Happily Divorced And After

LOS ANGELES, CA – Southern California McDonald’s restaurants are partnering with California State University (CSU) to provide local students with resources needed to make the goal of higher education a reality. For the third year, McDonald’s is sponsoring CSU Super Saturday, by providing free transportation from a McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino to the event at CSU Dominguez Hills in Carson on Saturday, August 8.

Students and their families from San Bernardino County will be transported from the local McDonald’s restaurant located at 1575 E. Highland Avenue in San Bernardino. The bus is scheduled to depart at 7 a.m. with a complimentary breakfast provided from 6 a.m. until 7 a.m. for those who are registered for transportation.

Super Saturday provides an opportunity for students to learn everything they need to know about attending college. Representatives from CSU’s 23 campuses, as well as other colleges and universities, will be on hand to provide information about admission requirements, obtaining financial aid, campus life, choosing a major, and showing the advantages of a college education. It is produced by the CSU African American Initiative – a program of the Chancellor’s Office’s External Relations department. Last year’s event attracted a multicultural audience of more than 2,000 students.

Super Saturday attendees will also be able to visit with McDonald’s representatives at the event to learn about Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California’s College Scholarship Program and employment opportunities that aid students in supplementing their college costs.

Transportation provided by Southern California McDonald’s increases exposure for students who would not normally have the opportunity to attend the event. Local owner/operators support the company’s belief that learning doesn’t take place only in the classroom. Community partnerships with institutions of higher-learning, like CSU, helps to further extend that message.

The college fair will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 8. Students and their families can register for transportation at http://ow.ly/PQZr0, or by contacting L. CaCera Richmond at (310) 754-4808. For more information, visit www.mcdonaldssocal.com/ or Tweet to @McDonalds_SoCal on Twitter.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Time for Change Foundation (TFCF) and community volunteers gathered to conduct a FREE PROP. 47 FELONY REDUCTION CLINIC, which was held on Saturday, July 25, at The Way World Outreach Downtown Mission in San Bernardino.  After almost 2 months of outreach efforts, those in need of assistance came out on droves to have their felonies reduced to misdemeanors at this one day event. Hundreds of Petitions were completed which will reduce barriers to employment and housing while strengthening families in the Inland Empire!

“We both got our felonies reduced today.  I can get a better job, make more money and buy our first house,” said one gentleman while waiting with his 2 children for his wife to finish with the attorneys.

Over 33 volunteers came together to help the community including teams from the San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga Public Defender’s offices, Attorney Allison Bracy (Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt), Attorney Claudia Lopez (IELLU), Renea Wickman (Political Activist and Community Organizer), Donna Ferracone (Board of Trustees SBCCD and TFCF Advisory Council Member), Roxanne Williams (6^th Ward Candidate for San Bernardino City Council), Dov Cohen, University of Redlands students Emma Wade and Jewel Patterson, all TFCF staff and clients.

The San Bernardino County Department of Public Health brought their 40’ van to provide health screenings and Budget Mobile was on hand with free phones. Lunch was provided by TFCF and prepared by The Way World Outreach volunteer food team.  Computers for the event were provided by Tracey Holcomb from SGDIG.

This event was a part of CHAMP47 (Creating Healthy Alternatives Mobilizing Prop. 47), an initiative of TFCF created to implement Proposition 47, The Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, which was approved by voters in last November’s election.  The CHAMP47 campaign will help to improve health and safety of our community which has been devastated by mass incarceration. It will also help rebuild families by removing underlying barriers to employment, access to health care, and education in San Bernardino.

The Real Dirty Birdy

This week What it do with LUE is LUE Productions 2015 Indie Artist Award Show “My Music, My MIC”! Starring – The Real Dirty Birdy; Radio Base; LUE Productions Camp – Paul Douglas, Dada Doe, Mack Pepperboy, Speaker Junkiez, Dunamis L1019, Gwaap Fam, and Nya BanXXX!

Don’t miss this EPIC event honoring and recognizing businesses, entertainment entities, individuals and artists that have contributed to the music within the Inland Empire. DRESS UP & STEP UP! This will be an evening to remember.

Radio Base

Please show your support by coming out Saturday, August 1, 2015 located the Sports Center in San Bernardino 690 S. Arrowhead Avenue in San Bernardino. Red Carpet and Social Hour will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and the award show will run from 8:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. After the show, feel free to stay and turn up some more at the After Party from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tickets are $15.00 at the door. For more information, please call (909) 567-1000.

