There's a Shaken Going On

Everything that can be shaken will be shaken.  This is a term that has been connected to Hebrews 12:27-29.  It demonstrates that we live in a world that will indeed go through times of shaking, destruction and trouble.  It would be foolish to think that the world we live in will be free from struggle.  However, because we get a pretty strong diet of utopia from media and advertisement, we are tempted to think we can have everything our heart desires and live a Utopian lifestyle.

The truth is that you can live a relative peaceful life free from worry and fear if you have a faith and belief system grounded in Jesus.  Why do you say that brother preacher, you may ask?  Well, after you live a few decades, especially more than 5, you get a chance to see that the teachings of Jesus are true.  The scripture I think that speaks to this more clearly is the following:

Luke 6:47-49

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴⁷ Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.^[a] 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.^[b] And the ruin of that house was great.”

Here we can see that there are events that are going on right before our very eyes that show the damage that can occur when a storm beats vehemently against the house.  Some structures came crashing to the ground and other stood.

We also find that as we look back and connect the dots many of our testimonies have been shaken.  Some of us have had serious illnesses, great family tragedies, lost jobs and other personal issues, that if we had not been grounded on the rock we would have been utterly destroyed.

That's why the teachings of Jesus are so important and relevant to the times in which we live.  We see that Wall Street and the world global financial structures shook vehemently and came to the brink of total collapse.  We see peoples hidden hatreds come to the forefront because the person whom they selected as President of the United States didn't win.  Moreover, many of these people are professed Christians and they speak of things like forming revolutionary armies and militia's and none of this is promoted in the bible.  Remember, Jesus told Peter, put up thy sword for he who lives by the sword dies by the sword.  So there is a serious shaking going on.  But that begs the question.  What are we going to do about it and how are we going to act?

I contend based on my personal experiences and the bible scriptures which I hold as truth, that our faith will carry us through the worst of times.  Furthermore, I contend that we come out bigger and better if we can hang in there and let Jesus do a work on us in the midst of our storms.  Storms for us are not sent to destroy us as Christians. Storms are sent to warn us, build up our faith and to get us ready for what is to come.  We will need strength to encourage others and ourselves for what is yet to come to shake this world.  And building up of our faith is essential to this.

I don't want to send scare messages to anyone, your own heart will advise you as to what time we are in, what is occurring and what you need to do to get it right.  However, I think it is wise for us to consider the season, adjust accordingly, build up our most holy faith and prepare for the reward that is promised to all those who can endure to the end.  If you have not accepted Jesus as your Personal Lord and Savior  now is that time.  If you need guidance, I will be happy to show you the way or your local Christian Church will have scores of people ready and able to assist you with this most important decision.  It is a decision related to this life and for eternity.

I want to be caught standing when the storm is over.  How about you?   

I Need to Be Me

These days its almost painful to watch TV because most every program is trying to lure the viewer in to being someone that they were not created to be.  Usually, they appeal to the desire to be beautiful, rich or famous and it makes it seem so easy.  In addition to the program itself we are bombarded with commercials that say if you use this product you will look like this model or this person.

Day in and day out an enormous amount of time is being spent letting these images and messages permeate our minds and sooner or later we begin to question ourselves.  Who come I am not beautiful, rich or famous?  This is a terrible temptation given to us by satan.  

You recall satan used these same methods with Jesus when he took him up to a high place after a 40 day fast when he was obviously very weak.  The first temptation was to turn stones into bread to relieve himself from his hunger.(Matthew 4:1-11).

That temptation is much like the commercials that say try this product and you can relieve yourself of low self esteem because you will look better or perform better sexually, thus experiencing your youth all over again.

The next temptation was for Jesus to jump from the high place thereby the angels would catch him and protect him.  Again, we are tempted to do real stupid stuff because this person can relieve me from a bad marriage or if I make a bad financial decision Mom or Dad will bail me out because they have the wherewithal to do it.  Worst yet, let make more babies or live irresponsibly because the government will be there to catch me with welfare programs and other safety nets.

The last temptation was the most dubious in that satan says worship me and I will make you ruler of all of the kingdoms of the world.  This is the one that really catches a lot of us off guard.  We are told to worship our bosses and their demands to do unethical activities so that the corporation prospers and we will rise the corporate ladder.  Or if we sell something that we know is not suited to the buyer, its okay because we will become a sales manager and rule all the other salespeople.  We find this in the church as well when we do things contrary to the teachings of the bible in order to rise up the ladder of leadership.

I have said all of this to say, that is not who you are!!  You were created in the image and likeness of God so you don't have to aspire to be more beautiful.  Sure, we should endeavor to always look our best but sometimes we go to the extreme to adorn ourselves and we are barely able to pay our bills or take care of our families.  But when we drive up to church in that brand new BMW, everyone will think we got it going on and we do that because we assumed that someone else we saw with a BMW had it going on.  Never realizing for one minute what they had to do to get that BMW.

When we accept who we are and operate within Christian principals of self improvement, we release stress. We recognize that we are getting better but we don't have to work within the confines of some worldly standard to prove our self worth to anybody because we know that we are God's creation and he don't make no mistakes.  Besides, its all vanity anyway. (See the book of Ecclesiastes in the bible).

Being me does not mean if you are in poverty, stay in that predicament.  Absolutely not, that is contrary to Christian principles.  It does not mean we have to drive a raggedy car to show how spiritual we are or live in a shack so we can say God is with us.  No, No, No.  However, it means that over time and with hard work and patience, you can have all of these things without having to sell your soul to the devil.  Jesus himself said to "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of Heaven and its Righteousness and all these things will be added unto you". Matthew 6:33. That's the answer, that's the framework in which we should be operating from.

Satan says it can happen quick and easy.  God's way may be slower and a bit more painful but in the process your soul is in right standing with God and you have developed character.

