women%27s frontline magazine issue 17 issue 17

WOMEN'S FRONTLINEWOMEN'S FRONTLINE

My mothers death sentMy mothers death sentme into a depressionme into a depression

WWandaanda FFloydloydINTERVIEWINTERVIEW

ISSUE 17 / JUNE 2016

RISINGRISINGFROM FROM

THE ASHESTHE ASHES''When, my divorce''When, my divorce

ended and I ended and I realized that with himrealized that with him

went all my went all my money and ability tomoney and ability to

care for mycare for my two children two children under 5under 5

SHE SAID SHEHATED ME!

''and this is where itgets interesting''

WHEN LIFE GETS ALL CLOGGED UP''with disorder comeschaos, and simplicity isout the window''

magazinecelebrating the spirit within

RISING FROM THE ASHES

THE PURPOSE OF ME ''a woman trying to findher purpose is like a novicetrying to run a marathon''

HE HIT ME!''The feelings thatreturned in thatmoment on the floorwere hell ''

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Women's Frontline Magazine is adigital christian magazine thatbelieves that anyone can be awriter. There are so manyimages we acquire as wemeander through life. Everyimage has a story that is real. Bywriting down our life's events,we too become writers of ourown story that can encourageand uplift many along the way.

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IN THISISSUE

8 She said she hated me 16 Interview with Wanda Floyd 28 When life gets clogged up 32 Rising from the ashes 36 Rising from the ashes my story 42 He hit me 50 Yet I arise 54 Discovering your talent 60 The purpose of me 64 The press 66 The joyful life

Hildah Lunding is the Founder of Women'sInternational Prayer Circle, a women'sministry pioneered to encourage anduplift women to find their purpose in lifethrough the transforming power of theword of God. She is also Founder/Publisher of Women's Frontline Magazine.Hildah enjoys writing and connectingwith others that have the same passion.She is married and resides in Denmarkwith her husband and children.

SHE SAID SHEHATED ME!

WHAT just happened??? I’m literally writing this momentsafter this exchange. And, I’m a mix of super stoked tocompletely humbled and on theverge of falling into a heap of messy,snotty tears. I won’t butter this up for you. I justwon’t. This world is full of way toomuch of that. I’m a tell-it-like-it-is-kinda-girl and my walk with God isjust that. So, when I tell you this story, knowit’s coming straight from the gut ofmy being – all the messy, all theredeemed – you’re getting a FULLmixed bag tonight. So here it is. It’s the day after Thanksgiving. Awonderful holiday that we (should)enjoy with loved ones. Those who

we dearly love and those who webelieve love us in return. I’m a fan of this season. Not gonnalie. I’m a sucker for all thingssentimental. I wake up Thanksgivingmorning (and Christmas too) with anexpectation of how it’s going to be.Of the people I’ll get to see and theconversations that will be had. I dream of all the sweet littlemoments created throughout theday that will warm my heart foryears to come. (I know. It alreadysounds like a sappy greeting card. *SIGH*) The only problem is this little thingcalled family. A family is made up of people. Wounded, breakable, people. People who are imperfect. People who are hurting. And whooften can hurt me.

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I had an encounter with one of thosepeople. One who I love more than IEVEN know how to explain. I’d givemy right arm for this girl. And, I’venot done anything wrong (that I knowof) to her. But, she is wounded…. And, I did something she didn’t like. Innocently, but still she was irritated. She spoke unkindly. And wouldn’t stop. I set a firm boundary without beingangry or crazy. And, then it happened. She exploded. Onto me.

She said the words that only happento me in nightmares. She said she hated me.And this is where it gets interesting. I look over at my husband who isready to call in a firing brigade todefend me. I look to my little oneswho are shocked and confused. Then,I look in the eyes of this person whois filled with so much anger… For a still moment it’s quiet. They are all looking at me. Waiting to see how I will respond. Now, I can tell you how I would’ve

Anna McCarthy is apublished author,speaker and blogger.She and her husbandare currently servingas youth directors andshare the joy ofraising fourdaughters.

said some defensive comment andstormed off. Or I would’ve said somewoe is me kinda response to reallymake them feel guilty for what theysaid. Then I would’ve retreated and falleninto a heap of tears begging God toshow me what was wrong with me.Screaming at heaven as to why thisperson hated me and what I haddone to deserve it. All of my old wounds would’ve madean ugly appearance and I would’vecowered away to lick my wounds formonths…possibly until the nextThanksgiving. That is how it would’ve gone. Just being honest. But, this time was different. Verydifferent. In that moment of quiet, a peacerested on me that wasuncomfortable. And, onlyuncomfortable because it was new.But, I soon was VERY okay with it. I looked in her eyes and I wasunmoved. Not in stubbornness. Not inarrogance. Not in some weird self-righteousness stance. I was unmovedin love.

THAT was new.She quickly got uncomfortable andleft the room. I then saw the faces of my little ones.Their faces filled with a millionquestions that would’ve sent me intoa mom-guilt frenzy. But, instead, I calmly I turned to themand explained what God calls us tohate (ie: hate what is evil, cling towhat is good) We are to hate evil. Not people. (Itwas a great teaching opportunity Imight add. Thank you Holy Spirit)Once my kids saw I was okay, theywere fine and Zac eventuallysimmered down. My kids saw that I was unphased bythat behavior, heard me speak thetruth of God’s word and rise abovethe atmosphere that she hadattempted to create. Holy cow.Pretty cool. Again, didn’t see that coming. But, here’s where I got completelywrecked by God’s awesomeness. This is where it gets SO good.

SHE SAID SHEHATED ME

She approached me later toapologize. Which I thanked her for.And again, old me would’ve seizedthat opportunity to utterly chastiseher for her ridiculous behavior. (I canONLY imagine WHAT my crazy selfwould have said. Oh Jesus…) But, I’ve learned. I’ve learned to allow the Holy Spirit topotter me and not my circumstances.I refuse to give them the right toshape and mold me. And, in thatmoment I clung to Him witheverything I had. Before I EVEN KNEW WHAT I WASSAYING, scripture came pouring outof me. (And, not condemningscripture to make me feel right andher feel wrong. That’s just gross) But,life-giving truth came out of me.Wisdom from God’s word that INEVER would’ve had if left to my owndevices. The Holy Spirit was firing truth out of

me like a nerf gun. It was awesome. She softened. She listened. After she left, Zac asked me how I wasdoing. People, I promised I wouldn’tbutter this up. I kid you not, this iswhat I actually said: I don’t allow people to define meanymore. I know who I am in Christ….Ireally know it. And, you can spit onme, you can call me names, you canlaugh at me and you can even say youhate me – but all you’re going to getout of me is love. WHAT?! Zac threw his arms around me andjust started laughing, saying howAMAZING GOD IS because only Godcould be behind a change that drasticin his wife

Women's Frontline Magazine

I then started doing something evencrazier. I started SINGING PRAISE SONGS. Seriously. Who is this person???! Like, I couldn’t stop myself. They justkept coming out of me. And I wassmiling. Genuinely filled with joy. As I sat down to write this, a wave ofgratitude flooded me nearlyknocking me down with tears.Because, guys, this is freedom. I’mfree from myself. From my owninsecurities, from my ownshortcomings – when you’re freefrom that, no one can shake you. Not even someone you love tellingyou they hate you. When a deep, wounded place of mypast was poked, all that came outwas love – because Jesus hasredeemed that place. And no one canreside there other than Him.

