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UPP Creative Media
Book of the Month
How To Raise God Wise Kids In A Satan Rich World
In a world that can seem hopeless, kids need a reason to hope. In addition to teaching our children how to get into college, play sports and chase the American Dream, there is something greater to be learned. He created the universe with stars and planets, yet the desire of His heart was to reconcile with people whom He loved. In this devotional, the author shares ideas of how to help your children have a personal relationship with God. Through scripture, art and stories, she shared the opportunities she had to teach her own child to get to know God.
Available on Amazon or Books2Read.com
SAMPLE CHAPTER
Pray continually.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
In today’s culture, the world wants everyone to believe what they tell you, not what they do. They insist that you believe an ideology versus the truth. That you choose their words over Jesus’word.
I was 28 years old before I learned that God talks back. Many think of prayer as a one way conversation, but it is a communication tool to reach the Creator of the Universe. Since then I have learned that He is concerned about all of the minute details of my life. If I ask Him, He will tell me. If I do not ask, He will allow me to find out on my own.
I like it much better when I ask and He responds.
There have been conversations that went like, “Why didn’t you tell me that was going to happen?”
“You didn’t ask,” He responded.
“Really, you couldn’t have just butted in?”
“Nope, not my style,” He stated.
Teach them that prayer is a daily habit. Just like they talk to you their parent every day, they should make time to talk to God every day. Help them carve time out of their day to pray. Teach them to journal their prayer requests so that they can see how God has answered their prayers.
Teach them how to pray. First, praise God for who He is. He is a provider and all-knowing for example. Second, thank Him for all He has done. He has given them a place to live and food to eat. Third, confess their sins and ask for forgiveness. Remind them that we have to confess our sins for them to be forgiven. Fourth, pray for others, like their parents, friends, teachers, etc. Fifth and finally, pray for themselves. Tell them to ask God to help them accomplish their goals or fix some issue they are struggling with.
Teach your child that prayer is the best option.
When they come to you with a problem, say, “Let’s take this to someone who can answer it.”
Stop and pray right then. Trust God to answer because He does. If they see you doing it with your problems, they will do it with theirs. This is the habit you want to create.
This is not going to be easy because our first habit is to fix it ourselves. If we fix all of our kid’s problems, they never get to flex their own faith muscles. It is important that they learn at a young age to have faith in God. He will never let them down. Sometimes we will let them down, but He never will.
Make Prayer your first go to instead of your last resort. Make it a habit to pray all the time. Teach your children how to pray. He hears.
YAASSSSS!
Even in the world of comic books and superheroes racism can’t hide in the shadows any longer. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is wrapped in battles with super soldiers and arch enemies. They are out to stop world domination, again. Yet through the lens of the Black Falcon, we get to see the world through a character who gets his own eyes opened to the world around him.
There is not a girl to get. Or a bomb to keep from exploding. It is way better than that.
Does the color of the skin or hair determine if someone will be a good superhero?
The story doesn’t preach.
They just tell a good tale that examines who can be a superhero. I am a Marvel fan, so I started watching the series because it is Marvel. I love the Avengers. I mean Black Panther.
Side note: Anthony Mackie is having a moment. He has a dozen or so projects out, especially those where he is the lead. He found a good rhythm with Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I find him very believable.
Cheers to Marvel for putting the African American in the lead and not ignoring the fact that he is African American. Cheers that he is not the only African American in the film with a good role.
There is a moment in the film where Falcon says that Our people built this country, bled for this country and he should have the right to fight for it.
Truth is we fight for it every day. With every injustice we protest. With every struggle we join with others. We have not stopped bleeding or building.
I won’t give away the ending, but just know we have the right to be any damn body we want to be. I give it two fist pumps in the air and suggest you check it out.
Put Your Sneakers On & Join The Race
So, one Sista is the skeptic and the other Sista is the optimist. When it comes to physical competition they love to watch, but know they can’t compete. Check out this episode on physical competitions and what they think needs to happen to win.
It Takes A Community
We are currently working on the latest issue. Check out our previous ones while you wait.
