COCOA
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Interview with Leroy Mckenzie, Jr. Hurley Morgan
15
NAVIGATING THE SHIFT YOUR KEYS TO MOVING PAST THE CORONAVIRUS. Hurley Morgan
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Hurley's Mental Note Hurley Morgan
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Saving for a Rainy Day
MARCH/APRIL ISSUE 2020
REAL LIFE REAL FAITH MEN OF FAITH
Editor in Chief Cheryl Lacey Donovan Publisher Elissa Gabrielle Senior Editors Hurley Morgan Cee Cee H. Caldwell Columnists Leroy McKenzie Hurley Morgan
Designer Cheryl Lacey Donovan
EDITORIAL OFFICES P.O. Box 450121 Houston, Texas 77245 832-827-4438
SUBSCRIPTIONS (832) 827-4438
. realliferealfaithmagazine.net
Editor's Note Words from the Senior Managing Editor… Greetings, We are currently in Spring and 2020 showed us already that it’s not playing around. With Corona Virus running rampant in not only America, but around the world, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you are taking care of yourself emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. We must, however, work to see the light at the endo of the tunnel with these trying times. What better time to do a little “Spring” cleaning in our life when we have nothing but time on our hands as we work through this pandemic. You must work diligently at removing toxic people, things, and situations from your life that cause you stress or have lost the value that it once had…if it ever had value in the first place. Once things thing is over, we will move into a new season in all of our lives so there is no need to carry unnecessary loads from a dead season into a lively one. Here’s to the perfect time to clean out your life! We are pleased and honored to feature in this issue our very own, Brother Leroy McKenzie Jr, MOF contributing writer and other magazines, author, and President/CEO of JNF Enterprises. Also…continue to be entertained and educated by the writings of the contributing brothers of Men of Faith. These brothers all work diligently at bringing to you a taste of “spring” within the words expressed through their contributions. The conscious brothers that grace the pages of this magazine seek to plant within the minds of each one of you seeds that are springtime worthy that are intended to sprout, leaving you full from the harvest of knowledge. We seek to cultivate minds with insightful and entertaining knowledge that is meant to help someone in need of food for thought. We continue to strive through our articles to educate, uplift, motivate, inspire, and create a magazine by men for men. With this magazine, our mission continues to be to address many topics that men not only want to hear but also need to hear. With that being said… Happy Reading & Much Love! Hurley Morgan Senior Managing Editor
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Leroy McKenzie, Jr.
interview with CouncilMan Bergson Leneus MOF: We are thrilled to have you come through Men of Faith. How are things going for you these days? Councilman Bergson Leneus: I first want to thank you, Ms. Elissa, and the entire Men Of Faith family for giving me the opportunity to share my journey with your faithful followers. Secondly ...with regard to your question - I can honestly say that I am blessed beyond measure to continue to live out my life’s purpose on a day in and day out basis. MOF: What has been your biggest inspiration in life thus far? What drives you to do what you do? Councilman Bergson Leneus: My world begins and ends with my 4 beautiful children. Dayjah, Elisa, Nyomi, and Berg. I want and need to be better because of them and for them. I started my journey into fatherhood at the tender age of 19 so needless to say I had no clue as to what I was doing. The only thing that was clear and evident was that I could not fail because my life was no longer just about my individual self. MOF: You are a graduate from Rutgers University with a bachelor degree in Philosophy. You have been in public service since 2010. You started off as a board member for the YMCA. You went on to serve on the Board of Education, with the last three years of that serving as the Board President. And now you serve on the council for the city of East Orange NJ, in which you became the first Haitian American elected to office in East Orange, NJ. Of all that you have accomplished and you are currently doing, what have you found to be the most pleasing and/or rewarding to you? Councilman Bergson Leneus: There are some critical things that have occurred during my time here in the land of the living...a few of them you have mentioned within this particular question. Other than my children the first thing that immediately comes to mind is the process in which I was able to lose 150lbs naturally during the course of one of my most tumultuous years personally and professionally. I was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. The dreaded “silent killers’’ that plague many Americans, they are especially prevalent in communities of color where the numbers are staggering. I decided that being alive and present for my children, community, and self was most important. I consciously made a healthy lifestyle change and a few short years later I can say that I am free from those ills. I have subsequently vocalized my journey and now advocate to motivate and push others in my community and beyond to take back their lives. MOF: What made you want to get into public service? Councilman Bergson Leneus: Seeing my parents, Uncle, and other community members fight on behalf of the Haitian immigrants that were coming into East Orange during the mid-70’s and 80’s. Those same Haitian immigrants that were fighting for resources and services for the creole Real Life Real Faith | 15
speaking community. I’ve always been a visual learner so I internalized their acts of service and desire to make the community in which they adopted better. I owe everything to the City / community that raised and reared me. So, I dedicate everything that I do for its betterment. MOF: Now that you are in a position to be able to help makechange in the lives of the people you serve, what do you feel are the most pressing issues that you want to take on? Councilman Bergson Leneus: In no particular order…. Holistic development of our youth, health & wellness, generational wealth, supporting and uplifting local businesses, communal bonding, the re-integration of our Elders, prison reform, and fatherhood / mentorship. MOF: What advice would you give someone that is maybe thinking about getting into public service? Councilman Bergson Leneus: I’m not a man of many words so I will simply say…. Just Do It! We are not infinite beings...God is the only infinite being...so if you want to be a part of the solution then take that first step and make it happen while you have the ability wherewithal, and opportunity. There is nothing worse than looking back and saying - should of, would of, could of…. MOF: In the light of all the division going on in the country at this time as it pertains to politics and party turmoil…what is it that you would like to see happen to make things better for everyone no matter the color of their skin or the party that they affiliate with? Councilman Bergson Leneus: Vulnerability, transparency, understanding, and action are essential to the universal alignment that this question poses. Pride and old school ideas have to be checked at the door. There has to be a moment of truth - a look in the mirror moment. Placing all (and I do mean all) issues on the table. Accepting the wrongs of the past and looking for ways to collectively correct them. Once we have addressed those issues then we can move forward in a positive direction. MOF: In your opinion can politicians work together across party lines to actually help “Make America Great” and fix the problems instead of simply talking about fixing the problems? Councilman Bergson Leneus: Most definitely. Please see my immediate previous response. The same applies. We can’t unite towards a common good if we never address the various “elephants” in the room.
