Heels Gospel Magazine November/December 2016

November-December 2016

HEELS

GOSPEL MAGAZINE

Bishop

Sir Walter Mack " First Lady

Kim Mack STILL

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TheSTYLE Closet Fabul!sly Fierce B!tique

Tips For Building Your Support System

The Editor's Notes Proverbs 17:8 says, A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.: It really doesn't matter what the gift is, if our consideration or our perspective of the giver, the gift or the presentation is off. When the Apostle Peter spoke of Christ in 1 Peter 2:6-7 he said. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, (chosen and picked out by GOD) precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

He said everyone who is persuaded in their own mind and heart, will value the price that was paid for this gift and will honor the one who gave it. But those who don't will be offended by the gift, it will become an obstacle that we will try to get around.

But Jesus is a gift that must be received. He will do us no good if we don't take Him. He is the gift that gives in perpetuity. Meaning, this gift never stops giving, it never runs out, it never wears out, it never gets old, it will never stop working, it will never fall apart or fade away, and it is the same throughout generations and dispensations. This same gift is relevant in my life, in my children's life, and in my grandchildren's life because it is the gift that never changes.

Is there any other gift that we could possibly receive that has ability to change our lives here and in the life to come and yet the same throughout time and eternity ?

John 1:12 says, But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. This gift gives liberty, it gives ability and strength, it gives physical and mental power, it gives power of rule, it gives power of authority, this gift gives us influence, it gives us freedom, it gives us liberty, it gives us rights, it gives us an inheritance, it gives us salvation, it gives us eternal life, it gives us a crown of righteousness and a crown of life!

If I had one hundred thousand pages to write about this gift I could use them all up.

Who would not want to receive such an amazing gift!

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Cheryl Jones-Ross Editor in Chief

SCRIPTURE READING:

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

Proverbs 10:9

Tamela Mann

Includes The Hit Singles "Holding On" Ft. Carl Thomas & "God Is For Me" Ft. Patrick Dopson Now Available

HEELS

ON THE COVER Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr. & Lady Kim Mack Union Baptist Church Winston Salem, NC

Editor in Chief Cheryl Jones-Ross

Style Editor Tyonna Singleton

Contributing Writers Rev. Denise Wade

Satin Boykinds

Sharvette Mitchell

Contents November-December 2016 Edition

8

Monica Lisa Stevenson Artist Spotlight

14

Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr. The Postmodern Era Church

20

What is Your Season Rev. Denise Wade

25

Nicole Tuner-Thomas Still Sophisticated

27

Connie Birth

33

Robin Sample

Staff Photographer Matthew Singleton SICQOGRAPHY

Sharvette Mitchell

12

30

Dr. Stacie N. Grant

7 Tips for Building Your Support System

36

Tis the Season of Manifestation Dr. Stacie Grant Mirror Mirror on the Wall Robin Sample Kingdom Health 4 Life With Satin Boykinds

The Style Closet

IN THIS SPECIAL

ISSUE

7 Tips for Building Your Support Network Page 8

Monica Lewis Stevenson Artist Spotlight

‘TIS THE SEASON OF MANIFESTATION! Page 27

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, He Stole My Courage, My Voice…

Page 30

Page 12

KINGDOM HEALTH 4 LIFE with SATIN B. Page 33

Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr. & Lady Kim Mack Page 14

TheSTYLE Closet Page 36

What’s Your Season?

Page 20

NICOLE TURNER-THOMAS Still Sophisticated Page 25

I have worked on this book for almost four years. I had to go back, rewrite and edit it over and over again as the Lord continued to transform me in my thinking process during that time period. I had to rest for months at a time because of the heaviness of writing this book. I had to pray and ask God for forgiveness as I began to recognize all of the times that I had made a mess of things thinking that I was doing His will. I also had to decide if I really wanted to expose all of my weaknesses and my faults stemming from failing to really overcome the residue of my past. I certainly laid it all on the line in this book. But I needed to be transparent about my own life, so that I could tell why it took the Fire of God to come into my life to transform me. The Lord will send fire in our lives so that He can give us beauty for ashes. But we will not be beautiful until we first, shake off those ashes, and secondly let Him examine us and determine that there is no more residue on us from our past before we can arise out of the ashes into position and with the favor of God. Release date coming very soon!

Cheryl Jones-Ross

7 Tips for Building Your Support Network

When you run your own small business, ministry or non-profit, you need the help of others in many ways. You need to grow a network of contacts, virtual help, colleagues, supporters and others who can help you with various aspects.

But there’s another type of support you need as well. It’s also wise to build a more casual support network for knowledge, encouragement, advice and motivation.

Understand Where You Need Help First of all, it’s good to know yourself. You should understand the warning signs when, for example, your confidence or motivation is starting to wavier. Know your own areas of weakness or things you need to work on.

Family and Friends Family and friends are a great source of support, even when they have nothing to do with your small business, ministry or non-profit. In fact, they can be a great help because they’re not involved. They know you, not your business or organization.

Identify those who are most helpful to you in your regular life and enlist their support.

Seek out Mentors A mentor is someone who has more experience than you have at what you do. They’ve gone further down the road you’re on and they know what’s ahead. A mentor can help to steer you on this path when you get stuck. They can identify your weaknesses or trouble spots and help you overcome them.