Keep up with the 2021 Issues of Fill In the Gap Magazine. Join us. We are always looking for Contributors. Submit a story idea at fillgmagazine@gmail.com.
Visit My Vida Shop
Art is a powerful way to tell a story. My artwork tells the story of a people who rise up from things that try to hold them down. They are made of great things.
This artwork is available on essential items. There are several patterns that have a deeper meaning. The purple circles remind us of God’s word that He knows the plans He has for us. We are different sizes ad different shades, but all with a purpose.
T-Shirt of the Month
The Affirmation this month is FAITH. What does that look like? A true element of faith is how women of God stick together.
You can purchase this shirt or tote at: Jesus Girls Stick Together
or tote Totes
Art of the Month
In 1786 the Governor of the French Colonies in North America signed a law that created a slave class of people. It determined how they could dress and wear their hair.
In the British Colonies there were slave codes that required their clothing be made from a cheap cloth. This cloth was usually blue which made it more of a slave uniform.
Slaves were forbidden from wearing hand me downs from their masters. If local law enforcement caught them in hand me downs, they could take the clothes for themselves.
The irony is that many of the slaves made the clothes they could not wear.
Zelda Wynn Valdes decided to be a fashion designer but discovered she could work in some great fashion houses, but they only allowed her to be a seamstress. They would steal her designs and put their names on the label.
Valdes opened her own fashion house on Broadway in New York City. She created designs for people like Dorothy Dandridge, Josephine Baker and Mae West.
As a child I often wondered why my people made such a show out of their Sunday best. As I have learned, deciding how you cloth yourself is a big deal.
They worked very hard in those old boots just so they could purchase that big hat for Sunday service.
Yet whether they were in the boots or the hat, they came to a point where they could decide how they were clothed.
In 1786 the Governor of the French Colonies in North America signed a law that created a slave class of people. It determined how they could dress and wear their hair. They always had to dress in lower class, less beautiful clothes.
Affirmation
I finally got to a point where my faith began to be more reflective of me and my walk with the Lord. It didn’t look like other people’s, because it was tailor made for me.
Unerased
I had seen it before, it didn’t hit me until this time.
It was Victorian London with all manner of men and women. They were African, Asian, Anglo etc. They were through all facets of life, upper, middle, and lower class.
We were there. We had always been there.
We had been erased.
Through motion pictures and storytelling people of color had been erased from society as if they had not even existed.
I thought of all the Sherlock Holmes stories I had seen with not one person of color in it.
I thought of all the American History portraits I had seen without one person of color.
We had been erased.
I don’t normally watch stories that are from the horror genre or ones that tell satanic stories. Yet The Irregulars drew me in with the multiracial cast. Thaddea Graham leads the cast of Irregulars as Bea, a kick your butt trying to stay on the moral side of evil girl. The rest of the cast is fun and not all white.
It stretches the Holmes tail so our of sorts it becomes unrecognizable. Let me say this again. I don’t like horror. But I love Sherlock Holmes. (Make sure you catch the first episode of Season Three of TV Talk with the Sistas to find out how much I love this.)
Now I only watch The Irregulars in the day time, with the lights on and my bible on.
Clarke Peters has an eerie role in it, but kind of like a train wreck I can’t wait to see what he has up his white linen sleeve. I have loved Peters since his The Wire days. He always brings something to a performance.
The other thing that got me, Dr Watson is a brother. Royce Pierreson brings a nice layer to Watson that makes him more intellectual and less of a bumbling bodyguard.
NOTE: African Americans will watch other African Americans (or British Africans) in a movie, series, a play, a commercial, versuz to support our people. We are in the process of broadening the genre from just Black person in a new movie to Black person in a HORROR movie. Things you need to know before you cut the tv on in the middle of the night.
Let me just say some of the scenes in the show can get a person put out of a good Christian home. Don’t turn the sound up if Big Mama home.
Yet the thing this story does that captures my attention is that is unerases people of color. I feel if they see me, I should at least see them back.
UPP Creative Media 