Hallelujah…. As I processed this with God, heshowed me that this is fruit of whathappens when we go all in with Him.When we allow the freedom of thegospel to penetrate EVERY ounce ofour lives – when we refuse to holdanything back from him, HE DELIVERSON EVERY PROMISE. Like, joy instead of sorrow? Yeah, I’mliving that in REAL TIME.And, I’m seeing that when HE is whatyou’re seeking above everythingelse, loving those who persecute youisn’t something you struggle with. It’shonestly really easy. Like, it’d beharder for me to be full of anger andrage right now than love. It’s just notinside of me. Jesus is inside of me. And he wantsout. I still have a ways to go on thisjourney. I want more of this. I craveHim.

Women's

magazine

Our theme this month of June is aboutrising from the ashes. No matter wherewhere we find ourselves in life today; inbrokeness, loss, sickness or sorrow, you canrise above every circumstance that has cometo threaten your well being. In this place ofashes where everything dies, God raises usup so that our true beauty and true selfemerges.The bible says that all who are afflicted,burderned, brokenhearted and heavy will begiven comfort. They will be given an''ornament of beauty instead of ashes and agarment of praise instead of sorrow.'' On the June cover, is Wanda Floyd who is asingle mother raising eight children andresides in the USA. Wanda's story is abouthow she overcame depression due to the lossof her mother, to become a happy balancedwoman filled with God's purpose for her life. Though we are challenged somewhere in ourlife's journey, God always has a plan for us torise from the ash and impact our world. It has been an honour to interview Wandaand may her story encourage and uplift you,wherever you find yourself today.....

INTERVIEWWITHWANDAFLOYD

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interviewby Hildah LundingFounder

“ My desire is tobe holy andacceptable. As aworship leader,I want to fulfillGods purpose. Iwould love to doa worship CD.But not just anyCD. Whenpeople listen toit, God willmove in such away that peoplewill be healed,''

INTERVIEW

My name is Wanda Floyd. Iam the mother of 8 beautifulchildren. (Hahaha, yes they are allmine.) I am a cosmetologist, licensed for22 years, the owner of InspirationalCutz and Design Haircare Center andICD Phase II Training Academy. I aman educator and trainer.At my church, I serve as the assistantto our Music Pastor and I am aworship leader. I have 3 passions inlife, praise and worship, my industryand my children. WFMTell us about your hopes, dreamsand aspirations

I love God. So spiritually my hopes,dreams and aspirations are first tobe kept. So many are living acompromised lifestyle and areperfectly fine with it. My desire is to be holy andacceptable. As a worship leader, Iwant to fulfill Gods purpose. Id loveto do a worship CD. But not just anyCD. When people listen to it, Godwill move in such a way that peoplewill be healed, delivered and setfree.

In my industry, my desire is toeducate. I want every stylist,barber and student even salonowners to know the value of beingbalanced and professional. Theschools are doing their studentsdisservice. The schools are merely preparingthe students for stateboard. Theygive them enough to get by. Theyaren't making sure the studentsare balanced in every area. Yes itsup to them to continue to beeducated once they graduate andbecome licensed. However, manystudents leave not having enoughexperience in or being taught: 1. All hair textures

2. How to look for a job3. Having full understanding ofbooth rental vs commission4. How to properly handle theirfinances5. Customer service6. Professionalism7. Seek mentors and coaches in theindustry and business These are areas I want to tackle.This is why I started ICD Phase IITraining Academy. So to assist inthis, i've written a book entitled:" Brains and Beauty. 4 things theydidn't teach us in beauty school."My goal is to be able to speak,teach and train all of the world.

WANDAFLOYD

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WFMWhat are the challenges andrewards of being a single mom of8? It's very challenging because it's2 separate groups(meaning agedifference) and 8 differentpersonalities.One of my biggest concerns israising my sons. I can raise themto be respectful and teach themhow to treat women by beingmindful how they treat theirsisters. But I can not teach themhow to be men. I also feel guilty or like im a badmother at times because I haveto work so much. And because imnot able to give them some of

the things they want. But when Ilook at pictures of them or I hearthem singing together, I realizethings dont really matter. Yesthey are nice. But all my kidsreally want most days is for meto be home with them, watchinga movie. Or even if they are inthe room with me and im soundasleep, that means more thananything to them.

WFMHave you found yourpurpose? Yes I have found my purpose.My purpose is to worshipGod through song. As I do so,God is going to heal, deliverand set free His people. Toeducate, train and equipstylist, barbers, students andsalon owners in the beautyindustry.

''I also feel guilty or like Iam a bad mother attimes because I have towork so much.''

WFMHaving shared that, can you share yourstory. I am the youngest of 2 children. I havean older brother named Lamont. Myparents Melvin and Marie Floyd wereamazing parents. My father was raisedin the south. Waxahachie Texas. to beexact. Raised poor, during segregation.He left home at 18 and joined theservice determined to becomesomething. My mother was raised inCumberland Maryland, in a not so hardenvironment as my father. My motherwas also what they called back then,"high yellow". So she had a bettereducation and upbringing than myfather did. When they got married shewas far past child bearing years, sothey adopted my brother and me. My mother made sure that my brotherand I was well rounded. She taught useverything from proper table setting toetiquette. She taught us how to hold awine and brandy glass correctly andhow to properly taste wine. I knowsomeone just fell out of their seats!!!She did that with her children? Yes, shedid. She always said that she wantedher children to be refined. She wantedus to be able to fit into any situation.She was preparing us for life. She would sit me down and read to meabout 7 course meals and explain tome what they do after each course etc.Those memories were precious. Andyes I was daddy's little girl!!! He took usto the park, purchased my barbies and

cooked for me. My dad was a chef!!! Yesim very proud of my parents. We wereconsidered middle class I guess. All Iknew was my mom was a homemakerand my dad worked hard. At age 16 my life changed forever. Mymom suffered from a heart condition.And when I was 16 she had a massiveheart attack that put her in a commaand she never came out. I was alreadystruggling with wanting to go to schoolbecause I was having problems in a fewclasses. At the time I really didn't knowhow to ask for help. My mothers death sent me into adepression. I couldn't even cry. I didntwant to do anything other than go tochurch. Eventually the depression wonand I dropped out of school. But I neverstopped going to church. Neverstopped singing. Never stopped lovingGod. It was my relationship with Godthat kept me. It was my ability to sing toHim that helped to pull me out of thatdepression and eventually what led tomy healing. There were times in my life where thepain was so great or the trial so hard, orthe situation almost unbearable, thatonly my ability to sing to my savior gotme through it. Sometimes with a tearstained face and a cracky voice, I stillmanaged to cry out a song to Him andHe sustained me. Which is why today Iam a worship leader. Praise andworship are my heart.

WFMWhat roles do you play and how havethey built your character and presenceas a woman? I am mother, sister, aunt and friend.Being in these roles have taught mestrength, integrity, loyalty and genuinelove. Women have the ability to bemany things to many people at manydifferent times. I love the fact as awoman I can be kind, gentle, sweet andsensitive all while being strong andresilient. WFMHow do you balance your time in your

different roles? Honestly, some days its not easy tobalance my time in the different roles inmy life. There are days when somethinggoes lacking. But that's when you goback to God for help. I really am nothingwithout Him. He will lead you and guideyou if you let Him. So I count on His helpto ensure everything stays balanced.

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''There weretimes in my lifewhere the painwas so great orthe trial so hard,or the situationalmostunbearable, thatonly my abilityto sing to mysavior..''

