Vol. 4 Issue 15: Fun house mirrors aren't for daily use...

All too often, our news, social media feeds, and even our conversations with friends and family are centered around anxiety-filling and rage-inducing content. It can be so difficult to believe good things happen every day when the things reported or shared are examples of the worst humanity has to offer.

That’s why we started Real Positive Vibes. We wanted to create a haven inside your inbox to share some good news with you. We hope that while you read our newsletter, you can recharge and feel refreshed.

In His service,

Chaplain Michelle

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About Us

The mission of Real Positive Vibes, RPV, is to help society move toward goodness, finding it within themselves by seeing it in others. RPV is a service of Church Builders Bible Training Center whose mission is to help each person discover their vision for life, find their passion, and focus their purpose. Our beliefs are interdenominational. We are unapologetic about our non-religious Christ-centeredness. Find out more: bibletc.com/vision

Sometimes you need to see yourself through someone else's eyes

I was talking to a friend recently and she told me a story about how she described me to another friend of hers. Like many of you, I don't always think of myself in the most positive or even interesting light( as always a work in progress). But hearing how my friend described me to someone else I was surprised by the things she highlighted about me in her conversation. I was perhaps even more surprised that it occurred to her to discuss me however briefly with anyone else at all. And I learned two things during that conversation:

I need to spend more time seeing myself through the eyes of those that love and affirm me.
That I shouldn't assume I know what people say about me.

As good as it is to affirm ourselves, it is just as important to let others affirm us. In this instance, I never would have thought to ask the question, how would you describe me? But I was still so touched by the vision of me that she shared. The version of me that my friend sees is stronger than I see myself but through her eyes I am beginning to see myself that way.

So I would encourage you, to ask your friends, family and loved ones what they see when they see you; what they would tell someone else about you? Try to see yourself through their eyes. Sometimes we see ourselves through warped perceptions and we need our loved ones to help us see the real picture.

None of us are perfect, but each of is precious and worthy. So when you can't do it for yourself don't adapt to the distorted picture you see, reach out and let the love of someone else right your perspective. Then when you can see clearer, remember to help someone else see clearer too.

Email us and let us know how you bring a little positivity to your life. We would love to hear it and we may feature you in a future issue.

Outreach

My Sister's Closet

My Sister’s Closet of West Michigan, is a service of Church Builders Bible Training Center to survivors of domestic violence, former incarceration, or other devastating tragedy to meet the need of one of the three basic needs of survival, clothing. Find out more and how to volunteer here.

17-year-old founder of a reading club for Black boys becomes an author

The teen founder of a book club for Black boys like himself has now written a book. Seventeen-year-old Sidney Keys III started Books N Bros, a monthly book box subscription with online and in-person meetups, when he was just 10.

Now, inspired by his group, he’s published a book full of reading recommendations called “Books N Bros: 44 Inspiring Books for Black Boys.” In it, he also talks about becoming a young entrepreneur through Books N Bros.

After Years of Waiting, Southern Dallas Neighbors See Toxic Waste Site Demolished - D Magazine

On Thursday morning, cars lined up along Bonnie View Road and stared at something that has drawn the ire of locals for years. Elected officials, the press, and neighbors converged on this toxic waste site in southern Dallas to finally watch something positive happen here.

“What are all y’all doing out there?” a woman yelled out the window of her car.

“Tearing down a building,” someone responded.

“GOOD,” she said before speeding away.

How Do Floating Wind Turbines Work? 5 Companies Just Won the First Us Leases for Building Them Off California's Coast

Northern California has some of the strongest offshore winds in the U.S., with immense potential to produce clean energy. But it also has a problem. Its continental shelf drops off quickly, making building traditional wind turbines directly on the seafloor costly if not impossible.

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