May 2014

Over 65,000 Readers
LAS VEGAS
VEGAS EDITION
EDITION
LAS
Volume 6, Issue 12
May 2014
HER GRACE, HIS BRAVERY, OUR LESSON
One Mother’s story about a kid who looks different
By Jackie Hafter
Special to The Answer
I blew it. Well, sort of. Saturday
night, we were sitting around the
table after dinner. Gabriel was talking about the curriculum that he is
developing for his class when they
read the book, Wonder.(This book
is phenomenal, and focuses on a kid
with a syndrome similar to
Gabriel’s.)
He was discussing the part when
the main character, Auggie, describes the beginning of his life. I
am listening. The other kids are eating and talking. In my mind, I’m
still overwhelmed by a character
dying in the book that I am reading. In addition, I haven’t slept well
in six weeks while we have been
tending to Gabriel’s recovery from
his third jaw distraction surgery.
And then it hits me. I should
have been expecting it. Gabriel has
been very passionate about Wonder
and his connection to Auggie. He
reads to me the part about Auggie’s
birth.
“Ima (‘Mommy’ in Hebrew), did
you know I was different before I
was born?” My eyes go wide. I
sucked in my bottom lip and bit
down so hard. I can’t blink, I am
straining so hard to keep the tears
from falling, making everything in
my line of sight go blurry. I see all
the eager beautiful faces of my children just staring at me.
I think to myself. I have to respond. I have to hold it together. I
have to not influence Gabriel to
think anything that is hurtful or
negative. I swallow hard.
I can’t stop it.
I cover my eyes and the tears
Jackie and Gabriel Hafter
flood out. I’m trying to hide behind
my hands, but the sights and sounds
behind my hands deceive me. The
kids all say, “What is wrong?”
Aviva, his little sister, comes and
rubs my back and says “Ima, take a
deep breath” I laugh inside. Isn’t
that the same thing I have been saying to Gabriel, the same sentence I
have used to coach him to cope over
the weeks that have been passing
by. I can’t allow the laughter to escape me. I just choke out “Get Abba
(‘Father’ in Hebrew).” I looked at
the words blurring in my book and
mumble about the book being sad
and one of the characters dying.
Abba comes and hugs me. He
tells Gabriel simply, “When you
were born, we noticed that your ears
bent over.” Gabriel says, “Like
Dumbo...” (He has always had a
connection to Dumbo.) Abba continued, “Then we took you to a big
children’s hospital.”
I studied Gabriel’s face, took a
deep unstable breath and began
Gabriel’s history like I remember
it.
He was born and, yes, we noticed his ears and we noticed depressions in his face under his
eyes,that we later learned was his
lack of cheekbones. He was taken
away to get cleaned and get oxygen. He looks up, questioning in his
eyes. I told him he needed oxygen
because the medicine that I had for
the pain during delivery made his
breathing slow down.
He was the first one with his
birth defect (Treacher Collins) in
that hospital. The doctors and
nurses didn’t know what it was. The
next day, a female Indian pediatrician with wild dark frizzy hair and
a deep purple shirt, walked into my
room with a huge textbook with a
faded cover, yellowed-pages and
old-looking type. I didn’t read the
words when she put it on my lap,
just noticed the picture.
The pediatrician was so cold,
(See Mother, Page 4)
ter it was released on April 22nd.
This project truly offers music
that choirs across the country will
be able to relate to and sing for years
to come, providing opportunities to
showcase their gifts by way of duplicating the intricate but fun filled
vocal calisthenics featured on each
song.
Fans, new and old, have even
taken to Twitter with praises about
this project. Nosta @Divine_Curls
tweeted, “I can’t be the only one
who
sings
along
w/
@DeitrickHaddon and the choir
like I wrote the songs... I can sing
along like nobodies business.” And
yes, she is not the only one, as this
album is truly relatable and no one
will be disappointed.
A #1 album debut wasn’t the
only good news that Deitrick
Haddon’s LXW experienced this
week. The lead single “Great God”
had an INCREDIBLE jump in ra(See Haddon, Page 6)
Deitrick Haddon’s League Of Xtraordinary Worshippers
Taking Choir Music to a New Stratosphere with a #1 Debut!
By the Belle Report
Los Angeles, CA — When
Deitrick Haddon, pastor, producer,
founder and leader of the gospel
choir
LXW
(League
of
Xtraordinary Worshippers) released
this long awaited album, the 3-time
Grammy nominee was already
claiming victory. Today that victory
is finally realized as the self titled
debut album reached #1 and earned
the Hot Shot Debut on the Billboard
Gospel Albums Chart, just days af-
Gospel
in
Asia
INSIDE
Gospel in Romania .................. Page 7
Publisher helps Pastors .......... Page 10
Health Advocate Awards ....... Page 11
See page 7 Pastors face the Big Lie .......... Page 13
Reign Dance
Company
celebrates
5 years
See page 3
Page 2
THE ANSWER
May 2014
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(800) 224-1053
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THE ANSWER
May 2014
Page 3
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Dance Ministry glides into the next level
By Toni Terrell
Editor in Chief
I can still remember watching
the anointing ooze off Rekesha
Pittman as she climbed a ladder
during one of her ministering pieces
called “fly.” I was amazed at how
God quieted a room full of chattering women and turned every dry
eye to puddles of tears — what a
feast of worship.
That was more than five years
ago.
