Heels Gospel Magazine July/August 2016 Edition

IN S P IR

July-August 2016 Saman!a Singletary

E D

Inspired Contest Winner

HEELS GOSPEL MAGAZINE Special Edition

Amazing looks on a budget that will get you noticed!

RESETTING YOUR MIND

With New Thoughts

This edition of Heels Gospel Magazine is filled with authors whose lives are an inspiration to others. In order to be an inspiration, you must be able to fill someone with an urge to action. If there is no desire for a person to move, if there is no action produced, then we have not been able to inspire. Another meaning of the word inspire is to breath. We are to be led (meaning influenced) by the Spirit of God, the ruwach, the breathe, the wind or the Mind of God. Even though you may not be a best-selling author, lecturer, motivational speaker or a person who is able to share their heart and their life on a large platform, you still possess that same power of influence to breath into others and to lead them to get on with the business of life.

The Editor's Notes

Cheryl Jones-Ross Editor in Chief

When we have influence, we are able to make an impact. The dictionary defines impact as the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another. Our lives should constantly be on a collision course with the life of another person who will feel the force when we make connection with them. An impact is not a chance encounter, but a powerful or major influence in someone elses life. Once you have inspired that person, there should be a lasting effect coming from the impact that you have made on their life.

What or who has inspired you? What effect did it have on your life? Are you able to inspire others the same way or even in a greater way than what you experienced through another's inspiration? Each day should cause us to ask, "Who am I here for?".

We hope that you are inspired by the stories featured in this special "Inspired" edition of our magazine.

SCRIPTURE READING:

He !at walke! up"ghtly walke! surely: but he !at perve#e! h$ ways %all be kno'.

Proverbs 10:9

"FILL THIS HOUSE"

HEELS ON THE COVER Samantha Singletary Winner of Heels Gospel Magazine's Inspired Contest

Contents July-August 2016 Edition

8

Editor in Chief Cheryl Jones-Ross

4 Building Blocks to Amazing Website Content

12 16

Style Editor Tyonna Singleton

20 23

Sharvette Mitchell Deborah Sanford Smith "All is Well" From Proclivity to Promise

By Rev. Denise Wade "Passed Around By Man" But Not Passed Over By God" Chontate Brown "When I Stopped Being Angry" Robin M. Sample

Contributing Writers

26 Rev. Denise Wade

Seasons of Change "A Journey of Wholeness" Samantha Singletary

29

Resetting Your Mind Cheryl Jones-Ross

32

Kingdom Health 4 Life With Satin Boykinds

Satin Boykinds

34 39

The Style Closet

Ramona M. Gaines Special "Inspired" Article Editor's Choice

Sharvette Mitchell

Staff Photographer Matthew Singleton SICOGRAPHY

IN S P IR

IN THIS ISSUE

TheSTYLE Closet

E D

Deborah Sanford Smith "All Is Well"

Page 12

Chontate Brown "Passed Around By Man But Not Passed Over By God"

3 Amazing Looks on a Budget That Will Get You Noticed

Page 20

Page 34

Robin M. Sample "When I Stopped Being Angry"

Page 23

Ramona M. Gaines Special "Inspired" Article Editor's Choice

Page 39 Samantha Singletary Seasons of Change "A Journey of Wholeness"

"Inspired" Contest Winner Page 26

Visit us at www.heels-magazine.com

Shelia V. Davis is the Pastor of Newness of Life Ministries Church of Monessen, PA. God has entrusted her with numerous gifts, talents and positions of spiritual authority.

Shelia is the CEO of Dominion Ministry, Inc., Founder of Hungry for Him Fellowship, Overseer for Mary & Martha Joy Fellowship, New Freedom Christian Ministries of Thomasville, GA., to name a few. She is a social worker, teacher, psalmist and musician.

Author, Shelia V. Davis first book "When the Bride is Silent" was released October 2015. Shelia is also a poet, January 2016 her poetry book "Life Expressions" was published. Yes, God has given her the writing anointing she has another one being developed as we speak.

Certainly she is on a mission to equip the body of Christ by proclaiming the Word of God with power and authority.

Reestablishing Kingdom order in the earth as it is in heaven.

Without a doubt she has a no nonsense spirit when it comes to the Word! She has traveled throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, , Georgia, Florida, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Washington, Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma just to name a few - proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.

In Genesis 1:26-27 God ordained from the beginning that we have dominion over all. With her military training and most importantly her spiritual training, she is well able to complete her assignment. Holiness is right, righteousness is ours and love covers all.

4 Building Blocks to Amazing Website Content When building an amazing website, a critical component is your website content. This is the information that will be displayed on your website to showcase what you have to offer the world! This information will need to come from you! Even if you hire a content writer ( which in most cases is not included in a web design package), the content writer will still need input from you on what you offer, services you provide and products you sell. Here are 4 tips for creating amazing content for your website project!

1) Gather a list of all of your services If you are a service provider (i.e. Life Coach, Speaker, Consultant, Business Coach, Accountant, etc), write down all of the types of services you currently provide. Come up with names of packages that people can purchase to obtain these services. Write a short description for all of your services and service packages. Do you have free consultations, complimentary eBooks, entry level packages, “preferred” packages and or premium packages? Can any of your services be bundled together to create additional packages? You don’t need to overwhelm those that visit your website but you want to give them a good sense of how you can solve their problem and how they can do business with YOU! 2) Gather a list of your products If you sell a physical or digital product (i.e. books, CDs, eBooks, DVDs, Jewelry, Clothing, Shoes, Candles, Perfume, Dresses, etc), write down all of your product names and include the color options available, sizes available and a brief product description. Next, gather pictures for ALL of your products. This may be tedious but this step is extremely critical to creating an amazing website to sell your products. Consumers need to see what they are purchasing! I highly recommend that you have professional pictures taken of your products if you can. With the above information, the web designer is able to fully display your product offerings!

