women walking by faith
Knowing Your Numbers
Health, Wellness and Stress...
Summer Eats At it's Best In Summertime, Health and Well
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers
04 Editor's Note 11 15 19 23
CONTENTS 04
EDITOR'S NOTE
08
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
It's Transition Time
The MLM Survival Guide
06
12
SOARING IN YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND YOUR LIFE
OUR FEATURE
Release is really RELIEF, so Release and Increase!”
Sharon L. Sykes Radio Personality, Educator, Movement Maker
EDITOR'S NOTE
Cee Cee H. Caldwell Senior Managing Editor Real Life Real Faith Women Walking by Faith
Hello Beautiful People, This is a time of transition and transformation for many of you. As the season moves on so must you into massive action in the pursuit of accomplishing your God-given destinies. You all were created for major things that the world needs and it is time for you to step out of the background into the foreground of the center stage of your lives. We are in the second half of the year and some of you may not have accomplished what you committed too in January 2018 but all is not lost. It is not too late for you to get back into the swing of things. Some of you may need someone to hold you accountable for doing what you said you would do, even when you don’t feel like it. I know what that feels like, I have given some friends permission to check me and call me out if I am not walking in my divine calling and assignment. Who will you allow to be the person that you will give permission to push you out of your comfort zone, even if it hurts a little bit? There must be a person that you respect enough and trust enough not to allow you to stay in the back row of your own life but to make you sit boldly in your life as an active participant.
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Some of you have been through some hard things already this year and your hearts need to be healed. That is why I am honored to feature Sharon L. Sykes founder of the Heal the Culture Movement. Sharon is an educator, entertainment personality, movement maker and Woman of God whose mission is to be instrumental in her calling to heal the culture. You must know that trials and tribulations will come but you can and will survive them if you stand firm in your faith. No matter whether or not you need to transform your mind, body or your soul, it is possible with the love and support of those who love you authentically. If you are transitioning from one stage in your life to another, look at it as a time to begin a new and start fresh. Don’t allow anyone to stop you from being your extraordinary, blessed and beautiful self. You are loved and you matter to this world so, stand up, look yourself in the mirror and say. I am beautiful, I am strong, I am more than enough and I am God’s Designed Lady. It is summertime for most, remember to take some time out of your overworked, overwhelmed and busy schedules to simply smell the roses. Take in all of the precious moments that you are blessed to have and make sure you identify what must be the real priorities in your life. Money will come and go, we can’t take things with us and at the end of the day what. matters most at least to me is love. What is important is the love of family, friends, and those strangers that will become friends. So no matter what, take some time out this summer to LIVE, LAUGH AND LOVE.
Soaring In Your Relationships and Your Life .
Rhonda A. Bolden, CLC, CNHP “The INNERgizer” “Release is really RELIEF, so Release and Increase!” In this game called Life, we all have had to cry and RELEASE hurts, disappointments, and silent frustration. During those times of tears, I have always felt a sense of RELIEF in my soul because Release brings about RELIEF. Crying is a blessing given to us by God to get out excess toxins, poisons and bad feelings that we may have been holding in TOO LONG! Think about it, even Jesus had a crying experience in the Garden of Gethsemane when He fell to the ground on His Face in deep anguish, but He did not stay there! So there was a scientific study conducted on Tears. They tested one Tear of Sadness and found 38 TOXINS in that one Tear, and then they studied a Tear of Joy and only found 1 TOXIN – WOW! Can you see how helpful crying and releasing is for your Body? Throughout your life, think about all the Tears of Sadness you have shed and think about the Healing that was taking place at that very moment! So don’t tell anyone to stop crying again - let them cry or they just may die! friends, I encourage you to go ahead and “Release so You can Walk in Peace, and only then will you began to Increase!” I know I have grown tremendously in my Mind, Body and Spirit, and you will also recognize your growth when you STOP letting your problems overtake you. Begin TO HANDLE AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PROBLEMS and stop letting them control you! Know when to LET GO of people, jobs, or things that stress, or poison your spirit. Always empower them, but then you may need to come from among them.
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Some time ago, I experienced a bad stomach virus. I repeatedly vomited and felt very ill in my body. I said to myself, “If I could just vomit one last time, I know I will feel better.” Well, I did and then a still small Voice said to me, “Rhonda did you see how easy it was for your Body to GET RID of what it didn’t need or want? Your Body didn’t ask your permission to vomit; it just did because it knew something bad needed to go. Well, Rhonda what is your problem? Why can’t you get rid of who and what you know you don’t need in your Life? Your Body does not control you, but You Control Your Body!” (WOW!) .