At that time, I thought it was just
a magnificent worship experience
and God just decided to show up
that day for the conference. But I
followed Rekesha (now Pastor of
Assembling Worship Center) as she
turned a one-woman ministry into
a full fledged dance company, and
that same intense worship experience kept repeating itself — everywhere Reign Dance Company ministered — the spirit of God swept
the room, chains were broken,
people were filled and lives were
TONI TERRELL
changed.
During their celebration of five
years, nothing changed — the
anointing danced through the theatre at TCMI Christian Event Center and the audience watched in awe
as God showed up and showed out.
While it is difficult to capture a
moment and say it was the best, the
Beyond the Veil ending would certainly be in the running of “The
Show Stopper.”
First of all, I personally love
Daryl Coley and the Beyond the
Veil CD is probably one of my favorites (you can’t get that full
project anymore.) But to understand
the concept of Christ coming back
for His bride (the church), and then
hearing Daryl Coley describe the
experience with his masterful runs
and eloquent harmonies is one
thing. However, to see a group of
graceful swans glide across the the-
atre in wedding attire garments
demonstrating the intimacy of communion and seeking to become one
with Christ is a whole new dimension of dance ministry — WOW.
The members of this dance company moved with such grace in their
veils and authentic wedding
dresses, still presenting genuine
dance movements. The choreography captured every intricate detail
of the music as it progressed the
wedding march; every note was displayed with soft arms yet firm gallops; every piece of vocabulary was
(See Reign, Page 21)
PO Box 270744
Las Vegas, NV 89127
THE ANSWER
Page 4
Mother
(Continued from Page 1)
hard and devoid of emotion, just
like the faded book. Jay’s anger
boiled as my fears grew. He sent
her away asking her never to return.
My doctor was there and soon
sat on my bed. He told me he
printed some information for me to
read. He told me we would have to
take Gabriel to a children’s hospital. He tried to be comforting and
kind.
I was left with these sheets of
paper to explain our future.
I remembered how we had to
fight to get him released from the
hospital. There was a neonatologist
who had shoved a tube up Gabriel’s
nose without our consent. Jay was
beside himself that this doctor
could have harmed Gabriel and
what had he been looking to find.
Then, the doctor wouldn’t release
Gabriel without a CT scan.
Jay started calling and fighting
for what was in Gabriel’s best interests.
Laughter formed inside me, as I
relayed this information to Gabriel
so many years later. This fight for
Gabriel started just hours after he
was born and has continued so
many times to this day: Jay fighting. Jay finding the contacts to support his gut feelings and medical
understanding was a fight. Jay advocating and taking on an added
unnecessary burden to the emotions
and fears that loomed inside of us
was a fight.
We took Gabriel to Children’s
Hospital in Philadelphia. We met
with his surgeon who informed us
of the future surgeries to his jaw and
what complications may arise along
the way. We met with his ENT discussing his potential hearing loss.
And we met with the geneticists
who confirmed Gabriel’s diagnosis
clinically. But we still needed a
blood test to be sent to the only lab
in the country that tests for his birth
defect.
I explained the genetics to
Gabriel. So boring to some, but so
defining to our family. The lab
needed to find the mutation (a feat
compared to finding the one misspelled word in a random book in
the Library of Congress).They were
looking for a treacle protein deletion on the TCOF1 gene of the fifth
chromosome, the one that defines
the facial bones. My extremely science-proficient son drinks in this
information and gets it.
Then we talked about percentages. Sixty percent of people with
Treacher Collins syndrome get it
spontaneously; 40 percent had it
passed on by one of their parents. I
didn’t anticipate the natural question that would follow: What is the
FAMILY
Gabriel Hafter
percentage of me passing it onto my
children? Eyes wide and with the
pain in my chest digging deeper, I
hear myself choke out: “50 percent.” I see Gabriel blink and calculate in his brain. He says, “Out
of what?” I tell him 100 percent. I
hear Judah, his little brother, say,
“Wow! That is a high percentage.”
I scrape something nonexistent off
my skirt and while still looking
down I somehow manage to say we
will discuss that more later.
And I push that part— those
fears, the emotions, the concern—
deep down where it lives buried in
my brain, tucked in so far that it will
hopefully be a long time before it
resurfaces. Gabriel, however, in
those three seconds, processes this
and says, “Well, that is a discussion
you will have to have with my wife
one day.”
I look up at him wide-eyed with
my mouth gaping open. Months of
postpartum therapy and antidepressants after Gabriel was born, fretting about how to manage his future and in three seconds, he taught
me a brilliant lesson. If only I had
had a crystal ball when he was born
to see that he would be the one to
teach me how to cope with the future.
And that is how the discussion
unfolded, the one I knew for the last
11 years would one day happen. I
was not able to process if I was upset that I cried, happy that I can put
the anticipation behind me, fearful
of Gabriel’s processing of this information or stunned as I so often
am when reality stops me each time,
even with 11 years of knowledge.
What I am 100 percent certain about
after our discussion is that Gabriel
has grown to become an unbelievably confident, understanding, intelligent, determined, passionate,
caring, kind and WONDERFUL
kid, who just so happens to have
Treacher Collins syndrome.
May 2014
Local Church Accepting
Applications for Interim
and Senior Pastor
By Rev. Kelcey A. West
Moderator
New Revelation Baptist Church
of Las Vegas, NV, is seeking resumes for an interim pastor.
Resumes are being accepted until May 31, 2014. All interested and
qualified candidates must submit an
application packet consisting of the
following information: A cover letter explaining your interest in serving as the interim pastor; a copy of
your resume; a copy of certificate
of license and ordination; a copy of
your degree and/or ministry experience; three references—one each
from clergy, layperson and personal. Please mail your application
to: Interim Pastor Search Committee, New Revelation Baptist
Church; 615 W. Van Buren Ave.,
Las Vegas, NV 89106.
