World Impacters Church International, Pastor James Martin Jr., located at 3725 Vanderbilt Road, Birmingham, Ala. 35217, will celebrate our First Church Anniversary, February 23rd, 5 p.m. Guest Speaker will be Apostle Joseph Hamilton of New Zion Bible Way Church, and special Guest bringing greetings from the City of Birmingham, Councilman William Parker, District 4. Please come out and worship with us. Regular Sunday services begin at 10 a.m.
– National Kidney Disease Education Program Hosts Third Annual Nationwide Event –
(BLACK PR WIRE) – 6.2 million African American adults in the United States have signs of kidney disease – equal to the population of Tennessee. African Americans experience the highest rates of kidney failure – rates approximately 3.4 times greater than whites. Two major causes of kidney failure are diabetes and high blood pressure. In fact, 80 percent of new cases of kidney failure among African Americans are due to one of these conditions. In recognition of National Kidney Month, the National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP), along with the American Diabetes Association’s Live Empowered initiative and Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc., a national nursing sorority, will host the third annual Kidney Sundays event on March 2. Together with more than 85 African-American congregations nationwide, NKDEP and Kidney Sundays aim to: • Help African Americans to gain a better understanding of why kidney disease is a major health concern, • Encourage people at risk to get their kidneys tested, and • Support conversations about kidney disease among families and faith communities. “Kidney Sundays goes beyond March 2,” said Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). “Throughout National Kidney Month, we hope to educate people on the importance of kidney testing and the link between kidney disease and diabetes and high blood pressure. Our goal is to create healthy, lifelong habits and behavior change, particularly among African Americans.” Kidney Sundays provides African American congregations with tools and materials, such as an event checklist and health ministry talking points, to help elevate kidney disease as a health issue requiring attention. Congregations will conduct kidney health education sessions and provide blood pressure screenings. “We are thrilled to partner with NKDEP on this important initiative,” said Priscilla Murphy, 1st Vice-President of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc. “Kidney Sundays is an opportunity for our nurses to directly affect the health of their communities. Through blood pressure screenings and kidney health presentations, we open the door to a discussion on kidney disease and raise awareness about risk factors.”
NKDEP is a program of the National Institutes of Health. For more information, visit www.nkdep.nih.gov. To download a copy of the image below, visit http://nkdep.nih.gov/pdf/national-kidney-disease-508.pdf.
Rev. Caldwell with representatives from the Russell County Crisis Center in Phenix City, AL during conference.
Rev. Caldwell with representatives from the Russell County Crisis Center in Phenix City, AL during conference.
Governor Robert Bentley recently recognized Rev. J. Andrew Caldwell for organizing and presenting a conference on the family, that was held in Phenix City, Alabama during the month of September.
Rev. Caldwell, founder of Faith Outreach Ministry, presented a two day seminar titled: “The Time Is Now,” where he shared information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on HIV/AIDS education statistics; Domestic Violence, where Alabama leads number two in the nation; bullying / suicide among gays and lesbians; alcohol and drug addiction; and the alarming rate of incarceration of youth and young adults across the state and nation. “I have heard the voices of so many groups from various walks of life and different cultures, that are hurting, and in a state of despair but feel their cries are not being heard.” “Many feel they have no hope”, he said.
Rev. Caldwell stated he was overwhelmed with a spirit of urgency to organize and present this two day event and to start in his hometown where he was a pastor for many years before relocating to the city of Birmingham through the African Methodist Episcopal Church. “It is my desire to educate and motivate families across this state and this county, on the need to become more involved in the lives of our children and learn what we can do before these situations become an epidemic.”
Also present was the Russell County Crisis Center and information was shared from representatives from Columbus, and Fort Benning, Georgia, on Domestic Violence and other community services.
Rev. Caldwell is an ordained minister and has served the communities of Russell County, Randolph County, Lee County and Jefferson County for more than thirty-five years. He is a motivational speaker, group facilitator for domestic violence and a member of the Alabama Justice Network Ministry, where he teaches and counsels prison inmates.
One man went to St. Augustine, one of the fathers of the Christian church and asks, ‘Just in short, give me the very essence of religion. I am not a learned man; don’t make it very complicated and don’t give me many commandments, because I will get confused. You simply say one thing to me, just a key word.’ St. Augustine said, ‘Then that word is ‘love’. You love and don’t be bothered by anything else.’
I call this commandment the Eleventh Commandment. This is the only commandment we need to follow absolutely. Unconditional love is what God is all about. But many of us get lost concerning the real message of Jesus in arguments like the disciples did over who will be the greatest when Jesus left the earth. We, too, argue over what religious laws to obey and who is worthy to be saved. There are 1001 discussions, debates, theologies, dogmas, creeds, and conflicting philosophies on these subjects. Many of them leading to wars in the name of Christ and love.
