Life Envue Magazine Issue No. 1

Flowers &

ISSUE1

Issue Title TEMPLATEBYISSUU

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VICTORIOUS ONEZ! 10 ILLUMI-NATE 12 BABY STEPS 14

WHAT DIDN’T GOD SAY

15 CROSSWORD 16

ABOUT THE FOUNDER AND EDITOR

I am talking with Charece Dyer, owner and operator of Reecie DIY. I met Charece at Life Changers Church International in 2018. She would always compliment me on my clothing and, in particular, my converse gym shoes when I found out that she is a Seamstress who, along with her husband, runs a profitable business from their home. Not only is she a business owner, but she is the Mother of 7 beautiful children. Charece has a full life but still finds time to help women become business owners.

Yolanda: How old were you when you decided to give your life to Christ?

Charece: I grew up attending church with my family every Sunday and was baptized at age 9. I don't believe that I officially gave my life to Christ until after graduating from college. That is when I began to feel convicted about the lifestyle I was living and actively seeking a relationship with the Lord.

Yolanda: What was that experience like?

Charece: For me, it was a slow process. I grew up Baptist and was teaching Sunday school at a Baptist church. I hadn't been taught much about the Holy Spirit and didn't understand the spirit's gifts at all.

Yolanda: What was that experience like?

Charece: For me, it was a slow process. I grew up Baptist and was teaching Sunday school at a Baptist church.

I hadn't been taught much about the Holy Spirit and didn't understand the spirit's gifts at all. Now I realize that I would hear the Holy Spirit say to do one thing, but I would do what I thought was right because I didn't know that the Lord was speaking to me. I didn't know the sound of His voice. I have only begun to heed the Holy Spirit's Words in the last 3-4 years.

Yolanda: What is the greatest lesson you learned as a Believer?

Charece: The greatest lesson I have learned as a believer is that God hears me and I hear Him. When I began attending Life Changers Church I remember being in awe of the Prophetic Words spoken week after week. I remember talking with a Pastor and telling him that I never hear the Lord speak. That is what I believed.

I now understand that the Holy Spirit does speak to me and had been speaking to me for years! Now I understand that he speaks to all of us differently. I hear Him most often in my dreams.

Yolanda: What has the year 2020 taught you spiritually?

Charece: 2020 taught me that it is vital to have a real (personal) relationship with the Lord. Although I have not attended in-person service weekly, I know that the Lord is with me every day. I listen to Praise & Worship in my home, office, and car daily. I pray throughout the day.

I'm glad that I don't have to wait until Sunday morning to spend time with the Lord. What I know for sure is that I am a child of God. Lord. What I know for sure is that I am a child of God. I love the Lord and trust Him above all else.

Yolanda: How did you meet your husband?

Charece: I met my husband at Kent State University in a science class titled "7 Ideas that shook the Universe."

On my way to class I stopped at the athletic office and picked up a pair of new track shoes. When Nate saw me with the shoe box, he came over and started asking me questions about it and said that he was joining the team.

I didn't believe him, I thought he was just trying to make conversation, but we've been teammates ever since.

A few weeks later when I was running my warm up laps at track practice, I ran into Nate stretching on the field. He was officially on the team. After a few months we became the best of friends. We were inseparable.

We ate all of our meals together, went to practice together, and cracked jokes all day.

Yolanda: Do you have any marriage advice for wives?

Charece: DO allow your husband to be your best friend. Do things TOGETHER! Spend time doing things that he likes, and allow him to do things with you that you enjoy. Friendship is woven into the foundation of our relationship.

“You don't have to say EVERYTHING...even when you KNOW you're right. Let the Lord fight your battles, even in marriage. Numerous times I have failed trying to convince my husband to do things one way or the other. When I surrender and turn situations over to the Lord through prayer, the Lord will often make my points and ideas clear to my husband.�

Yolanda: Tell me about motherhood, how did you end up adopting 7 children?

Charece: When I was 10 years old the Lord placed the desire to adopt in my heart. I read an article about an African American family who had adopted several children.

From that moment on I knew that I wanted to adopt. I wanted to birth 5 children and adopt 5 children.

Soon after marriage I began having heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding. After visiting SEVERAL doctors, I received a diagnosis of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Panicked, ashamed and disappointed, I began to see a Fertility Specialist several times a week and took a cocktail of 14 pills daily for a little over 2 years. After 2 miscarriages and thousands of dollars spent, we decided that this was not God's plan for us. Our doctor told us that we would never be able to conceive and carry a child without medical intervention. I remember sitting in my doctor's office during our final visit and telling him that I believed that if it was the Lord's will, Nate and I would birth a child. I left the office in Peace, knowing that the Lord would work it out, and Fertility treatments wasn't for me.

