Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Our Hearts Were Broken: 9/11 Anniversary Tribute

 


Our Hearts Were Broken

9/11 Anniversary Tribute (Originally Written 9/11/2011)


Ten years ago today our hearts were broken.

In horror we watched, no word could be spoken.

Time stopped, Could this be really happening?

My eyes can’t believe what I’m seeing.


Did the news flash really say what I'm hearing?

Sirens and screams in the background searing.

I cannot imagine what people are feeling.

As loved ones perish while thousands are fleeing.


Overwhelmed with grief, sickened by sorrow.

It’ll just be a nightmare when I wake up tomorrow.

How could something so evil be unleashed on the world?

Snatching the innocence of every boy and girl.


We’ll never forget the moment the second plane flew in.

The exclamation of the commentator,

"O my God, It happened again!"

And panic begin to set in as we learned

The terror plot wasn’t done,

Another plane had crashed into the Pentagon.


We’ll never forget the thoughts as we watched events unfold.

Is this the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies, foretold?

Is it just the random deed of some religious maniac?

Is it the start of world war three, is our nation under attack?


We’ll never forget the moment

When those towers came crashing down.

Our hearts were crumbling with it,

Knowing lives were being snuffed out.


I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry,

But I could only kneel down.

I prayed to God, 

In whom peace and solace could be found.


God alone can avenge the taking of innocent lives.

For the first responders who left behind

Grieving children, husbands and wives.

For the mothers, fathers, sons and daughters

Who faded away with no warning;

For the brothers and sisters

Who did not see the next day’s dawning.


It’s taken me ten years,

To put words on these thoughts.

Ten years of processing feelings

Of profound sadness and loss.


I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully express

What happened to us that day,

Except that I know we came to understand

The tears on God’s face!


For ions of time

He has watched mankind destroy one another.

He stepped in from the beginning

After one brother killed the other.


What religious view is so important

That so many lives need to be shattered?

What political agenda means so much

That nothing else matters?


America, America, 

God poured out His grace on Thee

As crying and wailing rang out 

From sea to shining sea.


Ten years ago our hearts were broken,

But I have to wonder somehow.

Where will we be within our hearts

Another ten years from now?


Chris Green, 9/11/2011



In addition, Chris Green wrote this song three days after the tragic events of 9/11/01. The lyrics are based upon the prophetic words of Jeremiah Chapter 5 (Will I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?). 


This song intends no disrespect to those who died and have suffered since that day.  However, it is a sobering message to people of Faith, that still resonates to this day.


This song is addressing the American Church and its responsibility to follow the life and mission of Jesus Christ in ministering to a nation in crisis.



Thursday, July 18, 2024

Carol Green Earns Board-Certified Master Mental Health Coach Credential

 


Pennsylvania, USA ---- Carol Green officially became a Board-Certified Master Mental Health Coach (BCMMHC) upon completion of the mental health specialization program: Marriage and Family, administered by the American Association of Christian Counselors through Light University. She joins her husband (Chris) who earned his master certification in Februray of 2024.

“Many of our religious and civic leaders have been misinformed and still approach mental health issues from ignorance, stigma, fear, and very bad theology,” Carol and Chris explain.

Many still believe that all people need to do is just quote a scripture, say a prayer, and God will take care of the marital and family conflicts and challenges by miraculously injecting solutions and resolution into their relationships. But God says through Biblical text, that His people perish because of the lack of knowledge. In this aspect of our human experience, we suffer from debilitating ignorance.

In response to this errant mindset and theology, we just wanted to get educated, trained and empowered to address this crisis by learning from other, more knowledgeable and experienced Christian organizations and institutions who bring a balanced and holistic approach to helping individuals and families who are struggling with mental health challenges. We wanted to immerse ourselves in proper education, so that we could better understand the mental health crisis in our own families and communities."

This specialization program from the Dr. James Dobson Center for Marriage and Family Studies involved 42 hours of training and exams that prepares leaders to preserve and promote the institution of the family and the biblical principles on which it is based. It is focused on the training of a generation of leaders to stand in the gap and help strengthen today’s marriages and families.