MOF: Do you have any ambitions of running for any state and/or federal offices?
Councilman Bergson Leneus: I am honestly enjoying being the Councilman of the 3rd Ward of East Orange. I want to make a lasting impact and effectuate change. That is really my only focus.
MOF: Outside of being a businessman and councilman what else can we find you doing? Any hobbies? Councilman Bergson Leneus: I love spending time with my children, reading comic books, playing basketball, listening to music, and watching movies (especially comedies). MOF: Balancing both family and career can be so challenging. Being that you have a lot of business and community involvement how do you incorporate that healthy balance of having family time as well? Councilman Bergson Leneus: We discussed transparency and in respect to transparency...I still haven’t learned how to completely balance community, family, and career. I am a work in progress. It really takes consistent intentionality and focus. Some weeks are better than others. I will get there one day because I am committed to self-growth and being better in all aspects of my life. MOF: Of course, you know the title of the magazine is Men of Faith Magazine. With all the challenges that men face in today’s society, especially men of color, what words of advice can you give any man that may be going through something in their life right now?
Councilman Bergson Leneus: First and foremost - I am a firm believer in the power of prayer and all that it has done for my family and I throughout this journey called life. Secondly - I have recently come to the realization that “no man is an island”. If you need help, please seek it out. For far too long we as men have been raised to bottle up our emotions for fear of being labeled “soft” and I am/was guilty of this. I now see that we have been causing self-inflicted harm. This method of solitude only causes the pain to reflect in other areas. We as men,
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NAVIGATING THE SHIFT YOUR KEYS TO MOVING PAST THE CORONAVIRUS. Leroy McKenzie jnfenterprises@yahoo.com We are now 4 months into 2020 and it has been a year to remember already. When we first started 2020 our intent was to move fast and furious, with purpose and passion, but what happens when your purpose and passion is interrupted and you have to recalibrate your direction? So, how do you adjust what you thought your 2020 was going to look like? Well, I’m glad that you asked. Here are 3 ways for you to navigate your coronashift and be on the other side of through.  KEY#1: REASSESS-You must take this down time that you have off from your job to do assess your situation and figure out what your next move needs to be. There are some of you
that
will
take
this
time
to
move
into
another
place
of
employment,
when
the
opportunity presents itself. There will be some that will take this time to adjust and add a new skillset to your already strong list of talents and gifts. There maybe some of you that will take this time to write a book or start a new business during this time. The options are limitless for you. The only thing that needs to happen is for you to assess and see what that next move looks like.
KEY#2: REALIGN- When your car has been driven for some time it needs have what is called an alignment. What the alignment does is put the wheels back in alignment with each other so that the car does not drift to the left or to the right. Our lives are just like our cars and there are times when we need to have a realignment because we have drifted to the left or to the right. This shift that we are currently going through has thrown each and every one of us to the left or to the right. We now must take this opportunity to bring ourselves back into focus or gain a new focus as to where we go from here. When we realign ourselves we should be looking to bring our mind, body and soul into alignment with each other. If we are not in alignment then we will continue to drift in either direction instead of heading straight forward and create the progress that we were headed for at the beginning of this year.
KEY#3: REMOVE- This is one of the most important things that you will do during this time of shifting. As you look around your house and assess what things are there or think about your business and new ways to create income for it, there will be some things that need to be removed. There will be some old habits that you must get rid of, some paperwork that is no longer needed. Some files that need to be discarded. There will be some people that you will find that need to be removed from your circle. Here is the litmus test for what should be removed. During this time if there are things that you have not used in over 6 months, they are not needed. If there are things that are just lying around that you haven’t paid attention to even during this time of idlement, it must go. If there are people that are creating a negative environment, remove it immediately!!! Do not allow yourself to come through on the other side of this shift with the same baggage that you went into it with. There is a purpose and a reason for going through what we are going through right now. This is a SHIFT, and every shift can do one or two things….It can make you better or it can make you broken, and as men of faith we know that everything that we are made of and whose image we are made of is strong enough for us to endure everything that we are going through right now……
BE SAFE AND NAVIGATE YOUR SHIFT WITH PURPOSE AND POWER!!!!!
#ChasetheImpact2020
#BeUnstoppable
#navigatetheshift #keystosurvivingcorona
#focused
#disciplined
#consistant
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Hurley's Mental Note Getting to Know Your”Self”
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jnfenenterprises@yahoo.com