My friend Les Brown has a couple of quotes that have helped me Release and move on to Increase: “If all you can do is all you can do, then make sure YOU DO ALL you can do!" and “If it’s Hard, make it OK THAT IT’S HARD, for we’ll just have to do it HARD!” It may be hard my friends to “Forgive and Release, so you can Walk in Peace and only then will you began to Increase,” but make sure you do it today! Unforgiveness can block your blessings and cause Disease (Dis-ease) to your body. Let nothing or no one in this Life get the best of you. “Relax, God is in charge; for if He allowed it, then why are you worried about it for nothing catches Him by surprise!” Decide to enjoy your Life from this day forward, and let it Go so you can Grow and SOAR.
Dare 2 Declare daily: “I no longer hold on to toxic relationships, people or things that are not in my best interest. Today, I make wise choices to walk with the wise and to be wise. I will give Life to all I see and I will only accept Life from others MORE ABUNDANTLY, not more burdenly and so it is!” Read this EAGLE BOOK for the month: “A Better Way to Live”
by Og Mandino (a must read)
Remember you can and will make it - so enjoy this gift called Life. Begin to Create and Celebrate while you Wait! Rhonda www.realliferealfaithmagazine.net
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MINDING YOUR BUSINESS The MLM Survival Guide The Step by Step Guide to Surviving and Thriving in Network Marketing #1 Choosing the Right Company Part 1 Mellinda Lanoer THE SHOCKING TRUTH ABOUT AN MLM BUSINESS! If you are reading this article, let me first congratulate you if you are a newcomer to the world of MLM and allowing me to impart my experiences on the industry to help you in taking the first step into this fantastic industry. My intentions of writing this article is to help and provide people generic information that would apply to any company regardless of their marketing/compensation plan, product, team, country or even offline or online! It is indeed a shocking truth to find out that over 95% of network marketers or home-based business owners are operating their business at a LOSS! It does not have to be that way. How scary if you are reading this for the first time. Well thankfully if we all worshiped statistics fanatically, most people today will be afraid to drive cars or even go to school (e.g. the percentage of road accidents and how many students in a class ‘make it’ in getting distinctions)
We all want to be smart people and rather be in the top 5% being the ones making the money now, don’t we? Of course we do. It is sad that countless of poor victims join the industry, uninformed, and when they run into problems, they usually put the blame on the company, the team or even the industry itself! That is why we hope to avoid such unfortunate circumstances. Even if you have been involved, this information is invaluable because it might teach you things you have missed out or information to help your downline.
Why are You Choosing an MLM in The First Place?
If you cannot answer this question, you should STOP!! I mean STOP!! And figure out you're why first. MLM survival 101. Let’s face it, the world out there is like a jungle. More particularly so in the MLM world. It would be easy to say, since it is that difficult, let’s just forget about the whole MLM or network marketing deal in the first place. That action would be self-defeating. There is good news for all of us. So let us instead start from a positive note. The purpose of this article is not just about teaching you to choose the right MLM Company but also how, by being properly educated about the industry, you will be able to receive benefits from every opportunity you invest your time and money in. The information here will be completely generic and neutral. I am not endorsing any company over the other as there is no such thing as the perfect MLM but rather choosing an MLM that is SUITABLE for YOU! Whatever your reasons may be, let us make a few assumptions about it before we proceed. (1) Making money (2) Saving money on products (3) Meeting new people (4) Growth and development
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Making Money (a) Looking for fast money (b) Building a long-term business with money coming in long after you have ‘retired’ (c) Investing in the product itself For people looking for fast money, there are pros and cons to this kind of thinking. Some people are WELL TRAINED salesmen. They have built the relationship with their clients, customers and all sorts of people. People trust what they say and will trust whatever they are selling. They may sell the product itself (sometimes, in large quantities), or they may sell the opportunity (the money making part of it) or both. Are YOU this kind of person? Fast money is not impossible, but it COULD be for the short-term only. Consider the facts that 8090% of people in the world are NOT built for sales. If a salesman sponsors a non-salesman, would the non-salesman be able to do the same thing as his upline? Does that mean that I would spend most of my time looking for the 10-20% of sales types? The next type of money is the long-term type. When I define long term, it does not have to mean that you might not see money right away. It differs from company to company. But as a general rule of thumb, it involves BUILDING A NETWORK OR AN ORGANISATION. The key to building a large organization as quoted by Zig Ziglar, “You will get whatever you want in life if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” In other words, if you will help enough downlines get enough downlines, you are on the road to network marketing financial freedom. The key is to help others. There is one more category of people who ‘invests’ in network marketing companies, not to make money through retaining or networking, but rather investing in the product, position, or depending on the company, appreciation of their ‘assets’. A few examples would be investing in a product, so that in the future, its value will appreciate, so you can sell it to other people at a very high margin (sort of like old comic books.) Others might purchase the account or distributorship from you (depending on the compensation plan of the company) while some Internet companies actually pay you to ‘invest’ in their company, sort of like buying a share of the company.