If we don’t learn the eleventh commandment and practice it, we will live a miserable life and may miss heaven. I think there is a way to avoid this. We avoid the most miserable state of life not being able to love unconditionally by understanding the essential message of Christ Jesus. That message is Christ came, lived and died for the eleventh commandment of unconditional Love. This point is explained by a short story. One day a little boy asked his parents ‘how do wars break out? He was reading a book on history. Much of history is about wars, ugly wars. The boy became worried and anxious. How do wars start?’ he asked his parents. So the father, who was very learned in political and economic affairs, started talking about the economic causes of wars. But the mother thought that the little boy was too small to understand such complicated things and she said, ‘Let me explain it.’ The mother began to explain and the father became angry. He grew very annoyed and hostile, because he was going to teach the child and the mother jumped in. A great argument developed. The little boy became very frightened, and held up his hands and cried loudly, ‘Stop, stop! Now I know how wars start.” No one wants to be wrong! Everyone wants to be right and when we form an opinion about something, anything, we have to be right; and if anyone says we are wrong, we immediately go on the “warpath.” If there is dogma attached to what we believe, there is going to be a fight. There are people, who want the world to be without war, but they have ideologies and their beliefs create war. As Americans, we know what’s good for everyone in the world. So anyone who opposes us, our competitive nature is to fight. We have to be right and we got the guns and world ending weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to back us up!
During the Olympics we watch to see who wins the most gold medals or leads in the medal count. That seems to be what the Olympics is all about for us? Our weekends are full with competitive sports. To us winning is everything! And we love a winner and hate a loser. There are communists who go on arranging peace conferences because they say they know how the society should be. There are Catholics and Protestants talking about peace while hating each other. There are thousands of churches, hundreds of denominations and scores of religious beliefs. They all have a point of view about God and if you don’t like it they are ready to fight. A world without war is a world without ideologies. A world without war is based on unconditional love. Love is not an ideology, it is not a theology, and it is not a philosophy. This, Jesus says, “is my new commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. This love is the eleventh commandment.
Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2;2
If you ask any successful person how they made it, many will tell you they sat down and decided what they wanted to do and then they set goals on how they would get it done. Financial planners will tell you to set financial goals, educational institutions with tell you to set goals to lead you through your educational process and any successful business has quarterly, semi-annual and annual goals. Why is it so important to set goals? Because thoughts change daily, circumstances change momentarily and life happens. If you don’t write down what your plans are, you don’t have anything to remind you of what you are working towards and nothing to drive you to make it happen. But you can’t just write the goals, you MUST make them a priority.
So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Acts 9:6
When you go to God and ask Him for something, He will give you some instructions and directions. Sometimes they come through others, sometimes through His Word and someone even told me they received a message from God about their next step from a billboard on the highway. However He gives you the instructions, you MUST be willing to follow them IMMEDIATELY. Not next week, but right then. You must write it down so you don’t forget it, research what you need to do to make it happen and get busy with the process. Nothing and no one should stand in the way of you accomplishing your goal and if you keep it in front of you, they won’t. It’s time for some of you to get serious about what you want and MAKE IT A PRIORITY not just a thought.
How bad do you really want it?
Minister Deidra Bibb
I don’t know how else to say it so I’ll just say it. I can be a chicken from time-to-time. I don’t like it. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am and I don’t want to be.
There’s so much I would do if I didn’t have chickenitis.
· I’d try my hand at broadcasting again, a television or radio talk show for sure.
· I’d open up a pie business selling sweet and savory hand-held pies.
· I’d publish the children’s book I wrote several years ago.
· I’d run for political office.
· I’d charge a fee to teach artists, athletes and preachers how to speak correctly and in a more relatable/marketable way, especially when speaking to the media.
· I’d travel across country starting in Mobile and ending in L.A.
· I’d learn to dance (line dance, stepping, ballroom, tap, you name it. I’d be a dancing machine!).
· I’d be a wedding DJ.
· I’d ride the roller coaster at Six Flags that scared the living daylights out of me when I was six years old.
· I would learn to swim.
· I’d get another degree in Counseling or Human Resources.
· I’d write a book about my life, especially the last 15 years.
· I would live on a yacht for a month.
· And the list goes on.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against chickens, just being chicken. I realized through research that chickens can only fly so high. I don’t want my chickenitis to be the cause of me never really making it off of the ground. If I have wings I want them to work! So there you have it. I don’t want my chicken. It serves me no purpose, and actually robs me of my purpose. So I figuratively ask, will someone please burn my chicken? Angela Scott Moore has sported many hats in her lifetime. She’s a former broadcast anchor/reporter/producer, a trained motivational speaker, fundraiser and marketing/PR expert. She spent nine years as a pastor’s wife working in full-time ministry before than union ended in divorce. A majority of her time in ministry was spent empowering women and girls. She’s an avid inspirational blogger and also a philanthropic community supporter who has served with more than 25 local and national organizations over her 15+ year professional career. Currently she’s working in the fields of Social Justice and Human Resources and operates the blossoming, full-service events planning venture Amazing Kreations with her business partner, offering media and event planning assistance at low or no cost to small organizations and businesses. Taking lessons learned from each phase of her ever-evolving life, Angela’s now donning the hat of a single woman on a single mission to use spoken and written words to motivate others to “thrive while they survive.” Contact Angela Scott Moore about speaking engagements at amazingkreations2@gmail.com, follow her blog at www.angelamooreblog.wordpress.com, on twitter at @AngelaMMoore316 or check out her facebook page for people experiencing separation or divorce at I’m More Than What Happened.
