Mountaintop Manna with Dr. Byron L. Benton Dr. Byron L. Benton

In this episode, we discuss the challenges and opportunities of living out Christian values as teenagers in today's world. Sex, drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure are all discussed as our guests transparently discuss their experiences and faith journeys.

Bios: 

Mya Withers is a freshman at the University of South Carolina. Mya has participated in many activities in school such as National Honor Society, Powderpuff, International Club, Club Joy, Student Council and many more clubs. She was voted Prom Queen her senior year of high school and maintained 4.3 gpa throughout high school. She graduated in the top 30% of her class. Mya has been attending church her whole life and has participated in the youth choir, praise dance, oratorical, & Girl Scouts and many others.

Addison Clark is the daughter of Ray and Genesis Clark. She has a lovely sister, Chloé Clark. She is a Junior at Goose Creek High School. Addison enjoys being involved in several activities and organizations. She is an active member of  the National Honor Society, Renaissance Club, Berkeley County School of the Arts, GCH dance team, and JROTC. Additionally, she loves Christ and participates in several ministries, including  Girl Scouts, Praise Dance, Oratorical, and the Youth Ministry. Her hobbies consist of dancing, music, devotion, traveling, and quality time with friends and family. 

Joshua Tolbert is a senior at The Citadel majoring in computer engineering. He serves in the audio-visual/media ministry, young adult ministry, boy scout ministry, oratorical ministry, and drama ministry. 

In this powerful and transformative episode of Mountaintop Manna entitled "Money Talks: Telling The Truth About Finances," we delve deep into the labyrinth of personal finances, guiding the listeners on a journey to confront their financial realities and take charge of their financial future. Our guest is renowned financial expert, Dorothea Bernique, this episode aims to equip individuals with the tools and mindset needed to face the truth about their financial situations, while infusing a strong message of hope and empowerment.

Dorothea Bernique Biography
Dorothea is the founder and Executive Director of Increasing H.O.P.E. In this role, Dorothea wears many hats. Not only does she lead her administrative team with vision and tireless effort, Dorothea provides financial counseling and money management instruction to clients; researches and writes grants; speaks on financial literacy at businesses, schools, and non-profits in the greater Charleston community.
In addition, Dorothea has developed and implemented bold strategies for expanding the scope of the agency’s financial training programs. Under her leadership, Increasing H.O.P.E. has grown to include a small business incubator and a minority entrepreneur support center. In 2020, the organization partnered with a cadre of sister nonprofits to create The Opportunity Center, a newly remodeled building in North Charleston dedicated to fostering economic prosperity in households with low and modest incomes.
Dorothea is passionate about helping people establish a better quality of life through gaining financial know-how. An Accredited Financial Counselor, Dorothea has been affectionately called a “financial guru”; since 2003, she and the agency have trained thousands of individuals in the Lowcountry to effectively manage their money. Prior to founding Increasing H.O.P.E., Dorothea worked in the world of finance in a variety of ways, including as a budget counselor/coach and as an independent representative in Financial Services. She has professional training in the insurance, mortgage, and investment fields. In addition to being an AFC, Dorothea is a licensed Housing and Credit Counselor. 
Dorothea is the author of Kingdom Conscious Money Management, a faith-based plan for personal finances, and a recipient of the Community Service and Leadership Award.  Dorothea was a recipient or the 2021 SC Woman in Business Award in the nonprofit category.  Dorothea is grateful to be 1 of 50 selected out of more than 800 applicants nationwide and the only SC awardee of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Impact Grant recipient.  The initiative, One Million Black Women, is named for and guided by the goal of impacting the lives of at least one million Black women by 2030.   In addition, she is a veteran of the U.S. Airforce.   Dorothea and her husband, Christopher, have been married for 41 years and live in Summerville, S.C.; they have two grown children, as well as four grandchildren.

https://increasinghope.org/

In honor of Father’s Day weekend, this episode focuses on fatherhood and the trials and tribulations to African-American fathers in 2023. Three fathers share intimate and personal stories of joy, pain, and overcoming the complexities of fatherhood.

