Living Waters Ministries Monthly Quote
“Bless us and all people with the hope of new beginnings .” ~ John Philip Newell
Inspiration
Reflection and Expectations
By: Jennifer L Smalls
Welcome to 2024. New year, new hope, new joy, new expectations! Strange occurrences.
If we take a look at Luke chapter 5 we see a paralytic man whom people were used to seeing being carried, they had never seen this man walk. Suddenly just by Jesus speaking mere words "arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." The man rose took up his bed and walked on his own glorifying God. The people witnessing were amazed saying "We have seen strange things today." In this year 2024 be on the lookout for "strange" things/occurences.
Remain vigilant and prayerful as this year will not be without challenges, offenses, and disappointments. This is an election year, in addition, we start the year off with 2 ongoing wars: one in Gaza and Israel, and Russia and Ukraine. And then there are issues here on domestic soil as the fight continues for justice and equality for all. Taken from Pastor March's New Year's Eve message draw nigh to God, look Jesus the author and finisher of your faith, lift up your eyes to the hills which cometh your help, and hold fast to your profession of faith. Draw nigh and hold fast, don't let things and the things of this world consume you.
Wishing you all a healthy, blessed, and prosperous year of "strange" occurrences.
Peace&love
News from Living Waters Ministries
Happenings Around St. Augustine
Nights of Lights 2023-24, The 2023-2024 Nights of Lights festival turns St. Augustine into a dazzling holiday display. Every night from Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, through Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024
First Friday Art Walk, January 5th, 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, January 5th. 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.
14th Annual Saint Augustine Film Festival - SIDNEY Film, Saturday, January 13th, 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. In the Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College SIDNEY directed by Reginald Hudlin is a documentary that takes the viewers through the life and career of Sidney Poitier in his own words, through narration captured in an in-depth interview conducted by producer Oprah Winfrey, and in the words of family and friends and those whose lives he influenced the most. One of Sidney's daughters, Pamela Poitier, will give an introduction and do a Q & A Session following the screening. Click here to order tickets for SIDNEY
14th Annual Saint Augustine Film Festival - KEMBA Film, Sunday, January 14th, 3:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. KEMBA directed by Kelly Kali is based on a true story of Kemba Smith, a college student who falls in love with a man only to discover he is a drug kingpin who leads her down a path of abuse and manipulation, placing her in the middle of the government’s “war on drugs” and ultimately landing her in federal prison. Click here to order tickets for KEMBA
MLK Celebration, Monday, January 15th, 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 39th Annual Commemorative Event celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King and his work in the Civil Rights Movement, "America: Be True to What You Said on Paper."
7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. commemorative breakfast in the Virginia Room at Flagler College's Ringhaver Student Center. The Keynote Speaker is Dr. Patrick Coffins, PhD, JD, a professor at Stetson University in Deland, Florida
10:30 a.m., the silent march starts at St. Benedict the Moor Church at 86 MLK Avenue to Avenue to Plaza de La Constitution.
MLK Day 2024, The Lincolnville Museum and Culture Center will be open from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visit the museum to learn about the rich Civil Rights history in Lincolnville and how Martin Luther King Jr had a role in the movement locally.
Fort Mose Jazz And Blues Series 2024
For tickets go to https://discoverfortmose.com/the-lineup-2024/
News For Us By Us
Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024; It Starts With Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence
January 15th we will commemorate the the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Forty-one years ago legislation was passed making the third Monday in January a federal holiday, and the first observance nationwide was in 1986. The day is usually celebrated with marches and parades and with speeches by civil rights and political leaders.
Every year there is a theme that serves as the compass to events leading up to the holiday and the work that the King Center does throughout the year. This year's theme is It Starts With Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate Through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence.
Kingian Nonviolence is a philosophy and methodology—with knowledge, skills, and motivation people can use to apply peaceful strategies for solving personal and community problems. The "Six Principles" of Kingian Nonviolence—the "will" of the discipline—provide the philosophy.
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Six Principles of Nonviolence are:
Principle one: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is active nonviolent resistance to evil. It is aggressive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.
