If you are getting impatient wondering where your money is, the IRS has made it easy to track refunds. You must wait at least one week if you filed electronically, or 28 days if you mailed it. 

To find your refund, visit the IRS Web site at www.irs.gov, or call them 1-800-829-1954. You must have your social security number, your filing status, and the refund amount. 

But was it really a good idea to let Uncle Sam have your money all year before you got it back? You may want to contact your employer about increasing your exemptions so less is deducted from your paycheck for both federal and state taxes. That way, YOU can use your money all year – to pay bills and even save some – rather than lending it to the government.

“It’s really important to get a handle on your personal cash flow and take control of your finances,” says Suzanne Boas, president of Consumer Credit Counseling Service, a nonprofit agency providing free budget, credit and housing counseling since 1964. ”Consider using any refund to pay off your credit cards or to build a savings or money market account.”

Here are some suggestions from the certified counselors at CCCS on using that refund wisely:

Give Yourself Some Credit: Pay down your debt! Send as much as you can – as soon as you can – to credit card companies. Waiting until the due date may increase your interest charges and paying just the minimum will keep you in a cycle of debt.

Build an Emergency Savings Fund: Fuel your savings or money market account with your tax refund. Car repairs, health emergencies or life events are difficult to plan for – so be prepared.

Go Fifty-Fifty: If you just can’t bring yourself to save all of your tax refund, tuck away half. You’ll feel less guilty about spending the cash if you’ve saved some. 

Consider the Kids: If you have kids and haven’t started a fund for their college education, now’s the time to start! Learn about the great tax-advantaged 529 savings plans at www.savingforcollege.com.

Down the Road: Think retirement! That average return of $2,117 is more than half the maximum yearly contribution of $4000 to a Roth IRA ($4500 if age 50 and over). 

Be Charitable: Now that you have a little extra, help those who need a lot. Donate a portion of your refund to a charitable organization that is close to your heart. (And remember to save your receipt for next year’s taxes!)

Treat Yourself: Do something fun but not too expensive. Then save or invest the remaining cash.

Courtesy of CCCS Atlanta

A few tips: layer your shirt skirt with a miniskirt, like Nikki Reed (second from left) did — effectively adding a layer of modesty (and style!). Also, try a tribal patterned skirt that blends the sheer-to-opaque line of demarcation, just like Olivia’s look.

If you’re feeling adventurous, make like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley or Katharine McPhee and go for broke with just a leotard or shapewear. Now you’re ready!

On the cover of Vibe Vixen, she opened up about her career, role choices, and her faith. The celibate actress desires a husband who is “sold out to God,” and has a different perspective on being a sex kitten.

“I think that, for me, it’s about portraying a character creatively and artistically as an actress. I believe that God has gifted me as an actress and intends for me to use that gift, but He also intends for me to use it to glorify him. So, if I’m playing the most perfect, religious girl then nobody gets anything out of it. It’s like being a Christian and only hanging out in church. When I play a character, I try not to judge her because ultimately it’s about where she ends up and what she learns from the journey, no matter what happens along the journey. Does she become a better person?”

Good, who told S2S Magazine she reads the Bible “every single day for the past three-and-a-half years; every day without fail,” is determined to continue growing in her faith. “I’m so in love with God right now. I’m focused on being married to God,” she said.

On dating men and avoiding the pitfalls of relationships, she says, “I really just try to keep God first, so that’s kept me out of a lot of pit holes. There’s nothing that I’ve really done that I regret. I’ve made maybe one mistake that I could [have handled] differently, but that’s pretty good for being 30 years old and I lost my virginity when I was 19, so I feel pretty confident that I’ve done well in my relationships.”

I want more, give me more!”  Have those words come out of your mouth or been in your thoughts lately?  You’ve found yourself wanting more of something?  That’s when a desire is within you for that certain something, and it gets greater, and greater, and greater . . .  You want a larger quantity of it, an additional amount of it.  

Okay, I’ll make it a little plain.  Last Saturday while out shopping at one of my favorite clothing stores, there were so many items that I came across with excellent prices attached to them!  I was just finding bargain after bargain, I had an arm full of items and I was just walking back and forth, aisle to aisle, looking for more!  My husband, who had left the store a couple of times to shop somewhere else, came back for the last time to get me.  

He said to me, “You’re not finished yet? You’re still looking for more?”  All he could do was just look at me, with that “half smile/half frown” that a mate can have, (sisters of mine, we have it too – it’s just that ours can be more frown sometime!) and shake his head!  There was a desire within me, and I just wanted more!  