Coaches and Consultants Like a mentor, a coach or consultant can help you by lending you their experience and skill. But a coach or consultant’s approach is more direct. You pay them for their services, so they offer more direct help usually than mentors do. They’re there to help you!

Good Advice Try to identify some other sources of good advice on through Social Media & the internet. Seek out a website for entrepreneurs that offers help or encouragement with its content. Look for a forum or social media group that’s particularly supportive of its members.

Motivation and Inspiration What inspires you or pushes you to keep working, even when things get tough? For example, thinking of your family’s future may be a greater motivation for you than the idea of making a great deal of money. Try to identify what motivates or inspires you. Post these in words and/or pictures somewhere visible so that it’s like your own visual support. You can turn to them when your motivation is in trouble.

Your Biggest Fans Some of your best support will come from your fans, followers and customers. When you have an especially good relationship with a particular reader or customer, nurture this relationship and garner support from it. These individuals are a great help when you wonder whether your efforts to deliver value are paying off or not.

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

BASED ON THE UNTOLD TRUE STORY MEET THE WOMEN YOU DON'T KNOW BEHIND THE MISSION YOU DO

Janelle Monae

Taraji P. Henson

HIDDEN

FIGURES

JANUARY 13, 2017

Octavia Spencer

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Monica L&a

evenson

According to industry professionals, Monica Lewis Stevenson has become known as a powerhouse vocalist of the new school generation but captures the essence of traditional gospel and “church” music at its best. From her stylish fashion to her hard working drive and stamina, she is one of the genres rising female vocalist positioning herself for longevity in gospel music.

She possesses the ability to hold an audience and bring them together in an atmosphere of worship, a level in ministry in which many gospel artists have not acheived.

Monica Lisa was born into a talented family of singers. The eldest of six children, she and her siblings were raised in Wetumpka, Alabama, where they were inspired, encouraged, and trained by their parents, the late George Bowen and Pearlie Ellis. She began to minister in song and organized Lisa Stevenson & Company in 1997 shortly after becoming a licensed minister of the gospel.

Her first album, Finally...in God's Time, was released by Monicazmuzik in 2009. The subsequent album, Live in Atlanta, was released in 2013 by Central South Records. This was a Billboard magazine breakthrough release upon two charts the Gospel Albums and Heatseekers Albums. She was nominated at the 2009 Stellar Awards in two categories.

Her true joy is just to be able to sing before audiences, but Monica Lisa has a litany of achievements and experiences.

Her recent appearances include BET’s Dr. Bobby Jones Gospel, Atlanta Live TV, Atlanta Gospel Choice Awards, Sweet Auburn Festival, Rhythm of Gospel Awards, Gospel Heritage Praise and Worship Conference and the Full Gospel Conference. Monica Lisa has been honored to sing with the legendary Caravans, Kathy Taylor, Pastor Shirley Caesar, The Canton Spirituals, The Williams Brothers, Pastor Marvin Sapp and many others.

In October of this year, Kainos The Acoustic Documentary Debuted at #19 on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums Charts This project featured some of the top names in gospel music including Lowell Pye and Lisa Knowles-Smith.

THE KAINOS PROJECT is her personal acoustic documentary.

Currently, Monica has been nominated for a first and second round Stellar Award in the category of Traditional Female VocalistArtist of the Year.

Heels Gospel Magazine congratulates this powerhouse gospel artist!

Label: PURETONEZ PRODUCTIONS, Derrick Stevenson | Puretonezproductions@gmail.com

Booking/Management: Jemison & Associates Roderick Jemison | 615-642-8384, 770-696-2669

Official Websites: www.monicalisastevenson.com

Connie Birth Contributor

BISHOP DR. SIR WALTER LEE MACK JR.

THE POSTMODERN ERA CHURCH Bishop Sir Walter Lee Mack, II, is a committed pastor and teacher whose vision and love of God and people is expansive enough to reach the nations and microscopic enough to touch individuals on a personal level.

Diligently serving as pastor and teacher of Union Baptist Church, in Winston Salem, N.C., Bishop Mack provides spiritual guidance and leadership to his congregation of over 4,000. As the director of Global Evangelism with United Global Fellowship, Bishop Mack is providing international administration to churches around the globe.

Formally educated at Elon College in Elon, NC (Bachelor of Arts-Mass Communication), Duke University in Durham, NC (Master of Divinity) and United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH (Doctor of Ministry), Bishop Mack is devoted to lifelong education and advancement. He completed a continuing education program at Harvard University, which focused on economic development and community revitalization where he was both a pupil and invited guest preacher. He was also a guest lecturer and round table participant at Oxford University in Oxford, England that focused on the role of religion and education in the government. Bishop Mack currently serves students as their academic advisor and theological mentor through the Doctoral Program at United Theological Seminary, which focuses on developing leadership for effective programming ministry in the Post-Modern Era.

Bishop Mack is married to Lady Kim Romaine Bush. He is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina and is the son of Mrs. Frances Mack and the late Rev. Dr. Sir Walter Mack, Sr. HGM: There are many pastor's children who struggle to hear God for themselves especially when they know that it is the desire of their parents that they would come along side them in ministry. How did you know that you were called to pastor and in what ways did the Lord speak to you to confirm your calling outside of the voice of your father, Bishop Rev. Dr. Sir Walter Mack Sr.

BSWMJ: My father pastored here at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston Salem for 33 years until he died in 1982 at the age of 53. I was always brought up in the church, my mother was a registered nurse who took care of the physical body while my father took care of the spiritual body. Church was always a part of me and the love of people was always a part of me. However, I watched my father navigate through ministry.

