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What’s In a Name?

Jeanicia Rochelle Elder’s business gained its inception in 1997 when she declared herlove for all things media. Since then she has moonlighted for several companies including:Acadiana Open Channel, The Bridge Ministry of Acadiana, and several Houston area churches. Only this year did she did she take the plunge to enter the business world.

ByJRochelle is a multi-media creation company specializingin graphics, video production [for web, television, and mass presentation]. ByJRochelle uses creativity to get your message across while remaining sensitive to the image of your company. You can visit our temporary website to view work samples. Before I introduce you the work, let me answer a question fan, Derix Dugan: Why ByJRochelle?

9 years ago when I met the man who I eventually married you always found me creating something. At the time we met, it was clothes. My grandmother taught me to sew; I eventually acquired a sewing machine with which I would make gifts for friends and family. Gregory randomly suggested that I create my own line of clothing called, yep you guessed it, J Rochelle. When Gregory and I rekindled our friendship, he began to encourage me to harness my talents. Although people continually told me all along that I did excellent work and recommended me to other people, I never thought that I could be a business. Gregory motivated me to not wait for someone to hire me, and hire myself. It reminded me of “J Rochelle”. As our relationship grew I started to seek alternate outlets for my creative talents and created an online portfolio, aptly titled JRochelle Media Productions.

A few months ago, I created aFacebook page to generate fans and create a temporary place to display my work. Once you get so many fans, you have the option of creating an official name. With the help of my husband I started to brainstorm possible ideas. He thought the title of my temporary portfolio , “J. Rochelle Media Productions” and even the title of my photography division, “Captured By J. Rochelle” were too long. I wanted to pick a name that communicated the vastness of my work. Finally, Gregory said, “ByJRochelle”! It was perfect. I like the idea that the name does not limit my business, because when you see “ByJRochelle” you never know exactly what it will be: a video, graphics, pictures, a resume. The possibilities are endless.

I am anxious to begin this leg of my journey and I hope that I get a chance to help you get your message across. Please visit my facebook page and my temporary portfolio. Don’t forget to click like and let me know you stopped by.

I Appreciate My All

For about 11 years of my life, I consistently worshiped, served, and hung out @ Windsor Village United Methodist Church. At the end of each service we ended with a congregational call to action[kinda like a go-team before we exited] We can do, all things, through Christ who stengtheeeeeeeeeeeeeeens us! More importantly, I believe that the church encouraged to look for the “all” that God called us to do. @ Windsor Village I got a change to develop writing, communication, witnessing and a host of other skills. They taught us to minister to the lost, guide other Christians, andbuild God’s kingdom just as we were; they encouraged us to use our gifts to the glory of God. Part of our youth mission statement included “to change the world”. I don’t know how many of my peers took those words seriously, but through the invention of facebook, I get to peak into the lives of that chosen generation that God blessed me to complement; they are definitely world changers. Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I have done the same. I know I believe that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, but I don’t feel like I have done all things…I understand that those wonderful people and I do not in the same race so this is not about comparing my achievements to their achievements. At this point in my life I feel like my all should be different that what it is now. So this morning, I want to investigate my all. I will look at my personality profile, the things God continues t open my eyes to, and a biblical example of someone in my “plight”. When I finish I hope to have encouraged us to appreciate our “all”.

Scripture gives us many examples of people who gave their all and seemed slighted for most of their lives: Abraham and Sarah, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Jesus! It seems equally full of people who seemed to reap where they didn’t sow: David, Lot, Paul, etc…The bottom line of this paragraph is simple: [LIFE ISN’T FAIR]. We read in scripture that the kingdom of God resembles an estate manager who goes out to hire workers for his vineyard ^{[Matthew 20:1-16]}. In the first few verses we learn that the estate owner agrees on a wage of a dollar with the hired hands and they begin to work diligently. This tells us that God, the “estate owner” already set up the consequences/rewards: you do ‘this’ then you get ‘that’. On the surface, that sounds so awesome; we know exactly what to do to get the results that we want. But the parable goes on in verses 3-7 to say that later the estate owner saw more unemployed men and sent them to work in the vineyard as well.


This liberal estate owner did the same thing for hours. All the way until an hour before closing time! Some of us feel like we have worked for a long time, I know I do. I did everything I was supposed to do: loved others, worked hard, played fair, served God, finished school on time, etc. It seems like I did everything I was supposed to do from the time the “vineyard” opened. Then we know people who started work late: they didn’t love others, play fair, work hard, or serve God for so long but then they FINALLY came around. So when the day ended the foreman paid everyone the same amount of money! I know it’s wrong but this would have definitely bothered me. I would have felt like my results should have outweighed their results! I gave my all, my entire day, and I get the same pay as someone who gave not even half of their day. In those moments I have to remember this: The LORD is compassionate and gracious ^{[Psalm 103:8]} and that my God will meet all my needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus ^{[Philippians 4:19].} Those who the manager hired first assumed they would get far more but they got the same amount and became angry saying “'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.” God can do what he wants to do but the word tells us that he acts faithfully, justly, graciously, mercifully, and compassionately…so maybe a dollar was all each man needed. Maybe what I have now is all I need now; thank God that life isn’t fair. I know people who started work late and honestly, I don’t want to see them trying to live with what they deserve. More importantly I should be thankful that God continues to bless the work of my hands and provide for me. God continues to bless me with skills, talents, opportunities, and the like to the point that I have become a seasoned veteran.

