Arise Magazine - Preparation by Arise Magazine

CONTENTS Page 3: Editors Welcome Page 4 - 7: Interview With Sada K Page 8: Yemzi Photography Page 9: Poet’s Corner Page 10 - 11: Q&A With Faith Page 12 - 13: Frances Williams Page 14 - 15: Amber Johnson Page 16 - 17: Monthly Word Page 18: Yemzi Photography Page 19: Testimony Page 20 - 21: Tom Strudwick Page 22 - 23: Brother P Page 24: Sada K

PROFILES

Page 25: Poet’s Corner Page 26 - 27: Clare Ashley Page 28 - 29: JayEss Page 30 - 31: Culture Fashion Page 32 - 33: Alex Pemberton

David Wure - Editor

Grace Alalade Magazine Reviewer

Natalie Casey Magazine Overseer

Temmy Odumosu Sub Editor

Amifel Cliff-Eribo Videographer

Laura Henry - Web Designer

Page 34: Kende Page 35: Hyphon Page 36: Living Life TV Page 37: All About Christ Page 38 - 39: Upcoming events

EDITORS WELCOME

Preparation is an act that needs to be implemented in all areas of our lives; even when spontaneously choosing to do something, there is a degree of preparation within that spontaneous act. So when God calls us, we must be ready, we have to be prepared; in fact, contrary to the popular notion that God doesn’t call us to do something we are not equipped for, intriguingly I find in scripture that God regularly calls men and women to do things that, normally, they have no business doing; but what is so vital and what we have to consider is that God is God and He is sovereign, with the infinite ability to do that. (Genesis 6:17). Abraham was called to abandon everything he knew and everything that was familiar (Genesis 12:1). Sarah was called to do the impossible; have a baby at 90-years of age (Genesis 18:10). These are all key people in the bible and they were called to prepare themselves for what God had in store for them. That is why when we are called today, we have to prepare and get ourselves ready for what God is about to do in our lives and how he would like us to equip ourselves for what is next to unfold. Proverbs 24:27 - Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. This scripture reinforces the importance of preparation; especially in the Kingdom of God. Be ready for God to call you to something outside your realm of experience and ability. In this way, God receives all of the glory and it’s his glory that we should be pursuing in the first place. When we evaluate preparation, we have to remember the procedure of “preparing” for something. You have to: organise yourself; manage things adequately; do some research; create step by step plan; draw out a vision board; being honest with one’s self and think about how to counter upsets and disappointments which may come your way.

Oshane Woodhouse Magazine / Web Designer

Dekkel Simmons Magazine Designer

As young people, at times we may find it hard to prepare ourselves for anything, but remember that God has prepared things that are already in place in our lives and we just have to embrace him and ask him for guidance when preparing to walk in our calling. Key scripture: Ezekiel 38:7 “Be ready and keep ready, you and all your hosts that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them.”

Shanize Bonner - Sub Editor

Samuel AndersonBurrell - Digital Editor

MEET WITH A

SADA K

rise Magazine interviewed, American gospel artist, Sada K. She has been singing her whole life, singing her first solo in church when she was three years old on Easter Sunday.“It has always been important to me to reach people and encourage people not only by singing but with my everyday life.” For a moment in time she was just singing positive songs but God pulled her back to him when she was given the opportunity to sing with a Christian band for a few years and really inspired her to pursue a career as a Christian artist. “I wanted to be a little different from the traditional Christian artists and create really positive music and reach audiences that might not necessarily believe what I believe.”Sada K wants her audience to feel God’s love in everything that she is singing and doing.“That’s my goal, to create relevant awesome music that could reach the masses.” alk to us about your journey with Christ? I have been in the church my whole life, my mum was singing in the choir as my grandma was very adamant about her children being raised to love God and honour God

LONG STORY SHORT

and the things of God. I went to a church that actually had a children’s ministry and personally accepted Christ when I was seven. It was the first time I was invited to do so. Following that I went to Christian elementary school from 4th to 8th grade and high school and graduated from there too. I’ve been kind of wrapped around a Christian lifestyle for a very long time as we all do we grow and learn and you’re around different environment and can get tested at times but I’m thankful that I have been able to go through some of my experiences and mistakes that I made and to be able to always put God first in my life and if I’m doing something wrong I’d get a check in my spirit and turn things around. I’m married and my husband is also a Christian. We work really well as a team and as an independent artist making sure that everything I put out as far as content is something I can be proud of and not ashamed of and really really I’m just trying to make a difference in people’s lives that’s the vision God has placed in my heart. I like to be able to express what God’s love is about. That is what I believe my calling is and music is just the foundation.

