opm ORDINARY PEOPLE MAGAZINE
The Lady. Her Story. Her Faith. Small Business Corner
Inclusive Excellence Consulting National Gospel Recording Artist
Dr. Everett McBee
MARCH 2023 | VOL. 14 | ISSUE 41
On the Cover RENEGADE EL REY & Marcus L. Oliver, II
Editor-in-Chief
FEAR BY SHARON E. LOCKLEAR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Fear is not a word that is found in a Christian’s vocabulary, behavior or conversation. Fear has no place in the Christian life. There are at least thirtyone Bible verses about fear and each clearly exhorts Christians to not be afraid. Fear is common in the world. Fear is marketed daily as news and runs twenty-four hours per day. Murders, gun violence, robberies, kidnappings are real. There are networks and programs devoted to reporting gruesome stories. There is a weather channel developed to scary reports about adverse and inclement weather all over the world. Some people even chase storms as a career and some have died as a result of their storm chasing. We hear and see stories about people who have challenging lives, people living in adversity, people living in war zones and of course people with incurable illnesses. We are bombarded with negativity and begin to believe that there is much to fear in the world. As Christians, we must guard against what we hear, what we see and what we say. Are we spiritually based? Do we know our Bible? We are born again to walk in the majesty and power of our Father who is in Heaven and on Earth. We know that GOD has
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not given us the spirit of fear. GOD gave us Power, Love and a Sound Mind. We live in the world, but are not of the world. Our thoughts and behaviors should not mirror those of the world. We proclaim daily that we are not afraid. We walk in righteousness. We live in truth. We are conquerors. We walk fearlessly and in faith.
Scriptures
Deuteronomy 31:6, 3:22 Jeremiah 42:11, 46:27 John 14:27 Genesis 50:21 Joel 2:21 Joshua 8:4 Isaiah 41:13, 41:10, 35:4, 43:1 Lamentations 3:57 2 Timothy 1:7 1 John 4:18 Hebrews 13:6 Revelation 1:17 Matthew 10:26, 10:28, 10:31 Luke 2:10, 12:32 Philippians 2:12 Psalm 34:4-5, 23:4, 56:3-4, 27:1, 46:1-3, 91:4-5, 27:3, 115:11
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Freelance Studio Engineer From Memphis, Tn to Atlanta, Ga RENEGADE EL REY has been putting in the groundwork to build the name of both his self as an artist and his brand, Southern Eagle Music Group LLC. Working as an artist, writer and engineer out of Stankonia Studios in Atlanta RENEGADE has been able to grow his network and hone his craft in a very organic fashion. Never satisfied with his latest accomplishments, RENEGADE EL REY is making sure to create a lasting name in the entertainment industry. For more info send an email to RENEGADETGC1@aol.com or call 901-336-3757
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departments Founder and Editorial Director Verna V. Nickelberry Editor-In-Chief Sharon Locklear Art Director Rushun Wiseman https://creavolutionarts.com Contributing Writers Vanderbilt Brabson Jeanette Chestnut-Chester Paola Tennon Photographers Kimberly Taylor “Advertise With Us” Please Contact Us At (770) 767-0649 O.P. Magazine Mail 2624 Santa Monica Dr, Atlanta Ga, 30318 (770) 767-0649 https://VeMaSheEnterprise.com ORDINARY PEOPLE MAGAZINE is a quarterly publication produced in print form and digital form. You can find our printed version on MagCloud.com and our digital version on Issuu.com.
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contents March 2023
02 ON THE COVER 08
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Fear
RENEGADE EL REY Marcus L. Oliver
14 JUST TO ENCOURAGE YOU GOSPEL MUSIC/ARTISTS 18 National Gospel Recording Dr. Everett McBee
20 MIRACLES AND BLESSINGS 28 FOR YOUR HEALTH The Lady. Her Story. Her Faith.
A Cautionary Tale about
Undetected or Undiagnosed Heart Disease
All rights reserved.Reproduction in whole or in part without the founder/editor’s consent is strictly prohibited. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the positions or views of the editor. The publication of any advertisement in the issue does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser’s products or services by the publication. © 2023 Ordinary People Magazine VeMaShe’ Enterprise LLC
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36 SMALL BUSINESS CORNER 46 CONSIDER THIS
Didn’t Plan on This!
Dr. Mary “MJ” McConner, CDE Founder and Principal of
Inclusive Excellence Consulting
51 53 FROM WITHIN...
INSPIRATIONAL WORDS Didn’t Plan on This!
