Happily Divorced And After

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

You need to know that God isn’t happy with how you are living. He declares that things will not be pretty until you acknowledge your guilt and seek [his] face [Hosea 5:15-16]. Our brothers, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah tell us the same thing in so many words…“You think God is impressed with your worship? You think God is impressed with your prayers? You think God needs your sacrifices? You think that if you’re loud enough or earnest enough or put a little extra in the offering plate that God owes you attention? You’ve got it all twisted! God says, “Stop bringing him meaningless sacrifices! Your incense is detestable to him. New moons, Sabbaths and consecrations, he cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New moon, festivals and appointed feasts, his soul hates. They have become a burden to him.” [Isaiah 1:13-14]. “You come near to him with your mouth and honor him with your lips, but your heart is far from him. Your worship of him is made up only of rules taught by men.” [Isaiah 29:13].  Paul says, Stop it right now! Start to change by renewing your mind with God’s truth. In the Old Testament God wanted His people to serve Him with ALL their heart, soul, mind and strength (Deut. 6:5).  I tell you, you must sacrifice your selfish desires and live for God every day. You must put to death the selfish tendencies that rise up and push your agendas, your plans and desires over God’s.

God desire is that we live a righteous life which is the best life we can live.  God told Israel to: Wash themselves and make themselves clean.  To put away their evil doings. To suit it up… To get the sin out of their lives, and today He is telling us the same truth. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!  I don’t know who you are trying to please with your life, but today you are being challenged to live lives which are pleasing to God.  You must come to yourself and realize that you are God’s own and created for His purposes. You must come to yourself and forsake the foolishness in your life, the vain pursuits, that carry you farther and farther away from God.

Now I don’t know whether you know or not, but more than 60 times the New Testament tells us that something either is or is not God’s will for His people. Four of those times are in Peter’s letter written to hurting believers. In verse 2 of chapter 4, Peter says, instead of living for “evil human desires” followers of Christ should live “for the will of God.” He tells us that we have spent enough time living as pagans, but now we need to live for God. Don’t desire sin as much as you desire God. Don’t desire sin’s lie as much as you desire God’s truth. As Romans verse 1 chapter 12 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and the perfect, will of God.”

I want to encourage you to give yourself to God. Don’t let your mind get twisted to where you refuse to take godly instruction from God’s Word. I know what I’m talking about. You see when you live for the devil your mind gets warped to where you can’t think right. You begin to think God is expecting too much out of you, making too much of a demand upon your life. The Devil is a liar! Seek Him while He may be found. “Be transformed, not conformed to the world.” For God has called you to live a separate life, to be a peculiar people unto Him. Therefore, come out from amongst them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; so that God will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be His sons and daughters.

Learn from Jonah’s example. Jonah was a man who decided he wasn’t going to do what God had told him to do: He wasn’t going to go to Nineveh, where God had called him to go. So, he decided to take a ship for Tarshish rather than going to Nineveh as God said. Off he went, sailing in the wrong direction. He made life miserable, not only for himself but for everybody else that was on that ship. When you’re out of the will of God, nothing goes right. You can’t be blessed when you’re out of God’s will for your life. And you certainly won’t have a smooth running life when you’re doing your own thing, rather than obeying the Lord. While Jonah was out to sea, he thought he was running away from the Lord, but God blew up a storm while he was on that boat. The mariners didn’t know what to do. They expected the storm to break up the ship at any moment and destroy them all. Those mariners also knew that somebody on that ship wasn’t right with God. They were all praying to find out what was wrong. Jonah’s interest had disappeared, and his disobedience was causing such misery to those around him. I tell you, life can become one continuous storm when you’re out of the will of God, tossing you to and fro. The only way to stop the storm is to enter into God’s will for your life.

Consider the following scripture regarding choice. Deuteronomy 30:15 through Deuteronomy 30:20 (NKJV) “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

I want you to know that not only did God admonish the people to choose life; He also gave them a good reason for doing so, namely life. God has given us His Word, which reveals His Way. Why not learn it and graft it into your heart and live your life accordingly? May what you’ve read have a practical effect in your daily life… You needed to know!

Roxanne Williams

SAN BERNARDINO, CA– Educator, community advocate, and city Parks and Recreation Commissioner Roxanne Williams is running for the Ward Six seat on the San Bernardino City Council.  Williams will be a voice for working families. As a member of the city council, she will fight to create jobs in San Bernardino, and restore fiscally sound management to the city –including improved basic services, stopping the threats of the closure of our community centers, libraries and parks, and fixing the potholes and street lights.