3) Write your “About You” website content The “About You” page is the most visited page on websites. You want to spend sometime writing an amazing BIO or “About You” content. This information can be a formal biography or it can be casual and lighthearted. Whichever approach you take, make sure it showcases who YOU are. Most people find it uncomfortable to talk about themselves and their accomplishments. You probably feel like you are bragging or being self-centered however if you are promoting a book, business, product, service or event, you MUST brag! You must get more comfortable sharing your successes, prominent associations and etc. If you feel stuck, check out my other article on “Writing Your About Page or Bio”.

4) Determine contact information.

When building a new website, you want to make sure site visitors can easily contact you. This can be by physical address, PO Box, phone number, email, fax number and or a contact form. I typically create a “Contact” page or contact area on my websites. Your input will be needed to determine what contact information you want included on your website. If you don’t have a business phone number, spend some time thinking about how you will handle business calls such as using a solution like Google voice. In most cases, your new website will come with custom email accounts HOWEVER if you already have an established email address that customers are familiar with, I don’t see a problem with keeping it. The bottom line is that consumers find security and credibility in your website when contact information is readily available.

Let Mitchell Productions, LLC build an amazing website for YOU!

About Sharvette Mitchell As Creative Director of Mitchell Productions, LLC (Web Design & Social Media Coaching), Sharvette seeks to bring your BRAND alive and build something AMAZING! Contact her at hello@mitchell-productions.com and visit her website at www.Mitchell-Productions.com

Counseling to get you unstuck!

226 Grant Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15209 724-575-2013

Excerpts from client reviews, Wonderful experience Wonderful Counselor, Woman of integrity

Awesome, Excellent Christian Counseling Changed my life, Compassionate solid Biblical counseling Outstanding Christian Counselor, What a Blessing You Are Dr. Mary Perdue I am so thankful for my time with Dr. Perdue

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers 3 John 1:2

www.nextlevelchristiancounseling.com

Deborah Sanford Smi!

"All (ings Well"

The Journey Continues…..Waiting The Journey Continues…..Waiting he following week my doctor was out sick all week so we still had no results. During this time we prayed, we waited, we prayed, we waited. When she returned the next week she gave me the news. She said given my mother’s history of Ovarian Cancer it seemed most likely that the mass was cancer and most likely Ovarian Cancer. She said the one mass on the right ovary was larger than a grapefruit. She was devastated. I can still remember her voice as she gave me the news. I began to assure her that everything would be alright. I let her know that God had me and that this news was no surprise to Him. I told her not to worry. I told her I did not have any idea what we would do, but I did know that God has it all figured out. That was all I had to go on.

There have been many times in my life that I have said, “I don’t know God, but I agree with You!” This was another one of those times. Now let me interject some food for thought here. My mother passed away in 2008 after seven years of Ovarian Cancer. If you notice, the first thing spoken to me about the discovery of the mass on my ovary was Ovarian Cancer.

The devil will always try to attack you first in your area of vulnerability. Given my family history this made sense to the doctors. However, I never accepted that.

I rejected that immediately and said that I did not have to have what my mother had. I refused to take on that spirit T THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...WAITING 12 God is good, and He does all things well! of fear from past experiences. The Blood of Jesus runs through my veins and those things of old are dead. Right then I could have agreed and accepted cancer because it, “Runs in my family.” NO, NO, NO! The fact is, cancer does run in my family. The TRUTH is – I am bought with the Blood of the Lamb and His blood cancels all those things. I hold onto the truth. The devil is a liar. He thought he had me with those scary words, but I know THE WORD! My doctor’s office began working on their end to get me in with an oncologist in Beaumont. They were fantastic. They called me frequently, but at this point we felt like all our hands were tied. I was not getting in with a doctor since we did not have insurance so we waited – again. During this time of waiting I began to get some things settled in my Spirit.

Please, do not despise periods of waiting. Ask God what He is teaching you. Ask Him what to do while you wait. I just worshiped and filled myself with the Word. This is of utmost importance because questions that are not given to God can lead to doubt and you cannot fight the fight of faith with any doubt. One thing I knew and am still convinced of is that cancer is of the devil, by the devil, and for the devil. It is evil. It is meant to take life. It is not from God. God is good and the giver of life. I began to immediately declare, “I do not have cancer. This cancer is not mine. It belongs to the devil and will go back to him. This cancer is trespassing and cannot stay here.” When we face things in life, a good rule of thumb is to run situations through the lens of John 10:10. ALL THINGS WELL

13 God is good, and He does all things well! “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” This is from the enemy. For me it is simple: devil=bad and God=good.

Something you should also know is to never cast aspersions on God. Do not let the devil ever make you question the character and nature of God. The devil loves to make us have bad thoughts towards God. That is a victory for him. He loves to defame God. He is liar and the father of lies. You cannot effectively battle your enemy if you are uncertain of who he is. When sickness and evil come against you, call it evil and reject it and tell it to go back to where it came from. If I ever suspected that this was from God for even one moment how could I wholeheartedly reject it? No – my God is good.

His loving-kindness is marvelous and tender. His love for me is everlasting.

So I have never once declared MY cancer or I HAVE cancer. NO NO NO. This is not my cancer. It is of the devil, by the devil, and for the devil. It is trespassing and must leave and go back to where it came from in Jesus Mighty Name. It is not your diabetes or your depression or your anything.

Send it back to Hell. During this time of waiting I had a moment that changed everything. We must look for these moments because throughout our journey we will have to go back to them and stand on them boldly and use them to strengthen our faith. I was in the shower just minding my own business not thinking about my situation or anything in particular. I was singing and praising and completely out of the blue I THE JOURNEY CONTINUES...WAITING 14 God is good, and He does all things well! heard in my Spirit, “This is not your battle. This battle belongs to the Lord.” So I said, out loud, right then and there, “Well then, if this is not my battle and this battle belongs to the Lord, WE WIN!” Oh, Praise Jesus, WE WIN, WE WIN! I have held onto His words and continue to hang on to them today. There have been many times in severe pain and agony that I have wept in my bed and cried out to the Lord and asked Him to show up right then and there and fight for me. I have repeatedly claimed those words. I remind myself He is fighting. I force myself to not take up this battle because it is His and my victory is in Him. Now you may be thinking that my faith must be incredible. That I am just an exception to the rule and that it is not realistic to be able to walk through such things like this. Let me assure you that nothing is further from the truth. I am no super saint. I have had moments of utter panic. I have cried. I have been scared. The enemy so bombarded my thoughts that I had visions of my funeral. I cried about maybe not getting to see Arden’s wedding or Haeley’s, or Arden’s babies. I could not imagine leaving Jerry. I wept at the thought of how he would feel. But one thing I never did was question God. Jerry nor I have ever asked God why. We have not been angry at God. We do not feel as if this should not have come our way.