ow did God prepare you for your calling? I had a season where I had to prepare for this solo venture that I had just embanked on. My album just released in January called Long Story Short and I call it that because it is really hard to tell a full testimony within a three minute song. So in this album I tried to make a long story short of what God has done in my life and how much he means to me in my life in a real way where people can relate to and understand and carry with them as they journey on into where they need to go in there lives I was in a Christian band called Press Play for two albums we were signed to universal and everything was great and we were touring and singing in arenas and big churches and I suffered a knee injury shortly after one of the tours we had and I went from living on a tour bus to not being able to walk on my own I had to have two surgeries and be on crutches for a time I was in a wheel chair and I had big braces on my legs and right before all this happened I prayed for clarity and I definitely had to sit out for a season and I had to do nine months of Physical Therapy. My leg was as big as an arm, it was really small and I had to learn how to walk all over again so I learnt not to talk things for granted that’s for sure and really rely on people because I like to just do everything myself and it was a true lesson to know that I had to only rely on God and the people that God has placed in my life. This season was definitely preparation for everything that was ahead. I had time to just sit and pray and think. It could have gone another way I could have been mad at God and left my faith by the table/side but instead I grew closer to God. Shortly after I

was able to walk again I found out that both of my parents had been diagnosed with cancer and so the strength I gather from my knee injury is what allowed me to be strong for my parents during that season so I’m very thankful for the injurybecause it was a season of growth for me. Especially spiritually, in a way. I’ve been able to be a rock and example in my family and a living testimony to people who listen to my album and understand that what I’ve been through is real and not easy but I keep my faith in God and I trust God through everything that I do it definitely prepared me to stand strong and share this music with people and be able to do it independently without a label it’s a lot of hard work but I really feel the benefits of being able to have the creative freedom to have this vision come to pass is so rewarding Gods favour is all over it. I just feel really blessed to be able to share this music from that journey and that moment and season of preparation. hat advice can you give to young people who are preparing to walk in their calling? Patience is key. Everybody’s journey is different so you have to trust God with yours. We can’t be looking at what everybody else is doing unless you’ll get discouraged about where you are in your journey. If you do your best God can do the rest because I understand that faith without works is dead and sometimes I would overwork because I don’t want to miss anything but you know you have to also rest and trust God and know that he is in control and we can’t do everything on our own. We can’t rush this journey because when God has something for us its way better than anything else that we

could ever imagine or think. He says that in his word and I believe it to be true I’ve lived it I know it so just being patient and trusting your vision and your heart and the things that God has placed in your heart don’t let anybody discourage you even if it seems crazy or unreachable. Even I have had goals where people look at me like whatever but when they come to pass and people see it in real life they are surprised. So I don’t mind if someone says I’m dreaming is too big because if I know God has instructed us to do something. I have to be obedient and trust God and not let humans try to steer you away from something that is heavenly. You can do anything God places in your heart to do. You just have to trust him and put him first and do the work, be patient and prepare the best. ell us about your new album Long Story Short, how did God prepare you for that? It’s really like a creative expression of me sharing my journey my story. If you listen to it from top to bottom it actually takes you on a journey. It’s like reading a book. It has four interludes and ten songs and the interludes guide you through the sections of the album which is really fun and cool. Just takes you through life’s ups and downs and helps you to understand that no matter what you do through we are all on a journey we are all on a mission to do something great and we just have to remember to be thankful for what we have rely on our faith for strength and get through those tough times and at the end of the day be able to stand on our own and walk in love and live this life that God has blessed us with.