Comedian Jaye Devan, Singer Devyn Kelly and Willie Latimore

LOS ANGELES, CA- Singer, Songwriter, Producer, Author and Elite City Production’s founder Willie Latimore celebrated his 30 year milestone of life, love and music at an intimate fundraising event on Sunday night at the House of Music and Entertainment (H.O.M.E.) in Beverly Hills.

Latimore’s fans were treated to a phenomenal lineup of entertainment including; the comedic talents of Jaye Devan, singer Devyn Kelly, songwriter/recording artist Desmond “Decope” Copeland, and humanitarian/recording artist Barry Bartlett expounded on Latimore’s new book “Removing Your Mountains Thru the Power of Love” and performed a riveting spoken word piece. Special appearances included RCA Recording artist Aanysa; “Raising Whitley” cast members Harold Bell and Samantha Cha (host); comedian and actor Derrick Fields (co-host); international model, motivational speaker and body builder Shawn Lupree and a host of other special guests.

As the somber news about the demise of Bobbi Kristina Brown broke, Fox Channel 11 News captured an awe-inspiring tribute to Whitney Houston and Bobbi Kristina Brown, and got reaction from guests about her untimely death.

The evening continued as Latimore and the superb vocal talents of NBC’s The Voice Season 7 finalist Damien Lawson teamed up on stage, their voices harmoniously blending together, giving an earth-shattering performance.

Latimore performed his latest single, “How Do I Get To Love“, and concluded by taking everyone to church with an anointed medley of spirit-filled songs, leaving his audience longing for more.

For more information about upcoming shows forthcoming, visit www.willielatimore.com.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

I Didn’t Do It… It Wasn’t Me… Oh, Really!  Did you forget that God is an omniscience [all-knowing] God? That He sees all, both that which is public and that which is private… That He sees all things at all times… [Psalms 33:14-15] tell us that, “From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; from His dwelling place, He watches all who live on earth – He who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.”  [Hebrews 4:13] tells us that– “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” It is imperative that you remember that God knows all things, past, present and future, real and potential, and He knows them all at the same time. He not only knows what was, what is, but He also knows what will be, and more than that, He knows everything that could be. Remember that old quote, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time…” Well, you can NEVER fool God!

But this is how we think. We are apt to commit sin and evil because we think that no one is watching us and nobody knows what’s going on with us except ourselves. Do not deceive yourself my friend; God is watching everything you do. When you look around and feel like there is no one else around, you must realize the existence of God who looks down from heaven upon you. It is that moment in life from which you know you cannot hide. You cannot escape. It is a moment that is terrifying and comforting – unsettling and reassuring both at the same time. It is terrifying because you realize you can no longer pretend or get away with it. He knows every secret, every thought, every word you have spoken, and everything you have done. Yet, for some unexplainable reason, it is also reassuring. If God knows everything about me and is still willing to call me by my name – that is astonishing! He calls out to me – not to terrify me, but to speak to me as a friend. He calls me by name! Isn’t that just amazing!

Now for those of you who don’t believe that God is all-knowing… I will confidently say that few doctrines are so explicitly taught as the doctrine of God’s omniscience. Consider the following statement of Scripture: 1 Samuel 2: 3; 1 John 3:20; Psalms 147:5; Hebrews 4:13... And that only scratches the surface. The Bible in many places sets forth implications of God’s unlimited knowledge. Consider further the following statements: Luke 12: 7; Psalm 139:4; Psalm 139:2; Matthew 6:8; Psalm 139:2-3. I tell you, God knows everything you are going to do tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, and every moment of every day until the moment of your death. Psalm 139:16. He records every word you say and will someday call you to account for every careless, thoughtless, unkind and unchristian comment. Matt 12:36 He sees everything you do in secret – both the good and the bad. Matt 6:4; He hears every whispered word and will one day, shout them from the rooftop. Luke 123:3. No wonder David exclaimed as he pondered how much God knew about him, Psalm 139:5. He felt trapped by God’s knowledge of his every word and deed.  All these truths should give us pause the next time we are tempted to think that no one can hear what we are saying or no one knows what we are thinking or doing. How wrong we are! One day you will give account for every careless word and every unspoken thought. Not only that, you will answer for the motives behind your thoughts. Before you speak; before you think, remember, God sees and knows everything you do. He hears everything you say. He will someday judge you for all of it. Nothing escapes Him. Everything is transparent before His eyes.