So the next time you are tempted to spend money on something or follow after someone, check yourself out.  Can you still be who you are without compromising your values?  Are you hurting yourself financially for vainglory of being accepted by someone who could care less.  Someone who will compliment you in your face and talk about you when you turn your back.

A short story then I will end this blog.  Not long ago I downsized my home drastically from 2500 square ft. to around 1500 sq. ft.  Moved from a very prosperous neighborhood to an okay nice and safe area.  I did this because God showed me the folly of wasting thousands of dollars heating and cooling rooms that I never even went into.  All the children are grown and on their own, I don't make it a habit to entertain folks on a regular basis so why spend money to heat and cool wastefully when people in other countries have nothing at all to warm and cool their bodies.  I was convicted and I made my move.  Since that time every month I thank God because I see how wasteful I had been enriching some utility company that cared nothing about me.  Also, it is really nice to not have to shout way across the house hoping that my wife would hear me.  Also, the upkeep is so much easier now and I have more time to do the things I like to do and it is a much simpler way of life.  At my age I like things simple.  Lol

Do you know that some people in the community criticized the move.  They thought that I had collapsed economically when in fact I had improved economically.  It's a good thing that God gave me the revelation that pleasing people and living up to their standards will drive you into the poor house.  Did I fall into the temptation to look like a big shot.  NOPE.  Why??

Because I Got To Be Me. How about you??

Be blessed and not Stressed.
Min. Andre' Stephens (Servant)

Divine Purpose Can Set You Free.

I believe one of the greatest individual challenges we face is understanding our "Divine Purpose" for our living.  So many times we think in terms of careers or aspirations of greatness in sports, entertainment or business, but we give very little time pondering and asking God what is our Divine Purpose.

I contend that the reason some people suffer depression, boredom and loss of desire for living a exuberant life is because they either don't know their Divine Purpose or have drifted away from it. Comprehending and moving within your Divine Purpose is the greatest asset in your life and it helps in understanding and makes sense of the perplexities and complications that seem to overwhelm us at times.  It's the people who understand their Divine Purpose who push through daily obstacles and the power that propels them is the confidence (Faith) in God's ability to land them safely into their Divine Purpose.  Without that confidence depression, doubt and failure is quick to overwhelm us.

The Apostle Paul, a highly intelligent, scholarly man from a powerful family made so much impact in the early Christian church because he was very aware of his Divine Purpose.  He was able to overcome much adversity such as being stoned, beaten, jailed and abused by other church folk.  He kept it moving because he was looking to land on Divine Purpose.

Dr. Martin Luther King, understood his divine purpose as well as numerous other civil rights fighters who endure much pain, abuse, loss of job and family for their commitment to their Divine Purpose.  But look at the results today.  We have our first African American President and have had many other minorities in the highest offices of our courts, military and corporations.  All of this occurred because people of  understood and walked in their Divine Purpose and stayed at it.

So as you consider your life and what it means.  Take time to think deeply about your footprint, your shadow all of which are simple metaphors for what is your Divine Purpose.  Step out on Faith and begin to walk in it.

Peace!!

Why is Faith So Important?

This morning I was captivated by this scripture:

New International Version (©1984)
Hebrews 11:6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I know that this is a very short statement but it carries so much weight for the Christian. As I spent time thinking through scripture I thought about all the moves and decisions I made on my own without consulting the Lord.  Those moves and decisions made sense to me but over the long haul I found that they were flawed.  You see I only was able tot see what I saw at the time the move or decision was made.  I couldn't see up the road.  By not consulting with God, the maker of the heavens and the earth, I took a very powerful tool away from my decision making experience.  Furthermore, I devalued God because I didn't acknowledge his power or that he even existed as it related to this decision. 

Last night I watched a very powerful man, Arnold Schwarzenegger,  talk briefly about his life on CNN.  Life for him started in stark poverty in a land that had been decimated by World War II.  He build himself up with exercise and weight training to become the most highly decorated and prized body builder in the world.  He moved into acting and made millions.  Later he pursued a political career and reached one the highest positions in Government, the Governor of California.  I realized while watching Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger that what he had within himself was not enough.  Despite being Mr. World Olympian Body Builder, A top Hollywood Actor, Married to a very beautiful woman from an iconic and very wealthy family and all of that was not enough to get him through some tough spots in his life.  During the interview, I saw a weakened man, remorseful, honest about his human flaws but yet still ready to press on with life.  My only hope is that he doesn't try to do it in his own strength because he will have the same results. Failure.

But when we put things in the hands of God even though there will be tragedy, failures and the ever present human flaws, we seem to land in a better place, we come out so much stronger and wiser and we have the assurance that all things work together for the good. 

So in every decision we make, we should make it by faith in God.  We should have confidence that we can do it but not confidence that we can do it without God; because the bible says: 

Philippians 4:13

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹³ I can do all things through Christ^[a] who strengthens me.

Remember, you can do all things.  But it is solely through Christ who will provide the strength.

Another key bible verse to remember is:

New International Version (©1984)
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

So if you are stuck in a financial situation, family issues are pressing in on you or your job is lousy and you feel mistreated and unappreciated.  Remember to pray about the situation, take some time to sit still to hear God's voice, then make some Faith moves toward the solution.

May God Bless and Keep you is My Prayer

How to Get More of Anything (Part 1)

In many of our lives there is a need for increase.  Some need more financial resources, some more space in which to live, some of us need more love and attention.  I believe that the key to getting more of anything is explained in the simple excerpt from a parable from the Bible.

Luke 19:26 “He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 

This parable deals with stewardship and understanding the power of increase.
A few years ago the President of a local bank whom I had a very small business loan with came to me and asked if I would consider purchasing a property that they had in their inventory.  It was a repossessed home that one of their borrowers defaulted on.  I agreed to purchase the home and they gave me a loan for it.  While I had it in my possession, I did some repair work to improve it and later sold it for a small profit and paid off the loan to the bank early.  