I just wanted to be a mother. I had been working in the social work field since graduation from college and had become knowledgeable about the county foster-to-adopt program. To date we have fostered over 19 children and adopted 7children in 3 separate adoptions.

Yolanda: How many children do you have, names and ages?

Charece: Devan 14, Lillie 13, Ethan 11, Aaron 11, Emanuel 11, Gabriel 9, Miracle 7 Yolanda: What does it look like to equip your children for their adult journey?

Charece: I want them to have their own personal relationship with the Lord. I won't always be there to tell them what they should do, but the Holy Spirit on the inside of them will guide them the rest of their lives. Being kind and handling conflict in a Godly way. Also, having the necessary skills to earn income for them and their families.

Yolanda: What advice would you give to Mother's who are raising their children up to be Men/Women of God with balance in their lives? How do you do it and allow them to live a normal life?

Charece: In order to raise kids in a Godly fashion YOU as a parent have to be okay with being abnormal. If 'normal' suggests conforming to the cultural norms in the US, raising your children to be followers of Christ may look a little different.

Normal is however you design your household. It's normal at our house to not celebrate Halloween. It's normal at our house to not watch popular children shows that portray lifestyles that are not pleasing to God, and it's normal at our house to have turn off the television and have family prayer time and lay-hands on one another.

Normal is how you define it in your home and you have to be unashamed and firm in what you believe. You can't pass on that confidence to your children if you don't have it for yourself.

Yolanda: You're a business owner, what type of business do you own?

Charece: I am a seamstress and crafter and own an online custom clothing boutique that specializes in custom wear for children.

Yolanda: How long have you been in business?

Charece: I have been in business for 7 years.

Yolanda: What would you say your calling is, how God is using you?

Charece: For years I wondered why God gifted me to create things with my hands. I couldn't understand how it was useful in the Kingdom of God. I wanted to sing or teach. (Not preach) Recently God has shown me that crafting isn't a lesser gift. The Lord uses my gift to inspire others to use their creative gifts, start business and be a blessing to their families.

I really enjoyed my interview with Charece. She is a disciple of Jesus Christ, Wife (team mate), Entrepreneur, Mother and Friend. A prime example of not needing a pulpit to do the ministry that God has for you. Though thy beginning was small yet thy increase end should greatly increase Job 8:7. Work the plan God has for you, you never know where you will end up.

For further information on Charece and ReeciDIY, check out her social media sites.

YouTube: @ReecieDIY Instagram: @ReecieDIY Facebook: @ReecieDIY TikTok: @ReecieDIY www.DIYREECIE.com Written by Yolanda Denise

Nate was progressing in his powers as IllumiNate! He continued off to college trying to live a normal life but knew he was a ‘little different’ from everyone else. He’s always felt that way and now even more!

His parents always told him he was ‘set apart’ and that the Bible said that he was special (1 Peter 2:9- ‘But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar(special) people that you should show praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous LIGHT.)

His parents instilled in him that it meant that he was special and chosen by God and shouldn’t do everything all other people in the world did. Friends used to try to get him to try different bad things, but they’ve since stopped because he would turn them down and resist them.( James 4:7b says ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.) He also didn’t have time! With his studies for college classes, checking in on the lab, making sure his parents were ok(and his dad was progressing) as well as studying the Word, he had no time to waste. His study of the word made him stronger and stronger!

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2Timothy 2;15 says for us to ‘Study to show ourselves approved, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’ and Nate understood that his studying would help him learn God’s Word as well as be able to use it as it was intended for his good.

Good study habits benefit your wellbeing and help you grow spiritually!

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One night while in the newly renovated lab, Nate hadn’t seen Dark-Nessa in a bit Nate was there late and he didn’t know working on a new project. He saw whether to be the janitor, Mr. happy or to be worried about her. Harvey Ray.(whom he called Mr. The police were Harvey) ‘Hey Mr. searching for Harvey, how’ve you her(well, Ms. been? I’m glad to Vanessa) but see the office assumed she got getting back to crumbled in the normal! explosion

‘Heyyyy there Junior!’ (as Mr. Ray called Nate) ‘Yeah buddy, glad to be back at work and feeling better than ever! You guys were a blessing in keeping my pay going while we were shut down!’

To be continued...

