New Year's Eve '14

It's December 31, 2014!!!!!!

We have met the very last day of this year! That means that 2015 is staring us in the face. This is the time we all in some way reflect on what this year has brought us; laughter, heartbreaks, memories, joy and pain, new discoveries and so much more. But whether your experience of 2014 was of trial or triumph, this moment  lifts the weight of all your doubts and fears of this year and propels you to the next. 

Of course I've also been playing the year over in my head wondering what next year will bring and I n the spirit of reflection and preparation, I've adapted this 2015 New Year's Resolution:

I'll only be successful in my endeavors with the help of God. That begins with understanding life at His perspective. 

If you have a New Year's Resolution, my prayer is that you prosper at every venture, achieve every goal, and maintain good habits. I pray that once you start to see the results of your hard work you don't forget who put you on.

Share your 2015 New Year's Resolutions with The A Team! Let's reach our goals  together! Post your New Year's Resolutions on

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Post a pic of your resolution with the hashtag #ATeamNewYear! GO!! 

Unwrap your gift: Discovering The Real You

By: Calicia Smith

@calimonae

GIFT: a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace 1 Peter 4:10


What is that one thing that you've hinted at your husband/wife, fiancé, or "boo" to get you for Christmas? Most likely it is the upgrade of something that you already own. I'm not "knocking" the holiday season and the gift of giving(I enjoy some of those sales myself lol). However, I believe that for many people the principle of gift giving is missed in today's culture- example: "If I get you something, you have to get me something." If that's your mentality you have to check yourself. I believe The giving of gifts is really a reflection of what's in you(soul, heart etc). What is behind Your gift this season? YOU...yes you are behind your gift and the sincerity of your heart is revealed in your attitude toward giving. Giving is really an act of service and an extension of yourself to aid those in need.


I believe many people struggle with materialism and consumerism because they aren't being true to themselves. In the words of William Shakespeare:" to thine own self be true". The world needs far more love, joy, and peace than the latest shoe or handbag. I pray you dig deep and ask God to show you how to love yourself by loving others through service. A nice blouse or shoe is great but ask yourself if that person that desires those items really need a hug or for you to help buy groceries?


We are the eyes, ears, and hands of God. Don't be afraid to share YOURSELF(gifts, service, talents)with the world.


This season I encourage you to do a heart check and ask yourself:
What you do and why DO you do it?


Prayer starter: God thank you for this season that is set aside to reflect and demonstrate your great love for me. I desire to operate out of a pure place and un contaminated with things. I pray above else this season that you teach me how to love. I want to love unconditionally and un selfishly. Today I give myself permission with the help of the Holy Spirit to give of myself to those in need. In Jesus' name. AMEN.

Give 'Me' A Break

^“But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.” Romans 7:17-20.

Have you ever had a day where you sat and thought to yourself, “What in the world is wrong with me?!” Out of frustration with our own repetitive madness we start to think, “Well, maybe I do need some help…” Paul hits the nail on the head when he describes how our sinful nature can frustrate our spiritual desires – things as simple as deciding to eat healthier and then finding yourself pigging out at Christmas parties or deciding to become financially disciplined then finding yourself “needing” the new Jordans. We are constantly bouncing between what our spirit needs and what our natural bodies cling to and it can feel like the system is set up for us to fail.

Self-discipline is a huge part of living a Christ-like life. Christ reminds us in Luke 9:23-24 that in order to be His follower we cant bring our selfish ways with us—trying to hang on to our old lives will only cause us to loose them.  Turning away from something you’re used to means a battle between what you want and what you know you need. Paul gets it. He wrote about the predictability of our “failures” and how helpless it can feel to try wholeheartedly and still mess up. It’s the one part of us we wish we could just lock away.

In all honesty there are parts of us that don’t find interest in pleasing God, parts that just want to satisfy themselves. That sinful nature can abruptly rear its ugly head in the least expected moments of our lives…and then it’s back to square one. Again.