As a child you see a lot growing up in the home of the pastor and I didn't want to go into ministry because I had seen his level of sacrifice and I didn't think as a child that he always got the return from his level of sacrifice. That's not only financial it's sometimes just watching him do 10-12 revivals back to back and we still had to budget how to spend money.

Bishop Sir Walter Mack Jr. and Lady Kim Mack

So, when I went to college I majored in mass communications and I minored in business administration because in my mind, I wanted to make some money and I wanted to get in a corporate setting. But every time I became a part of something, whether it was football or an event at the university, I was always the one drafted to do the prayer or to do words of inspiration. I played football all through high school and got a scholarship and played at Elon College which is now Elon University. Even when I was injured and couldn't play after two years of playing there, the campus wanted to start a worship service on Sunday mornings and of course they drafted me to pull the worship together, so I did that as the president of the Black Cultural Society. But then one Sunday our minister didn't show up, so then the group said, "Well, Mack you speak." So it was a constant walk to a purpose and a place.

In 1990, I was working for the city of Winston Salem. I will never forget the day when I just surrendered to God and said, "Lord, whatever it is that you want for my life". It was right after that, that God began to accelerate my passion for knowing more about Him and knowing His word. I started meeting with some of the Elder ministers that had known me since I was born and asked them what was going on with me and they all collectively said, "You are being called to preach." God confirmed that and I accepted it, and it has been one of the greatest moves in my life, if not the greatest move in my life which was to surrender to the call of God and work in the ministry.

HGM: What do you see different in your call than in your father's call? Obviously the Lord has taken you to a different level in ministry. I don't even know if I want to use that word because whatever your father was doing was very affective and God used him for where He was, but what do you see that is different?

BSWMJ: When my father came along, culturally, we were dealing with the sense of hope and restoration from the civil rights movement. My father pastored from in the 50s, 60s and 70s and during that particular time it was all about inspiration and restoration. So when I came on the scene, my generation was largely geared towards inspiration and information. So now my ministry has been a little different from my father's. I rely heavily on inspiration, but I also understood that we are living in a time where people rely more on information and have more access to more information.

So then our approach to ministry has to be diverse because we are dealing with a different type of culture. We are competing with the internet. When we grew up in church our highlight of the year was Vacation Bible School. But today children, if they want to, can go to Vacation Bible School every day on the internet. We enjoyed Vacation Bible School because that was where we saw our friends and that's where we got together for the summer. But now, they get together on Facebook everyday. So then the difference for me was that I understood that people are becoming more programatic. So I began to focus more on not only the inspiring part of ministry, but on putting more programs in place that would foster the spiritual health of people. My father was very creative in terms of what he did in ministry and I kind of borrowed some of that from him and used my creativity in developing programs like the Drug Dealers Conference where we bring drug dealers off of the streets into the church for three days and minister to them and get them to transform their life. Also the ice cream truck ministry. I remember while growing up, my daddy was very instrumental in doing evangelism and reaching out. Well, when I came into ministry I found out that it is somewhat dangerous now to walk up on a person's porch and knock on the door. So I said, "What is it that we can do to attract young people and get the message out in a fun way." We came up with the Gospel Ice-cream Truck. The young people named the ice-cream and as a matter of fact Rev. Wade came up with the slogan on top of the ice cream truck that says that our ice cream is "blessed and highly flavored."

I think that ministry today has to be relevant and it has to be systematic in terms of how we meet people. I think we have to be culturally sensitive but, theologically grounded to meet all of the variances that go along with the culture that we minister to today. Paul said something in the word when Paul said, I become all things to all people that I may win some and he was talking about cultural sensitivity. You have to know the terrain that you are ministering in so that you can make the gospel attractive enough for one to say what must I do to be saved. And while the gospel message never changes, but how we present it should.

HGM: I know that this is a community that you grew up in, but what were some of the systematic ways that you determined the needs of the culture today?

BSWMJ: I think that every ministry should be intergenerational. We are the first generation in ministry today that has to minister to six generations.

People are living longer and children are having babies earlier. We have the Heroics, the Builders, the Boomers, the "X"rs, the Millennials, and you have the "V"s and those have different categories. I think that while you are trying to develop a ministry, you have to know what is necessary for each generation in your church and then begin to put systems in place that can address each one of the needs of each generation.

Many times we like to take the "net" approach where we just throw a net out there and whatever we catch we pull in, which is cool. But once you pull it in, there is a different process of preparing the different kinds of fish and there is a different process used to clean the different types of fish depending on the size of the fish and depending on the type of fish it is. You have to be able to adjust to that.

One thing that we try to do in our church is to keep young people in the face of older people and older people in the face of younger people. When we started our dance ministry, which was something that many churches were doing to ignite young people and get young people involved, but we actually started our dance ministry with the senior citizens first to show them if seniors can do this, then young people can do it. And also to show the seniors, don't critic the youth when they get up to do this, because the seniors are doing it too. So, when you pull it in like that, it alleviates a lot of the intergenerational tension that comes along with doing ministry.

I would say to any church, sense the needs of the generations in your church and then begin to build systems and programs and fun ways of approaching the gospel around those particular generations.

God has blessed me to be able to travel around the country and to help mobilize churches to think about church differently. We have not yet mastered it, but one thing I can say about our ministry is that we are not afraid to try it.