“But I say unto you love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and [pray] for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
We have taken the opportunity to open our hearts, sharing in the history of our people. But, we have not done justice to “truth” until we address the fact that God has already declared the end of all things from the beginning. Things are not always as they seem; there is a bigger picture and purpose that is not as visible as one might think. Joseph was sold to the Egyptians by his brothers: he had to be positioned to save the hands that sold him. Moses was saved from Pharaoh’s slaughter; drawn out of the water of the Nile, and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter; fled into the wilderness because he moved on his assignment and purpose too quickly; raised up by God and sent back to Egypt to finish his purpose. Satan must have danced the day he used the Jews to crucify Jesus; but, had they known what they were doing, they would have never killed our Lord. He died to save the hands that crucified Him. Purpose! God’s plan! Today, we take a glance at the bottom or floor of our hearts. God is a master builder of lives and His ways are yet not like ours. He created Rocks of offence, Stumbling Blocks, and Thorns in the Side of human relationships, all for the proving and perfection of the heart of man.
Racial issues are empowered to reveal the absolute truth of the heart of all men, consider Cain and Abel.( Luke 6:27, 27…Matt. 5: 43,46… In 13:34)
Romans 12:9…Let love be without dissimulation. Dissimulation – disguised or concealed under a lie, wrong motives, false appearances / hypocrisy, we call it a front. Hate has many faces; it will even do a good deed to mask itself. It is called tolerance, which is not all the time, love. In this country, both the slave and the owner were victims of this demon; yesterday’s ugly and humiliating events and today’s animosity, animus or antagonism. Truth! To ask us, African Americans to just get over it or just forget that slavery was, is asking a hard thing. For we, being transplants here, make it impossible to do. America’s entire history is steeped in slavery and its effects. If our future seed/ people are void of history, perhaps they could just get over it. As long as this spirit is in operation or ever before our eyes, forgetting it is impossible; but to forgive is not. True repentance does not begin with…If I have done you wrong. The heart will readily acknowledge the wrong. [ If ] stems from the heart of arrogance and false pride; it brings forth a forced repentance, which within itself is worthless.
But! If a person asks for forgiveness, do it! Had they known what they were doing and the consequences of their actions, they wouldn’t have done the deed. They knew not the end from the beginning; neither the Word of God that declares the first shall be last and the last shall be first; declaring also, the end from the beginning! Let us deal with racism and all our prejudices from the soul of ultimate forgiveness. Your enemies do not know that God has placed the power of their deliverance in the power of the prayers of the victims. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors! (f) Prayer- 276-9019
Electra.gethsemaneministries@yahoo.com or 1024 Ethel Ln B’ham, AL 35235
“In God. . . I trust; I will not be afraid” (Psalm 56:4).
“Who do you trust to answer this $500 question?” asked the television show host. The name of the show was “Who Do You Trust? Each contestant could win a prize by answering the question correctly, or naming whom he or she would trust to answer it.
In our lives, we often have to answer the question, “Whom do we trust?” in relation to very serious questions and problems.
Some of us trust ourselves to know all the answers. They call that self-deception. The Bible says such a person is a fool (Proverbs 28:26). Some of us trust in money to solve all our problems, but money can’t do that. The Bible tells us that those who trust in money will fall (Proverbs 11:28). Many of us trust the advice and opinions of friends or relatives, but they will often disappoint us.
While there are many things and people that we should not trust, there is one we should – the Lord. We are told to “Cast all our cares on him because he cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7). The first part of this verse is telling us to turn it over to God, stop worrying, and stop stressing. Let God take care of it. He will in His time and in His way.
If you are worrying, you are not trusting, and if you are trusting, you are not worrying.
Dr. Robert Wilkerson is a minister, writer, and founder of People for the Christian Way, an organization whose mission is to encourage all people to practice Christian principles in business, politics, and every area of life. drbobwilkerson@bellsouth.net, www.peopleforthechristianway.com.
SELF-ESTEEM
What does self-esteem mean, and how does it speak to your heart? In part, the word means, self- respect, and confidence in oneself. Have you ever seen anyone seem to have low self-esteem, and particular young people or a young person, and did it grieve your heart? Well, I have grieved a long time, and still do. The Almighty “EYES” Drug Awareness Alternative Preventative and Human Service Ministry is built on much compassion for our youth. To see so much enforcement upon young people who are innocent, which means they do not know anything about life, and to see an adult force themselves, their ways, upon the helpless and innocent is quite grievous.
Many years ago, my prayer to the Lord was to show me how to reach the young people. In a vision early one morning in early June, while my husband was sleeping, the Lord showed me a vision of an “eye.” I knew it was the “eye” of the Lord. “I knew in my spirit.” I rose from my bed, because the revelation what I was to do was heavy in my heart. I hurriedly dressed and went to the two people I was told to go to and said what the Lord had impressed upon me to say. The program has been a reality over 31 years now and the state of the young people is worse now than ever before. “I was sent to give revelation about the “EYES.” I did what I knew to do. Watch for- SELF-ESTEEM- part {2}.