As frustrating as that cycle can be, its important to remember that with all you’ve gone through and as far you think you have left to go in your walk with God, there are some who didn’t make it as far as you have. The spirit of frustration makes you beat up on yourself and criticize where you are in comparison to where we think we should be. It also clouds our view of how far we’ve come with God’s help. Paul’s letter goes on to explain how Christ set things up to help us when we want to serve God with all our hearts and minds, but get pulled by the influence of sin to do something completely different.

The exasperating and contradicting struggle of trying to control your sinful nature can even make you think being spiritual isn’t for you.  But leaning on God in weak moments and in situations we seemingly can’t handle allow Him to exercise His perfect strength in us. 

- Ayana

Check Yourself

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes

 

One thing that bothers me is when someone asks for my opinion, then gets upset with what I’ve said. I instantly get irritated and frustrated with the person for creating a problem with something they involved me in. I’ve been an opinionated and outspoken person all my life and I learned the hard way that my opinion is a private possession and most effective when solicited or asked for.  I made sure I wasn’t pushy with my opinions and criticisms but I didn’t considered whether or not my criticism was constructive. I felt like what I had to say made more sense to me and was therefore correct and better for everyone.

Thinking back on certain situations where my frustration with someone not receiving my criticism led to an argument or huge fallout, I have a much better understanding of the saying, “It’s not what you say but how you say it.” I rarely considered the natural difficulty that comes with receiving criticism in the first place. Consequently, that put the other person on immediate defense.  

As we all know, criticism can be useful. Accepting suggestions from others is how we all learn to appreciate one another’s gifts and talents. However, we also need to know how to give constructive criticism. Whether we realize it or not, giving constructive criticism is a skill. Part of sharpening that skill is sincerity. This isn’t the normal “BS sandwich” that people learn about in corporate leadership courses and seminars.

                        BS Sandwich – sandwiching criticism between two positive statements. Lacks sincerity and can be detected a mile away.

Genuine constructive criticism isn’t about being right. It may seem weird but criticism is selfless. Constructive criticism doesn’t ask to be proven right or gain anything. It just wants to see someone be better at what they do.  Genuine criticism is not an attack on another person. Even if we offer critique to a friend directly about them, we should never judge or throw blame on them. No one stays interested in having a conversation where they are being attacked. That is why it helps to compliment the person on what you notice was good. Criticism that feels like an attack only focuses on “wrong”. Before we offer criticism, we should use it as a chance to encourage each other.

In Jeremiah 31:3 Christ reminds us that we were drawn to Him with loving kindness. It’s important that we keep that same attribute when dealing with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Truth be told, being corrected can be a humbling experience and it can hurt. Knowing that, we have to remember when offering corrective criticism, you’re dealing with a person who can feel the same hurt when being corrected by you. It’s almost like a self-check system:

1.     Do I just want to be right?

2.     Am I attacking this person?

3.     What did they do well in the situation?

When you make sure you present a loving posture, anything you say, in love, can be easily received.













-Ayana

SHOTS FIRED

By: Ayana Bryant-Weekes
 
Shots Fired.

Black lives are being attacked on all sides, and while our young men are being shot and killed in the streets with no consequence, our young women are being openly condemned. Elizabeth Lauten, the communications director for Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, fired shots via Facebook to express her disapproval of Sasha and Malia Obama’s behavior and clothing during last week’s Presidential Turkey Pardon. Sasha and Malia are two of the youngest presidential children in the White House (as noted by the Washington Post) and I could be alone in this opinion but I don’t see how Ms. Lauten figured that the pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey is in any way interesting or imperative enough to a 16 and 13 year old that it could peak their adolescent interests. Ms. Lauten also made it a point to use their attire as reason to disrespect them. 

The attack on the First Children by Ms. Lauten is lacking the very class she instructed them to have. She allegedly "prayed for hours" and then apologized for her classless rant but the thought that crosses my mind lately is that our children no longer enjoy childhood for being murdered and bullied at such young ages and not allowed to just be kids. Sasha and Malia are real teenagers; they yawn during Inaugurations, take Selfies, and wave off invitations to pet turkeys named "Cheese" but what teen wouldn’t? 

We need to protect black childhood. At all costs. Protect them from every teacher who dismisses black intelligence, anyone who ever unnecessarily sexualized a black child, and cops who see unarmed black children as attackers.