The truth is we live in a fallen world. Good times and bad times come to the just and the unjust. Life happens. One of the greatest desires of the enemy is to get you to question the character and nature of God. If ALL THINGS WELL 15 God is good, and He does all things well! you begin to question then you open a door to doubt and unbelief. I have said many times and will continue to say, “God is good, and He does all things well.” His character and nature are above reproach. One of the qualities of God is that He is JUSTICE. He is also fair. He is Sovereign.

When we blame God for things the enemy does we miss His character.

I lived to know God. I want to know Him. I sang the song, “I want to know you more.” When we know Him for who He truly is we can trust Him. Do not defame His name by blaming Him for things that happen in a fallen world due to the sin of man. He is good and He does all things well. All sin and corruption is because of the fall of man. Illness is a result of sin. Unlike Job’s friends, we must recognize that it is not necessarily the sin of the individual, but rather, the fact that the consequences of sin affect us all while we live on this earth. None of us are exempt. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. How could we testify of a God who can carry us through every horrible trial if we never experience the trial? You do not receive the victor’s crown without having experienced battle. In a society where we pace in front of our microwaves and say, “hurry up,” it is challenging to wait. We want to be active, to take action, and make things happen. We like to feel in control. I cannot tell you how many people have written to encourage me to fight, and I know their intentions and I truly appreciate it. For me each and every time I hear those words, I am reminded that this is not my battle, the battle belongs to the Lord. Yes, I have a part to play and that has challenges and difficulties that I must fight through, but I pray I allow the Lord to fight this fight on my behalf. I began to seek the Lord about what my role in this is. I said, “Lord, if I am not fighting then what is my part? What would you have me do in this battle?” The Lord revealed to me that my responsibility in this journey is to stay faithful and obedient. That is what I strive to do each and every day. Some days I do not feel faithful. Some days I wonder if I can do what He asks. It has been so amazing during these times of weakness that I can literally see His strength is perfect. I did not know that in such measure before. I am thankful for that. Based on a true story/book:

Get your copy today: All Things Well by Deborah Sanford Smith ###

Contact details; Deborah Sanford Smith Phone: 917-268-2987 Days of Elisha Ministries, USA P O Box 1756 Silsbee, TX 77656 USA

"From Proclivity to Purpose"

Please allow me to begin this article Praising the God whom I serve with gladness. This is truly a, “When I look back over my life and all He’s done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah and thank God for saving me” moment.

It’s also one of those times whenever I reflect back on the saints singing, “When I look back over my life, and I think things over, I can truly say, that I’ve been blessed, I’ve got a testimony” moment.

This is a “But God” moment, an “If it had not been for the Lord on my side” moment and a Philippians 1:6, “He who has begun a great work in you, will not complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” testimony.

So, everyone reading this so far is asking, what in the world is all this Praise about? After 14 years of ministry, the Lord continues to elevate. On July 21, 2016, both my husband Rev. DeWayne Wade and I were ordained Reverends through the Rowan Association of North Carolina. Was it easy, not at all and we had some roadblocks during the process. While attending the required classes, Rev. Wade had a complete knee replacement. Because of his surgery, we were not able to take the written test along with our classmates and therefore we had to do the grueling, two hour written test a few weeks later whenever he felt up to sitting that long.

You are probably saying, what was so terrible about that. It was the WAIT, it was the ANTICIPATION, it was the FEAR of failure. We were hearing the final test scores from all the other preachers and we knew that we had to meet those same expectations. Following the written exam came the oral examine which took approximately 35 to 40 minutes. But through it all, God showed up and brought back to our remembrance all that we had prepared for in our classes and we successfully passed. st On July 21 as I stood before the Council and felt the hands laying upon me, as a prayer was being prayed over us, it was as though my entire past flashed before my eyes and I began to weep like a baby, because I realized that the hand of God had always been upon my life and that’s why I was standing among these preachers answering to a higher call in ministry.

Let me remind us all, that it is not because we have been so good or because we have dotted every I or crossed every T. We sing the song, “we’ve come this far by faith,” but have we? Did we really exercise our faith or have we just blindly walked by the grace and mercy of God. Have we just prayed and played the roles of “Christlike” and allowed our arrogance and our ignorance to give us the odasity to do as we pleased and still consider ourselves saved and justified.

Proclivity is defined as a tendency to do something, especially something you shouldn't.

No one is without sin, so we all have proclivities. Mine may not be the same as yours, and yours may not be as great as mine, but we all have them. There is no big or little sin, just like there is no big or little lie. A sin is a sin and a lie is a lie.

Please allow me to be transparent for a moment when I say that the day I rededicated my life to Christ, April, 1983, I was the “the woman at the well.” The last five husbands I had been in a relationship with were not my husbands and the one I was with at the time was not either. I was an adulterous. And not because I had to be, I wanted to be. I wanted my cake and to eat it too. I wanted to be free but yet be able to say I had somebody. I was playing a dual role relationship; single whenever I wanted to be and yet I had a boo whenever I wanted him to be.

The Bible never tells us why the Samaritan woman chose her lifestyle but I have to wonder who would want to be an outcast? She had to go to the well and fetch water during the hottest time of the day in order to avoid the other women. Perhaps she had slept with their husbands and couldn't risk the drama at the well, or obviously since everyone knew who or what she was, they would talk about her or shun her and maybe not even allow her to get water.

Unlike the Samaritan woman, I was not the only one living this adulterous lifestyle. I knew it was wrong, but the circle of friends that I was connected to accepted it as the norm. No one judged me and some actually applauded my decision. It was my choice to be discreet and I thought I was giving their wives respect sneaking around. Another proclivity, because I was not only disrespecting the wives, but I was disrespecting the sanctity of marriage which meant I was disrespecting God who has ordained marriage. Mark 10:9, “What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.”

