Category Archives: Writing

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The Content Of One’s Character…Central Christian Church Hosts 8th Annual Racial Reconciliation Service!

Hello World, 

Had Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived, today would have been his 85th birthday! Although he is no longer here with us, I think the best way to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday is to honor his legacy which he spoke of so passionately and eloquently in his “I Have a Dream” speech delivered Aug. 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in our nation’s capital…One of my favorite sentences in Dr. King’s speech is below….

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I think our nation has made great progress in allowing people of all races the opportunity to be judged by the content of their character rather than their skin color. While the American church has not always been at the forefront of equitable race relations, we have a long way as well…

My father, Dr. Denzil D. Holness, pastor of Central Christian Church in Southwest Atlanta, has been a champion of racial reconciliation in the Christian Church and began hosting our church’s Racial Reconciliation eight years ago in honor of Dr. King’s birthday and as a way of bonding Christians of all races.

Join us THIS Sunday, Jan. 19, at 11 a.m. for our 8th Annual Racial Reconciliation Service. Dr. Billy Strother, a full-time Professor of Preaching and New Testament at Point University, West Point, Ga., will be our guest speaker. The youth of our church will be paying tribute to Dr. King. And you know we’ve got to have the fellowship dinner after service!

Central Christian Church is located at 1916 Dodson Drive, Atlanta, GA 30311. For more information, call (404) 344-4114.

 

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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.”

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Why I Did I Get Married? I am a member of the Happy Wives Club…

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This post is part of the Happy Wives Club Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, CLICK HERE! 

HWClub_SqBlogButnAHello World,

So five months into a new marriage, I am hardly qualified to be a marriage expert…But I can happily tell you why I got married and why I love my husband. First of all, you must know I have always wanted to be married and although my parents have been happily married for over 40 years, I did not know how to create that reality in my own life. God had to bring me through various situations in order for me to be ready to accept the gift of my wonderful husband Robert into my life.

What are these various situations? Well, I had to date and kiss a few frogs before my prince was revealed. Okay, maybe that is unfair because all of them weren’t bad guys…but I will say this…I started off with a looong list of qualities and attributes that through trial and error were honed down to the absolute essentials. And in God’s infinite wisdom, God revealed some qualities and attributes I didn’t even know that I needed. One of my husband’s best qualities is his kindness coupled with his “man strength.” My husband is a tall and big guy and one would expect him to be tough because of his exterior. He also jokes that sometimes when he walks into a room, he feels like the “big black guy.” He is tough, but what people don’t expect is how kind he is. We’ve had a cold spell in the A for the last few days and my husband has been worried about a homeless man he befriended. He checked on him yesterday to make sure that he was okay, and he brings him food periodically.

I also love my husband’s demonstration of his faith. When I was dating, I had the hardest time meeting a Christian man that I didn’t think was a simp or just plain weird. Many Christian guys that I met over the years quoted so much scripture and had such a long list of things they didn’t do that I was like, you are too heavenly for any earthly good. I ended up dating some guys that weren’t Christians, and I hoped they would see the light so to speak. That didn’t work either. My husband is totally committed to God. He beats me out of the house to go to Sunday School and church on Sundays and considers God’s will in all of his decisions. But when we are not in church and around “good church folk,” we know how to kick it and have a good time.

Lastly, my husband is all in when it comes to supporting my dreams and has brought out the best in me. My favorite memory of my husband during our dating is when I called him crying. I was working on my first book, and the most important celebrity interview in the book looked like it wasn’t going to happen after all. My then boyfriend told me to call that person back and tell the person I absolutely had to have that interview. Although I was crying and trying to hide it, I called that person back and said what Robert told me to say. I think it was my tears (that I couldn’t really hide) that convinced that person to have pity on me and schedule the interview after all.

So these are a few of the reasons why I got married and love my husband. I married my husband because he is God’s choice for me, and we enrich each other’s lives. He makes me better, and I make him better. Now, as this is our first year of being married, we are experiencing some growing pains (I’m learning how to cook for a man and be somewhat neat – both works in progress 🙂 ), but it’s all good…

Any thoughts?

Fawn Weaver, the founder of the Happy Wives Club wrote a book about the best marriage secrets the world has to offer. They say the book is like “Eat, Pray, Love meets The 5 Love Languages.” I say the book is inspiring. You can grab a copy HERE.

Check out this video to see more about the book…