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LWM Blog Spot: September 2023

Living Waters Ministries Monthly Quote

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. ”

Muhammad Ali

Inspiration

Servant Leaders

By: Jennifer L Smalls

What does it mean to be a servant leader? Mark 10:41-45 says, "Even the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many,", Luke 22:27 " I am among you as one who serves", Matthew 20:28 "Jesus came to serve us". Servant Leadership looks like Christ, to be a servant leader is to be like Christ. Leadership is heart work, it takes heart to lead. That's why it's not work for everybody, everybody doesn't have the heart. Leadership requires a heart to love ALL people, a heart of empathy, a heart of compassion, a heart of peace, and a heart to serve.

Servant Leaders focus on the growth and well-being of people and the community to which they belong. Perhaps the greatest lesson Jesus taught us about serving was when he washed the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper. we can learn the following lessons from this act of service:

Servant Leaders are

DRIVEN BY LOVE (John 13:1-2) It was love that drove Jesus to wash the feet of the disciples, He loved His own and He loved them to the end. He even washed the feet of the one who would betray Him.
SECURED IN THEMSELVES (John 13:3) In order to serve others you have to be secure in who you are. Jesus knew who He was, whose He was, where He came from, and Where He was from, getting on the floor to wash the feet of disciples did not diminish Him.
INITIATE SERVICE (John 13:4-5) It was custom to wash feet at the door, however, this service had been overlooked when the Upper Room was booked. Jesus did not wait for someone else to do it, He saw a need and met it. It was an act of humility and sacrifice that He hoped the disciples would mirror.
RECEIVE SERVICE (John 13: 6-7) Peter had a hard time grasping the fact that Jesus wanted to wash his feet. As leaders sometimes it's hard to receive service because they're used to being served.
AVOID ANYTHING THAT WILL HINDER THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (John 13: 8-9) After Jesus gives Peter an ultimatum: let me do this or else have nothing to do with Me at all, Peter makes an appeal to Jesus to not only wash his feet but his head and hands to. Whatever the benefit was, Peter wanted as much of it as possible. He didn't want anything to stand between him and the Lord.
TEACH SERVANTHOOD (John 13:12-15) Afterwards Jesus explained to the disciples what the purpose of this event was. This act is an example that serving others is not beneath leadership. Leadership has to show an act of service. Leadership starts with service.
LIVE A BLESSED LIFE (John 13:16-17) Jesus's example teaches us that no one can be too good to humbly serve others. It's a lesson in humility and service and those who understand are blessed for obeying.

Good leaders add value to and value everyone they come in contact with and never miss an opportunity to serve others.

News from Living Waters Ministries

Happenings Around St. Augustine

First Friday Art Walk, September 1st, downtown St. Augustine 5-9 p.m. First Friday Art Walk takes place on the first Friday of every month, exhibiting creative artworks throughout St. Augustine's fine art galleries.

First Friday Art Walk Concert Series, September 1st. First Friday of each month, 6-8 p.m. This organ recital at the Cathedral Basilica in downtown St. Augustine is free and open to the public on the first Friday of every month.

Sing Out Loud Festival, Every weekend from September 8 – October 1, 2023, locals and visitors alike can enjoy live R&B, bluegrass, country, hip-hop, and indie rock performances--there’s something for everybody. The festival is highlighted by headline performers at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre and culminates throughout the month with many FREE performances at popular venues and outdoor locations throughout St. Augustine and Ponte Vedra. Click the link for more information: Sing Out Loud Festival

Sing Out Loud Festival: Lincolnville Porch Fest, Saturday, September 16th from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Experience the enchanting Lincolnville Porch Fest, a celebration of St. Augustine's local musicians set in the heart of the historic. This delightful event showcases the extraordinary talents of the city's musical artists amidst the charm and beauty of one of the region's most cherished neighborhoods.

With five stages scattered throughout Lincolnville, twenty-five bands are ready to captivate the audience with their splendid performances. As the day unfolds, attendees will have the opportunity to savor the diverse sounds and melodies resonating from each porch location

News For Us By Us

The Hauntings of A Past That Has Never Been Reconciled

Lunch Counter Sit-in Jacksonville, Florida August 27, 1960.

A White man killed 3 Black people in a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida, on August 26th. The attack happened just two days before the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington and one day prior to the anniversary of another racist attack that happened in Jacksonville on August 27, 1960. For some residents in Jacksonville, the recent attack that happened near Edward Waters College triggered an instant flashback to the attack that took place 63 years ago on the same weekend when a group of approximately 200 White men attacked Black residents who were staging sit-ins at segregated lunch counters through the city. The attack on August 27, 1960, became known as "Ax Handle Saturday". A mob of White men chased, threatened, and beat protestors with ax handles and baseball bats.

While the recent attack has renewed a sense of urgency to confront the racism that still permeates the United States, there is little hope that things will change without action and policy changes. You can not mandate love but you can work to eradicate hate. As Martin Luther King III said to CNN's Dana Bash, " You don't have to like me, but we have to understand how to deal civilly with each other and with issues." As a society, we have become somewhat immune and desensitized. We become angry when these events occur, we send thoughts and prayers, we have conversations, and move on until the next event. We have come to expect hatred, we're not shocked by it anymore. As I posted on my Facebook page "Being immune to hatred makes you immune to the evils of this world, These hate crimes are not shocking, they've become expected. We are living in a climate and culture where privilege exemplifies hate."