New Revelation Baptist Church
of Las Vegas, Nevada, a historic and
dynamic congregation is seeking a
servant-leader to be its next pastor.
The church is looking for the following in an under-shepherd: (1) A
Baptist believer who will be able
to articulate and demonstrate a call
to preaching/teaching the Bible as
(See Interim Pastor, Page 6)
May 2014
THE ANSWER
Page 5
THE ANSWER
Page 6
May 2014
LIFESTYLE NEWS
Haddon
(Continued from Page 1)
dio airplay. According to the Billboard and Mediabase Gospel Airplay Charts (Week Ending 4/27/14)
the song leaped from #24 to #15 and
#26 to #15 (respectively) all in just
1 week, proving the strength of the
song and the long standing power
of choir music. Also, “Great God”
was #19 on the Billboard Hot Gospel Songs Chart for issue date May
3rd! “Wow, this speaks volumes!
People still believe in choir music
when it’s really good. My brothers
Gerald Haddon, David Haddon & I
worked hard to bring something
fresh but yet familiar. This confirms
that hard work pays off!” said
Deitrick Haddon.
LXW’s fantastic debut adds to
the long list of creative projects that
have come out of Haddon’s longtime collaborative partnership with
Tyscot Music& Entertainment.
As the oldest African-American
owned recording label in the nation,
Tyscot keeps renewing itself with
talented artists like Deitrick
Haddon’s LXW. The company has
allowed Haddon to express himself
artistically and he has continued to
amaze them with his limitless gifts.
Tyscot President, Bryant Scott,
sees this most recent success as a
reminder of the company’s early
beginnings. The very first projects
Tyscot presented almost 40 years
ago were choirs. We built our early
legacy with choir music like John
P. Kee & New Life Community
Choir. Now in 2014, we have
teamed back up with Deitrick, who
is one of our success stories, to
present a CD and DVD which takes
choir music to a new stratosphere.
It is thrilling that the public has
embraced this project to the level
of debuting number 1 on the Billboard Gospel Album sales chart.
Along with a grateful thanks to consumers nationwide, we thank the
press, radio, retail and social media for being strong contributing
factors to this auspicious occasion.”
The Choir Movement is back.
The LXW project is amazing as it
brought together 100+ voices in
LA. By creating music for youth
choirs and choirs in general, LXW
is “resurrecting the choir movement”, adding energy and swag
back into this genre. Haddon and
LXW have already created quite a
stir after a recent live performance
seen on BET’s Celebration of Gospel and the full concert video airing as a ‘Good Friday Easter Special’ on the Oxygen network. With
wonderful songs, intense choreography and finesse, this project will
return choir music to its rightful
place in the gospel genre. The CD
and its companion concert DVD
will make audiences fall in love
with choir music all over again.
The awe-inspiring DVD was
filmed at the City of Refuge Church
in Los Angeles, California. This
debut CD and concert DVD features a list of ‘Who’s Who’ in the
current choir music sub-genre, including Hezekiah Walker, Donald
Lawrence, Ricky Dillard as well as
a new generation of Gospel super-
stars, such as Jessica Reedy. The
DVD will make you feel like you’re
right in the audience, with high energy songs and ballads that you will
find yourself singing along with in
no time! In addition, there are two
spoken word segments that entertain and totally inspire.
Own yours today and get the
CD and full concert DVD at
Walmart, Amazon.com, Family
Christian Stores and many other
brick and mortar retail locations. As
a bonus, consumers get a free copy
of a specially illustrated LXW
Comic Book with their purchase of
the Concert DVD. Also, the Digital Album is available on iTunes,
AmazonMP3, Google Play and
other digital retailers worldwide. In
addition, the Digital Concert Video
is available for download and video
(rental) on demand via iTunes,
AmazonMP3 and many others.
Interim Pastor
(Continued from Page 4)
well as to pastoral ministry; (2) An individual with ministry training
and ministry experience; (3) An individual with an ability to develop
ministry programs (evangelism, outreach and youth/children programs). Please assist the Pastoral Search Team of New Revelation
Baptist Church in identifying capable and qualified candidates by sending an (1) updated resume, (2) 3 letters of recommendation, (3) a copy
of certificate of license and ordination, and (4) DVD copy a sermon to
Pastoral Search Committee, New Revelation Baptist Church; 615 W.
Van Buren Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106. The committee will receive resumes until the position is filled, however, those resumes received by May 31, 2014 will receive first and fullest consideration.
THE ANSWER
May 2014
Page 7
LIFESTYLE NEWS
Special Mother’s Day gift lasts longer than flowers, helps rescue a child
erty and lack life’s basic necessities. Their mothers lack the means
and ability to provide adequately
for them. Through Gospel for Asia’s
(GFA) Bridge of Hope sponsorships, these mothers can enjoy the
best possible Mother’s Day gift:
knowing their children will receive
an education, access to medical
care, clothing and a daily meal.
“What better way to celebrate
Mother’s Day than to help underprivileged mothers provide lifechanging opportunities for their
children that they might not otherwise experience,” said Dr. K. P.
Yohannan, founder and international director of Gospel for Asia.
“The lives of thousands of children
have already been changed through
our Bridge of Hope Centers, and we
pray that many more will be
touched through this special
Mother’s Day outreach.”