Imagine what would happen in our lives if we would have that same desire, love, and want for the Lord.  Yes, we talk about it, we sing about it, we read about it – the greater desire, the greater passion, the desperation, the more of the Lord, but do we really put it into action?  It’s simple; it’s not a hard thing to figure out.  We don’t have to take a top theological course on how to have a greater desire or love for the Lord, or to experience the “more” in our relationship with the Lord.

Let me tell you how it can be put into some action.  It’s just denying ourselves a day at a time, which is daily, and reading His word daily and letting it become a reality in our lives.  Finding time in our daily schedules to pray, and letting Him know from our hearts that we desire more of Him.  

Letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide us in all that we do.  Staying before the Lord in His presence, as much as we can.  ”As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.” (Psalm 42:1).  As we do this, we’ll start decreasing – it will be less, and less, and less of us – and He’ll start increasing – it will be more, and more, and more of Him.  ”He must increase, but I must decrease.”  (John 3:30).  

Just like the waters had to continually decrease in the flood (Noah and the Ark) before any “tops of the mountains” were seen, we have to continually decrease so that we can see the “tops of our mountains”!  ”And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.”  (Genesis 8:5).   

When we were writing this devotion, we just felt the awesome presence of the Lord in such a mighty way.  A fresh wind of the Holy Spirit blowing.  God our Father is seeking true worshipers that will worship Him in spirit and in truth.  ”God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”  (John 4:24).  He’s seeking after those who will say, “I Want More” of You God, “I Want More!”  Do you have a deeper desire, a deeper hunger and thirst for more of the Lord?  If you want more, He’ll fill you.  

PRAYER:    God, we know there’s someone out there on today that desires more and more of you.  Lord, you know the hearts, you see the ones that are crying out for more of your power, more of your spirit, more of your anointing, more of your glory, and more of your presence.  They’re willing and ready to decrease, so that you can increase in them.  Fill them today Lord, with a fresh wind of your Holy Spirit.  We ask this in your mighty name, Amen.

Overnight sensation Jeremy Lin is on fire on the basketball court – seven consecutive wins and six straight games with at least 20 points – but who is helping Lin to keep the fire burning in his spiritual life?

Lin’s family attends Redeemer Bible Fellowship, the English ministry of Chinese Church in Christ Mountain View, in the Silicon Valley. His pastor, Stephen Chen, spoke this week to KQED radio station of northern California.

“He (Lin) attempts to play for his God, and to honor Him and glorify Him,” explained Chen, who had spoken to Lin just before his breathtaking 38-point game last Friday against the LA Lakers.

Chen first met Lin when he was in eighth grade, and at that time, the middle schooler was about 5’2” or 5’4”, recalled the pastor. But the boy had told Chen that one day he will grow to over six feet and play basketball.           

“And so I asked him how are you going to do it, and he said ‘I’m going to drink milk every day, and I’m going to eat calcium pills every day, and it’s going to happen,’” Chen shared to KQED. “And sure enough, he’s over six feet tall and he’s playing in the NBA.”

The 6’3” point guard for the New York Knicks, the first Chinese- or Taiwanese-American player in NBA history, has made it his signature characteristic to thank God and give credit to his teammates whenever receiving accolades for his basketball skills.

His humble response to praises and his generosity on the court (sports commentators have repeatedly noted how Lin shares the ball with his teammates), have even inspired Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, to crack a joke this week that he wished his cabinet would also demonstrate Lin’s team spirit.

Lin’s parents are devout Christians, and his maternal grandfather was a Taiwanese Christian pastor, according to The New York Times. His Twitter avatar is a picture of Jesus talking to a young man who may have ran away from home or is homeless (there is a large duffel bag and sleeping bag besides him), with the message, “No, I’m not talking about Twitter. I literally want you to follow me – Jesus.”

Lin’s outspokenness about his Christian faith and his astounding skills have caused people to compare him to Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. But unlike Tebow, who was a Heisman Trophy winner in college and a first-round NFL draft pick, Lin struggled to get noticed in his basketball career.

He attended Harvard University, but not on a basketball scholarship, studying economics, instead. He went undrafted after college, and was offered a two-year deal with his hometown Golden state Warriors. Lin was assigned to the Warriors’ D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. After about a year, the Warriors released him. He went on to the Houston Rockets, who also released him after less than a month.

The New York Knicks claimed Lin in late December as a substitute and he did not have a guaranteed contract until just before winning his fifth straight game. It is during this unstable time that he is famously known for sleeping on his brother’s couch, not having a place of his own. He had his breakthrough game on Feb. 4, when the injury of other players caused Coach Mike D’Antoni to put Lin in the game.

