Empowering You To Fulfill Your Spiritual Destiny

Rev. Angela Chester Goes on Book Tour with Before You Tie The Knot

2010-04-08T21:53:00Z

Rev. Angela Butts Chester, author of the couple’s workbook, Before You Tie The Knot – A Premarital Counseling Workbook for the DIY Couple, will be visiting I Do Radio and Blessings All Around!

Every person has a vision of what they want in and from a marriage, but does that mean you will get it? Are your expectation the same as your soon to be spouse? In this workbook every aspects of your marriage is covered. With a place for individual and couple insights, you are expected to discuss and reflect on what you’ve learned not only about yourself, but about the other person. As Rev. Angela Butts Chester says, “Discuss things now, so you can talk later!”

You can visit Angela Chester Ministries eStore or her official tour page here.

I Do Radio: Eco-conscious Wedding Libation

2010-02-07T22:42:00Z

It's easy to find your favorite foods and produce in an organicalternative, but what about your drinks and cocktails? Organic spiritsand liquor are now finding their way into your weddings reception and we are here to provide tips, ideas, and services to enjoy eco-licious libations!

Beth Parentice launched ECO-BAR after years of creatingand mixing cocktails for bars and entertaining at home with friends.The cocktails she created were among some of the hottest and mostordered drinks on the bar menu. She realized this was more than a passion, but a dream to bring ECO-BAR nationwide and share how we all can drink eco-consciously and enjoy trying unique and organic libations.

Eco-Bar will be featured in the upcoming April 2010 issue of BRIDES magazine.

National Marriage Week - Celebrating Marriage Special

2010-02-07T21:02:00Z

National Marriage Week in Long Beach, CA from Rev. Angela Chester on Vimeo.

Faith and Finances in the Christian Marriage

2010-02-07T20:54:00Z

Last year when we witnessed first hand the economy decline, marriages were tested on new levels. Christian marriages were also tested and some ended in divorce because of the finances. How does a husband and wife hold on to their faith when it seems as if their finances are becoming less and less. They are praying, yet they do not see a change in their situation.

What is a husband or wife to do when one spouse is continuing to hold on to their faith, yet the other spouse’s faith has been shaken. Now not only is the marriage dealing with the financial issues but now they will be dealing with shaken faith which impacts the marriage on a different level. How does a couple hold on when it appears what they are doing is not working?

Join Dr. Taffy and Rev. Angela Chester on February 8, 2010 at 8pm EST as they discuss Faith and Finances for the beginning of the Money and Marriage Teleseminars during National Marriage Week.

Rev. Angela Butts Chester, is the author of Before You Tie The Knot - A Premarital Counseling Workbook for the DIY Couple

Money and Marriage Advocate Announces Money and Marriage Teleseminars During National Marriage Week

2010-02-07T20:44:00Z

Money and Marriage Advocate Announces Money and Marriage Teleseminars During National Marriage Week

Money and Marriage advocate facilitates money and marriage teleseminars during National Marriage Week for African Americans on serious topics that affect marriage and family relationships.

Relationships & Finances Experts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 28, 2010 – Money is one of the top reasons for divorce. Given our economic climate, now is not the time for couples and families to be “silent” about money. Money being a “taboo” topic has lead to deceit, division and divorce in couples and it’s time for a change. Money and Marriage Advocate, Dr. Taffy Wagner says, “Money has always been a part of Marriage, NOW is the time to make it a positive tool for many and not a negative word or discussion in their lives.”

According to a recently released report on marriage by the Institute for American Values and the National Center on African American Marriages and Parenting (NCAAMP), the organizers noted the percentage of US adults who are married dropped form 78 percent in 1970 to 57 percent in 2008. Furthermore, 40% of all American children today are born out-of-wedlock and 71 percent of African American children are born without married parents.

Dr. Wagner said “In order to strengthen marriages and even encourage marriage within the African American Community as being beneficial to all, it is important to discuss money and marriage issues not avoid them. The picture of a husband, wife, two kids and a white picket fence is not even realistic if you are not willing to discuss money and the many roles it plays throughout marriage.”

As a happily married woman of almost 14 years, she knows firsthand what it’s like to enter into marriage with debt and having to clean up financial mistakes from the past. February 7 – 14, 2010 is National Marriage Week. NMW is a collaborative effort to encourage churches and diverse groups to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate and build a stronger marriage culture.