“I’m running because San Bernardino can do better,” said Williams. “I’ve proven that I know how to get results.  We can be a model community for southern California.  We must fix up our neighborhoods and make them safer, bring in good jobs, and reinvest in our children — but we can do none of that unless we restore our fiscal house. We need a new vision for San Bernardino and the 6^th ward that will help our families.”

Williams has assisted in building a playground in a park on the West side, and identified unmet needs as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner.  As a bilingual Spanish speaker, she has worked with leaders in both the African-American and Latino communities to engage students and parents, helped coach small business people in three local Chambers of Commerce, and empowered neighbors from several blocks to form their own neighborhood watch programs.

Local community leaders, including Hardy Brown, II, and Sherman Garnett, San Bernardino County Trustees, and small businessman Shab El Awar have pledged their support.

“I have worked with Roxanne for the past three years and have seen her dedication to parent and student engagement for residents on the West side. Her passion to see student success shows by how hard she is always willing to work,” said Hardy Brown, II.

Williams was a Teacher of the Year in 2001, was a Top 10 Teacher in 2011, nominated for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), and
continues to work as a Program Specialist in San Bernardino City Unified School District. As a single mother with five children, ages 13 to 24 years old, she knows howhard San Bernardino families work and what it’s like to struggle. She also knows how to succeed in tough moment.

“We have so much potential in San Bernardino, but we can’t lift our people up if we don’t fix our finances,” said Williams.  “I’ve worked on budgets and finance throughout my private and volunteer career—and I served on my church board for 14 years. I’ll be ready on day one to tackle the big problems our community faces.”

For more information, visit RoxanneCanWin.com and hear what she’s up to at Facebook.com/roxannewilliamsforcouncil.

By Johnni Matthews

The Los Angeles Sparks ended a tough three game road trip in New York on Sunday against the New York Liberty losing 79-70 in another hard fought battle with only eight players available to run on the hardwood.  With All-Star, Nneka Ogwumike back from injury, starting her second straight game another veteran All-Star teammate, Kristi Toliver made her debut this season for the Sparks leading her team in scoring with a career high 30 points on 9-15 from the field.  Oliver was 3-5 from the long range three ball and a perfect 9-9 from the charity stripe.  Jantel Lavender, the most consistent Sparks player this season had another strong game with 14 points and 6 rebounds.

It was a very competitive game for thirty five minutes of the forty minute game as the Liberty took control in the last 5:07 minutes of the game.  The game was tied at 63 a piece with 5:07 in the fourth quarter, but the Sparks had another melt down as the Liberty outscored the Sparks 16-7!  As one Sparks commentator said, “The Sparks ran out of gas; their out of town and out of luck!”

Guard, Sugar Rodgers was special for the Liberty with a team high 23 points.  Sugar got help from teammates, Tina Charles and Tanisha Wright respectively with 14 and 12 points.

The win kept the New York Liberty above .500 with a 5-4 record, while the LA Sparks head home 0-7 to get acquainted with each other and regroup to get ready for the San Antonio Stars who come to town on Thursday, July 2 to play the Sparks.  It is a 7:30 p.m. tip off from Staples Center.

REDLANDS, CA- The Riverside Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. hosted its 2015 College Signing Day event on Saturday, June 20, at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Redlands. The event acknowledged the success of the graduating high school seniors, and each was awarded the Chapter’s $1,000 individual scholarship award.

Parents, friends, relatives, mentors and other supporters applauded the recent graduates and wished them well. There were 7 high school graduates who received scholarships to 6 different colleges and universities.  Two of the graduates, Mr. Myles Jones and Mr. Dezi Williams elected to attend California State University, Pomona.  The remaining graduates will attend as follows:

Mr. Aaron Jamel Berry –Azusa Pacific University; Mr. Brycen Barron-Borden – University of California San Diego; Mr. Jaire Bowen – California State University, Los Angeles; Mr. David Lawson – Humboldt State University and Mr. Aaron Smith – New York University.

“We are so proud of our graduates for their poise and the positive ideals we see in them” said Chapter Polemarch, Demarius Carmichael.

Fifty-year member Phillip Murray served as the master of ceremonies. The program was a huge success. The young men were encouraged to come back and share their college experiences with the next Signing Day class.

Sup. Gonzales with scout badges in hand, given to those who successfully complete the “GenCyber” summer day camp which helped about 250 girls learn the basics of Internet security and feel comfortable pursuing careers in the tech industry.

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- The world of cyber security was introduced to about 250 Girl Scouts at Cal State San Bernardino last week. Sup. Gonzales joined the closing ceremony to award badges to the girls that completed the weeklong day camp that aims to help girls become more comfortable with math and science.

Fifth-through-eighth grade girls learned the basics of coding, how to take apart and reassemble computers, and became familiar with the tech industry and the career paths it can offer.

