THE GIFT OF HONOR

Honorees in Chicago

The wisest man who ever lived once said; “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16). I recently had the privilege of traveling to Chicago, Illinois to be with Ambassador Clyde Rivers and several Golden Rule Peace Ambassadors, as representatives of the “iChange Nations™” family.  As we converged on the Windy City, the vision to create cultures of honor was set before us. Eight Ambassadors from across the country, from diverse backgrounds and cultures, yet we were intent on one purpose.  We came to seek out those who deserve to receive a gift of honor.

Honor is a gift because it is unsolicited. Honor is a gift because it cost us something.  We paid a price to go and recognize others who have paid a price to serve others. Honor is a gift because it encourages those weary hands who work tirelessly to encourage others. Honor is the perfect gift because it is available to every human being to give. Honoring others truly brought us before great men and women. 

Amb. Dr. Clyde Rivers and Dr. Gary Slutkin

We were thrilled to meet with Dr. Gary Slutkin and his assistant Angalia Bianca with Cure Violence at the University of Chicago. Dr. Slutkin has followed up an impressive career with the World Health Organization to help those suffering around the world from epidemic diseases to establish Cure Violence.

This organization is treating violence as a disease and helping people in several nations to break this destructive lifestyle. Some of those that are cured return to their old neighborhoods as social workers to help others overcome as well. What a moving moment it was to watch Ambassador Dr. Clyde Rivers honor over 20 of these heroes.

We also met Cobe Williams who starred in the documentary film “The Interrupters”and is Cure Violence’s International trainer.  Cobe is a perfect example of a life that has been changed and is now helping others.

We also had the pleasure of producing a TV broadcast with our new friends at Christ Family TV Network.  Ambassador Rivers honored several deserving church leaders, followed up by interviewing fellow Peace Ambassadors, Dr. Charles Kinuthia, founder of the One Stop Tax Service Franchises, and Dr. Nashon Walker, founder of Hoodrise Nation, an outreach to the inner city where he brings hope, every day, to young people through music and mentorship.

Another treat was meeting Golden Rule Ambassador Coach Tony Branch.  Tony’s accomplishments are numerous, but I was particularly impressed with the 10 years that he coached women’s basketball.  He not only taught them how to play the game, but he taught them about life.  Over 100 of these young athletes received college scholarships thanks to their hard work, but also thanks to Coach Tony opening doors and seeing them through.  Even though his job was done, he stayed connected to these young ladies to help them through their 4 years of college.

When you create a culture of honor, you can’t help but be built up just by being in presence of other people of influence. It's always great to be surrounded by great leaders;  Ambassador Dr. Clyde Rivers, Dr. Donni Pitzl, Dr. Michal Pitzl, Dr. Brian Williams, Dr. Charles Kinuthia, Dr. Nashon Walker and Johnny Vega.

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This article was written by Amb. Dr. Dan Justice

Dr. Dan Justice is a Golden Rule World Peace Ambassador and part of the iChange Nations™. He is the founder of PMI International, a Non-Profit Organization, along with his wife Sharon and their 7 children.  Together they are training and equipping people around the world in business, education, family, media, government, religion and arts & entertainment.

THE GOLDEN RULE IN MARRIAGE

Drs. Chris and Carol Green

We stood before a minister, taking those sacred wedding vows, but five months later we were beginning to feel like this was not going to work. Our marriage was in the first stages of disintegration. No matter how sincerely we were trying to communicate, we could not connect. Words, phrases and actions said one thing but it meant something totally different to the other person. We didn’t have the same language because we didn’t have the same words.  We didn’t even have the same alphabet.

We cannot recall the exact date and time, but following another one of those frustrating and futile moments of trying to communicate, we sat down together to try and reach some agreement. We had to find a way to stay connected with one another. So we made a PACT and it went something like this: “I choose to believe that no matter how you say, what you say to me, you are not intentionally trying to hurt me; you meant it for my good.”

Our pact was simply the golden rule being applied to our relationship. When we made this pact, we had no idea how significant it was going to be. We just felt a new sense of peace. It was like we were finally, really married. We had slowly moved beyond the soaring emotional connections of love and advanced to a solid unconditional acceptance of one another. We had forged the Golden Rule into our marriage. We had each said, “I will treat you the way that I want to be treated. I will trust you the way that I want to be trusted.”