One final word and I am done. This doctrine of God’s omniscience should strike terror into the heart of every unbeliever. Jesus said, “Men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” [Matt 12:36]. God’s omniscience is the basis of His judgment. This is not good news for sinners. We cannot hide anything. He knows all our works and thought and brings them all into judgment. But the wicked man says, “God has forgotten; he covers his face and never sees.” [Psalm 10:11]. Wrong! Who knows? God knows! [Job 34:21] “His eyes are on the ways of men; He sees their every step. You can sin and go to Hell if you desire. No one is going to fool God. No one is going to escape judgment. “Do not fool yourself into thinking otherwise. Smile…You’re On Candid Camera, 24–Hr Video Surveillance!

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The California Wellness Foundation’s (Cal Wellness) Board of Directors elected a new member, Ernest J. Wilson III, who is Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California, a professor of political science and a faculty fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy. His service is effective immediately.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Wilson to the Board and believe he will bring new expertise to the Foundation,” said Elizabeth M. Gomez, Cal Wellness’ Board chair. “He has a fresh perspective from his work related to academia, communications and political science. We are all looking forward to working with him as Cal Wellness implements its Advancing Wellness grants program.”

Wilson is the Walter H. Annenberg Chair in Communication at USC’s Annenberg School, a renowned higher education institution that offers multidisciplinary approaches to the study of communication and journalism. He also heads USC Annenberg’s Third Space, an initiative that helps create a talent pool of next-generation leaders who will shape the future of media, communications, entertainment and business.

He holds a doctorate in political science and has served as director of international programs and resources on the National Security Council at the White House; director of the Policy and Planning Unit for the U.S. Information Agency; deputy director of the Global Information Infrastructure Commission; an advisor for President Barack Obama’s transition team; and a board member and board chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

LOS ANGELES, CA- The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is ready to take moviegoers on a cinematic journey with international film screenings from around the globe with the announcement of its Call for Submissions. The 24th annual PAFF, the nation’s largest and most prestigious Black film festival will be held on February 4^th to the 15^th, 2016 in Los Angeles. Over the years, it has showcased films from all parts of the world, representing such countries as Angola, Nigeria, Jamaica, New Zealand, Rwanda, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico, South Africa, England, Mexico, Japan, France and of course, the United States. With the pulse on the international film market, PAFF has opened the minds of its audiences, and transported them to faraway lands and back home again.

“Over the years, the filmmakers from around the world have become more sophisticated in telling their stories,” says Asantewa Olatunji, the director of programming for PAFF. “In our ever shrinking world, it is so important to understand the experiences and points of views of other peoples and cultures.”

Last year, more than 40,000 people attended the film festival, which has long been a highly anticipated event in Los Angeles attended by local, national and international guests. Currently, PAFF is accepting submissions of features and shorts; narrative and documentary films made by or about people of African descent. You can currently apply by going online to the PAFF website at www.paff.org and clicking onto “Submit Film”. Fill out the online application and either upload your film with your completed application or send in a DVD to PAFF at 6820 LaTijera Blvd. Ste. 200, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

PAFF is currently accepting applications for films and videos made by and/or about people of African descent. (Please note: the filmmaker need not be of African descent.) Preferably, films should depict positive and realistic images and can be of any genre – drama, comedy, horror, adventure, animation, romance, science fiction, experimental, etc. PAFF accepts features and shorts both narrative and documentary.

The PAFF competition categories are: Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary, Best Director – First Feature, plus a variety of Audience Favorite Awards. Films in competition must be copyrighted no earlier than 2014. With the exception of Audience Favorite Awards, films are judged by industry professionals. In addition to competition awards, other programming and festival special prizes will be awarded.

For information about the festival, submission procedures, fees and registration, click www.paff.org or email submissions@paff.org. Early submissions will be accepted beginning July 20 through August 7; regular submissions begin August 8 and run through October 2, 2015. Late submissions will be accepted from October 3 to October 31

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Thanks to an initiative first recommended by Board of Education member Danny Till­man, with full support from fellow Board members, 5,000 socio-economically disadvantaged families in the San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) will receive 21st Century technology through a program designed to close the digital divide.

SBCUSD is offering the Family Chromebook Initiative beginning July 6 in partnership with California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF). CETF is providing $100,000 in funding, as well as its School2Home curriculum in support of the Initiative. Through the Board of Education’s Family Chromebook Initiative, SBCUSD will provide free Chromebook computers and T-Mobile Internet service to 5,000 SBCUSD families. Eligible families were contacted by the SBCUSD automated phone system to identify those interested in the program. About 5,000 were willing to participate in the pilot program.