Bridge of Hope Centers currently assist more than 72,000 chil(See Gospel for Asia, Page 13)
Special to The Answer
WARRENTON, Mo. — This
July, Child Evangelism Fellowship, the largest Christian ministry to children in the world, will
hold its fifth annual Good News
Across Romania Campaign,
which targets a different county
of Romania every year with evangelistic clubs, called 5-Day
Clubs. This year’s campaign will
focus on the county of Prahova.
There, CEF hopes to beat last
year’s record established in Arad
county where it shared the Gos-
pel with 4250 children in five days.
The genius of the 5-Day Clubs
is their location: They are held
where children naturally congregate
rather than inside a local church.
Depending on the community, clubs
might be held in parks, community
centers, or private backyards. The
clubs themselves are a wonderful
mix of learning and fun. Engaging
Bible lessons, songs, and games
have been designed to encourage
relationship building among the
children, with the club leaders, and
most importantly, with God.
To reach so many children in
such a short period of time requires
considerable manpower and resources. Last year in Arad, 65
churches and 300 volunteers
partnered with CEF Romania to
hold 5-Day Clubs in 106 locations
in the county. “It was CEF
Romania’s biggest project yet with
a number of organizational challenges but it was a huge success,”
said Ms. Claire Bain, general manager for CEF Romania. “We are
expecting and praying for Clubs in
(See Gospel for Romania, Page 20)
The Gospel is on the move in Romania
through Child Evangelism Fellowship
Gospel for Asia aims to help impoverished children in South Asia
through its special Mother’s Day initiative.
Gospel for Asia aims to help change
fate of 2,000 children by Mother’s Day
Special to The Answer
CARROLLTON, Texas — Millions of Americans will purchase
perishable flowers and consumable
chocolate for Mother’s Day this
year, but Gospel for Asia is offering a unique way for people to
honor their mothers in a more practical and life-changing way: by
sponsoring a child in their mother’s
name and literally changing a
child’s fate
Millions of children in South
Asia are stuck in generational pov-
THE ANSWER
Page 8
May 2014
BUSINESS NEWS
Women’s Money Conference offered wisdom
Special to The Answer
Every month, many of us claim
we’re going to do better, be better,
and make better decisions in order
to reach our goals. But most of us
talk about it and rarely make plans
to actually do it.
Las Vegas tends to provide conferences, programs and workshops
to give us knowledge and the
wherewithal to actual take us to the
next level, but we refuse to invest
in the ticket price to get what we
need.
It is our goal here at The Answer
Newspaper to keep bringing you the
information about such conferences
in hopes that you will take that step
to get to the next level. If you
missed the Women’s Money Conference — you did it again. However, Brenda Gayle Bryant brought
back a snippet to share with you.
So what did you do last month
to get closer to your goal? I went to
the 3 rd Annual (but my first)
Women’s Money Conference. It
was filled with smart, intelligent,
inquisitive women — and a few
brave men. And since it was my first
time there, I tried to meet all the
sponsors and vendors represented.
So I talked with representatives
from various banks, credit unions,
local and federal organizations, authors, radio stations — oh, yes, you
missed a lot — and even a bookstore.
Since I teach Financial Intelligence, I was eager to hear the
speakers. The morning started out
with Nevada State Treasurer Kate
Marshall. She talked about the importance of understanding how
money works. She encouraged everyone to go onto the state website
for unclaimed property and see if
she is holding YOUR money for
you. In fact, one of the participants
did have some of that ‘held money.’
The speakers were interspersed
with table discussion time and
speaker question and answer periods. The interaction with the speak-
ers and with one another, the chance
to share good ideas, and the ability
to get real answers to questions was
priceless.
The speakers included Jerrie
(See Conference, Page 9)
1306 W. Craig Rd., No. Las Vegas • (702) 888-4726
THE ANSWER
May 2014
“Ask the Tech Queen”
Top Seven Technology Questions
and Answers for this month
By Duana R Malone
aka “The Tech Queen”
Question #1:
What is the difference between
DYNAMIC
QR
code and STATIC
QR Code?
Answer: Static QR Code is the
actual destination website URL is
placed directly into the QR code
and can’t be modified.Dynamic QR
Code is A short URL is placed into
the QR code which then transparently re-directs the user to the intended destination website URL,
with the short URL redirection destination URL able to be changed
after the QR code has been created.
Question #2:
Can I EXPORT all my contact
information from Facebook into a
Spreadsheet?
Answer: Yes. There’s an app
called “Export Friends” that will
save you friends names, city, birthday and their current location in a
CSV (text) file that you then import
DUANA MALONE
into Gmail or any other web email
programs. Then there are also social plug-ins that can sync photos
and status updates of your
Facebook friends with matching
contacts in Outlook. Also, using
Yahoo’s Address book, you can
IMPORT your contact data and then
export that same data into your desired application.
Question #3:
What is a Search Engine
Crawler?
Answer. Search Engine Crawler
is a program that is automated and
browses the web to provide data to
a search engine.
Question #4:
Can I EMAIL files directly to my
Dropbox (“virtual storage drive”)
account?
Answer: Yes, and it’s free, fast,
secure and super simple too. All you
have to do is connect with
Dropbox.com, get your unique
email address, and start sending
files!
Question #5:
I attend a lot of networking
events and collect a lot of “PHYSICAL” business cards. Is there a way
I can use my mobile phone to go
“paperless” to eliminate the need
of collecting physical business
cards?
Answer: Yes. I use an APP called
“CAMCARD.” It will not only
SCAN the person’s business card,
but it will READ the contact information on the card and store it in
your mobile phone electronically.
Question #6:
What is the difference between
a BLOG site and a WEB site?