During Lin’s fifth game with the Knicks, he solidified his position as a winner and dispelled doubts that his previous wins were just flukes by outscoring the LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, who had 34 points compared to Lin’s 38. The Knicks had a narrow victory over the Lakers, 92-85.

After the Knicks’ win over the Lakers, Lin tweeted, “Gutsy win … 5 in a row! This team is so unselfish and has so much heart. Love playing with them! God is good!”

Lin’s pastor, Stephen Chen, noted in the radio interview that “obviously, he’s (Lin) overwhelmed by a lot of people demanding his time, pulling him in a lot of different directions. He understands that at any moment he can go from hero to zero.”

The skyrocketing international basketball star told reporters after the game against the Sacramento Kings this week that he didn’t want his stardom to cause him to develop an ego.

“I don’t want to let anything affect me or this team,” Lin said. “We need to stick together, put our egos aside.”

Lin has said that after he is done with professional basketball, he would like to become a pastor and be involved in charity work.

How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!

Song of Solomon 4:10 (NIV)

I was invited to an event that featured def poetry, food, free massages, and friends.

I knew there would be some erotic poetry, but I had no idea that there would be a pleasure store full of assorted sex toys. As I looked around I was intrigued. You see, I’ve never bought or used one, but I’ve never knocked anyone who did.

As I saw the long line of women lining up to purchase and the array of the selection, I bought one! Within 24 hours it was in the garbage. The sex toy industry is worth an estimated 15 billion dollars with a growth rate of 30%.

Personally I think that the majority of the customers are in search of a false sense of intimacy that can only be met by the way God designed; a man and a woman. No matter if the toy is rechargeable and made with material from NASA, it will never fulfill true sexual fulfillment. After you’re done it still won’t be enough!

Whether you use toys with your spouse or alone, to each is own! That’s between you and God, but for me no matter how I try to imagine a romantic scene, it doesn’t erase the smell of plastic and the fact that I’m alone, so I’m going to wait on the real thing!

Hollywood movie land provides the layout of a relationship, how it should begin and how long it should last. It shows us the ups and downs and the climatic happy ending that believers and non-believers both hope for. Although pumped with fluff and glamour, movies often capture the struggles young men and young women go through to find and maintain romance.

The plot usually includes an initial meeting in a bar or in a nightclub, their eyes locking and then off they go into wedded bliss. I am sure all my Christian brethren are thinking what I’m thinking: how does that apply to us? Where do we go to lock eyes with our special someone? At church, where we focus on worship? At youth meetings which we neither have the time nor drive to attend?

With all this uncertainty, as Christians we have to throw into the mix 2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” Yes folks, I had to go there.

I am sure at some point in our lives we thought that we had met the “right one,” whether it was at school, work, or online, and we said yes, this is it! But once we find out that our special someone is not in our faith, we try to make excuses and fit them into God’s plan for our lives. Then as soon as the romance begins, that blossoming connection fizzles.

Personally, I thought I had met my “Prince William” online last year. The first day we met we just clicked. He was handsome, ambitious, and had a great sense of humor; yes ladies my own little Brad Pitt. But he was a nonbeliever, and it began to unravel because it was hard trying to explain simple concepts such as saving myself for marriage and forgiving others. Suddenly, my Hollywood movie began to “wrap” and once more I felt frustration and regret.

After feeling sorry for myself for a while, I realized that I was trying to fit Brad Pitt into a role where he wasn’t quite right for the part, and my director, who is God, was not pleased. Then I thought about how wonderful it would be for me to meet someone I would not have to explain certain principles to, or compromise my beliefs just to have a relationship with them.

This brings me to my Step one; before we get caught up in the glamour and fluff of feelings, let us consult God. Pray and ask God if this is his will for our lives. We are so blessed to be in contact with the greatest of all time, but when it comes to matters of the heart we do not utilize him. So brethren let us try to look to God for guidance, who is the best cupid in the business.

Whitney Houston has dominated the news many times during the years, for her chart topping music, legal and marriage woes, and the constant battles with drugs and alcohol. When I left church Saturday evening, a friend met me outside and informed me that Whitney Houston had passed. Like millions I was shocked and saddened, but angry most of all. I remember singing into a hair brush reciting her songs word for word as a teen, and laughing at the jokes made in later years, during the Whitney Houston/Bobby Brown saga.