The banker later returned to me and asked me to buy another one of their properties.  This one was a commercial property in a very prestigious part of town and it was only one years old.  Another borrower had a business idea that failed and he fled town leaving the bank with the property.

The price of this property was many times more expensive than the first one that the bank offered me and the bank financed it with no money down on my part and they gave me a very low interest rate.  In fact they gave me what is called prime interest rate.  This is the rate that the banks give to their very best customers.  I moved my office into this new business and was now working an owner of a property in the high end real estate section of our town.  Soon I was able to convince another land owner who owned property next door to me to sell me 5 acres of raw undeveloped land right behind mine.  

In the course of three years after this purchase I was able to raise more than $6 million dollars for a 40 unit multi-family development for senior citizens and one of the grandest properties in the town.  

The point is that good stewardship and taking a little and making a lot is so important to getting more and more real-estate and more capital by which to make improvements and to build.  I am truly convinced that this principal works and if you do well with what you have, more is sure to come.

This principal works in every situation.  If you want more love, cherish and commit to the loves that you have.  If you want more children, tend carefully to the ones that you have.  If you want more responsibility in ministry or on the job, do the very best you can with what you have and soon you will have more.

Peace!!

Focus On The Other Side

Life provides some some great examples to guide us in our efforts to succeed.  Today, I want to share a  short story and video that has many examples to show us how to succeed.  This is a recent demonstration of an awesome tightrope walk across Niagara Falls.  While I watched the video one of the statements that struck me was when the tight rope walker says that in order for him to succeed in  this walk he had to focus on the other side.  

Hmmmmm..I thought, this man was crossing over the most spectacular water falls in America and Canada at night, in blinding mist, and with winds swirling and he said focusing on the other side.  What was it on the other side that he focused on I asked myself.  Perhaps it was the warm embrace from his wife and family, the cheering crowd who admired his daring and intestinal fortitude.  Maybe it was his own sense of accomplishment that came from completing a task that had been planned for and rehearsed for many years.  Whatever it was, it was a strong enough focus to get him across.

It is my belief that we will need to display that same level of focus and intensity in our lives to get us across the many tightrope walks we have before us. 

SEE VIDEO 
Man walks over Niagara Falls

Your tightrope walk might be the unsatisfied burning desire to start your own business or to raise your family alone without the help of a spouse.  It could be to win an elected office or accomplish a noteworthy academic achievement.  Whatever it is you must focus on the other side.  Find something that "Melts Your Butter" and focus on that.

In my personal journey I have used pictures to help me focus on the other side.  I have had many business endeavors and as much as I can remember, I always had an end goal in mind.  In one example I would drive by this terrible neighborhood everyday.  A well known slumlord was allowing drugs sales, prostitution and other illicit activity to take place there.  I saw children pass there everyday on their way to school and sometimes they would go in those houses to buy candy and I knew that was just a marketing ploy to establish a customer base for future drug sales.  I made up my mind that my tightrope walk would be to tear down all those houses and bring up new homes with homeowners.

I had to first develop a plan. Get buy in from the community and then go about raising money to make this happen.  It took me 2 years to raise $500,000 to tear down 8 houses and build 5 new ones.  But I never gave up and I stayed focused on the other side.  The other side represented Homeownership for families who were previously living in the projects.  It meant a nice, safe, clean community.  It represented community pride and inspiration for more work to come up the road.

Did I have the fears of the tightrope walker?  Oh, yes.  Were there obstacles along the way.. Absolutely..

But I stayed Focused On The Other Side and you can too.  Whatever you endeavor to do, please stay Focused On the Other Side.  If you do this you will hit your target and land softly and claim your reward.

God Bless.

Fear Made me an Artist.

Fear gripped my heart.  Thoughts of failure overwhelmed my mind and everything appeared dark and gloomy.  These were some difficult times but if one were to look at me they would not have seen the great mental torment that I wrestled with and the overwhelming pain and sleeplessness that comes with fear.  These were what I call the "Dark Nights of the Soul".  It is a time when you feel abandoned by God.  As if God has not heard anything you are saying and you wonder if you are still connected to the source of power you have proclaimed to be your all in all.

The "Dark Nights of the Soul" causes one to feel all alone, misunderstood and totally useless.  As I stayed in this position for many months, I never stopped praying, although my prayers changed in it's intensity and resolve.  I never stopped talking to God and asking questions.  Then one day God placed it into my heart to change my environment and focus my thoughts on something afresh.  It was shortly after that time that I met two wonderful persons who were artist and teachers.  They offered me a free trip to Go to New Orleans and I stayed at a wonderful hotel which was way beyond my ability to pay.  I was the only Community Development person in a group of seasoned teachers and they were looking for ways in which art would impact education.  After a night of hanging out on Bourbon Street and listening to some great jazz music, we walked back to the hotel.  I remember telling one of the teachers who worked for the Little Rock School system as a evaluator and had her own art studio about being stuck in a rut with respect to my career.  I longed for the freedom to express myself in my work as the artist does.  You see the artist has the gift of taking inspiration which is unseen and translates it into something visual, compelling and beautiful.

I am inspired to do so much to uplift and change the appearance of my community, yet I haven't learned how to let this transformative power flow through me to bring about tangible results.  We discussed this for a time and she looked at me and said, "Andre, you are an artist and your canvas is the community".  At first I chuckled and shrugged off her comments, but I had to respect the fact that this was a highly educated woman who had made a name for herself in the teaching profession and was able to maintain an art studio in her personal time.  It occurred to me that she was very serious.  She went on to explain to me that an artist in the broad sense was a person who could take something abstract, something invisible and move people to an emotional level to feel and from feeling into action.

This thought was pressed upon me even the more as I walked through New Orleans, a very artsy community, and looked at the impact that art in all its forms had on the culture, learning and commercial aspects of the city.  The few days I had spent with my new found teaching friends had changed the way I looked at life and it helped to dissolve the fears I was facing as it related to my career in community development.  Fears borne out of lack of resources, lack of ideas and the seemingly lack of concern from the people whom I was attempting to help.