So many times we make up reasons and excuses as to why the church can't do something when in fact, if you look at the corporate world or the retail industry, they are always changing processes and upgrading product so that they can meet a need. The church in some way must continue to do that particularly today when being a christian is not that popular. How do we brand our Christ in a culture that has so many opportunities for other religions and other belief systems? We have to find a way to get in there.

HGM: What do you think has been one of the greatest challenges that you have had to face as being a pastor?

BSWMJ: One of the greatest challenges that I have probably faced in ministry is keeping your hand on where the culture is. It is more work than we know. For example, Apple computer and Apple products change every two years.

The cell phone that you have now will be outdated two years from now. And they continue to change their product.

The challenge with that is, is that you have to continue to upgrade your product and then you have to relearn the product once you upgrade it. The challenge of ministry is that things change and people change so fast now. It is a challenge to keep up with where they are theologically, where they are spiritually, where they are morally and where they are financially. It takes work now to gage where they are so that you know where you need to take them and that has become a challenge in ministry for me as well as any other pastor.

HGM: Have you discovered a system of knowing when it is time to change the system?

BSWMJ: I think that once you are not able to engage people the way that you can engage people, then it may be time to change the system. We do a bible study at our church and the people who were very loyal to the bible study 10 years ago are now older, have taken on new responsibilities, have different family shifts and some have even passed. I had a bible study at one point reaching seven hundred people in one bible study on a Tuesday night. Well, that dwindled down to approximately about two hundred people. I began to notice that the interest had shifted on bible study. So what I did this year was say, "Here is what we are going to do, let's do something a little different with bible study. Let's meet in restaurants around the city and do one lesson. We will get group leaders to meet in these restaurants." So, we contacted different restaurants and asked them if we could come. They opened their doors and "boom" the enthusiasm was back to bible study.

We are in an age where people want to connect, and they want to talk and they want to tell their story. As we move into the postmodern era, postmodernism largely is defined by how you connect. We use to give information and that was our era, but today everybody wants to have the opportunity to share the information that they have. At these bible studies, we give them a chance to share information, share their stories, share their testimonies in a different way. It was just time for a shift. It's where people are and where people are often drives the direction that we need to go. We want them to come in our direction so sometimes we have to go that direction to get them to come to our direction. That's what I think ministry should be about.

HGM: Do you attribute all of these things including knowing the culture and knowing how to flow with the culture to the growth of Union Baptist?

BSWMJ: When I first came to "Union", there were three hundred and fifty active members. Now we have about four thousand on roll. We don't see all of them at one time, but we do have our hand on the majority of that number. I think that part of the growth was focusing on worship, study fellowship, evangelism and prayer. Those became the key components of what we are about. If you think about "Union", I want you to think about a powerful worship experience, a church that evangelizes and loves the community, a church that loves fellowship and a church that will pray for you. I think simplification in terms of our purpose becomes a good marketing tool for people to say what you are about. I believe that the growth happened from us defining who we were as Christians in that simple way. Now people can say, come to my church this is what we do versus come to my church and see if you like the preacher, see if you like the choir. Well, they may like us, they may not, but if you say come to my church this is what we do, this is who we are……

On Sundays, I ask people to join a vision and not necessarily the church. Come and join our vision come and join what we are trying to do and you partner with that. To join just the church, people get in their minds I can join and just be here. No, we want you to join and become a part of the vision, and you find your place in that.

HGM: Bishop Mack is the author of four illuminating books and his sermons and articles have been published in numerous publications including The African American Pulpit Journal. He has been a featured guest on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) on numerous occasions and hosted shows on TCT Network.

Bishop Mack is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. The African American Pulpit Journal cited him as one of the top 20 preachers under 40 years of age. His affiliations with organizations and the boards he serves on include National Baptist Convention, Progressive Baptist Convention, NC General Baptist State Convention, Second Harvest Food Bank, Winston-Salem State University, NC Governor’s Crime Commission, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Triad Cultural Arts, Inc, and the Union Community Development Corporation. On the celebration of his tenth pastoral anniversary, Trade Street was renamed in his honor. Most recently, Bishop Mack was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College.

Tamela Mann

Includes the hit singles "One Way" & "God Provides" Special Guest Appearance by Timbaland Now Available

What’s Your Season?

Ecclesiastes 3:1, To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven..

We are now in the Christmas season and we are singing songs like, “deck the halls with boughs of holly, falalalala lalalala, tis the season to be jolly, falalalala lalalala!

But when you have had to extend condolences to families, offer hope to someone struggling with the loss of a job or home, or offer encouragement to someone who has suffered rejection or abuse, you soon come into the realization that even though this is the Christmas Season, it’s not everyone’s season. Therefore, with compassion and concern it causes you to ask the question, “What’s Your Season?”

Are you in a season of hopelessness or despair? Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us, "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you.”

The Lord wants us to put our faith and trust in Him. He finds pleasure in the fact that we do not lean upon our own understanding but in all things we trust in him. If we could solve our own problems, or do it ourselves, what would we need Him for? It is the Lord’s desire for us to need Him and realize that we can do nothing without Him. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace; that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

II Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We must learn to use the tools that God gives us. God has given us all power to overcome, but we must understand how to receive this power. Our power comes from studying the word, being in constant communication with the Lord through prayer and seeking to be in the presence of the Almighty at all times.