“So much of our society is going digital and we want to provide families who don’t have devices and Internet access at home the resources they need to help their children be successful,” said Barbara Richardson, the director of Accountability & Educational Technology for SBCUSD. “The Chromebook Initiative and School2Home program help provide those with the most need and the fewest resources a chance to even the playing field.”

As part of the Board-led Initiative, one adult and one student from each family must attend the School2Home training program in July. The Board of Education felt the program would only be successful if it included a training component for students and parents. The initial training focuses on basic computer literacy skills and helps participants set up a free email account and connect to Internet-based educational services, such as the SBCUSD Parent Portal. Additional, optional School2Home computer training will also be offered throughout the school year to help parents and students develop their computer skills and build a closer connection to the school community.

All School2Home training will be provided in English and Spanish. Parents and students who need additional accommodations, including services in other languages, will receive those services upon request. SBCUSD will loan participating families one Chromebook and provide limited, home Internet service for one year, as long as they attend SBCUSD schools. The home-based Internet access will have the same protections as school-based Internet access.

LOS ANGELES – Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (“MLKCH”) announced that the privately-owned, non-profit hospital is now fully licensed, accredited, and opened to the public as of Tuesday July 7, 2015.  An opening dedication is scheduled for August 7, 2015.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital is a brand new state-of-the-art facility, with all new equipment, technology, staff, and administration. MLKCH has a total of 131 beds, including 93 medical/surgical beds, 20 intensive care beds and 18 obstetrical beds. Inpatient specialties will include Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Emergency Services, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, General Surgery, Infectious Diseases, Neurology, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Otolaryngology, Pathology, Radiology, Pulmonary Medicine and Urology.  The hospital’s medical staff includes six hospital-based physician groups that will be on-site 24/7.

“After much hard work and dedication, we are excited to open our doors to the public,” said MLKCH’s Chief Executive Officer, Elaine Batchlor, MD, MPH. “We designed this hospital from the ground up to meet the urgent health needs of our community, and we are eager to welcome them. Working with our staff, physicians, and partners at the County of Los Angeles and the University of California healthcare system, we are bringing compassionate, collaborative, quality care to South Los Angeles.”

MLKCH has completed licensure by the California Department of Public Health, and accreditation by The Joint Commission, a national agency that monitors health care organizations and promotes the highest standards of quality and patient safety.  The Emergency Department, Labor and Delivery, and other hospital services will be open for patient care on July 7^th.

“MLKCH will be a leading model of innovative, collaborative, community health care,” added Dr. Batchlor. “We have assembled a world-class healthcare team that includes highly-qualified clinical leaders and a diverse, multilingual staff.  MLKCH will be a leading force in addressing the long-standing health disparities in our community.”

ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital is a private, non-profit, safety-net hospital, administered by the Martin Luther King, Jr. – Los Angeles Healthcare Corporation (MLK-LA), a 501(c)(3) organization.  The 131-bed community hospital has a 21-bed emergency department, 20 ICU beds, and 18 labor, delivery, and postpartum beds.  The hospital’s mission is to provide compassionate, innovative and quality care, and collaborating with providers and our community to create a healthier South Los Angeles. The hospital will serve 1.35 million residents of South Los Angeles regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.

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Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

In our relationship with one another we don’t have to tell someone that our love has grown cold towards them… they know it! They know it because of how we behave towards them. God wants you to know today that He is aware that your love has grown cold toward Him and that it breaks His heart that the thrill is gone.

You know the apostle Paul wrote [1Cor. 13:3 and John 4:24] a message to the church of their need to examine themselves and their love for Christ. He said, “Don’t try to worship God with lies. Don’t’ tell Him that you love Him if you really don’t love Him. Don’t’ try to convince Him that you love Him by telling Him all you do for Him. When two people really love each other, they aren’t mechanical in their relationship. Their love is spontaneous.” When you fall in love with someone, you don’t think its strange to tell them so over and over. And if you can’t see them that day, you’re sure to call or write just to remind them that you love them. You don’t neglect to let each other know you still have that same love. You don’t keep quiet just because you take it for granted that they still know it.  When you stop telling your mate you love them, that’s an indication that perhaps you no longer do love them. You can’t keep love quiet. When you really love someone, you’re not ashamed to express that love. It doesn’t sound repetitious. No, its music to their ears. How much more should we tell the Lord we love Him, even though we know He is aware of it? Because apparently Him knowing is very important [John 21:15]. Listen, there’s nothing harder than a one-sided marriage, where one mate loves the other but receives no love in return. A love relationship needs to be mutual if it is to grow. Now, the Lord loves you, and He doesn’t want that love to be one sided. He gives you His love but also wants to receive your love and devotion. I tell you, some of us need to go back to that, “Old Time Religion, When It Was Good Enough for Me.” Some of us need to ask God to “Take Us Back to Where We First Received Him.” Think back to where the Lord found you and what He did for you when He saved you by Grace. Remember those days when just the mere mention of the name of Jesus was enough to bring tears to yours eyes. Remember those days when “Amazing Grace” made you nearly have a shouting spell. That is where the Lord wants to bring you back to!

