For many of us Lent is nearing the finish line. We are exactly two weeks away from celebrating the Resurrection.

It is usually at this time in the 40 days of sacrifice that you begin to wonder  what it was that you needed to do  to strengthen your spiritual voyage or if you are still the prodigal son out in the fields having a great time. It is usually patience that wears thin. Lent is supposed to be a time in which we contemplate and attempt to get a deeper meaning out of our life and those around us.

That is the hallmark of Lent really. We live in a world that lacks any kind of patience. Everything is a rush. We communicate to the person next to us via Instant Messaging. Drivers on the road are prone to road rage because you did not take off the instant that the light turned green. The person in line behind you at the grocery is sucking in air because the clerk is not moving the line faster. The gentleman standing next to you waiting on the elevator is desperately pushing the button on the wall in hopes that the elevator doors will open. All these things are the immediate result of the lack of patience and social engagement.

Here are a few things to try today:

1-     Walk over and talk to your coworker. I am sure that he or she would like to actually hear a full thought out sentence than just a quick abbreviated instant message.

2-     Instead of eating lunch at your desk, go eat lunch with other people. It is actually nice to be able to have a conversation that is not rushed.

3-     Pick up the phone and call someone you haven’t spoke to in a long time with the only intention of catching up

4-     Practice living out a spiritual or scripture reading in real time today.

We need to begin the walk and extend the forty days of Lent into our every day living.  It is not a time to turn inward, rather we should turn outward. It is these things that Lent should help us foster and work on.

Everything is not a race to the finish line. We will all be there in a grave soon enough.

{For more from Oretha Winston follow her on Twitter}

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When  it comes to relationships, it seems like a battle or a war is taking place between men and women. Each gender has very diverse ideas in regards to what a relationship should look like, let alone be like.  The battle of the sexes is the consummate struggle of  men and women trying to gain a mutual understanding of one another.

While conducting research for an upcoming relationship series for Elev8, I interviewed a number of men and women between the ages of 25-45 regarding a variety of male/female relationship issues. After the interview, I asked each of the participants; based on their personal experience or from a third party perspective:

Men: What are the top 5 things that you want women to know regarding a  relationship?

Women: What are the top 5 things that you want men to know regarding a relationship?

As you can imagine,  each side had a variety of opinions. The women had quite a few, but the men basically said the same thing, maybe worded differently, but still the same. Check it out.

Top fives things women want men to know  from a woman’s perspective:

1. Communicate more. When a problem arises or you are confronted about an issue, don’t turn away and hide. Face the problem and work it out like an adult.
2. Stop playing games. If you don’t want a committed relationship and you just want to play the field, then say that. Stop engaging women in a committed relationship while you are still dating other women.
3. Get a job. It is not a woman’s responsibility to take care of man. A man should take care of himself.
4. Chivalry is not dead. A woman would like to see a man take the lead, take the initiative and open a door, pull out a chair, hold an umbrella over her in the rain, etc. Treat her like the lady that she is.
5. Every woman does not want you. Don’t try to date every woman you meet. Appreciate and respect the women that God sends in your life.

Top five things men want women to know from a man’s perspective:

1. Respect yourself: Be a lady. Carry yourself in a more dignified manner. Put some clothes on.
2. Know your value and your worth. Stop settling for less. Demand more; expect more and you will get more.
3. Guard your heart. Stop giving men your heart, especially when they haven’t earned it
4. Friends first. Enjoy the friendship phase of the relationship. Don’t rush pass that phase to get to something more serious.
5. Do you! Stop allowing your man’s needs, wants and desires to overshadow your own. Stay focused on your dreams, aspirations and goals. The rest will follow, including your man.

Instead of automatically being pro or con, I listened to their answers and allowed myself to really think about the points that were being made.  Subconsciously, I began internally examining myself, asking if I am guilty of any of these charges. Be it male or female, I believe that we all could work on one thing on the list, even if its just attempting to be a better communicator.

