Correction the site is
www.savetheseedcampaign.org
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Black History and The Elephant In The Room
Black History Month is generally a call to celebrate the history of accomplishments and the tenacious spirit of triumph over trouble has sustained African-Americans through the centuries.
Recently I was listening to one of the Talk Shows on Radio and the conversation centered on the question “Why Males are Falling Behind?” “Why are less and less young men going to college; being equipped for leadership; and simply becoming men of character?”
On another occasion I was sitting in my office at home…praying, meditating and let me be very candid with you – I was also murmuring and complaining, about what I had just heard. What I had just heard – was the news report about some young Black boys who had been involved in shoot-out in broad daylight driving up one of the busiest streets in a predominately African-American section of the city.
How do I know…because I was one of those young boys? Like me, most of them are simply high-potential/low opportunity young boys who are in need of a structured learning environment, designed to teach them what it means to be a man and academically challenge them to greatness.
For more information on how you can get involved in the movement to Save The Seed visit www.savetheseedcampagin.org.
What a rich and proud history we have to celebrate. We should take time to honor those who have come before us and on whose shoulders we now stand. However there is a glaring obvious giant elephant in the room that we simply cannot continue to ignore or walk around. It is not going away and in fact it is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day!
The elephant is the declining education of young Black boys, across the country and specifically in the urban centers of our nation.
Recently I was listening to one of the Talk Shows on Radio and the conversation centered on the question “Why Males are Falling Behind?” “Why are less and less young men going to college; being equipped for leadership; and simply becoming men of character?”
As with any of the Call-In Talk Shows everyone had a theory; an opinion; tons of statistics, research, and reasons for the problem - but no one offered any solutions. Surprisingly during the time that I was able to listen – each of the women who called in, suggested that the problem stemmed from the way in which we educate and what we expect from young Black boys.
On another occasion I was sitting in my office at home…praying, meditating and let me be very candid with you – I was also murmuring and complaining, about what I had just heard. What I had just heard – was the news report about some young Black boys who had been involved in shoot-out in broad daylight driving up one of the busiest streets in a predominately African-American section of the city.
I also had just heard news about some young Black boys, elementary students, being suspended for taking guns to school…and one of them, a 10 year old, was selling crack. Now mind you, none of this was reports from New York City or Los Angeles or Chicago…but in that peaceful place called Charlotte, NC.
Then I got word of three more young men who had robbed a pizza store…and one of them had been shot and killed, he had just turned 21. This hit home a little closer, because I knew him and would have to eulogize him.
The issue is that more and more young Black boys are falling further and further behind educationally until their options for success and contributing to society are getting ever so slim. Today in most major cities, less than 50% of young Black boys graduate from high school.
The long term effect is they become unskilled and unemployable, thus unprepared to successfully care for a family and contribute to a community. The more immediate challenge is that these young boys are more likely to resort to anti-social behavior and criminal activity, costing taxpayers millions of dollars and wasting their God-given potential.
Yes…their God-given potential. What we must understand is that these young boys are not dumb, stupid, nor ignorant – they were misguided and they lacked an education that challenges them to become men of character.
How do I know…because I was one of those young boys? Like me, most of them are simply high-potential/low opportunity young boys who are in need of a structured learning environment, designed to teach them what it means to be a man and academically challenge them to greatness.
So while we celebrate Black History Month with all of the accomplishments of the past and the success of the present. Let us also consider the elephant in the room and make a commitment to prepare for a future that does not leave the conditions of the urban Black boy to chance.
For more information on how you can get involved in the movement to Save The Seed visit www.savetheseedcampagin.org.
Dr. P. M. Davis
The Male Leadership AcademyTuesday, January 3, 2012
Occupy The City
In January 2010 we the Nations Ford Community Church, launched a three-year initiative to impact the city of Charlotte in positive life-changing ways. We called that initiative Occupy! We reached a milestone in 2010 as the members of NFCC volunteered and served out in the community and within the Church for a total of 25,000 hours. This met our first year's goal.
I believe that 2012 will be a year for radical living and that we, the Church, God's people will rise to the occasion, serving, giving, sharing, and leading people to a life-changing relationship with Christ.
In 2011, we again set out to give 25,000 hours of service to our community and thus be a visible witness of God's love. Once again the members of Nations Ford Community Church reach their collective goal of 25,000 volunteer hours of service.
Now at the beginning of 2012, we once more seek to reach out and Occupy The City, by giving and serving and sharing the compassionate love of Jesus with those who are lost, hurting and confused.
We believe that God has blessed us to be a blessing to others and that the more we give the more we received so that we have even more to give.
This is a year in which we must get radical about our calling…to Occupy The City! The problems of our city; our communities; our families; and in our schools;
This is a year in which we must get radical about our calling…to Occupy The City! The problems of our city; our communities; our families; and in our schools;
The problems in government; in media; in education and in business…are too crucial and critical; for God’s people, to simply go about business as usual.
We must get radical…about representing Jesus and radical about serving the poor; radical about reaching and teaching our young Black boys and mentoring our young girls…
We must get radical in our stand to protect the traditional family unit and rise to support the North Carolina Marriage Amendment this coming May in the primary elections.
We be radical in our belief that Jesus calls us to "be the salt of the earth and the light of the world."
We must get radical in our stand to protect the traditional family unit and rise to support the North Carolina Marriage Amendment this coming May in the primary elections.
We be radical in our belief that Jesus calls us to "be the salt of the earth and the light of the world."
Radical is a word that simply means: different, drastic, unusual, extreme and fanatic --- it is a change of lifestyle that Christ is calling His Church to.
