Empty Gestures

...fulfill no purpose.

In everything that I do, I strive to do with intention and with purpose. I am learning day by day that it is not enough to be driven by passion or my emotions. Until I add knowledge then wisdom to my passion, I am being moved by mere emotion -- and this is not enough!

In all of our protesting and "standing for justice" BE RESPONSIBLE in exercising our rights.

1.  KNOW THEM (your rights). Every RIGHT still has laws attached to it and they often vary from state to state. Make certain that while you're practicing you're "rights", you're not breaking the law.
2. Consider how you can BEST and MOST EFFECTIVELY create positive change. I can't stress this enough.

For example: 

• Not tipping a white waitress until justice is served...not really holding any weight in the judicial system.What THIS act DOES do is perpetuate the stereotype that Blacks don't tip well. 

Note: Based on my personal experience as a waitress, Black consumers are often the worst tippers (along with church folk and military service-members) so, yeah. It would appear to me that this young lady is using injustice as an excuse for not tipping when she likely wouldn't have anyway. #ImJustSayin

• Randomly wearing a hoodie and sign to a random mall in your town...not really holding any weight in the judicial system. This young man was arrested in my hometown of Wichita, KS. 

Do I, personally, feel that this young man should have been arrested for refusing to remove his hoodie and sign while in the mall? Of course not! Do I think this young man made the BEST decision in his attempt to "stand for something" so he won't "fall for anything"? NO.

Photo originally posted by Tyrice Lollis

• Boycotting local malls and businesses until justice is served...not really holding any weight in the judicial system. 

Our passion can be a powerful tool but I personally believe the fight is with our right to vote and voting locally AND nationally. The dollar DEFINITELY holds weight but only when it's IN the right hands and/or TAKEN FROM the wrong hands.

• Now, THIS...this is just downright STUPID. Along with rioting and looting. Generally, the very community where the persons you say you're working to bring justice to are the only communities that get destroyed during riots. Just don't...*smh*

So yes, be mindful of where you spend your money but most importantly, make sure to go make an EDUCATED VOTE in your next local election where the political shift BEGINS.

COMMUNICATE with your delegates and state representatives. Write letters, make the calls, LEARN THE LAWS. In this technological age, there is NO EXCUSE for ignorance so, DON'T BE IGNORANT.

*All photos taken from our beloved Facebook.

Social Media Marketing 101: Lazy Consumers

It is said that we have become lazy with the ever-changing enhancements in the technological world. Particularly as consumers. We want what we want NOW with as little hassle as possible.

Now, I'm no marketing expert but, as a consumer, I totally agree.

As an artist and business owner, I've learned that I CANNOT afford to be on the same side of the coin with consumers when it comes to being "lazy".

With that being said:

Social Media Marketing 101: ALWAYS provide links to the event, item or person you're looking to promote.

If you're a designer and you post pics of specific items on your various social media networks and those items are available in your online boutique, POST A LINK to EACH individual item.

If you're a model, photographer, etc. provide LINKS to your portfolio!

Another example: When I post pics of myself, I make it a point to not only tag the photographer and stylist that I work with but I include links to BOTH individual's pages to help promote our collaboration as a whole.

You want to make the transmission of pertinent information as SIMPLE as possible for your potential clientele. 

Tag your page on FB. Tag names. Provide hyperlinks in blogs. ESPECIALLY if there is money to be made!!!!!

The fewer clicks people have to make to get to you and your event/product, THE BETTER!

$1150 Testimony - Priceless

The other day I had lunch with my friend and event planner to continue confirming plans to celebrate the release of my first book, 'Dramas of a Bald Head Queen'I told her how this whole process feels similar to the energy and process of planning my wedding. I also shared with her the story about how the Lord literally handed me $1150 cash just weeks before my wedding day.

I was living in a dormitory on campus at Hampton University where I was then working as a residence hall director. Since I didn't sign up to work that summer, I was off but my building was still being used to house special groups for weeks at a time during the summer.