God needs to be our friend and not our acquaintance. An acquaintance is someone you see on occasions, and you don’t always know how to find them. We refer to these Christians as CME’s. Christmas, Mother’s Day and Easter Christians. A true friend is someone you love and know all about them. You will always know how to get in touch with them, because you are never really far away from them. Your friends are just a call away, and Jesus should just be a prayer away. You should want to get to know all there is to know about the Jesus who thought it not robbery to go up on the cross, a man of no sin, who died for your sins and mine that we might have life everlasting.

The word and prayer is how you receive your power. The reason the Jehovah Witnesses are able to intimidate some of our Christians is because they study what they believe thoroughly and most Christians do not. II Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." A lot of our Christians are powerless because they don’t think it is necessary for them to go beyond Sunday school. But a Christian without Bible knowledge and a prayer life is like a car with no engine and no steering wheel. They will never grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ and therefore they will never have power or faith to move an ant hill, much less mountains in their lives.

Are you in a season of expectation? Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

So what is the expected end? It is to not perish, but have everlasting life. We will all experience death, but will it be a death in the lake of fire, or will it be that our bodies perish while our souls remain with the Lord forever? That should be our expected end.

If we live our lives praising and worshipping God in spirit and in truth, if we live our lives in a manner that pleases God, if we are more than hearers of the word but are also doers of the word, if we love one another as Christ loves us, if we keep God’s commandments and if we are true witnesses for Christ, in words, actions and deeds, then we absolutely should be in a season of expectancy.

I like how the Message Bible says it in Hebrews 4:16, Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—does not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Are you in a season of Love, “Jesus said that they will know His disciples by the way they love one another.” Are you loving your enemies, are you loving those who would despitefully misuse you, are you loving to walk in the ways of righteousness, are you loving God, not just for what He does for you, but for who He is?

Do you love your family enough that you will raise your children to know and love the Lord? Train up a child in the way they should go and when they grow up they will not depart. It’s alright to give them the material things they desire, but if you don't give them a Bible based home life, if they never see you praying or reading the Word of God and you don't ever take them to church to hear the good news of Jesus's Christ, you are failing them and are responsible for their lack of knowledge concerning Jesus Christ and the importance of salvation.

Are you in a season of Peace? John 16:33, I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.” Jesus is simply saying to us that He is peace.

He gives us peace that surpasses all understanding.

When you have peace in the Lord, people will look at all the drama, hell, turmoil and unrest that your family or loved ones are trying to put you through and yet, you seem not to care. You seem to be numb to everything going on around you. You have lost your job, had your car repossessed, home in foreclosure, marriage is heading for divorce and yet you don't seem stressed.

Whenever we learn to let go and let God, we can be at peace knowing that the battle’s not yours, it's the Lord’s. I heard a preacher say, when you have peace in God, he’ll fight your battles without you even knowing there was a war.

Are you in a season of Gratitude? When I look back at my life and see where the Lord has brought me from, I am grateful. When I think about how many times, through my unbelief, backsliding state, I turned away from the Lord, was disobedient with a reprobate mind and the Lord waited patiently for me to repent; I am grateful.

This is not just my story, but so many others as well. We can testify that we should’ve been dead in our graves, but because of God’s grace and mercy, we were given another chance to change and we are grateful.

Marvin Sapp said it best, “He saw the best in me, when everyone else around (my family, friends and church folk) could only see the worst in me, And because God saw our hearts while others only saw the outward appearance, today we are who we are in Christ Jesus. We are just a nobody, trying to tell everybody about somebody (Jesus) who can save anybody and we are grateful.

Hezekiah Walker sings, “I am grateful for the things that you have done, so grateful for the victories we’ve won, I could go on and on and on about the Your works, Because I'm grateful, grateful, grateful just to praise your Lord.

Flowing from my heart, are the issues of my heart; is Gratefulness.”

In closing, Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, but we need to understand that whatever season our life is in, Jesus is your reason. If your season is snow covered, Jesus is the snow shovel who will lift up all that is causing you discomfort, anxiety or making your way hard to get through. If your season is full of rain, Jesus will be that umbrella who will cover you and help you escape the storms of life. If your season is cloudy and dark, Jesus is the light of the world and will bring you out of darkness into the marvelous light.

God’s Word translation says, “A thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I came so my sheep will have life and so they will have everything they need,”.

William Murphy Jr. sings a song, “This is your season for grace, for favor..this is your season to reap what you have sown.”

May the Lord bless each one of you reading this article and my prayer for you is that your season be filled with the love and peace of Jesus Christ. May you have a prosperous season filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and may you always remember that season when Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world and died on the cross that we might not perish but have everlasting life.

What’s Your Season?

Rev. Denise Wade

STILL SOPHISTICATED EMPOWERMENT EVENT AND GALA

2016 TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Nicole Turner-Thomas owner of Sophisticated Hair Designs by Nikki in Verona Pennsylvania. recently celebrated her 10 year anniversary with an empowerment event and gala. Nicole had an event in March of 2016 to celebrate her anniversary which was in January of 2016, however she wanted to do something more to help empower people and celebrate the upcoming of people in ministry and business.

"I started in February of this year planning my event and formed a team of 7 people which included, Tracy Wright, Deborah Horn, Joe Hladiuk, Doreen Johnson and Stephen Thomas. My clients kept encouraging me to do this, but I didn't have the funds that matched my vision.