Saving Money on Products Retailing of a product is very important to an MLM business. Lack of (or even non-existing) retailing could be harmful to the distributor or the company as certain states have outlawed ‘headhunting’ and have their own policies. Nevertheless, saving money on an MLM product is one of the most wonderful key features of joining an MLM company if recruiting is not your forte. In certain compensation plans, repeat purchase of the products you buy from the company gives you more rebates or bonuses. In essence, the more you buy, the cheaper it becomes. This becomes an even greater pleasure if you are totally in love with the products or you have already set aside a budget for those products (which means you are now buying from the MLM company or your upline instead of buying from the supermarket, pharmacy, grocery store, etc) There are some important aspects to take note, however, if the company requires you to purchase the products in bulk (hence the term – frontloading), is there a DEMOTION in your achieved position in the company, is there MAINTAINANCE required, or how much are the renewal fees for membership. All these will be further discussed in the later chapters. Meeting New People This is one of the many reasons why people join MLM companies (even if the first two reasons discussed above don’t even concern them). There are all types of people in the world. Some like the positive environment. Others like the social events the company or team organizes. Some look for a potential life partner there! Lots of people even go all out to join these kinds of businesses to get more contacts for their OWN BUSINESSES (maybe even THEIR OWN MLM BUSINESS). Bear in mind one thing. There is this old saying that goes, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. If you participate in their activities but don’t go full force into their company/team vision, don’t expect them to join you or buy from you. There may even be negative repercussions (such as being banned from coming back to the company).
Growth and Development One of the biggest reasons why I would recommend joining an MLM company and doing the business is opening your mind to positive thinking and achieving your full potential. There are many companies out there who have the best training courses, motivational rallies, sharing sessions and whopping transformation camps that will not only fire you up but take your business building to the next level. I will not touch much on this subject extensively here. There are so many companies out there that will do a fantastic job in terms of training.
Remember that growth is a journey and not a destination.
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WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH MAGAZINE | 11
sharon l. sykes radio personality - educator - movement maker
radio personality
Who is Sharon Sykes? Sharon Sykes is a servant leader, she’s a person who loves people and will what is necessary to get the job done. What is your back ground? I have an extensive background in various forms of media, from Christian broadcasting to entertainment journalism coupled with program directing, both behind and in front of the camera. I also have a passion for education and mentoring. Where do you find your inspiration? My inspiration can come from almost anything, from observing people to listening to music and of course my quiet prayer time. Sometimes I just like to sit in silence, breath deep and be still. You’d be surprised as to how many strong thoughts can come to you just by being still.
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WOMEN WALKING BY FA
What is your life’s assignment?
I believe my life’s assignment is to bring healing through education, inspiration, and awareness for women from all walks of life.
You’re an EDUCATOR. What made you get into this field of study?
I didn’t pick education, education chose me. I remember working at a private cooperative school in Montclair, NJ as an administrative assistant in the mid 90’s. I fell in love with the teaching experience but I knew there were other things I wanted to pursue. Fast forward and a few years later, I went back to school and completed my undergraduate degree in business administration and my masters in professional counseling/school counseling
Do you think college is a must for our young people today or are there even better options?
There definitely other options for sure. College is not for
educator WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH MAGAZINE |14
everybody, there are people who are not “structured learners” and they’re very intelligent and can absorb just as much as any “structured learner”. There are trade schools, all sorts of certification programs that will yield the same reward and achievements towards life goals.
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movement maker How can women better equip their families to be successful through education? I realize that mothers do a lot now a days, they own business and are soaring within their respective professions and careers. However there’s no greater priority then to be a part of a child’s homework and learning process. Children need so many reinforcements and it matters on every level the contributions a mother can make towards her child’s learning experience.
YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF A POWERFUL BOOK, EMASCULATION, THE ENEMY TO THE SOUL OF A WOMAN. You are the AUTHOR of a powerful book,
What can women do to be champions for our
Until that happens she’s going to keep
EMASCULATION, The ENEMY To The Soul of A
men instead of the ones that make them feel
covering and pretending by convincing
Woman. What inspired you to write this.
worthless and devalued?
herself the pain is not there. However life
I was inspired to write the book due to the
We can start by revisiting our original godly
pain I saw in my friends lives. We’d have
purpose. Whenever we deviate away from
these therapeutic conversations and talk
our purpose we veer off our path and end up
Are you a speaker as well? What topics
about all the things we did that were out of
other places.
do you speak about and who do you
has away of letting her know its still in
order within our relationships in the past. As
there. It won’t leave until she works.
share your inspiration with?
a result of the information we’d share, all of
Do you have any up and coming releases? if
us would come away with a better
so, when can we expect to see it and what is
Yes I’m a motivational, spiritual speaker.
understanding of the role we played within
it about?
My main focus is women’s issues along
our relationships and why things happened
with life lessons. I’ll speak to whoever will
the way they did. Hence “Heal The Culture’
Yes I have a new release entitled ‘UNSisterly
was born.
Love, Incubative Jealousy”. It deals with
Tell us about it.
listen :)
jealousy in all aspects of life, from our
What obstacles in your life prepared you
intimate relationships, to our work
for the path you’re on at this present time
relationships and our sister girl friendships.
in your life?
EMASCULATION, The ENEMY To The Soul of A
The soft launch is scheduled to begin at the
Woman, is about educating women on the
end of July 2018. www.HealTheCulture.org
power of submission from a virtuous power
Life happens to everyone. Im no different. This is a loaded question that really
perspective instead of weakness. We work our
Can women really heal from the pain and
doesn’t allow me the time and space to
way up from childhood to adulthood in the
hurts from their past? If so what do you
answer so I’ll just say this. I took every
life of a woman and how her childhood
suggest to help women begin the process of
challenge, every hurt, every negative
shapes her world.
moving forward from broken to blessed?
circumstance and used it as fuel to push
What do you believe a woman’s biggest
Yes, healing is a process, a minute by minute,
mistake is in regards to the men in their lives?
day by day process. Healing always starts
How do you deal with work-life balance
with self and works its way from the inside
as an author, teacher, movement maker
We don’t allow men to be men. Sometimes
out. A healthy circle of girlfriend can be a
entertainment personality and Woman of
we unknowingly take a man’s ability to be a
great benefit. Breaking old habits and
God?’
man. We emasculate and sometimes we do it
starting new habits that encourages healing
with kindness and other times we do it from
in all areas.
me to my destiny.
lack of trust. When a man is not allowed to be
When I’m at work I serve my student, parent and colleague community, when
who he, your relationship with him will take on
What would you say to a woman who has
I’m in author mode, I write. When given
the form of something other than a
completely lost herself and is in need of inner
the media platform, I try to maximize it
relationship. This is when relationships
healing but would rather dress up, make up
for the sake of education and awareness.
become arrangements and not real love
and cover up instead dealing with her issues
As a woman of God, I’m nothing more or
experiences. The modern woman is taught to
less than a servant which I believe to be
not need anyone and that can create other
Well she has to first build her courage to the
vacancies.
point of being able to face herself.
the highest life form within humanity.
What does faith mean to you?
Heal The Culture
Faith is life to me. What do you want your legacy to be? LOVE! I want women to be comfortable to proclaim that I am a woman of POWER and submission! A woman is at her strongest when she submits and she’s at her weakest when she controlling and bossy. If you could leave our readers with a few final thoughts, what would it be? Break the habits that got you hurt, build the habits that get you healed. How can the readers stay connected with you? www.HealTheCulture.org HealTheCulture@gmail.com SharonLSykes@facebook.com SharonLsykes@instagram.com HealTheCulture@facebook.com
WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH MAGAZINE |16
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BEYOND THE BEAUTY BOX
Yolanda Matthews-Porter CONFIDENCE IS BEAUTIFUL! For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone--Audrey Hepburn What is confidence? Is it beautiful? Is it self-esteem? Is it self-expression? A confident woman walks in authority! She exudes strength, compassion, love and good character. A confident woman is not fearful and certainly not afraid to be who she is. She is trustworthy and knows that she is beautiful, just how God created her. What is your definition of confidence? What is your insight of beautiful? Is it set to the world’s standards? As a teen, I was always told “you are pretty” or “you are beautiful”. But I didn’t feel pretty or beautiful. And people didn’t treat me as if I was. I modeled but I still didn’t always have that confidence, drive or authority. I also kept myself neat and well-groomed, yet failed to appreciate who I was. I cared too much about what others thought of me and wondered if I was good enough. I didn’t fully understand self-esteem and embracing the true me.
.