WFM Do you believe that women arestepping up to be a positiveinfluence in their homes,communities and society? I strongly and most certainly believewomen are stepping up. We havebeen forced to. Many of us have hadto begin to do that which wasoriginally looked at as a male role orposition. In our homes most aresingle mothers, placed in the role ofbeing both mother and father. Weare raising daughters and sons. Theunfortunate truth to this fact is, aswomen, we can not teach our son'show to be a men. We can only teachthem from a woman's perspective onwhat we think a man is. We're doingit and have been doing on a dailybasis. But I believe these young men

grow up missing something veryvaluable.You are beginning to see even morewomen being valuable resources inour communities and society. Menhave led our world. But if you wantto get something done, put a womenin charge of it. Women have adifferent type of "fight" in them. Thatmight have a lot to do with how Godcreated us. Proverbs 31: speaksabout a woman that is a shredblessing to her home, husband andher children. She's a businesswoman, she is a seamstress, a realestate agent, and an investor. Shehelps the needy. She is a strongwoman who carries herself withdignity and speaks with wisdom. Sheis publicly praised. Isn't this what weare witnessing today?


WANDA FLOYDWANDA FLOYDWFMDo you think that women are reallyunderstanding their roles in thechurch today ? So its hard to answer that question.We understand what has been taughtto us by other women. However, somethings need to be taught over. Forexample: being single and preparingfor marriage. The church has messedup our mindset when it comes tomarriage and our roles as wives. If I hear one more reference to Ruthand Boaz or Ester im going toscream!!!!Forget about that!!! Go all the wayback to the garden. We need to lookat Eve and ask God to make us likeEve. But help us not to make the samemistake. Eve came equipped. She wasprepared for the role as helpmeetwhile inside of Adam. She wasfamiliar with Gods voice and Adamsvoice. She knew what Adam needed, sheknew his likes and dislikes. She knewhis weaknesses etc. Why? Becauseshe was there when he was formed.She was him. So if our prayer is Godmake me like Eve, make me in yourimage and likeness, we dont have todeal with all that foolishness of beinglike Ruth waiting for Boaz. That was a

business deal anyway! And Boaz wasold and dies soon after they getmarried. If you do it from the garden,theres no need to prepare for a yearlike Ester. You come prepared andready like Eve! WFM Is your faith a foundation forbecoming who you are today? My faith is everything!! God has beenthe delight of my heart since I was achild. He has been my constantcompanion. My faith in God is the veryreason why I am here today. LiterallyGod has kept me. And I love Him for it. WFMWhere do you see yourself and rolesof women in the next five years? In 5 years I see myself singingworship in different churches all overthe world and walking in my ministry. Iwill have written several books.Speaking to women about lovingthemselves and walking in theirdestiny. I will also be speaking,educating and training at differentindustry events across the UnitedStates.


WHEN LIFE GETS CLOGGED UP

One day my niece Ladayshaput on her Facebook profile askingthe question “am I the only personwho feels like if their room/area/house isn't together and organizedthen certain parts of their life arealso unorganized and nothing goesas smoothly as it could?” Then she proceeded to say, “soundscrazy but that's just how my brainoperates, but now that my room isclean/organized again I feel better.When I read this information, I beginto think about my own life, and howat times, it can get disorderly,chaotic, and down rightunmanageable. Then I startedthinking more globally with people,women in general and decided torespond back to her, and it started adiscussion that makes me to knowthat we all desire order in our lives,but sometimes life just gets cloggedup. For those of you who commute, havechildren, demanding, life that seemsto have wheels that won’t stop, thenI am hoping that this article speaksto you. I realized, and as I ncouraged

me niece to know that with disorder,comes chaos, and simplicity is outthe window. It is my belief and myexperience that order createssimplicity, which in my opinion iswhy most people even me at times,are working too hard to accomplishthings. The culprit: DISORDER. This leaves usfeeling overworked, not fulfilled,always feeling shut down, tired,overwhelmed, fatigued, and alwaysdistracted. This distraction is the very thing thatstarts the clog up that takes place inour life. We turn our heads awayfrom what we are doing andsomething else gets in that space,and now we are 1 thing away fromcompleting our targeted thing. Thenwe move on in life, and allowanother distraction. So now there aretwo things in our way of our desiredgoal. Before we know we are 5distractions deep and our life isclogged up with stuff. Here are somethings that you can think about whenyou need to unclog your day:

by Lakita D. Long

The desire for order

1. Identify your true purpose for theday (complete all task at work, orclean your house) 2. Put a time frame on the task (3hours (9am-12pm) 3. Don’t stop the task until the timeframe is up. 4. Try not to multi-task things thatyou have identified as important,just complete the task first, leavingno room for procrastination 5. Make yourself a priority, and dosteps 1 through 4 all over again withyou in mind.

Just like you would use drano to fixyour sink or call a plumber to unclogyour toilet, you need something tounclog your life, and the greatestthing that I can think of is time, andpriority. The next time you havegirltalk, with your friends, ask themhave theyunclogged their life, and then sharewith them how to do it. It works,because I am doing it right now. Dr. Lakita’s Inspiring Thought: Yourability to see past your own errors, isthe beginning of your sight beingfully on God and not on you.

Lakita D. LongSpeaker, Coach,Success Strategist &Thought Engineer

For those blessed by theLord shall inherit the land,but those cursed by himshall be cut off.Psalm 37:22

There is a spiritualplace where you can get to that is aplace like Petra. Petra is a famoushistorical place in Jordan. It is aprotected place with a narrowentrance. Therefore, when you areinside the fortress, it can be well-guarded – and you are safe from yourenemies. This is where God wantsyou to be when you are goingthrough the storms of life – safe withHim and knowing He is guarding youand keeping you safe. You canworship Him and enjoy His presencewhen you are in this place. I can’t say it’s always easy to stay inthat state of “trust” in God – but, I

believe that is just where He wants usto be and calls us there where He canminister to us. Our difficulties areeasy to Him. Don’t you wish you hadan easy button to push sometimes tosolve things instantly? It doesn’talways workthat way, does it? Some things take alonger time for God to work it all outtogether for good. As I go through cancer treatment, Heis with me . . . all the way! He neverleaves me or forsakes me. He hasbrought so many new people into mylife and old friends are close by. And,yet, The Great Physician – I believe –has already healed me, and myhealing is manifesting over time. Ipraise God for my life and the life ofmany others in this hour that Our Lordand Savior Christ Jesus is causingproblems in our bodies to come tolight to be healed! That’s a gift thatHe wants us to receive!

RISINGFROMTHEASHES

I’m on display at churches, doctor’soffices, and in the marketplace.People are observing the goodnessof God in my life. And, this hascaused me to have manyopportunities to talk about my loveof the Lord and give out books I’vewritten so that The Word is stillgoing out. On the receiving end thistime, people have ministered to myhusband and I, cooked meals for us,prayed for us, and encouraged us! The initial word of my trial came as ashock. The enemy wanted to bringme to ashes and wanted me tobelieve that all was over; howeverGod says otherwise, the doctors andnurses say otherwise, as do myfriends and those seeing me rise –despite it all. To be truthful, I have agood prognosis and the Spirit of Godis pushing me forward to keep going!I humbly submit my ordeal to you,knowing that everyone is goingthrough something. I believe that God will help you inyour trials all along the way. He willguide you! He will keep you . . . if youkeep your eyes on Him. I’m prayingfor each one reading this article, thatGod’s presence will surround youand that the inner witness of the

Holy Spirit will keep you in perfectpeace. Will there be tears? Unbelief? Fears?Vain imaginations? Probably! Mostlikely the enemy will send an arsenalagainst you at times to test yourfaith. The Holy Spirit will be there tocomfort, teach, and guide youthrough! When you getoverwhelmed, go to Petra – the placeof thanksgiving, worship, singing,dancing, clapping, shouting . . . andreceiving the love of Father God, whosees you perfect through the bloodof Jesus. Your Savior Christ Jesusknows what you need, because asman He went through too. And, precious Holy Spirit is rightthere ready to remind you of whoyou are in Christ and just what greatauthority you have to pray and watchthe atmosphere change. At everyopportunity that you have tosuccumb and turn to ashes, turn toGod and rise!!!!! Hebrew 11:6 – He that cometh to Godmust believe that he is, and that he isa rewarder of them that diligentlyseek Him.

by Mary Eisenacheris a minister, author and song writer, andFounder of Call of the Wild Ministries,Inc. - an Apostolic Revivalist Ministrywith the Mission: “Helping OthersAnswer God’s Call.” Her mandate is tohelp others get prepared for The GreatCommission.