But just as the Samaritan woman, Jesus saw beyond my proclivity and saw my purpose. As Bishop Marvin Sapp has so eloquently proclaimed in song,”He saw the best in me, when everyone else around could only see the worst in me, He saw the best in me.

And just as the Samaritan woman dropped her water pots filled with shame and remorse to run and tell everyone about a man who knew all there was to know about her, shouting, “He must be the Son of God; I too dropped my water pots filled with blatant disregard for holiness and I repented asking for God’s forgiveness and promised never to turn back. I rededicated my life and the man I was with at the time has been my husband for 29 years, not including the years we lived together in sin.

On the night of ordination, I took a sacred oath that made me accountable not just for my spirituality, but reminded me that my life is not my own to do as I please. God has anointed and appointed me to live with a higher standard and that my life effects others. What I do, what I say, where I go and who I associate with can encourage or discourage someone’s Christian journey.

But this is not just for the preachers, it is for all who call themselves the sons and daughters of Christ. We must be holy and acceptable unto God. We must live a life of sanctification, (set apart from). No, we are not going to be perfect, because none is perfect except our Father in heaven. But we must strive to be that witness and living testimony that validates our right to be called the righteousness of God and the heir of his salvation.

That night, there was a sudden reminder that in my past, there was a time when I was only a few blocks away from being a Rahab. I may not have slept with men for money as a profession, but one day whenever I was judging women who did, the Lord reminded me that I was shacking up with someone and that he was helping me pay my bills. He said, “you may not be standing on the street corner physically, but morally you are no better than they are.” I was an “In House” prostitute. Jesus reminded me that I would be judged for those things I did in private. He reminded me that you cannot change what a sin is by giving it purpose in your life. A sin is a sin and you will be judged accordingly. With sins there are no exceptions to the rule.

I remember falling on my knees and asking God to forgive me and give me the strength to pack this persons bags and send him on his way. I also asked God to please not allow my household to suffer any lack because of my disobedience, and that my family not have to bear the wrath due me because of my unrighteousness. And God did.

Once again, God looked beyond my proclivity and saw my purpose.

God does not want us to let our past prevent us from moving into our future, but at the same time, God does want us to look back and realize just how far He has brought us to. He wants us to realize that His compassion, grace and mercy goes far beyond our proclivities.

God told Jeremiah in chapter 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” God is still creating each one of us for a purpose. But we have got to have an ear to hear what thus saith the Lord so that we may walk into our purpose.

Don't let your proclivities prevent you from having purpose. Jesus proclaimed in 2 Chronicles 7:14’ “If my people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

I won't say it's never too late to repent because if I am preaching your eulogy and you have not repented of your sins and made a conscious decision to give your life to the Lord, it's too late. But, I am a living witness that you are never too damaged for the Great Repairer, Jesus Christ to fix.

Jesus’ power is far greater than any of our proclivities. He was a man with no sin, who took upon himself the sin of the world; He went upon Golgotha's Hill, they hung him high and stretched him wide, blood streaming down his sides with a crown of thorns on His head and he died for you and me. But on the third day, Jesus rose with all power in his hands.

That's not just power, that's love.

It's time to walk into your purpose, be who God has ordained you to be from your mother’s womb. Pray and seek God. At the closing of the Ordination services, as each preacher present came to congratulate us and shake our hands, I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 2:9, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.”

From proclivity to purpose!

Rev. Denise Wade

This woman that you are reading about is a beautiful God fearing mother of six lovely children and a MiMi of three grandchildren. I am a woman of faith and a child of the most High God. A woman who loves herself, from the hairs on the top of my head to all the way down to my toe nails. I am blessed! And it's not because I say so but because I know that I am all these things and plus God, said so in His Word.

But it was once upon a time when I didn't feel beautiful. A woman who didn't know God or His Word. I was always a woman with faith, I just didn't know what faith was. I took it as, you are not going to tell me what I can't do. If I said, I was going to do something, I was doing it and nobody was going to stop me.

You see I am a native from the hood of the south side of Chicago, IL. I was originally born on the west side given birth by a strong loving mother, Vivian Brown who raised my two brothers and I the best way a single mother could. I can still remember my life as young as two-years old. How my perfect life of champagne living off KoolAid money changed instantly overnight.

Chontate Brown

At the age of seven, my mother fell into a deep depression and suffered from a mental breakdown due to life circumstances that my mother no longer could control, which led her to be admitted into a mental ward facility, which marked the beginning of a spiral that tossed my brothers and I into hands of the Department of Children and Family Services of Illinois which caused us to endure physical, sexual, mental and emotional abuse.

I went from being a black princess from the west side of Chicago, who use to play on my youth white grand piano, to busting a hole in my brother's bass drum of his drum set because I was trying to get my Sheila E on. LOL to singing and dancing in our living room to the songs of my mother's favorite group, Earth, Wind and Fire, to having a tea party with my dolls with my

Bestseller Author|Inspirational Speaker|Life Coach

By the age of 27, I had given birth to four children, survived a domestic violence relationship and was continually allowing myself to be in toxic relationship that was doing me no good. I eventually became emotionally numbed. I was not saved or attending church.

Before I knew God, I knew noone. Now, I knew to have enough sense to get up and go to school to earn a license as a Practical Nurse to provide for my family but I also knew how to weigh illegal drugs on a scale, bag it, and have them prepared to be distributed, because back then, I loved the ideal of being a drug dealer's girlfriend. Ms. Chady was my name and I did some shady things. Now I believed that God and Jesus Christ exist, I just didn't know them. But, if I didn't know anything else, I did know these two things: 1. I didn't want to die and 2. I didn't want to go to hell. But, if you are truly paying attention to my story, you would already know that 1. I was already dying (spiritually) and 2. I was on my way to hell!