Principle two: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation. The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.
Principle three: Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims and are not evil people. The nonviolent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people.
Principle four: Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation. Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.
Principle five: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish, and creative.
Principle six: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win. Nonviolence believes that God is a God of justice.
Kingian nonviolence is an alternative and solution to the violence and unjust systems throughout the world. Practice of the the six Kingian principles will lead us to a Beloved Community, where injustice ceases and love prevails.
A Rosa Parks Holiday?
On the 68th anniversary of Rosa Parks' arrest in Montgomery Alabama for refusing to give up her seat to a white man, members of the Congressional Black Caucus urged Congress to support a bill that would declare December 1, “Rosa Parks Day,” a federal holiday.
The proposed holiday will ensure that Parks' bravery and sacrifice are remembered and it would be the first national holiday honoring a woman. Others see the bill as important important, particularly amid what is described as “the rise in efforts to erase and rewrite history – Black history."
Terry Sewell, a Democrat, introduced H.R. 308 which would establish the federal holiday, in January. The bill is backed by 31 co-sponsors, all of whom are members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Sewell is hoping both Republicans and Democrats to back the bill. She said she hopes personal discussions with colleagues and speaking on the House floor about the significance of Rosa Parks Day will help move the legislation forward.
Under-fire
After just six months and two days, Harvard’s first black president has resigned. After coming under pressure and facing public scrutiny following the congressional hearing on antisemitism.
Claudine Gay became the first black president of Harvard in its 387 years of existence. On that day with a rise and fall in the pitch of her voice, Dr. Gay stated "I stand before you on this stage, in this distinguished company and magnificent theater, with the weight and honor of being a 'first - abe to say I am Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University."
As Kurt Streeter wrote in his opt-ed for the New York Times "Dr. Gay was appointed during the turbulent debate on how to balance racial diversity and academic merit, frame history lessons about slavery and racism, and address the needs of Black and poor students."
Dr. Gay's appointment was already criticized by conservatives who felt that she was only awarded the post because she was a diversity, equity, and inclusion candidate and not for her strong academic qualifications. However, it was Dr. Gay's unfortunate misstep on October 7 answering a question regarding the Hamas attacks in Israel and the war in Gaza at a Congressional Hearing. Dr. Gay fumbled her answer when asked whether calling for the genocide of Jews would be harassment under Harvard's Code of Conduct. It seems the answer would be a simple "Yes, and the University would not tolerate any such harassment against any individual or group." But somehow Dr. Gay fumbled but she was not the only University President to do so that day. This was ammunition for her opponents, who immediately galvanized against her, she was accused of plagiarism, placing doubt in her work.
Her tone about race was much different after her resignation than it was on the day of her accepting the role as Harvard's first black president. “Those who had relentlessly campaigned to oust me since the fall often trafficked in lies and and insults, not reasoned argument,” she wrote in a Wednesday opinion piece in The New York Times. “They recycled tired racial stereotypes about Black talent and temperament. They pushed a false narrative of indifference and incompetence.”
And so we continue to debate race, history, fairness, antisemitism, who gets to lead and what qualifies them to lead. Unfortunately, the question of race continues to dog this country it's unavoidable, race determines who gets to play what role, who gets ahead, and how they are judged.
WELLNESS
Relax, Relate, Release!
Now that the Holiday season is over all the stress and anxiety that comes with it is dissipating and we have entered into a new year, let's take a deep breath in......and release it. Slow down and breathe again.
I don't know about you but it seems that I was anxious all of 2023. My brain was constantly on the go; if I wasn't stressing about what happened or didn't happen yesterday I was already ahead planning for tomorrow instead of just living in the moment of the current day. Planning and multitasking. By the way, they say "multitasking" is a skill but I say it's a sickness that can cause stress and anxiety which can lead to other illnesses. It's ok to do one thing at a time, focus on one thing, and see that task to completion. Multitasking can have you all over the place and your mind running a marathon.
Technology is another thing/distraction that puts us in a rut, we have become more dependent on technology than ever. We can't move without our phones in our hands. Our phones have become our lifeline and the reason so many of us are multitasking, juggling this project, and that event.
