Religion

May 23 2013

Homelessness, God and Me

This is my last article regarding my journey to the light. This doesn’t mean I’m out of the valley, I still don’t have my own home, but God has blessed me in so many different ways, that I know all my needs will be met in good time.

May 21 2013

#ActuallyDoSomethingForOklahoma

God may not notice the thousands of prayers tweeted for victims of Oklahoma’s devastating tornado — but Ricky Gervais sure has. And he is not pleased.

As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 75,000 people have used the hashtag #PrayForOklahoma, including pop starlets, pastors and politicians, according to Topsy.com, a trend-monitoring site.

For example, the White House tweeted:
President Obama: “Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today.” #PrayForOklahoma

May 9 2013

Homelessness, God and Me

One of the most dangerous things about being part of the working homeless community is that you learn how to adapt to an unhealthy situation. It’s not comfortable, or safe, but you find ways to carry on with your life. Like most people, I grew up hearing the old saying, “misery loves company.” I always thought it was meant to be negative, that miserable people liked to make other people’s lives miserable like theirs. But being a part of the homeless community was a lifesaver for me.

May 2 2013

Homelessness, God & Me

You can never underestimate the power of prayer. And when you specifically ask Jesus to pray for you, get ready to be blessed. Problem is you want your prayers to be answered immediately. After all, Jesus is the Son of God. God listens to Him, right? But it didn’t happen immediately for me. I wanted off the street right then and there. I was diligently looking for blessings, jumping at everything that looked promising to me, hoping it was a blessing from God. As a result, it caused me a lot of heartache.

Apr 25 2013

An angel watching over me

How many times have you heard, “Ask and it shall be given …?”

For far too many of us they are just words from the Bible we recite mindlessly or that we don’t take seriously. But for the very wise, the phrase is freedom. I’ve read the Bible off and on all of my life, but I never really thought about putting the words into action, putting real, directed faith in the Word of God. I just wasn’t consistent in my beliefs; anything could derail me.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
San Diego college students and volunteers will carry out their sixth home restoration project on Wednesday, July 10 through Sunday, July 14. as part of the “Healing our Heroes’ Homes” (H3) program created by the nonprofit Embrace. The five-day effort will take place at the home of medically retired Marine Corps Capt. Sarah Bettencourt. Bettencourt served with many different units across the country during the Global War on Terrorism and developed a rare neurological disorder in 2008. With a focus to restore the homes of disabled veteran homeowners, H3 falls in line with Embrace’s mission to mobilize college-student volunteers and community members to serve less fortunate members of civilian and veteran communities. The project for the Bettencourts’ home includes kitchen and bathroom remodeling, building ADA-compliant disability ramps, widening their driveway to ADA standards, widening doorways and landscaping.
 
District of Columbia
The 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will showcase its five-year community research project on African American identity with the program “The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity.” This multicity collaboration examines the history and culture of the aesthetics of African Americans. The festival will be held June 26-30 and July 3-7, outdoors on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets. “Whether we realize it or not, we are all dress artists. The way we compose our look is a creative expression of our ideas about who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Diana N’Diaye, program curator. “This program explores the diversity of African American traditions of style, but also teaches young people the importance of documenting their own culture and saving that information for themselves and future generations.”