When I returned home the idea of Art exploded inside of me and colors mattered, shapes and forms meant something to me.  Architecture, especially modern architecture moved me greatly.  I would travel to college campus looking for art in all of its forms.  Jazz music became the norm in my listening experiences.  And then I took the brush in my hand and produced my first work of art which stands to this day.

A simple hallway which was dull and drab became my canvas.  I first painted this wood with an off white covering and then I got a bunch of different paints that were donated by a local paint supplier and just splattered the paint on the wall with no special intent for form.  I did all of the walls and even the ceiling and after drying i returned to review what I had done.  I was impressed with what I saw.  It didn't appear at all that a mad man had gone wild.  It shown as man who had things on the inside that needed to be released on the outside in a form that could be seen and appreciated.

Diverse colors shown, some in spots, some in streaks, some in blobs, but they all had meaning of some sort. Not that I could discern that meaning at the moment of the creation, but later, as I would return, I would be able to see that spots meant ideas that were short but had impact.  blobs were ideas that would start out small but spread into something larger and larger over time.  It would affect a larger space,  streaks where narrow and focused ideas that ran for a period of time.
of time.

Looking back 10 years ago when this hall of art was created I look back now and can define it with more clarity, definition and understanding.  Many times over these years when I was faced with daunting challenges, I would just take a chair and sit in the hall.  Not thinking per se but just letting the walls speak to me.  Letting the inspiration permeate my mind and my heart and trust that the answers would come.  Now, I see why I am an artist and the community is my canvas.

I have painted so many pictures and images by constructing new homes and destroying blight and building up new homes for families who extend my art by planting nice beautiful flowers and gardens.  My art extends to others the opportunity to create their art and the community is changed as a result.  And, isn't that the inspiration that lifts the human condition, relieves the pains and builds up hope?

Peace!

One Model for Changing Communities Now.

Yesterday, I was privileged to participate in a men's conference at Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church where 5 young men gave their life to Christ.  During the conference I sat and pondered on all of the dynamics surrounding this life changing experience for these young men.   I paid close attention to all of the resources that were used to bring this about.  For example, (1) we had a room full of men only, (2) we showed a one and half hour movie called "Courageous" and the movie challenged men to be responsible for everything that occurs in their life, (3) we had a former gang leader turned Pastor speak about his transformation from a life of drug dealing, attempted murder and self hatred to a life of changing the Hood for Christ and restoring men and women into their proper roles.

The other thing that I noticed is that grandfathers had brought their grandsons and mothers trusted us to minister to their sons with the hope that seeds of change would occur in their lives.  This move required Faith and this Faith was borne from real concerns about their futures and concerns that if their sons and Grandsons did not get pointed into the right direction now, they could be in some real  trouble up the road.    I also pondered about the news reports I hear over and over again about the demise of Black Men.  What role could the Church could play in reversing this highly destructive pattern of Black on Black male crime, the prison over population and destruction in the community?  You rarely hear talk about using tax dollars and private investment to truly support work that can reach these young men and women with programs, prayers and guidance from ex-felons who have demonstrably turned their lives around.  Unemployment is at an all time high and so is crime, so we have a big supply of servants and an abundance of need.  Yet, we have not seen real effort in simultaneously bringing the resource to the need.  Men who have overcome, helping men who are finding their way.  

Just as an aside, I think about the Billions, that's right Billions, spent on campaigns for elected offices from the Presidency down to the local elected positions and I wonder what if just some of these funds were re-directed to support programs like what I have articulated here?  

That begs the question? Why not spend taxpayers dollars and more private investments to improve the lives of people.  Pay some of these ex-cons to participate in mentoring programs and even improve their own skills so that themselves can lead programs of change in their communities.  They would in turn reach out to these young men an steer them away from trouble into a life of prosperity.    Imagine the power of that dynamic whereby houses could be renovated, schools modernized, reading and math skills could be improved through non traditional teaching techniques, young men could gain more from the bible because they would know how to read it on their own using critical thinking skills. What a wonderful investment idea, the combination of tax dollars with private investment.  How much our communities would change.   

I know there are many excuses for why this couldn't happen, but as I said in a earlier blog, common sense does not blend well with Faith moves because Faith moves are uncommon moves.  Someone just has to be willing to make a move.

There are already federal laws on the books that allow churches and non profits to apply for grants to do social programs.  These programs can do many things, such as, after school education, provide health and feeding programs, to build affordable housing, to start small businesses. etc.. etc.. etc.  (See Links Below for Resources)

http://www.dol.gov/cfbnp/grant.htm
http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/
http://www.grantwatch.com/collection.php?cat=11

But it will take Faith, consistent effort and Patience to do these things.  It will not happen overnight but someone has to grab the bull by the horns and say I am going to move out by Faith to first, set up a plan and second, follow the voice of the Holy Spirit and take steps to reach my goal of turning my community around.

I can tell you from jump, the devil is gonna send all kinds of negative pictures into your mind suggesting the impossibilities of going this route. But, if you can muster enough Faith to walk through these mental barriers, you will see some positive results that will keep you moving forward.

Don't be afraid, if you are not an ex-con, praise God.  But I am sure you know someone who is and they are serving God with fervor   However, they need an opportunity to let the inner change manifest into an outer world and that will encourage them even the more to do great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God.    One thing I have noticed with working with ex-cons and that is they have no fear and they can speak a language that we couldn't begin to know because of where they have been and what God has brought them through.  But that language resonates with our troubled youth.  So we should try to create as many platforms as we can to let their light shine in our communities.

If we just start out with a little, God will turn it into a lot.  I am witness to that fact.  Looking forward to hearing your great reports about changed Lives and changed Communities.

Peace!!

