WSSN Stories

Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan (“Blue Shield Promise”) collaborates with community organizations and local artist to create “Promise” mural that will be unveiled in the Boys & Girls Clubs Challengers Clubhouse

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— LOS ANGELES, CA— “Speak Life,” “Share Life,” and “Take Flight,” are some of the positive messages on a new colorful mural painted by South Los Angeles at-risk middle school and high school students and community artist Moses Ball.

The 8-week Blue Shield Promise Community Art Therapy program was held in collaboration with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles, Challengers Clubhouse and Wellnest (formerly Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic). The project helps local youth deal with everyday trauma they face by using their creativity to help design a mural based on their hopes and aspirations.

Each week, social workers and behavioral health specialists from Blue Shield Promise and Wellnest joined accomplished artist Ball who encouraged youth aged 11 to 17 to lend their creativity as they participated in the program. Art was used as a tool to help the program participants share their feelings and talk about difficult issues in a safe, nurturing space. As part of the program, a “Promise” theme mural was painted on the 20-foot by 60-foot wall outside the playground of the Boys and Girls Challengers Clubhouse.

The design is a brightly colored blue wall representing the faces of the children and showcasing their dreams about future occupations. For example, a young girl inspired by aviator Bessie Coleman is dressed like a pilot with an image of a plane taking flight behind her. Another shows a young girl rapper inspired by Nipsey Hussle’s music as well as his community work.

“The vision that inspired the mural is to repair the hurt from the challenges the youth face and in turn foster the dreams that still live inside them,” Ball said.

“It gives me great satisfaction to mentor youth both artistically and in life,” said Ball. “I hope to inspire the next generation to become Los Angeles muralists and beautify the community. With the support of Blue Shield Promise that provided resources and staff, I was able to focus on the artistic instruction and guidance of kids who played a key role in creating the mural.”

“It’s exciting to think that every time I come to the center, the mural gives me a sense of pride  knowing that I helped paint it,” said Brailyn (12 years old), Boys & Girls Clubs Challenger Clubhouse member.  

The mural is part of the Community Art Therapy Program, which includes guidance from trained behavioral health professionals. The goal is to help at-risk youth express their emotions in an invisible form, and assist them in building relationships with others. This program enables kids who are undergoing physical, emotional or mental crisis to increase their ability to explore, discover and interpret reality in a safe space.

“Blue Shield Promise is committed to investing in the communities where our members live to ensure they have every opportunity to have healthy and vibrant lives,” said Dr. Greg Buchert, President and CEO of Blue Shield Promise. “We are thrilled to have the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles and Wellnest joining our effort to create community programming like the youth art therapy that focuses on addressing the health needs of youth using art and engagement.”

“This was a great program for our youth because it provided them with an opportunity that they will be able to experience for years to come with the creating of this colorful new mural at the Challengers Club,” said Calvin Lyons, President and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles. “We’re delighted to work with Blue Shield Promise and Wellnest who understand the needs of healthy communities and offer their time and resources to boost children’s self-esteem and confidence through art therapy.”

“Commenting on the power of art, Charlene Dimas-Peinado, President and CEO of Wellnest added, “We know that art can be used to engage, educate, express powerful emotions, and develop creative thinking and problem solving that can contribute to their future success. We are honored to be a partner on this program to give these young people those tools.”

When Will More Than $2.7 Billion The State Has Invested  in Fighting Homelessness and Building Affordable Housing Reach the People Who Need it?

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

When Coleen Sykes Ray started an organization with her daughter in 2015 to help homeless women, the Stockton, California resident had no idea she, too, would be homeless four years later. 

Now, she, her husband and two children live in an Extended Stay America hotel in Stockton. The family pays a costly $610 hotel bill every week as they struggle to find a place to live.

“When you tell landlords you have a Section 8 voucher, its like saying a dirty word,” says Ray who is African American and works as a Community Outreach Specialist for a local public health organization. “It’s heartbreaking because we’re good people. I’m working and I’m college-educated.”

Ray says she gets why landlords refuse to rent their properties to her family. Some of them explain that they have been burnt many times by people who pay them with vouchers. Other property owners, she says, tell her that it is a hassle to have to deal with the Section 8 administration.

But understanding the landlords’ reluctance  – after going great lengths to impress them, only to be rejected in the end – doesn’t make life easier for Ray and her family. They live cramped in a single hotel room, preparing almost every meal in a microwave, with no sign in sight that they will have a new home soon.