18
08 20 36
28 46
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Just to Encourage
J U S T TO E N C O URAGE YOU BY MINISTER JEANETTE CHESTNUT CHESTER
Through the Prophet Joel, God gives a vision of the coming outpouring of His spirit upon His people. This vision was fulfilled at Pentecost.
people have no control over and can do nothing about. They could only stand and watch in awe as it unfolded. This is how Joel is introduced.
However, prior to getting to this wonderful promised outpouring, there were a lot of other things that happened. In Chapter one of the Book of Joel, we learn that there was desolation and the land was laid to waste. There were natural disasters such as rising floods, earthquakes and ravenous locusts that invaded the land. These are the things which
While Joel is a book of warnings, it also is a book of promises. The Father is not in the business of allowing destruction without keeping His promises of never forsaking us and always being there for us. Therefore, even in the midst of destruction; Holy Spirit is always near.
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Joel’s prolonged lament over the coming judgement developed into a call for the priests, ministers of the Temple, and all the people to lament over the sorry state of a nation. He exhorted them to turn back to the Lord. Does this not sound familiar in today’s state of the nation, and indeed the state of the world? Let us not forget that God’s judgements still stand and repentance and restoration are always available, which is what the prophet Joel was relaying. Joel’s announcement that states “the day of the Lord” is coming and will bring a greater judgment, but before any of this happens God will send His Spirit to bring extended blessings. Chapter 2:1 tells us to blow the trumpet in Zion (the Mountain of God) Let all the inhabitants tremble, for the day of the judgement of the Lord is coming: it is close at hand. But what does “close at hand” mean? The Lord is at hand means that the Lord is nearby. He is always close to us, both in time and in space. This again points the meaning of the prophet Joel’s name.
Keep in mind that the very name Joel means “The Lord is God”. So, we all can be encouraged that in every situation we encounter the Sovereignty of the Lord God is in place. Joel chapter one starting with verse 13 is a call to repentance. It says this, Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Go in, pass the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God! Because grain offering and drink offering are withheld from the house of your God.
The central themes of the book of Joel is the day of the Lord. The language of this book is a description of a period of time when God would come down to bring wrath and judgement on the wicked and salvation to the righteous. However, God is the God of time, so there is not a day when it is not the Day of the Lord! Everyday we should live in expectancy that the Lord is coming. We are reminded by the Lord Jesus that we are to be ready. Matthew 24:44-Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. The day of the Lord’s coming in the book of Joel is not just a warning that judgement is coming, but repentance, restoration and comfort is also coming. The Lord God promises to pour out His Spirit on all people. Joel 2:28-“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. This promise was spoken in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament. In the book of Acts the promised pouring is ordinarypeoplemagazine | 15
manifested. Acts 2:27-“’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Joel prophesied that the Spirit would come and The Messiah fulfilled the prophesy. There are many types and shadows to be seen in the Book of Joel. The prophets of the Old Testament continually warned Israel to repent, but even when they did, their repentance was limited to law-keeping and works. Their temple sacrifices were but a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice, offered once for all time, which would come at the cross (Hebrews 10:10).
locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten.” This verse is a picture of utter and continuous destruction but then God promises to restore in the next verse. Joel 2:25, “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...” and Joel 2:28, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” After all the devastation, fear, and uncertainty God still promises to restore, care for and revive us. This is our assurance, our hope and indeed our anchor. Joel 3:16-17- The Lord also shall
“The day of the Lord’s coming in the book of Joel is not just a warning that judgement is coming, but repentance, restoration and comfort is also coming.” Joel tells us that God’s ultimate judgment, which falls on the Day of the Lord, will be “great and terrible. Who can endure it?” (Joel 2:11). The answer is that we, on our own, can never endure such a moment. But if we have placed our faith in Christ for atonement of our sins, we have nothing to fear from the Day of Judgment. We can apply this by remembering that without repentance, judgment will be harsh, thorough, and certain. Our trust should not be in our possessions but in the Lord our God.
roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. Father God, we thank You for loving us so much that You would pour Your precious Holy Spirit out on us. Help us to walk in the Spirit always, and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Cause us to always remember that You are for us and not against us, and with Your Spirit abiding in us we can be better and do better, for greater is He that is in us than he that’s in the world.
God at times may use nature, sorrow, or other common occurrences to draw us closer to Him. Be Encouraged. But in His mercy and grace, He has provided the definitive plan for our salvation—Jesus Christ, Abundant Blessings. crucified for our sins and exchanging our sin for His perfect righteousness. Proverbs tells us is Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Our trust in Him allows His to do great things on our behalf, such as pouring out His Spirit on us. We read in Joel 1:4, “What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great
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