The post Video Testimony appeared first on TruTalk.

Ready to go conquer the world? Read this before you do.

You’re young, fresh and brimming with the energy and invincibility of youth. The future truly seems limitless, but the reality is that the quality of life ahead and the opportunities and possibilities you can experience are determined by the steps you take right now to guide the course of your future.

So, to set you on the path of least resistance to the life of milk and honey you deserve, here are five things you should be doing while you’re young:

#1 Set goals and timelines
Ever just left the house one morning, and started walking in a random direction with no intended destination or time of arrival? Me neither. Trite as it may sound, setting goals and timelines is the most important piece of planning you can do before embarking on any journey (in this case, life.) A goal can be short-term, like saving $300 by the end of the month; medium-term, like graduating and getting a job next year; or long-term, like retiring by the time you’re 45. Note how each of the previous examples contains both an objective and a timeline; a goal without a timeline is simply just a dream.

Once your goals are set, start taking active steps to achieving them and…

#2 Get educated
Whatever long-term goals you set, chances are you won’t be able to achieve them with your current skill set. Now is the time to build up that brain meat—learn the skills you need and get the relevant qualifications. Depending on your goal, you may not need a PhD, but a certification of any kind in the area you wish to pursue can open certain doors for you and put you (and your resumé) at the top of the pile.

#3 Hone your skills
You have the knowledge, now you need practice. After 14 years of computer programming, I can tell you without a doubt, that knowledge without application counts for absolutely nothing. You don’t learn ‘til you practice.

Try getting a job in your field of interest; an internship would do (remember, you’re not trying to be C.E.O. here…at least not right now). Get your foot in the door, at any level, and learn, learn, learn. This is the best kind of learning since, unlike school, you’re actually being paid to learn this time! But even an unpaid internship isn’t too shabby since this learning period also gives you job experience that will look rather spiffy on that budding resumé.

#4 Practise money management skills
See those new Air Jordans that cost $2,500? See how they’re posed so attractively in the window just begging to be bought? Let them beg somebody else; you’ve got more profitable things to do with your money.

Your personal income could be an allowance, a stipend or a salary. No matter what it is, how old you are or how much you make, plan a budget and stick to it as best as you can. Money, like a crafty criminal, seems to just slip away if you don’t keep your eye on it. The truth is that you’re going to need some money to get where you’re going in life; your cash can serve you better when it’s not in Michael Jordan’s pocket.

This is where people with the very best intentions tend to flounder. It’ll seem like everyone is rocking the latest and the greatest stuff, going to all the coolest events and, overall, appearing to be having the time of their lives. Really though, it’s just smoke. As someone who has passed through this phase and is back here again (see, you have company), I can tell you that those people living it up now are going to be wishing they were more like you in a few years. You’ll be ahead of them in all the areas that count while they’re only just attempting to buckle down, get serious…and not be broke.

#5 Take the shot!

• Goal due date: Soon.
• Education: Check!
• Hot skills that nobody can compete with: Check!
• Money management skills to put an accountant to shame: Double check!

Now you’re ready to take the shot. All those years of hard work and sacrifice have led to this moment; set engines to warp speed and fire on all cylinders! You can handle it.

Again, most people tend to get a little shaky at this point; just when the time is nigh to execute the final phase of the master plan. Don’t be one of them. You’ve done your homework, planned and prepared, and at this point the only thing holding you back right now is you. Refresh yourself, roll your shoulders and neck and make the final leg of the ascent to your personal success and satisfaction.

If you plan to be an entrepreneur, go register that company and start building your product/service. If you plan to be C.E.O. of the firm, start lunging upward, moving and shaking things up. Whatever your endgame is, give yourself one last squirt of NOS to rocket you past the finish line.

Whether you’re 12 or 32, you’re never too young or too old to get a hold of your life and chart a course for a new journey. Using these tips as your map, let God be your guide and success will be certain.

Good luck!

About the Author:
Kevin’s idea of the perfect day is one huddled around the warm glow of a monitor, eyes fixed on a code editor and hands caressing a comfortable keyboard. His hobbies include writing, fine cinema, adoring his gorgeous wife and attempting world domination.