Through all the jokes, news stories, and wild antics, the demise of Whitney Houston has become a teaching tool to show how a simple suggestion by the devil can destroy a life. In an interview, she stated that as a young superstar she was sheltered, wasn’t allowed to go certain places, and with the money and access to anything she wanted, she said, “I was looking for my young womanhood.” The devil will convince us that we’re missing something. That life is passing us by and everyone else is “having fun.” 

All of us can remember times when we didn’t want to be left out of the mix, so we placed ourselves in environments that weren’t healthy or productive. No one wants to be the last person picked for kickball! All the devil needs is for us to allow him to rob us of our birthright as children of the most high God. Whitney Houston had a God given talent was extinguished, with deep Gospel roots, and her music will be missed. My prayers go out to Bobbi Kristina and the Houston family. 

Cupid is a reckless little cherub that must be STOPPED!! His arrow has a way of striking people who will become the most unlikely couples. The effects of the arrow do not take long to kick in. Butterflies in the stomach, uncontrollable smiling followed by blurred vision that prevents us from finding out pertinent information from a significant other, are the first symptoms that manifest.

For an exchange of a chocolaty aphrodisiac a couple might find themselves locked into an unforeseeable night of passion. Let’s face it; some of us will “hook up” on Valentine’s Day!

All chocolate hearts and edible panties aside…do you know your HIV status?

I completely understand that HIV/AIDS is a global epidemic. However, being a member of the African-American community, the 2009-2010 statistical data on the CDC website was a wake up call…

* Approximately 1 in 5 adults and adolescents in the US living with HIV are unaware of their HIV status.

* In 2009, African Americans comprised 14% of the US population but accounted for 44% of all new HIV infections.

* The estimated rate of new HIV infection for African-American men was more than six andhalf times as high as that of white men, and two and a half times as high asthat of Latino men or women.

* The greater number of people living with HIV (prevalence) in African American communities and the fact that African

Americans tend to have sex with partners of the same race/ethnicity means that they face a greater risk of HIV infection with each new sexual encounter.

In addition, new HIV infections among young black MSM* increased by 48% from 2006–2009 between the ages of 13-29!

If you are interested in getting tested for HIV, go online to HIVtest.org or 1-800-CDC-INFO to find a clinic near you.

Also, if you know the first and last name of your date, you can check out the online database to determine if their status has been reported.

Be Safe this Valentine’s Day…..

A few years ago, back in those college days, a few of my girlfriends and I decided that since none of us had dates, that we would get together at my house on the dreaded Valentine’s Day. So we grabbed a couple of pizzas and the Waiting to Exhale DVD and commenced to celebrating V-day. Our celebration included sad music, male bashing, reminiscing about heartbreaks, and ended in plenty of sorrowful tears. If you are single and planning on engaging in ?conduct? such as that for Valentine’s Day, stop dead in your tracks. Self-pity is awful in and of itself, but actually sitting around with your girlfriends and pitying each other is even more dreadful.

Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful to have a significant other when Valentine’s Day rolls around, but it is also not the end of the world if you don’t. First and foremost, bask in the love that God has for you. Romans 5:8 states, “But God shows and clearly proves his love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” His love is truly remarkable and unconditional. Know that just because the one that is meant for you might not be in plain sight, God still has a the plan. Not only is He preparing you for your soul mate, he is preparing your soul mate for you as well.

So instead of wallowing in self-pity on this Valentine’s Day, rejoice in your victories through the love of God and the victories that are on the way. For Valentine’s Day one year, my son and I went out for lunch and to the movies and we had a blast. That year, he was my Valentine. There is nothing wrong with getting the family together on this day to spend quality time just loving on each other. Make plans to do something special to show your love for them. Relish in the love that you have for your children and the unconditional love that they have for you. Never forget that you mean the world to them and no one will ever take your place in their eyes.

Let the love from your children warm your spirit in any time of loneliness, not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day of the year. This Valentine’s Day, instead of being sorrowful, I urge you to self-indulge. Spoil yourself rotten. Spend a day at the spa, engage in some retail therapy, or just lounge about and meditate. You are raising your children alone, working, and staying beautiful all at the same time. Therefore, you deserve to reward yourself for a job well done. Before God can bless you with that special someone, you must love yourself first.

There is nothing wrong with taking some time out to pamper yourself. And what better day to do it than Valentine’s Day? If you choose to be accompanied by girlfriends on this day, celebrate accomplishments and the friendships you have found within one another, but make sure to leave the self-pity at home. If you choose to spend this special day with family and loved ones, in the midst of relishing in their love make sure to make a special effort to show them love as well.