We had a new security. We had tapped into a secret place from which we could begin learning one another’s alphabet; and thus begin to piece together words and sentences.  Simultaneously, we could build a stronger connection between us. It was like working on our health while working on an injury at the same time.

The golden rule has been a huge part of the foundation of our marriage for more than 35 years and we have also been teaching it as healing prescription for the couples that we coach. Sometimes our family and friends comment on our present ability to communicate in a manner that seems almost telepathic. We can just say one word or give a brief glance across a room and we are able to conduct an entire conversation in a few seconds.

This new level of communication began when a couple that had only been married for six months, in a moment of desperation, made a golden rule choice for their relationship.

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This Article was written by Drs. Chris and Carol Green

Drs. Chris and Carol Green are certified master life coaches who were commissioned as Urban Community Ambassadors and Global Leadership Ambassadors by iChange Nations™. They were also appointed Goodwill Ambassadors of World Peace by Golden Rule International. They founded the Fruitful Life Network and the Urban Life Family Coaching initiative in their city and are international columnist/writers with the Global Journalism Award-winning team of Dr. Clyde Rivers and iChange Nations Social Media News™. They specialize in marriage coaching having written a book about marriage and relationships titled, We Made a PACT, and produced several online marriage enrichment and resiliency courses.

DR. GRACE KINUTHIA WITH CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CELEBRATING INFLUENTIAL WOMEN OF HOUSTON

Dr. Grace Kinuthia and Hon. Sheila Jackson Lee

On Friday in honor of Top 30 Influential Women of Houston Gala Award Ceremony, I had the honor of meeting with several influential people including Hon. Congresswoman, Sheila Jackson Lee. Hon. Lee is the U.S. Representative for Texas 18th Congressional District since 1995.

The main purpose of the event was to honor, celebrate and motivate women who are making a difference in their communities in different business sectors such as education, arts, healthcare, journalism, law, and finance.

Through this event, I was reminded of the importance and the value of women in society. Every woman matters and is valuable. We all have been created for a purpose and should contribute to the void that exists in the world. We need to keep our eyes open for opportunities to support and honor other women on the path to their dreams and celebrate their success; be it through congratulating them for a job well done, networking, giving them a positive comment or feedback and acknowledging their efforts in making the world a better place. Sometimes, that's all someone needs to help them with their journey so they don't give up on their dreams.

It is also very important to build relationships with other people that are outside our circle of influence. No matter how talented someone is, networking is very important for it can lead to partnerships that can change the world.

I'm very inspired and I encourage other women to honor and celebrate each other. Let us celebrate others by helping them reach their fullest potential. God created each one of us uniquely for a purpose and to accomplish our purposes, we need each other. Unity is strength. We are stronger when we work together than against each other.

We are working in collaboration with Ambassador Dr. Clyde Rivers, the Founder, and President of IChange Nations, the world's largest Honoring Network Establish Cultures of Honor around the world. Hope 631 continues to bring back and celebrate the culture of honor. IChange Nations is also a professional institution that equips, mentors and trains highly esteemed individuals who have the desire to change nations throughout the world.

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This Article was written by Dr. Grace Kinuthia

Dr. Grace Kinuthia is a Golden Rule World Peace Ambassador and she is also the president of Hope 631, a non-profit organization that aims to alleviate poverty through education and empowerment of local businesses within communities in Africa. Dr. Grace is also involved in the leadership of IChange Nations First Lady's Club. Setting forth to honor and promote First Ladies around the world. Helping them leave a legacy of hope and advancement for the people of their respective countries.

COMMUNITY LIFE COACHES RESTORE HOPE AND DIGNITY THROUGH HONOR AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Drs. Chris and Carol Green Connecting with the Unemployed of Their City

In October of 2015, Goodwill Ambassadors of World Peace and Urban Community Ambassadors, Chris and Carol Green began conducting a Life Coping Coaching workshop at EDSI - PA CareerLink® Capitol Region in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

EDSI operates the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program, serving the unemployed and underemployed populations in Pennsylvania. Their core services include job readiness workshops, job search, job club and other career development topics.