ow ow did did the the song “All About AboutLove” Love” come song “All come about? about? It had been on my heart for a and while andofone It had been on my heart for a while one my budof my buddies Jonathan came over and I had a concept in my mind so I wanted to write dies Jonathan came over and I had a concept in my mind so I wanted to write a song and a song and I felt like he could relate with me on this song and thought it would be an awesome to do I felt like he could relate with me on this song and thought it would be an awesome duet toduet do because because it breaks my heart to see people so passion about things that aren’t necessarily a way of walking it breaks my heart to see people so passion about things that aren’t necessarily a way of walking in in love. People butsosomuch mucheffort effortinto into self self or and itsits breaks people down andand people love. People but or condemning condemningothers others and breaks people down people don’t want to listen to anything that a Christian has to say and that really breaks my heart and I wanted to don’t want to listen to anything that a Christian has to say and that really breaks my heart and I wanted make a stand to say that I understand that some people aren’t walking in love the way that I’ve read in the to make a stand to say that I understand that some people aren’t walking in love the way that I’ve read Bible the but Biblethe says Godsays is love andisthat’s I have what to represent So when love. the song says “It’s in thebut Bible Bible God love what and that’s I have love. to represent So when theall song about love.” I’m trying to encourage people to join me in that call. It’s not about what we’re against of what says “It’s all about love.” I’m trying to encourage people to join me in that call. It’s not about what we believe or agree withwe someone in Loswith Angeles peopleI live different lifestyles that doesn’t we’re against of what believeI live or agree someone livemany in Los Angeles peoplebut live many differmean I should but stopthat being nice and kindI to them. stop Everyone needs no matter what they be-love ent lifestyles doesn’t mean should being nice love and and kindhope to them. Everyone needs lieve and how they live and I think it’s important to have a song out there to really express that love because and hope no matter what they believe and how they live and I think it’s important to have a song out that is to what Jesus did, Hethat waslove kindbecause and loving and reputation have someone posi- the there really express that isthat’s what the Jesus did, Hethat wasI want kind to and loving and that’s tive and loving who always has a word of encouragement for someone you can’t do any harm in walking in reputation that I want to have someone positive and loving who always has a word of encouragement love and being kind. I really think that could benefit the world right now. That’s really what the song is about. for someone you can’t do any harm in walking in love and being kind. I really think that could benefit 6

the world right now. That’s really what the song is about.

be. So it’s a matter of seeing who will play the record or not. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some international love and come and see abroad and meet new people.

W H

ow do you balance your married life and your music ministry? It’s really easy for me I’m very blessed. I’ve known him since I was young and we have been together forever. My husband is right by my side, my right hand man. I’m so blessed to be able to have such a strong and healthy relationship. He is always with me scheduling studio time, making sure all the people (producers, writers), who need to be there are with us. So because of him I can stay on the more creative side and I don’t have to worry about that sort of stuff which has really helped. He works with a few other people being kind of a road manager. It’s fun now for us to be able to do things together we have both travelled separately and worked separately for a long time and now we are coming together as a team, me and him against the world because team work makes the dream work. We get along well enough to be able to work together he’s not just my husband he’s my best friend. I trust him enough to tell him something and not have to work about it because I know it will be done and taken care of. What are the main challenges that you faced preparing for your calling?[I found it hard trying to find myself, what I want to say, my voice and accepting what makes me unique. I didn’t want to compete with anybody trying to be the next whoever. It’s been difficult trying to find my place in the industry so I decided to stay independent because I wanted to make that this first album was going to be what it needed to be because I was trying to explain my vision and they weren’t getting it so I just thought it would be better for me to create the album myself so I can say this is who I am. I got tired of talking about what I wanted to so I decided to pay and take a leap of faith and just do it on my own. They wanted to put me in a box of what worked but I wanted to so something different and be myself and I think we have been able to be successful in that. It’s a matter of just trusting God and watching things grow because Christian Music isn’t as diverse as I’d like it to

what I love.

hat do you do in your spare time to unwind? I’m a big sports fan, I love watching and going to sports events. Baseball, football and basketball are my favourite sports. There’s no basketball time in Kansas so the Lakers have been my team since I was a little girl. But to really unwind I love to go hiking in park and enjoy the nature. I love to hike in the mountains and go somewhere, get quiet and pray. Not wearing any makeup with my hair all wild that’s

ell us something about yourself that not many people know? I can kind of beatbox but I haven’t had anyone judge me because I’m embarrassed to say that I think I know how to do this. It sounds pretty good to me but I’m not sure.

