Returning to Grand Slam action following a year full of health issues, Serena Williams beat France’s Arvane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at Wimbledon Tuesday — then began to sob.

After serving her 13th ace to close the match, Williams buried her face in her towel and cried from her courtside chair. She was still crying as she walked off the court.

According to the AP, the four-time champion opened play Tuesday at the All England Club. She fought through a mid-match slump before asserting command in the third set with her big serve and powerful groundstrokes.

That was enough to show why she is still considered a title favorite despite her long layoff after two foot operations and blood clots in her lungs.

Meanwhile, big sister Venus is scheduled to play her second round match against 40-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan.

Venus, the five-time champion who turned 31 last week, is also returning to tennis after nearly five months off with a hip injury.

article courtesy of Eurweb.com

Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.

Founder and President
Rainbow PUSH Coalition

Born on October 8, 1941 in Greenville, South Carolina, Jesse Jackson graduated from the public schools in Greenville and then enrolled in the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. He later transferred to North Carolina A&T State University and graduated in 1964. He began his theological studies at Chicago Theological Seminary but deferred his studies when he began working full-time in the Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was ordained on June 30, 1968 by Rev. Clay Evans and received his earned Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary in 2000. (Read More)

Words Of Wisdom: Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr.

“You can’t plant a seed and pick the fruit the next morning.”

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.”

- Reverend Jesse Jackson

Check out the following video: On April 4, 2011, the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.s shocking assassination, civil rights advocate Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. marched and spoke for worker’s rights in Madison, WI, to thousands of protestors! “I am a Man” signs commemorate the unity in struggle for workers and are a throwback to the Memphis Sanitation Workers fight for collective bargaining rights that Martin Luther King Jr. was speaking out in favor of the days before his assassination.

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The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial is scheduled to finally open this August and the King family will be taking part in ceremonies surrounding the grand opening. Bernice explained that the King memorial is the first monument on the National Mall dedicated to an African-American.

For more watch the video on Praise Atl.

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You cannot expect others to love you if you do not love yourself. It sounds simple. It really is the root cause of why people have as many problems as they do in this world. They do not express the love that God gave them within themselves. If we look at why there is such low self esteem amongst our people, it is because we do not contain self love. There is a wonderful Gospel song that has the lyrics: “‘I Will… Bless The Lord …Oh My Soul… And All That Is Within Me …Bless His Holy Name” If we can sing these words we must understand that the blessings start within me.

Here are a few things to begin your self love project.

1- Forgive You – I know people who have carried their mistakes with them their entire life, and as result they remain unhappy at the core. I know what it’s like to make a mistake and feel like you shouldn’t be forgiven, but that kind of thinking is nonsense. There is no action not worthy of forgiveness.

2- Stop Comparing Yourself to Others – I’m just as guilty as the next person in this area, for this is something that I too am struggling with even today. But as I’ve come to realize the more you compare yourself to others the less self worth you place on yourself Only when you stop comparing yourself to others can then you then begin to love yourself

3- Stop Seeking Approval- Seeking approval is similar to comparing yourself to others, and it’s fair to say that we all do it from time to time. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve never sought approval from my family or friends, but I’m also going to tell you that when approval was my main focus those were also not the happiest times in my life.

4- Believe In Yourself- Loving and believing in yourself go hand in hand. You can’t love yourself if you don’t believe in yourself, and you can’t believe in yourself if you don’t love yourself first. To fully experience what it means to live you must have a confidence in all you do, even during the times in which you come up short.

5- Trust Your Judgment and know that through both the good and bad you are worthy. Inside of yourself you do know essentially what is best for you and how to apply it.

6- Practice Silence- Last week I wrote about discovering the true you in Silence. For me this means that I must remove myself from my natural environment in order to have peace and quiet.

7- Eat Healthy And Exercise- Part of loving yourself is allowing your body to be in its top form. An occasional indulgence in alcohol or some fast food isn’t the end of the in the world but making a habit of destroying your body is.

8- Express Yourself- Holding back on what you feel and how you feel makes you’re a prisoner inside. You do not deserve to be a prisoner. This is not what your Creator made you for. He made you to love, be loved and to know the world

If you really want to change the world, if you really want to experience that life you’ve always desired, you must first love yourself fully, because all the advice in the world won’t matter if you don’t. It won’t always be be easy, but your relationship with yourself is the most important relationship you will ever have. Make each day a day in which you continue to deepen your relationship with yourself and experience the life you know you were meant to live. The world depends on you to love yourself.

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Yes, there have been people who you can say that of. You may even say that is just their public persona and behind the scenes they are the worst human being you have ever known. Kirk is not that person.  He took time out of his day to sit and talk with me. It was not  just a conversation about the album, but a conversation about the state of the world.  It was a mature dissection  of what we all have been thinking but not saying. It was a discussion that was filled with food for thought.  He spoke about the  direction our African American families are headed. He touched on the tabloid thirsty consumption of the public’s viewing habits. He poised a question. “Have we taken our eyes off the prize?”

