Live in the light, flip the switch!

Dear Lucy: I have been trying for the longest time to let go of some things that I did in the past. I am ashamed of them and just can't stop thinking about how stupid I was. I feel like I am always walking in the dark because I am so ashamed. Please help me with this. There must be a bigger, better answer than what I've been doing.

St. Paul crafts ‘Healthy Men of Color Summit’

At. St. Paul Baptist Church, a consensus has been reached about the need to "change the statistics and men's attitudes about their health and wellbeing."

That agreement has led to the design of the church's first Healthy Men of Color Health Summit, which will be held Saturday (Jan. 19) at the church at 2124 East Holmes Rd.

Let’s get our increase on

Dear Lucy: I really want this to be my best year ever. You have been writing about planning for the new year. Is there just one favorite piece of advice that you have?

– Queen of 2013

Dear Queen: Thanks and I am having a lot of fun with my own planning. I also plan to be a Queen in 2013! I have a long list of stuff that I am doing this year that I have never done.

The Boulevard has its pastor

The Rev. Jason Lawrence indeed will be the new senior pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church.

Rev. Lawrence was chosen over the weekend during a special congregational meeting. He was selected by a majority vote totaling 94.2 percent.

Turner, 32, is a Yale University alum who currently pastors a church in Connecticut while completing doctoral studies. He and his wife are expecting their first child this month. Members of the Search and Transition Team of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, in conjunction with the Vanderbloemen Search Firm, selected Turner to present to the congregation last month.

Think and create the life you want

Dear Lucy: Year after year I make New Year's Resolutions. I have made some of the same ones over and over only to not reach them. Then there are some that I make that are a piece of cake. This year, I want to really achieve something great that I can look back on and be proud of. Do you have any suggestions about this? – "Ready for a brand new life"

When God talks back

(CNN) – In the Bible, God spoke directly to Abraham. He spoke directly to Moses. He spoke directly to Job. But to your neighbor down the street?

Most people reading the ancient scriptures understand these accounts of hearing God's voice as miracles that really did happen but no longer take place today, or maybe as folkloric flourishes to ancient stories. Even Christians who believe that miracles can be an everyday affair can hesitate when someone tells them they heard God speak audibly. There's an old joke: When you talk to God, we call it prayer, but when God talks to you, we call it schizophrenia.

A perfect match: ‘Good’ and God

Dear Lucy: It is another year! Maybe that means that I don't have to go through all the stuff I went through last year that made my life just one long, hard, bumpy road. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for all things good, I just don't want to struggle this year. Any ideas?

‘Operation Take Back’

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Memphis Chapter is appealing to the faith-based community to participate in "Operation Take Back" – a project developed to minimize crime in the Memphis area.

It is time for the law-abiding citizens to take back the Memphis Community, according to the Rev. Dwight Montgomery, president of SCLC Memphis and pastor of Annesdale-Cherokee Baptist Church.

Gunmen in Nigeria attack church, kill 6

Gunmen in northern Nigeria attacked a church's Christmas Eve services, killing six people and setting the building on fire, police said.

A pastor was slain in the incident, police said.

Thanks Miss Emma for our Christmas message

Dear Lucy: This has been a really hard year for me and my family. I am on a fixed income, I have three of my grandchildren living with me and it can get real hard. I don't have lots to give this Christmas and I am tired just watching and listening to all the talk about buying and spending on things that they forget the next day. So much for just one day. The Lord has been good to me and I hope to see another Christmas. We made it through and I just thank the Lord.

Pastors for Pre-K

The Rev. Brandon Walker felt a tug on his heart as he and the Rev. DeAndre Brown moved among the children at Ross Elementary School on Tuesday. The two pastors were on hand to draw the public's attention to the "positive impact of high-quality early education."

"I am a product of Head Start and I personally know the value of an early education," Pastor Walker told The New Tri-State Defender. "Looking at the faces of the students in Mrs. Renita Armstrong's pre-kindergarten class was second to none. I listened as they told me what they wanted to be when they grow up. Some said police officers, others said doctors, and one African-American boy said he wanted to be the president of the United States."

Holiday parties, yes; pity parties, No!

Dear Lucy: This Christmas season is so hard for me. I lost my mother this year and I just cannot imagine this Christmas without her. I have sisters and brothers who feel the same. What can I do or say to break this awful depression that we are all in? We have tried everything and we are so tired and sad. Thanks.