The post 5 Things To Do While You’re Young appeared first on TruTalk.

“We are faking being lesbians. Karma is; I’m not so sure.”

Was I surprised? Maybe a little. Was I concerned? Oh yes I was! For a show to make same-sex couples the priority and heterosexuals the outcasts…well, I just wasn’t ready for it.

The thing is I like watching shows where young adults hold the dominant roles. The drama in it is more appealing and interesting to me. So here I was, ready to see the first episode of a show I had waited patiently to premiere: MTV’s Faking It. Mind you, I saw the previews so I knew there was homosexuality in it, but I thought, “Almost every show has it; what’s one more? I might as well just stop watching television now, right?”

Well, I went ahead and watched it. The show was about two teenage girls, Karma and Amy, who had just started high-school and were determined to fit in. Just because they hung out with each other a lot, they were labeled lesbians by the students in their school. BUT get this: their being labeled lesbians made them…popular! Isn’t that a twist on reality!? Mind = Blown. Already craving popularity, they decided to keep the label although initially they were anything but. Their new “lesbian” status earned them the titles of homecoming “queens”, and Karma even captured the attention of one of the most popular boys in school (because some guys think that lesbians are hot). Eventually, this label became a self-fulfilling prophecy for Amy (who begins dating girls and gets into a serious relationship with a girl in the show), while Karma proved to just be in it to get what she wanted: popularity and attention.

I watched three episodes of it before I realized that it wasn’t right. Three episodes too many! I always felt guilty after watching an episode but I was also curious to see how things were going to play out. I worried that I was corrupting myself by watching this show that celebrated being “gay”. I knew deep down it was not pleasing to God. Finally, I decided to stop watching it when I realized that Amy was buying into lesbianism, and that she was going from faking it to the real thing. Although Amy was never interested in homosexuality, all of this happened to her because of peer pressure and her desire to be accepted.

We all want to connect with the people around us and most of us want to fit in. I mean, nobody likes being rejected. Certainly not me. But I think it would be foolish for me to satisfy my desire to fit in, and give into peer pressure, at the expense of my moral values. I consider Amy and the fact that, to begin with, she never liked the label she received. It was only because of being pestered by her friend that she accepted it. Now look at her dilemma.

Yes it’s a TV show but any young person can tell you it is also our reality. Truth is, we can’t be wimps who’re afraid to stand out. It is the easiest thing to give in and say yes—but it takes strength and character to not follow the crowd. BE STRONG!

About the Author:
Princess Gumption is currently pursuing accounting but her ultimate goal is to work in the field of communications. She has a wide range of interests from art to writing to event planning but the number one thing on her bucket list is to go skydiving!

We want to know your thoughts about “Faking It”!

The post The New Trend: Faking “Gay” appeared first on TruTalk.

Jonathan T., Sales Support says…
“Being good. I really, really want to do the right thing but I’m constantly tempted to do wrong. When I try to be good on my own and I fail, it stresses me out. I’m learning to lean on God and use His strength instead of mine but it’s hard.”

Racquel D., University Student says…
“Definitely school. The workload is a lot and I’m sleep-deprived. I wish my parents were more supportive too. They don’t understand the stress I’m under.”

Trevon C., Data Entry Assistant says…
“Finding my true career path. I felt like I didn’t focus my studies on the things that will truly make me happy career-wise. I learn a lot wherever I work but am never truly contented.”

Joshua M., Secondary School Student says…
“That’s easy. Ad (Additional) Maths. When I finish that class, my brain hurts.”

The post “What’s your major source of stress and why?” appeared first on TruTalk.

