Why You MUST Come by Opportunity Knocks This Saturday

For all of my flaws, one thing that can be said truly of me is that I love the kids in this community. 

Over the past two years, I've had the great privilege of sitting around a table on "the new wing" of Robert E. Lee High's first floor with a group of dreamers. 

The goal of those meetings? Figuring out how to give ALL of the students in Staunton City Schools the tools they need to flourish both now and in the future. It's been fun, and it's been challenging. The best part is being surrounded by people that share my passion to see young people in this community succeed and flourish. 

My favorite part of this diverse group - which is made up of teachers, administrators, counselors, concerned citizens and even recent Lee grads - is that they don't just dream. They take action steps! 

The Opportunity Knocks Fair at Booker T. Washington this Saturday is one such action step. 

The event, which is for entire families, is set up to show Staunton City School families many of the opportunities available in this community. (Read last year's News Leader article of the event here. )  

Here's a quote from the actual flyer of the event. 

RE Lee is partnering with local businesses,

in-demand industries, churches, community

colleges, and technical schools to

provide current and future Staunton City

School students and their families with a

variety of information and lots of fun!

Opportunity is Knocking... 

The fair provides amazing food catered from several local restaurants that caught a vision for Opportunity Knocks. Transportation can even be provided as well (call 540-332-3926 by Friday at 3 p.m. if you need a ride). 

With free food, free transportation, tons of door prizes and give-aways, as well as tools to help families improve their present and their future situations, there's no reason not to come. 

WHO: A group of people that love Staunton City School kids a whole lot
WHAT: Opportunity Knocks
WHEN: 1 -4 p.m., Saturday, January 17 
WHERE: Booker T. Washington Community Center, 1114 West Johnson Street
WHY: Because we love this community and want to see it flouish
COST: Free 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

Watching a good friend's dream come true: My man Black Boo.

One of my college teammates - as well as one of my favorite people - has a chance to do something amazing. 

 

And we have a chance to help him do it! 

Black Boo, aka Alfred the MC, was a teammate of mine at Shenandoah University. He's featured as an artist on an album that has been nominated for a Grammy.  

One of his own band Mambo Sauce's most most recognizable songs, Welcome to D.C.,  has been a hit among the professional hockey, football and basketball teams in the nation's capital. ( Watch video to that song above). 

Anybody who knows me at all has literally heard me tell thousands of stories about my college days, and that's because I sincerely love my old teammates and the group of friends I met at Shenandoah. 

Black, left, me and Last Born  at my wedding

I could entertain you for an entire day with stories of Black Boo, including the times that: 

• He ordered everything on the menu when our professor took us to dinner.
• He and Last Born started a hip-hop cypha on our tour of ABC News in New York. 
• He decided to take out his cornrows in the warm-up line at VMI
• He freestyled an oral presentation on the Pacific Rim. 
• He challenged an opposing player to a game of one-on-one ... and was serious! 

And none of these would come close to cracking the top 10 funniest things he did at college. 

But Black didn't just provide entertainment. He also provided inspiration. He dreamed of being a musician when we were in college. Now he's got a chance to experience the Grammys. 

The Grammy organization covers the cost for the actual band, but Black can go if he pays his own way since he's a contributor to the Grammy-nominated album recorded by the reggae group Soja. 

And that's where we have a chance to help. 

Black is trying to raise $2,500. I would love  for everyone who reads this and has any ties to Shenandoah University to give $10. For Black's old teammates, I want to challenge us to give at least $25.  We have a chance to help one of our boys watch his dream come true.  Visit his GoFundMe page here. 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here. 

A Resolution Worth Keeping ... Tips on Going Through the New Testament in a year.

Resolutions don't have to fail! 

Because many resolutions are just wishful thinking with no action plans, many people have become cynical of them. Not me. I love them. I love setting goals for a specific time period and trying to see those goals through to the end. In fact, one of my resolutions is to have more - and complete more - resolutions! 

At the beginning of this year, I asked my friends at church and on social media if anyone would be interested in reading through the New Testament in a year. The plan requires about 5-10 minutes a day, five days a week (view plan here). In other words, it's doable. 

Here are five more tips for making it all the way to the end of Revelation in 2015. 

1. Be accountable to another person or group. Spiritual fitness has a lot in common with physical fitness. Both are easier when someone is holding you accountable. In his book The Explicit Gospel,  author and pastor Matt Chandler observes that "people do not drift toward holiness." We all need to be pushed, and we all need to help push others. 

2. Find a routine that works for you. It's simpler if you find the same time each and every day. Maybe it's first thing in the morning. Maybe it's on lunch break. Or perhaps it's the bathroom. The time you spend on the toilet each year, for example, is enough time to read through the New Testament. Crazy, right? 

3. Use technology. The ESV Bible Study App ($14.99) will actually read the chapter aloud  to you. There's probably a free app out there that will do the same. If you have a daily commute, make your first five minutes the audio of the New Testament  reading for that day. 

4. Reward yourself weekly, monthly and annually for setting this goal and achieving it. I'm hoping to do this with my five kids on the morning commute to school, and we'll try to reward them greatly on a regular basis. 

5. Give yourself grace when you miss a day. Sooner or later, it's bound to happen. And it's OK. Just don't let a bad day or a bad week throw you off. 

One final thought. We don't read the Bible to get God to like us more. The good news of the gospel is that we are worse than we could ever believe, but more loved than we could ever imagine. Christ secures our right standing before God, not a Bible-reading plan. We don't read to get God to like us more. We read to know Him more. 

It's not to late to join our group. We have a Facebook group if you need accountability or just have questions about what you have read. 

And, of course, I'd love to hear from you. What are some of your resolutions for 2015? How do you track your goals? 

Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here.