It took me to do 7 days in jail standing in front of a judge with the possibility of facing to do more time in order for me to make the ultimate decision to get it right with God. I pleaded with God, if He set me free, I would let go of this toxic lifestyle. He did just that! I decided to leave the streets of Chicago for the sake of my family and my sanity. I moved to Georgia where I became an Enlightened Christian woman and I learned to build a loving relationship with the Almighty God, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of course myself. I am no longer a woman who once was filled with anger, past hurts, low self-esteem, unforgiveness, seeking love in all the wrong places, and blaming God for allowing all of these bad things to happen in my life. I am now a woman who has been forgiven by God for all my sins. Today, I am a Bestseller Author of my first published book released in July 2016 titled "Passed Around By Man But Not Passed Over By God" My Untold Story, my memoir where I expressed intimate heartfelt details of my mother's absence after my mother's mental breakdown including a rocky adulthood spent buried in difficult responsibilities, pain, and even prison. I am an Inspirational Speaker and a Life Coach. I specialize in helping women and teen girls to experience self-love, joy and happiness. Tap into their inner peace and how to overcome life challenges.

I thank God for using me to transform my life testimony into inspiration, hope, encouragement and healing for others. God was able to take everything that I considered bad, shameful amd traumatic in my life and used it for His glory and for my benefits.

Yes, I was once a woman Passed Around By Man, But never ever Passed Over By God.

Chontate Brown 707 Franklin Gateway Apt. 6-9 Marietta, GA 30067 chontatebinspires@gmail.com www.chontatebrown.com 678-975-0204

‘WHEN I STOPPED BEING ANGRY WITH GOD’ Reflections

I reflect back over my life, I have come to realize that I have wasted a lot of time focusing on the wrong things. From very early on, I was focused on my outer appearance and that was what defined me. I compared myself to everybody else. Prettier, thinner, smarter, and the list goes on and on. It was through a lot of prayer, meditation, scripture reading and Bible study that I learned that the outer appearance means absolutely nothing to God, it is the inner appearance, the appearance of the heart that He is most concerned about. God knew what I was going to look like before I even got here and He knew how people were going to treat me because of it. He also knew that I would be raped, not once, but twice, because I have also come to learn that my first sexual experience was, in fact, a sexual assault. It doesn’t matter when a woman says no, as long as she says it and I did, several times, but he didn’t stop. I knew the second rape was just that, there was no question about that. God knew that I would be beaten up severely by a couple of my boyfriends and he even knew that I would be left for dead in a field, which is why I didn’t die that day, because He had other plans for my life. Plans that I had no idea about back then.

Over the course of my life, I had developed so much anger towards God because I saw everybody around me living, what appeared to be, perfect lives. I was filled with jealousy, envy, hatred and resentment. So many cruel things were said and done to me that even now, I sometimes cry when I think about all the pain that I have suffered.

Robin M. Sample

But when I have those moments, I remember God telling me that everything that happened wasn’t only for me. I took that to mean that everything I have gone through has made me the strong, independent, hardworking, courageous, God-fearing woman that I am today. Sometimes we have to go through some things in order to recognize our blessings and now that I can see my life through God’s eyes and not my own, I can also see my purpose in life and that is to inspire others who have suffered such as I have. I haven’t forgotten all of the pain and torment that I endured throughout the course of my life, but at least when I think about it now, I don’t get angry, I just begin to pray and thank God that it wasn’t worse than it was because I could have been dead a long time ago. As a matter of fact, I probably should have been. But God had a plan all along, He was just waiting for me come to Him and accept Him as my Lord and Savior so that He could show me what he had planned for my life and begin using me to do His will. I am grateful for my many experiences, both good and bad, because they have allowed me to answer my calling as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. It is during my time spent with my clients that I hear my life being echoed back to me, only from a different face and name. I often times want to wrap my arms around my clients and give them the hugs that I never got and just make all of their pain go away but I know that they have to walk their own journey, allowing God to lead and guide them to their destiny, just as He did with me. I was always in denial about being in domestic violence relationships because I had a belief that as long as I fought back, I wasn’t a victim.

What a crazy belief system I had. Now I can educate victims on the cycle of violence and the elements of power and control because those were things I had no idea about when I was a victim. It’s called, “Paying it forward.” I learned and now I have a passion to help and teach others. I also used to wonder why I became an addictions counselor when I did because I had no professional experience in that field; however, I had plenty of personal experience in it. It was during my time spent providing counseling services to my clients that I learned that I was an alcoholic. Of course, I was in recovery by the time I started that job, but I was always honest with my clients about who I was and the effects that alcohol had had on my life. Not only did sharing my story help many others, it also helped me come to grips about why I drunk as much and as often as I did. That was actually the beginning of my healing process, a process that only began, “When I Stopped Being Angry with God!” ###

Contact details; Robin M. Sample Phone: 917-268-2987

Dreamchaser_507@yahoo.com twitter.com/iamrobinsample" @iamrobinsample

By Design (e plans !at I have Designed for y* Will b"ng fo#h a blessing Whenever I am !r*gh

As I have !*ght it It %all come to pass I plan for y* good !ings Y* don't have to ask

My daughter I love y* Y* ,ay on my mind (e plans I have for y* Come fo#h by design

Isaiah 14:24) (e Lord of ho, ha! sword,saying,surely as I have !*ght so %all it come to pass; and as I have purposed so %all it ,and.

Victo"a Wallace

Seasons of Change: A Journey of Wholeness

Samantha Singletary As the years pass by, I watch how the seasons shift. I watch how spring, summer, autumn and winter evolve and dissolve into one another. It baffles me how depending on the region of the United States you may experience all four seasons or simply a few. The changing of the seasons helps the Earth replenish and produce. In studying the purpose of every season, I learned why they occur. The Earth endures this cycle to sustain life on the planet. Spiritually, God permits us to experience seasonal changes also in our lifetime. We are all in sync on some level, but often as humans, we don’t realize it. The seasons often morph into each other, and it’s difficult to determine when the seasons have shifted. I found my life this way. I am sure you can relate.

You have found the seasons changing constantly. The seasonal changes you are undergoing are bringing you to place of healing. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states,” To everything there is a season; a time for every purpose under heaven”. God had us in mind when He developed the seasonal cycle for Earth. How awesome a creator! The process of experiencing the seasons will bring you to a place of discovering the, “real you.” I hope to give you a glimpse into my journey of healing through the seasons and help you discover yours. I used to wonder why certain events of my life were always on a cycle. I would find that some periods lasted longer than others. I would change with some seasons and others I would not change. This is the birthing of this book. I am sharing my journey with Christ and what I have learned through each area of my life.