Dr. Wagner, a strong advocate for Money and Marriage announces a week of teleseminars during National Marriage Week that focus on Money and Marriage for African Americans. Plan to hear from Rev. Angela Butts Chester, Mary Chatman, Dr. Harold Arnold, Talayah Stovall, Christine Pembleton, Teisha Houston and Dr. Wagner as they discuss serious topics such as faith and finances, romance and finance, black marriage and money and much more.

For a complete list of the seminars, go to
http://www.moneytalkmatters.com/money-and-marriage-natio ...

# # #

About Taffy Wagner, DMin and Certified Educator in Personal Finances
Dr. Wagner has been interviewed by The Associated Press, US News & World Reports, Called Magazine, quoted in Black Enterprise, Essence Magazine and Woman's Day. She is the creator of Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and The Debt Stops At The Altar financial education program for engaged couples. Dr. Wagner is available to speak at seminars, conferences and small groups. You can contact her through her site at http://www.MoneyTalkMatters.com

Ayiesha Woods - Never (music video)

2009-08-10T04:40:00Z

Ayiesha Woods - Never (music video)

Michael Tait - Lose This Life (music video)

2009-08-10T04:18:00Z

10 Things to Know About Identity Theft

2009-06-17T10:52:12Z

10 Things to Know About Identity Theft
Lisa Rogak, CreditCards.com

Identity theft is often in the news, but there are a lot of
misconceptions swirling around about how to best protect yourself.

While some identity thieves focus on getting your credit cards and
maxing them out before you even realize they're missing, an increasing
number are using one piece of information about you -- often a credit
card number -- in order to steal your entire identity.
Though many folks worry about keeping their credit card information
secure when shopping online, the top methods that identity thieves use
to steal personal data are still low-tech, according to Justin Yurek,
president of ID Watchdog, an identity theft-monitoring firm. "Watch
your personal documents, be careful to whom you give out your data
over the phone, and be careful of mail theft," he says.
Indeed, a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research found that of
the 9.9 million identity-theft cases reported in 2008 -- resulting in
a loss of $48 billion -- online theft only accounted for 11 percent of
incidents. Stolen wallets, checkbooks, and credit and debit cards made
up almost half.

No one is immune to identity theft, but armed with a little knowledge
about how identity thieves operate -- and a little common sense -- you
can stay one step ahead of them.
1. Thieves don't need your credit card number in order to steal it.
Conversely, they don't need your credit card in order to steal your
identity. Identity thieves are crafty; sometimes all they need is one
piece of information about you and they can easily gain access to the
rest. As a result, says Heather Wells, recovery manager at ID Experts,
an identity protection company, today it's crucial to lock up
important documents at home. "Secure birth certificates, Social
Security cards, passports, in a safe deposit box or in a safe hidden
at home," she says. "And that includes credit cards when not in use."
2. The non-financial personal information you reveal online is often
enough for a thief. Beware of seemingly innocent personal facts that a
thief could use to steal your identity. For example, never list your
full birthdate on Facebook or any other social-networking Web sites.
And don't list your home address or telephone number on any Web site
you use for personal or business reasons, including job-search sites.

Has it Happened to You?

* Surely, it's one of everyone's worst nightmares: ID theft. Has
it happened to you? Share with us your worst ID theft horror story and
we may pick your tale of woe to include in of our next features. Share
Your Nightmare Story

3. Be careful with your snail mail. "Follow your billing cycles
closely," says Lucy Duni, vice president of consumer education at
TrueCredit.com. "If a credit card or other bill hasn't arrived, it may
mean that an identity thief has gotten hold of your account and
changed your billing address." Al Marcella, professor at Webster
University's School of Business and Technology in St. Louis, and an
expert on identity theft, suggests when you order new checks, you pick
them up at the bank instead of shipping them to your home. "Stolen
checks can be altered and cashed by fraudsters," says Duni. And never
place outgoing mail in your post office box or door slot for a carrier
to pick up. Anyone can grab it and get your credit card numbers and
other financial information. Bring it to the post office yourself.