From 2017 to 2019, the number of homeless people in San Joaquin County, where Stockton is the largest city and the county seat, tripled, increasing from 567 to more than 1,500. During that same period in the city of Stockton itself, the homeless population skyrocketed, too, reaching 921 from 311 people two years prior, according to a 2018 “point-in-time” census report compiled by San Joaquin County.  

“While we certainly understand that the number of homeless people have tripled in the county, that number might not be a true reflection of what has happened over the last two years,” says Adam Cheshire, Program Administrator for Homeless Initiatives in San Joaquin County.

Cheshire says in 2017, there were only 35 volunteers who signed up to help count San Joaquin’s homeless population. In 2019, there were 400 volunteers, which helped his organization achieve a more accurate count, including the unsheltered homeless population.

Homelessness is not just a problem for San Joaquin county. It’s a statewide issue. Every major city in California has been hit by the crisis. Across California, the homeless population jumped by 16 percent between 2018 to 2019. With a total of about 130,000 people without a permanent place to live, California has the largest homeless population in the United States.

The high number of people in California without stable housing or a permanent address poses a serious problem for the state as it takes steps to avoid an undercount in the 2020 Census. 

For African Americans, California’s homelessness crisis is even more severe.

“Black Californians make up nearly 7 percent of the state’s general population yet are nearly 30 percent of the homeless population,” wrote Mark Ridley-Thomas, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in an open letter to Gov. Newsom in June. Ridley-Thomas was reaching out to the governor asking him to address some of the problems specific to African Americans in the state.

As the homeless problem started to become more noticeable in Stockton, Ray says she and her daughter would see women, some of them mentally ill, walking around “free-bleeding” during their menstrual cycles. Disturbed by what they saw, they decided to package bags of women’s sanitary hygiene products – washes, wipes, tampons and napkins, etc. –  and hand them out to homeless women.

Soon, what they began as a one-time goodwill gesture grew into a non-profit they started and still run called Bags of Hope. In their first year, Ray and her daughter handed out 30 bags of the feminine products every month. Between 2017 and 2018, as the homelessness crisis spiraled in their city, they donated about 65 bags every month to homeless women in Stockton. This year, Ray says they have been fortunate to reach about 100 women living in shelters and on the streets every month.

Most of the funding they use to buy the products comes from donations from local businesses and individuals and a gala they hold once a year. The biggest gift  their organization has received so  far came from the Black Employee Network at Proctor and Gamble.

“Doing the work of Bags of Hope is a kind of ministry,” says Ray. “Helping other homeless people, gives me and my family hope now that we find ourselves in the same situation. There is no reason to be ashamed. We are not homeless because we are bad people, bad parents or we are lazy. There are investors, buying up properties in neighborhoods, raising the cost of housing, and pushing people out of places where they have been living for years.”

Ray, her husband, daughter and son, who is autistic, became homeless in May of this year. It was about eight months after Blue Shield of California laid her off last September along with about 400 other employees. 

Ray’s husband is a diabetic who became permanently disabled seven years ago after doctors amputated one of his feet following an injury. After her layoff last year, the couple scraped up money together to continue paying their $1,200 monthly rent – until January.

That’s when the landlord increased their rent to $1340, which Ray says they “simply could not afford.” After getting help from her church and making payment arrangements with the landlord for the next couple of months, the family fell behind on rent payments and agreed to move out.

Because every apartment or house they looked at before they left their rented home cost between $1,500 and $1,700 a month, the family decided to move into the hotel where they currently live. 

Fortunately for Ray, she landed her current job on June 24, this year.

But with the high weekly hotel cost, almost “every dime we earn,” says Ray, from her salary and her husband’s disability payment, goes toward their hotel bill. 

Around the time Ray and her family moved into the hotel in May, Gov. Newsom presented his revised 2019-20 budget to the legislature with unprecedented spending in it to take on the state’s homelessness crisis. The state plans to invest approximately $2.7 billion on shelters, prevention, support services, and more, as well as funding new affordable housing initiatives, according to Christopher Martin, Legislative Advocate for Housing California, a Sacramento-based organization focused on helping to solve California’s homelessness problem.

The budget took effect July 1.

Then, two weeks ago, Gov. Newsom signed into law AB 101, a trailer bill detailing budget dollars and issuing guidelines on how the monies allocated to fight homelessness will be spent. A provision tucked into the bill now prevents local governments from blocking the building of homeless shelters and navigation centers in communities across the state.