Overcoming Depression

I am convinced that one the greatest weapons that satan uses to hinder us in our pursuits of happiness is depression.  Not necessarily clinical depression or the kind that requires professional and medical treatment. But a more subtle kind that is akin to the blues.  I have discovered that if this is left unchecked, it can move us into some devastating circumstances.  These circumstances include doubt, fear, closing ourselves off from others, bitterness and anxiety.   Any one of these things alone is enough to slow us down or impair our ability to move forward, but if they are coupled together, then we really have some problems.

When I read the bible' I find that many of the people that were greatly used by God had times of deep depression.  Kind David was one such individual and the book of psalms points this out repeatedly.  However, David encouraged himself and we can conclude that since he was a musician and a poet that he used the arts to help lift him from his depression.  He clearly used the power of prayer because the psalms are a culmination of many of those prayers.

When I have been confronted with depression, I have used music and the arts to help me in my relief.  We are so rich with music and art in our world and if we would just take some steps to go out and see a play, read some poetry, listen to some good soul stirring gospel music; and I won't just limit it to gospel music because I have been set free by soul music, jazz and at times even the blues.  Music, its words and melodies can ease a burdened soul.

Great acting can draw us into the script, feel the joy and exuberance of the actors and help us to forget our own sorrows.  Some plays I have watched through tear stained eyes because the person in the play was experiencing just what I was going through and at the depths of their pain I cried tears of pain and at the height of their success, I cried tears of joy.  But the end result is, I walked away free.

So if today, you are feeling a bit depressed, don't sit there in it.  If you are reading this blog you already have a window to a world that can assist in relieving your burdens.  Go to You tube, go to God tube and listen to some good uplifting music.  Google search: "beautiful stories of how people overcame great tragedies" and read some heart warming testimonies,   Watch plays and programs right on your computer that will lift you.  Write a friend on Facebook whom you have left unattended for too long.

But don't stay depressed.  Life is too short and inside us all are pearls of great price waiting to be shared with the world.

This song below will help you understand that Someday We Will All Be Free!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv1B0ejhFVE

Be Blessed.

Zero to Millions Part 2- Making it Happen

Greetings 

In my blog dated 9-18-2012, called "Zero to Millions Part 1", I left off discussing how I began with no money and proceeded to raise well over $6 million in funds for community development projects over a period of 10 years.  Today I want to begin where I left off.  

Visioning or seeing things as they will be is the first step.  The next step in the Faith journey is to begin to identify the things that you need to bring your vision into reality.  That is called planning and it requires some brain work.  What were some of the things that I was going to need to bring this dilapidated home into a nice livable home for a family to live in?  How could I best impact a neglected community and eyesore? The first thing we usually identify is money and that makes sense, but we need to understand that in many instances money may not be the first thing.  You see, if you are doing something for the Kingdom of God money won't be the first priority, people will be.  Allow me to give you an example.

In my town we have a federal prison and I discovered that they have a community based program within the federal prison that allows some of the inmates who are soon to be released, or who have demonstrated that they are no threat to society, to work with non profit groups on projects that uplift the community.  This has a double benefit, first the non profit can obtain some badly needed talent that they cannot afford and two the inmate begins to get prepared for entering the world, establishing communication and other inter-personal skills that will help them to be a productive citizen in society. I immediately applied for this program, went through some training and shared my vision with the warden and explained how the inmates will work with me to rehabilate this home and make an example of a safe and affordable home for a low income family.  The warden was impressed with this idea and approved our application to use up to 14 male inmates to advance our project.  I now needed money to purchase the materials for the project and I went to the bank and explained to them what I was preparing to do and that I had a source of labor that would cost us nothing.  The other benefit that God provided for me was that within this group I had very skilled people.  One was a master electrician, one was a general contractor who had a very large business in a large city, the other was a master carpenter and some of the men were very good laborers.  So these are the exceeding abundant blessing that come from a Faith walk.  These men were so glad to get out of the confines of prison and they were on there best behavior.  Moreover, I had a chance to show them the Love of Christ and give them a sense of community building.  

Several of the men who worked with me wrote to me after leaving prison and told me about the impact our program had on their post prison life.  One is now a church Pastor who has incorporated community development in his ministry, one opened up his own barber shop and is doing well as an entrepreneur.  This is how God works, he allows your programs and Godly endeavors to help shape and build lives of people who you never knew or imagined.  This is the part that I call "Above all that I could ask or think".   You see in all of our works we are only going to see impart.  We will never get the whole vision.  But we can trust that the part that we do see in the Spirit will have far reaching benefit and blessings for us and others who the vision touches.

After acquiring the labor, I went to the local bank and explained to them how I planned to begin "Rebuilding the Walls Around The City" and the banker was moved to provide me with a small loan of $5,000 using the dilapidated house as collateral.  I then wrote a grant to a foundation and I explained to them that we wanted to improve the neighborhood and that we wanted to use this one house as a demonstration model to show what could be done by the community with just a little help.  Through the power of God I was able to convince the foundation to give us a grant in the amount of $40,000 and a smaller local community foundation gave us a grant in the amount of $2,500 because we explained to them how we were going to use young men from the community to help us rebuild this house and learn some home building skills.  One of these young men happened to be my oldest son, who went on to receive his college degree and works with me today as my housing director.   Another, blessing that I could not see when I began the visioning process.  We now had the money needed to complete the task but to my point, the people came first.

After several months of working on this project many community residents, local elected officials and outside observers visited our work in the community heard our story.  You see, it is very important to be able to tell your story and demonstrate your story while you are building.  It's the story that compels men and women to participate, pray and cooperate with you.  We had church Pastors stop by and admire our work and invite us into their churches to explain to their members how community development could be done. The newspaper came by and did a story on our work and how it was helping keep young men busy during the summer months and off the streets.  I was asked to participate on radio talk shows and at conferences held by very important groups like the Kellogg Foundation and the Clinton School of Public Service.  These entities also wanted to participate.  We had very talented, young bright college students come in and provide free services to us.  We also demonstrated to other potential investors that we were serious about what we were doing and that we had the ability to attract the things we needed to make something good happen in our community.  Everybody loves a story of people organizing around a need and working to address it.