4 iMagazine / April, 2013

When a tornadosweeps through the town it leavesnothing but rubble and debris behind.When a house becomes ablaze andthe firefighters can barely put it outall we are left to see is the ashes ofwhat was once there. Sometimes, ourlife resembles the debris of a tornadoor the ashes of a fire and we start towonder how can we rebuild, how willwe be able to make anything out ofthis mess? When, my divorce ended and Irealized that with him went all mymoney and ability to care for my twochildren under 5; especially since hewiped out my bank account andremoved my access to his, I definitelysat for a while trying to figure out

how or if things would ever turnaround. All I could see was dark skies,gray clouds and rain pouring down onme even though it was the middle ofsummer in Sunny California. Iimmediately applied for welfare,because I had to feed my kids, but Iknew that no matter what they gaveme it wasn’t going to be enough for usto live. We barely survived on what theygave me. After a few months ofseparating from my husband, I foundmyself with no place to live. I wasnow homeless, jobless and full ofdespair. As much as I wanted to tellmyself that one day things would getbetter, one day things would turnaround it was really hard to believethat when I was sleeping on a futon inmy mother’s living room or staying inthe hotels that welfare gave mevouchers for.

by Ms. Jennifer Pink

RISINGFROM THEASHES..my story

I can tell you that my today looksNOTHING like my yesterday. Forstarters, I have three kids, but I alsohave a great career where I makeenough money to take care of myfamily and fund my business dreams. Ihave a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroomapartment that is just enough roomfor my family of 4. I have a car that Idon’t have to worry about someonerepossessing or not starting in themorning. My kids eat every day, they have cleanclothes and are spoiled beyond belief.Well, they may have always beenspoiled, but you get the point I’mtrying to make. My life is

unrecognizable in comparison to theashes from which I once stood. I didn’tget to where I am by just wishing it, orjust hoping things would change; I hadto change, and I had to change my life. The number one thing I’ve learned inthis entire process is that the only wayanyone can rise from the ashes andmake something out of the debris thatis their life is to change themselves.I’m not talking about changing your zipcode, or rearranging your face or otherbody parts. I’m talking about diggingdeep, looking within and takingresponsibility and accountability foryour own mess.

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''I began todiscover mypassion andpurpose. Ibegan to tapinto thegreatnesswithin myselfand was able topull from thatversus pullingfrom otherpeople...''

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rising fromthe ashes

For me, I had to accept that I shouldhave never married my husband; Iknew he wasn’t the man for me. Ihave to accept that I was impulsiveand emotional and didn’t plan orprepare for my next step aftertelling my husband I was done. Ihad to look around at my situationand realize that even though he didthis or she did that or they didwhatever I was the only one incontrol of my own destiny andsituation. I had given all my poweraway to everyone else and when Idecided to take it back and do whatI needed to do for me and mychildren, things began to changefor me. I began to discover my passion andpurpose. I began to tap into thegreatness within myself and wasable to pull from that versus pulling

from other people, which is what Ihad been doing all along. If you aretrying to rise from the ashes of yourlife there’s only one thing you haveto do and that is work on YOU. Now, I’m not going to lie that can bea difficult task at times and hard toreally do the self-work, but youhave to. Although friends andfamily can be a great supportsystem sometimes when you’redoing the self-work they can be ahindrance, so take the time toinvest in an outside support group,a mentor or a coach. Make thedecision to do the work and thenfigure out what real help you needto get it done. If you're ready toStop Surviving and Start THRIVINGplease connect with me becausethis is what I do in women’s livesjust like you!

Ms. Jennifer Pink, Single Mom Sage, isdedicated to aiding single moms toSTOP Surviving and START THRIVING!She is the Chief Decision Maker atJVillage, Inc. where she overseesseveral companies including The P.I.N.K. Foundation, Sage Mentoring, SageNetwork, The J’s Sandbox and JKidsBoutique. She personally providessupportive resources and informationto empower and strengthen singlemoms, through her work with SageMentoring, the Single Moms Who PrayMinistry and The P.I.N.K. Foundation.

HE HIT ME!

I don’t want to write this. Like AT ALL. But, for the past few weeks, the Lordhas been waking me up at nightchurning in me to write about this. Because He’s in love with us. He’s in love with me. He’s in love with you. And this is something I can’t be quietabout. So (deep breath) here it goes… Many years ago (I won’t get into howlong ago – you might think I’m old) Iwas in a relationship with a guy I wascrazy about. He was everything Iwanted. Except….he had a temper. And

at times would become violent. The outbursts weren’t horrible at first(well, maybe they were but I was tooyoung to understand what washappening at the time). Each time theybecame more and more violent. Morescary. More threatening. Moredamaging – emotionally and physically. But, I loved him. And I believed he loved me. Round and round we went until Ieventually left him. It’s been a LONG time. I’ve healed. I’ve forgiven. I’ve chosen tolove. I’ve moved on.

Anna McCarthy is a publishedauthor, speaker and blogger.She and her husband arecurrently serving as youthdirectors and share the joy ofraising four daughters.

But, two years ago when I waspregnant with my youngest, Istruggled with low blood sugar andone morning I passed out. I was in the bathroom when ithappened. Apparently, I hit the cornerof the sink and wall on the way down.My face was pretty beat up. When I came to, I was disoriented. I didn’t know where I was. All I felt wasthe cold tile on my face and theswelling pain in my body. I hadn’t felt that way since…. I started to shake and scream and cryhysterically. Zac rushed in, picked me up andfrantically called the doctor. While he was getting ice packs andtalking to the nurse on the phone, I satmotionless on the couch. He kepttrying to talk to me, but I couldn’ttalk… I was quiet for a long time. Eventually, he took me to the hospitalto have the baby checked out andmake sure everything was okay. I remained pretty quiet. But, random tears continued to fallthroughout the day…I wish I could explain to you what I wasfeeling. I wish I could’ve explained itto Zac. The feelings that returned inthat moment on the floor were hell –one that nearly shattered me so manyyears ago.

(And, please don’t email me and askme who it was, how old I was, etc. I’veforgiven them and I love them. Idecided long ago that I would notdamage their reputation or air theirdirty laundry. So please don’t ask):) BUT, I share this part of my life to laythe groundwork for this blog… Over the years, God has brought manywomen into my life who have dealtwith abuse. Many specifically who aremarried to men who are violent. I hate this. I hate that this happens. I hate telling you that this happens inchurch. In Christian families. But it does. One particular woman called me inhysterics after her husband violentlyattacked her children. But, I was hersecond phone call. Her first call was to her pastor. His recommendation was for them tocome together for marriage counseling(with him) to focus on “restoration”.(All while her husband is going crazybeating her child in the background)No mention of safety. No mention tocall the police. Nothing.