Before taking on this Master course, Carol had already completed a 42-hour rigorous mental health training program that included:

 1.) First, the completion of a 14-hour course called Foundations of Mental Health Coaching - This introductory course was designed to provide students with an orientation to the field of mental health coaching. Topics covered included the role and scope of mental health coaching within the local church, ethical guidelines and professional standards in coaching, crisis intervention techniques, and the integration of faith and biblical wisdom in coaching.

 2.) Next, the completion of a 14-hour course called Mental Health Coaching Skills -The purpose of this course was to provide students with the fundamental theories and skills of Christ-centered mental health coaching. Key elements of the coaching process, included methods of change, listening, effective communication, giving hope, operating small groups, and counseling theory.

 3.) And finally, the completion of a 14-hour course called Mental and Behavioral Health Disorders - This course introduced students to the fundamentals of mental and behavioral health disorders. Particular emphasis was placed on factors that cause mental disorders, as well as conventional treatments. Conditions discussed included addiction, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Yes, that's a total of 84 hours of training and prepration. As a Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach, credentialed by the International Board of Christian Care   (IBCC), Carol has earned a voluntary global credential that trains and charges its recipients to maintain the highest clinical, ethical and biblical standards of practice.

“I'm very pleased to have earned this credential," Carol concluded. “Now my husband (Chris) and I are better prepared to assist people through our coaching business and ministry. We're also able to become a more successful connection and liaison between those who need help, and the very capable mental health professionals in our community. We are part of an army of mental health coaches that are being trained and deployed across the United States. It's a new day for those who have been suffering in silence in our families, neighborhoods, church pews, classrooms and corporate offices."

Chris and Carol Green are the creators of the CARE-Ready Life Coaching® model: Care-Readiness/ Training/ Certification, and the founders of the STEP Forward Life Institute, an online community service preparatory platform. Through their business and school, they empower people to become the change they want to see, and to become the kind and caring light this world so desperately needs.

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Chris and Carol Green Present Their CARE-Readiness Model to County's Human Service Agencies and Organizations



Pennsylvania, USA --- Community Life Coaches, Chris and Carol Green, were ‘spotlight’ presenters at the Dauphin County Systems of Care Community Partners monthly meeting.

Carol opened the presentation by reading an email from a young woman they had coached and mentored over 20 years ago. The woman had written to thank the Greens for the role they had played in her life. 

“Many of you have similar testimonials,” she told the meeting participants , “It’s because you have that passion for helping people.”

Chris explained the concept of CARE-Readiness with the analogy that some parcels and packages are labeled ‘Handle with Care.’ He then explained how they use the acronym CARE which means  Compassion/ Civility; Awareness/ Accountability; Respect; and Empathy.

He challenged the gathering with three questions:

  1. Are you CARE-ready in your professional and personal life?
  2. Would you like to be even more effective in your people connections?
  3. Who handles you with CARE…. When you’re on the edge of burnout or compassion fatigue?

He explained the differences of coaching vs. mentoring, and coaching vs. counseling in order to clarify what it really means to provide life coaching or, at least, a coaching approach within case management and people-helping.

They also spoke on how CARE-readiness is instrumental for addressing burnout and compassion fatigue.

Chris and Carol Green’s Services and Training include:

Inspiration – Get Your Passion Back

Motivational and Encouraging Presentations

Books:

  • Responding with CARE
  • Processed for Success (Aftermath of Burnout & Compassion Fatigue)
  • Rest, Retreats, Revival & Other Comedies (You are Success in Process)


Tools and Practical Application:

  • Listen, Lift, Launch (Level 1) – CARE-Readiness
  • Listen, Lift, Launch (Level 2) – CARE-Ready Coach Certification

Group Coaching (Building CARE Capacity):