A few of the budget items in AB 101 are: a $45.9 million allocation to support Census outreach to hard-to-count communities; $25 million to support housing and benefits for homeless people who are disabled; and $16.4 million in rental assistance for former prisoners .  

About $250 million in the state budget will be funneled to counties across the state to fund homeless initiatives.

Together, California’s counties and  cities will receive a total of $650 million from the state over the next year for homeless housing, assistance and prevention programs. 

Cheshire told California Black Media that his team is coming up with ideas for the most effective ways to spend the new state funding in San Joaquin County so they can help families like Ray’s. But it is still too early, he says, to share those plans because they are not yet finalized and the state has not yet released the money.

Most of the money will start to kick in after April of 2020, says Martin.

As Ray balances adjusting to her new day job with the difficulties of being homeless, and helping other homeless women through  the work of Bags of Hope, she remains upbeat and optimistic.

“I can’t go out and preach love, light and strength and have a negative spirit,” she says. “No matter what I’m facing.”

Californians Urged to Apply by August 19

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— The California State Auditor recently reminded Californians that there are only five days left to submit an initial application for the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. With less than a week left before the August 19 deadline, to date 17,791 people have applied to serve on the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission, of which 15,110 are tentatively eligible.

“Now is the time to apply,” said California State Auditor Elaine M. Howle. “The deadline for the initial application period is Monday, August 19, and we are asking eligible applicants not to delay any longer. I urge you to take up this once in a decade opportunity to be part of one of California’s most important processes – redrawing the lines of California’s congressional and state electoral districts.”

The initial application takes about ten minutes to complete. Applicants must submit an application online at shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov during the initial application period, which ends this Monday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m. 

Information requested through the initial application is used to determine tentative eligibility and is a required first step in the application and selection process for becoming a member of the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. A supplementary application will be made available at the end of the initial application period to the applicants who are tentatively eligible. The supplemental application period begins Wednesday, August 21, and runs through

September 20, 2019.

For information about eligibility requirements and to apply, please visit shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov or call (833) 421–7550. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @ShapeCAFuture.

About the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission

Every ten years, after the federal government publishes updated census information, California must redraw the boundaries of its Congressional, State Senate, State Assembly, and State Board of Equalization districts.

In 2008, California voters passed the Voters FIRST Act authorizing the creation of an independent Commission comprised of 14 members. The 2020 Commission will include five Democrats, five Republicans, and four who are either registered without, or “independent” of, any political party (decline-to-state or no party preference) or with another party. The Commission is responsible for drawing the lines of each district. The open application period for new Commission members began June 10, 2019, and will run through August 19, 2019. 

The California State Auditor’s Office is a state entity that is independent of the executive branch and legislative control. The purpose of the California State Auditor’s Office is to improve California government by assuring the performance, accountability, and transparency that its citizens deserve. For more information on the State Auditor’s Office, please visit www.Auditor.ca.gov.

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The California State Auditor is tracking applicant demographic data on a daily basis and it is available to the public at https://applications.shapecaliforniasfuture.auditor.ca.gov/.

By Lou Yeboah

I don’t know about you, but when I think about that phrase, “This far and no more!” it becomes  an “Aah” moment for me! You see, knowing that God watches over you, working things out for you, and blocking the assault of the enemy against you, can’t be but an “Aah” moment! “This far and no more,” means the enemy can only come but so far and then he must stop. For He said, “thus far and no father will you come.”  I don’t know about you, but that an “Aah” moment for me!

You see, when God got behind Israel, He put a separation between them and the enemy. The Egyptians, who sought to attack them from behind, were neutralized. God blocked the attack. I want you to know that, you don’t have to run away from the enemy, be intimidated, or fearful, because God  got your back. He is your defense.  That’s why what the devil  tries won’t work!

As Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”Place your hope, confidence and trust in the Lord who defends you.  Don’t panic! Don’t fear.  God has you covered and has the enemy blocked. Know that He’s blocking the attack on your family. He’s blocking the attack in every area of your life where Satan has tried to stop you from possessing the promises of God.

I tell you, when the devil and his imps are waging war in your life, don’t worry, be happy! Because the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil.  God got your back! The same God who showed Himself strong on Hezekiah’s behalf is showing Himself strong on your behalf. Top of FormBottom of FormNo weapon formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord. [Isaiah 54:17]

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, God preserve my life, He stretch out His hands against the wrath of my enemies, and His right hand delivered me….[Psalms 138:1-8].