Answer: Blog is a type of a
Page 9
website (Web log= Blog). Website
is a general term. (site on
web=website). There are also a few
technical differences, as to how the
data is presented to the readers.
Question #7:
What is the difference between
a static site and a dynamic site?
Answer: Static websites contain
fixed number of pages and format
of web page is fixed which delivers information to the client. Dynamic websites can change the web
Conference
page contents dynamically while
the page is running on client’s
browser. This kind of website use
server- side programming like PHP,
Asp.NET. and JSP etc. to modify
page contents on run time.
Submit your QUESTIONS to
[email protected] by calling 702-334-8355 for consideration
of your question being published in
The ANSWER Newspaper. For
complete contact information, visit
http://contact.thetechqueen.com
(Continued from Page 8)
Merritt, who talked about the emotional side of spending money; Toni
Spilsbury, who talked about the importance of solid organization in the
kitchen (the almighty food budget); Carrie Rocha, who talked about how
her family’s discipline got them out of debt; Julie Macc, who talked about
understanding how to secure your money and monitor your credit; and
Kat Bellucci, who talked about building wealth. But the bottom line of all
the speakers, vendors, and organizations is that money wealth begins with
money knowledge. What do others know about money that you don’t?
How are others able to amass a realistic savings plan or buy a house or go
to college, and you can’t? The day was filled with various answers to
questions like that. We learned about the importance of living with a good
financial plan — one that meets our family’s specific needs; of finding
the right organizations that can help us buy that house or go to college or
build an appropriate savings plan; of surrounding ourselves with the right
trustworthy people to mentor us as we flex our financial muscles.
If you would like more information, please go to
www.womensmoney.org. You may find some helpful information there.
And, of course, you can always contact me at [email protected].
THE ANSWER
Page 10
May 2014
MOTIVATION
A String
of Perils
By Pastor Rekesha Pittman
The Answer columnist
Do bad things happen to good
people? Yes! When we are purposed believers, we will be able to
stand as a testimony and not a tragedy. There may be many different
forces that try to work against us,
but the Lord is a Great Deliverer!
Perils are dangers that we may face,
but we know that we are more than
conquerors through Christ. Paul
recounted how he faced a string of
perils in 2 Corinthians 11:25-27.
Here are some of the perils that he
overcame:
1) ...in perils of waters. There
are several different types of waters.
When we recognize how to navigate them, we can survive.
STREAMS: I can get over it! RIVERS: I can be swept away by the
current if I try to navigate it with
my flesh. TORRENTS: I may encounter rushing waters that can potentially cause me to drown. My
choice is to either avoid them or get
to higher ground. FLOODS: I may
face devastating occurrences that
may require my need to be rescued.
Pastor Rekesha Pittman
Whatever the case, I am equipped
to make it!
2) ...in perils of robbers. Robbery is an act against your person.
Robbers come in many forms.
PLUNDERERS: They take your
goods by force. Remember that no
weapon formed against you shall
prosper! FREEBOOTERS: Pirates
and lawless adventurers. There are
people who may feel entitled to
what you possess, but God will repay what the enemy has stolen!
BRIGENDS: Robbers who travel in
groups. You may feel that many are
ganging up on you, but the Lord
gives us the ability to run through
troops and leap over walls. We may
lose things, but we have the power
to recover all through Him.
3) ...in perils by mine own
countrymen. Family and community betrayal can be a devastating
challenge to overcome. KINDRED:
Relatives. Family fights can be
some of the worst. OFFSPRING:
Children. Ever given your best for
your children only to have them
turn against you? TRIBE: Group
with the same language, customs,
and beliefs. Just because we share
the same history does not mean that
we share the same future! INDIVIDUALS OF THE SAME KIND:
People who share similarities. Jesus
was betrayed by one of his own
kind. He still got the victory!
4) ...in perils by the heathen.
HEATHEN: A multitude of people
with the same nature. These could
also be classified as “familiar spirits.” Those who disagree with you
have a tendency to join forces.
When God graces you, no man can
erase you!
5) ...in perils in the city. CITY:
The place where you live or the inhabitants of the city. It is hard to be
an outcast in your own town or persecuted by those around you. The
Lord will always be closer than
your nearest neighbor.
6) ...in perils in the wilderness.
WILDERNESS: A place of solitude
or an uninhabited region. Sometimes we can hear better when we
are alone. Don’t let your times of
solitude become periods of sorrow.
The Holy Spirit is our Comforter!
7) ...in perils of the sea. This
represents a place of instability.
Even though things may seem
stormy at the moment, the Lord has
the ability to speak peace to your
situation.
8) ...in perils among false
brethren. Just because someone
claims to be loyal does not eliminate betrayal. Hurt serves a purpose.
Decided to let your wounds be
teachers and not torture.
Being able to discern the many
dangers that await us will help us
to recognize the way of escape.
Don’t let your perils become your
end. Extract the wisdom lesson
needed to exchange your perils for
His pearls!
Rekesha Pittman is Pastor of
The Assembling Worship Center,
serves as the Artistic Director for
Reign Dance Company and is a
highly-requested speaker. As a Worship Arts Consultant, she has provided direction to churches and
ministries that have resulted in
growth and continued development
of artistic staff and volunteers.
www.rekeshapittman.com
Publisher helps Pastors turn
Sermons into Bestselling Books
Special to The Answer
CHARLOTTE, NC — After ghostwriting and editing more than 300
published books, several which have become national bestsellers, Neil
Eskelin, publisher of LifeBridge Books, has announced a major expansion of the 12-year-old company to help pastors turn their sermon series
into nationally distributed books.