It is amazing how the challenges are not remotely similar between the sexes. It just continues to highlight the differences between the sexes, even to the core of what’s tolerated and what is expected. The Battle of the Sexes Series- A Meeting of the Minds will continue.

As always, I hope you learned something, changed some thing or removed some thing out of your life,  which enables you to be a better person.

Have a great week. Much success!

God Bless you,

Judi

For more information:

Written by: Judi Mason for www.elev8.com

Contact Judi: judi@divaink.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/judimason

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Five Reasons I Hate Dating Christians

Cleaning is one of the few things in life that I absolutely loathe. Hate. Can’t stand. I love the results, but it’s that I hate doing the cleaning myself. As much as I hate cleaning, I don’t really trust other people to do it for me. It creates a bit of a pickle for me. The other problem is that I’m a bit of a pack rat. (Don’t worry, you won’t see me on “Hoarders” anytime soon, though.) I tend to keep a lot of things under the guise of “I’ll use it someday.” Well, many a “someday” have come and gone and I’ve used none of the stuff I said I would.

This past week I made it a goal to clean up my life; specifically my room. And clean I did. When I tell you that I found some stuff I hadn’t seen in ten years, I am not exaggerating. At all. I unearthed a few things that had surely been around since right after I moved in around 13 years ago I uncovered nick-nacks I hadn’t touched since the day I bought it. I saw pieces of paper I wrote on in high school. While I kept some old letters my dad had written me, a few pictures from trips I’d taken, and some truly sentimental stuff, my trash can became the new home for a lot of the clutter I discovered.

For a pack rat like myself, throwing something away, no matter how insignificant it seems, takes a good deal of motivation. It’s hard. Those of you who have no problem with this, likely will never comprehend why it would be difficult to throw out stuff you never use (honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself).

I came to the conclusion that I won’t get through the next season of my life if I keep carrying around all this extra “weight.” Weight, more than anything else, will slow down your journey. And this weight was slowing me down.

So in the trash it went. Things I thought I needed and memories I could learn to live without. In the trash. I won’t tell you how many bags I filled up, but I will say that I was quite amazed at myself. And I felt lighter. Not literally, but emotionally and spiritually. Now I feel more ready, more prepared, for whatever may come my way. I know that when I move I’ll have less to pack, less to move, and less to carry.

I can say that I’ll strive to keep a cleaner house, but it’s very likely my pack rat tendencies showing themselves again. And so I’ll have to keep cleaning, keep purging, and keep trashing a lot of the junk I pick up along the way.

Why should you care about that I cleaned my room? For one, you can call and tell my mother because Lord knows she’d be proud. But, more importantly, I hope this serves as a reminder for you; not to go clean your room, but to consider what you need to do in order to make the most out of this next season in your life. It may look like an apology. It may look like a renovation. It may look like a move. Whatever you need to do, do it. Now.

[Note: The picture is not of what I was cleaning.]

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]

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March 15, 2010

What Do I Do If I Become A Victim of Identity Theft?

George Thompson

Over the last couple of weeks we have looked at steps you can take to reduce your risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. I wish I could tell you that by applying these simple steps you can avoid any opportunity of becoming a victim of this crime. Unfortunately, I can not guarantee that kind of success. Identity theft is on the rise according to the 2009 Javelin Strategy and Research affecting about 10 million people, which is a 22% increase from 2008. These numbers reflect the stark reality that identity theft is not going away. We need to be prepared and know what to do if we become a victim.

Act immediately: if you determine that you are a victim of identity theft, according to the California Attorney General Office, you must act quickly to minimize the damages.

Report Identity Theft to All Three Credit Bureaus: Contact the fraud department of Trans Union, Experian and Equifax and report that your identity has been stolen. Ask that the fraud alert be put on your file. These alerts stay active for 90 days and will ensure that creditors must verify your identity before making any changes to your accounts or opening new accounts.

