Affinity4 Community Blog

This Tuesday, President Obama announced Sonya Sotomayor as his nominee to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court. Sotomayor currently serves on the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, a common position held by Supreme Court nominees. Sotomayor would be the 3rd female justice to ever serve on the Supreme Court, following Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If confirmed, Sotomayor will also be the first Hispanic judge to serve on the court.

Sotomayor grew up in New York, graduated from Princeton University and later received her Law Degree from Yale. Now that she has been officially nominated, the next step will be for the Senate to conduct confirmation hearings, in which they will closely examine her record, focusing on her previous decisions and judicial philosophy. Conservatives have been criticizing Obama’s choice, describing Sotomayor as an extreme judicial activist. Many leaders have pointed to a statement Sotoymayor made, saying the “court of appeals is where policy is made,” that proclamation indicates that she believes in justices legislating from the bench, the definition of judicial activism, which is a highly controversial opinion. Congressional leaders have expressed other concerns, including uncertainty over her position on a Constitutional right to abortion, the death penalty and gay rights.

Six of Sotomayor’s opinions have been previously reviewed by the Supreme Court, and four of those were reversed. Before her confirmation hearings, the court will be reviewing another of her opinions on a case over New Haven, Connecticut’s decision to throw out a firefighter promotion test because no African Americans scored high enough for advancement. The Senate Judiciary committee will likely begin hearings this summer and it is not yet clear how strongly her confirmation may be challenged in the Senate.

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On February 27, 2009, I woke up and went to work like any other day, not knowing that I was going to be laid off as an Accountant. This was the worst day of my life and I had no idea what I was going to do next.

It was difficult at first for me to wrap my arms around what happened, but weeks later, I started applying for any and all jobs that I had some past work experience with. Thankfully, I had overwhelming support from family and friends, which was encouraging. They were my eyes and ears, looking for jobs of interest on my behalf. Their support kept me motivated. When I received a call for an interview at Affinity4, I started researching the company. I was very impressed with the mission of this company, which relates to the teachings in my church. We are taught to give back ten percent to the church, and with the present economic downfall, it is a blessing to know that this company contributes to different ministries.

On June 12, 2009, I had the opportunity to meet Bishop TD Jakes, a member of the Board of Directors. I have seen him on television, and read several of his books. We never know what will happen in life or who we will meet. I am thankful that the “chocolate” that I picked up led me to Affinity4.

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While Veterans’ Day in November was set aside to honor all those who served their nation in war, Memorial Day is celebrated to honor those who died in military service. This American holiday has its roots in the practice of women decorating the graves of their loved ones who had died in the Civil War, and was first called Decoration Day. Although originally celebrated on May 30; since 1971 Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday in May.

For many of us Memorial Day represents a weekend full of family and friends at backyard barbecues, camping, or relaxing at the beach. Businesses and tourist attractions often view this day as the opening of their summer season. Regardless of your plans this Memorial Day, take some time to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and some time to pray for the men and women who are currently serving our country around the world. Let us also pray for the families of our troops that God will fill their lives with peace, provision and strength.

Have a safe and peaceful Memorial Day!

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On Tuesday of this week, Affinity4 had its annual board meeting. It was very exciting to see the team of people who were responsible for managing the company’s direction. The backgrounds and experiences of each were intriguing. There were many exciting announcements regarding future plans for Affinity4 which created intense energy throughout the company. Though each of the board members has a story that commands respect, admiration, and provides inspiration for a rising professional, one of the board members was of special interest to me. This was Bishop TD Jakes. In 2005 I was just developing as a disciple by taking discipleship classes at my local church and I was invited by a friend to attend MegaFest in Atlanta, GA. It was during MegaFest that I was introduced to the teaching/preaching style of Bishop TD Jakes. It was also during MegaFest that I learned about Affinity4, a major sponsor at that particular event. I believed in Affinity4’s mission so much that I also signed up for long distance service with them at that time. Prior to this event, I did not know Affinity4 or Bishop Jakes.