“There’s a person in my class who has really bad body odour. My classmates talk about them all the time, but I feel bad for the person, because I think they are completely oblivious. How can I help without hurting their feelings?” – Concerned Classmate

It’s great of you to want to help, because it would definitely be easier to do nothing and just talk behind their backs like everyone else. Here’s my take on it. I’ve noticed that as we get older, our body changes and sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with it. The message you want to get across to the person is that it’s nothing strange and we all passed through that stage. Sometimes a stronger deodorant, or the use of body sprays could help; or in the case of bad breath, using mouthwash, a change in toothpaste or brushing your teeth more regularly. They can try different ones until they find something that works. So that’s the message…but I get it. That’s not what you’re asking…

The BIG deal here (and your question) is, how do you bring up the topic in the first place? Some might suggest that if your main goal is to help them “get a clue”, you can embark on a kind of secret operation, where you leave an anonymous note revealing this great truth. Would they get the message? Absolutely! But now everyone they look at in class, or maybe even in school, becomes a suspect. “Who left this!” Sounds tormenting.

The BEST approach is to talk to this person one-on-one and share with them your own challenges with mastering body odor. You might say, “But I didn’t have challenges.” Maybe, but only because you probably had parents who caught it early! Trust me, it was a challenge for your parents! Can you hear them now? “Hello! Did you remember to put on deodorant?” “Oh my gosh! Did you brush your teeth this morning?” Anyway, the idea is to put yourself in this person’s shoes. Empathise with them. Difficult topics are always easier to get through if the person feels that you are not talking down to them or that they are not alone in this. Maybe, if things go well, you can start to suggest stuff, and even offer to get them some of what you use, so they can try it.

Now there is a risk involved in this. No matter how non-judgmental you are, it will be embarrassing for the person to hear this. Not everyone will respond the same way. Some people might get angry or upset or defensive or maybe even try to embarrass you in return. But be brave. Better they hear it from someone who genuinely wants to help than they continue to be scorned by everyone and remain oblivious. If you approach it with sensitivity, odds are that in time they will appreciate you for it.

Don’t forget, the key here is Confidentiality! Good Luck!

The post Help! My Classmate Smells! appeared first on TruTalk.

I was the life of the party
I was the dancehall queen
I was the girl your guy was hung up on
Whenever he hung up on You

I was the girl who drank ‘cause I thought I liked it
Who hiked up my dress ‘cause I thought he liked it
I was the only girl in the circle
On the choo choo train
Who would puff puff pass
The joint ‘round to the next dude
Who was probably already too high
Yeah, it was all guys
Except me 

Accept me,
I said to the World
When I really shoulda been saying it to the King
The only high I shoulda been drinking up,
The Most High
The only One who accepted me when I was myself
Before I traded my self
Before I betrayed I self
Shoulda know what I was doing with
His Temple

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life
In Him, I have found peace in His promise, eternal comfort and no strife

#ThankGodForJesus

The post I Was appeared first on TruTalk.

Teen Time is a new, dynamic summer camp for teenagers and 2015 promises to be the first of many!  It gave us young people a forum to share and discuss issues we actually face.  We also got to show off our creativity in drama, art, and music; and we got to exercise and play sports. We enjoyed all of this in an environment geared toward getting us to see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus, who we now understand sees great value in us. We are important! The theme for Teen Time 2015 was “I Know Who I Am” and many of us left the camp with a greater sense of value, purpose, and heightened self-esteem in Christ.

What young people are saying about Teen Time 2015:
“I honestly never liked going to Church. I always wanted to sleep in on Sunday mornings. Even if I went to Church, I did it grudgingly. But since Teen Time 2015, my mom, aunt and siblings are amazed that I am the first one to get dressed on a Sunday and now I am the one waiting patiently for everyone else.”

“I went home excited every day to share whatever I learned with my entire family.  I’m really happy to finally be with other young people at church. I found friends that share my values and that makes it easier to be who I am as a young Christian.”

“When I got there on the first day of Teen Time, I really didn’t want to stay.  I figured this is not my kinda thing. But the coordinators made me feel welcome and convinced me to give it a chance.  I did and it actually turned out to be really good. Apart from learning so much about who God made me to be, I was happy to take part in drama presentations, aerobics, the talent show, and sports. It was awesome! Made some great friends too!”

“We had to personalize and decorate folders to demonstrate who we are.  My life felt like a blank folder, so that was my design. Lol!  I didn’t know who I was and I was struggling with my identity.  Teen Time set me on a path to discover my identity in Christ.  I can say with certainty that I am the happiest I have ever been in my teenage life.  I found Christ for real this time. No more blank folders!”