I followed the word of God from Habakkuk that says write the vision down and make it plain and I did just that. On September, 11th, I called a meeting and I said I want to have this event to empower the people. In the morning I want to have an empowerment session and then celebrate in the evening. It took us only 3 months to plan these two events. God was faithful! My mind is blow in that a little country girl from West Virginia could pull people together in such a big way. The event was was more than what I wanted it to be. Because of the favor of God, I saw that I had favor with God and man.

I was wondering where we were going to get the money for this. I didn't want to put doubt and unbelief in the atmosphere so I never spoke it. We would meet every Sunday and I would look at the pack of tickets that we were supposed to sell. I finally said are we going to pay for everything by selling all of these tickets. We sold the tickets and had the event catered and it was beautiful.

NICOLE TURNER-THOMAS

Everything that was done for the event took my breath away. We started off the day with a breakfast. I even had a red carpet and everyone felt like a star. I don't like things to be just about me, so I wanted everyone to feel beautiful, look beautiful and feel special.

This was my first party ever. I have never had a party before except when I was around the age of three. I have always dreamed of having a party and this was the exact atmosphere that I wanted.

So what's next? My vision is to do an empowerment event every season. I would like for my next one to be to be in April, or the Spring of 2017.

This has been a tough season in my life, and sometimes you feel like throwing in the towel. However, I keep standing on God's word. I told God I'm tired of fighting and struggling and as I started complaining, the Lord said, The Just Shall Live by Faith!

So, I got up and went to work and it was over and I said Amen!

Now, everyday I can say, God I trust you.

I know that I am more than "hair" and I have a ministry in my shop that I can do. I have led so many people to the Lord in my shop. We pray for people, we feed people. I want to see people good, that's all. I love to help people.

I remember coming up in West Virginia and my family would tell me I'm fat ugly and it leaves a scar. I believe this is why I minister so deep when I'm doing hair and if I can make someone else feel beautiful, that's ministry to me."

NICOLE TURNER-THOMAS

‘TIS THE SEASON OF MANIFESTATION! Greetings Amazing Women of God!!!!

I am both honored and excited to participate in your journey through this thing we call life. A special THANK YOU to Pastor Cheryl Jones-Ross for this opportunity. My intention is to share a message that will uplift you monthly and answer your questions on how you can focus on Healing, Encouragement, Elevation, Love & Soundness for the Total Woman!

It's a few weeks before 2017, and all throughout the world, some visions have not been executed and some dreams unfurled. Is this your truth? Did you enter into 2016 with multiple magnificent plans and you're realizing with only a few days left that you haven't followed through with many of them? If you're answer is yes, I urge you not to be too hard on yourself. Take ACTION ACTION DESPITE THE DISTRACTION !!! There is still enough time to finish st 2016 strong! You may not finish everything but commit right now to get 1 major thing done before December 31 . I promise you, if you FOCUS on one major goal and put all you energy behind it, you will not only accomplish your goal, you will also build momentum leading into an AMAZING 2017!! I share a concept called the DAILY FOCUS OF 3 in my book that can give you additional structure and support.

As I reflect back to the beginning of 2016, I declared to my followers that this would be the year of Manifestation!! In this declaration, I invited everyone to focus on what they wanted to MANIFEST during this year. Some people wanted healing from illness, some financial deliverance and others sought companionship. No matter the desire, the common thread was being able to exercise the FAITH to MANIFEST the DREAM! When you make the declaration, that’s when you get tested. The trials, tribulations, obstacles, etc. all appear to test just how much you really want the very thing you declared. You have to take ACTION ACTION DESPITE THE DISTRACTION!!! The enemy doesn’t like when we walk in our FAITH. That is why he tries so hard to distract us from moving forward.

When you feel the attacks, both in the spiritual and natural are overwhelming, that is when you know you are on the verge of a major breakthrough!! Just DON’T QUIT before your blessing!!

For the past 20+ years, giving myself permission to embrace my destiny was not an easy road. I allowed lack of belief, procrastination, disorganization, toxic people, fear, ego, and selfishness delay the manifestation of my blessings. But after the passing of my Grandmother December 15, 2015, I decided enough was enough and declared 2016 MY year of Manifestation! I took ACTION ACTION DESPITE THE DISTRACTION!!!

Please note, that in order for me to be able to write a book of this caliber and with this title, just know that I had to LIVE it! No matter how much I hoped and prayed for God to allow me to read the footnotes along life's journey, He made me live out each and every page of this book. Here is an excerpt from the Afterword of my book:

“Publishing these words was no easy feat. I had numerous pieces of the book all over my computer and in my journals for years. When I actually started working on realizing everything I couldn’t believe just how much content I had. I have been carrying this baby for long time but it appeared that it wasn’t only post term delivery but it was sitting in a breached position. I had every possible scenario try to block the final production of the book, including the final draft not saving on my computer.

All I could do was “Lift my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1. It got to the point where I almost pushed things back and on the real rough days I felt like throwing in the towel. I had to stop and take a dose of my own medicine: “ACTION ACTION... DESPITE THE DISTRACTION!!” I wiped away the tears because you can’t worry and pray in the same breath. I prayed, turned on my Gospel playlist, put one foot in front of the other and kept pushing. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for opening your heart and lending me your ears to receive the words of this book . Stay encourage and no matter what keep taking ACTION ACTION...DESPITE THE DISTRACTION.” So what is the true meaning of manifestation and how can it benefit you? Manifestation is defined as the act, process, or an instance of revealing, showing, or demonstrating something. What is on the inside of you that's waiting to be revealed to the world? Manifestation is powerful because it is where dreams become reality. When you begin to live in the things you once only dreamt about, there is an unexplainable freedom and liberty you experience. You also serve as an example for all those gaining inspiration from your example. There is still time to MANIFEST your goals and dreams.