Fast forwarding to nearly three years later, I can say that I have listened to dozens of Bishop Jakes’ sermons via podcast, visited his church in Dallas numerous times, and I am the Senior Manager of Call Center Operations at Affinity4. This was not a part of my plan when I attended MegaFest. God’s plan was different. Having the ability to do something that I enjoy every day that makes a difference in the world is a blessing. Once when I attended one of Bishop’s services I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Bishop was filming a DVD for his new book Reposition Yourself. I was sitting right up front as he spoke of the changes we needed to make to live a prosperous and fulfilling life. He used characters “D the Dreamer”, “Be your spiritual self”, “L the Lover”, and “Manny the Manager” to bring to life four of the key aspects of our existence. As he spoke the words and the mimes acted them out, I found myself looking introspectively at my life. Tears rolled down my face as I realized I had ceased to chase my dreams, lost passion for family, friends, and humankind in general, wasn’t managing my finances as best I could, and most importantly I was not feeding or yielding to my spiritual self. That service helped to change my life. So imagine my excitement as I finally had the chance to meet and shake the hand of the man who had been mentoring me with his voice over the past couple of years because of his attendance at the Affinity4 Board of Director’s meeting this week.

Following the Board meeting, Bishop was scheduled to speak at Calvary Revival Church, one of our local churches and of course, I had to be there. WOW! The energy in the building was amazing. Thousands of people worshipped and praised God. Bishop was the facilitator of a service where the praise and love for God was expressed in tears, clapping, singing, speaking in tongues, and every other way imaginable. Bishop is such a dynamic speaker intermingling his personality and humor as a way of engaging people. There were times where we laughed, some cried, and some silently reflected on how the words he spoke applied to their lives. He spoke from various passages of scripture with a message of “Under Construction”. How fitting! We are all under construction as we are shaped and molded to be what God purposed for our lives. Prior to the service Bishop Courtney McBath expressed a point I had often heard Bishop Jakes express in listening to his sermons; we come to church to worship God and not just to see someone famous. The purpose was fulfilled as hundreds of people decided to commit or renew their commitment to Christ during the altar call. What a wonderful ending and beginning. God is good!

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Sometimes in life, a great opportunity can be disguised as a bad situation. In February I was one of many people that were laid off in the newspaper industry. Of course I was devastated, but I knew that I would land on my feet. Working as a Marketing & Research Analyst for 4 years had prepared me well for my next career move. I just needed to make a firm decision on a career path and stick to it. That’s exactly what I did. I decided that I wanted to work for a company that made a difference.

I made the choice to find an Analyst position. The Product Analyst position at Affinity4 seemed to be a great fit for my skill set. It was also different and seemed like a position that would challenge me. After researching the company, I decided to apply. The company is local and makes a difference every single day. Those were the two things that were most important to me.

Losing my job during this economic recession may have been a bad situation at the time, but it definitely created an opportunity for me to become a part of something much greater. From the first day that I walked into the office, I could feel that Affinty4 is a great place to work. It’s very family oriented and everyone seems to share the company’s values. I’m proud to be a part of a company that is making a difference every day.

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Mother’s Day is a wonderful time for each of us to take a moment and honor motherhood and our mothers. Motherhood is not merely defined as women who are responsible for the bearing and raising of children but is rather a statement regarding the divine nature of all women. Any woman, whether or not she bears children, can fulfill the role of a mother. The labors of love of all women should be remembered as we celebrate Mother’s Day.

This year Affinity4 is doing something special for you and your mother on Mother’s Day! That’s right, to honor all mothers we will be offering free calling to all of our long distance customers on Mother’s Day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern!

So make plans now to pick up the phone on Mother’s Day and call your mother and let her know how much you appreciate all she has done for you over the years! Affinity4 will pick up the tab for every minute of your call!

And to all mothers, may your day be filled with the love, peace and joy that you deserve on your special day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

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As you know, at Affinity4 we believe in making a difference. We understand the power of building a community of supporters that champion your cause. People coming together to support common causes can make a difference. We can make a difference through giving financially to organizations that are dearest to our hearts, physically through volunteering of our time and talents, and most importantly we can make a difference spiritually through prayer!

On Thursday, May 7th individuals across the country will come together to participate in National Day of Prayer activities. The National Day of Prayer was established to mobilize the Christian community to intercede on behalf of our country and its leadership in the areas of government, military, media, business, education, church, and family.

Our nation is dealing with so many vital issues at this time. We have much to do as a Christian community. God’s word says in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

It is our hope that you will have the opportunity to participate in the National Day of Prayer events in your area this year. We pray that this event impacts your life and that praying for our nation quickly shifts from a one-day event to a lifetime endeavor for all Americans. May God bless you and may God bless America!

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