Says Eskelin, “There are outstanding messages being preached in pulpits every week that deserve to reach a much wider audience.” He believes the biggest hurdle most pastors face is that they don’t have time to
write. By working with sermon transcripts, LifeBridge creates the initial
professional manuscript and the pastor becomes the editor. He adds, “We
carry the project through to typesetting, cover design, and read-to-print
files. This shaves the production time down from months to weeks.”
Pastors are using this service to create products that will either (1)
become self-published books, (2) be presented to a publisher, or (3) be
considered for national distribution by LifeBridge Books.
In addition to the books Eskelin produces for major ministries, his
self-authored books have sold over one million copies, including, “The
24-Hour Turn-Around” (Fleming H. Revell) and “Yes Yes Living In A
No No World” (LifeBridge).
Pastors and authors wishing more information can email Neil Eskelin:
[email protected], or phone 704-968-8753.
THE ANSWER
May 2014
Page 11
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Community Partners for Better Health Celebrates
2014 Health Advocate Award Honorees
Special to The Answer
Tip your hat in salute to nine
2014 award recipients who represent health professionals, health
agencies, citizens, organizations,
business and faith community organizations that demonstrate extraordinary performance, and indeed worked tirelessly in their pursuit for excellence. All Honorees
have positively impacted lives
through their unwavering and persistent work in varying areas of
health within the Southern Nevada
Community.
The 8th annual Luncheon
“Gala” celebration at the Flamingo
Hotel, March19,featured Fred
Keeton, Vice President of External
Affairs and Cultural Diversity Officer for Caesars Entertain as Keynote Speaker.
These amazing Honorees daily
spend their lives reaching out in
areas of health to serve and help
others,
particularly the underserved
while positively influencing health
Celeste Folmar and Fred Keeton (Photo by Marty Frierson)
True Love Missionary Baptist Church, Body and Soul Health Ministry (Photo by Marty Frierson)
equity.
Career & Technical Academy
Dedicated professionals who
You can count them among our
Transformed her Health Educa- impact the health of our community
community’s most compassionate, tion program from a traditional through education opportunities, ininnovative, and are true leaders,” classroom style into an innovative, teractive online programs, easy acsaid Celeste Folmar, Chairman of effective Blended Learning Envi- cess to resources and information,
Community Partners for Better ronment.
and relationship building to prevent
Health.
Health Agency Award
and reduce chronic diseases
We Salute:
The Southern Nevada Health
Special Achievement Award
Educator Award
Department, Office of Chronic DisDr. Jennifer Nash, PT, DPT,
Ms. Laura Champeau, Health ease Prevention & Health Promo- NCS Neurorehabilitation Services
(See Honorees, Page 19)
Education Specialist, Northwest tion
Page 12
THE ANSWER
May 2014
THE ANSWER
May 2014
Page 13
Pastors and Leaders Are You Facing ‘The Big Lie’ —
When You Think You Have No More Reason to Hope?
By Elaine Wright Colvin
Special to The Answer
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Headline
news and recent surveys indicate a
growing epidemic: 1,500 pastors
leave ministry each month due to
moral failure, spiritual burnout, or
contention in their churches; 50
percent of pastors’ marriages end in
divorce; 50 percent of pastors
would leave ministry if they had
any other way to make a living.
Multi-book author Lauren
Myers in LEADING EFFECTIVELY WHEN EVERYTHING
SAYS QUIT offers life-sized stories of how pastors/leaders can get
beyond the “pedestal principle” and
accusing voices in their head: Am I
really called? Who am I fooling?
This is simply not working out,
maybe I should just pack it in.
Pastor Myers shares how God
equips leaders for the greater purposes of His Kingdom work. “Like
Moses, you may be meek, not feel
like a capable communicator, or see
yourself as possessing imperfections. God knew you when He
called you; yet, He still did,” assures
Every leader will be challenged
by naysayers — especially in times
of economic hardship. Remember:
There is no budget so small you can
do nothing at all. Turn the question
around and ask: What can we afford? And then act! The author’s
challenge: “Whatever small steps
are within your power to take, take
them. And by all means: Keep the
vision alive.”
This highly readable, life-changing book contains practical details
showing what works and what
doesn’t. Self-reflection questions
end each chapter.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lauren
E. Myers, a 20-year career regis-
Gospel for Asia
the author. We are reminded:
“God’s mandate on our lives must
trump earthly approval. God knew
the challenges you would face, and
God is rooting for you. He is saying, I know you, I called you, and
you can do this. You can pastor effectively when everything and everyone around you says quit. You
can lead when falsely accused, and
you are judged and sentenced based
on another person’s half of the
story.”
(Continued from Page 7)
dren throughout South Asia with academic knowledge.
The academic help is crucial for their future success, but children also learn practical life skills, such
as proper hygiene and making handicrafts. The
Bridge of Hope staff demonstrates and shares
Christ’s love to the children and their families, giving them opportunities to learn more about Jesus.
The special Mother’s Day sponsorship of $35 a
month allows a child to receive indispensable help
with everyday needs, including school supplies, a
daily meal, medical checkups and more. Their fates,
once uncertain and limited, become filled with possibility.
Dr. Yohannan was greatly impacted by his
mother. Unbeknown to her sons, Yohannan’s mother
tered nurse, is an active teacher,
missionary, author, evangelist, and
pastor’s wife. They have served pastorates in Jamaica, the Virgin Islands, and Florida. She’s taught
and preached in India, Canada,
Mexico, and the West Indies. Contact
the
author
at:
[email protected].
fasted and prayed once a week until God called one
of her sons into the ministry. Her prayer never
changed, and was ultimately answered several years
later when Yohannan dedicated his life to Christian
service.