As David said, “We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield…” [Psalm 33:20-22]

Potential homebuyers turned out in droves to receive know-how, financial assistance through landmark program

While statistics may paint a grim picture of Black homeownership, a recent event in Baltimore laid out a clear path for turning those numbers around across the country.

Anyone questioning whether the Black community is primed to join the ranks of homeowners need only look to an innovative event in Baltimore that took place June 22. Nearly 700 people came away with the inspiration, education and motivation to make the goal of homeownership a reality when HomeFree-USA launched its Step Into Your Power: Prepare for Success Through Homeownership initiative to an enthusiastic audience of African American homebuyers in Baltimore City. 

More than 500 homebuyers participated in a live event at the Reginald Lewis Museum, while an additional 166 participated via live stream and a second event that was held to accommodate the overflow crowd.

Homeownership is the number one wealth indicator and accounts for 92 percent of Black wealth. Yet, the Great Recession of 2008 wiped out 48 percent of that homeownership wealth and African Americans are continuing to fall even further behind in homeownership compared to other segments. In fact, the Black homeownership rate has fallen to the lowest level ever as of the first quarter of 2019, according to Census data.

With Black Americans making up 63.3 percent of Baltimore’s population, the decline in Black homeownership poses a particular threat to Charm City. Step Into Your Power is a groundbreaking way to turn those homeownership numbers around and the kickoff event showed that many Baltimore residents agree. 

HomeFree-USA Founder Marcia Griffin welcomed attendees and talked candidly about the crisis in the Black community around the wealth gap, sharing how homeownership can help Black Americans improve their financial standing. HomeFree-USA also shared that homebuyers may be able to take advantage of up to $42,000 in financial assistance.

Some attendees pointed to the gentrification that has taken place in Washington, DC in the last few years and expressed their belief that Baltimore may realize the same fate. As a result, several attendees saw buying in Baltimore as an opportunity to both stop gentrification from pushing people from the city they love and a chance to be a homeowner in the city where they were born and raised.

Other attendees expressed their desire to buy a home so they can pass it down to their children and grandchildren.

Attendees also learned that organizations like HomeFree-USA can provide them with the financial education and the know-how to make their dream of homeownership a reality.

HomeFree-USA will host a series of Step Into Your Power events in Baltimore over the next 5 months designed to guide, educate, and coach first-time Baltimore City homebuyers to mortgage readiness, default resistance and homeownership. Upon success in Baltimore, the initiative will be launched in other cities with a significant number of African American residents. One goal of the Step Into Your Power program is to get 10,000 African American families mortgage-ready around the country by the end of 2020.

Entrepreneur and educator Stedman Graham, author of the recently released book, Identity Leadership, delivered the keynote address in Baltimore and spoke about how one must learn to lead oneself before one can lead others. Graham has been teaching self-actualization principles that help people discover who they can be, and he brought those insights to energize Baltimore residents as they prepare for success.

Strong partnerships underscore the strength of the initiative and were highlighted at the event.

“Step into Your Power: prepare for success through homeownership is a terrific example of working together to make a positive impact toward boosting Baltimore City homeownership,” said Lisa Thomlinson, program manager with Wells Fargo Housing Philanthropy.

Wells Fargo showed its commitment to Baltimore by offering qualified homebuyers up to $15,000 for down payment and closing costs through a program called NeighborhoodLIFT.  “Just as in many communities across the country, far too many families struggle with housing affordability in Baltimore,” Thomlinson says. “That’s why Wells Fargo teamed-up with HomeFree-USA and Stedman Graham to make a concerted effort to bring our business expertise forward and combine it with available resources including NeighborhoodLIFT Home Ownership Counseling grants for interested homebuyers.”

Freddie Mac is also providing financial support to ensure that Step Into Your Power reaches as many potential homebuyers as possible.

Step Into Your Power is a means for increasing the homeownership rate among African Americans and reducing the wealth gap in America. It also is designed to help Black Americans break the cycle of renting and begin to make homeownership an achievement that is passed down from generation to generation.

“This event marks the revival of the spirit to buy in Baltimore,” says Milan Griffin, Vice President of Marketing and Outreach for HomeFree-USA. “Thanks to Step Into Your Power, Baltimore residents see the opportunity homeownership presents and have a pathway to get there.”

Learn more about Step Into Your Power here, https://www.homefreeusa.org/company_news

By John Coleman

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK)—- REDLANDS, CA— Special  members of the public were invited to join officials who represent federal, state, county, local communities and business interests in the ceremonial groundbreaking of the extension of the passenger rail service to, and eventually through Redlands. The ceremony was held on July 20, 2019.

