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Beating Burnout in the Fourth Quarter

Beating Burnout in the Fourth Quarter

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2 Corinthians 1:8-9: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. As it turned out, it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits to get out of it, we were forced to trust God totally — not a bad idea since he’s the God who raises the dead!” (NIV/MSG)

We are in the last quarter of the…

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Oct 27, 2016

PODCAST: Introducing Gospel Goods

PODCAST: Introducing Gospel Goods

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Blurb: Ajia Goods is a smart, talented, and beautiful young woman focused on enhancing her relationship with Christ while encouraging her peers to do the same. Ajia was raised in East Orange New Jersey and calls Christ Church, of Montclair New Jersey, her home. With the help of Christ Church, family, and friends Ajia’s relationship with God has become increasingly strengthened over the past 3…

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Oct 13, 2016

“Play Hurt” instead of “Playing Dead”

“Play Hurt” instead of “Playing Dead”

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From where I’m sitting, there only are 2 options: deciding to “play hurt” or “playing dead,” laying there in my funk and my tears deciding that this problem is for somebody else. But when we forego solving the problem we exempt ourselves from the blessings inherently attached to the problem we’ve written ourselves a hall pass from. Screen Shot 2016-02-22 at 3.28.52 PM.jpgA part of my problem, maybe you share this perspective too, was…

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Sep 29, 2016

Guest Post: Worshiping Into Perspective

Guest Post: Worshiping Into Perspective

Author Leon Bennett
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As humans, we all go through tough times. Times, when we feel like the Lord either hates us or is mad at us because of something we’ve done or we’re just not likable people. My favorite is when everything is going well. You try your best to not think this is too good to be true because you know as soon as you think it everything goes down the drain. That might just be me,…

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Sep 23, 2016

Is Your “Babe in the Faith” Mindset Stifling Your Progress?

Is Your “Babe in the Faith” Mindset Stifling Your Progress?

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I’ve been guilty of having taken advantage of God’s grace and personally abstaining from social responsibility by being “a babe in the faith” and it’s possible that you have too! First, let’s define this unofficial church term, as it will be used in this context: Babe-in-the-faith:noun; the social stigma within religious communities that youth are spiritual newborns and therefore are held to a…

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Sep 16, 2016

Guest Post: The Bumpy Road to P31

Guest Post: The Bumpy Road to P31

Author Ké Colwell

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About a year ago, I told God all I wanted to do was know him more, write about him and heal others with my scars. Here we are, months later, with the Road to P31 blog.

It’s only considerate if I let you in on some backstory that led to this point in my life where I’m actively seeking and loving Christ. So here is my spiritual bio, which will show you I am no saint, prude or…

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Sep 09, 2016
My timeline is the cool mix of black creatives busting at the seams with talent and dedication, Christians trying and failing and trying again as Christians do, family and friends just tryna make it, people from the blogosphere pushing content harder than what’s out there on the street, runners and workout enthusiasts, entertainers saved and unsaved, and black girl magic in addition to some of the best clothes I’ve ever seen. In a snapshot, my timeline is:
Our digital world is wildly saturated with content, leaving those on the receiving end of the timeline obese due to digital consumption. Social media has been a gem for communication, mobilization, advocacy, and encouragement. Social media, in of itself, is neither positive nor negative. Its connotation is dependent on who is using it and what it is being used for.
The reason social media has a global participation rate is because in that realm we decidedly participate in worlds that we craft for ourselves. We share memes of famous faces, adore viral videos, and pop-culture specific to our interests. None of the aforementioned things can be considered helpful or hurtful until they are put into the context of what you personally want for yourself.
You could use the control you have over your own timeline to decide to make your timeline act as a resource that helps you work toward the life you want to live. Your timeline, therefore, can help encourage your salvation or it could steer you away from it. At the end of the day, it can only do what you have designed it to do.