File Reports with Law Enforcement: File a report with the police department and the Federal Trade Commission. When you file a police report bring as much information as possible with you.  After you file, make sure to get a copy for your files.  When you file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.giv/idetheft) to give law enforcement to help fight identity theft.

Contact all your Creditors: Make a list of who you need to contact. Whenever you make these calls, write down the date and time and the name of the person that you talked to, along with any notes from the call. Make sure you follow up those initial calls with a certified letter.

Monitor your Credit Report Regularly: When you reach out to notify the credit bureaus that you have been a victim of fraud get a free copy of your credit report. Check it carefully for any companies you don’t recognize, accounts you did not open or unknown charges on your accounts.

Contest the Bills that Result from Identity Theft: Close any accounts   that many have been tampered with or opened without your knowledge. Ask for the fraud department at each company. Then ask for a fraud dispute form to dispute charges or new accounts that have been opened.  If the company does not have a special form send a letter to the address given for billing inquires.

Follow Up: Make sure you follow up with phone calls, in writing, and follow up your letters with phone calls, especially to credit bureaus, banks, and credit card companies.  Use certified mail. Keep a copy of all correspondence in your file. Once you have resolved any disputed charges or accounts with a company, ask them to put it in writing for you to confirm that the disputes have been settled.

Be Persistent: I need to warn you this is not going to be an easy process. I want to encourage you to be persistent and aggressive. If someone is not giving you the help or answers you need, ask to speak to a supervisor.

For More Information: If you need additional assistance or need information about what to do for other types of identity theft, Check out this website for more information.  http://.ag.ca.gov/idtheft/tips.php

I hope this information has been helpful. Please check back next week, we will be discussing tax issues and concerns that you might be thinking about as we approach tax day on April 15th.
It is my desire that you are inspired to be a good steward over these three areas of your life: Time, Talent, Treasure. Time, you must learn to manage your time; talent you have skills and gifts and lastly treasure, your finances need to managed appropriately. All of these areas work together; when they are managed properly you will be able to become A BETTER YOU!
Pastor George

Disclaimer: The goal of this of this blog is to review identity theft issues that you might experience on your financial journey. The author will not be liable with respect to any direct or indirect loss or damage cause or alleged to be caused by the use of these materials.

Written By Pastor George B. Thompson for Elev8.com

Connect with George on

My Web Page

You Tube

FACEBOOK

My Blog Talk

Twitter

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Sean Lee has been a BlackPlanet member since 2007 and he is an ordained elder and music director for several conferences. Check out his profile here to learn more about him.

Adoption is not something to be entered into haphazardly. One must consider all the possible outcomes, occurrences, and obstacles that may arise. This is even more true when a family (or individual) is considering a transracial adoption (when the race of the adopted child is different from that of one or both adoptive parents).

This is not a new issue in the United States. Transracial adoptions nearly stopped for 20 years, from the early 70s to the 90s, when they were condemned as “cultural genocide” by the National Black Social Workers Association (NBSWA). In 1994, after the Metzenbaum Multiethnic Placement Act (which banned any agency receiving federal funds from interfering with adoptions based on race or nationality) was passed, we saw a significant rise in these adoptions. This act, as well as the Interethnic Adoption Provisions amendment, were designed to eliminate racial discriminations within the adoption system. (1)

While the legality of transracial adoption isn’t be up for debate, it’s imperative that we take a hard look at the cultural impact of such adoptions.

Developing a child’s cultural and racial identity is as important as developing his or her intellectual skills. They give the child a sense of pride, heritage, and belonging. Gloria Batiste Roberts, president of the NBSWA, believes that, “children deserve the right to be with people who look like them, people who understand what they are going through, who understand their culture.”  But why should it matter?