Racism in the Workplace

As we continually see Diversity. Equity, and Inclusion efforts are declining in many organizations, particularly those that depend on government funding, more Black workers are exiting the workforce due to racism.

The research firm Savanta highlights the correlation between gaps in DEI and the high levels of discrimination in a recent DEI report. Three years ago after the merciless killing of George Floyd at the hands of a White officer which sparked protests around the country, corporations made promises to prioritize Black sensitivity, and create cultures of "belonging". Diversity and Inclusion were a must, however today we're witnessing a massive pullback, a renege on those promises. Diversity and Inclusion programs are being slashed from budgets and DEI practitioners are being let go.

Policymakers and policies such as Florida's "anti-woke policy" have made it easy for corporations to rid themselves of the responsibilities of DEI. This equates to a lack of progress for equity in the workplace and leaves room for Black workers to experience workplace discrimination.

According to the report, “Inequity in corporate environments continues to penalize BIPOC and obstruct their access to health and wealth. Such hardship has worsened with persistent economic threats and a fluctuating employment market. Still, employees are motivated to demand more supportive and inclusive workplaces.”

Fearless Fund Targeted

Fearless Fund is an organization founded by women of color for women of color. The organization invests in businesses led and owned by women of color. Their mission is to bridge the gap in venture capital funding for women of color founders building scalable, growth-aggressive companies. Conservative activist Edward Blum, whose lawsuit prompted the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down the use of racial preferences in college admissions is now going after Fearless Fund claiming "it engaged in explicit racial exclusion by operating a grant open only to Black females."

Fearless Fund is one of a dozen firms that work to combat racial imbalance in U.S. venture capital. 1.1% of the $214 billion in venture capital funding allocations went to Black-founded companies. Fearless Fund is currently backed by Mastercard and Bank of America and has invested in more than 40 businesses within the past four years. They have invested in popular brands such as the Slutty Vegan, an Atlanta-based vegan restaurant chain, and the Lip Bar makeup company.

Black women are starting businesses at a higher rate than any other demographic, yet they are overlooked, marginalized, underfunded, and undersupported. In a news conference on August 10th about the lawsuit, Parsons, a founding member of Fearless Fund noted that "Black women lack access to capital, access to resources, access to strategic networks and the education needed to scale their businesses."

Even when we find a way for us we have to fight to keep it.

WELLNESS

Healthy Aging

September is dedicated to Healthy Aging. For most of us, the goal is to stay healthy as we grow older and to age gracefully. The key to healthy aging is a healthy lifestyle. In our quest to be healthy, we try all kinds of anti-aging tricks or the latest gimmick on the market but the only sure way to maintain your health as you age is to maintain a healthy balanced diet, exercise, see your doctor regularly, and take care of your mental and spiritual health. Sure genetics play a part but these basics will surely help in the process.

There are some things that we can do to live longer and maintain a quality of life as we age, such as:

Taking care of our physical health, get up and get moving! period that's it. Taking care of your physical health involves staying active, making healthy food choices, getting enough sleep, limiting your alcohol intake, and proactively managing your health care. Small changes in each of these areas can go a long way to support healthy aging. It is suggested that adults 40 and over should take 4,000 or more steps per day. Let's Get Moving!!
Make smart food choices, and remember the saying "You are what you eat", Eat unhealthy and you will be unhealthy. The right food choices will safeguard us from health problems as we age and also improve our brain function. Most of our health issues can be resolved through our diets, lowing your salt intake can lower blood pressure, help people lose weight, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Make small changes in your diet to see big results.
Get your zzz's, many of us don't get enough sleep. Nine hours is the required amount of sleep to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not getting enough quality sleep can make a person irritable, depressed, forgetful, and more likely to have falls or other accidents. Sleep quality impacts memory and mood. Studies show that the lack of sleep can contribute to dementia; data from nearly 8,000 people, showed that those in their 50s and 60s who got six hours of sleep or less a night were at a higher risk of developing dementia later in life. Getting quality sleep lowers your risk of insulin resistance, heart disease, and obesity. Shut everything down and go to bed!
Other things you can do to ensure healthy aging include; quitting smoking, limiting or avoiding alcohol, seeing your doctor regularly, taking care of your mental and spiritual health, reducing stress, getting active, finding a hobby, and taking care of your cognitive health.

Here's to healthy aging and living longer!

For more information click this link: Healthy Aging

Reflections

August in Review...Our study focus for August was "Who Has Your Ear?" A journey into the book of Solomon. We welcomed Sister/Minister LaShawnda Pinkney into the Living Waters Ministries Family. The youth gave us an illustration of distractions and the importance of remaining focused, and not allowing anyone or anything to get you off track. Sister Joan gave us training on serving, We fellowshipped with St. Luke AME at their Prayer Breakfast where our Pastor, Pastor Lavern March delivered the message, and Elder Lewis closed out the month with a powerful word, "God's Heavy Hand"

The Bulletin Board "Who Are You Hearing?"