I remember mid-way through our work we had an out of town visitor come by to see what we were doing.  He was a member of a family that were billionaire's.  Yes, really, each of the family member were worth billions.  They had gone beyond the millionaire status and were worth billions.    It so happened that they were looking for a community based non profit to invest in to do community development projects and their representative had been watching us over the years and invited the family members to come to our site and visit our work.  I had never walked among billionaires but the bible tells us that "Our Gift Will Bring Us Before Great Men".  Our story and the demonstration of our work so compelled these billionaires that they gave us a grant in the amount of  $500,000 toward future developments.  Clearly, this investment has gone a long way in helping us do more housing developments.  One other noticeable attribute of this investment was that we didn't have to pay the money back and when other investors found out who had given us this large sum of money, they wanted to contribute too.  Some invested $100,000 and others invested much more.  Even as much as $2,000,000.  I could have never imagined that this one house that I had a heart to improve for a low income family would have this much compelling power.  But that is what God does through us.  He works in us both to do and to will his good pleasure. Also, he strengthens our hands to do the work that God has called us to do.

Well, there so much more to say about this story, but you just can't tell it all in one blog.  So, I will be sharing more in the days and weeks ahead and my hope and prayer is that these real testimonies will advance your desire to move into action. First with a vision, and then take the steps to make it happen.  It will be so rewarding and much more than you could ask or think.  I assure you of that. 
 :-)

Enjoy the journey!

83 Year Old Couple Purchase Their Home By Faith

Good morning, I am sitting here with my first cup of coffee, my grey sweatshirt and baseball cap on and I have a determined spirit to get this blog out today.  My mother, one of my biggest fans is holding me accountable for getting my blogs out consistently and timely and I praise God for her.

The delay for the last two days was related to a closing on a miracle.  You see since I operate in the business world and people always talk about closing the deal, I like to put my Holy Ghost spin on the term and call it closing on a miracle.  In short, a couple who I will call the Johnson's and are 83 years old had been trying to purchase a brand new house and they came up against some serious opposition because in the natural world the only real estate you should be looking for at that age, so people think, is in a fenced in, well manicured lot with plenty of ornaments, flags and flowers around.  In short, you should be preparing for the grave.  We started working with the Johnson's two years ago and they came into my office and told us of the deplorable living conditions they were living in and that they heard we help people get into new homes, especially people with limited means.  I had 4 houses that I had just completed building and they were waiting for nice people like the Johnson's to purchase and move into.  The thought did cross my mind ever so briefly though, that they seemed much older than my usual home purchasers, but nevertheless, this is the Kingdom of God and all things are possible if you can believe. (That's bible Y'all).

Well I asked the usual due diligence questions such as are you employed, how's your credit, etc.. etc.. etc and they told me that the only income they received was social security and it was about $1,200 per month. I said okay, let's go out and look at some houses.  Now mind you $1,200 per month on a fixed income doesn't go very far these days so I could have sad right there that chances are slim to none that you will qualify for a house but you can get a Section 8 HUD voucher to live in subsidized apartments somewhere.  But No, I knew in my Spirit these people were looking for homeownership and nothing less.  Now, that's Faith y'all.  I want this and I ain't settling for nothing else because my God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think.

So out the door we go and I notice that they are in great health, sound mind and they jump into their 1983 Buick and said they will drive themselves to the home sites and follow me.  I was like, alrighty...  We get to the house sites and Momma (Mrs. Johnson), begins looking in each of the four houses and she has a poker face out of this world.  She looked, emotionless except for one house she saw and she said Hhhmmmphhhh.  You Southerner's know that when the church mothers and family matriarchs say hhhmmmphhh, that is not a sign of a good endorsement LOL.  But the very last house we walked into, no sooner that we got into the living room she stopped and with the most enthusiasm I have seen her display all day, she said very direct and firmly.  This is the house.  I was like Mrs. Johnson, do you want to see the rest of the house?  She said that's fine, but this is the house.  I said I wonder if Mrs. Johnson know that there is some buried treasurer in the back yard or something, lol.  But, in all truth, I realized right then that these were very Spritual people and that while I only saw the two of them in the room, they came in with another person, the Holy Spirit.  And years of walking in the Spirit has shown them how to hear his voice.  "My Sheep hear my voice" (Bible).

Well that part of the miracle is completed, now comes the serious stuff.  The house was selling for $85,000 and as I stated earlier, $1,200 in joint monthly income from social security does not seem to be enough to cover family living expenses, home maintenance and repairs, principal-interest-taxes and insurance.  However, I am not one to stop a Faith endeavor, I proceeded with completing the application and submitted it to the government lender.

Oookaaaaayy.. This is when the war starts.  You see people who only walk by sight look at things far differently from people who walk by Faith.  Faith people see in 4 dimensions not just 3 and they believe the fourth dimension has far more possibilities, resources and benefits then what is seen in the natural 3 dimensional world.  Well the government agency folks are only trained to see things in the three dimensional world, not the fourth.  And here is what they saw.  A couple who was 83 years old, strong bodies and minds but in their mature stages of life.  Secondly, they saw an income that did not appear to be enough to handle the expenses associated with homeownership and lastly, how many couples at 83 years owe have the audacity to seek a 30 year mortgage.  They are usually ready to ride things out, prepare for the end or getting on a waiting list for a nursing home.  But no, not the Johnson's, they are living fully and have no plans to cut their blessings short.  Furthermore, they want to leave their family an inheritance.  One of them most noble acts of a father is to leave an inheritance for their children.  They wanted their blessing and they were willing to do what it takes to obtain it.  