4. Review all bank and credit card statements each month, preferably
once a week. Watch for charges for less than a dollar or two from
unfamiliar companies or individuals. Thieves who are planning to
purchase a block of stolen credit card numbers often first test to
check that the accounts haven't been cancelled by aware customers by
sending a small charge through, sometimes for only a few pennies. If
the first charge succeeds, they'll buy the stolen data and make a much
larger charge or purchase. They're guessing -- often correctly -- that
most cardholders won't notice such a tiny charge. In addition, many of
the fraud alerts you can set on your accounts aren't triggered by
small dollar amounts. Reviewing your credit report on a regular basis
is also a good idea, but usually by the time a fraudulent transaction
reaches your credit report, it's too late.

5. If an ATM or store terminal looks funny, don't use it. "Make sure
there is no device attached to any ATM card slot you use," says Wells.
"As a general rule, the mouth of a card receptacle on an ATM machine
should be flush with the machine or have only a very slight lip." If
it looks or feels different when you swipe your card, or has an extra
piece of plastic sticking out from the card slot, it may be a skimmer,
an electronic device placed there by thieves that captures your credit
card information when you swipe it. If you notice it after you've
already inserted your card, you should alert your bank so they can
watch for any fraudulent charges to your account.

Four Red Flags

* One of the scariest things about identity theft is that you
could be a victim and not even know it.
Top Signs You've Been a Victim

6. Identity thieves love travelers and tourists. Scott Stevenson,
founder and CEO of Eliminate ID Theft, an ID theft protection company,
cautions travelers to be alert to strangers hovering around whenever
you use a credit card at an ATM or phone, and to avoid public wireless
Internet connections unless your laptop or PDA has beefed-up security
protection. However, he also suggests watching for little-known
methods of lifting your identity. "Cut up your used hotel key cards
when you check out," Stevenson advises, since these keys contain
important information about you and your finances, including your
name, address, phone, and the credit card you used to pay for your
room. "When you toss them out or leave them lying in the hotel room,
anyone can pick them up and use them to steal your identity," he adds.

7. Identity thieves are sneaky; you need to be sneaky, too. There are
a few simple things you can do to protect your credit card in case it
falls into the wrong hands. "Sign your credit card with a Sharpie so
your signature can't be erased and written over," suggests Echo
Montgomery Garrett, a writer in Marietta, Ga. Consultant Sarah Browne
of Carmel, Calif., had all but one credit card stolen from a hotel
room. The card that was spared still had the "Please Activate" sticker
on it. Though Browne had activated the card, she forgot to remove the
sticker. "The thieves must have known that you have to activate a new
card from the phone number listed with the credit card company, so
they didn't bother with it," she said, and since then, she leaves the
activation stickers on all of her cards. Indeed, when a thief struck a
second time at a public function, Browne's stickered cards were again
left untouched.

8. Pay attention at the checkout line. If a cashier or salesperson
takes your card and either turns away from you or takes too long to
conduct what is usually a normal transaction, she may be scanning your
card into a handheld skimming terminal to harvest the information. But
they don't need a handheld scanner to capture your information.
According to Mark Cravens, the Anti-Scam Doctor and author of "The Ten
Commandments of Investing," they can take a picture of the front and
back of your card with a cell phone or merely swap out cards. "Look at
your card when they hand it back and make sure it's yours, and not
another gold, silver, or blue card that looks like yours," he says.
"You may not notice they swapped your card for days."

9. Go paperless in as many ways as possible. Sandy Shore, training
manager with Novadebt, a nonprofit, New Jersey-based credit-counseling
agency, suggests clients cut back on the mail they receive from banks
and financial institutions by discontinuing paper bills and
statements. "Access your financial statements at the issuer's Web site
instead," she says. This strategy has the added bonus of an
environmental benefit. Similarly, Vaclav Vincalek, president of
Pacific Coast Information Systems, an IT security firm, recommends
that whatever paper receipts and financial statements you do receive
go through the shredder instead of into the wastebasket. "Never throw
away a credit card slip," he says. "Instead, shred anything that has
any number, name, address on it."