“[The NBSWA] points out that a black child growing up in a white family will never learn about his or her own culture and will therefore never develop a positive self-image. White parents can never provide a black child with sufficient information about what it is like to be black in a predominantly white society.” (2)

Interestingly, “in a study of 30 adolescent black children adopted by white parents, only 10 of them identified themselves as black; 6 said they were ‘mixed,’ and the rest tried to avoid a racial identity altogether by saying they were ‘human’ or ‘American.’” (3)

If a Black, Chinese, or Brazilian child is adopted by a White family, at some point questions are going to arise as to why they look different. (I refer to White families here because, in transracial adoptions, Whites are more likely to adopt than are other races.) And no matter how hard I try, I cannot personally identify with the struggles of those who don’t look like me because I’ve never experienced them for myself. Sure, I can hear about their stories and comprehend them as I would a movie or fiction book, but having never lived them out, my “knowledge” can only go so far. The same proves true for parents. A White parent cannot adequately explain what it’s like to be anything other than White in America.

Some might say that none of this race talk really matters; that kids should be raised by whomever is willing to provide a loving and supportive home. And while that may be true, there are certain issues that can’t be overlooked.

For a Black child, one of those issues would be the history of Blacks in America, beginning with the origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade. While White parents may understand and be able to articulate the concepts, ideas, and history of slavery in America, it may be difficult for the child to process the fact that someone who looks like their parent once owned someone who looked like them. No doubt this would bring about some confusion in the child’s mind.

Perhaps equally as important is ensuring that the child develops a healthy self image and self  respect. With America being heavily undated and influenced by Euro-centric concepts of beauty, it’s crucial for children of color to understand that they are no less beautiful or attractive just because they don’t “match” with those around them. Nowhere would this lesson be more important than in the home. It would prove to be a challenge for White parents to effectively affirm a child’s appearance when they’ve never known the issues associated with creating a positive self image in spite of the mainsteam, Euro-centric image that America deems as beautiful.

Newsweek finds that, “according to a study published last year by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, transracial parents are often ill equipped to raise children who are themselves unprepared for the world’s racial realities.”

In an interview with ABC News, Rita Taddonio, director of the Adoption Resource Center at The Spence-Chapin Adoption Agency in New York City, which facilitates many transracial adoptions, says, “If you look around your table and your guests are all the same color, if you don’t have diversity around your kitchen table then you shouldn’t be adopting a child of a different color.”

“We recommend parents connect to the black community, that they make sure they have friends in those areas, that they go to a black church or be part of the community as well,” Taddonio continues. “Every parent’s job is to help them form an identity, it’s just an additional layer of complexity when your child’s identity has pieces of it that you don’t own.”

We’ve talked primarily about Black children and White parents thus far. But in all fairness, what would happen if the situation were reversed? What if it was a White child being raised by Black parents? That’s the topic examined by a 2009 Newsweek article entitled, “ Raising Katie: What adopting a white girl taught a black family about race in the Obama era” covers. The article states:

Katie [the white daughter]… has sometimes struggled with her unusual situation, and how outsiders perceive it. When she’s not drawing, swimming or pining after teen heartthrob Zac Efron, she’s often dealing with normal kid teasing with a nasty edge. ‘They’ll ignore me or yell at me because I have a black family,’ she says. Most of her friends are black, although her school is primarily white. And Terri has noticed something else: Katie is uncomfortable identifying people by their race.

But even if Katie feels different now, the Riding-Smiths [her adopted family] have given her both a stable home and a familiarity with two ethnic worlds that will surely serve her well as she grows up in a country that is increasingly blended.

If Blacks would adopt their own, Whites wouldn’t have to, right? “Census studies indicate that blacks adopt at about the same rate as whites, but to successfully place all the black children available for adoption [with black families], experts estimate blacks would need to adopt children at three times the rate of white families.” (4) While there are significant societal issues which have lead to the high population of Black children waiting to be adopted at work, many would also argue that there is a systemic bias against Black families who wish to adopt.

