Hi, my name is Karris and welcome to my blog! I’ve been agonizing over this blog for the last four years. I felt God telling me to write, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually sit down and write anything. What will I say? What will I call it? Will people read it? Do people like me? Am I smart enough to write a blog? And the questions and thoughts of doubt kept coming. The fear of what would happen if I sat down and shared my thoughts has haunted me for years.
However, 2016 has been a different kind of year for me. I’ve been working with a professional counselor “of some sort or another” for the last four years and working through a lot of my issues.
Yes, I have issues!
I’ve been praying and asking God to reveal his will for my life. I’ve been intentional about clearing the clutter in my head and making room to actually HEAR GOD when he speaks to me. I’ve been removing items from my “to do list” and slowing down so I can actually SEE GOD at work in my life.
I’ve been amazed at how visible God is when I slow down and make room for Him.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen in this blog. I’m not sure what I’m going to write. But God knows. And today I’m surrendering my life to His will. I’m not thinking about five or ten years from now. I’m taking the next step and simply writing this blog!
I’ve been spending the last few months thinking about what to call this blog. And it finally came to me…
There’s an interesting story behind my name. I won’t get into the whole story right now – that’s my next blog post, but I will tell you one thing. The word “Karris” in Greek is pronounced (khar’-ece) and spelled Charis. It is defined in the Strong Concordance as “kindness which bestows upon one what he has not deserved” or as church folk say, “unmerited favor”. When I think over the last 40 years I see God’s grace, his “unmerited favor”, all throughout my life. I’m so grateful!
So, for right now, my blog is called Charis (khar’-ece): Living in God’s Grace. My prayer for this blog is simply that God will have His way in me and through me and that He will use my life: my failures, my successes, my weaknesses, my strengths, and my issues to inspire and encourage others to live everyday in His Grace.
I invite you to join me along this journey.
karris
Family
Karris is married to Calvin “Linc” Jackson, Jr. and has two daughters; Olivia and Deborah; an adult son, Derrick; and a grandson, Antonio. She resides in Coraopolis, PA which is a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA.
Professional Bio
Karris M. Jackson is currently Vice President of Programs at POISE Foundation, a community foundation focused exclusively on supporting the African American community. Ms. Jackson’s responsibilities include managing the Foundation’s grant making portfolio, convening community stakeholders and advancing the foundation’s mission through public policy, leadership and advocacy. She has a strong desire to push the boundaries of philanthropy to be more inclusive and effective at addressing issues impacting the Black community.
Ms. Jackson holds a BA in English from Allegheny College, a MS in Secondary School Administration from Duquesne University and a Certificate in Non-profit Management from Harvard University. She is a founding member of the Sankofa Fund Giving Circle, the African American Funders Group of Southwestern, PA, the 2012-2013 ABFE Connecting Leaders Fellows Class and a graduate of Leadership Pittsburgh XXV. She has received numerous awards including the 2014 Emerging Leader in Philanthropy Award from the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Pittsburgh Magazine’s 40 under 40, the New Pittsburgh Courier’s 50 Women of Excellence and the Pittsburgh Pirates Community Champion Award.