10. Identity theft insurance can pay off, but you need to read the
fine print. Several companies offer identity theft insurance, which
covers the money you shell out to repair your identity. This includes
whatever you spend on phone calls, making copies of documents and
mailing them, hiring an attorney, and in some cases, lost wages.
However, the insurance -- which costs about $50 a year -- does not
reimburse you for funds you lost. Your current homeowner policy may
include identity theft insurance in your package, so check first
before signing up with an outside company. Also, some companies are
starting to offer identity theft insurance as an employee benefit.

Standing on Ceremony

2009-06-14T04:24:04Z

http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/la-mag-may032009-weddingofficiant,0,3607154.story

From the Los Angeles Times

WEDDING ALBUM

Standing on Ceremony
The idea of marriage takes on a whole new meaning when you're asked to
perform one
by Sue Smalley

The Setup
I was guilted into marriage. My then boyfriend, Kevin, and I were
living together in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and my mother was livid. To a
conservative Lutheran from a blue-collar town in Bible Belt Indiana,
shacking up was a sin, and image-conscious mothers of girls born in
the â€™50s did not want their daughters deviating from the path of
righteousness. I loved my mother, so her tears cinched it. â€œWe will
get married,â€ I told her after one of her heart-wrenching phone calls.
â€œYou just put it together, and we will be there.â€

Kevin was my first and only true love. I met him at 15 in the summer
of 1970. He was a breeze of fresh air blowing through a stagnant home
of held-in emotions and pristine exteriors. With him, I felt free for
the first time and relished the passion for life he embodied. We met
and fell in love, and I knew I had discovered my soul mate just five
miles from home.

To the 1974 me, the idea of marriage was just that: one that had lost
its value in society. But to make my mother happy, we agreed to go
through the motions. We bought some hippie rings and headed to our
hometown on a weekend to get married. Before the weddingâ€"a small
family gathering at my motherâ€™s churchâ€"Kevin and I attended a
mandatory premarriage meeting with the pastor. It was there I offered
my one input about the content of that day: I struck from the ceremony
a line he intended to include, â€œAs man is to God, woman is to man,â€
because it represented everything I rejected owing to my feminist views.

The Request
Flash-forward 34 years to 2008. My next-door neighbor Lisa Henson (co-
CEO of the Jim Henson Company) calls and wants me to take a walk with
her because she has something very important to ask me. Lisa and her
fiancÃ©, Dave, are planning their wedding, so I assume it will be a
request to throw her a shower or help in some way with her two kids.
As we stroll, Lisa says, â€œHear me out. Dave and I want you to marry us.â€

What? This is so far off my radar screen that I actually discover the
true meaning of dumbstruck. She lays out their logic: â€œYou are an
atheist like Dave, in that you donâ€™t believe in a personal God, yet
you ascribe to Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism and many teachings of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam like me. You are a friend to us
both...and someone happily married for 34 years.â€

I love the idea of performing a wedding. It seems to be what my heart
wants to do, but my brain thinks otherwise. Can I do it right? Iâ€™m not
licensed to perform marriages, but I discover you donâ€™t need to be
licensed in Colorado, where the wedding will take place. What about my
social anxietyâ€"particularly my fear of public speaking? While I have
learned to overcome it in my profession as a university professor
giving academic lectures, leading a marriage ceremony is something
else entirely. Can I be calm and have enough presence of mind to
conduct the wedding Lisa and Dave so rightly deserve?

It is my daughter who helps me finally gain the confidence I need.
When I tell her of Lisaâ€™s request, she merely answers, â€œIf Joey
Tribbiani can do it, then you can do it, Mom!â€ Haâ€"reduce the request
to a Friends episode! I tell them yes, and we are set. I am the
official officiant.

The Preparation
In the aftermath of saying okay, the first question Lisa and I have
is, â€œWhat should the officiant wear?â€ We go shopping at Carolina
Herrera, where Lisa bought her wedding gown, and I find a lovely black
dress with a small line of purple woven through the fabric. Check that
boxâ€"the dress is done. Now, what to say?

Because I have never performed a wedding, I approach it as if I am
teaching my first class or presenting my first science lecture. I
research. I buy books and collect data, such as information on the
coupleâ€™s first meeting, how they fell in love, what their dreams are,
how they inspire each other, how theyâ€™ve formed a family (with the two
children from Lisaâ€™s previous marriage), what they learned from their
previous loves, the deaths of their fathers, etc. We are on our way.