Representatives from Google, Apple, Facebook, Mitre Corp., U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Northrop-Grumman met and shared their experiences with the participants as part of the camp. Rep. Pete Aguilar delivered a special message to the camp participants via video.

The event was offered by the Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio Council with support from the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact the council at (909) 307-6555 or (800) 400-4475.

By Lou Coleman

This is a different article from the norm of a mission project update. It’s an article as I struggle with the unease and sadness and grief about what I encountered in Ghana Africa as I represented the Brother’s Keeper Mission Project recently. Upon arriving in Ghana I was taken to the aftermath of a great flood that happened two days prior to my arrival. A city destroyed. Homes washed away. Roads covered. Buildings inundated. Communities and villages flooded. The smell of death in the air. The circumstances were so overwhelming as to be mind-boggling. The pictures shown are some of the destruction from the Flood.

As I witnessed some of the destruction, I began in my thoughts about Israel of old and how they experienced natural disasters as judgment because of sin. Filled with emotion, I remember reading Psalm 29 verse 10 that said… “The Lord sits enthroned over the flood…” Then as I continued reading verse 11 it said, this same Lord, “May He, give strength to his people. May the Lord bless his people with peace.” It seemed, at first, odd that they sought peace from the same God they ascribe such awesome and terrible power. But I was also reminded of God’s grace and awesome power which was proclaimed in the ancient story of Noah and the flood and what Israel noted over and over, that there was destruction and wind and storm and uncertainty in this world, but God is still God, and God is not in the wind, nor is He in the earthquake, nor the fire, storm, or even the flood, but mostly in the hope and the hearts of those who can discern His persistent, still, small voice in the background beneath and above and beyond the chaos. As I tried to think about a flood of that magnitude, one question kept floating to the surface. Why would God do such a thing?

In order to answer that question, the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:37-39 to his disciples on the Mount of Olives before he was crucified drew a fascinating comparison with the days of Noah. He tells his disciples that the past is the key to the future. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. They were buying and selling and continuing in all the usual activities of human life. Business as usual. Children went to school each day, businessmen made deals, teachers taught, doctors dispensed healing, and farmers tended their crops. They paid no attention to Noah as he warned them of impending judgment; they paid him no mind whatsoever until the day that Noah entered the ark. Study the days of Noah because what happened in those days will happen again at the end of this age. The spiritual conditions of the pre-flood world will be replicated in the days preceding the return of Christ to the earth. One translation said, “They did not know.” What a damning indictment. It was an age of enlightenment. But they did not know. It was an age of great progress. But they did not know. It was an age of music, fine arts and literature. But they did not know. It was an age of military might. But they did not know. It was an age when mighty men roamed the earth. But they did not know. They knew so much but understood so little. They knew more and more about less and less until they knew everything about nothing and nothing about what really mattered. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. They had no time for God until it was too late. That is the world of Noah’s day. They were wise fools who did not heed the warnings of the preacher of righteousness. Then the flood came and took them all away. Genesis 6:1-8 offers the Bible’s most detailed answer to the question, “Why did God send the flood?” There was a rapid spiritual degeneration after the first sin. Once sin entered the human bloodstream, it quickly spread until it dominated humanity. But now, with the passing of a few generations, the entire world has become a cesspool of sin. Things have become so evil that God decided to start all over again. Lord have mercy on our soul! For those that have ears, hear what the Spirit is saying.

The Bible speaks directly then and now to our struggle for meaning in the face of chaos. It speaks to our conflicted hope and trust in God, God within and somehow behind this world of uncertainty and violence, and yes, even death. Could it be that the God of all creation allows such things to happen to remind us that He created us to be our brother’s keeper? For when disaster strikes people come together for a reason. When there is a disaster neighbors begin to talk with each other. The poor widow living across the street becomes important. We begin to touch base with each other seeing if the other person is okay. Now my question is this, why does it take a disaster to bring people together? When disaster happens a community comes together and all of a sudden lives are important. I think it is so awesome and great when we help each other, but this shouldn’t be only because of a disaster. We shouldn’t wait for a disaster to become friendly. Thousands of people survived the flood because neighbors or complete strangers reached out to those in need. They became their brothers’ keepers. And that purposefulness and connectedness brings joy even amidst death, chaos, fear and loss. Don’t wait for your neighbor’s house to be destroyed or a death happens before being neighborly to them. All who claim Christ, we are being called to this opportunity to serve and reveal our faith. Opportunity request personal responsibility and urgency in action. When the question is raised, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  I hope that the spirit wells up within you and says, “You bet I am!