ÂŠYemzi

Website: Yemzi.com Facebook: Yemzi Twitter: YemziLdn Google+: Yemzi Pinterest: Yemzi

Your promises to PREPARE ME Your promises has prepared me to be humble Your preparation reminds me to stand on the solid rock Your love and sacrifice allows me to serve and represent you on this earth Father you declared and reminded me in your word that ‘The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord’ beautifully stated in Proverbs 16:1 You have guided me on this journey, showing me your beauty behind your preparations, preparing to aim for heavenly things, showing me the beauty behind your special relationship and showing me the sweet benefits when I chase after your own heart. ‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14 1-3 I know you have so much for me, I know that I will increase in your plans but Lord keep my mind set on purity and keep me refreshed daily as I walk into this world. ‘But as it is written: ‘eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man. The things which God has prepared for those who love Him’ 1 Corinthians 2:9 Thank you Father for what you have prepared for me today, tomorrow, and what’s ahead walking in faith and believing you will do anything that seems impossible. You are my Father and you said in your word ‘ But 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; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ Isaiah 40:31

POET’S Shantel Cherebin

CORNER

FAITH Q&A WITH

aith launches YoursFathfully.com

she first discovered her talent in University where she created her own blog titled “Lost for words found in Grace.” As a Christian Faith’s journey with Christ started at a young age; as she attended church with her parents seeing as she was born into a Christian household. Whilst growing up Faith experienced a few trials and despite a few ups and downs. Faith knew God had great things in store for her if she remained faithful and on track.

Recent Business Management Graduate, Faith Gundani has of late launched her online website Yours-Faithfully.com, which is an online platform designed to display daily encouraging messages and videos. Faith is 22 and has pioneered this website through God directing her. She has put her faith and trust in God and strongly believes that her concept will be used to touch Your salvation is one thing lives and reach the world cannot give to out to so many you and most certainly individuals.

something the world can’t

“When I was 14 I decided to give my life to Christ officially and I’m 22 now; there have been ups and downs but it was certainly the best thing that I have done.”

The launch took take from you.” Faith has grown spirplace at the Esitually and has prepacio Gallery, a pared herself for her famous location calling by rememin Shoreditch. bering who God has Faith invited called her to be befamily, friends cause of her identity. and other media related entreShe feels that it is vital to have a repreneur’s and the event was well attended. Different indi- lationship with God and to know who viduals were able to fellowship you are in Christ because that can help and network with one another mature, grow and elevate individuals. and a vibrant atmosphere “Your salvation is one thing the world graced the launch. Faith also loves to write and cannot give to you and most certainly considers herself a writer as something the world can’t take from

you.” Faith believes that it is essential to prepare for your journey. She always knew her calling and that was a place of leadership especially in the church. There are certain people within the church with a position of leadership who at times intimidated her when she pursued her calling to become a leader but because she knew that God had called her from when she was young, she was able to have the confidence and belief to walk in her calling. “I had different people prophesying in my life and that’s the beauty of God’s love because he is always ready to reveal things to you if you’re willing to listen.” Faith urges anyone who has a passion to do God’s work, to step forward and do that activity. She feels that as young people we should take our time because transformation takes time, especially your walk with God. You must take time to know God and by that you have to spend time with him because essentially he has everything covered. Yours-Faithfully was a concept of many things, one of which elements of the title was taken from Faith’s actual name (clever right?) Nonetheless whenever Faith used to write her blogs she always finished them with Yours Faithfully. She decided to utilise her writing skills and take it online because it fits with the society we live in today; there are numerous ways to reach out to copious people and lack of restrictions to spread the word of God. “God definitely has a throne within the media industry.” Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows? “Not a lot of people know this that I was born and raised in Zimbabwe and came to the UK when I was 9 years old.” 11

