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Seven Scriptures to Remind Us that Jesus is the Real Reason for the Season…

Hello World,

I don’t know about you but December always seems to fly by…Between making Christmas lists, shopping with the masses, sending out Christmas greetings via e-mail or snail mail, going to Christmas parties and other events, preparing for the New Year and regular life stuff, it seems there is never enough time to do it all and so I almost look forward to January when life is back to its regular pace…

And if you noticed, I haven’t mentioned Jesus at all…That is because with all I have to or want to do, I can forget that the birth of Jesus, God’s precious gift to mankind, is the real reason for the season…And so to prepare my heart for this season and hopefully help you prepare your heart for this season too, I have decided to list seven scriptures that take the focus off of the worldly expressions of the Christmas season and help us to focus on Jesus…

1.  “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23 I just love that Immanuel means “God with us.”  Jesus was born so that God could be with us…Remember that the next time you feel alone because you are not…God is with us!

2. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 Look how much we are loved by God! He sacrificed His one and only Son! What have we sacrificed for God lately? Something to remember and act on at this time of the year…

3. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 Every time I see Christmas lights, I’m going to remember that God is the father of heavenly lights and that every good and perfect gift is from Him…I’m feeling better about the Christmas season already…

4. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 Although we will never be free of sin this side of Heaven, we can still accept God’s gift of eternal life with Jesus Christ who helps us not to sin…

5. “…Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15 At some point during this Christmas season, we have to know that everyone around us does not know the real reason for the season…I hope I’m ready when the opportunity arises for me to tell somebody about my Lord and Savior…

6. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4…Do  you want the desires of your heart? Of course 🙂 Then we have to delight ourselves in the Lord and His purposes…Now, this does not mean that we send up a list of what we want and then He delivers gifts like He is some Santa Claus in the sky…No, this verse means that mysteriously when we align ourselves with the Lord, His desires for us become our desires…and then we get the desires of our heart because they are His desires for us too…

7. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14…This time of the year especially I have to make every effort to give glory to God and live at peace with others…I wish those in government would remember that…

What helps you remember the real reason for the season? “Happy Birthday Jesus” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir also reminds me that Jesus is the real reason for the season…

Any thoughts?

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Olympic Gold Medal-Winning Gymnast Gabrielle Douglas Pens New Book!!!

Hello World,  

When I first heard about Gabrielle Douglas this past summer during the Olympics in London, I was so proud of her as she is the first African-American woman to win the women’s all-around gold medal in gymnastics and first American to win both of the individual and team events at the same Olympics. And then when I realized that she is an unabashed Christian, my admiration for her grew, and I realized that I could likely learn a lot from this 16-year-old dynamo! Thankfully, Zondervan Books also believes Gabrielle Douglas has a lot to share about her faith in God and accomplishing her dreams through faith. Her debut memoir “Grace, Gold & Glory: My Leap of Faith,” through the Zondervan division of HarperCollins, is coming to bookstores nationwide on Tuesday, December 4.

Here is Gabrielle talking about the book…

From PRNewsire –

“Even before I competed in the Olympics, I always wanted to write a book,” says Douglas. “Of course, there’ll be a lot of stories about gymnastics, but the book will also be about how much my family and I have overcome during our journey. It hasn’t been easy. I want people to read my story and say, ‘If Gabby can do it, I can do it, too. Anything is possible.'”

Grace, Gold & Glory, written in collaboration with Michelle Burford, contains a full-color poster and photo inserts, and provides a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Olympic fan favorite. In her memoir, Douglas reveals how her modest upbringing rooted in family and faith has shaped her into the young woman and role model she is today.

The youngest of four siblings, Douglas shares poignant, often humorous stories from her childhood as she talks candidly about the obstacles faced along her road toward the world gymnastics stage. Grace, Gold & Glory offers a firsthand look into the intense training and sacrifice required of this elite athlete and uncovers personal truths for Douglas, such as the bullying and racism she endured as an African-American gymnast, her heartache, isolation, and homesickness, as well as multiple injuries – all of which led Douglas to consider leaving gymnastics forever only seven months before the London Olympics. Douglas also opens up for the first time about her father’s role in her life.

Her memoir serves as an intricate road map from birth to Douglas’ historical journey to London and the numerous  prayers, meditations, and Bible verses that helped her stay strong along the way. The autobiography also reveals some of Douglas’ favorite moments post-Olympics, including the many celebrities she’s met and a guest role on her all-time favorite TV series.

“With strong faith in God and some serious determination, every dream is possible,” says Douglas. “I hope this book inspires others to go for their biggest dreams.

You can pre-order the book Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith at Amazon. The book is also available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble.
Any thoughts?
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All I Want for Christmas is a New Boo…


Hello World,

Now that the turkey has been eaten, the family and friends have traveled back to locations near and far and Black Friday 2012 has come and gone, the Christmas season has officially started…And we all know that Christmas is the first of the trifecta of holidays (Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day) that really are nice to be booed up…And if you don’t have one, my friends Lamar & Ronnie Tyler, founders of BlackandMarriedWithKids.com and Ebony Magazine Power 100 honorees, really want to help you with that…

This Wednesday from 6-9 p.m., come on out to “Love & Life in Atlanta” (you know dating in the A is tricky at best…) at Organix Food Lounge….Be a part of a panel discussion featuring some of Atlanta’s top love and relationships experts including Dr. Sherry L. Blake from “Braxton Family Values” and others. Check out the flyer below for all the details!

To buy tickets, please click on this link – LoveLifeAtlanta.Eventbrite.com.

Any thoughts?