The Ceremony
Very early one morning, I sit at the computer, and out it flows. My
speech will be about marriage as a bond, a sacred act in which we
leave our self-centered worldview and move into one where we are part
of something larger than ourselves. Marriage is a reminder of this.

Ironically, â€œAs man is to God, woman is to man,â€ the sentence I had
removed from my own cere mony 34 years prior, is exactly the thesis of
the ceremony I have prepared...without the man, God and woman
nomenclature. The experience of God as self-transcendence can be
revealed in the relationship of love between two people. Marriage is
the communal act of declaration that you will share in this discovery
and support each other in its flourishing.

The Day
July 26, 2008. The families and 100 guests gather in Telluride,
Colorado, at a mountaintop chateau. The backdrop is a snow-capped
majestic peak seen through a floor-to-ceiling window. I begin the
procession, walking down the aisle ahead of Dave and the groomsmen. As
we move into place, the music starts, and Lisa enters, radiant in
happiness and followed by her bridesmaids. The words Iâ€™ve practiced so
intently flow easily in the timeless space created by the bond of
Lisa, Dave and their loved ones. Itâ€™s as if we have traveled beyond
the borders that shape our lives. We are encased in a bubble of loveâ€"
the eternal type, everlasting.

The Aftermath
Performing the ceremony changes my life. I realize how much I value
marriage and the sacred proceedings that seal it. What I saw as a
religious relic in 1974, and a concession to my mother, has taken on
newfound significance as a vital part of our shared humanity. For
years I rejected ceremony because of its connection to religion, but
ceremonies need not be religious. In times of great transition, when
change is front and centerâ€"birth, death, coming of age, marriageâ€"they
have the power to remind us of the unwavering nature of eternal love.

I finally get itâ€"the value of marriage, the value of ceremony, the
sacred space we need to embrace the eternity of love, all that my
mother knew so many years ago. Perhaps now I can thank her for guiding
me down that path in her own way.

6-Year-Old Girl Gets Marrow Transplant

2009-06-13T04:08:17Z

6-Year-Old Girl Gets Marrow Transplant

(June 12) -- A 6-year-old New York City girl received a bone marrow
transplant Thursday to treat a rare and deadly form of leukemia, five
months after her diagnosis.
Celebrities including Rihanna, Kelly Rowland and NBA stars Chris
Wilcox and Paul Pierce encouraged thousands of people to sign up as
potential donors for Jasmina Anema.

Jasmina Anema, 6, here in her hospital room recently, suffers from NK-
cell leukemia, a rare and particularly deadly form of the disease. She
received a bone marrow transplant from a stranger on Thursday,
People.com reported.

"It's an overwhelming relief," Jasmina's mother, Thea, told People
from her hospital room. "I am incredibly grateful to the donor who
gave Jasmina a second chance at life."
The best bets for donors are usually family members and, in the case
of Jasmina, a donor who is African-American like her. But Jasmina was
adopted, and her mother is white.
An executive with DKMS Americas, the bone marrow donor registry that
helped Jasmina find a match, said she "seemed like a hopeless case
when she was first diagnosed because she had an aggressive form of
leukemia, no potential donors and is African American â€" which makes it
even harder to find a match."
The donor is a stranger, and DKMS said Jasmina and her mother can find
out the person's identity in one or two years.
The transplant was postponed twice after a matching donor was finally
identified because Jasmina had the shingles, which covered her body
with painful blisters. She underwent 10 days of chemo and radiation
before the transplant.

"I love this little girl and I am so happy that Jasmina received her
transplant today," Rihanna told the magazine. "Miracles do happen ...
Jasmina remains in my prayers for a fast recovery."

Jasmina will be hospitalized for a month, and will be allowed to go
home if it looks like the transplant has taken, People reported. Then,
she would have to be isolated for six months.
"That means no school, no playground and very few visitors," her
mother said. "But I can't wait to have her back at home."

Gift from Angela Chester Ministries bookstore

2009-06-10T23:15:00Z

Elderly gunman kills guard at Holocaust Museum

2009-06-10T22:05:37Z

WASHINGTON " An elderly gunman, said by authorities to have a violent
and virulently anti-Semitic past, stepped inside the crowded U.S.
Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday, opened fire with a rifle and
fatally wounded a security guard before being shot by other officers.

