Faith Weed those Weeds!!!

Lifestyle Green Spacesto Live In

Also In

side:

No Bully

Zone

C rystal Wacker

Editor-in-Chief FaithWeed Those Weeds ................................

LifestyleGreen Spaces to Live In ...........................“No Bully” Zone ......................................

HomestylePicnic Ideas .............................................

Tabl

e of

Con

tent

s FaithLifestyle

Crystal WackerChristina Williams

Jodi-Kay EllisMona Ré ShieldsElizabeth ColdrenDoreen Mytryshyn

Olga “Nena” PodburyVictor Velez

Diana FaruquiCrystal Wacker

Doreen MytryshynVictor Velez

Editor-in-Chief ..........................Writing Editor .......................Spanish Translation ....................Spanish Editor .......................Contributing Authors ........... Graphic Artist ..............................Photos .......................................

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Page 3Page 5

Page 6Homestyle

1 Reach UP

E

ver since I w

as a little girl I

have loved trees. I r

emember pleading with my dad not to

cut

down a tree th

at looked sick. W

ell, I guess my litt

le girl cries won him over a

nd he gave the tre

e another

chance for a

few more months. To my great d

elight and his amazement, it got b

etter. “

My” tree grew to

be the biggest tr

ee shading our house and th

e street.

So when CBS news reporte

d on a “tree man” la

st fall, i

t got m

y attention and became th

e inspiration

for th

is issue of Reach UP. B

rent Green of Los Angeles began planting tre

es to celebrate his life – one

tr

ee for every year he lived. H

is neighbors didn’t know what to

make of a man who asked for nothing and

ju

st quietly planted trees up and down their s

treet. In tim

e they got to know him and asked for help and ideas

to fix up their o

wn yards.

Over th

e last eleven years, house by house, the neighborhood has im

proved its look, and neighborhood pride

has come back. K

ids play under the shade of th

e trees, ra

ce down the street on their bikes, and. . .

crime

has dropped 30%. To think that it

all started with a shovel and a litt

le tree.

I w

ould sure like to meet B

rent Green. M

aybe someday I will.

But I do have frie

nds who have changed their

backyards, no matter w

hat everyone else’s looked like. Victor Velez is one such frie

nd. You can read his

advice on how to make your lit

tle piece of land a beautifu

l place. I know when I d

id that in Bedford Stuyvesant,

no matter what w

as going on, I could look out th

e window and see my flowers and smile at the beauty God

gave. Not to

mention that it became a place for fu

n parties and picnics!

By Karen Grant

C rystal Wacker

Editor-in-Chief

I broke out in a cold sweat. I felt like I was being strangled. I could almost feel the vines of prickly weeds growing over me, overtaking me. Every thought of good judgment was being “squeezed” slowly out of me. I was scared. What was going to happen this time?

Have you ever found yourself feeling this way? You seem to be going along just fine, then some-thing happens and the battle be-gins – the battle to think the right thoughts, to do the right thing. You have been making progress. In some areas you have come a long way. So what is happened to change that?

The Word of God says, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). So why do you feel so bound up? It’s possible there are things in our lives that choke out the truth. The lies, the worries, the anger, and the hurt all grow side by side with the new truth we are learning.

The lie is a dangerous weed and chokes

out God’s truth.

Reach UP 2

has dropped 30%. To think that it

all started with a shovel and a litt

le tree.

I w

ould sure like to meet B

rent Green. M

aybe someday I will.

But I do have frie

nds who have changed their

backyards, no matter w

hat everyone else’s looked like. Victor Velez is one such frie

nd. You can read his

advice on how to make your lit

tle piece of land a beautifu

l place. I know when I d

id that in Bedford Stuyvesant,

no matter what w

as going on, I could look out th

e window and see my flowers and smile at the beauty God

gave. Not to

mention that it became a place for fu

n parties and picnics!

I broke out in a cold sweat. Ifelt like I was being strangled. I could almost feel the vines of prickly weeds growing over me, overtaking me. Every thought of good judgment was being “squeezed” slowly out of me. I was scared. What was going to happen this time?