For the period necessary for the ceremony, Redlands traffic was diverted from Stuart Street between Texas Street and Orange Street in Redlands. A small number of residents from the area were also in attendance. The event was covered by local, regional and electronic media.

The Redlands Passenger Rail Project (RPRP) describes itself as an advanced regional transportation project designed to connect residents, businesses and visitors to a variety of leisure, education, healthcare and other destinations. The nine-mile rail project provides new transportation choices through the implementation of a new rail service that integrates conveniently with other transportation modes such as auto, bus and bicycle.

The route starts at it’s national and Metrolink rail services base located at the Santa Fe Depot near Downtown San Bernardino then it proceeds locally to the San Bernardino Transit Center where it connects with the (non-rail) Omnitrans, Mountain Transit, Pass Transit, Victor Valley Transit systems and the SB/X route that flows from north of CSUSB to the Loma Linda University and Medical Center and to the VA Medical Center. 

The Redlands Passenger Rail Project proceeds through the SBTransit Center, jogs south and east to cross the Santa Ana River, stops at the to-be-built new Tippecanoe Ave Station, runs along-side the 10 freeway and Redlands Blvd to the to-be built station at ESRI , on to the under- construction Redlands Train Station, & University (of Redlands)  station.

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By Dr. John Chang, senior medical director, UnitedHealthcare of California

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— August marks back-to-school season, an ideal time for parents in California to help improve their children’s health. Before schedules become packed with classes, homework and extracurricular activities, here’s a back-to-school “health checklist” to help give children a better chance to succeed inside and outside the classroom:

Get a Comprehensive Eye Exam

About 80 percent of what children learn is through their eyes. With that in mind, a child’s first comprehensive eye exam should occur before age 1, again at age 3 and before entering school. If no vision issues are detected, school-aged children should have an exam at least once every two years. Also, a school’s vision screening is not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam, as screenings can miss conditions such as poor eye alignment, focusing issues and farsightedness.

The inability to see clearly can affect a child’s physical, emotional and social development, which in turn can affect academic and athletic performance. Children often don’t complain if their vision isn’t normal, so it’s important to look for possible signs such as squinting while reading or watching television, difficulty hitting or catching a ball, or headaches when watching 3D movies.

Also, be aware of digital eye strain, which is caused by prolonged use of computers or smartphones. Help your child practice healthy vision habits by keeping computer screens at least 30 inches from their eyes, resting their eyes every 20 minutes and blinking frequently to avoid dry eyes. 

Get a Dental Cleaning

Maintaining proper oral health matters more than just keeping a sparkling smile – it’s also important for good overall health. This is especially true for children, as untreated dental problems may diminish attention, decrease self-esteem and limit a child’s ability to learn at school.

Tooth decay is largely preventable, yet it ranks as the most common chronic disease among children. About 33 percent of young kids (ages 2 to 8) have cavities in their baby teeth, and 20 percent of kids in the same age group have cavities in their adult teeth. With that in mind, parents should schedule regular dental exams every six months, especially at schools that require a back-to-school dental checkup.

For parents with teenagers, it is important to recognize the risks of opioid addiction, especially after wisdom teeth removal. If you or a loved one is prescribed an opioid following a dental or other medical procedure, ask your health care professional if there are alternatives, including over-the-counter pain relievers such as a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen.  

Get Recommended Immunizations

Many schools in California require that children are properly immunized before they enter the classroom to help to avoid serious diseases and prevent other students from contracting them. Children’s vaccines are 90% to 99% effectiveand may help protect kids from diseases such as mumps, tetanus and chicken pox. By helping reduce the risk of contracting potentially preventable diseases such as the flu, children may have fewer school absences.

Parents should check with their doctor to determine what immunizations are appropriate based on age. Most shots are given by the time children are 2 years old, but some are administered into the teen years. If your child runs a low-grade fever or has swelling in the shot location after the immunization, these minor side effects typically last a couple days. Apply a cool, wet washcloth on the sore area to help ease discomfort, but check with your doctor about the appropriateness of over-the-counter pain medications.

Back-to-school season is an exciting time for many children and their parents. Consider these guidelines to help encourage your child’s health and success throughout the school year. 

By Lou Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— Well these are the words of the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the ruler of God’s creation.  I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither cold nor hot—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  Be earnest and repent. Talking ’bout you got this!  “I will destroy you, and none will be left.” [Zephaniah 2:5]. Oh, that God may help me to speak so that your life may be changed, and that the Word of God may be against you no longer!