We still had to buy last minute odds and ends, pay the caterer and pay the Magnolia House Inn where we had arranged to stay our wedding night. Raphael and I remained prayerful and relaxed trusting that we had done everything we knew to do.  We are both tithers/givers and in doing so, stand EXPECTING God to do what His Word says.  We stood trusting that He would do as He said He would and did a pretty good job at not doubting.

So, three weeks before the wedding a group of 50 or so youth and 6-8 Chaperones from the Eastern Shore of Virginia came to stay in my building. Things were quiet the four days they were there and after they turned in keys and departed, I simply had to go through and do a sweep of the building, opening the doors of the rooms they occupied so that housekeeping could come in to clean.

After getting to the third closed door, I use my master key to unlock it, briefly glancing in the room when I noticed something on one of the beds. I entered the room to find...sitting there, neatly and untouched in the middle of the bed, a stack of money. Ten $100 bills and three $50. 

*PAUSE*

I quickly put the money in my pocket and headed back to my apartment to call Raphael. I knew that no one had been in the building since the group left so we decided to hold on to the money so none of the housekeepers could try to claim it as theirs. Thinking that one of the adults maybe left the money by accident (in no envelop, in an EMPTY room...?) I put a sign on my office door "If you were with *group name* and left anything behind, please call me at..." 

No one ever came. No one ever called. 

I contacted the special events office on campus to inquire as to whether anyone from the group contacted them to report anything lost. Nothing.

We waited a full seven days deciding to pay our tithes and keep it moving! Lol

$1150 CASH. Seemingly out of the blue.

That was just four short years ago and although I don't expect God to move in the exact same way, I have no doubt that He will bring the vision for this event to pass, just as He did with my wedding!

*BEAM*

Regarding Tithes & Offering--Monday, November 14, 2005

Note: February 6, 2010
This blog was written years ago but my ideas are still the same regarding this hot topic.  Just about two weeks ago my friend and writer Jon Goode from Atlanta posed the question on FB asking whether we as parishioners gave concern to how money collected from tithes and offering at church is spent.  I will post more directly from that conversation in the next couple of days.

I personally don't give thought to it because I trust my pastor, his judgement and his leadership.  I have the same views that I did in 2005 when I first spoke on this issue.

It’s not up to us to determine whether Bishop Jakes and other "megapreachers" are spending the money in the church correctly or not.  People like to judge preachers' worth by how much money they're making...or not and what they do with that money.  We forget that Monday-Friday the church is Incorporated and has bills to pay.  One of those bills--paying the leader of that particular house for them and their family to live. 

Preaching even only on Sunday mornings is NO easy task.  There is a LOT that goes into preparing a message for Sunday mornings, Wednesday Bible studies and any other speaking engagements that may be scheduled.  Just in the physical/natural it takes a lot of energy to stand up and give of yourself.  Spiritually...that is a WHOLE other discussion.  Do not forget that pastors/preachers also counsel individuals at VARIOUS times throughout the week and travel ALL across the world in order to deliver the same messages given from the Lord.

Keep in mind that, specifically Bishop Jakes in this case, makes a whole SLEW of money from speaking engagements outside of his church...NUMEROUS books and also music and now film and stage plays.  I'm sayin...all of his money doesn't come from the church however...if you have a church with over 20,000 members and they tithe and give offering yes, his bills are gonna be paid...and then some. Also, the tithes and offerings given by the people who attend his church are also used to maintain the facilites where these individuals come to worship...so no, all that money is NOT going into his pockets.

It is not his responsibility to provide for his WHOLE congregation but it is his responsibility to teach what "thus sayeth the Lord" and teach people how to live better lives for themselves and for their families. What people do with that information is up to them...not him.

IF a preacher runs off with the money given by the congregation and does wrong with it then he/she WILL reap what they have sown and will be dealt with in some form or fashion by the Lord.  

With that being said: If people made it a point to TRULY grow spiritually and use wisdom coupled with discernment then when dealing with their finances and responsibility regarding the building up of the Kingdom of God, they would know when to give and how much to give to who.  We have to be  mature enough spiritually to hear from the Lord regarding ALL areas of our lives...even who to give our tithes and offering to.