That’s right, trials and experiences have rendered me competent; this makes me a seasoned veteran: I have experience and education. I have always had the character, integrity, and discipline employers look for but constantly in the job market I am looked over. I know my story isn’t unique: God continues to open my eyes to that fact. Recently, I attended Between Job Ministries, “a free, Christ-centered support ministry of NorthWest Bible Church” which provides “encouragement, information, networking, spiritual guidance, and job search skills training in a Christian setting. The ministry is open to job seekers of all backgrounds and denominations.” When I arrived to the meeting, the cars filled the parking lot almost to capacity: hundreds of well qualified people without jobs, some of whom had been searching for weeks, months, and even years for a job just like me. In all honesty it made me feel better. When things don’t go as expected, it isn’t necessarily because something is wrong with you. Scripture reminds us that God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous ^{Matthew 5:45}.

When I first began typing this blog, I wanted to include my personality profile. However, it doesn’t seem to fit anymore so maybe I will tap on that in another blog. In conclusion I want to encourage you in that the consequences and results are already set. You can’t deserve a blessing; God gives them to you freely. In times when you are not receiving it may not necessarily be because you are doing something wrong. Keep giving your all, do what you are supposed to do, and everything else will work itself out.

Set Aside EVERY Weight

Marcos Witt
September 5, 2010

Get Rid of the Weight That's Keeping us From Getting to the Finish Line

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

° Undisciplined
Discipline: controlled behavior. Associated with being teachable and accountable.
1 Cor 9:24: You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.

° Unfocused
Keep your eyes on the prize (not circumstances, the news, other people's opinions, etc...)
Heb 12:2: Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Olympian who dropped the torch.

° Uncommitted
Commitment: sticktuitiveness
Proverbs 15:6 The lives of God-loyal people flourish; a misspent life is soon bankrupt.

° Sin: My personal stuff that I don't really share with anyone.
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

-- Sent from JRochelle's Palm Pre

Fighting Sleep for My Life

A little girl submitted a question to me: How can you stay up late and still wake up early? Initially, I didn’t know how to respond. But, the answer is simple; it’s because I want to get up. The more I thought about this, I began to consider the child’s lifestyle. She sleeps A LOT; and when she is not sleeping, she seems to be lying around doing nothing. This phenomenon confuses me; as a child I wanted to get out of bed as soon as my eyes opened. Sleep was my bitter opponent because I fought him for my life. I LITERALLY FOUGHT SLEEP FOR MY LIFE. I didn’t want to stop living and I guess I still have a little of that fight left in me. I look forward to the opportunity to wake up, open my eyes, stand on my feet, and live in love every day of my life.

Israel Houghton says in one of his songs, “morning isn’t necessarily what has an ‘a.m.’ on it, morning happens when you wake up.” One definition of wake up is to return to an awareness of one's environment, existence, sensations, and thoughts. God created a beautiful world full of places to go, people to see, and things to do. Waking up brings me to an attitude of eagerness to open my eyes.

Opening one’s eyes represents an opportunity to process the environment Once I open my eyes I become enthusiastic about the opportunity to involve myself in God’s gift of life on this planet. Ephesians 5:8-14 says:

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord. ¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

This verse gives a whole new meaning to rise and shine. Every day gives me a new chance to reflect God onto my friends, family, and lost souls. The mistakes of my past lay behind me as I move forward toward the purpose God created me for! This moves me to stand on my feet and take action to effect the environment at will, which should line up with His will that we love Him and others. I look forward to loving better than I did yesterday and I can’t do that until I stand on my feet.

While I sleep, life waits for me with a bevy of activities and experiences available; but if I never wake up, then I cannot partake. I never need a special reason to open my eyes, stand up, and prepare for the day because God wrote my purpose and life entices my senses. I know what I can do every day (go to the park, visit friends, help the needy, etc…) and as much I know God prepared and propels me to do exceedingly abundantly above anything I can ever ask or think.

Nas says that, he “never sleep[s]; cause sleep is the cousin of death” and Aerosmith sings, “I don't want to close my eyes, I don't want to fall asleep cause I'd miss you babe, and I don't want to miss a thing". While people need a certain amount of sleep each day for sustenance, extended rest, like too much of anything, kills you; in that slow death you miss everything that life has to offer. Sleep robs us of the opportunity to process, appreciate, and effect our environment. In other words, it eats away at our purpose and I plan to fight that villain for my life, until the end!

Promise Kept: a dialogue on healthcare reform and its effect on women

Election time represents an exciting time for politics; candidates remain in our faces bludgeoning us with promises, but how often do any of the voters reflect on and evaluate the fulfillment ratio of those promises? I must admit, I usually fail to keep a detailed list of promises to measure the success rate of the elected officials but one promise that rang out in the last presidential election was that of “free health care for everyone”. Proponents and opponents continue to hold on to their reasoning throughout the process. On March 23, 2010, the President signed the health care overhaul bill, and of course, Of course people sit on each side of the fence on this issue. Let’s focus on the current state of coverage for women, potential changes for women due to the new legislation, and opinions about health care reform on both sides of the table.

