Women Live Better.”

Inmates Form a Second Chance Choir! (VIDEO)

Hello World,

taken by David Carson

taken by David Carson

Thank you God for Jesus because now we have been given a second chance to get right with God! When I think of the devilment I have been involved with from time to time, I thank God that He sees fit to forgive me over and over and over again…That’s why I was so encouraged to read an article about inmates who formed a choir and perform at local churches in Missouri…Below is an excerpt of the article written by Susan Weich from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch….

Wearing leg irons and uniforms in orange or black-and-white stripes, the 12 men belting out “How Great Thou Art” Sunday at Calvary Chapel Church were anything but your traditional choral group.

The performance was a little shaky, with a few missed notes and some forgotten lyrics, but the congregants didn’t seem to mind. They gave the men a standing ovation.

“In their hearts, they’re the (Mormon) Tabernacle Choir,” said Capt. David Curtis, commander of the Lincoln County Jail, who hatched the idea for the Second Chance Choir.

To read the entire article, go to “Lincoln County Inmates Perform at Churches as Second Chance Choir.”

And below is a video of one of their performances….

Aren’t you thankful for a second chance?

Any thoughts?