“Mothers are one of the greatest gifts God has
given us here on earth,” Yohannan said. “I am so
grateful people have this chance to honor and bless
their mothers by providing opportunity for another
mother’s child. It’s a gift of true value.”
Dr. Yohannan recently gave a talk about his
mother’s impact on his life. The video, along with
information about Bridge of Hope sponsorships, is
located at www.gfa.org/info/mom.
Gospel for Asia is a mission organization based
in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of
Jesus across South Asia.
Page 14
THE ANSWER
May 2014
May 2014
THE ANSWER
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THE ANSWER
May 2014
May 2014
THE ANSWER
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THE ANSWER
May 2014
May 2014
Honorees
(Continued from Page 11)
at Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health
Only Nevada physical therapist who is board certified as a Neurological Clinical Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties of the
American Physical Therapy Association.
Faith Community Award
True Love Missionary Baptist Church Health Ministry
Body & Soul Program Expansion
Corporate/Business Award
Dr. Annette Mayes, MD, PC Board Certified OB/
GYN physician
Private practice volunteers over 50 hours each year
for varying community outreach activities to the
underserved
Chairman’s Award
Dr. Charlene A. Day, Ph.D., MPA, CHES, Founder
and Executive Director of Education For Quality Living, LLC
A health promotion, disease prevention and evaluation consulting firm providing services locally and
nationally.
THE ANSWER
Pioneer Award
Dr. Charles Bernick MD, MPH, Associate Medical
Director at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for
Brain Health
Dr. Bernick’s concern for brain health in later life
includes the consequences of cumulative athletic injuries. In 2011, he established a Retired Athletes Clinic
at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to provide
care to retired professional athletes from all contact
sports who complain of declining memory and brain
function.
Veteran Affairs Award
Catholic War Veterans USA, Inc. Post 1947
Since being chartered on April 26, 2006 the Post
has provided more than $2.6 million in material goods,
food, and financial assistance to U.S. Veterans and their
families
Community Citizen Award
Ms. Linda James an active volunteer with Lupus of
Nevada
Responsibilities for planning and development of
all Lupus of Nevada outreach activities. Her enthusiasm and skills engage members and the public alike
Honorees: (Left -Right) Beverly Pope, Deb. Williams, Linda James, Sgt. James McCawley,
Dr.jennifer Nash, Dr.Charles Bernick, Fred Keeton, Celeste Folmar, Dr. Charlene Day,
Laura Champeau, Dr. Annette Mayes (Photo by Marty Frierson)
Page 19
Celeste Folmar and Dr. Charles Bernick (Photo by Marty Frierson)
THE ANSWER
Page 20
May 2014
CEF Romania hopes to beat previous record of reaching 4250 children in five days
Gospel for Romania
(Continued from Page 7)
200 locations and estimate that
more children will hear the Gospel
this year. God willing, 50 - 80
churches will be involved in the
project.”
The Romanian ministry of Child
Evangelism Fellowship has come a
long way since it began in 1972,
during the repressive dictatorship of
Nicolai Ceausescu. The budding
ministry blossomed after the
dictator’s fall in 1989 and today the
ministry reaches an average of
100,000 children per year. Founded
by American CEF missionary,
Trudy Kuhlman, the ministry held
training meetings for leaders and
clubs for children in secret locations. In an effort to preserve that
secrecy the date, time and location
of all meetings were never written
down but had to be memorized by
all participants. Children’s teaching
materials were translated into Romanian then had to be smuggled out
of the country for printing and then
smuggled back in for use.
Today, CEF Romania is run by
Romanian nationals, Iulian and
Anca Mangalagiu, who assumed
leadership of the ministry in 2008,
fulfilling CEF International Ministries’ goal of national leadership for
any foreign ministry it establishes.
With 53 full-time workers and 436
volunteers, CEF Romania is active
in 15 of the 42 counties of Romania, holding almost 400 Bible clubs,
called Good News Clubs, during
the school year as well as 209 5Day Clubs (beyond those held for
the Good News Across Romania
Campaign) in the summer. Additionally, CEF Romania holds Easter and Christmas clubs, as well as
summer camps; it also runs a Bible
Correspondence Course and a Summer Missionary Training Course for
teenagers interested in evangelizing
children. “Our goal is to be in every county of Romania,” said Mr.
Good News Across Romania 5-Day Club in Arad, July 2013
Iulian Mangalagiu. “We are working diligently toward that end.”
If you would like further information or would like to donate to
CEF Romania, please visit
cefonline.com.
THE ANSWER
May 2014
Reign
(Continued from Page 3)
linked, and every modulation
touched. Each formation change
was executed with precision and
Page 21
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
poise, and carefully designed to
compliment this strategically performed type and shadow of being
courted by The Father and bid to
come beyond the veil — it was a
true wedding ballet.
As we all sat glued to the stage,
trying to worship and watch, noth-
ing could have made this piece
more intimate — so it seems. But
the choreography pierced our hearts
when communion was consumed as
part of the composition — a masterpiece design. The worship was
priceless.
It stands to reason that Reign
Dance Company would have traveled the world ministering to the
nations. God has truly smiled on
them. In the past five years, the
group has traveled to St. Louis
(MO), Los Angeles (CA), San Diego (CA), Long Beach (CA),
Tampa (FL), Dallas (TX),
Johannesburg - Pretoria - Cape
Town (South Africa), Greenville
(SC), and Puerto Rico. The team is
crafted to worship and usher its audiences into the holy place.