Have you ever found yourself feel-ing this way? You seem to be go- ing along just fine, then something happens and the battle begins – the battle to think the right thoughts, to do the right thing. You have been making progress. In some areas you have come a long way. So what is happened to change that?

The Word of God says, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). So why do you feel so bound up? It’s possible there are things in our lives that choke out the truth. The lies, the worries, the anger, and the hurt all grow side by side with the new truth we are learning.

The lie is a dangerous weed. It has deep, deep roots, and it often disguises itself to look like the truth. But the lie grows quickly and chokes out the truth, and with it,our resolve to do things God’s way.

Sometimes the lies can be hard to recognize when you hear them all the time. They are haunting

Weed thoseWeeds!!!

words like, “It’s all your fault,” “You’ll never amount to anything,” “You’re a loser. . . a failure. . . a no-good. . . worthless. . . .” Thelist goes on.

John 15:1 from the Bible describes Jesus as the vine and God, His Father, as the Gardener. He is the One who will pull out the weeds that are trying to strangle you if you call on Him – and apply some “weed killer” immediately when you recognize the lies playing around in your mind.

How do you practically apply this to your struggles? The truth in God’s Word and His promises are your best defense. If you start hearing lies like, “You’re worthless,” “You’re no good,” “You’re ugly,” “Nothing is ever going to change,” there is truth to throw on those lies from Psalms 139:14. It tells us that you are carefully and wonderfully made, and that all of God’s works are wonderful! It helps to repeat this truth (or other verses) over and over until the lie loses its hold on your mind.

If you find yourself thinking things like, “Oh this won’t really matter – I’ll just do it once” or “So what if it isn’t totally legal,” you must learn

to recognize that those are lies. God’s truth in Ephesians 2:10 tells us that He made us to do good works. So when you do things that you know are wrong, you are going against the wonderful person God made you to be. Focus on this truth to help clear your mind.

“Isn’t this just positive thinking?” you may ask. No, applying God’s truth to your wrong thinking is far more powerful than any thoughts that you can think up. The Bible explains that the Word of God is living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword, which cuts deep into our hearts and our minds (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word has actual power to destroy the lies. Positive thinking only covers them for a time and lacks real power to get to the root of the weeds in our lives.

So, the next time you face a situation that triggers that horrible “I’m being strangled” feeling, stop and cry out to Jesus! Think on His truth and keep focused on it. Slowly, the power of the lie in your life will be uprooted. No weed is too big, nor rooted too deep that the Master Gardener who loves you cannot destroy it.

Elizabeth Coldren was raised in Detroit, Michigan. She worked with at-risk youth in the public schools for over 20 years. She has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars sharing her personal story for the encouragement. Elizabeth currently works full-time ministry with Prison Fellowship, focusing on outreach to the family and children of inmates.

by: Elizabeth Coldren

old project are lying around in a pile. Those are the kinds of things to get rid of. Write down what you see.

From your notes, make a list of tasks that you have to do in order to clear that yard and give you a clean

palette to work with.

Once the lists are made, you can start planning your space. This is the best part! You get to design your own outdoor space. You can create any-thing you want – a flower garden, a vegetable garden, or just a sitting area where you can relax after a long day and take a breather. The possibilities are endless and completely up to you. So be creative and plan.

(Don’t worry if you don’t own the place. Live by the motto, “Leave a place better than you found it.” Your landlord will be impressed and appre-ciate the care you showed the property.)

#2 PURGE - This is where the work begins. It is the begin-ning of reclaiming that out-door space you used to call a backyard, but never used.

You have to pace yourself and finish one project at a time. Start by clearing away all the trash and all the things on your list that need to go. Sometimes we collect things that just pile up in our homes and backyards. That’s why I call this section “PURGE!” Let it go. That bath tub is not going to become a planter. If you’re not using

it, then get rid of it. You will be amazed how much bigger your outdoor space looks as you start to clear away and clean it up.

Once the space is clear, you can start to work on the grass. Mow, weed and trim all the edges. The space is already starting to look good. Reposition any stones or bricks that have been moved

before:

before:

3 Reach UP

Are you one of those people who avoid the dread-ed backyard? You know, that place you stopped going to because it has basically become an overgrown mess. Or maybe it’s where you store all the stuff you don’t want in the house anymore. Well, I have some ideas for you so that you can regain that valu-able space and it can actually become a great place for you and your family to use every day.

