In times of trouble, we all look for strength from somewhere—immediately, my mind recites a familiar verse—Philippians 4:13 (KJV)—“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Drawn to this truth, I was seeking out other references for my study—a passage breakdown and NIV translation shed light for me a new truth about this verse—and it came by reading the verses that precede it:

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength (NIV).”

True strength is learning to be content—learning to trust with our whole hearts and to understand that God is always in control.

He’s no amateur—He knows what He’s doing—It’s time to start living like you believe it.

It is far past time for the media and us, as a society, to be forced to take responsibility for our actions. Ethically, the media should have a strict and firm policy that suicide is not, under any circumstance, news—the primary part of this policy is out of pure respect and professionalism. We must stop allowing the media and our society to make tragedies a source of our perverse entertainment.

Several days ago, the life of one of the most amazingly inspiring men I have ever known, came to a tragic end. In the midst of both personal and professional battles, Dr. Barry Allen Bowe was what I can honestly call a true solider for the cause—he had a matchless tenacity and passion for the success of his job, his schools and most important, for his kids—they were his driving force.

The countless lives that Barry touched over his many years in education are the very people who will carry on the remarkable and dignified legacy he leaves behind—a legacy that, now to my sorrowful disappointment, has been defiled by the obsession with information and our society’s incessant need to be informed about every detail of someone’s life—and death.

I am taking this opportunity to let you know—writers, editors and consumers of media—that I am genuinely disgusted as to how this tragic incident has been handled. For someone who deserves the utmost respect, Barry [and his family] has been subject to an unfortunate level of personal invasion.

It is true—my uncle, Barry Bowe, passed away suddenly on Monday, January 23, 2012—it is a day that will forever be changed in my mind. He passed away at his home and was found there by the authorities. These two details would have satisfied the public’s need to know what happened.

However, the CMS security services and local law enforcement, writers, reporters and other media chose to release the most intimate, personal details about his state of being, method and cause of death. For me, this violated the line between reporting the facts and malicious exploitation. They should be ashamed. It is a disgrace and personal heartbreak for me that the privacy and dignity that we deserve was not respected for the purpose of a personal or professional gain, and for the purpose of feeding people’s need to know more.

To all of you I say this— I, along with everyone touched during his 54 years on Earth, refuse to remember my uncle Barry for how he died, but instead remember him for how he lived—and how, through him so many others have lived also—and now that he’s gone, how he will live on in us through the lessons of compassion, dedication, acceptance and love that he represented every single day.

I pray that we would all somehow remember how to love, honor and respect one another – to come together to support in private and to learn to respect others’ personal tragedies. I am desperate that we, as a society, can once again understand what it’s like to be humans that grieve, and to fully realize how we deal with others’ tragedy [by revealing personal details, and feeding the conversation] will impact those involved—and the impact it ultimately has on everyone.

<3
Carrie Bowe

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• Jesus is our protector
• He is our unfailing companion

Just as there is a special bond between a shepherd and his flock, so much more is the bond between the Good Shepherd and His people.

• “I shall not want” signifies the total dependence on God to provide – earnestly believing and depending on Him

Just as a sheep’s journey is often tormented, tried and tested, so is our life’s journey. God provides us a safe place to rest during the troublesome journey.

• As we grow weary, he strengthens us – preparing us for a higher service and greater purpose

“This life is not a bed for us to lie in, it is a road for us to travel.”

• Both the trials and blessings of this life are stepping-stones toward home

When we have God and his blessed assurance, there is no need to fear the things of this world and no need to fear death when we are called out of this world. His hands bind us, build us and show us the road where our trials are a blessing.

My prayer tonight: Lead me down the safe way in life’s journey. Help me to rely on you as my compass and my guide. You are my Shepherd and my Rock. ♥

And to that, I say, “Yes, my friend, I should. But to be honest, I feel like I did on the first day of high school…”

Don’t get me wrong, I know me, a little—but to be honest, in many ways I feel like I am starting over—in my professional and private lives at the same time. When I came to this realization, I immediately went into ‘marketing account manager mode’ and decided I needed a plan. Every successful brand has a plan, right?

First on my plan was to define myself. Do not mistake—I did not say “re-define”. For me, in order to define myself, I needed to strip it down to the basics of what and who Carrie Bowe really is, who I am not, and never want to be again. It has never been so apparent to me that getting to the basics of who I am and what makes me happy needs to be the very things that drive the direction of the rest of my life.

I feel like, rather than resolutions, we need to define ourselves and start living for the long-term—what are you doing here? What is your purpose? How are you fulfilling your purpose? Do you even care?

So—I came up with 4 statements that define Carrie Bowe.

I am Carrie.

I am a child of God: without Him, I am nothing.

I am a traveler: explorer of the world and of the heart.

I am a giver: filling others with joy is the greatest blessing to me.

I am the “relationship” type: all relationships—I love to meet new people and experience connections with each of them.

Interesting. I want God to guide my life, travel the world while spreading joy to others and create connections with different people. Let’s see how 2012 shapes out.

So what are your 5 statements? Or 3 statements? Or 1? What drives your life? And what should be in order to fulfill your life in 2012?  Message me your answers – I want to know “you” – and share with others what defines all the amazing people I am blessed to know.