  • You are Success in Process
  • What NOW (Navigating the Maze of Transition, Trials and Change)
  • The Honor Role (For Men)
  • Beyond the Resume
  • Making It Work from the Inside Out (Emotional Intelligence: Christ Awareness)

Learn more about the Green's coaching and consulting business, as well as their Care-Ready Model and Training, on their website at   https://www.candcconnections.com/what-is-care-readiness





Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Chris and Carol Green Adocate for a Revolution in Hearts and Homes

As America and the world brace for another critical round of elections, Chris and Carol Green have reproduced an assembly of prayerful strategies and purposeful applications that can help families rebuild, restore and renew their hearts and homes in spite of the relentless challenges that they face everyday in these evil and perilous times. 

Chris and Carol write: 

Where do our families fit in the grand scheme of the emerging American Social and Political Revolution? 

We are caught in the cross-fires of economic, social, political, educational and religious wars; while standing on the brink of despair due to neighborhood crime, domestic violence, drug abuse and child trafficking; along with overwhelming outbreaks of mental illness, an epidemic of multiple STDs, the diminishing of parental rights, systemic racism, critical race theories, and an endless list of politically-correct agendas that are buried within current human service and education programs. 

This book, which was originally published in 2015, may surprise you because it does not give a list of ways that traditional families can fight for their rights, freedoms or protection through rallies, politics, protest or marches. Instead, it is a marvelous diary of profound, God-ordained strategies and lessons, that have equipped and empowered believers for centuries with the knowledge and wisdom to navigate these challenges from their own homefronts, literally. 

Over the span of three decades, the Greens have worked to convey a Kingdom-of-God-perspective on men, women, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, marriage and family, even though it went against the pervasive tsunami of 21st century views, perversions and philosophies that have been embraced by many in society.

"You don’t even have to go through the chapters in any particular order," the Greens advise their readers.  "Just allow God’s Spirit to lead you through the writings. We are certain that these life inserts will speak directly to your heart and build your faith as you seek God about your family's purpose and Kingdom destiny."

You might think of this book as a collection of the Green's most significant Kingdom downloads, because this compilation truly reveals the heart of God regarding family, and gives you precisely what you'll need to launch an internal revolution that will rebuild, restore and renew your heart and home. 

Available on Amazon Books at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7BLL6S1

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Mental Health Awareness Month: Self Care Presentations

Self-Care Essentials: 
(RISE) Recognize, Implement, Serve, Empower (Part 1)



Self-Care Essentials: 
(RISE) Recognize, Implement, Serve, Empower (Part 2)

Contact Amethyst Roberson for resources and courses at

As many of you already know, the month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Tonight we held the second of two sessions with Licensed Professional Counselor and Master Life Coach/ Trainer, Amethyst Roberson.

God gave my wife and I a ministry of presence. What that means is that we have a ministry where we just come along side of people and we just try to be present with them; to sit with them, or walk with them through their trouble and pain. We don’t try to preach or give a lot of advice, or force feed them the answers and solutions for their life while they are in that mental or emotional state. 

It’s already a scientifically, medically, and psychologically proven reality that when people are in crisis, they don’t even have the full cognitive ability to receive a lot of teaching, preaching or well-intentioned advice, which is what most people try to do. 

In the aftermath of a critical incident or a traumatic event, what they need most is a comforting and consoling presence and a gentle word until they can get themselves together enough to begin figuring things out, like: what just happened to me?, and what do I need to do now?, and how do I face an unknown and unexpected future? And that process is a journey, and that journey doesn’t have a certain speed, or destination date. We have to be willing to take the journey with people, walking at their pace, and just be a ministry of presence. 

In no way are we dismissing the Word of God and the Power of God by bringing mental health support in on that process. We are seeking to operate in the wisdom of God. The Bible declares that He that wins souls is wise.

Please allow us to further explain why we do it this particular way.

Jesus Christ gave a parable about the different types of soil into which the seed of God’s word gets planted . We learn from that parable that the seed can go into stony soil, never even reach the soil, be plucked up before it can take root, or even be choked out after it starts to grow. So we’re not questioning the power and effectiveness of God’s word. That’s not the issue. The real issue is the condition of people's soil before the word comes to them.