This is the lifestyle that Jesus called us to…and to which He sends us into the city! It is a radical departure from what we see in American Churches today. In American Churches today …we have watered down the calling of Christ to be His disciples! We have watered down the call to follow Christ and to exchange our comfort for a commitment to give our all to Him!
This is the lifestyle that Jesus called us to…and to which He sends us into the city! It is a radical departure from what we see in American Churches today. In American Churches today …we have watered down the calling of Christ to be His disciples! We have watered down the call to follow Christ and to exchange our comfort for a commitment to give our all to Him!
I believe that 2012 will be a year for radical living and that we, the Church, God's people will rise to the occasion, serving, giving, sharing, and leading people to a life-changing relationship with Christ.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Take Time To Gather Yourself
Yes, another year is almost gone. Time waits for no one. One of my favorite Bible verses says, “Redeem the time...” another one says, “Number your days…”
No matter how hectic your pace has been or how busy you are, this is the time to make sure you make time to reflect, think, give and plan.
I generally take this week between Christmas and New Year's and lock myself away for a few days. I find that this is the ideal time for reflection, thinking, giving and planning. Let me encourage you to do some very simple things during this time:
1) Try to slow things down.
2) Spend time with the ones you love and care about.
3) Take some time to talk with your spouse and children about goals and dreams for the next year.
4) Use this as a time to revision your vision; charge your batteries
5) Find a Church or charitable organization and volunteer a few hours
6) Think about a few of changes or additions you want to see in your life in the New Year.
In my opinion, taking the time to gather yourself; to reflect; to think; to dream and to plan is one of the most important and valuable things that you can do to impact and influence the New Year in a positive way.
One last word. You must commit yourself to set aside this time…or you will find yourself once again keeping a hectic pace and a busy schedule which will rob you of this moment.
Gather your past successes; past victories; past failures and defeats…reflect on your seasons of growth and your seasons of stagnation…then use all that to clear your way; wipe the slate clean and begin again with a fresh set of well-thought out goals, visions, and dreams.
Happy New Year!
No matter how hectic your pace has been or how busy you are, this is the time to make sure you make time to reflect, think, give and plan.
I generally take this week between Christmas and New Year's and lock myself away for a few days. I find that this is the ideal time for reflection, thinking, giving and planning. Let me encourage you to do some very simple things during this time:
1) Try to slow things down.
2) Spend time with the ones you love and care about.
3) Take some time to talk with your spouse and children about goals and dreams for the next year.
4) Use this as a time to revision your vision; charge your batteries
5) Find a Church or charitable organization and volunteer a few hours
6) Think about a few of changes or additions you want to see in your life in the New Year.
In my opinion, taking the time to gather yourself; to reflect; to think; to dream and to plan is one of the most important and valuable things that you can do to impact and influence the New Year in a positive way.
One last word. You must commit yourself to set aside this time…or you will find yourself once again keeping a hectic pace and a busy schedule which will rob you of this moment.
Gather your past successes; past victories; past failures and defeats…reflect on your seasons of growth and your seasons of stagnation…then use all that to clear your way; wipe the slate clean and begin again with a fresh set of well-thought out goals, visions, and dreams.
Happy New Year!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Join The Movement To Save The Seed
I am raising funds for The Male Leadership Academy. The links belowe will give you the full story of why an all male school and how you can get involved. I am asking you to join the movement to help raise up a generation of young men who know their identity and who will be leaders for us in the future.
Thanks,
PMD
https://savetheseedcampaign.org/fundraise/for/PhillipMDavis
Thanks,
PMD
https://savetheseedcampaign.org/fundraise/for/PhillipMDavis
Friday, November 4, 2011
Be Faithful Over A Few Things
Over the past couple of days, I have been reminded on more than one occasion that God requires and rewards faithfulness. In 1 Timothy 1:12, the Apostle Paul said, "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."
Paul had a past that would have disqualified him from the Lord's service in most modern Churches. He was known as the 'cheif of sinners', a blasphemer, persecutor and violent aggressor (1 Tim. 1:13-15). Yet after He met Jesus on the Damascus Road, everything changed.
With the same zeal and ferver that he once sought to destroy the Church and Christians, Paul used that same energy to promote the Gosple and the love of God to all men and women. Paul was faithful to the call of Christ and the assignment given Him by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Just as faithful and even more so, than he was to his past life as one who sought to destroy the Church.
Paul was rewarded greatly for his faithfulness. He said as he came to the close of his life, "I have fought the good faith, I have finished my course, I kept the faith." Because of his faithfulness, he was assured that, "Therefore there is laid up for me the crown of righteouness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day..."
Today and always remember that the gifts and the calling of God on your life...are yours to be faithful over.
Paul had a past that would have disqualified him from the Lord's service in most modern Churches. He was known as the 'cheif of sinners', a blasphemer, persecutor and violent aggressor (1 Tim. 1:13-15). Yet after He met Jesus on the Damascus Road, everything changed.
With the same zeal and ferver that he once sought to destroy the Church and Christians, Paul used that same energy to promote the Gosple and the love of God to all men and women. Paul was faithful to the call of Christ and the assignment given Him by God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. Just as faithful and even more so, than he was to his past life as one who sought to destroy the Church.
Paul was rewarded greatly for his faithfulness. He said as he came to the close of his life, "I have fought the good faith, I have finished my course, I kept the faith." Because of his faithfulness, he was assured that, "Therefore there is laid up for me the crown of righteouness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day..."
Today and always remember that the gifts and the calling of God on your life...are yours to be faithful over.
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