Guest:
Deacon Thomas Withers
Deacon Charles Francis

Sources:
www.unitedadvocacygroup.org/blog/the-importance-of-having-a-mentor-as-an-at-risk-youth
www.fathers.com/the-extent-of-fatherlessness/
www.thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/

This episode biblically defines the role of money; explores how we can break the chains of unhealthy debt and become empowered by God to be excellent financial stewards. Biblical and practical steps are given to show that there is hope for every financial situation.

Matthew 6:19 (NKJ)
The Real
We are living with the dangerous problem of belonging to a system that was designed to keep us oppressed. This system makes sure we are always the borrower and never the lender. Someone has their foot against the scale and are stacking the deck against you because the system is designed to make sure the rich get richer at the expense and exploitation of those who have the least. We have a massive debt problem in America and its harmfully affecting our households, churches, and communities.

The Climb
Special Guest: Ms. Dorothea Bernique
Increasing H.O.P.E Financial Training Center

Dorothea is the founder and Executive Director of Increasing H.O.P.E (Helping Others Prosper Economically) Financial Training Center.   As an Accredited Financial Counselor Dorothea has been affectionately called a “financial guru”, as she and the agency have trained individuals in the Lowcountry to effectively manage their monies, so they may have more choices in life decisions – which, she says, is the beginning of financial freedom. 
Increasing H.O.P.E. developed from a vision to help people that struggled with their finances. The mission of Increasing H.O.P.E is to create financial freedom and stability for families in South Carolina by building assets through financial education, training and community development.  Increasing H.O.P.E’s Financial Training Center operates as a one-stop educational resource, providing integrated services to help low- to moderate-income families and individuals to achieve financial stability and build assets. With 14 years of proud community service, Increasing H.O.P.E. has held 303 classes, taught 3213 individuals financial education, prepared 2023 tax returns, assisted with 312 foreclosure bailouts, helped create 20 homeowners, and completed the renovation of our second affordable housing property in 2017. Increasing H.O.P.E.’s total impact equates to over $9 million impact for the community and region.

The Takeaway
There is hope for every financial situation.
There are tools to help you climb your mountain.
Discipleship requires discipline.

Sources: 
https://time.com/5662626/student-loans-repayment/
https://prosperitynow.org/blog/what-weve-learned-about-debt-black-communities
https://www.povertyusa.org/facts
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education-postsecondary/reports/2018/05/23/451186/neglected-college-race-gap-racial-disparities-among-college-completers/

Sponsors:
www.micahthomascreative.com
Mad Max Music @tmarsh799
www.mythreesonsofcharleston.com

This episode discusses the various biblical passages that show the importance of mountaintop experiences. These texts express the spiritual inspiration behind the name mountaintop manna and provide the structure for future episodes. 

Noah, Mt. Ararat (Genesis 8)
Abraham, Mt. Moriah (Genesis 22)
Moses, Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19)
Moses, Mt. Pisgah/Mt. Nebo (Deuteronomy 34)
Jesus, Mt. Hermon/Mt. Tabor (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8, Luke 9:28–36, 2 Peter 1:16–18)
Jesus, Mt. Olivet (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42)


Sponsors:
www.micahthomascreative.com
Mad Max Music @tmarsh799
www.mythreesonsofcharleston.com

Tune in to our new podcast starting on January 17, 2020. 

Mountaintop Manna is a family friendly podcast that focuses on Faith, Family, Finance, and Fitness with tons of fun mixed into every episode. 

Host: Rev. Dr. Byron L. Benton

The Rev. Dr. Byron L. Benton is the Senior Pastor of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church located in North Charleston, South Carolina. He is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina and a proud graduate of NC A&T State University. Pastor Benton completed his Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, New Jersey) and has a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Eastern University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
 Pastor Benton is passionate about empowering individuals, families, and communities to live spiritually, mentally and physically healthy lives. He works closely with public and private institutions, serves on and advises various boards, and speaks across the country on critical issues that impact families. He formerly served as pastor of Berean Baptist Church of Raleigh, North Carolina and associate pastor of Berean Baptist Church of Brooklyn, New York. Pastor Benton is married to the former Yasmeen Hadaway and they have three beautiful daughters- Arianna and Mayara and Zaya.