So we employ a more holistic approach to helping people. We try to cooperate with God's wisdom to prepare soil; so that when the seed of God’s word comes into their life, there is a better chance that they can actually hear it and receive it.

So that’s why we invited Amethyst Roberson to step in and help us in the preparation of soil.

We’ve known Amethyst and her husband Hosea for many years; in fact, we were part of their wedding ceremony 14 years ago. We’ve known Amethyst over 30 years. We’ve watched her journey to earning her degrees in counseling, and we have often recruited her to help us in our efforts to provide some mental health awareness to our church and our leaders, long before "mental health" became a front and center topic in our world.

We also brought her onboard to talk to us about mental health awareness during the covid19 crisis, and since then we have collaborated and partnered together in the field of life coaching and life coach training.

Amethyst is more than qualified to address us on the challenges of maintaining good mental health. The past few months have been very traumatic for a lot of us in the Fruitful Life Community's Spiritual Wellness Support Group. We’ve experienced the loss of loved ones, mental and emotional crisis, spiritual crisis, and all kinds of traumatic events and occurrences that have had us reeling in the aftermath of a lot of serious incidents.

We realize there are a lot of people of faith who struggle to face and walk through the aftermath of critical incidents because they find themselves conflicted between their Faith confession and their disappointment, confusion, and the reality of what has happened and what is still happening. 

However, the Bible and our Faith doesn't minimize or ignore the reality of this conflict. The apostle Paul once wrote the following In 2 Cor. 1:8. He said, “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our [tribulation] trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life

This is the same man who wrote: We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 

So we brought in Amethyst for these past two weeks to provide us the tools for navigating life in the aftermath of critical incidents.

She’s talked to us about: Self-Care Essentials: RISE 

RISE is her acronym for Recognize, Implement, Serve, Empower.

Her presentations taught us how to recognize our needs, implement practical strategies, serve our well-being, and we were empowered to face life's challenges with confidence and strength.

We invite you to join us in this journey to health and wholeness in every area of our lives.

--- Chris and Carol Green


             



****

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Chris and Carol Green Officiate Wedding


Ephrata, Pennsylvania, USA - Today, Chris and Carol Green officiated the Star Wars (May the 4th) themed wedding of John Thompson and Miranda Crawford. The sci-fi and fantasy adventure-loving couple was joined in holy matrimony after completing the Green’s We Made a PACT Pre-marital Coaching Course.

The course covered topics, tools and tips for Communication, Conflict and Commitment:
  • Dialogue/ Communication Styles Assessment
  • Ground rules for Marriage Conflict
  • Communication Inhibitors, and 
  • *Wellness in Marriage, which involved three subtopics:
  1. Five Threats to Oneness in Marriage,
  2. The Five Phases of Marriage Deterioration, and
  3. Preventing Marriage Deterioration (The **Circles of Contentment) 
  • The **Circles of Contentment topics:
  1. Male Circle of Contentment (What does he need from me?)
  2. Female Circle of Contentment (What does she need from me?) 
All of the premarital coaching was done from a Biblical perspective of marriage, as well as the 43-years of marriage life experience of the coaches.
 
“We were honored to be part of the marriage ceremony of this very special couple today,” the Greens commented. “They requested that we provide their pre-marital preparation and that we officiate their wedding as well. It was also very special because our son, Jon Green, was the best man.  They have shared a friendship and camaraderie that has continued from college until this very day.”

To learn more about the Green's Marriage Mentorship and Coaching visit


*   Created by FamilyLife Today Ministry

Friday, March 22, 2024

CARE-Ready Master Life Coach and Trainer Graduates First Cohort of Care-Solution Life Coaches


St. Louis, Missouri, USA - Amethyst Roberson, our first CARE-Ready Master Life Coach and Trainer, graduated her first cohort of Care-Solution Life Coaches in an online ceremony hosted by Coaching Care Connections on Thursday, March 21, 2024. 