I am sure you have your own experiences, and maybe some tips or insight I can give will cause change in you.

Every time we leave one season and enter the next something has either withered or grown. This is the exact same experience we have as women. The interesting thing I discovered was how God designed this planet to sustain life, and the real reason we even have seasons. God allowed Solomon to discover the wisdom of season in the book of Ecclesiastes. Women, I believe seasons are positional. I take the positional seasons and

My deepest desire is as you read this book it will cause you to search and seek God for wholeness. The dream or vision you have for your life won’t birth without wholeness. Take this journey with me through the seasons and discover your wholeness so you may discover your authentic self in the end.

Wholeness is essential to the alterations of one’s life. Women we spend our time trying to grasp or understand the inevitable life experiences we all face. Many of these seasons we face are difficult places, and we often feel like no one understands. In this book, with her skillfulness of storytelling, her sense of humor and wisdom she helps you discover the process of becoming whole while you are experiencing Seasons of change. In Seasons of change she shares her experiences and challenges, while reminding you as the seasons change on planet Earth so, do they in your life. She shows you the way to reflect, acknowledge and accept the seasons by sharing God’s answers for life’s challenges.

Come and journey with her to wholeness as we walk together and experience Seasons of change. Get your copy today: Seasons of Change: A Journey of Wholeness by Samantha Singletary Link:

### Contact details; Samantha Singletary Phone: 917-268-2987 PO BOX 2534 Dardarien GA 31105

RESETTING YOUR MIND

Pastor Cheryl Jones-Ross

Our minds have the ability to drive our present and determine our future.

Therefore we must continue to ask ourselves, "Am I creating my own reality by my thoughts and am I setting the course for my future by the way I am thinking?" The bible declares "For as he thinketh is his heart so is he". As a man reasons, calculates, reckons or estimates in his soul, in his life in his emotions and passions, is what we will be. We really are what we think more so than what we eat!

Every single thought that comes into our minds must be kept within the boundaries of what the word of God tells us to think. If it doesn't agree with what God has said, we can not think it and we must cut if off.

Our mind is our purpose. It is our intellectual framework, it is the rational part of us, the part that we should be guided by rather than our emotions or our experiences. Our intellect framework is our ability to think in a logical way, in the way that God originally created us to think before sin came into the world.

Here are three things we must begin to change our mind concerning: 1. Change your mind about who you are in Christ.

Know who you are in Christ, know what God says about you. Nothing else matters but what HE says about me.

He has made us accepted in the beloved meaning, He has made us graceful, lovely, charming and even agreeable.

And He has pursued us with grace and compassed us with favor and honored us with blessings. It is important that you know your own worth. Stop letting things, people and situations devalue you or put a price on you and on what's in you or what you have to offer. If you know your worth, others will know it as well.

2. Change your mind about your current situation.

Know that whatever you are experiencing now, is not it. There is greater for you, there is more for you, there is better for you and once you come to that understanding you will be better equipped to do something about your situation. I am a firm believer that if you change your mind, you will change your life. It is time to get some hope about your future and focus on where you are going and not on where you are.

3. Change your mind about your relationship with the Lord and know that He is for you, and that He is not against you.

Know that He loves you, that God cares about you. It doesn't always feel like it, but He loves you too much to leave you in the condition that you are in. This is why Jesus said, wilt thou be made whole? Because I want to save you, to keep you safe and sound, to rescue you from danger or destruction (from all sources). He wants to save the suffering ones (from perishing), from suffering from dis-ease, (the things that bring you discomfort) inconvenience, difficulty, bother, nuisance, vexation, drawback, things that put you at a disadvantage, trouble you, things that are a problem in your life, trials, tribulations, hardships; things in life that pester or irritate you, that have become a hassle. This is what wholeness is and if I left anything out, you can add it to the list. Just know that Jesus wants to make us well, to heal, and restore us to health.

Most of our thoughts are unfiltered, we let them come and do what they do. But we must learn how to methodize our thinking, meaning adopt a procedure or technique on how to process our thoughts in order to redirect them to thinking God's thoughts.

Phil. 4:7-8 gives us this procedure by saying; "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. This is the filtering system that the Lord wants us to use in order to identify our thoughts and either let them come through to our hearts or block them out completely. You see, the word of God must captivate our minds, it must be the only influence in our thinking process. We have to stop letting our minds be influenced by just any old thoughts.

And if we think right, the bible says, then the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We will have rest in our minds.

Many times I will find myself thinking about something over and over again, to the point of becoming aggravated or agitated about something that I don't even know if it is the truth, let alone it being true according to what God says. But if I would filter those thoughts according to the word of God, then I can be in perfect peace instead of walking around hurt, mad, angry, annoyed, worried, stressed out..‌.‌..If I have perfect peace or complete peace, it frees me from agitation of the mind and the spirit, it frees me from from disturbances or turmoil.

Therefore I need my mind to be stable, to be resistance to change. I need my mind to be strong in the Lord. If I have perfect peace that means my mind is steady and stable. It won't be weak and uncertain. We can't keep being weak minded and falling for every thought that is introduced into our minds, but our minds must be firmly fixed and resistant to stress or pressure. We are pressured by some thoughts, but we must resist those thoughts. Therefore we must gird up the loins of your mind, and be sober, we must fasten up any loose thoughts and be calm and collected.

How do we change our minds?

1. Don't be influenced or affected by emotions or strong feelings. Stop being personally or emotionally involved in thoughts that are not of God or thoughts that don't make it through the filtering process.

2. Be temperate, avoid thinking that goes beyond what is acceptable according to the word of God. 3. Be circumspect, carefully consider all the circumstances and possible consequences of our thoughts.

4. Change comes: 1. Through hearing the word of God that produces faith 2. Hoping in God, putting our expectation in HIM‌ Isiah 45:11 says Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask (Demand) me of things to come concerning my sons (concerning your life), and concerning the work of my hands command ye me. (appoint me over your situation, start decreeing and determining your life. Cause it to exist!