Emily Bennington is coauthor of the business book every new grad should own, Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of career success and provides organizational savvy training to new grads and their employers. Emily has been featured on Fox Business, CNN, and ABC, as well as quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Washington Post Express. She is a contributing writer for Monster.com and a featured blogger for The Huffington Post, Forbes Woman, and US News and World Report. Emily’s second book, a career guide for young women, will be published in the fall of 2012 by AMACOM. She can be reached online at www.emilybennington.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/EmilyBennington, or on Twitter @EmilyBennington.

Emily Bennington has his to say about her passion for creating office rock stars: “I became interested in careers because I’ve seen first-hand how being unhappy at work can bleed into all areas of life. It zaps your spark and affects relationships with friends and, most importantly, your own family.”

Let’s get to know you a bit better. What is your name, your position and your company affiliation? What is your favorite part of your current position?

Emily Bennington, career author and speaker. Best part of my job is that I get to do what I love and help others at the same time. I believe that intersect is the foundation of all extraordinary careers.

What is the number one mistake you see on job applicant’s resume? What is your number one tip for a successful resume?

The number one mistake I saw was common spelling and grammatical errors. It’s such a cliche now I hate to even say this, but when you send in a resume it’s important to recognize that you’re competing against a lot of other people for that coveted first impression – albeit on paper. Your resume has to be perfect or  you’re pretty sure to miss out on the opportunity. My number one tip for a successful resume is killer formatting. There were times when I would literally be handed a stack of resumes that was an inch think (or more) and the ones with the best formatting always made me stop.

What is the most unbelievable thing you have ever seen on a potential applicant’s social media page that caused them to be passed over for the job?

I was speaking at a college once and the director of admissions told me a student who had been offered an athletic scholarship came to visit for a required summer orientation. While on campus, she threw a party in her dorm room and posted photos of herself drinking. She was underage so when the university saw the pictures, she lost the scholarship. I would not want to be in the room when she had to break the news to her folks about that one.

It has been said by marketing professionals that the social media platform, Linkedin is a far superior source of recruiting talent than even some job search sites like Monster.com. What are your thoughts on this statement? What are your candid thoughts on Linkedin as a resource for job seekers?

I write a lot for Monster so I should say that up front – lol. I think they’re both excellent sites, but LinkedIn has the benefit of being for general networking whereas Monster is pretty exclusive to seekers. As a result, LinkedIn has attracted a deeper pool of profiles which is obviously attractive to employers. LinkedIn also gives a lot of control to the seeker to build their network, research companies, and contact potential employers directly which can significantly help in the job search. Just to have all bases covered, though, I recommend employers and seekers have a presence on both sites.

What are companies looking for in regard to experience? In regard to education?

Oh gosh – that’s unique to each company and the position their trying to fill.

What are your candid thoughts on the phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?”

I think it’s more important who knows you.

If you could give one piece of advice for current and potential job seekers, what would it be?

I was speaking to Tory Johnson (workforce expert for Good Morning America) recently and she was telling me about the seekers she runs into at job fairs who have tough stories of unemployment as a result of the recession. We all know this economy has hit families hard but the problem is that tough stories elicit a response of, “Gee, that’s terrible” and – if you’re looking for a job – you need a response of “Gee, you should really meet so and so.” The best advice I’d give job seekers is know what you want and be confident in it.

I love you all.

Stay tuned for new adventures.

New stories.

New insight.

New me.

God bless 2012.

In August, 2011 QSR reported these figures for the “Burger” restaurant category for 2010:

This morning, The Today Show, did a feature on this topic—Wendy’s and Burger King’s position in the fast-food industry:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/45763337#null

A study by the Wall Street Journal predicts that Wendy’s could top Burger King in sales for 2011—but is the secret in the beef or in the marketing?

In a $175 billion industry, McDonald’s continues holds rank at the number 1 spot, with 3 times the annual sales of the other two in 2011— but from Wendy’s natural cut fries and “fresh, never frozen” beef, to Burger King ditching the “King”, these two are putting up a hard fight for 2^nd place.

Some blame the “creepy King” and an increased focus on the younger consumer for the decline in Burger King’s popularity—alienating their traditional, loyal older consumers and parents.

Others view Wendy’s push to promote a variety of newer menu items like fresh-cut fries and a hard push for their signature “fresh, never frozen beef” as being a catalyst to their rising success—“people associate fresh with the product being better for you; better for you translates to healthier…and as American consumers, we’re looking for better and healthier.” – Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President at Technomic, Inc.

Burger King’s response—“beefing” up their menus, remodeled restaurants, social initiatives for kids and, of course, ditching the “King”.

Is it too little too late for Burger King in 2011? We will have to wait and see where the final numbers come in…

What do you think? Which is your favorite?

Wendy’s versus Burger King—is it product or placement? What do you contribute to the changing fast-food industry tides?

First seeing them LIVE at the 2011 Women of Joy Conference –
It would MAKE MY LIFE to be able to get an interview with the AMAZING men and women that make up one of the most inspirational praise and worship bands today.
Since rededicating my life to Christ last year, the music of Casting Crowns has been a strong influence and inspiration in my life.

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I am starting this page so all my FRIENDS and my FRIENDS FRIENDS FRIENDS FRIENDS can show CASTING CROWNS how much I LOVE them, how much they inspire me as a growing Christian and that I can share that love with EVERYONE through my blog: carriebowe.wordpress.com

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