“As we wrap up this incredible journey,” Amethyst shared on social media, “I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude. This course has been more than just a series of lectures and assignments; it has been a transformative experience. As we step into the future, lets carry these lessons with us and continue to strive for excellence."

Congratulations were given to her first graduates: 

To Sheila Bratton“Congratulations on accomplishing this milestone. I cannot wait to see the full bloom of what God is planting in you. People really have no idea of the depth of wisdom and knowledge that you possess. Don’t allow the trials of life to stop you from bringing out what has been placed in you. Now, it’s time to elevate and impact your world." 

To Adryane Calloway - "I am amazed at what is about to be released into the world. All I see are open doors and opportunities for you to simply show up authentically. It will be refreshing and welcomed by all who come in contact with you. Go elevate and impact others.” 

The graduation ceremony featured guest speaker, Pastor Al Long, Sr., an Ordained Minister, Certified Corporate Instructor, Certified Life Coach, Certified Peer Specialist and a Family Support Provider. He and his wife Kacie also minister to those reentering society after incarceration through their non-profit Jacob's Ladder Ministries. 

Amethyst Roberson is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) based in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, and a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). She has specialized in Christian Counseling, Life Coaching for women and couples, and in Professional development services to those in need for 20+ years. She is also a dynamic speaker and author. 

She added to her long list of credentials by becoming a certified CARE-Ready Master Life Coach and Trainer. This means she is credentialed and qualified (through the STEP Forward Life Institute) to train, produce and provide certifications for life coaches in her powerfully effective coaching model. 

The people that Amethyst trains in her Elevate 2 Impact life coaching certification program not only receive principles and strategies that are built upon a proven coaching model, but they benefit from her many years of professional experience as a licensed professional counselor, certified life coach, and a cutting edge innovator who walks them through a learning experience that transforms each of her students as a person and empowers each of them as a life coach.

 

Friday, March 15, 2024

Encouraging Grandparents Who Are Raising Their Grandchildren


Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA - Chris and Carol Green were the guest speakers at this month’s Grandparents Information Forum, which was hosted by Dolorez Cobb-Jones, founder of a non-profit organization called Grandparents Involved From The Start (GIFTS), Inc, on Thursday evening, March 14, 2024. 

Presenting on the organization's Zoom Conference, the Board Certified Mental Health Coaches spoke from the topic: Mental Health and Your Living Legacy

The purpose of GIFTS is to assist grandparents with knowledge, support and resources so that they will become more informed, involved and empowered to overcome the challenges of raising their grandchild(ren). The Greens were invited as part of a self-care series and this month’s focus was on mental health. 

“Our thanks to Dolorez Cobb-Jones and GIFTS for inviting us to speak on their online forum,” the Greens shared. “The participants were so gracious and receptive.” 

The Greens opened by engaging the group in a relaxation exercise as a practical way to relieve stress and get focused and centered for the online session. Then they explained some of the basic terminology surrounding mental health, daily stress, and traumatic stress; and carried the presentation into a pivotal section called, ‘When Life Happens'. Ninety percent (90%) of U.S. citizens will be exposed to a traumatic event in their lifetime, so life happenings can include: 

·        Natural Disasters

·        Accidental Disasters

·        Intentional or Deliberate Disasters

·        Incidents of loss or unexpected changes in your life and lifestyle

·        Sustained or Repeated Events and Incidents 

“We really wanted to emphasize that even though traumatic stress is more powerful and serious than ordinary day-to-day stress,” the Greens explained, “Traumatic stress is a normal human response to an abnormal event or incident. The brain and body are trying to get back to normal.” 

Since most of their audience is dealing with the unexpected changes and the traumatic incidents that created the current situation in which they are now raising their grandchildren, the Greens shared some of their traumatic experiences like the loss of income, a car repossession, an eviction, and living in a hotel for about two months. 