TEN TIPS TO PREPARE FOR WORK

Being Prepared

isn’t just a motto for the Scouts; it’s also a motto for the world of work, says author and Career Coach Frances Mensah Williams As you look ahead to taking that first step into the world of work, you could be forgiven for feeling anxious, intimidated or just plain scared. What if you don’t like the company? What if you can’t do the work? What if you detest the people you have to work with – or they dislike you? If you’ve done your homework properly before accepting the job offer, you will be able to answer some of these questions; you will have met some of your new colleagues and you will know that you have most of the skills you need to do the job. You also have your faith to sustain you through the early days and the later challenges, and you can be confident that God has brought you to this opportunity in your life for a reason. The American author, H. Jackson Brown Jr., says that ‘The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.’ The first step to making that move into work with confidence, therefore, is to do all you can today to secure the best opportunities for your future. Once you do start on your new job, let me share with you my top ten pieces of advice for the world of work. Frances has actually relased her new book, which can be found on: http:// www.amazon.co.uk/Pasta-Pigfoot-Frances-Mensah-Williams/dp/1909762202 12

1 t ent, bu epend Be ind w the rules follo k to thin Learn rself and for youour values, y upholdremember r fo but u work that yone and that is someo pany that y r m o la c a s e h a t you payingxpect you tog e l wil e accordin behavir rules and to the tandards of s their s ance, dres m perfor behaviour. and

6 layer, eam p Be a t n your own but owistakes m t uppor dy to sgues a e r e B ollea your c brate your le e c and esses, but d succ mature an e o also bst enough t p hone ur hands u put your mistakes to yo ot deflect and n or blame errors . No-one othersverything gets e and it’s right tant to impor ise and recognom what r learn fet wrong. g u o y

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t more comes b you r ship ou’re s abouhere’s r the job you u u o o f io y r e n u r y Be c your job; t y out Whe ake sure rt! Prepa, not the jo in, m t the airpo than le compan want have o h not a w a there n’t red’ is the Prepaotto for in e e ‘B v li m Don’t your job; ye just a outs; the of your es on c o p lf S il re, e e s e s e r h t K ou prepa ur focu keep yd about re you r placed o m and yolonger-term e tte inform er picture. the bewill be to your hile doing w bigg w your u in to e ls o h b a y t o jo g ho e and ellent Learn ent fits into cognisvantage e r an excurrent role. d tm deparompany andy take a next big your c learer you the c ur compan r of the ity when it The c ut what you o n p o tun how y g within you oppor . The Roma are abour next ste in r s r a y f e e , t r . r m is e o o h t c wan e, the bett c p o se philos said that to b n prepare a, c e n e atter you ca to be seen S is a m lf n ‘Luck eparation yourse right perso of pr eting as the that job. me .’ If you for tunity d, you r o p p o repare p y sta stay lucky! l wil

Amber Johnson founder of Cliq and a preacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife 14

mber Johnson is a Christian, married woman and mother of two, nonetheless her roles and ability does not stop there as she is also the founder of CLIQ Cosmetics; a visionary beauty-retail concept. CLIQ was launched by Amber in 2014 and has it’s branded products in over 2,000 boutique stores nationwide.

Amber had an idea to have her own make-up company but she fell short of direction as she didn’t have experience in the corporate field, therefore she asked her husband to help her strategically plan her way to the top. As he helped her get everything sorted on the corporate side, Amber dealt with everything else. Amber had to really have faith when she proposed her idea to make her own cosmetic brand due to the fact that there is such a large amount of fellow competitors, nonetheless she allowed God to take control and put her faith and trust in God in order to deliver what she had intended, initially. “I had to get a strategy together and get in touch with the times, because time does change, especially in the make-up business.” Amber decided to suit the business with social media; built a Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram accounts to really market her God given product. She did this in aid to distinguish her brand from competitors, other cosmetic companies and lines. When preparing for CLIQ, Amber explained how it took a lot of Prayer. The shift from having a 9-5 job to owning your own business full time was immensely courageous and could be seen to some as dangerous. Nonetheless, Amber believed that through the transition The Lord had graced her to actually have opportunities to spot her brand in other social media platforms. “This is how you know when God has done something for you in your life, because the doors just begin to swing open. God has literally allowed the media to come to me.” She described God as her “Spiritual corporate partner” because he has provided the connection with other people in aid of working with them. As mentioned before it took a lot of prayer for Amber to oversee the launch of her company but also a lot of faith and believe.