Take a moment, watch the footage, buy the album, and embrace the fact that we all must one day say, “Hello Fear, I am hear to conquer you.”

Mr. Franklin lays downs a clear challenge for us to do something.  Be better. Get it togethet. As we watch the burn out of a  Chris Brown in public. Think about what he is talking about as we cheer on the “Basketball Wives”.

Most of all meet the challenge and begin the fight.

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These are the the 8 things that I have found helpful in community.

You can try them all or just start with one or two. The most important part is you need to get  started.

1. Adopting a Family

Be a friend by inviting them to lunch. Send a member of the family to a conference or retreat. Take interest in the progress of the new church. Provide childcare for a planter and his wife as they go on a date.

2. Contributing to the Financial Needs

Often, church plants have significant start-up costs and ongoing expenses. Through monthly or onetime gifts, individuals and churches can provide valuable funding streams. Business leaders can help provide jobs for planters, their families, and team members. Check and see if your church has a “family rescue” plan in which a family in dire need can get help. If not maybe this would be a good thing to start.

3. Providing Materials and Equipment

That extra television of older computer can find a great second life within a church or religious institution.Sound systems, computers, and office equipment are valuable assets. Get your entire church involved with a “Baby Shower” for the church nursery or reuse of Vacation Bible School materials and props. In winter and summer children always need a safe place. If your church has space you can show movies. This will give neighborhood kids something to look forward to.

4. Sharing Your Skills

Your church may need someone to do some filing work or some construction. The smallest amount of time given can be the biggest progress made on building access ramps and things of that nature. Hands on help is always needed.There may be a tutoring program that may need your skills.

5. Serving on a Church Mission Trip

Youth groups, college students, and adults can assist a mission trip in a day, weekend, and weeklong setting. Community surveys block parties, Backyard Bible schools, and neighborhood canvassing are events benefiting the church plant and the partnering church. They help the neighborhood and they stimulate growth.

6. Discovering Unreached / Under-reached People in Your Community

Your church can identify population groups that are not being reached by evangelical ministries.

Often churches notice that certain segments of the community do not assimilate into their church after evangelistic events or notice communities desperately need of ministry care. Churches engage these groups with ministries meeting community needs, Gospel seed sowing, and leadership development of leaders from the harvest.

7. Starting an Outreach Bible Study

Bible studies are effective ways to lead people to Christ. A Bible study unit can grow into a core leadership team for a church.

8. Join the welcoming committee. When you see a new neighbor move in go and introduce yourself. They are acclimating to a new home and possibly a new neighborhood, so your greeting can be best thing they have heard in awhile.

Most of all get excited and get started.

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Mr.Williams understand that the change in life begins when you start to really think things through. He feels blessed and now has the  desire to help others change and set their paths right.

God Bless Ted. We wish you a great journey.

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Mr.Williams understand that the change in life begins when you start to really think things through. He feels blessed and now has the  desire to help others change and set their paths right.

God Bless Ted. We wish you a great journey.

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There are no shortage of reasons to admire and be inspired by Michelle Obama; her poise, her style, and her steadfast determination to make a change in this world, one soup kitchen at a time make her a strong role model for men, women, and children everywhere. But while her husband Barack has been championed as the all-star orator, Michelle herself is no stranger to the power of words. Beliefnet.com has put together an uplifting list of some of Mrs. Obama’s most encouraging words. Below are our favorites.

On being the First Lady and Mom-in-Chief:

“My first job in all honesty is going to continue to be mom-in-chief. Making sure that in this transition, which will be even more of a transition for the girls…that they are settled and that they know they will continue to be the center of our universe.”
On the importance of self-care:

“Women in particular need to keep an eye on their physical and mental health, because if we’re scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don’t have a lot of time to take care of ourselves. We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.”
On dealing with stress:

“Exercise is really important to me–it’s therapeutic. So if I’m ever feeling tense or stressed or like I’m about to have a meltdown, I’ll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls.”
On staying true to oneself:

“One of the lessons that I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody else says distract you from your goals. And so when I hear about negative and false attacks, I really don’t invest any energy in them, because I know who I am.”
And on making a difference:

“And in my own life, in my own small way, I’ve tried to give back to this country that has given me so much. That’s why I left a job at a law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities. Because I believe that each of us–no matter what our age or background or walk of life–each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation.”

What do you find most inspirational about Michelle Obama? How have her words and/or actions made an impact on your life?

article courtesy of Elev8.com

“I don’t think you ever stop giving. I really don’t. I think it’s an on-going process. And it’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.”

“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure.”

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

“What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine.”

“Devote today to something so daring even you can’t believe you’re doing it.”

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”

“The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams.”

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article courtesy of Elev8.com