As a single female part-time employee, this pledge of “free health care for all” sparked a sense of hope within me. My companies only provided insurance for full-time employees and finding decent cost-effective coverage proved itself a difficult task. Furthermore, insurance research revealed a discriminatory modus operandi toward women across America. Insurance companies charged women premiums of up to 48% more than male counterparts on the individual market, refused coverage for such "pre-existing conditions" as pregnancy, having had a C-section, or being the victim of domestic violence! The research was appalling; consequently when President Barack Obama took office, I looked forward to this “free health care” nearly a year and a half into his term the administration took steps toward fulfilling this agreement.

Personally it seems to answer a long-awaited dream for the American public, specifically women. Actually, administration outlined the key benefits of the legislation which will impact women particularly. Women will see both immediate and long-term effects due to this new law. In the short-term, the high risk pool will provide access to women previously denied health coverage due to preexisting conditions. Within the next 5 years the legislation will force a ban of this so-called “high –risk” pool. Around the same time, this health reform will make it illegal for insurers to charge women more than men for the same health care coverage. Health plans will also include coverage of maternity services in their essential benefits package. This all sounds excellent to me; it seems to cover women in any life stage; while some people agree that this represents an overdue change, many people argue against the new legislation.

Opponents believe that by signing this bill, President Obama takes a long sustained power of the state to govern its people by allowing the federal government to regulate health care. Additionally, these opponents believe that this bill opens the door for abuse and overwhelming government spending. Proponents believe the reform is a change whose time is pass due; free healthcare will promote prevention driving down the cost of health care and increasing the quality of service.

Though the bill is now “law” the country continues to come to terms with this change “free health care for all” vs. the solitary the constitution guarantees. As people like me breathe a sigh of relief government continues to hash out the details. At the least this seems to be a promise an official actually kept and if it fails, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Dare To Dream

Lakewood August 15, 2010

Marcos Witt

"I dare you to walk on the water"

Matthew 14:25-29

"If Peter lived in 2010, he'd be a Texan!"

"Dare to dream it."
Peter saw Jesus do it and thought that he could do it too!
If you could dream then you can do it.

E.g. Martin Luther King Jr. & Joel Osteen

When you stand up in the boat, it's going to make people nervous because things are going to start shaking.
John: the beloved...Probably thinking why does he think he gets to do the special thing, I'm the special one. But in response, you say you deserve to dream and do special things too, even if you aren't KNOWN as the "special one".
Matthew:
Judas: Treasury...Probably thinking, one less person= one less person to support financially. Sometimes people will cheer you on for the wrong reason. But it doesn't matter why they are cheering, you go out there and get it done.

"Dare to Ask"
James 4:2...have not because you ask not...
Matthew 7:7...ask for what you need..

"Dare to Risk It"
2 Corinthians 5:7...
It's NOT just the thought that counts when God speaks.
Don't just sit there and row in a boat:
Self-Pity
Excuses
Low Self- Esteem
Bad Attitude
Whining

-- Sent from JRochelle's Palm Pre

Distant Cousins: health care and immigration reform

Recently, Arizona embraced the spotlight on the subject of immigration proposing and passing a controversial law to fight illegal immigration; law now requires police stopping motorists for routine infractions to check their immigration status due to “reasonable suspicion” of unlawful entry. Many view this law as a victory in the fight over illegal immigration. The convoluted topic of immigration reforms introduces several issues. Proponents view immigrants as an obtrusive abuse of civil liberties; arguing that the introduction of new citizens increases disease, crime, taxes due to welfare or health burdens, and crowding. In this article, I intend on focusing on health burdens.

Immigrants represent an often uninsured and underinsured portion of the population and tax payers take on the expenditure of their medical care straining the financial stability of the health care industry. They use emergency services forsaking preventative medical care, burdening the hospitals with advanced and costly medical procedures. The estimated tab left by these illegal immigrants' medical care in many states ranges well above $1 million up to as much as $4 billion a year. Delivery of babies to illegal alien mothers represents a large and frequent cost to taxpayers. And until recently, in most states these babies automatically became U.S. citizens. Consequently, in addition to an illegal expenditure by the mother, illegal immigrants legally received health care benefits.

These staggering numbers burden doctors and impeded medical care to actual citizens. Consequently, a comprehensive health care reform should include a restructuring of health coverage. This of course introduces an ethical dilemma: how can any doctor refuse care to a legitimately sick person? In reality they should not be put in this position, and by remaining negligent on immigrant emigration the government places a burden on tax payers and hospitals.

The health care reform bill doesn’t seem to outline a cure to this problem. Arizona seems to be on the right track; identify illegal immigrants and remove the burden. This will put citizens in the front of the line toward receiving the care they need. Not only will the number of patients decrease, but practitioners will be available to distribute the funds more proportionately.