Have you ever been to a church service and when the singers are singing you feel nothing? You can hear the words coming out of their mouths but they have no  conviction whatsoever? Music is one of the most important parts of church ministry and if God isn't in it, it shouldn't be called Gospel music to begin with. Some singers in church sing for self! They know they are blessed with beautiful voices so they use the church to showcase it but it isn't about ministry. It is simply to let people know what they have going on. They stand before you and they have blank expressions on their faces, while they sing such powerful lyrics. They aren't moved by it but they somehow expect that the congregation will be. The next issue is that of the modern day Gospel music. Call me old fashion but it isn't my flavour at all. Why should I have to be wondering whether I'm listening to Gospel or I'm at a dancehall event? Why does the church have to change itself to resemb

 I love to hear the stories of elderly couples of how they fell in love and how they manage to stay in love for many years. It's very encouraging to hear stories that lead you to believe that maybe love is really still out there for you. Where is the love? For young people like myself I believe that ego has played a huge role in breaking down relationships. Everybody wants to be right all the time, everybody wants to look perfect to the world, everybody is looking for a partner that they will look good with. When this happens and then it falls apart they feel as if it's best to give up on love. The truth is it was never love to begin with. Love never failed us it was what we believed to be love. Everybody is in a rush to the altar and we don't take things slowly enough so that we can have long lasting connections. Our calls are quick and we text more than we call, we focus too much on sex and less on intimacy. We have let social media dictate what our relationships s

©Saccheen Laing Available at supermarkets and health stores here in Jamaica Eliminates toxins from the body The sulfates in Epsom salt help flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells, easing muscle pain and helping the body to eliminate harmful substances. Your skin is a highly porous membrane and adding the right minerals to your bathwater triggers a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it. For a detoxifying bath, at least once weekly add two cups of our Ultra Epsom Salt to the water in a bathtub and soak for 10 minutes. Epsom Salt Uses: BEAUTY Exfoliate dead skin:  In the shower or bath, mix a handful of Epsom salt with a tablespoon of bath or olive oil and rub all over your wet skin to exfoliate and soften. Rinse thoroughly. Exfoliating face cleanser:  To clean your face and exfoliate skin at the same time, mix a half-teaspoon of Epsom salt with your regular cleansing cream. Gently massage i

Apparently there is a deadline out there for every phase of your life. By a certain age you should have your own house, have children and be married. Growing up you aren't aware of this deadline until you start to get up in age and you are approaching that 30+ mark. You start to hear how much you are wasting your life and how much you will end up old and lonely.  I'm now being informed of this deadline at the age of 24 and without even giving it thought it start to plays with your mind. Am I really wasting my life? Then I start to look at these individuals who are reminding me of the deadlines that I'm facing and I realize that many of them have passed these so called deadlines or they aren't happy with the outcome of their lives after meeting these deadlines. We aren't created the same so why are we expected to move at the same speed. What works for someone will not necessarily work for another. Many find the right partner young others have to try a little har

Image source: Google images You have just given birth to your first child and you are excited about all the plans you have for their future. You never got the chance to become a lawyer or a doctor so you proclaim that your child will come a doctor or a lawyer. You put in their minds from a young age that in order to be successful in life they have to choose one of the following paths. They grow up and they do everything in their power to make sure they become a lawyer or a doctor. What next? Everything else in life falls into place? Some never even end up reaching the ending due to the depression they face while trying to accomplish these plans you have made for them. As parents you are given the important task of guiding your child but you are not the one who is expected to make life choices for them as they plan out their future. As young people we have to do what will make us happy and not find ourselves permanently stuck in a job that drains you day in and out. Regardless

People tend to shy away from the topic of depression as if it's something that isn't experienced or as if it isn't as serious as those who experience it make it out to seem. When you are young you are encouraged to live your life to the fullest and when you are young depression should be the furthest thing from your mind. Well wake up people! Young people are suffering and they are feeling forsaken!       What we need to remember is that people deal with things differently. One individual may find it easy to get over heartbreak while another will suffer daily to heal. One individual may find it easy to get over academic failure while another will struggle daily with overcoming. One individual will find it easy to be alone without social interactions while another will fall apart if they have no one to talk to. Young people are constantly faced in these times with pressures from all over especially that of social media. Some of us can find ourselves feeling inadequate

    It is really beautiful to see how much recognition black women are getting now a days for the beauty of their skin and hair. However, I've noticed that when it comes to body types women who are more curvy with big breasts and bottom are the ones who used to represent what a black queen represents. I'm wondering what about the women who aren't so well endowed don't they qualify as queens? Pushing only this type or mostly this type will leave so many of our beautiful queens feeling inadequate. Our women are already left with images of what the perfect female looks like on social media instead of having the support of the black community women are left feeling the same way. We need to remember that just as our black women come in different skin shades they come in different body types. A queen should be known as a queen by the way she speaks, the goodness in her heart, her knowledge of self and the natural beauty she has. Our women can also highlight their natural at