Women's Frontline Magazine

But, I’ve also watched these womenrun to Jesus. I’ve watched him transform a frail,broken shell of a woman into a strongmighty warrior for the Kingdom ofGod. I’ve watched it happen. And it’sAWESOME. I know Jesus. I’ve seen Him heal, restore and freethese women and children. All that being said, do I believe Godcan restore a damaged marriage? Yes.Do I believe he can restore one thatincluded violence? Yes. But, not withthe victims remaining in the home. Restoration can happen if and only ifthe abuser seeks professional help(long term) and there is a strongnetwork of professionals involvedthat walk them through that process.And even then, it’s something thatshould be handled very cautiously. (If you or someone you know is inliving in fear, please contact thepolice. File a report and ask them to

refer to you a shelter for batteredwomen and children. It isn’tsomething to be ashamed of. Ithappens to the poor, to the wealthy,to the Christian, to the non-Christianalike. It is part of the broken world welive in) I love you. I champion you. Ichampion your story. And I pray thatwe ALL can open our eyes to thosearound us who may need us to helpthem find their voice. Speak up for those who cannot speakfor themselves, for the rights of allwho are destitute. Proverbs 31:8 Hugs (and kinda teary eyes), Anna PS: I mentioned earlier, please don’tuse this as a forum for theologicaldebate. Any comment you write couldbe read by a woman living in adangerous situation. These situationsare real. Please use sensitivity andunderstand that your words could bethe difference between her life anddeath.

Anna McCarthy

She ran and ended up on the other endof the phone with me. I walked her through calling the policeand following the appropriate steps togaining safety for herself and herchildren. But, sadly that pastor’s reaction isn’tunusual. Again, I don’t like writing this, because Ilove pastors. I love churches. But, this….this is something that is killing us. And it’s breaking our Father’s heart. The thing is, these pastors and churches,sincerely believe they are doing theright thing. They believe God hatesdivorce. And he does. But, they value themarriage as a greater priority than thepeople inside of the marriage. And when domestic violence is involved,it is so dangerous. I love you church. I love you men and women.

But we can do better. I once read a book called, Refuge APathway Out of Domestic Violence byDonald Stewart. He’s a veteran policeofficer and a Jesus lover. (FANTASTICbook btw) He shares countless accountsof domestic violence in the church andexposes a great need for understandingand protection for these women. He challenges the idea that manypastors hold to which is: divorce is onlybiblical when there has been maritalunfaithfulness or abandonment. He takes a strong biblical stance thatdomestic violence is biblicalabandonment. I agree with him. But, this isn’t an invitation for atheological debate. That is not thepurpose of this blog. The purpose is toopen your eyes to the women aroundyou who may be living in a cycle ofdomestic violence.

HE HIT ME

Anna McCarthy

They may be afraid to ask for help.They may have been told God wantsthem to stay. They may believe this isall God has for them and theirchildren. One of the women I walked throughdomestic violence wrote this afterfeeling abandoned by her church fornot returning to her husband. Shewrites to her husband, To the Abuser: Why did we leave? Most of the timeyou are a “normal” guy. There areeven times we have a lot of fun andlaugh. So it isn’t because you areawful all the time. You are not alwaysthat monster. Maybe 10% of the timeyou are an abuser. And at first lookthat doesn’t seem like a lot. And forawhile I was even wondering if I couldlive with the 10%. Should I throwaway the 90% for the 10? Did the10% justify leaving??? But then Irealized that after the 10% was overfor you, the tears and the blood werenot dry yet. The painful words are stilllingering. We were still in fear. In fearof the next time, wondering when andwhat would set off the next barrage.And I realized that your 10% becameour 100%. And that is enough to leaveover. I cry when I read this. I cry because it’s so real. It’s terrifying. It’s demonic.

And it’s not at all what God desires forhis daughters. He never intended us to live in a prisoncell of fear. Because He’s GOOD. Sweet sisters, God is GOOD. SO SOGOOD. He’s such a good Father. Wouldany good father regulate his childreninto living like this? Afraid of being hit.Afraid of watching your kids be hit, belocked outside at night or threatenedwith knives and other weapons if theyever tried to leave? NO. He wouldn’t. He doesn’t. He protects. He guards. He heals. Heloves. He provides rest. He providessafety. Because He’s GOOD. This is an outcry to challenge thechurch to walk like Jesus. Just read thegospels. Watch Jesus’ character. Whatdo you believe he would tell anabused, beat up woman seeking safetyfrom her abusive husband? I will say it again. He’s a GOOD FATHER. AN AWESOME FATHER.

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I’ve walked with these women. I’vesat in attorney’s offices with themwhile they shake trying to tell theirstory. I’ve been on the phone withthem while they cry. I’ve looked inthe eyes of children whose parentsleft them with black eyes andshattered trust. But, I’ve also watched these womenrun to Jesus. I’ve watched him transform a frail,broken shell of a woman into a strongmighty warrior for the Kingdom ofGod. I’ve watched it happen. And it’sAWESOME. I know Jesus. I’ve seen Him heal, restore and freethese women and children. All that being said, do I believe Godcan restore a damaged marriage? Yes.Do I believe he can restore one thatincluded violence? Yes. But, not withthe victims remaining in the home. Restoration can happen if and only ifthe abuser seeks professional help(long term) and there is a strongnetwork of professionals involvedthat walk them through that process.And even then, it’s something thatshould be handled very cautiously.

(If you or someone you know is inliving in fear, please contact thepolice. File a report and ask them torefer to you a shelter for batteredwomen and children. It isn’tsomething to be ashamed of. Ithappens to the poor, to the wealthy,to the Christian, to the non-Christianalike. It is part of the broken world welive in) I love you. I champion you. I championyour story. And I pray that we ALL canopen our eyes to those around us whomay need us to help them find theirvoice. Speak up for those who cannot speakfor themselves, for the rights of allwho are destitute. Proverbs 31:8 Hugs (and kinda teary eyes), Anna PS: I mentioned earlier, please don’tuse this as a forum for theologicaldebate. Any comment you write couldbe read by a woman living in adangerous situation. These situationsare real. Please use sensitivity andunderstand that your words could bethe difference between her life anddeath.

HE HIT ME Anna McCarthy

Arise from the dead “Wherefore he saith, Awake,thou that sleepest, and arisefrom the dead, and Christ shallshine upon thee.” Ephesians5:14 ASV To arise from the ashes is toresurrect in spirit, soul andbody. To emerge from spiritualdeath, to remain connectedwith Holy Spirit. To resurrectfrom in emotions, to besensitive, to feel, to be alive &awake in the body. It is tofunction fully as a wholeperson. Only when a womanawakes can she lay hold of thedream, the promised land. It iswhen the word of God isfulfilled in her life, “thy deadshall live; my dead bodies shallarise. Awake and sing, ye thatdwell in the dust; for thy dew isas the dew of herbs, and the

earth shall cast forth the dead.”Isaiah 26:19 ASV

Arise and eat "And he looked, and, behold,there was at his head a cakebaken on the coals, and a cruseof water. And he did eat anddrink, and laid him down again.”1 Kings 19:6 ASV When a woman is depressed, inashes, in sack cloth, she mustlike Elijah obey and feed herbody, only then can she enter ahigher plane of life. Ashes oflife become substance in thecoals to bake the sweet cake oflife. The journey requiresstrength & the body needs foodto keep up, and living word isthe food a woman must eatdaily. So she must arise and eat.