What impact does your timeline have on your thinking? The 3 friends theory, applied to your 3 fav social media accounts:

There is a theory that a person is the sum of their 3 closest friends. So, if you have a funny friend, a smart friend, and a hardworking friend, you’re probably a mixture of funny, smart, and hardworking. If you have a lazy friend, unmotivated friend, and a negative friend, you’re probably lazy, unmotivated and negative too.
In the context of social media, the same theory can easily be applied. If a majority of the posts on your timeline are from workout accounts, fashion accounts, and job industry specific accounts, you condition your mind to consider working out, participating in high fashion, and advancing in your desired field.

Be it healthy or unhealthy, you are your timeline.

When it comes to what you enjoy casually online and on social media, you are what you consume. The idea to walk away with, is that you have full control over what your timeline looks like. When we log in and start looking around we start visually learning habits, attitudes, and behavior. Being more intentional about who you follow, even for entertainment, can help you fine-tune the person you are.
This trick is useful no matter what you are trying to fine tune about yourself, be it attitude, style, personal development, or spiritual development. Want to be fashionable? Follow more fashion focused accounts. Want to make headway in your field? Follow more accounts specific to your industry. Want to learn how to like yourself? Follow more accounts that appreciate people like you. Want spiritual development? Follow accounts that post quotes, scripture, and other spiritually based entertainment (*inserts a shameless plug to the social media accounts to the right and at the bottom of this post*). It’s not all specific to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also apply this to who you follow on Periscope, YouTube, and wherever else. The point is that, when you consume so much of what’s being fed to you on social media, if you ever are unhappy with what’s on your mind or where you are in life, a way to redirect where you’re going is by stopping and re-evaluating who you follow.

Social media can help you or hurt you when it comes to your personal stumbling blocks:

A stumbling block, in the context of your faith, is a specific area that you personally have a problem with. An example of a stumbling block is pornography. If you have decided to refrain from watching stills and videos of pornography, there are people on social media that, for you, would be a stumbling block for you to follow on social media. Why would it be a stumbling block? Because if you follow a women’s workout Instagram, and you struggle with pornography, you will feel a sense of temptation when you come across pictures of women that show off abs, quads, and everything else in the name of fitness.
Is there anything wrong with the women workout Instagram account? Absolutely not. Quite frankly these pictures motivate and encourage other people. The pictures act as a reminder of where you could be if you were consistent and intentional about working out and what you eat. But if the account can serve as a trigger for me, then I shouldn’t follow it. What’s the harm in following it if there’s no nudity? Well, if this is your stumbling block, an innocent scroll can send you into a downward spiral deep within the throws of a private browser.
What is troubling to some, may not be troubling to all. So we ought not demonize something that’s a stumbling block for one or two, but you need to know yourself well enough not to set yourself up. You don’t have to walk around with your eyes covered afraid to look up, just set yourself up to win, instead of unconsciously setting yourself up to fail.
Last point on creating a timeline with more intentionality, if you know that your stumbling block can be just about anyone showing a collarbone then consider following account you know will encourage you like the account @GodOverPorn on Instagram. Social media is a gem because it can help you with your personal goals and invest into you.

 

I like some of my timelines, but not all of them. Now what:

The same way you designed the one you’re looking at, you can design the one you want to see. Starting September 3rd, 2016, KYTT will send out weekly newsletters on Saturday mornings. The newsletter will include a recap of the new post for the week, a vlog from one of the many online faith-based YouTubers, and some encouraging tweets/captions from online influencers. Sign up for the newsletter here and enjoy the process of continuously building up yourself and your timeline.
You can start your search in the KYTT newsletter!
You only receive the newsletter if you sign up for our email list here!
How you saved, but your timeline not? Fixing who you follow My timeline is the cool mix of black creatives busting at the seams with talent and dedication, Christians trying and failing and trying again as Christians do, family and friends just tryna make it, people from the blogosphere pushing content harder than what’s out there on the street, runners and workout enthusiasts, entertainers saved and unsaved, and black girl magic in addition to some of the best clothes I’ve ever seen.
Sep 01, 2016
jahmyaa: “This is beautiful 😭💓 she’s the video vanguard and he congratulated her like this ”

jahmyaa:

This is beautiful 😭💓 she’s the video vanguard and he congratulated her like this

Aug 27, 2016

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