From this perspective the Greens offered the following everyday mental health tips to help grandparents elevate their mood and become more resilient.

1. Practice self-care and make yourself a priority (Eat healthy, Exercise, Get enough sleep)

2. Disconnect (for a period of time daily) from electronics and social media

3. Engage in activities that provide meaning

4. Volunteer

5. Engage in meditation and/or prayer

6. Avoid heavy substance use

7. Get help from a licensed mental health professional when and if you need it 

Then they concluded by offering tips on how to build a living legacy of mental wellness for their grand children. 

As the Greens were speaking, so many comments were being posted in the group chat that Dolorez Cobb-Jones briefly interrupted the presentation to read a few of them. Samples of the responses were:

  • This is very practical 
  • You're answering the exact questions that I had in my mind
  • Wow 
  • Interesting session 
  • I've been practicing this for the last 3 years ...Love this meeting, very informative 
  • Wonderful 
  • Thank you for this opportunity 
  • Really informative session
  • Thank you !!!
  • Great 

“We just presented a few small but impactful ways to help grandparents improve their mental health every day,” the Greens concluded. “Just as it requires effort to build and maintain physical health, so it is with mental health. We pray that all will see an increase in their overall mental wellness as they press forward in raising their grandchildren in these challenging times." 


Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Chris Green Earns Board-Certified Master Mental Health Coach Credential

 

Pennsylvania, USA----  Chris Green officially became a Board-Certified Master Mental Health Coach (BCMMHC) upon completion of the mental health specialization program: Crisis Response and Trauma Care, administered by the American Association of Christian Counselors through Light University. As part of their team effort, his wife (Carol) is currently working on completing her master certification as well. 

“Many of our religious and civic leaders have been misinformed and still approach mental health issues from ignorance, stigma, fear, and very bad theology,” Chris and Carol explain.

Many still believe that all people need to do is just quote a scripture, say a prayer, and God will take care of the mental health issue by miraculously injecting solutions and resolutions into people's minds and emotions. But God says through Biblical text, that His people perish because of the lack of knowledge. In this aspect of our human experience, we suffer from debilitating ignorance.

In response to this errant mindset and theology, we just wanted to get educated, trained and empowered to address this crisis by learning from other, more knowledgeable and experienced Christian organizations and institutions who bring a balanced and holistic approach to helping individuals and families who are struggling with mental health challenges. We wanted to immerse ourselves in proper education, so that we could better understand the mental health crisis in our own families and communities."

This specialization program in Crisis Response and Trauma Care involved 24 hours of training and exams that prepares leaders to come alongside of those who are hurting, and to help the interventionist properly and adequately respond when a traumatic event happens. The good news is that God is always with us in our trouble, and He has no greater plan than to work through His people as a conduit, to provide a "ministry of presence" that speaks to people in crisis, so that they might know that God will make a way.

Before taking on this master course, Chris had to complete a 42-hour rigorous training program that included:

 1.) First, the completion of a 14-hour course called Foundations of Mental Health Coaching - This introductory course was designed to provide students with an orientation to the field of mental health coaching. Topics covered included the role and scope of mental health coaching within the local church, ethical guidelines and professional standards in coaching, crisis intervention techniques, and the integration of faith and biblical wisdom in coaching.

 2.) Next, the completion of a 14-hour course called Mental Health Coaching Skills -The purpose of this course was to provide students with the fundamental theories and skills of Christ-centered mental health coaching. Key elements of the coaching process, included methods of change, listening, effective communication, giving hope, operating small groups, and counseling theory.

 3.) And finally, the completion of a 14-hour course called Mental and Behavioral Health Disorders - This course introduced students to the fundamentals of mental and behavioral health disorders. Particular emphasis was placed on factors that cause mental disorders, as well as conventional treatments. Conditions discussed included addiction, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Yes, that's a total of 66 hours of training and preparation. As a Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach, credentialed by the International Board of Christian Care   (IBCC), Chris has earned a voluntary global credential that trains and charges its recipients to maintain the highest clinical, ethical and biblical standards of practice.