Many private adoption agencies can charge fees well into the thousands of dollars, and some feel a certain taboo behind paying for a Black child. Agencies which may not be privatized are normally geared more towards the White middle-class in their mindset and operation, believing that many Black families don’t have what it takes to adopt a child from foster care. The Black families may be subject to higher levels of scrutiny when it comes to their living conditions, income level, or background as well. All in all, the process is much more challenging for a Black family than it would be for a White family if all things were considered equal.

At the end of the day, perhaps it’s more of a personal choice than anything else. In an age where families and children are becoming more and more racially and culturally mixed, perhaps transracial serves to further blur the lines of how we define race in America. Or perhaps it delineates the lines even more. What do you think?

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]

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Christian movies tend to make people cringe. This one was far from cringe worthy.

By now most of us our getting use to our church community screening movies and garnering our opinions. Much of the time we even go because we feel like we should support the cause. Two years ago we received “Fireproof” and was thrilled by the c. This year we have received No Greater Love from Coram Deo Studios As I said in an earlier column we as Christians often settles from baring the stigma of mediocrity that has historically and – sadly – often accurately been associated with Christian movies.

No Greater Love delivers a well written non preachy movie from start to finish. I’m always thrilled beyond measure when we screen a film that breaks the stigma and blows the doors off of the mediocrity label. When watching No Greater Love for review purposes, two terms kept coming to mind repeatedly: clever and high quality.

It is 109 minute feature length drama begins with a powerful and convincing argument between a young couple, about prioritizing work versus spending time on their relationship.

No sappiness here; no facade of life. The opening sequence is incredibly and painfully realistic. Before you even realize have time to think about it you are transported “behind closed doors” and intimately into the home of a young family. This initial scene is shot as if you are a “fly on the wall,” witnessing the breakdown of this family relationship.  I have spent the last few weeks grappling with really thinking hard about the worth and value of my life and my peers and this movie made an argument that was quite uncomfortable and, from a very personal standpoint, the Holy Spirit convicted me about my own work priorities before I ever got to the opening credits. Now that is powerful.

From this first argument on, No Greater Love grips the viewer and doesn’t let go. The synopsis In No Greater Love, Jeff and Heather are a young married couple with a newborn son, Ethan. Like many young couples, they each have their respective issues that they are learning to deal with, but not quickly enough to salvage their crumbling marriage. They are on the verge of divorce when Heather unexpectedly goes missing and leaves Jeff alone to raise Ethan.

Fast forward ten years as we follow Jeff’s story. He has built a great relationship with Ethan, has obtained a new girlfriend named Katie, and has a career in the advertising industry that is prospering. His life is pretty simple and seemingly on a good track.

One day at a coffee shop, Jeff meets with a man named Dave who he has befriended. Dave invites him to bring Ethan to Kid’s Fest – a Christian day camp for children. It is from there that you are presented with the discussions that we have all wondered about daily.

You may watch the first 30 minutes of the movie  by clicking here.

Rating: PG

Available in: DVD

{For more from Oretha Winston follow her on Twitter}

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I sometimes wonder why having to change something in my life is so difficult and I think I may have figured it out.  You see it takes a while before we become familiar with something or someone. Sometimes it’s like years of trial in era taking baby steps towards getting comfortable just being in that place or with that person. We even find ourselves questioning if we are even worthy of this new space in our lives? Just about the time that we get over all of these hurdles we then realize it’s time to let go or move on to something new. Can you imagine working so hard to get to a place of comfort only to be told that it’s time to leave it all! Such is life and such is the timetable of life that requires seasons to change rather we like it or not. The worst thing you can do when seasons change is try not to change with it. So now how or what does one do about all this change, change, change in life without going insane, crazy, or just plan old depress? Well here are a couple of things that I have learn throughout the years of having to face many and I do mean many changes in my life.