Well, the government was finding reason after reason to reject the loan application but federal law prevents age discrimination so they could never use that reason.  However, the used the credit score, we overcame that, then they used monthly income, we overcame that, then they said the house that I built was not built according to their regulations.  That's when it got personal because all my houses are built in accordance with state, federal and local laws and I had documentation and inspections to prove it.  However, this is where the government get's many people stopped.  They wear the people down and then they find some obscure reason to put the last nail in the coffin.  However, thanks be to God, I had already been down this road before so I knew exactly how to fight, what weapons to use and how to make the government pay me for all of the pain and suffering associated with a 2 1/2 year battle for this house.  The question that I had however was; could the Johnson's hang in here with me?  Mr. Johnson and I was having a conversation one day and I asked him if he could hang in for the long battles that may occur.  He shot back with all confidence and said in all the years he has been serving the Lord, one thing he has found to be as true as the air we breathe:

Luke 21:19

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁹ In your patience possess ye your souls.

That's exactly what he said to me and he said if we fight, we fight all the way and we fight together.  I was like, YESSSS, I got a soldier with me on the field.  So fight we did.  It took 2 years of research, paperwork and then finally we had an appeal hearing with the Government which closely resembles a court trial without all of the cost of lawyers etc..etc..  I had to defend my client the Johnson's and I knew with the Faith that the three of us possessed we would be victorious.  And indeed we were.

So yesterday I was at the real estate closing signing papers and passing the keys to the new home to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.  Today they own a brand new 3 bedroom 2 bath brick home with a house payment of only $392.00 per month.  Now tell me where you gonna get a newly built brick home for that kind of money these days. (Miracle 1).  I got compensated way more than I thought I would have for handling this transaction (Miracle 2), and the person at the government whom I had been battling with gave me a congratulatory hug after the transaction was completed.(Miracle 3).  My son Andre Stephens Jr. was with me from start to finish on this transaction and he now has witnessed how Faith produces miracles and if you want to win the Kingdom of God, you have to be willing to use your faith and fight for it.

So, in summary, I have to finish Part 2 of my previously posted blog and I assure you that is to come soon.  But It was temporarily disrupted due to the closing of a miracle.

Try the Faith walk; it only get's gooder and gooder.  

From Zero to Millions (Part 1)

Let me first start off by saying that this is not about using the gospel to enrich myself or you.  Nor for me to tell you some real sweet story then at the end ask you to send me a check for a prayed over cloth.  When I discuss money here it is money that I raised by faith and used for the building up of my community, not money that went into my personal bank account.  Having given that disclaimer I can now move on and say with all humility that I was simply the tool that God used to make this happen and all the GLORY goes to him.  Everything I report here in the blog is true and verfiable and I purpose to help people understand that "God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.



Some of what I will be sharing today comes directly from my personal journal which I began about 10 years ago.  The journaling began as a result of me attempting to understand my purpose and to clarify my call at a very tumultuous time in my life economically.

Excerpted from Journal entry 3-4-2003

Today, the executive committee of my board would make a decision that would be the foundation block for a major faith move in community development.  About one month ago a community resident came to me to discuss a grave concern she had with a house where she and her siblings had grown up in.  It was in total disrepair and the city was in the process of condemning the property and tearing it down.  She was grieved because there were so many memories and emotional attachments to the house and her parents, now deceased, left that property to the children; all whom have abandoned it except her.  She asked if there was something that I could recommend to help her save the structure from destruction.  I agreed to visit the property and see if there was something that could be done.

As I walked through the house and assessed the situation, I thought to myself, this house is beyond repair and it would cost a fortune to bring it up to livable standards.  I went back to the community resident and shared my sentiments and our conversation evolved into some creative methods to save the property and to relieve her from an obligation to the city to either bring the house up to code or pay $5,000 to tear it down.  Up to this point my non profit community development company had not done any housing projects and I thought, boy this would be a huge undertaking but it might work.  I prayed about it and asked God to show me what it could be versus what I saw.  You see in order for our faith to work we have to see through a whole different set of lenses. We have to see things as they will be versus what they are.  It's called walking by faith and not by sight.  In any case over a few weeks I began to see a four bedroom house with a nice lawn, painted interior, new roof, etc. etc..  But how in the world would I go from seeing something in the spirit to bringing it into manifestation.

More to come in Part 2 of my blog tomorrow.

Practical steps to Increased Faith

This morning is pouring down rain and I am loving it immensely.  Drinking a fresh cup of coffee, sitting as close to outdoors as I can without getting totally drenched.  Well, let me be honest, I am sitting in my RV with the windows open and watching and smelling the rain.  That's about as close as I am getting.  But a very compelling thought occurred to me as I was going through one of the most important morning exercises.  I call it pondering and it usually occurs after morning prayers and meditation.  It's when I let my mind relax and open myself for whatever the Holy Spirit introduces to me at that moment.  Today, I felt compelled to discuss the more distinct elements of using Faith and how important it is to have ourselves in position to activate our faith.

I have found that the best way to exercise your faith is to first know who you are.  What is the call that God wants you to respond to on earth.   What impact are you to make during your short time on earth and in what environment should it occur.  I contend that many people who begin the Faith journey do it as a result of a testimony that they heard about someone getting a new car, house, job or something else material.  And that's all well and good.  However, our Faith has a far more supreme roll on earth.  We are to build the kingdom of God.  Houses, cars and jobs are a very small part of that agenda and they are only to be used as a means to and end.  The bigger purpose is building the kingdom of God.

Now, you may ask, what is the Kingdom of God.  Without getting into a theological mind numbing explanation I will simply say serving you brother or your sisters needs and letting the light of Jesus shine through you.  So, Brother, you may ask, can you break it down a little more than that?  Sure I can.  It means having a safe place for children to be nurtured and cared for after school, it means, creating safe neighborhoods, protecting God's environment, providing provisions for the poor and hungry, advocating for laws that provide for social justice, engaging people in life long learning, spending time with young men who want to find themselves but don't know how.  Teaching parenting skills to single parent moms.  Showing people how to access free government programs that will help them get their needs met.  etc. etc.. etc..