“I'm very pleased to have earned this credential," Chris concluded. “Now my wife (Carol) and I are better prepared to assist people through our coaching business and ministry. We're also able to become a more successful connection and liaison between those who need help, and the very capable mental health professionals in our community. We are part of an army of mental health coaches that are being trained and deployed across the United States. It's a new day for those who have been suffering in silence in our families, neighborhoods, church pews, classrooms and office cubicles."

Chris and Carol Green are the creators of the CARE-Ready Life Coaching® model: Care-Readiness/ Training/ Certification, and the founders of the STEP Forward Life Institute, an online community service preparatory platform. Through their business and school, they empower people to become the change they want to see, and to become the kind and caring light this world so desperately needs.

Friday, January 26, 2024

CARE-Ready Life Coach Graduate Making Significant Impact in Her Community

 

Christina Johnson, CARE-Ready Life Coach Graduate

Christina Johnson, a CARE-Ready Life Coach Graduate from the class of August 2019,  is making a significant impact in her community.

See the article from the Central Penn Business Journal (below) written by Cris Collingwood, January 25, 2024.

Harrisburg-based Tri-County OIC, a nonprofit school, has promoted its interim executive director to executive director. 

The Board of Directors hired Christina Johnson, who will lead the organization’s initiatives to further its Adult Education and workforce development divisions.  

Tri-County OIC said Johnson brings a wealth of experience to her new role of providing leadership in the planning and implementing quality-based training and education, including more than a decade of education and organizational human resource development knowledge in private and nonprofit sectors.

“What drew me to Tri-County OIC was its phenomenal leader, Jeffery Charles Woodyard, and its mission closely aligned with my economic justice goals for underserved populations through education, diversity, inclusion, and economic development,” Johnson said.  

Johnson previously served Tri-County OIC as interim executive director, community outreach director, and reentry program manager. 

 While in this role, she coordinated all significant programming for the Reentry Division, expanded the workforce division, and managed a budget of over $1 million in the adult education division.    

“It is an honor to serve in this role of executive director of Tri-County OIC,” Johnson said. “I am committed to continuing to provide the community access to self-sufficiency through our adult education and workforce development divisions while building true collaboration with community partners that lead to the enhancement of the community.”  

Friday, January 12, 2024

Mental Health and Spiritual Wellness Coaches Promote Latest Book

"Success is not only about what you will accomplish," write the mental health and community life coaches. "Ultimately it’s about who you will become. We were leading while bleeding and hardly anyone knew. Eventually, we were forced to stop, rest, retreat and reset."

In their latest book, Rest, Retreats, Revival and Other Comedies, subtitled You are Success in ProcessChris and Carol Green open up about the consequences of neglecting self care during and after life-altering critical incidents. Each time they pressed forward, accepting more and more invitations to help others; and that would push them into cycles of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual crisis. They share how God's process eventually led them out of those cycles and into healing, wholeness, and their true identity and purpose, which was rediscovered when they learned how to:
 
Rest in God and get out of the grind mindset; 
Retreat after devastating setbacks and disappointments; 
Revive and reset to come back out fighting again; and to be open, honest and humbled by the 
Comedy of Errors; the mistakes and bad decisions, upon which God extended mercy and grace.

"This book isn't for everyone," the Greens affirm, "It's for that person who is sick and tired of projecting a brave front while hiding their deep disappointment behind spirituality.  It's for the person who is no longer looking for a typical self-help manual, filled with inspirational stories and motivational meditations. THIS is the book for that soul who is ready to challenge their core beliefs about why their life keeps going off the rails, to stop blaming 'the devil' for everything that goes wrong, and truly desires to finally break FREE from the unending cycles of dead-ends, defeat and discouragement.

We put ourselves out there, made ourselves vulnerable and accessible, and exposed our true authentic hearts; and when people took advantage of our kindness and compassion, or questioned our competency, motivations, loyalty and integrity, yes, we were taken aback, hurt, and offended (which we hate to admit), and it triggered our introvert instincts to just go home and close the door.