LET’S FINISH 2016 STRONG!!! FOCUS on one major goal and put all you energy behind it between now and st December 31 . No more waiting for the perfect time, enough money or the right relationships. No more falling prey to the various distractions that have taken you off course from walking in your Divine Destiny!!! It is time for you to take ACTION ACTION DESPITE THE DISTRACTION!!!

I want to hear from you! Write in and let me know what you MANIFEST in these last weeks of 2016. I will be declaring 2017, as the year of IMPLEMENTATION so please let me know what areas you would like to receive support in. Email your questions to Support@DestinyDesignersUniversity.com Please note, all questions, comments, suggestions, and stories submitted will possibly be used in future articles. All personal information (name, gender, race, etc.) will remain confidential and will not be disclosed.

I can’t wait to hear from YOU! Remember, I am counting on your success!!!

Dr. Stacie NC Grant, International Speaker| Bestselling Author | Empowerment Strategist for Faithpreneurs Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Periscope @DestinyDesignU / @StacieNCGrant

APRIL 7-8, 2017 HEELS WOMEN'S CONFERENCE GREATER HOPE RESTORATION MINISTRIES PITTSBURGH, PA.

Special Guests:

Messenger Annette Carswell Dr. Alice Hooker Prophetess Monique Hobbs Panel Discussion

"Step Into Your Next Level" Vendor Space Available

Pastor Cheryl Jones-Ross Conference Host

For more information: 216-200-6347 info@ghrm-online.com

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, He Stole My Courage, My Voice…He Stole It All!

Everything was perfect, the sun was always shining, even on cloudy days and I felt like I was walking on air. But even still, there was always this nag in my stomach, which I later came to learn was my gut. You know, that feeling you get when you see or believe things to be one way, but God is trying to tell you that things may not always be as they seem. I learned the hard and painful way that warning comes before destruction.

‘Honeymoon Phase’, ‘Tension Building Phase’ and ‘The Blow Up’. What does all of this mean? Is there any connection among these terms?

What does any of this have to do with me? These may be some of the questions you asked yourself when you began reading. If so, do not be alarmed because not many people would be able to answer these questions, that is, unless they were familiar with a rapidly growing epidemic that is becoming increasingly prevalent across our nation and it goes by the name of ‘Domestic Violence’ (DV) and is also referred to as ‘Intimate Partner Violence’ (IPV).

DV/IPV, knows no gender, no race, no specific ethnic background, no age; it does not discriminate.

However, based upon my experience as a victim advocate, I encountered more female victims than males.

Sort of like a thief in the night, DV/IPV creeps up on its victims with, often times, very subtle warnings, so subtle that they may even appear as characteristics of mental illness and substance abuse. These likenesses in characteristics often times make it difficult for a victim to realize that they are, in fact, a victim.

During my time spent as an addictions counselor, I took note that one of the first signs of relapse was a sudden change in personality, more definitively in the way of drastic mood swings. The victim in a relationship with a violent partner could easily mistake DV/IPV tendencies for either of those two mood altering illnesses, mental illness or substance abuse. That is what makes DV/IPV so difficult to identify from the victim’s viewpoint. Alongside that, it has been believed that DV/IPV are caused by mental illness and/or substance abuse and that if the illness is treated, the DV/IPV tendencies would become nonexistent; however, that is untrue. DV/IPV is an illness in and of itself, which requires the correct combination of counseling and intervention services. Do not be mistaken, the presence of mental illness and/or substance abuse can increase the likelihood of DV/IPV incidents; however, neither is a direct cause.

By now, you are probably wondering how those three opening phases, ‘Honeymoon Phase’, ‘Tension Building Phase’ and ‘Blow-Up’ all fit into this. It is my hope that by the time you finish reading this article, you will have a clear understanding of what each phase means and how correlate with one another.

First, there is the ‘Honeymoon Phase’, which is the period of time in the relationship where everything is good, love is in the air, the offender is showering the victim with gifts, giving praise and compliments and making promises that the ‘last time’ (referencing the last violent act) would be the last time. The victim is trusting, believing and hopeful that things are going to change. They feel confident in the relationship and are optimistic about the future of the relationship.

Then comes the ‘Tension Building Phase’, which is the period during which things begin to gradually change and the offender becomes irritable, easily agitated, angry, may yell and curse at the victim, become accusatory, begin following the victim in and outside of the house, monitoring their phone calls and passing threats of violence.

The victim is now very nervous, uneasy, uncertain about the future and feels as if they are walking on eggshells.

Following the tension building phase is the ‘Blow-Up’, which means that some act of violence occurs. The violence is usually physical; however, it can also be emotional, mental, psychological and/or sexual. The offender loses control of their feelings and emotions and the victim is once again in a state of immense fear and is left with several unanswered questions.

There is no specific time limit for how long each phase lasts, which is why they are, together, referred to as the ‘Cycle of Violence’ and the diagram which illustrates each phase is circular, indicating that the cycle is a continuous one.