Oh, Sinner Man! Consider the fearful danger you are in!  You have made God your enemy, what a terrible thing this is. For thus saith the Lord, “Therefore will I also deal in fury; mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity; and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them” [Ezekiel 8:18].  Come NOW, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” [Isaiah 1:18]. Wake up! Stir yourself and don’t be slothful. “Cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Walk properly, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. [Romans 13:11-14]. Be zealous and repent! [Revelation 3:19]. If you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. [Isaiah 1:20].

Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls” [1 Cor. 10:12].

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them [Deuteronomy 30:15-20].

By Lou Yeboah

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)—- Embrace it, and stop trying to get on board with everybody else. You can’t do what everybody else do! You can’t go where everybody else is gingo! God is trying to lead you; He has a plan for your life.  Loosen your grip, and surrender to your own ways. God has His hand on you for a specific purpose. What an amazing privilege to have God’s hand write your name in ‘the Book of Life’ belonging to Jesus [Revelation 13:8]. Stop trying to get on board with everybody else, and embrace the fact that God has you on a different path; for you have been set apart for God’s purposes. “Come out from among them and be ye separate,” says the Lord. [2 Corinthians 6:17]. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” [Jeremiah 29:11].

Even though you may feel as if you have been put on a shelf and forgotten, you have been set apart for the call of God on your life. Embrace it! For many are called, but few are chosen. [Matthew 22:14] You are chosen by God; you are pitied by God; and the effect of that pity—that mercy—is that God takes you to be his own possession. You exist for this reason: “that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”This is the full-time destiny of a royal priest – to make the glories of the king know. Knowing our identity is in Christ is one thing, but understanding how that practically changes the way we live is another.  

I cannot urge you enough to learn the verses about your identity in Christ. You are called to be different. While every believer has been set apart for good works [Ephesians 2:10], there are some people who have been set apart to do unique and even extraordinary things in their walk with God and service to God. He has set you apart for a reason.

You know, Israel desperately tried to fit in with the nations around them. They wanted to be like everyone else. But God refused to allow this. He set Israel apart to be a holy nation. God set Israel apart to intentionally distinguish them from everyone else. God did not do this to punish the Israelites or deprive them. He specifically chose them for good. Being set apart not only was a privilege but also carried with it amazing blessings, far more than they could ever imagine.

What is awesome in all of this is that this declaration is made, not by us, but by God. He has consecrated us and set us apart for a higher purpose. Renewing our mind to this truth is of the utmost importance. We must know and understand who we are in Christ and who He is in us so that we can walk in the purpose to which we have been called and set apart.

You have been set apart for God’s purposes. Embrace it!

(EMPIRE NEWS NETWORK—ENN)— SAN BERNARDINO, CA—- A 2005 San Bernardino High School graduate and San Bernardino, California native provides key support as part of combat operations aboard future USS St. Louis, stationed at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Petty Officer 1st Class Andrew Orton serves as a fire controlman responsible for operating and maintaining complex radar and weapons systems. 

Orton credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in San Bernardino.   

“Growing up in my hometown gave me the drive and motivation to pursue my Navy career,” said Orton. 

LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused- platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. 

The ship’s technological benefits allow for swapping mission packages quickly, meaning sailors can support multiple missions, such as surface warfare, mine warfare, or anti-submarine warfare. Designed to defeat threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft, littoral combat ships are a bold departure from traditional Navy shipbuilding programs. The LCS sustainment strategy was developed to take into account the unique design and manning of LCS and its associated mission modules. 

According to Navy officials, the path to becoming an LCS sailor is a long one. Following an 18-month training pipeline, sailors have to qualify on a simulator that is nearly identical to the ship. This intense and realistic training pipeline allows sailors to execute their roles and responsibilities immediately upon stepping onboard.

Orton is now a part of a long-standing tradition of serving in the Navy our nation needs. 

“My friend, Brian, was in the Navy,” said Orton. “He was always talking about how serving the good outweighed the bad, and I didn’t have direction so it seemed like a good idea at the time.” 

Orton is part of a warfighting team that readily defends America at all times. 

“My proudest accomplishment was making first class,” said Orton. “It gives you the chance to retire from the service.” 

Orton is playing an important part in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy. 

“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.” 

As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon capital assets, Orton and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes. 

Serving in the Navy, Orton is learning about being a more respectable leader, sailor and person through handling numerous responsibilities. 

“Serving in the Navy means job security,” said Orton. “It’s an exciting and unpredictable career.”