We reached our breaking points when the pressures and challenges began to affect our marriage; when they began to affect our physical and mental health; when insinuations and accusations from outside forces and entities, advanced far beyond mere words spoken against us, to actual intentional actions against us that had real life-impacting consequences.

So, we would retreat. And it would be complete pullback moments, cutting off almost everything and everyone (the guilty, the innocent, the perpetrators, and the by-standers). We were in survival mode, burnout and compassion fatigue. But even those triggered-trauma responses were part of our process.

We learned that you can't ignore trauma by trying to be who and what others need you to be for them. We had to rediscover who God actually always intended for us to be for Him."


From the Book's Foreword:

This book is a revelation on how to understand change. It lays out the truth about "process", as productive lives are always on a journey of constant growth and change. To stop growing and changing is to die. 

The Greens are top Searcherdemcians who are not afraid to take new paths to help lift and better humanity. They are not scared to be Searchers of a new way of doing things and because of this, they are fruitful.

They have gone through growth, death, and rebirth, while leading in a new philosophy of education for which the world is crying out. 

I've had the privilege of knowing and working with the Greens for nearly a decade.  I have observed their approach and can vouch for their genuineness and productivity. They have diligently worked, scraped, and sacrificed their way to top stages of influence    

I say, "When all else fails, follow the fruit." Chris and Carol Green are good fruit and have produced tangible evidence and results of their life skills theory, "You are Success in Process." 

In this book, you are sure to find where you are "in your process."  You are sure to find your next step.  You will be encouraged and reassured that you are not alone in your journey.  You will find that you are "God's Success in Process." 

How refreshing is that?!

This is a riveting book that has inspired and impacted my life. 

You will already be succeeding by picking it up.

---Chancellor Michal P. Pitzl,    

United Graduate College and Seminary, Int’l


Available on Amazon Books



Friday, December 29, 2023

CARE-Ready Life Coach Graduate Sworn-in to Serve as a Harrisburg Council Member

 

Lamont Jones
Lamont Jones


Harrisburg, PA --- Lamont Jones is a graduate of the CARE-Ready Life Coach Certification class from May of 2019, a community mentor, and a re-entry service provider.

See the article (BELOW) from The Burg, written by Maddie Gittens.


The last time Lamont Jones stood in a Dauphin County courtroom, he had to defend his ability to hold public office. But on Friday, in the same courthouse, he was officially sworn in as a Harrisburg City Council member.

“This isn’t about me; it’s for you guys,” Jones said to a room full of family and supporters during the ceremony. “I celebrate you for having the courage and willingness to look at me and say ‘this is the guy we want to represent us.’”

In May’s primary election, Jones became one of three Democratic nominees for council. In July, two city residents challenged his nomination petition, arguing that Jones’ past criminal convictions disqualified him from holding office. However, Judge Jeffrey Engle ruled in Jones’ favor, allowing him to remain in the November election, when he was elected to council.

On Friday, Jones shared that, just a week prior, he received a full pardon from the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons for his convictions, which dated back over 20 years.

“As we stand in yet another courtroom […] a room that has arguably taken so much from you, today you’ve gotten it all back,” said Ana White, a member of Jones’ campaign team.

According to Jones, he was aware that his previous felonies could impact his ability to run for office. But with the support of people like county District Attorney Fran Chardo, he decided to go for it.

“I wanted to challenge the law,” he said. “I broke the chain.”

At the swearing-in ceremony, which was officiated by Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas Judge Royce Morris, several community members spoke about the role that they’ve seen Jones play in the community as a mentor and re-entry service provider.

“Today, history is being made,” said Dorothy Scott, who spoke during the ceremony. “He has faced many challenges along the way. Not only did he persevere, but he lit the way for many to follow.”


Editor's Note:

Watch video of Lamont Jones' Life Coach Certification graduation presentation (May 2019)

Click HERE to watch