Whether you have no money to spend or a pretty decent budget to work with, you can really transform this space. It is going to take some hard work and planning, but with these three simple steps you can be on your way to using and enjoying that backyard like never before.

Are you are ready to get to work? Let’s get started.

I like to break it down into three steps that you can call the three P’s.

#1 PLAN - Step out into your backyard with a fresh outlook. Look at it as if you are see-ing it for the first time. Look around the entire perimeter of the yard. (It’s okay to ask someone to tell you what they see.) Look around and see the major trouble spots. Is there old garbage that has to go? Maybe leftovers from an

Greento Live In

Spaces by: Victor Velez

or overturned. Make any re-pairs to your fence if possible (maybe a new paint job will freshen up the fence).

I said it before, but you will be amazed how nice your back-yard will look at this second step. Now you are ready to move on to the third step.

#3 PERFECT - Now that we have opened up your space, let’s create the beautiful back-yard. Add all your personal touches – the sitting area, the garden, the flowers. Here’s when you create your dreams. You might want to make a place for the kids to play or a swing to relax in on a warm summer evening. Maybe you can purchase a barbecue grill and plan a party to celebrate your new backyard with your friends and family. Anything is possible with just a little work and your own creativity.

Personally, I like to go into the garden early in the morn-ing and have my devotions with God outside. It is just so peaceful and relaxing. When I get home from work I usually go to my backyard and just enjoy the solitude of our own small but peaceful space.

In a small way I hope that I’ve motivated you to get out there and reclaim that valuable area of your home. There’s nothing like a nice backyard to create memories and share special moments with your family.

Victor Velez, formerly a devoted

youth pastor, has transformed

backyards in every place he’s

lived, whether in Bushwick,

New York, or in New Jersey.

PlanPurgePerfect

Reach UP 4

after:

fix it up and have a party!

5 Reach UP

Many of you have heard the tragic story of Phoebe Prince, the 15-year-girl who was bullied every day until she couldn’t take it anymore and took her life. My sister, too, was a victim of bul-lying, but we never knew. She never talked about it. But when money started disappearing, we knew something was wrong, and we began to ask her the tough questions. We found out that a boy in her class was threatening to beat her up if she didn’t bring him money daily. This broke our family’s hearts. For-tunately we were able to help my sister, but it makes me wonder how many other kids are being bullied every day, and like Phoebe Prince, are desperate for help.

Bullying must be taken seriously. Too many children are being emotionally or physically injured due to meanness.

Statistics about bullying:

•One in seven students is either a bully or a victim of bullying. •About 160,000 school children stay home from school each day due to fear of bullying.

So what is bullying?

Bullying is a form of abuse. There are three basic types of bullying abuse - emotional, verbal, and physical. These can range from hitting, shoving, name-calling, threats, and teasing to blackmailing for money and belong-ings. Some kids bully by shutting others out and spreading rumors about them. Others use email, chat rooms, instant messages, social networking websites,

and text messages to make fun of them or hurt their feelings.

What are warning signs your child may be getting bullied?

•Does not bring classmates home and rarely spends time with classmates after school. •Has bruises, injuries, cuts, and scratches, and cannot give a good reason for what happened.•Loses interest in school and gets poorer grades.•Seems unhappy, depressed, or has mood swings with sudden outbursts of irritation or anger.•Steals or asks for extra money from members of the family (to soften up the bullies).•Comes home with torn, dirty, or wet clothes or damaged books, or “loses” things without being able to tell you a believable story about what has happened.•Seems afraid or unwilling to go to school in the morning

What should you do as a parent/guardian?

1) Talk to your child. Most parents don’t even know their child is being bullied. Take time to talk to your chil-dren and ask them about their school, friends, and even their bus ride home. Here are some questions that you can ask them: •Do you have any special friends at school this year? Who are they? Who do you hang out with?

•Who do you sit with at lunch/on the bus?•Are there any kids at school whom you really don’t like? Why don’t you like them? Do they ever pick on you or leave you out of things?•Are there any kids at school who may be picking on you, bullying you, or teasing you in a mean way?•Are there any kids at school who leave you out on purpose?