I've decided to begin 2024 by turning my phone off and replacing it with a book, a journal, and a pen. Instead of pecking the keyboard and risking carpal tunnel in my fingers from scrolling I'll pull out a pen and paper and write out my thoughts, hold a book in my hand, and turn from one page to the next. Ahhh just typing that makes me feel more relaxed. No information overload from all the stories on social media, slowing my thoughts down, taking control over what enters into my mind.
This year we should aspire to "calm" and "peace" by taking technology time outs, and digital detoxes to help us gain focus, more concentration, be less stressed, and rest better. All these things will improve our overall health.
Take time to take in all of what's around you, see the world that God created, experience the seasons, see the goodness of the Lord, and engage in his creation, it's hard to do these things with a phone in your hand, and juggling this and that, running to one meeting just to get to the next one. As the saying goes, take some time to smell the roses. Walk in the field and notice the color purple (Remember Shug said " “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it."). Take a long ride with your windows down and music pumped. Instead of online shopping, take a stroll through the mall, take your time to feel the fabric and textures, people watch, and take in the different scents. Put your senses to work. Technology has dulled our senses.
So essentially what I'm saying is in this new year, the year 2024, relax, relate, and release. Remember the 80's sitcom A Different World, when Whitney was all stressed and anxious and her therapist kept saying "Relax, relate, release." Therapist Natashia Slack, MA, LPC highly recommends this practice;
Relax your mind and your body
Relate to only the facts in the here and now
Release all that you cannot control
Moving into 2024, a new season of relaxing, relating, and releasing, here are some suggestions to help us on this journey:
Center your vision board around relaxing, relating, and releasing; slow down and take a technology time out every once in a while throughout the year, instead of peeping into the lives of other folk on social media, create the life you desire.
Meditate and center your thoughts. Pick a scripture each day meditate on His Word and let His Word guide your day.
Take some time out for self-care. Love on yourself. Spend time with family and friends doing the simple things if nothing but sitting on the porch with some tea or lemonade, reminiscing and laughing.
Call up a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in a while. Take the time to pick out a card or write a letter to someone special. I remember writing my dad a letter a while back and he was so ecstatic because I took the time to write him with technology we just don't take time to do those things but when we do it means the world to the recipient.
Here's to a happier, healthier, and more functional year, a better you, experiencing more in 2024!
~ RELAX, RELATE, RELEASE
Although my own words and thoughts, this piece was inspired by; "I Tried This, and It Was So Relaxing!" by Pamela M. McBride for Sisters from AARP
Living Waters 2023 ~Year in Review
Booked, Busy, and Blessed is how 2023 went for Living Waters Ministries. We hit the ground moving through the community uplifting and building. We celebrated Martin Luther King Day bringing the community together for a panel discussion at the Lincolnville Museum and Culture Center. We put together a dynamic panel featuring community leaders, executives, and ministers the discussion was centered around the 2023 MLK theme, "It Starts with Me: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems."
From MLK to Black History what an awesome time we had celebrating at Pastor Tonnette Williams' Mount Olive Holy Church with Bishop Phillip King and others.
And it kept going in March as the Women's Ministry celebrated Women's History Month and "The Women Who Tell Our Stories" with the first annual Women's History Brunch with our very own First Black Woman City Commissioner, Cynthia Garris.
We ordained Minister Brenda Simmons, welcomed two new babies, enjoyed a successful VBS and Family and Friends Day, added five new members, celebrated Elder Lewis's retirement, and baptized one.
We made our presence none in the community with our "Pride in the Westside", and by participating in the Annual Senior's Day and West Augustine Cancer Walk. We closed the year out with Evangelism....whew! What a year! An Amazing year! In 2024 we're growing deeper roots and going deeper! God, we thank you!
Living Water Ministries Upcoming Events
January 1: First Fruits due
January 1- 3: Fasting and Prayer
January 11- 12: Pace Training
January 19: Living Waters Ministries Vision Board Party
January 24: Wellness Wednesday, Zoom Bible Study
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