Pressing Toward the Goal

A little inspiration at work: 

Philipians 3:12-13 (New Living Translation):

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

And here's the Gullah version that makes me cry it's so beautiful:

A ain say A done do all wa God wahn me fa do, an A ain say A done come fa be all wa A oughta be een God eye. Bot A da try wid all me haat fa mek dat prize me own, cause Jedus Christ done mek me e own. Me Christian bredren, fa sho, A ain yet win dat prize. A ain all wa A oughta be een God eye. Bot one ting A da do. A da do all dat A able fa do fa git ta wa dey head ob me. A ain pay no mind ta nottin dat done pass.

Us in the Capital (Part 2)

More pictures from our Washington, D.C. visit:

Us in the Capital (Part 1)

Here are a few pictures of our recent visit to Washington, D.C.:

Changing America: Smithsonian Exhibit

If you plan to go to Washington, D.C. before September 15 this year, go see the exhibit called "Changing America" at the Smithsonian  which gives a good summary and some fine details (including artifacts and video) about the Emancipation Proclamation and a bit about the March on Washington in 1963. Artifacts include shards of stained glass from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, where four young black girls were killed in an explosion on September 15, 1963; Harriet Tubman’s shawl; and shackles used on children who were forced into slavery.  

Loyalty and Kindness

“Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.”
                                           – Proverbs 3:3-4, New Living Translation

Listen to Sarah Gudger: Slave Narrative

Becky Stone brings the voice of former slave Sarah Gudger to life from the Federal Writers Project Slave Narratives of 1937. Listen as she describes her personal experiences with her family, owners, slave speculators, the Civil War, thoughts on emancipation, and what life was like as a slave in Buncombe County.



BUNCOMBE SLAVE DEEDS EXHIBIT

The Buncombe County Register of Deeds Office has opened an exhibit to commemorate the 150-year anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and to remember those who were enslaved and their immeasurable contributions to our community.

The exhibit, located in the lobby of 35 Woodfin Street in Downtown Asheville, will be on display through April 30. The exhibit will move to the NC Collection of the Pack Memorial Library from May 1 - July 31.

In every county in North Carolina, the Register of Deeds played a role in cataloging the transactions of slavery in handwritten books. Contained in these handwritten files from the early 1800s are deeds documenting the trading of slaves as property.

One of the stories highlighted in the Slave Deed exhibit is of a slave named Sarah Gudger. Ms. Gudger was born into slavery in Old Fort, North Carolina but spent the majority of her life in Reems Creek. Her story is one of the only first-hand accounts that we have of slavery in Buncombe County.

Buncombe County displays this documentation for the purpose of historical research, family genealogy, education, and to acknowledge that slavery was a part of the County's history.

For more information please go to Buncombecounty.org

Film: Better Mus' Come

Watch out for this film: Better Mus' Come 

"You cannot fight the righteous battle with weapons of war, or else you will join the army of destruction."

Me: Playing with My Cell Phone

Me on a Saturday

Grooming: Love in Action

Where is the love? Here it is.

I'm Adorned: Cloud 9

Hint: He's singing about hair.
Question: Who do you think he sounds like?
Comment: You don't find too many singers like this nowadays, so enjoy it!

Happy to be nappy, I'm black and I'm proud
That I have been chosen to wear the conscious cloud
And I'm fine under cloud 9