The good news – In the midst of such devastation I want you to know that what the Brother’s Keeper Mission Project set out to do was accomplished. Praises go to the Most High God! Special thanks to Am I My Brother’s Keeper… Yes I Am – Conduit of Grace Church/Pastor Martin & Dora Lucero; 2 God Be All the Glory Inc. / Dr. Bruce & Carla McMorris; God’s Promise Church/Pastor Robert & Gwen Phillips; Church of the Living God, Temple 208/Bishop Ernest & LaShawn Dowdy; The Beautiful Gate Church Worldwide, Ghana Africa/ Pastor Richard Yeboah; MDISNET/ Reginald Young; Oliver Lambert Realty; Westside Story Newspaper; The San Bernardino American News; Universal Property Solution; Universal Transport Group; Krystal Louie and Deacon & Missionary Warren & Ruthie Roberson. May God continue to bestow His blessings upon you!

What’s up and What It Do! Allow me to introduce an upcoming model and the FACE of LUE Productions, Janay JaNeice! LUE Productions is all about working with aspiring artists and helping them to achieve their goals. We’ve recently added a modeling department to our company that contains five other beautiful models.

So, about JaNay JaNeice the model, she was born in San Antonio, Texas but raised in the Inland Empire since the tender age of 6 months. This young lady loves the camera. JaNay’s beauty caught our attention which prompted us to select her to represent our company as the FACE. Modeling for almost a year, she has already received hosting gigs, been in several photos shoots, and music video appearances as a feature model. Her most recent videos include “Look Boy”  with recording artist Aaron Swift featuring IE’s own Dirty Birdy and recording artist Teknik the Young Prospect, “More Than A Rapper”.

You can catch her in action Saturday, August 1, at the San Bernardino Women’s Club located at 503 W 31st Street in San Bernardino. There she will be co-hosting a long with Comedian Anthony Stone for LUE Productions 2015 Indie Artist Award Show entitled, “MY MUSIC, MY MIC”. Be on the lookout for this beauty! Major shout out to her coach the beautiful and talented Deeveatva Foy. Until next week, L’s!

More about The Face of LUE Productions JaNay JaNeice, “My name is JaNay JaNiece, I am an upcoming model and the face of LUE Productions!
My dream is to take the modeling world by storm. I also aspire to become a veterinarian due to my love for animals especially dogs. In my down time I love to eat and be with my dogs.
Book me for your next event. You won’t be disappointed.”

To book her contact LUE Productions Management at Lue.info@yahoo.com or call (909) 567-1000.

From left to right: Councilmember Benito J. Barrios, Dr. Deborah Winn, Mayor R. Carey Davis, “Sweet” Alice Harris, Alexis (representative from Assemblymember Cheryl Brown’s office), and Allen Harris. (Photo by Nomi K. Bonman)

By Naomi K. Bonman

SAN BERNARDINO, CA- Between the hours of 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wall Avenue was peaceful and full of joy during the first annual Block by Block I.S.A.H. Juneteenth event held by Dr. Deborah Winn and her organization WWAM, Inc. Not only was this event a first annual one, but the ISAH Block by Block Juneteenth Celebration was the first in history to be done in the city of San Bernardino.

This was one of the epic events that took place on Saturday, June 20 in an effort to bring the city back up. Change and progress has been long overdue within the city and things are finally looking up for San Bernardino.

Although the day was hot, guests, vendors, speakers, and performers were able to cool down under the trees of the block while they enjoyed one another’s company in a positive event that was much needed in the community.

“By you coming together today shows that you are committed to helping our community thrive, overcome our challenges, and try to serve one another”, Mayor of San Bernardino, R. Carey Davis, stated. “By serving one another we build from families in creating a strong neighborhood. It is that family unit that must be strong. The stronger we make our individual families, the stronger our neighborhoods and community will be.”

In addition to the mayor’s presence, other political dignitaries that came out to represent change included Councilmember Benito J. Barrios and representatives from Assemblywoman Cheryl Brown’s and Assemblyman Marc Steinorth’s, 40^th District, office. They each gave a brieg statement on the changes that they would like to see and are striving to make within the City of San Bernardino. The US Army Recruiting Center was also present to assist young men in options that are available in enlisting into the armed forces. Other activities of the day included expungements, live performances, a prayer circle, raffles and toy giveaways for children, scholarships, vendor booths, and complimentary hot dogs and water.

Lastly, when you are out doing good for the community and helping others without excepting anything in return, blessings rain down. WWAM has received a new and amazing supporter. Ms. Ladis M. Morgan, 86, who lives just a few blocks away from Dr. Winn and who has lived in the city for over 46 years, has been a tremendous blessing to the organization and children of the community.