Uncategorized

Book Review: “Destiny: Step into Your Purpose”

Published

10 years ago

August 10, 2015

Around work, you’ve gotten a reputation as the go-to person for certain things. Everybody has a talent; yours happens to be on the job.

People know you’re good, they utilize your ability, and you don’t mind. It’s not a big deal to you, but could there be more to it? T.D. Jakes thinks so, and in his new book “Destiny: Step into Your Purpose,” he shows how your talents may reveal a new path.

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In the moments after leaving a meeting with Coretta Scott King some years ago, T.D. Jakes began to ponder something she’d said about destiny. He “lived a life to which [he] felt drawn.” That kind of success, he knew, was attainable for everyone.

You have talents that are inherent inside you, says Jakes. You may not understand them. You may call them God-given, dumb luck, or fate, but those talents are your destiny and “…people must learn to live genuine lives that allow them to perform the… tasks they are gifted to do.”

In following your destiny, remember that it’s a process. That doesn’t mean things can’t happen quickly, but it’s unlikely.

Time will give you the chance to grow and learn to use your talents to their utmost; just be patient and understand that few things happen when it’s convenient.

Meanwhile, gather all the skills you can get, which “may be just what you need to propel you…” And remember that “the only reason we have steps is to get us to a higher level.”

Learn to prioritize, not just in your tasks but in your relationships, your finances, and in your dreams. Don’t “fix every problem that comes across your radar.” Know how to handle situations that are important, and “leave behind small thinking.”

Don’t confuse who you are with what you do. Remember that pain and failure are part of the journey, but don’t let them deter you from your destiny and don’t waste a second of your life.

And remember that “Sometimes the best hello to a new opportunity is the good-bye you gave to a dead situation.”

As I see it, there are two main aspects that set “Destiny” apart from other books that line the business shelves at the library or bookstore: it’s perhaps not surprisingly quite faith-based, and it’s very surprisingly quiet in its steadfastness.

Author T.D. Jakes is almost laser-focused-insistent in his urgings for readers, in fact, and that’s not a bad thing. Jakes’ words feel like a giant hand on your back, like an industrial magnet pulling toward success and his advice, though sometimes repetitive, is startlingly intense.

Again, that’s not a distraction, but there was one thing that did bother me: I saw words on responsibility but not much about what to do if a destiny is misread or, if chased, turns sour.

And so, though I liked this book quite a bit, I would’ve liked to see more of balance. Still, I can’t argue with pages and pages of fierce inspiration and direction – and that alone could make “Destiny” your go-to book.

“Destiny: Step into Your Purpose” by T.D. Jakes, c. 2015, Faith Words, $25.00, 255 pages.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

12 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.