This is not to insinuate that the cycle can never end because it can. However, the cycle usually ends after the victim has had enough and makes the decision to get out of the relationship, the offender is either arrested or moves on or if the victim is, unfortunately, murdered during one of the violent incidents.

Breaking the cycle is not an easy task for victims, as they have to strategically plan their exit from the relationship. This is because the most dangerous time for a victim is not while they are in the relationship; however, it is when they leave or make plans to leave. Their leaving or threats to leave cause the offender to feel a sense of loss of power and control, which often times results in an increase in tension and a more severe blowup. It usually takes a victim anywhere from seven (7) to ten (10) attempts to leave a violent relationship before they are successful. Again, this is because of the increased risk for more severe violent acts during this time.

Once a victim leaves a DV/IPV relationship, life can become very difficult, as they are left with the task of trying to rebuild their self-confidence, learn how to make decisions for themselves, find their voice again and become accustomed to living freely without being controlled by another person. This is a period of restoration, sort of like a caterpillar going through the process of metamorphosis before becoming a butterfly. Just like the Cycle of Violence, there is no specific time frame for this process, as it is specific to each victim and their healing process belongs solely to them. It is sort of like the grieving process, where there are steps that need to be navigated in order for healing to take place and that process is an individual one.

Living in a DV/IPV situation is not actually living, it is more like existing, struggling to survive. This is an unfortunate reality for so many people, many who live right in our neighborhoods, across the street, down the street, around the corner, some closer than we realize. This is because it is difficult for victims, even if they have not yet identified themselves as victims, to talk about what their reality is due to fear, shame, embarrassment and sometimes guilt.

How do you begin the conversation with your family, friends, or even a stranger, to admit that this is your reality? There is no right way or wrong way, it all depends on the victim and how comfortable they are with talking about it. Looking from a different angle, another question is, how do you respond to the person who shares with you that they are a victim of DV/IPV? The difference is that there is a right and a wrong way to answer this question.

The right way is to always be supportive and listen and if you have access to resources for victims, including the location(s) of a shelter or a safe house, share that information with them to aid them in getting to safety. The wrong way is to respond in a judgmental, condescending or blaming manner. This could result in the victim shutting down and possibly returning to their offender with fear that no one will believe them or even worse, that they are, somehow, at fault.

Victims of DV/IPV are very vulnerable and are living in constant fear for their safety, each sharing a very common goal and that is to get out alive and be free from the power and control of an abusive partner. For some of you, this may be new information, for some, it may be very familiar and for others, it may be something you have only heard about but have no first-hand experience with. For me, this is very familiar, not only because of my experience as a victim advocate, but also because of my experience as a victim. This was my reality for several years, unfortunately, and I did an excellent job of hiding my fear on a daily basis.

My family, friends, co-workers, nobody was aware of my deep, dark secret. I also learned to hide marks and bruises and I had a huge supply of sunglasses. The sad part about this period in my life was that I had grown accustomed to the abuse and often times felt as though I deserved or that it was my fault. It was not until things got increasingly worse that I realized that my, then, reality could not possibly be the life God had intended for me to live and I began making plans to get out. I did not have any information or access to victim resources so all of my planning was done independently and it was one of the scariest and loneliest periods of my life. After several failed attempts and increasingly intense beatings, I managed to get out and by the grace of God, I stayed out and I never experienced DV/IPV on that level again. My next experience with DV/IPV would be my time spent as a victim advocate.

My personal experience lead me to my professional experience and it is my desire and passion to provide assistance to anyone who is currently a victim or has been a victim of DV/IPV. If you or anyone you know is in a DV/IPV relationship, please take note of the following phone numbers and web address, for the National Domestic Violence Hotline which provides support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays. 1 (800) 799-7233 (SAFE) or 1 (800) 787- 3224 (TTY) www.thehotline.org Robin M. Sample, BA, CSC-AD Family/Victim Advocate MSW Candidate

KINGDOM HEALTH 4 LIFE with

SATIN B.

In the world of process foods, it's time we go back to the basics of a whole grain diet.

Eiminating process foods, eating foods that will help our bodies to stay healthy and function at full capacity filled with energy, vigor and Life sustaining minerals and vitamins the natural way.

Here are some health benefits of eating grains.

1.

Grains are important sources of many nutrients, including fiber, several B vitamins and iron.

2. Dietary fiber from whole grains or other foods, may help reduce blood cholesterol levels.

3. Heart Healthy.

4. Lower rise of Heart Diease.

5. Reduce weight eliminating obesity.

6. Fiber from eating grains promotes proper bowel function.

7. Eliminates type 2 diabetes.

8. Eating grains before and after pregnancy helps prevents tube defects and helps with fetal development .

KINGDOM HEALTH 4 LIFE with

SATIN B.

List of Grains

•

Steel Cut Oats

•

Spelt

•

Whole Grain Flour

•

Whole Wheat Bread

•

Whole Wheat Crackers

•

Whole Rye

•

Whole Wheat Pasta

•

Whole Wheat Tortillas

•

Whole Wheat Buns and Rolls

•

Wild Rice

•

Switch white flour products for whole grains crackers and snacks.

•

Amaranth

•

Brown Rice

•

Buckwheat

•

Bulgur

•

Kamut

•

Millet

•

Muesli

•

Oatmeal

•

Popcorn

•

Quinoa

•

Rolled Oats

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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