Crown Ministries: Jesus is a financial planner too?!
Not only is He your co-pilot but He can balance a mean check book. All jokes aside, Crown Financial Ministries is a financial management workshop based on principles of the bible applied to money managem
ent. Crown's mission is to "equip people worldwide to learn, apply, and teach God's financial principles so they may know Christ more intimately, be free to serve Him, and help fund the Great Commission." When you really think about it the entire movement makes a lot of sense {that is if you are a Christian}. Founders Larry Burkett {RIP} and Howard Dayton refreshingly put a new twist on old thinking when it comes to religion, money, debt and managing them. The Crown movement has been gaining ground {recently featured on Good Morning America} and is rooted in contentment and stewardship {two things we all can improve upon} and works to re-educate people, all over the world, about the blessings of God and how money fits into that category. I'm not the type of blogger to pass on things to you without trying them myself. I'm excited to say that I will be starting my Crown Financial Ministry classes at Mt. Paran Church of God here in Atlanta very soon. To be honest I'm psyched about it too. Crown is built to help all those who believe in Him get their paper right so they can stop worrying about bad finances and start appreciating all the good in their life. Dealing with debt and getting out of it isn't easy but if God can part the Red Sea I KNOW He can help a brother with his credit. To find out more about Crown Financial Ministries click here.I Love Black People
My people at Shadowflack Apparel struck a chord with these shirts. Although this self-loving and positive movem
ent via fashion has been going on for some time I STILL get looks and inquiries when I wear my I Love Black People t-shirt {I even wrote about it on my myspace blog http://www.myspace.com/theoneandonlyemoo }. I was so impressed and inspired by the message that I bought shirts for my family immediately after I purchased mine directly from the owner, R. Morgan. Mr. Morgan and the Shadowflack team have 
been touching the masses and helping black people {and others} love each other and themselves with this apparel. I've seen these shirts all over the TV screen and although I spotted a knock-off version on Run's House a few months ago it's still good to know that Morgan's message is so successful that someone {probably not even black} had to knock it off. Shadowflack has a full portfolio of I Love Black People merchandise so check out the site and be sure to pick something up. And if they happen to have an I Love Black People messenger bag, overnight bag, blazer or fitted cap let a brother know.Would You Like Some Tea with your Uptown?
If you haven't noticed I'm pro-black and definitely pro-black business. I love to support African-Americans who have made the transition from employee to employer and I definitely admire Patrice Clayton a
nd The Harlem Tea Room staff. And no, before you even ask I haven't been there yet but best believe that I'll be sipping on some aromatic, antioxidant rich brews during my next trip to NYC. I found out about this stylish 3-year old endeavor while watching the Black Enterprise business report and have heard nothing but great things about The Harlem Tea Room since then. Patrice has stated that the welcome and response to the tea room in Harlem has been more than she imagined and its just a testament to the fact that black consumerism doesn't fit into the myopic box marketers try to assign to our culture and lifestyle. A lot of the crowd is a professional type but The Harlem Tea Room also attracts a wide range of clientèle and Patrice can absolutely add me to the list. If you find yourself in Harlem or heading to NYC stop by The Harlem Tea Room located at 1793A Madison Avenue or give them a call at 212.348.3471.Winter Skin Tips...Because the Hawk is Hell on Your Skin
I know January is practically over and in some places Spring may come early but Winter
temperatures are still a reality for most of us {even those of use in ATL} and you still have to protect yourself from the brutal chill of winter air. For a lot of us Winter can be a time to implement a completely different skin care regiment and even if you are the type of person who thinks he or she is fine doing what you normally do in warmer temperatures then check out your elbows and knees. If they look like someone sprinkled powder sugar on them then keep reading. {Yeah I went there.}Julyn Derrick over at About.com has a lot of helpful info to keep your skin in prime condition during colder climates. Like using lukewarm water instead of hot water because hot water depletes the skin of natural moister, using creamy moisturizers and bypassing the drying soaps and not forgetting that your lips need moisture too- use a lip balm people! And for my fellas the team over at MSN Lifestyle: Men suggest using shampoos that
contain soothing products like "extracts of seaweed, licorice and plai oil". Its not a shampoo but I'm partial to Carol's Daughter's Lisa's Hair Elixir myself because it contains peppermint which contains circulation. No matter what product you use just realize that skin in the winter needs more attention which means you need to be up on your game until Spring officially makes it way into our lives. You don't want to be caught out there with the Hawk staring at your ashy ankles. It ain't a good look.GQ's Gentlemen's Fund
You really can't get mad at the combination of style and philanthropy. I read about GQ's The Gentlemen Fund a few months ago and have been impressed about it ever since. It doesn't hurt that my boy John Legend is the spokesperson either.
The Gentlemen's Fund's mission is to "raise support and awareness for five cornerstones essential to men: opportunity, health, education, environment, and justice." Like I said, you can't get mad at this. The Gentlemen's Fund is comprised of 5 individual charities Career Gear, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids, A Better Chance, Global Green USA and Justice for Children International. The Gentlemen's Fund is dedicated to improving the welfare of men and children all over the world and although the organization is 1 year old I'm sure that GQ will be impacting a lot of lives in the future through their works. When you get a chance check out The Gentlemen's Fund and if the spirit moves you donate some paper {or suits in Career Gear's case} to the cause.
Quote of the Day
"Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential."
-Barack Obama