2) If you think your child is being bullied at school, it is important that you contact the school immediately. A plan must be drawn up on how you and the school together can put an end to the bullying. Sometimes the bullying is not at school but instead in your neighborhood. Many states have bullying laws and policies. Find out about the laws in your communityby going to the library and looking them up. In certain cases, if you have serious concerns about your child’s safety, you may need to contact legal authorities.

3) PRAY. Ask God to protect your children. He has the power to stop the bullying.Psalm 91:9:10 – The Lord is the one who keeps you safe. So let the Most High God be like a home to you. Then no harm will come to you.Psalm 32:7 – You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble.Psalm 46:1-2 – God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble.

Olga “Nena” Podbury grew up in the Bronx, New York,

but currently lives with her husband, Ben, in Denver,

Colorado. They have a company, Big Picture Cre-

ations. Nena co-authors children’s curriculum.

NO BULLY ZONEby: Olga “Nena” Podbury

5 Reach UP

by: Doreen Mytryshyn

Before you picnic, prepare the decorations.

Decorated Luminaries - white paper lunch sacks- assorted colored markers- decorative hole punchers- 1 small bag of play sand, sugar, or flour- votive or tea candles (ideally, use flameless, battery-operated candles)

During the day, spend time making this lovely and fun evening table decoration. Kids of any age can design and color each bag with ideas that fit the party, such as stars and stripes for In-dependence Day. Make sure to use dark colors as these will look best when the luminaries are lit.If you use dark bags, create an attractive design with the hole punchers instead of coloring.

Fill each bag with a cup of sand (or more as needed) to keep the light snugly centered in the middle. The safer flameless candles are battery operated and are now widely available.Finish putting together the luminaries in the cen-ter of the tables, along the patio walk, or wher-ever you like before lighting.

Try these fun recipes that children can help make for a picnic bar-b-que.

Kielbasa Ke-Bobs Ingredients:- 1 lb Kielbasa (preferably low-fat turkey kielbasa) cut in 16 pieces- 1 can whole potatoes- 1 small onion cut into chunks- 4 bamboo (soaked) or metal bar-b-que skewers- salt, pepper- vegetable or olive oil - bar-b-que sauce Optional: 1 small cut up green or red pepper, pineapple chunks Directions: Drain potatoes, toss lightly with oil, season with salt and pepper. Alternate skewing kielbasa (allowing 4 pieces per skewer), potato, and onion, and, if de- sired, pineapple and pepper. Grill on all sides until nicely browned. For added flavor, baste with bar-b-que sauce while grilling

Reach UP 6

Picnic Fun!

Luminary

The Magazine to Empower and Enrich Today’s Urban Woman Summer 2010

7 Reach UP

Given to you by:

Have things to do for your party guests/fam-ily. Here’s a game that will have everyone laughing.

‘Pie’ Eating Contest This contest replaces the waste andmess of eating whole pies! It is safer, quicker, and much cheaper. Needed:- 1 paper plate for each person- M & M’s® or Skittles® - Large can of whipped topping

Directions:Place an equal number of candies on the plates (consider the age and size of the participants).Cover the candy completely with whipped top-ping (again, consider the age and size of those playing the game).Participants stand in front of their plates with their hands behind their backs.

Call out, “Begin!”

The first person to clean their plate is the winner!

Have fun!

Picnic Salad Ingredients:- 2 romaine hearts- 1 can of Chinese baby corn, drained- 1 pint of grape tomatoes cut in half- 1 small can of mandarin orange pieces, drained- Skinny chow mien noodles

Wash and tear romaine in bite size pieces, and place them in large bowl.Add rest of ingredients, except for the noodles.Toss well.Put in bowls, and add noodles on top. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Dressing:- 2 tsp soy sauce- 1 tbsp honey- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger (optional: 1/4-1/2 tsp of ginger)- 1 tbsp. lemon juice- 1/2 cup oil (vegetable, peanut, corn, olive, or sesame) Thoroughly whisk together soy, honey, ginger, and lemon juice.After completely mixed, continue whisking while adding oil in a slow, steady stream. Serve as soon as possible.