This is the area where the Green's Life Coping Coaching workshops entered the picture. They were invited by the agency’s job recruiter to host a workshop that would encourage job seekers and give them more confidence in their job interviews.  This is where the community Life Coping Coaches seized the opportunity to give hope and restore dignity to those who are unemployed in the city.

"It's pretty hard to maintain your dignity when you're unemployed and dealing with one job interview rejection after another," Coach Chris Green said. "We had to think about how we would want to be treated if we were in the same situation. From our perspective, we were just thrilled to be able to move out beyond the walls of a church building and reach people who needed hope in a time of great despair."

After that first workshop, several attendees said the presentation gave them a new way to view themselves as they face a very tough job landscape.  The job recruiter was so pleased that she invited the Greens back to the Career Link facility the next month.

"Our second workshop was just before Thanksgiving so it was kind of tough, emotionally, for the participants," Coach Carol Green explained. "That month, we had a wonderful, engaging conversation as we explored various workplace personality profiles. We offered tips on how to work with conflicting personality types and how to improve one's own responses to others."

The session came alive with conversation, questions and comments.  During the session, the Greens introduced their Life Coping Coaching website and offered the opportunity for participants to attend their weekly group sessions.

The Career Link site-administrator sat in on part of the workshop and later proposed that the Greens return to conduct a session for her staff. Afterwards, the Community Life Coping Coaches were placed on the PA CareerLink® regular monthly schedule, establishing another successful step in their Golden Rule approach to uplifting lives in urban culture.

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Drs. Chris and Carol Green were commissioned as Community Ambassadors and Global Leadership Ambassadors by IChange Nations™ and appointed Goodwill Ambassadors of World Peace by Golden Rule International. They founded the Fruitful Life Network and their unique Urban Life Family Coaching initiative, both of which are partnering with  iChange Nations™.

CREATING CULTURES OF HONOR THROUGH THE GOLDEN RULE

Dr, Janet Melwani

Dr. Janet Melwani is a Golden Rule World Peace Ambassador and part of the IChange Nations™ team. She pastors the Church of Many Water in Orlando, Florida with her husband Dr. Eric Melwani. She represents IChange Nations™ and the Golden Rule International all around the world.

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In my fifteen years of experience as a Director of Human Resources I have dealt with many people, different situations and always have been a problem solver. I have had to make difficult decisions, involving education, career development, and employment termination for employees. Through it all the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," has been the foundation that made me a success as a Director of Human Resources.

From the corporate world to family life we interact with all sorts of people and build relationships that are meaningful and long lasting. I believe that the secret to longevity and success is in treating others well, with dignity and honor because that is how I expect others to treat me. We reap what we sow, if we sow seeds of honor we will be honored by others. Thus, environment of peace and harmony while building a strong nation.

This world will be a better place to live and full of harmony as we all learn to treat others the way we want to be treated. No one wants to be unappreciated and wronged. When we realize that everyone is valuable, unique, and is an extension of us we will treat others with dignity and handle them with care. Thus, we will build bridges, walk in healing and restorative power and encourage others to live a fulfilled life.

The Golden Rule approach is a dynamic structure for manifestations of peace, love, honor, hope and joy globally. It will create peace, goodwill and harmony and make the world a safer place to live. We have to demonstrate what we desire from others. Our children deserve to be raised in environments of peace, love, joy and harmony where they can visualize a bright future.  This can only happen as we live the Golden Rule by treating others the way we want to be treated. We must educate and instill this in the next generation to create a culture of peace, love, joy and harmony.

Finally, positive change can only happen through accepting personal responsibility for our choices and decisions.  Our thoughts and our words have to align with our desired action.  What we think or meditate on will be the words we speak.  The words we speak will manifest in our life and will shape us.  Our words are seeds which will bear fruit in our lives and the lives of people we influence. If we desire changes in our lives, we have to examine what we are speaking over our life.  Therefore, as we all live the Golden Rule we will see positive changes in our personal life and we will enjoy the benefits of it for years to come!