Yet I arise ~The gift of beautyfor ashes

Arise and go “Moses my servant is dead; nowtherefore arise, go over this Jordan,thou, and all this people, unto theland which I do give to them, evento the children of Israel.” Joshua 1:2ASV Land denotes riches & wealth, aplace of no lack, a place of peace. Aplace of dwelling, of comfort, of"nothing missing nothing broken"shalom. Land holds soil and in soil isfound life, nutrients, minerals, waterand all that is pertaining to life andgrowth.

This is what the promised land willyield for a woman that goes. Whenyour Moses is dead, the Joshua inyou must lead, you can not sitwaiting for the river to dry, you mustcross the Jordan and lay hold of thepromised land. Arise, let us go from here “but that the world may know that Ilove the Father, and as the Fathergave me commandment, even so Ido. Arise, let us go hence.” John14:31 ASV

Sandra MtandabariCPsychol FBPsSInternational speaker,writer, consultanttherapist, workshopfacilitator, trainer &expert witness,supervisor & mediatorbased in UK

To arise go to a land the Lord isgiving you, is to approach Histhrone room, where peace isfound. To enter in YOU must arise,you must emerge, you must comeout of the ashes, you must obeythe call, you step out in faith. Youmust exercise choice! You can nolonger daydream but must take aleap of faith, a leap out ofstagnation. In daydreaming, themind transcends into a place ofemptiness though filled withthoughts, the answer is to takecaptive of those dreams, allow theLord to turn those ashes to beauty,in the fulfilment of the dream. Awoman must leave her "here" toenter her "there".

Arise & shine “Arise, shine; for thy light is come,and the glory of Jehovah is risenupon thee." Isaiah 60:1 ASV The Lord gives beauty for ashes,He knows your toiling and whenyou obey His call, you defeat thedullness of drudgery, you shine

and He is glorified in your works.Though the works may be menial, itis in obedience thatmeaningfulness is manifested. Exercise authority ~ speak life As Elijah spoke to the dry bones inthe , a woman must speak life herevery circumstance; rejection,brokenness and disappointment. “Again he said unto me, Prophesyover these bones, and say untothem, O ye dry bones, hear theword of Jehovah." Ezekiel 37:4 .... enter the land I Am is giving you! And I will put my Spirit in you, andye shall live, and I will place you inyour own land: and ye shall knowthat I, Jehovah, have spoken it andperformed it, saith Jehovah." Ezekiel 14 ASV Woman arise! Diamonds & Pearls devotion

by Sandra Mtandabari


WOMEN'S FRONTLINE

DISCOVERINGYOUR TALENT

On June 11, 2002 thetelevision show American Idoldebuted as the newest sensationacross the nation. American Idolsolicits the best talent in the country,in hopes of discovering the next bigsinging sensation and star. To accomplish this, a panel of threejudges Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson,and Simon Cowell auditionthousands to find that talentedneedle in a haystack. The judges allpossess different personalities:Randy the hip encourager, Paula thefeel good nurturer, and of courseSimon the honest pessimist.

Thousands audition believing theyhave what it takes to be the nextAmerican Idol. Many of thecontestants have been singing andperforming since their childhood.While others have been in stageplays, showcases, and concerts. And some have received accoladesand awards for their vocalperformances. Most of the contestants displayexcellent vocals skills, however thereare some who at best were just notgood singers and at worst were justplain horrible!

by Brian D. Hunter


When presented with those who arenot so talented, Randy, and especiallyPaula are very gracious to even theworst singer, attempting to encourageand spare their feelings. But ourfriend Simon is always brutally honestwith the worst of contestants. Simon gives his honest synopsis ofthe horrible performance, and ofcourse some of the contestants beg todiffer with Simon’s opinion. For someof the contestants it is as if they arehearing for the very first time thatthey are horrible singers. Which maymean either they are “great” singersby their own admission. Or their family and friends who haveheard them sing, have not had theheart to be honest about their vocaltalents. Some of the contestants getso angry about being told they cannotsing, that they have a few choicewords for the judges, especiallySimon. So the contestant reaches theAmerican Idol audition before anationwide television show, believingthey possess a gift that truly they donot have. Which begs the question, how doesone know that they possess a gift? Ibelieve we all possess a gift, someeven more than one. But how do wereally know what our gift is? The bibledeclares that all of us have beengiven at least one spiritual gift. Inministry, we all have witnessed at onetime or another, individuals who areattempting to do something theyclearly are not gifted to do. It ispainful to watch. It is detrimental on

an individual, and so unfair on acorporate level, as it relates to thebody of Christ. To aid in your journeyof discovery let me suggest someways to discover your gift. First of all, your gift is not yourdecision its your discovery. The biblesays the spirit gives gifts as Hedesires. The Creator decides and thecreation discovers. Our gifts and skillsare given by the Holy Spirit. Thoughyou may possess the same gift assomeone else. How YOU do it will bestrikingly different from the waysomeone else does it. Our job is to discover what gifts wehave been given. So many timesbased on a passion or a longing for acertain gift we decide that we aregoing to pursue a certain gift. Only todiscover (or not) that we werenever gifted to do this. Rememberthere are different gifts, and differentways they are put into operation. Ipreach from a pulpit platform onSundays. However, during the samemoment there are preachers who arepreaching on a street corner. We are doing the same thing butcalled to operate it different. Don’t beafraid to try an array of differentthings. You are bound sooner or laterto find your niche and fit. But work hard to discover yourunique gift.


your niche and fit. But work hard todiscover your unique gift. Secondly, gifts are Affirmed by theBody, If you truly possess a giftsomeone will always affirm that youpossess a particular gift. For exampleyou may be standing next tosomeone in church singing acongregational hymn. The personnext to you overhears you singingand remarks that “You have a greatvoice!” Your gift is affirmed bysomeone else. At some point in timeas peoplecontinue to say the same thingsabout your gift it will validate the giftyou possess. If you think you can cook. Bring a dishto the next church potluck. If theparishioners clean the pot, yourculinary skills have been validated bythe body. If the fork is still sticking upin your dish and no one is eating it,regardless of what your family maysay you probably don’t possess acooking gift. Gifts are affirmedby the body.

The third suggestion would be toObserve what ignites your strategicability. Your dominant gift is oftenthe same gift that causes you to thinkmost strategically and creatively. Asyou are praying and being patient,consider the thing you find yourselfthinking about most, and strategizingabout most. It is often that same giftthat is linked to something in yourenvironment that you would liketo see changed or improved.Another fourth suggestion is that youhave an insatiable passion toexercise your gift. Let me rush to saythat just because you have a passionfor something does not make it yourgift. I have a passion for music. I loveto sing! In the car I sound just like the personsinging on the radio. In the bathroomI can hit high notes, and low baritonenotes. The only problem is Ican't sing! I have a passion for it but Iam certainly not a gifted singer atall. Having a passion for something isthe gift that you eat, sleep, and can'twait for the opportunity to exerciseit.