The assailant was hospitalized in critical condition, leaving behind a
sprawling investigation by federal and local law enforcement and
expressions of shock from the Israeli government and a prominent
Muslim organization.

Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said the gunman was "engaged by
security guards immediately after entering the door" with a rifle.
"The second he stepped into the building he began firing."

Law enforcement officials said James Von Brunn, 88, a white
supremacist, was under investigation in the shooting, and a second
official said the elderly man's car was found near the museum and
tested for explosives. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying
they were not authorized to discuss the investigation just beginning.

Museum officials identified the dead guard as Stephen T. Johns, a six-
year veteran of the facility. In an e-mail, director Sara Bloomfield
said he "died heroically in the line of duty."

Von Brunn has a racist, anti-Semitic Web site and wrote a book titled
"Kill the Best Gentiles."

In 1983, he was convicted of attempting to kidnap members of the
Federal Reserve Board and served more than six years in prison. He was
arrested two years earlier outside the room where the board was
meeting, carrying a revolver, knife and sawed-off shotgun. At the
time, police said Von Brunn wanted to take the members hostage because
of high interest rates and the nation's economic difficulties.

Writings attributed to Von Brunn on the Internet say the Holocaust was
a hoax and decry a Jewish conspiracy to "destroy the white gene pool."

"At Auschwitz the 'Holocaust' myth became Reality, and Germany,
cultural gem of the West, became a pariah among world nations," it says.

The museum, which opened in 1993 and has drawn nearly 30 million
visitors, houses exhibits and records relating to the Holocaust of
more than a half century ago in which more than six million Jews died
at the hands of Nazis. Its Web site says the museum "teaches millions
of people each year about the dangers of unchecked hatred and the need
to prevent genocide."

The museum was crowded with school children and other tourists at the
time of the attack, but they all escaped injury in the outburst of
violence.

Ashley Camp, 14, of Forsyth, Ill., on a field trip with more than 40
other students, said she heard two or three gunshots. Soon after, she
recalled, a security guard ordered the group to run to the exit.

"We had to sprint as fast as we could out the door," she said. "I
thought it was the movie (part of a museum exhibit), but then everyone
started screaming and running."

The attack was the third in a recent wave of unsettling shootings that
appeared to have political underpinnings.

A 23-year-old Army private, William Andrew Long, was shot and killed
outside a recruiting office this month in Arkansas and a fellow
soldier was wounded. The suspect, a Muslim convert, has said he
considers the killing justified because of the U.S. military presence
in the Middle East.

Late last month, abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot to death
in his church.

At the White House a few blocks away from the museum, press secretary
Robert Gibbs said he informed President Barack Obama of the events and
the chief executive was "obviously saddened by what has happened."

Only last week, Obama visited the site of a German concentration camp
at Buchenwald in Germany where he noted, "There are those who insist
the Holocaust never happened." He added, "This place is the ultimate
rebuke to such thoughts, a reminder of our duty to confront those who
would tell lies about our history."

Before You Get Married - Let's Talk

2009-06-10T20:25:00Z

What Do Green jobs Look Like?

2009-06-10T20:21:00Z

What Do Green Jobs Look Like?

View more Microsoft Word documents from earthsite.

Official Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama

2009-02-28T20:42:00Z

Our First Lady Michelle Obama has released her official portrait, and what a stunning picture it is. Not overly done or subdued. The white pearls adding just enough elegance.

Some have had positive comments, others negative about this photo. But not matter what your views are about the portrait of President Thomas Jefferson on the wall, the same holds true - Michelle Obama makes the position of First Lady look good.

So here's to First Lady Michelle Obama, for always being a lady!

Wedding Planning with Ivy Robinson

2009-02-18T05:53:00Z

Ivy Robinson is a certified wedding planner with years of experience designing innovative, unique events that are inspired by the personalities and aspirations of her clients. Ivy has appeared frequently on the Style network, and her work has been featured in national and regional publications including The Knot, Elegant Bride, Carolina Bride, and Weddings Unveiled. She has also spoken about her unique wedding design philosophy with the National Association of Catering Executives which won best educational event and the National Association of Wedding Professionals. Ivy currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband, Scott, and their dog, Macy.