One of the first things that helped me move on was letting go. I know it seems elementary but letting go can be very advanced for the average person if he’s not healthy enough mentally to realize there is “more” to life if he/she would but give it a chance. Letting go means releasing the benefits and rejections of that situation. It means that that person or situation no longer entertains you any more because you realize there is more to the joke. Can you imagine going to the same comedy show and laughing on cue every time for 30 years? That’s what some of us have limited our lives to. Just one big same old same old comedy show laughing even before the punch line, but you have to understand that just down the road are more comedy shows some with laughter, music, and a special something just for you. Now I’m not saying your life is a “joke” by any means I’m just drawing a parallel with the idea of having a very full and entertaining life. It’s ok to let go of what hurts you. Let go of what bothers you, and let go of all the things you think you need about that situation. I can tell you it’s not easy but definitely worth it if you will but push yourself to do so.

The other thing is to stop judging ourselves based on the pass. I find myself many times not even able to take compliments because of going through my list of all the mistakes and things I have gotten wrong through the years. God doesn’t expect you to live according to your entire history. The bible says He forgets those things once we ask forgiveness for them. We have to do the same thing and that is “forgive” ourselves and say it’s ok to be wrong sometimes. If you get this lesson right you will find yourself not going into new relationships with so many guards up.  We have these inner thoughts that can destroy our future thus causing for little to no change. So instead of thinking “oh but you don’t know the mistakes I’ve made” you should have thoughts like “ I’m so looking forward to a fresh start with you.” Maybe the fact is the change that is before you is really just what you need in this season of your life. Accept change, own it, and embrace your new chapter in life however small it may be. I now love the fact that this gift of life given to me is a great opportunity to go from one great moment to another and I want to encourage you to do the same!

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I Don’t Have Time To Excercise

There’s an old saying that goes, “If you are five minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late, then you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” I couldn’t agree more.

Perhaps one of my biggest pet peeves — the thing that consistently gets on my nerves more than anything else — is tardiness. Being late, consistently. I just can’t stand it. It’s tacky. I hate when I’m late and I can’t stand it when others are late.

I’m not talking about when you’re running behind schedule because of unforeseen traffic or an emergency (a real one; not, “I was checking my Facebook”). I’m talking about people who are consistently, day after day, week after week, about 20, 30 (or more) minutes late. You know you’ve got a few of those people in your life. If you don’t, chances are good that you are that person. Sometimes they’re so consistently delayed that you tell them the 8:30pm movie starts at 8:00pm just to make sure they get there “on time.”

Here’s my issue: when you’re late, what that says to me is that you don’t care, value, or respect the people that you’re meeting enough to consider how precious their time is. In essence, “I don’t care about you, or your schedule; I’ll be there when I get there.” Rude. Disrespectful. Unacceptable.

Personally and professionally, punctuality is very important. If people can’t count on you to be consistently on time, why would they trust you to do anything else? Especially things that require meeting deadlines.

I’ll admit, I’m not always on time. I do make a conscious effort to at least try to be on time, though. In fact, just the other night I was running late to a party (which, due to the fluid nature of most parties, may be the exception to the on time rule). I’ve lost track of time and been late to church before, too. It happens. But what I do notice is that the things I’m late for, I normally, for that instance, haven’t put a particularly high value on.

Case in point: Sunday I was late for church. I woke up, worked on the computer, had breakfast, and cleaned up around the house (I actually listened to the previous service live online). Before I knew it, I looked down and realized that I was going to be late. I hadn’t showered, and clearly wasn’t ready to leave. What happened? I had placed (perhaps subconsciously) more importance on cleaning up the house, than on getting ready to go to church.

I’d be remiss if I just told you that being late is a horrendous habit and left it at that. Here are four things to consider in order to help you be more punctual.

1) Know what time it is. Seems simple right? Apparently, it’s not as easy as you think. When it matters, be conscious of the time and know when you have to be places. If you have to, set your clocks 5-10 minutes fast. I do this with the clock in my car. At first you may realize that it’s fast, and take that into account, but after a while you’ll likely forget.