Under the direction of Pastor
Rekesha, who is a highly requested
speaker and a Worship Arts Consultant, Reign Dance Company is
scheduled to minister in Nassau,
Bahamas July 9th-12th for The
Gathering of the Levites UNITY
Worship Summit. The trip will undoubtedly include a celebration and
promotion of their new book Training to Reign.
For more information on how to
become a part of Reign Dance,
book the group or support, visit
www.reigndancecompany.com.
Page 22
THE ANSWER
The Power of One
By Art Fahy
Answer Staff Writer
I read that J. Vernon McGee said,
“The happiest time of my ministry
was when I retired from the pastorate; the most spiritually profitable
time of my life began at that moment.” He said, “I have seen more
people turn to Christ in this period
of time than in any other period.”
He stated the reason was he whittled
his life down to the one thing he
wanted to do—teach the bible.
We find the story of Martha in
Luke is a good example of what
happens too many of us. Martha
chose to spend time in the kitchen
preparing dinner for her Jesus and
others. She was grabbing pots to
cook something in, setting the table,
scrounging for pans to boil water.
She turned in many directions to get
something done. I’m sure she felt
overwhelmed at times. To make
matters worse, she was upset because her sister Mary sat at the feet
of Jesus and listened to his teachings.
ART FAHY
I have acted like Martha balancing a half a dozen projects in the
air simultaneously. I know when
my plate is overloaded frustration
sets in. At this point, something falls
off the plate and the entire day is
out of whack. Why not do what Mr.
McGee did whittle down our lives
to what is important.
David is one of my favorite
people in the Old Testament. He
whittled his life down to one thing.
We find it in Psalm 27:4. “One thing
By Rochelle Schoener
The Answer
It is hard to believe that this
young man has been playing music
for forty-four years, and has tickled the ivories for gospel music’s
premiere psalmists. Perched behind
the keyboard on stages all over the
world, this soft spoken gentleman
proudly declares he has served in
the same ministry for thirty years.
Who is this young man? I’m glad
you asked! David Blakely that’s
who !
Celebrating thirty years as the
minister of music of the Greater St.
Paul Cathedral is no small feat,” I
thank God for that” said Blakely, a
native of Gary Indiana. “Some musicians don’t last at a church for five
years,” said Blakely, who admits
that it can be tough staying consistent with pleasing God and at the
same time trying to please people
when asked what he thought was
one of the challenges of ministry.
“I am a people person and could
not imagine not doing music, it’s in
my blood” said Blakely, who has
played, produced, and arranged
music for artists such as the late
Rev. James Moore, Mississippi
mass choir, Marvin Sapp, LeAndria
Johnson, Gladys Knight, Dorinda
Clark-Cole, the late Bishop Walter
Hawkins, Earnest Pugh, Beverly
Crawford, Dr. Bobby Jones and the
list goes on and on.
“I love people and I love what I
do. It is such a blessing to witness
people walk in their gifts and to
David Blakely
achieve their purpose in the music 25th 7:00 pm nightly at Second
ministry, and just knowing that I Baptist Church, 500 Madison Ave
had a hand in it is reward enough in Las Vegas, as singers and musifor me. I know that it is God who is cians from near and far come tothe giver of the gifts and it is He gether to celebrate the man behind
who has anointed me to do what I the music. This occasion will also
do. We are to share with others the be a reunion of past Greater St. Paul
gifts that God has given us,” the concert choir members. For more
maestro said.
information regarding choir reA sharing of the gifts is exactly hearsals and nightly services call:
what will take place May 24th and (702) 754 -0438.
I have desired of the Lord that will
I seek after; that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of
my life, to behold the beauty of the
Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”
David’s life was complicated. Yet,
he had one desire to dwell in the
presence of God.
David wasn’t about to rent a UHaul and pull it up to the temple,
unload it, and camp out there. He
wanted the ark, which was God’s
meeting place with his people, with
him in Jerusalem. He brought the
ark to Jerusalem to have access to
God. Just as Mr. McGee had the
“one thing” he desired in life, so did
David.
Focus on God and discover the
one thing he desires to have us do
for him. J. Vernon McGee retired
from pastorate to teach the bible.
David wanted to be in God’s presence all the days of his life. Both of
these men wanted only one thing
to do. The Lord wants us to do one
thing for Him. We are the only ones
who can do the task he has assigned
Las Vegas Musician is honored
for 44 years in music ministry
to us.
Like David, we should seek to
be in the Lord’s presence all the
days of our life. How do we dwell
in the Lord’s presence all day every day? We should be reading and
applying God’s word daily. Worship
God not only in church but also in
all that we do. Instead of getting
angry if stuck in traffic, praise God
for His perfect timing. When someone does or says something that is
harmful to us, we may want to ask
ourselves, is this a mirror of me? Is
God sending me a message? Ask
God to help us understand this individual instead of being
understood.Do we praise and give
thanks to God when we see His
glory in nature?
Dwelling in a God conscious-
May 2014
ness will bring us closer to God.
Our hearts will open more for His
blessings and grace to flow to us
and through us and out into the
world. As our words and actions,
become more Christ like, the
chance of drawing people to Jesus
increases. People hear calmness in
our tonality, confidence in the way
we carry ourselves, and our speech
is uplifting. We may be the only
example of a Christian a non-believer meets today.
Do we want to be like Martha
and attempt to overload ourselves
with life and miss what is really
important? Our goal is to be more
like Jesus. To do that, we must develop the desire to dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of
our lives. Then follow that desire.
May 2014
THE ANSWER
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THE ANSWER
May
2014