While in the cosmetology program in high school, I was consistently picked on. I was told things such as I was ugly, my hair was too thick, too long and I wasn’t going to be anything. I began to hang around those that were liked, loved, and popular just to feel that I was a beautiful girl too. As time progressed, I began to pray while attending church and reading a lot. I’d ask God to uplift me in areas where I needed the most strength, and to my surprise, He did! I graduated from high school at the age of 17 and moved into my first apartment shortly thereafter. I worked and purchased my first car. However, I didn’t have the support or nurturing to talk to someone in confidence about my thoughts and feelings. I began to realize that God had a plan for me after reading and meditating on Jeremiah 29:11. But I still didn’t fully grasp everything. I wasn’t perfect; yet I had grown over the years. I was successful and passionate about what I was doing with my life and the type of person I was developing into. I learned to love me in spite of. I realized confidence was being myself and connecting with positive and like-minded people. It was important for me to be in a healthy environment and have great expectations for myself. When life gives you lemons make lemonade, koolaid and a slushy! Yes, I can smile and laugh now because my future was exactly what God said it was. Jeremiah 29:11 says for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. I learned at a young age that how you feel about yourself and how you carry yourself is ultimately more important than how you look. Contrary to popular opinion, looks aren’t the most substantial quality. Confidence and self-esteem are the two greatest qualities you can possess and you don’t need the acceptance or validation from others in order to have them. So smile! Remember to walk in authority, be confident and certainly be you! Yolanda Matthews-Porter Beauty Mentor & Educator Beyond The Beauty Box beyondthebeautybox@gmail.com www.facebook.com/beyondthebeautybox
WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH MAGAZINE | 18
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Faith, Food and Family Deborah Hunter HONEY'S LUSH STUFFED LEMONS •6-8 large lemons ( be sure to wash your lemons before starting) • 1/2 Cup of granola or tiny slice of pound cake that's been toasted • 8 ounces of cream cheese • 4 ounces of Cool Whip • 1/2 Cup of powdered sugar +3 tablespoons or just use 5-6 tablespoons of #honey in place of the confectioner sugar • A dash of nutmeg 1)• Preparing your lemons After you wash and dry your lemons using a knife remove both the bottom and top so the lemons will set up right Next take your knife and make a circular incision at the top of your lemon without cutting completely through to the bottom then take your spoon and scoop out the pulp and juice into a small bowl sit to the side____ • The Filling In a medium bowl mix together your cream cheese confectioners' sugar or (honey)and whip cream nutmeg cream together until completely smooth and if you like to add a little extra richness melt one pad of butter and stir it in • Putting together your dessert • sprinkle a small amount of powdered sugar into each lemon allow the sugar to dissolve • next scoop in a small amount of your cream cheese mixture about halfway • add your granola or pound cake to the center • then add the second layer of your cream cheese mixture top with a decorative piece of chocolate and a sprig of mint and you will have the most delicious charming light dessert in minutes enjoy!!!! LOVE YOU HONEY!!!! Follow us @ Cooking With Honey And Friends on Facebook / YouTube / Instagram and every Monday morning at 9 AM On MPB 91.3 for The most delicious radio show on air to date DEEP SOUTH DINING ____________________________________________
AVON CALLING! t!
www.youravon.com/ladyceecee
Cheryl’s highly anticipated release, and follow-up to her acclaimed Women What the Hell are You Thinking, will be available in June 2018.
SHARON L. SYKES Presents: Emasculation : The Enemy to the Soul of a Woman and UnSisterly Love: Incubated Jealousy Coming July 30, 2018
CONGRATULATIONS The African American Literary Awards, Happy Anniversary to ASP Kids, Zach Tate, Chef Deborah L. Hunter and Cheryl Lacey Donovan on Tour! CONGRATULATIONS to the 2018 African American Literary Award Show Nominees from Peace In The Storm Publishing! Toni Carter - Blood, Lust & Love -Fiction Cheryl Lacey Donovan - Can I Be Me? Living Authentically In Purpose on Purpose - Author of the Year-Female Carla Victoria Wallace - The Bug That Was Afraid of the Dark - Children/Young Adult Deborah Hunter - My Delicious Mississippi Life: Stories and Recipes from My Heart To Yours - Cookbook Zach Tate - We The Blacks: Who We Are, What We Want and How to Deal with Our Race - Author of the Year-Male Real Life Real Faith Magazine - Literary Magazine - Cheryl Lacey Donovan Peace in the Storm Publishing - Independent Publisher of the Year - Elissa Gabrielle Plus meet Greatzach Tate, Cheryl Lacey Donovan and Deborah Hunter on tour!
Stay Tuned - Coming Soon
Elissa Gabrielle
WOMEN WALKING BY FAITH
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