2) Understand how long it really takes you to do things. If I have to drive to a meeting downtown, it may only take me 15 minutes to drive from “point A” to “point B,” but I must also find somewhere to park, get out and walk into the building, and it wouldn’t hurt to account for any traffic or red lights I might encounter. In other words, I can’t leave a 15 minute window; it must be more like 25-30 minutes.

3) Plan to be five minutes early. You’d be amazed at how quickly five minutes can just slip by. If you plan to be five (for some people, you may need ten) minutes early, you’ll be much more likely to make it right on time.

4) Think ahead. Obviously, things happen at the last minute, but thinking about your whole day in advance can make things run a lot smoother. Think about travel times, where you’ll park, and what traffic might be like. If it’s a daily routine, chances are that you already know different obstacles that might get in the way. Thinking about those things ahead of time will ensure that you’ll be better prepared.

Hopefully reading this blog hasn’t caused you to be late, but in the event that it has, you, at least, have a good explanation. Now, go be on time.

[Written by Stuart McDonald for Elev8.com. For more from Stuart, check out his personal blog, follow him on Twitter, and connect with him on Facebook.]

Related Articles:

Are Biracial People Black?

Does Race Really Matter?

When Interracial Dating Goes Wrong

Are Interracial Relationships Biblical?

Do You Have These Red Flags In Your Relationship?

There’s A Reason She Doesn’t Respect You

Manolos Vs. Maddens: A Lesson About Why Men Don’t Pursue

March 8, 2010

Be On The Look Out For Identity Scams Part 2 Identity Theft

George B. Thompson

In 2008, identity theft cost Americans over $48 Billion dollars according to a recent survey conducted by Javelin Strategy and Research. These financial costs are a huge burden on businesses, the criminal justice system, society and the individual. When I read this dollar figure I was alarmed simply because I realize that you can not put a cost on the pain, suffering and stress that one feels when you experience this type of assault. The human cost of time and financial lost, credit problems, your good name and lack of assistance is real and extremely hard to quantify. The main message that I am trying to communicate is that identity theft can have a devastating impact on a victim so you need to be informed.

One preventive measure to stop this crime is to become familiar with the common ways that identity theft happens.  That’s right “common ways”, believe it or not identify theft happens in familiar, well-known everyday circumstances.  Take a look at the list below and make sure that you take action and protect your personal information.

Good Old Fashion Stealing:  Someone steals your wallet or purse; credit cards; credit card statements; pre-approved credit card offers; new checks or tax information. Someone can also steal personnel records or personal records stored at a bank, hospital, or company by hacking into their computer system.

Dumpster Diving: This just sound gross but people are desperate. Someone searches through your trash looking for bills or papers with your personal information on it. Remember to shred your mail before tossing in the trash.

Shoulder Surfing: This is when someone is watching you from a nearby location watching you punch in your pin number or credit card number. Remember to cover your hand when you are dialing in these numbers. Also, this could involve someone listen to you give your personal information via phone. Remember to avoid opportunities to give this information over the phone, especially if this call is an unsolicited call.

Skimming: This involves someone stealing your credit card number by using a special device when your card is processed.

Phishing: Someone pretends to be a financial institution or company and sends you spam or pop up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.

I hope you found this information helpful. Last year over 11 million people fell victim to identity theft. I believe that the more we become aware of how identify theft happens, we can make informed decisions and prevent it from occurring in our own lives. Next week we will look at what steps to take if you become a victim of identity theft.
It is my desire that you are inspired to be a good steward over these three areas of your life: Time, Talent, and Treasure. Time, you must learn to manage your time; talent you have skills and gifts and lastly treasure, your finances need to be managed appropriately. All of these areas work together; when they are managed properly you will be able to become A BETTER YOU!

Pastor George

Written By Pastor George B. Thompson for Elev8.com

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