DISCOVERING YOURTALENT


But never confuse enthusiasm withpassion. There have been timespersonally that I have been asked tominister at a conference. I wasexcited and filled with enthusiasm. Icouldn't wait to get there. To me aconference meant hundreds ofpeople. However, when I got there, Icould count the number of peoplewho were there on onehand. Immediately my enthusiasmhit an all time low because of theattendance. But as soon as I startedexercising my gift, my passion fordelivering the gift took over and itdidn't matter how many people werethere I just wanted to exercise thegift. Lastly, Pay attention to the gift thatis most in demand. What gift is mostrequested by others. What is thatgift God grants you the greatestopportunity to display? Ironically,what is in demand by others may be

the very gift that makes us mostuncomfortable to operate in. Or itmay be the gift that you havebecome so accustomed to using thatit is no challenge and now evenboring to you. We must always remember thatwhat’s old to us is fresh to theperson on the receiving end. As weprepare and hone the gift that Godhas given, He will also provideopportunities to share your gift andheart. These five factors are designed tolead you down a path of discoveryand critical thinking. You are toogifted to allow your gifts to remainstagnant. The world is waiting to beblessed by you. Spend as muchquality time as you can in prayer, andremember “Faithful is He who thatcalled you, and He will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24)

Brian D. Hunter is a son, father,friend, encourager, author,consultant, visionary, and SeniorPastor. He has devoted his life toempowering and equipping peoplethrive. He has been in ministry forover 25 years. He has impacted themasses through writing, consulting,education, and insightful resources.His greatest joy is equipping others toachieve their goals; helping themdiscover and develop the unique giftGod has given to them. Feel free tovisit his website at briandhunter.orgfor more resources


Life is not about waiting forthe storms to pass. It isabout praising God throughthe storm, for it is in praisethat we will learn to danceagain. Hildah LundingFounderWomen's FrontlineMagazine

After experiencingdivorce, the angst ofpurposelessness almost tore meapart. But one of the mostimportant components of myhealing was learning that ; finding purpose is a universalheart's cry. I wasn't alone inyearning for a life that hadsignificance!A woman trying to find her life'spurpose is like a novice trying to runa marathon. Both need a partnerwho can prepare them for thechallenges and risks that lie ahead.If God has a purpose for me, why doI often feel as though I’m simplyexisting and not living? That's because when we*re in ;robotmode, we let busyness, noise, fear,or impure motives drive out thatpurpose. We guilt ourselves intodoing the hard work of becomingholy in the day-today grind insteadof experiencing the reward offulfilling the reason God put us on

earth! I know I used to be more concernedwith religious to-do lists and endlessfaith-driven obligations than withunearthing the buried passion Godinstilled in me. There was a timewhen I would routinely ask myself,Am I happy? I was so unhappy, Icould not even get the question outbefore I started sobbing. As women, we need to discover ourpurpose in life for two reasons. First,fulfilling our purpose gives glory toGod. Second, it releases us from thecaptivity of hopelessness anddespair. How do we define and find ourpurpose? For many Christian women,purpose is being and doing whatGod intends for us to be and do:doing what God asks us to do in ourfamily, church, and community;being more like Christ, and thendoing the distinct, bold work Goddesigned us to do before we die!

THE PURPOSE OF ME

WOMEN'S FRONTLINE MAGAZINE

The word of God gives us a clear pathto follow in the commandment(Matt.22:36-39 and the commission(Matt. 28:19-20). These versesconfirm our roles and responsibilitiesas well as position. The Christianpurpose is easy to discover. Buttherein lies the question, what aboutour personal mission? How do I discover my veryown unique journey of purpose? As aPK (preacher’s kid), it may surpriseyou to know that the scriptures werenot the first thing I ran to. I did notdrop on my knees in fervent prayer!However, I was in desperate need forGod to take the wheel.......and drivefast!! It took a month of Sundays (many ofthose NOT sitting in church) todiscover that I had it all wrong! I wasseeking “why”, “what “ and “how”answers through speculation, instead

of allowing God’s word and healingpower to give me revelation. Here iswhat Irealized... It is often said that life is hard. I’d liketo rephrase that to “Life, as you areliving it is hard on you", butthere is a better, a more simpler way(notice I did not say easier). You haveto decide just what kind of person youare going to be and develop a livingphilosophy that is in agreement withwho you are. Isn't it amazing that the one thingthat should be of the utmostimportance to us, our purpose in life,is often the one thing that weunderstand least. We study to becomedoctors, lawyers, etc. yet we spendlittle to no time trying to understandourselves.

Lin Johnson is a Speaker, Writer, Teacherand Mentor with a passion for women'sministry. A divorced mother of three, Linis woman with experience and wisdomand she uses her God given gifts toinspire, motivate and empower others.She is passionate about people and asthe producer and co-host of a weeklyblog talk radio show, she uses thatplatform to reach a vast audience. Linbelieves in the promises and power ofGod, and shares her love for Christthrough the ministry call on her life. Asthe creator of Lin's Lessons, a personalministry project, she also shares greatinsight and life application. And with therelease of her upcoming book, soon shewill be adding Author to her repertoire.She can be contacted [email protected]

I am sure most of us know who BruceLee is, I read something veryinteresting that he said a long timeago. He told a story about aconversation he had with a mastermartial artist. In that conversation,the man asked Bruce to teach himeverything he knew about martialarts. Bruce held up two cups, bothfilled with liquid. “The first cup,”said Bruce, “represents all of yourknowledge about martial arts. The second cup represents all of myknowledge about martial arts. If youwant to fill your cup with myknowledge, you must first emptyyour cup of your knowledge.” If you want to discover your truepurpose in life, you must first emptyyour mind of all the false purposesyou’ve been taught (including theidea that you may have no purpose

at all). To help you define your purpose,you can look at it like this. People onthis earth can be practically definedinto three types. They will fulfilltheir purpose on earth byeither: doing, knowing, or becomingsomething. Which one is mostimportant to you? To know why you were placed onthis earth, you must begin with God,your creator. You were born by Hispurpose and for His purpose. See,spiritually, what I also discoveredwas the very thing I was runningfrom; seeing myself through theeyes of Christ, was the very thing Ineeded. When I began to clear awaythe mental and emotional debris, Ino longer concentrated on what hadhappened to me, I was ableto meditate on what washappening for me. MY Purpose!

WOMEN'SFRONTLINEMAGAZINE

What do you mean? The Bible says, Forgetting what isbehind and straining toward what isahead, I press on toward the goal towin the prize for which God hascalled me heavenward in Christ Jesus(Philippians 3:13-14). I began to ask God to reveal me tome. The more I prayed, worked onhealing and read the word of God(Psalm 37:4, Matt. 14:27 and John 17:1were life rafts for me), the better Ibegan to feel. After my divorce, I lived in manicmode; I am amazed now, that Iactually thought I could find God'spurpose in the midst of my franticand chaotic life. I had learned to justfunction. I numbed my pain withshutting people out, over spending,and burying myselfin working (the “work” part issomething I’m still working on). Itdidn't occur to me that my painwould become my purpose. Therewas a purpose for me. I had no idea how much my pastinfluenced my everyday life. Ineeded to put my anger,

regret, frustration, confusion, andpain behind me before I could focuson the race God set before me. It tookme years to hear God's voice over thenoise and confusion in which I lived.And we need intentional partners tohelp us! As an immature Christianand an introvert, I didn';t realize Ineeded more mature Christianwomen who could help shed light onwhat God was saying to me about Hiswill for my life. Fortunately, God blessed me with thewise women counsel that I needed.They were already present figures inmy life, who I didn’t know were alsothe earthly resources necessary tocarry, teach and pray for me. It is veryimportant to surround yourself withwomen who have the capacity toserve as personal board of directorsfor your life. Because it’s not onlyabout knowing your purpose but it’salso about living ON PURPOSE! I found the purpose of me; to liveconsciously and courageously, toresonate with love and compassion,to awaken the great spirits withinothers, to always be authentic andhonest, to learn the lesson and toleave this world in peace.

THE PURPOSE OF ME

Philippians 3:14 I press towards the mark for the priceof the high calling of God in ChristJesus.

