B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Resources
Rich Reading
At one time in our global history, books were literally currency. They were so valuable they could be used to pay for homes and other necessities; they were coveted, rare and treasured. While you aren’t able to use the covers and pages specifically to pay for important things today the way you once could, you can use what’s on those pages to help you be able to do so.
Here are some recent—and overdue getting shared— books we find to be rich reading. They can’t be used to make purchases, but they contain enriching, fulfilling info to help you do what you can to have necessary resources.
Happy reading! More to come…
Michael Todd - Crazy Faith: It’s Only Crazy Until It Happens
Many of us would rather play it safe and stand on the sidelines, but it’s crazy faith that reveals God's promises and helps us see Him move.
In Crazy Faith, Pastor Michael Todd shows us how to step out in faith and dive into the purposeful life of trusting God for the impossible. Even if you have to start with baby faith or maybe faith, you can become empowered to let go of your lazy faith, trust God through your hazy faith, and learn to live a lifestyle of crazy faith.
That dream God has given you might seem crazy right now, but what seems crazy in one season will be counted as faith in another.
L'Oreal Thompson Payton - Stop Waiting For Perfect
You are smart, brilliant, and beyond talented, but if you’re a woman, particularly a Black woman or woman of color, you may often doubt yourself, a feeling society tends to reinforce by suggesting you don’t deserve your success. However, believing in your own greatness is crucial. Award-winning journalist, motivational speaker, and blogger L’Oreal Thompson Payton, a self-professed success junkie and ambitious high achiever, understands how imposter syndrome and self-doubt can derail dreams. Having faced and overcome significant career and life changes, she is now ready to inspire and support others. In her book "Stop Waiting for Perfect," Payton uses her hard-won insights to act as a guide, big sister, best friend, and personal cheerleader, helping you navigate obstacles in your career and personal life. This book challenges you to stop playing small, encouraging you to fully embrace your power and purpose, awakening long-buried dreams by making them seem possible and attainable. Trusting your dopeness is a lifelong journey, and no matter where you are in life, it’s time to stop doubting and start living your best life.
John W. Gray III - Win from Within
In this latest book, I want to help readers identify how best to handle the most difficult, challenging and yet necessary battle that we all face – our inner struggle to overcome the worst versions of ourselves. Jacob spent much of his life running and hiding from himself. At a certain point we, like Jacob, cannot run from our true selves anymore. We must stop and face ourselves if we are to become great. WIN FROM WITHIN helps us conquer our inner darkness and overcome such hindrances as fear, shame and guilt. I pray you will find this powerfully biblical self-help guide push you toward victory over your inner struggles. Winning will make us the persons we have always wanted to be, the persons we have dreamed about becoming, the persons God created us to be.
Tanisha C. Ford - Dressed in Dreams
From sneakers to leather jackets, a bold, witty, and deeply personal dive into Black America's closet.
In this highly engaging book, fashionista and pop culture expert Tanisha C. Ford investigates Afros and dashikis, go-go boots and hotpants of the sixties, hip hop's baggy jeans and bamboo earrings, and the #BlackLivesMatter-inspired hoodies of today.
Dressed in Dreams is a story of desire, access, conformity, and black innovation that explains things like the importance of knockoff culture; the role of “ghetto fabulous” full-length furs and colorful leather in the 1990s; how black girls make magic out of a dollar store t-shirt, rhinestones, and airbrushed paint; and black parents' emphasis on dressing nice. Ford talks about the pain of seeing black style appropriated by the mainstream fashion industry and fashion’s power, especially in middle America. In this richly evocative narrative, she shares her lifelong fashion revolution―from figuring out her own personal style to discovering what makes Midwestern fashion a real thing too.
Justin Tinsley - It Was All a Dream - Biggie and the World That Made Him
The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most charismatic and talented artists of the 1990s. Born Christopher Wallace and raised in Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, Biggie lived an almost archetypal rap life: young trouble, drug dealing, guns, prison, a giant hit record, the wealth and international superstardom that came with it, then an early violent death. Biggie released his first record, Ready to Die, in 1994, when he was only 22. Less than three years later, he was killed just days before the planned release of his second record Life After Death. Journalist Justin Tinsley's It Was All a Dream is a fresh, insightful telling of the life beyond the legend. It is based on extensive interviews with those who knew and loved Biggie, including neighbors, friends, DJs, party promoters, and journalists. And it places Biggie's life in context, both within the history of rap but also the wider cultural and political forces that shaped him, including Caribbean immigration, the Reagan era disinvestment in public education, street life, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and the booming, creative, and influential 1990s music industry. This is the story of where Biggie came from, the forces that shaped him, and the legacy he has left behind.