In short, the kingdom of God is meeting needs and spreading the love of Christ throughout the world and facilitating the spreading of the gospel so that people can become Christians and then begin their own journey in Kingdom Building.

But one thing is very important in making this a reality and it relates to this following scripture.

1 John 3:21
 ²¹ Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²² and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³ And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴ The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

First, we can receive from God anything we ask, if we believe in the name of Jesus Christ, keep his commandments and do what pleases him.  Does that mean we will need to be perfect to get our Faith working, Absolutely not, just read the bible and you will  find fault in every person who exercised faith.  But, you endeavor to do good and each day you have a heart to improve and make a difference in someones else life and show good toward humanity.  If you follow after Jesus then your desires are focused on his kingdom.  Not cars, houses, money etc etc.. but people.  Those other things will come as a Result of focusing on the needs of other first (The Kingdom). 

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

My prayer for you today is that you obtain all that you need to live a prosperous and satisfying life in Christ.
Enjoy the journey and live stress free

Peace!

The Power of Quiet

In quiet and confidence is you strength

Today I awoke very early just to sit still and ponder.  Thinking is something I have grown fond of and it helps me to sort out the many twist and turns of life, the challenges, and the rewards.   I thought about the many times that I struggled with fear and new ideas.  Then one day I came upon a biblical scripture that spoke of strength that comes from quiet and confidence.  This seemed at first to be a silly notion but it came from the bible; Isaiah 30:15 to be exact.

Hmmm. I thought to myself, what would happen if I would just learn to sit still and be quiet over my problems, versus thinking that I needed to solve every single problem with a mental solution.  Why must 1 + 1 always equal 2.  Many of my problems require resources that I do not have readily available today.  Which means that a miracle will have to happen for the answer to manifest.

Well, at first I wasn't exactly very quiet because my mind was filled with noise.  But soon I was able to quiet it down and eventually I focused on a particular promise.   You see it was a simple problem, but one that was very vexing to me.  My riding lawn mower had blown its engine and it was destroyed for sure.  I have several properties and my company owns several properties and rather than paying for a lawn care service, my son and I usually do the lawn care ourselves.  It is relaxing to me, especially since I am riding.  But now with the mower broke, I was watching grass growing higher and higher and my concern was that if something doesn't happen soon I am going to need a BIG John Deere tractor to bush hog this grass.  (Bush Hog)  a large cutting apparatus that cuts tall grasses, usually acres at a time.

The other problem that I faced is that if I paid someone to cut and get this grass under control, then it would have cost in excess of $500.00 and that would be a nice down payment on a new riding mower.  In any case, I did not have the $500.00 so it didn't matter.  Again, 1 + 1 did not equal 2.  So I decided to put my new found scripture to the test.  I sat still and didn't do anything.  Well, I did have a few fleeting thoughts about how to solve the problem, but, it wasn't like worrying about it at all.  There was a peace that came with it and a confidence that even though I don't know where this is going to come from, this problem will be solved.

Sitting still is not easy y'all.. (as I smile to my hyperactive middle aged self).  The world and everything around us demands movement all the time.  The more we move the more we need to sustain that movement.  The more you need to sustain it, the more you need to spend.  It's all part of a plan to keep the economy bumping along but, I digress, more on that later.

But here is the real miracle.  Yesterday, after going to the site where I have four homes that were covered with grass I made up my mind that something had to be done.  As I was driving back to my office my mind began to race and as I was coming through the city I passed a lawn and garden dealership and there was this bright, clean John Deere mower sitting in the parking lot.  I thought it a bit strange because it was not a John Deere Dealership but boy did that lawn tractor look good.  I went inside to inquire about it and the very nice sales lady gave me details on the mower and said that it could be mine with no money down.  Wow, just the kind of deal I needed because 1 plus 1 wasn't equaling 2.  We talked about it a little more and I found out it was a well kept used mower.  I was like who cares about it being used, I got grass growing up to the roof lines of my houses, all I want to know is can it cut grass and a lot of it.

Well anyone who knows about lawn tractors knows that John Deere is the best.  So she has someone start it for me, did some paperwork and by the end of the day I was cutting grass with my new (Used) lawn tractor. Miracle!!! Yeeeaaaahhhhh!!!

This may seem so simple, but it is proof enough for me that there is power in quiet.  It may not manifest itself immediately but somehow it drives out fear and develops confidence.   So I cleared the way for my faith to work and indeed it did.

So in summary, (1) I got quiet (Prayer), (2) I drove to the site and saw the condition of the properties and saw a need (Visual), (3) I had a made up mind for a solution (Action) and God brought in the answer and directed my path to the source of my need.

I hope and pray that this makes sense to you but even if it doesn't, step out on your faith and take the time to discover the Power and Confidence gained from Quiet.

Peace!

The trouble with fear

I have spent several days last week pulling my mind away from fear.  I began to pay attention to all the things that I was hearing throughout the day that encouraged a fear mindset.  I started with my daily routine, the chores and tasks that lay ahead and right along with that came the fear that I would not be able to accomplish all that I set out to do for the day.  Right after that, I turned on the news to my favorite news channel CNN and again fear crept in because of the reports of economic declines, high gas prices, dysfunction in politics and the ever present racial divide.

Then upon leaving the house for work comes the fear of dying in a traffic accident, the fear that something crazy is gonna pop off at work etc..etc..  It is after observing this I realized that I was giving way to much of my precious daily time to fear.  I thought about how fear stiffles my creative and imaginative God given powers.  It's hard to create a vision when fear is constantly popping up.  How can you encourage others if you are living in a state of fear, I asked myself.

So today, I elect to find ways to minimize fear thinking, see the beauty in life and to open myself up to creative and imaginative thinking.  Do the things I can and let God handle that things I can't.

Remind myself throughout the day that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Dare to dream big, walk tall and by all means, take time to enjoy the journey.

:-)