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Stephanie White

As I look into the mirror, I find myself not liking what I see. I didn’t like what I had become. I had become overweight statistic.

I’ve been overweight since I was a teenager. My father use to tell me eat to live don’t live to eat. As a teenager you would think that was a myth, little did I know found myself living to eat versus eating to live.

I ate through every emotion, whether I was happy, sad, angry, full of pain, and depressed.

I hid a lot of my over eating habits, people didn’t know I would go into other rooms and pull out sandwich or hide food in the car only to pretend it was a mint or gum.

I tried every diet, but who hasn’t in their lifetime. My last weight loss attempt was having the gastric bypass.

Why did I do it, I don’t even know. Oh yeah, I looked good for a moment, until I had life happen moment, now we are back to over eating not dealing with the root problem.

I started having knee problems in early 2000 and that’s where my over eating habits escalated.

Every time, I would experience pain in my knee would eat to suppress my emotions. The more I ate the more pain I experience in my knee.

In July 2020 I went to my orthopedic doctor, he had mentioned knee replacement I was like “oh No” He told me that my weight is causing a lot of my physical pain and that I need to work on exercising.

I still didn’t listen until pain was too hard to bare. July 2020 I weighed 250. I was ashamed, I’m asking why I let myself get like this. Options was running low on how get rid of this weight.

The only option was to really think about my life and where I’m headed.

I asked myself do I still want to remain in pain or are you willing to do something about it.

I then decided to make a change, a lifestyle change. I first repented to God, for making food an idol, for putting food before God and allowing food to be my answer to every problem.

I prayed and God to help me to see food differently, to help me to eat to live not live to eat.

My personal trainer, Coach Ju decided to assist me on my journey to losing the weight.

As I began to start walking, I had trouble walking. My knees would hurt. I couldn’t even do half a lap.

When I would walk, and I find myself having pain in my knee, I would cry out to God, “I can’t do this anymore “the pain is too much God. I just really felt like this journey is too much for me.

That’s when I heard “Baby Steps”. God said to me just take baby step, one step at a time. Don’t rush the process. Once God spoke that to me I began to slow my pace down. You know how we always want walk fast but God said to me just walk at the pace I’m giving you to complete your journey.

As of November 2020 I weighed at 215.

Isn’t it funny how we always try to rush through life to get to our destination instead of taking Baby Steps to understand the process of what it will take to get to our destination?

For me taking Baby Steps is to learn how take one day at a time. Each day I have to make a decision regarding my food choices. Each day is a different emotion, I might have felt happy yesterday but the next day I might be irritated.

This is why Baby steps are important to help us learn how to make the right choices and be confident in that a right choice was made. Every day is mental for me when choosing to eat healthy. When I look at chocolate, bags of salty chips or craving fries and a double cheeseburger. I think about the physical pain it will cause and then I ask myself “how are you feeling today” I ask myself is it worth the pain physically to eat that?

Baby Steps will get you to your desired destination by taking one day at a time and one step at a time.

What Didn’t God SayISAIAH 40:31 ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

But for just a second, let’s look at what people don’t like to focus on. What God DIDN’T say…In rereading the verse, we need to be mindful of a couple of keywords. In the first scripture of Isaiah, the story is RENEW. When I google its definition, it says resume; reestablish after an interruption. ‘renew their strength’…So there was an interruption of the strength; an end to the power; the force ran out. The Psalm notes he will ‘strengthen thine heart,’ telling me… the heart gets weakened… Back to the 2nd part of Isaiah’s scripture, he notes they shall MOUNT UP with wings as eagles. We think of eagles soaring, high up in the sky! Do note. However, there is a Mount Up point.

What am I saying? Do know, Yes God will do as He said He would do, but He never said there wouldn’t be a DOWN point. A cessation/running out/running low of strength time! A valley, a low point! Don’t only rejoice in the Lord for the high flying time!

Know those come when there has been a low lying, a mounting point, a cessation of strength time! We all love to quote the ‘no weapon formed against me shall prosper/Isaiah 54:17’ scripture. But we get upset when there are weapons formed! God didn’t say there wouldn’t be weapons!

To enjoy your highs, you have to know there will be low ones. God’s word confirms in Matthew 5:45 that God sends the rain on the just as well as the unjust! Rain will come. We only have the best umbrella in God! Don’t fret in times where your strength is low!

Those have to come! Don’t get

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Terri L. Bea www.streetsofgoldproductions.org www.streetsofgoldglobalministries.org facebook\Terril.Bea Reverbnation.com/TerriBea Youtube.com/streetsofgold1was