Barbara Gee is Vice President of Strategic Sales Alliances for Comcast Cable Communications. In this role, she is responsible for the company’s e-commerce sales strategy, third party sales alliances, and increasing acquisition and retention of moving customers.

Barbara began her career with Comcast in 2001 as National Director of Alternative Sales Channels, where she developed the company’s third party sales strategy, defined success criteria, implemented the necessary models and operational processes and established sound business relationships with key companies that extend Comcast’s sales reach.

Prior to joining Comcast, Barbara served as Director of Network Sales for Exelon. There she created a new telecommunications business sales unit that produced revenue in its first full year. She also managed the sales force integration of five newly-acquired companies.

Barbara began her career with Verizon, where she held various progressively senior positions in sales, marketing, product and brand management and advertising.  She received both a Bachelors degree in Communications, and a Master of Public Administration degree from Pennsylvania State University. Barbara completed Comcast’s premier leadership development program, “Executive Leadership Forum,” and has served multiple times as a coach for the program.  Barbara also completed Cornell University’s Women’s Leadership Program in 2005, and in 2006, she completed the National Association of Multiculturalism in Communications (NAMIC) Executive Leadership Development Program at UCLA. She is a current fellow in the industry’s flagship women’s leadership program, Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, Class XX.

In 2007, Barbara was recognized as a Next Generation Leader by NAMIC, and that same year, was featured in CableWorld magazine as one of four industry “Cable Marketing Heroes.” She has been named to MultiChannel News and CableFax’s 100 Most Influential Minorities in Cable in 2007, 2008, and 2009, and was awarded the NAMIC-Philadelphia Paragon Award in May, 2008.

Barbara served as 2009 President of NAMIC, Philadelphia Chapter; sits on the Board of Directors for the Emma Bowen Foundation, and on the advisory board of the Philadelphia Writing Project at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. She is committed to giving back, and is passionate about mentoring.

The bible is the one book that all can learn and grow from. The Sons and Daughters of God is a group that focuses on the teachings and the readings of the bible. Check them out here.

Lisa Page Brooks lit up the stage at the 2nd Annual Spirit of Praise Celebration. See photos from her spirit-filled performance right here.

VIA 1800GOSPEL.COM:

The Beginner’s Guide To The Gospel Music Industry

If you are aspiring to be a part of the gospel music industry as an executive or an artist, this book will be a great read for you. Monica Coates is a seasoned industry veteran that has guided the careers of gospel music artists such as Joanne Rosario, Fred Hammond, and Hezekiah Walker.

She has experience in artist management, publicity, radio promotions, and A&R. You will find her book to be an honest and thorough look at how the gospel music industry works and what you need to possess to be successful.

One aspect of the book that got my attention right away was her emphasis on taking the time to find out what your true purpose and calling is. After the introduction, you will see a short chapter on “Calling Versus Gifts and Talents”. She does a great job of explaining the difference and imploring the reader to remember that God is for us and has a plan for each of our lives. She supports this statement with one of my favorite scriptures: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Read more here.

VIA NEWSONE:

U.S. states whose residents have more conservative religious beliefs on average tend to have higher rates of teenagers giving birth, a new study suggests.

The relationship could be due to the fact that communities with such religious beliefs (a literal interpretation of the Bible, for instance) may frown upon contraception, researchers say. If that same culture isn’t successfully discouraging teen sex, the pregnancy and birth rates rise.

Mississippi topped the list for conservative religious beliefs and teen birth rates, according to the study results, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of the journal Reproductive Health.

However, the results don’t say anything about cause and effect, though study researcher Joseph Strayhorn of Drexel University College of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh offers a speculation of the most probable explanation: “We conjecture that religious communities in the U.S. are more successful in discouraging the use of contraception among their teenagers than they are in discouraging sexual intercourse itself.”

The study comes with other significant caveats, too:

The same link might not be found for other types of religious beliefs that are perhaps more liberal, researchers say. And while the study reveals information about states as a whole, it doesn’t shed light on whether an individual teen who is more religious will also be more likely to have a child.

“You can’t talk about individuals, because you don’t know what’s producing the [teen birth] rate,” said Amy Adamczyk, a sociologist at the City University of New York, who was not involved in the current study. “Are there just a couple of really precocious religious teenagers who are running around and getting pregnant and having all of these babies, but that’s not the norm?”

Strayhorn agrees and says the study aimed to look at communities (or states) as a whole.

Read more here.

Sometimes people feel they need help or guidance in order to connect with the one they would like to be with. Relationships Guided By God uses that theory, so come join this group.

VIA BELIEFNET.COM

BY BOB PERKS – Life’s challenges can become overwhelming, making us feel as if there is nowhere to turn and little we can do. Taking the first step after losing your job, ending a relationship, or recovering from health issues leaves many people feeling empty and without purpose in life. You need to not only decide to move on but actually take steps in the direction of a more fulfilling life. Taking these positive steps in the right direction can help you to rise up in down times.

Bob Perks, a longtime inspiration contributor to Beliefnet, is a professional speaker, author, and vocalist.

More inspiration at Bob Perks website at BobPerks.com

VIA ELEV8:

By Sharnell Blevins

This is the first article in a series about adultery.

It’s another one of those Friday days. It’s the night that the weekend begins. It’s the day that the sunshine shines in. It’s another beautiful Friday.

It’s also the day that many people begin getting in trouble. They drink too much. Party too much. Or even indulge too much. But, oh, not I! I never get myself into trouble. I am never out of order. I never indulge too much. I never commit adultery.

“YES YOU DO!” says the Lord, my God. And, of course, I asked Him, “How do you figure that Mighty One?” You see during this select conversation with the Lord, I figured He could not trump me on this one. He knew me but I also knew me too. And, there has been no other but my husband. But, guess what? He knows me so intimately that God started to reveal to me all of the ways I commit adultery and what adultery really means.

Right! You are right! And, yes I do know that adultery means voluntary sexual intercourse between a married man and someone other than his wife or between a married woman and someone other than her husband. And, I do know that intercourse means physical sexual contact between individuals that involves the genitalia of at least one person. All those definitions come from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

But, see God’s definitions are so different. He looks at the world quite different than you or I. He looks at the inner man. He holds us to a higher standard than we would even hold our enemies. He wants those who are called according to His name and that of His son to be on a higher plane, a different playing field.

Read more here.

Do you enjoy contemporary gospel? Would you like to share your thoughts, feelings and hear others? The BP Group of Contemporary Gospel is the place to do it!

This Christian-based group is intended for all those who believe in living a better life spiritually, mentally, physically and in truth: Check it out here.