We had the pleasure of speaking with her on Valentine's Day on I Do Radio. Take a moment to listen and leave a comment about the show. We always love to hear from you.

Note To Self - "09 Is Mine"

2009-01-02T06:41:00Z

Out with the old and in with the new, a long lived tradition of many people across the world. Every New Year many people start off with a resolution but even fewer go through with it. For some, the pressure of simply saying it gives them a feeling of dread. Why do that to yourself? Why not give yourself permission to succeed? So instead of a long list of to-do’s, simply write yourself a note.

You don’t have to start off with many notes. In fact give yourself permission to only have two or three notes at first. As you accomplish them, give yourself a new note. Make sure you select the best stationary that you can afford at the time. As you grow, your stationary may also reflect your growth.

Sit down in a quite place and really think about what it is that you wish to accomplish. Be sure to write down these important facts in the note:

What to you wish to accomplish
Why do you want to do this
When is the accomplishment date
Who will benefit from its completion
Where will you be when it is done

Everything we do in life has a plan. Not doing anything with your life at all – that, is your plan. If you are making $250,000 a year – that is your plan. No matter the day or time, be sure that you are following a plan. So instead of making grand statements of what you will do this year, start off with an achievable approach first. No more resolutions and lofty promises. Simply write a note to yourself. When you change your outlook and perception on life the things around you will reflect your positive affirmation and mental attitude. You will change not only yourself but those around you.

The way in which you go about life determines what you receive. Instead of saying, “I want to lose 20 pounds” without having a plan other than the phrase, “I will go on a diet” your success rate will be low. But stating that you will change your lifestyle by eating healthy foods and exercising by a certain date, you will get there. Maybe you wish to have a make over. Select fashion that is appropriate for your body shape, age and place in life. If you are striving to be an executive this year, dress the part. If you have a more labor intensive job, get a more modern and fresh haircut.

When you decide to act on a note to self, jot down the date you start, goal date and accomplishment date in the corner as a visual. As you achieve each one, don’t throw it away. Instead, keep it until the end of the year. From time to time, take a moment to look at your notes and at all that you have accomplished. Being able to visualize your accomplishments may be hard for some, so when you are able to look at your notes in a physical form, you are now able to see what success looks like. When you are able to see what success looks like, you are able to see it more clearly each time you strive for the next goal.

Be sure to reward yourself for each note completed. One way you can do this is to get a charm bracelet. Select a charm to add to the bracelet each time you are successful. Order flowers for yourself and have them delivered to your job with a note that says I’m proud of you. This is another positive reaffirmation of your accomplishments.

Your brain is your body’s computer. Inputting data is vital. The better the data, the better your reports and statistics will be. If you are putting in junk and visiting the wrong website, don’t be surprised when you get a virus. Being around like-minded people is also very important. If you have an issue with eating the proper foods, being around people who only eat junk food will not help you. Spending time with your friends who love to eat fresh fruits and veggies, will give you a jump start on your note to self, each time. They will share with you bits of wisdom that they have gathered along the path of healthy eating, thus, changing your life, by touching those around them. There’s two old expression that come to mind – when you lay down with dogs you get flees and birds of a feather flock together. Well, the same holds true in day-to-day life. Having a mentor and being around those that you wish to learn from is always a sign of a person who wishes to succeed.

So as 2009 begins, begin your life on a positive note. Write down all the things that you are thankful for. You may be surprised at what you have accomplished already.

Chris Lanston - Special Guest on I Do Radio

2008-12-31T09:11:00Z

I Do Radio vendor spotlight spent time with celebrity makeup artist Chris Lanston on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Not only was he the last guest for the '08 year, but was filled with information. Chris Lanston has worked with wonderful people like Alan Thicke, the Tyra Banks Sh ow and My Super Sweet Sixteen. His advice on how to achieve a celebrity look was great. Didn't get a chance to listen live? No problem, simply stop by I Do Radio and check out the Makeup 101 archive. You can see Chris' work at LanstonBeauty.com or simply google Chris Lanston for the most recent events. I look forward to having Chris on the show again.

New Books Available

2008-11-14T06:05:00Z

New books are available in the Angela Chester Ministries bookstore.

Welcome

2008-10-30T20:30:44Z

Welcome to my blog. Please check back soon for new entries.