There are two kinds ofpresses. A press of the oil in the winepress for the anointing to birth out ofa place of the unknown for anassignment, this oil is applied thatGod may get the glory out of us andacknowledge the greatness inside ofus. This happens only when one havebeen squeeze through the pressuresof life, so that one may past the testof pressure the power in the oil maybe produce when the fullness oftimes come for the due and reapingseason. This type of press is whenyou have encounter Judas and he hasbeen assigned to your season so Godcan move you from the wilderness toCanaan. Judas’s kiss is to betray andreject you in your hour of trial. Thispress is a must to make one strong gin faith, hope and most of all God.

The second press is when Paul’srenouncing all of hisaccomplishments in the world topossess the kingdom while losingthose things that easily beset you.Paul had to realize that he mustreceive the crown of life and nolonger become bondage or a crutchto the world. As we walk through thisungodly and dark world as the salt ofthe earth we face resistance from theworld in righteousness, a dense aweak foundation that is exhaustingwhere weariness is inevitable. There is a tremendous brick that fallson the righteous that gives us theearthly pressure in order to murderour faith, rob our hope and kill ourjoy, from the view of society theymust dictate how you go through thepressures of life, we now want to belife coaches instead of disciples.Society says we must go along thesecular pace and not in the press thatwill force us towards the direction ofGod’s will, instead they feed us withaddictive lifestyles, medicate us soour mind will become paralyzed deadwhile suffering in silence. The worldsays you are a god within yourself,but the bible says “Trust in the Lordwith all your heart; and lean not toyour

THE PRESS Dr Anita Snowden


understand” {Proverbs 3:5} Thebible teaches us to depend on theonly one that is Alpha and Omega,he is the creator of all things,nothing before him, neither afterhim. God wants us to press notbecause he desires to see us suffer,but because the mark that Paul tellsus in Philippians is not a blemishthen we will focus on the flow, thismark is not a bruise then it willremind us of our past, this mark isnot a title then our hearts will belifted up, this mark is not asymbolits supernatural. We must press because we are morethan conquers, I know that it looksbad, feels bad and you don’t feel

like going, you have prayed still seemanifestation, you live and walkwith God, the more you live themore it gets worst, but you can’tfocus on what you see in the natural,because the press is there so youwill not be separated from the loveof God, the press says all things worktogether for the good. The press is greater is he that iswithin me, the press says be notweary in well doing, the press saysweeping may endure for a night butjoy shall come in the morning. Thispress is more than pushing andpropelling but it’s about the powerto prevail. When you press in thepress, you will be triumphant!!!

Reared in a home polished by the beauty ofChristian principles, Pastor James A. Crawleyand Evangelist Dora L. Crawley cultivated theformative years of their daughter, Anita, withthe academic, spiritual and social substance tomake a difference through her service tohumanity. Anita, a full-blooded offspring of theChurch of God in Christ was singled-out withcognitive promise at an early age, explainingher uninterrupted academic succession fromEast Orange High School through Essex CountyCollege with a concentration in BusinessAdministration. She obtained an HonoraryDoctorate Degree in December 2015, and whenextended her gift as an author of the bookedentitled “God’s Prophetic Equilibrium” throughthis book her vision was fulfilled. The ultimategoal of my ministry “teaching true and reliablewords so that they can give sound answers” (Pr22:21a) when the world asks them what theybelieve and why.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that Godmaketh from the beginning to the end.”King James Version (KJV)

THE JOYFUL LIFE

In every possible way maintainyour joy. See the good in everything.Have a spirit of gratitude ineverything. God gives strength to theweak. When you are doing all youcan, and pursuing what you love. Donot be discouraged on the journey oflife pursue what you love most.Always find a way to be joyful ineverything. The joy on the inside shall reflect onthe outside. Sometimes the demandof life can be full of pressure.However remain joyful, peaceful inthe high demand of life. There isalways greatness that comes fromthe pressure of life. There are manydecisions to make in life, howeverstay calm and keep the peace andjoy. The scriptures says, The endmatter is better than the beginning. Itdoes not matter where you start, it

matter most where you finish inlife. All things work together forgood, for those who love God andcalled according to his purpose. Beencouraged even when life has somedifficulties. Trust God in everything. God isworking behind the scene. Your laboris not in vain. Find all ways possibleto see the bright side of everything.Even in the difficulties find every waypossible to see the best in it all. Godhas a way of making everythingbeautiful at the right time. Learningto trust God and trust the timing ofGod can bring fruitfulness. Every season must come to an end.When life has crossroad moments, itis an indicator of change coming.When change occurs, than betterthings happen. It takes change forgreatness to happen. Change has tohappen to see things in a productiveway in life. There must be awillingness to change for the better.

One way to look at change is to seethat change is a good thing. God musthave planned better ahead for you,that is the purpose of change.Change is for better. When you understand change isthere to push you into a better wayof life it will improve life intosomething far greater. It takescourage to put your attention onmoving forward in life. It takes faithto take action to improve in life.Change begins with a simple step inmoving forward and tryingsomething different. It is doing theopposite of something to get a newresult of something else. If you have always been use to doingsomething the same way, do theopposite of what you are doing. Youwill begin to see how simple it is tobegin a new habit of something so

great. Something that will improveyour confidence level and improvethe way you live. All it takes iscourage to finish what you started. Start a little step at a time. It willproduce big results. See the theending of you already finishing whatyou started. Believe in yourself andyou will accomplish what you setyour mind to do. Do not give up on what you love andwhat you enjoy in life. Take acourageous step to go back to whatyou have not yet finished. Makesomething happen out of it. It willtake you to far places in life. Whatmakes you excited about life?

Joy is a mother, and she mentorswoman of all walk of life. Joymoves in the gifts of healing &miracles. She is also a Minister ofdance bringing healing into thelives of many because of theanointing of God. Joy is theOverseer of Fishers Of PeopleInternational Ministry. Vision-Intimacy with God, birthministries, & so much more.

What motivates you about life?What brings a smile on your face?Return to the very thing in your lifethat gives you a peace of mind. Thatvery thing that fills your heart withjoy. Capture it with your all. Pursueafter it with everything in you.Having joy is choosing to have it.When you know that joy comes fromthe pressure of life, giving up is notan option. It comes from always trying in allways possible. The way to maintainyour joy is do what you love themost. What do you love to do? Find aquiet time to do exactly what youlove to do. You will begin to see thejoy that comes from doing what youlove. Life will have more meaningand purpose. Life will be worthliving. Never give up on life. Thegood and the not so good haspurpose in life. Find purpose in everything in life.Always focus on what you love in life.And the good thing you love in lifeshall be your very pursuit. God'spurpose is for your life to be great.May God perfect everythingconcerning your life. May God makeyour life beautiful and perfect inevery aspect of your life. May yourdarkness turn to light.May your sorrow turn to joy. Mayyour pain turn to purpose. May yourlack turn to abundance. May your

weakness turn to strength. May yourmourning turn into dancing. God gives strength to the weak. Letthe weak say, I am strong. Let thepoor say, ;I am rich. Joy always comes from the pressureof life. Joy comes through the stormof life. Joy comes from the furnace oflife. Always maintain the greatest joyof all which comes from the presenceof God. A cheerful spirit is good medicine. Abroken spirit dries up the bone. Thejoy of the Lord is our strength.Find peace of mind. Find joy ineverything. A Prayer of Gratitude. Lord we just want to acknowledgeyou in our heart of thanksgiving. Wethank you for life. We thank you Lordfor never giving up on us. We thankyou for being our source. We thankyou for the very air we breath. Wethank you Lord for your grace andmercy for us. We thank you formaking a way out of no way. Wethank you for restoring andperfecting our lives. Lord we thankyou for your wisdom you give to us inour daily life decisions.

the joyful life

Joy Jallah

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