KINGDOM HEALTH 4 LIFE with

SATIN B.

I recently started a journey on a different side of my vegan journey basically eating raw veggies in salad form, collard green wrap, or any raw veggie form.

Green smoothies are included. A raw foods diet consists of uncooked and unprocessed vegetables & fruits.

In recent studies a raw vegan diet, will bring positive changes such as: . Weight reduction . Lower cholesterol . Lower blood pressure . Lowering inflammation . Improving digestion . Provides dietary fiber . Improves heart health . Improves liver function . Prevent cancer . Prevent constipation . Gives energy . Clears skin . Prevents nutrient deficiencies . Lowers the anti-nutrients and carcinogens in your diet . Maintain a healthy body weight

KINGDOM HEALTH 4 LIFE with

SATIN B.

30 Day Raw Food Challenge.

I admonish anyone to give a raw diet a try for 30 days. I promise you, you will feel better and look better, and your palate will change. Take the 30 day Vegan Journey of Raw Foods it will change you.

A salad is something that you can eat everyday. It's healthy, nutritious and it's great for weight loss.

Weight Dropper/Fat Buster Salad) NO OILS 1 head of leafy greens 1 apple sliced 1-2 tomatoes 1/2 Large Cucumber 1 can of chickpeas drained or sprouted Chickpeas.

1 handful of cranraisins 6 raw almonds chopped 1/2 half of a clementine (the will be juice squeezed on salad) 3 Tablespoons Organic Balsamic vinaigrette dressing Fresh Herbs (optional ) Make your own salad dressing: Ingredients: 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup walnuts 1/4 cup raisins 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic 1 tsp Onion powder 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder ( optional) 1/4 tsp. dried thyme Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

HGM'S

TheSTYLE Closet

TheSTYLE Closet

We found this short dress with large ruching at the bottom to wear under a cute layered short-sleeved blouse. We took the straps from the back of the dress and and used them to make a short drape on the four sides of the blouse to polish off this fun and flirty look!

Animal prints with a faux fur vest is a great way to make a statement. We combined a cute peplum blouse with a wrap skirt to created this stunning outfit. We completed the look with a pair of hot pink gladiator stiletto heels.

TheSTYLE Closet

A simple animal print blouse, a plain white hoop from a wedding dress covered by two sheer white skirts is all that was needed to create this stunning after-five formal look!

We topped it off with a sequined belt, added some sparkling jewelry and our model is ready to dance the night away!

What can we say about this adorable tulle dress. Tulle never goes out of

TheSTYLE Closet Heels Gospel Magazine believes in looking great without having to bust your budget to do so! Make-up artist, Tyonna Singleton, has chosen to use some cost effective make-up products that look just as amazing as some of the famous high-end brands that we love to use.

Because make-up does not have to be super expensive to look great, her "Go-To" brand for eyes is Profusion Makeup, not only because it is priced well for the average make-up wearer, but because the colors are very well pigmented and the shadows are long lasting in wear if properly applied.

Therefore, she begins each eye-shadow application session with an "Elf" eyeshadow primer. Primer helps to keep the eyeshadow from creasing, makes it stay on longer and helps the colors to "pop".

She decided to go with bold eye pallettes for both of our young models using three layers of colors, on the lid, over the crease and sockets and on the outer "V" of the eye. A lighter color is also applied to the outer "tearduct" area to widen the eyes.

Models: Alexus Fordham Shai Fordham Makeup: Tyonna Singleton Stylist: Cheryl Jones-Ross

TheSTYLE Closet ALEXUS

SHAI

Ramona M. Gaines “I was reborn when I was broken…..”

"Lifetime" as written by Hod David and Maxwell Menard When I first heard this song I was about 29 years old, my younger brother Robert introduced me to it. He told me this was “his song,” and as I sat and listened to it, I kept trying to find him in the words. I wanted to understand why it meant enough for him to call it “his song.” For years I thought it said, “I was a boy when I was broken.” I would think to myself, “Wow, something really happened in his childhood to make him feel like he was broken.” Many times over the years I wondered what it was, and common sense should have made me ask, but I was afraid to because I knew it would hurt to hear. Here we are in 2016, and Robert passed away this year on Fatherʼs Day. I heard this song again and this time something made me look up the words. This year I learn that the words are, “I was reborn when I was broken.” Those words are very different from what I had assumed them to be all those years ago. Now 15 years later they take on a whole different meaning…“I was reborn when I was broken.”

When I began to think about the places in my life when I felt like I have been broken, it made me introspective about what in those ugly dark places could have made me feel l I was reborn. Because, in my mind it would mean that darkness was still able to produce light. It brought to mind the movie “Joseph”, in which you see Joseph in the pit, growing a beautiful healthy plant in a dark ugly place. This is the backdrop to a song singing, “Lord You know better than I”.

In my own life I began to wonder how to find the light when: being rejected and bullied by your mother, growing up without knowing who your father is, being molested at age four by your motherʼs boyfriend, kidnapped and raped at age 15, being “jumped” in the neighborhood you grew up in because you talked properly, and the list could go on.

It almost seemed as if there was a black cloud over my head when it came to having a sense of belonging and stability in my life when I was young. The angel in my life was my amazing grandmother, who loved and nurtured me as much as she could whenever I was with her. When I was with my Nanny, I never wanted to go back home. So much so that on the night of my high school graduation I packed a box and left home for good. I was finally able to break out of that “prison”. My motherʼs house was never a home. There was no love there ever. It was literally cold and lacked any feelings of warmth and love. My brother and sister, who are twins, came along 11 years into my life, and they brought some sense of joy and love to my world. But my mother didnʼt want me to have too much of that. She often would say they had to go somewhere or that I had chores to do, so I would have no loving relationships to grow from. She would take them into her room and lock the door and watch television, and leave me in the cold house by myself. I lived with my family that I was not allowed to be part of, and that did a lot to damage my self-esteem and self-worth. She would take them out on day trips with her husband or her boyfriends, but I would always be left at home locked in the house with bars on the windows and a lock on the phone. On a good day I would be left at a neighborʼs house who ran a speakeasy or ran numbers.