“I had no idea that Rev. Martinez and Aunty Patrice were so cool. I had a great time. I didn’t want the camp to end. I even asked them if they planned to have Teen Time 2016. I can’t wait! And, since I heard about yielding ourselves to God at Teen Time, I went back to my church and practised that.  I felt the presence of God in such a real way.”

“I always wanted to fit in at school and because of that, I was not heading down the right path.  Since I went to Teen Time and started hanging out with the other young people, I surrendered my heart to Jesus and now I actually like going to church.  I look forward to hanging out with my new friends “the squad”. My mom always cautions me not to make that my main reason but honestly, I am just so happy to be a part of everything. I think I’m doing good!”

“People keep asking me “What’s so different about you?” They say that I seem more confident and somehow more settled in Church. I tell them, “I think it’s the experience I had at Teen Time.” There was something really cool about getting involved with people my age and doing “God stuff”. It made Christianity come alive for me.”

View pics of Teen Time 2015

The post Teen Time 2015 appeared first on TruTalk.

My virginity was stolen from me at nine years old and I didn’t even know it. My cousin was living with my mother and me, at the time, and he would tell me, “Come play these games…” I guess when I knew it was really gone was when I overheard girls at my school saying that they “gave up” their virginity. I felt angry about it…that I didn’t have a choice. That affected my actions but I didn’t even realise how it did.

My outlet was on the dance floor. I got to be this “dancehall baddest girl” which was so not me…but I loved to dance. Loved dancehall. Loved soca…and to captivate the men on the dance floor was me. In the midst of that, I met this boy and we got together. I was still battling with those sexual desires from being molested and so that led me to becoming pregnant at age 16.

It was a lot to deal with. My mother always used to tell me “books before boys” and so getting pregnant in school was the worst nightmare ever! How am I going to deal with this? How am I going to get rid of this? I’m thinking my life is totally destroyed at this point. Now my only thing to think about (which I used to be the advocate against) was to have an abortion but this was detrimental for me because I would be the first one to jump up in school and say “How DARE you have an abortion! That’s MURDER!” Now look at me….I wanted to resort to the same thing, to commit that murder on the inside because I was panicking. The reality is my mother would have literally killed me if she found out I was pregnant. I would have brought shame on my family, on her and everybody. Disappointment gripped me… and, you know, pride. I needed a way out and so, I did it…

Taking whatever I took caused me to begin to haemorrhage. I really thought I was going to die…to bleed to death. In my sneaking around and going through the process, I was bleeding so much one day that my mother found out and, like they say, “All that’s in the dark came to the light.” I felt so ashamed. I felt like I had no choice in the matter. I felt damaged. I felt unworthy. In the religion I belonged to, you had to marry in white, but I felt I would never be able to marry in white because I was full of sin. It was a depressing, dark time…

Now, in the midst of the turmoil, I had some friends that called themselves Christians. They invited me to a play, “Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames” and I was like, “Okay.” The way I felt on the inside, I thought I would just go see what it’s all about…plus I like theatre. We went to the play and I saw displayed before me that my sins (the things that I did wrong) had a consequence, and the only way to get to God was through this Jesus Christ. I mean, I knew about Jesus before but I didn’t know He died for me. I didn’t know that sin had a consequence and that He went on the cross and the only way to get to the Father God, who we say is Creator, was to go through Jesus.

That was my point of decision. What should I do? I felt so dirty on the inside. I felt that since my virginity was taken away from me, how would it be replaced? But having my sins and all the things that I did before Him, He said that if my sin was as red as crimson—you know, as obvious and dirty as it was to me—He would wash it and I would be as white as snow. I’d be washed clean. And that word “clean” just stood out to me because, in His eyes, I would be as pure as a virgin again. I just had to surrender my life to this truth.

And, on top of that, He was a man.

A man that died for me and loved me and didn’t want to steal anything from me and take advantage of me.

He just wanted to love me.

So I just had to surrender my life, leaving everything behind, all the things that I would have liked, and just give my life to Him.

The post My Stolen Virginity appeared first on TruTalk.

The post God has a plan appeared first on TruTalk.