Let me tell you a story of, “Undying Love.” …The story of Hosea and Gomer… I want you to know that Hosea is one of the most emotional books in the Bible, an outpouring of persistent love from God’s heart. Hosea begins with a love story – a painful, personal love story, the prophet’s very own. Hosea had married a woman who became unfaithful to him and brought great shame upon him. Yet though she cheated on him, Hosea still loved her. Though she humiliated him, he did not divorce her. Why not? Because God had told him that his painful love story would help him understand and feel with another more painful love story: the painful love of God for His people. Hosea’s feelings about Gomer give us a sense of how the Lord felt about Israel and how He feels about us today.  God made Hosea live the tragedy of Israel’s unfaithfulness by marrying a harlot. And if Hosea scandalized the good people of Israel by doing this, that’s exactly the reaction God wanted… because Israel’s own idolatry and spiritual adultery was shocking and scandalous in God’s eyes! According to one theologian, “In God’s eyes, whoever forsakes the Lord is an adulteress, a harlot, and a whore. There are no religious “singles” in God’s eyes. Everyone is either faithfully married to God or is a prostitute to the idol they are serving” he said. God made you for himself. If you “get your kicks” from somewhere else, you are committing great harlotry against God. That was Israel’s condition.

And so God took Hosea and said, as it were, “Before I give you a word of judgment and grace for Israel, I am going to make you know what it’s like to be married to an unfaithful wife. Hosea, marry a harlot!” His marriage is an acted-out parable of God’s relations to Israel.  Hosea would understand and feel the magnitude of God’s broken heart and deep sorrows. “If the prophet could be so wounded in his spirit by his wife’s adultery, then what must the Lord feel by centuries of such treatment by the very people He had formed for His own glory, as His personal possession?”  Stop and think about what it would take for a loving father or mother to say to a child: “I disown you. I disinherit you. You are no longer my son or my daughter, I will not show you anymore love, mercy, or pity, no matter how much you cry out to me!” It would take decades of rebellion, hate, and evil atrocities on the part of an adult held to merit such a harsh judgment, right? So God wants us to feel His heart here, which has been broken and trampled on, for centuries, by the people He loved and rescued and cared for all these years! To know that you deserve to be broken, disowned, and shown no more love, how could God remain just and righteous in His judgment of us, and at the same time, show us such bountiful mercy? The only answer – God, in His immeasurable grace and mercy, will not give up on His people forever. This is a love that will not let us go! Does this grip your heart? Does this move you to respond to God’s mercy? It should! And if it doesn’t, then you better check to see if you have a spiritual pulse. Cry out to the Lord and ask Him to revive you.

Listen, the Christian life is about loving Christ. It is about loving Him singularly. It is about loving Him totally. It is about loving Him sacrificially. It is about loving Him obediently. It is about loving Him worshipfully. It is about loving Him in terms of service. It really is about loving Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to be a Christian. Now, if you understand the Old Testament, the great commandment was to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. This is the sum of all that God requires, and your neighbor as yourself. But it starts with loving God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, which is just a way of saying loving God comprehensively, totally, completely. Now if that’s the sum of the law, then that has to be the sum of the relationship. That can’t be altered when it comes to being a Christian.

So I ask you as a believer today – “Have you left your first love? Have you become so busy and preoccupied with life, that Jesus is no longer that important to you? If you sense you have, you need to stop and remember what it was like when you really loved the Lord. You need to repent of the things that have come between you and Him. And you need to return to the basic things of a relationship with the Lord: joyful worship, glad serving, and thankful living. Remember your first love…Remember how much you loved Jesus at the beginning and go back to that. Love Him like you used to!