I was able to find refuge and solace in many places, and church with my Nanny was one of them. I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior when I was seven years old at Peniel Baptist Church, in Philadelphia. Oddly enough this was the church my mother attended as a child, and it made me often wonder what happened that she strayed away, and now sent me with someone instead of attending with me herself. When was she broken? What happened, and did anyone notice she had been broken? So church was a place of solace, going to visit my Nannyʼs house was another, because I could sing and commune with God there. When I fell in love with Jesus, I took that relationship very seriously to be so young. Jesus was my all and all, and still is up to this day. My eyes water when I think of how He loves me and cares for me, in spite of me. So it was Jesus, Nanny, my books, and school; these are the things that were my place of refuge and strength. My mother knew this, and would not give me access to some of these places and things whenever she felt like it. For me it felt like torture when I could not go to church, choir rehearsal or see my Nanny. It felt like I had no air; like someone or something was suffocating me.

But eventually time moved on, I graduated and went off to college. But I was still dysfunctional because of my foundational relationships, and I went for all the wrong reasons. I went just to get out of the house/prison; I was tired of babysitting and being responsible for my younger brother and sister, although I loved them dearly. I desired to be a good student but was still unraveling so much from my home life that I could not focus and do what I need to do. I still attended church, but with college came new freedoms and new responsibilities, and I fumbled all over the place. I was promiscuous, drinking and partying like it was nobodyʼs business. I was self-medicating, burying my head in the sand instead of seeking help for the issues that I was dealing with in my personal life. I tried to reach out to those that I held in high regard spiritually but they unfortunately were not equipped, and did not want to interfere in our family affairs enough to get me help. To be clear, I wanted to die, and had attempted suicide at least twice since the age of 13. Depression and low self-esteem were my breakfast, lunch and dinner for a great part of my life.

At about the age of 33, after having moved back to Philadelphia with my daughter, and after my Nanny had passed away. I took a job at as an after school teacher in a building that also housed a GED program. One day when they were going through the roll, I heard a name I had not heard since I was 15 years old: “Blank Blank,” (only he was a junior) and I froze. I looked at the young man and saw the resemblance of the man that had kidnapped and raped me all those many years ago. The man that stalked me after the incident happened, and against whom my mother never pressed charges. That undoubtedly, to me, was the straw that broke the camels back for our relationship. So now I know what is was that creeped me out about this young man whom I really did not know. It felt as if the all those emotions from that night flooded me; it was as if it was happening all over again, and I did not know what to do. I confided in my then supervisor and she encouraged me to go back to therapy. I began therapy again, without the guidance of an adult that was trying to spin the session on their behalf. The therapist was able to be deliberate in helping me to move past the issues of my past, and gain healing.

It was during this time that God began to birth new things from within me, Styllwatersʼ Café was one of them. It is a mobile urban Christian café for youth and young adults in the community, to come on Friday nights to hear and see clean creative and performing arts. My first book, “The Styllwatersʼ Story”, was written and published. It was the beginning of me sharing of my story of healing and deliverance from rejection, depression, becoming and unwed mother and sexual sins. It was as if the plans of the enemy to stop the flow from my spiritual womb were being interrupted, and God was allowing the healing rivers to flow from within me. Just like in the book of Genesis when it says, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for my good,” this was meant to save many lives.

Genesis 50:20English Standard Version (ESV) 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people [a] should be kept alive, as they are today.

Josephʼs brothers meant what they did for evil. They initially plotted to kill him because of jealousy, because he was Jacobʼs favorite, and because he was a dreamer. They didnʼt understand the plan was for Jacob to teach his heritage so that Joseph would be able to worship his God in what would soon be a strange land. The enemy used his own flesh and blood to try and kill him: the dreamer. The one whom God was going to use to save not only his own household, but also many lives in Egypt and surrounding countries.

What is it that is in you, that the enemy wants to kill because it is going to save many lives? You need to ask yourself that question if the attacks have been great, and they keep coming from every side. What is it that everyone else sees in me, that I donʼt see in myself, that the enemy wants to kill me for? Because, if you kill the dreamer, the dream does not come to pass. Hiyah!, I felt that in my spirit! While in Egypt, Joseph had to do something that some would think crazy, but he knew it to be necessary for his well-being: forgive his brothers. This is shown in what he named his children.

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my fatherʼs household.” He named the second Ephraim, “For,” he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”(Genesis 41:49-52)

Oh, that I knew where I might find him that I might come even to his seat!

(Job 23:2) English Standard Version I remember walking home from the store after the girls had jumped me and stolen my pocketbook, crying,” Jesus, Jesus where are you”? I had done my best and held onto my motherʼs groceries, but I was broken in spirit that this had happened to me. Just when I thought it would get better, at times it got worse.

But again, like Joseph you begin to tap into the Holy Spirit and ask what the prisons and pits have to do with your destiny and your calling. But, nine times out of ten you are called to minister to the places that God has delivered you out of, or is going to deliver you out of.

This is just some of my story, but it is here to encourage you, to strengthen you to make it out of your pit or your prison, whichever you may be in. Because your purpose will be birthed out of those places of pain, and it is to save many lives. Lives will be saved, delivered and set-free because of the words on these pages, because God ordered my steps for a purpose, and so are yours; they all are. The lyrics of the song I found to be true, “I was reborn when I was broken.” Who I thought I was, was totally different from what God said about me. Your broken places will birth something beautiful in your life and the lives of all those around you. God will give you beauty from your ashes, and turn your mourning into dances. Your water will spring forth in dry places, and not only will you have drink, but all those around you will be able

Movement IS Medicine (Movement IS Medicine Anthology)

Movement IS Medicine is a compilation of "victorious" short stories about how a group of men and women allowed movement to be their medicine to help them get "unstuck." You will also see how they kept moving to drop their outer weight and reclaim their God ordained lives back! It will make YOU want to GET UP AND MOVE SOMETHING!

HEELS HEALING ENCOURAGEMENT ELEVATION LOVE SOUNDNESS FOR THE TOTAL WOMAN

For information on advertising your business, ministry or event in HEELS Gospel Magazine: visit our website at www.heels-magazine.com or call us at 216-200-6347