Amber’s advice to young people when pursuing their calling: “You first have to identify and confirm your calling.” She also went on to encourage young people by stating that we must acknowledge God’s strengths and that it is essential to seek God for direction. We must also seek God in a way so that he may direct the relevant and useful individuals to help us in our journey. As young people we must always try and make our vision come to past because when we set ourselves goals we have to have the passion to want to complete them. “Study your craft and learn what it is you are called to do.” Amber made sure she did a lot of studying in her field and watched copious Youtube videos before announcing her key concept. Whilst preparing for the launch of CLIQ Amber spent a substantial amount of time with God by seeking for direction and strength. There are many enterprises that Amber is currently developing and one of them is actually a book that she is writing. God is preparing her for great things and a publication being one of them. Again, everything in her book came from her research, studies and experience. “Balance is extremely important. Watching my husband be a business man and have time for family helped me understand the importance of balance. The most enjoyable thing of balance is working at home and spending time with my children.” Being able to spend time with her family and work on CLIQ is a double blessing for Amber and she is enormously fortunate for the combination of both. There are new ideas that Amber is looking to incorporate especially due to the fact that she is so big on smooth skin, she describes it as having a “smooth canvas face.” She makes sure that she placed God in the centre of her business, marriage and family life and builds her faith on trusting in him.

Tell us Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows? “I love vintage consignment shopping and I can sing; I actually started since the age of 7 and love Opera.”

When I first look at the word ‘preparation’ my mind always thinks about planning and then to plan for what? To me everything that you do in life you should prepare for it. You go for a job interview, you research the company, you do mock interviews and ultimately; you prepare. Even when you have an exam you revise, you go over notes, therefore you prepare.

quotes as to why preparation is so important and I found no better place than in The Word. Mark 1:3 “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path straight”. Even Jesus, who had the biggest assignment known to man, needed to prepare for his assignment so why should we not prepare for ours. Jesus is even still preparing things for us now “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: A friend of mine always I would of told you. I go to like to remind me of the ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His path prepare a place for you. five P’s, which stands And if I go and prepare a straight” for: Proper, Planning, place for you. I will come Prevents, Poor, Perforagain and receive you to Myself; that where mance. I will be the first to admit that some of the fun times The word preparation is the action I am, there you may be also” John 14:2-3. I’ve had with my friends have been or process of preparing and some of Someone who enlists in an army has to prerandom occasions where no plans or the synonyms are, devising, putting pare for battle but they do not just put you preparation have been made other together, thinking up, drawing up, on the front line as soon as you sign up, you than arranging to meet up. Nonethe- getting ready, editing, development tend to go through months and months less it still involved some sort of plan- and production to name a few. Now of intense training in order to prepare for ning because of the arrangements I’ve tried to look for some wise old any situation or circumstances. Now in the concept of being a Christian our training starts the day we give our life to Christ. We are in preparation for Glory and we need to demonstrate that here and now. How you prepare for your assignment here is very important and although everybody’s assignment is different there are still some to actually meet up. When you take things into consideration, you seem to learn the value of preparation and also we are always in completing the action of preparing for something; from scheduling meetings, choosing a career, knowing what direction to go in life, to simple things like arranging a dinner with friends, preparation is always needed.

MONTHLY WORD

“Pray without ceasing”

key things that we can all do in order to prepare. A few of those key things are: spending time with God; reading the word; seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit; helping your neighbour; making yourself available for God to use you and spreading the word. Communication is one of the biggest things you need. If you have a manager that does not communicate the job you are supposed to do then you will not do the right tasks. Yes you may do it satisfactory to some degree as at the interview you knew the job description but you need to keep the line of communication open with your boss in order to know you are doing the job correctly. That’s why as Christians we need to keep the communication open with God so he can let us know whether we are heading down the correct path or not. He is the one who gave us the assignment and is the one who called us out and gave us our gifts and talents so I’m sure you would like to know you are using it correctly.

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend”

Prayer is a big part of you communication with God: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says you should “Pray without ceasing” and when you do pray remember to listen. A good friend will not only talk to you but also listen so we should not just talk to God but also open up our ears, be still and listen. I used to say often that God did not talk to me but I realised that I did not give him a chance to and then someone asked me if whether I actually listen to him. Studying The Word is another thing you will need as it is your manual for all things in life and also another way of communication as God can use the scriptures to give us answers. I would also advise you to get a study partner and make use of the resources available to you at church such as bible study and prayer meetings. I would say get with like minded people and those that want to prepare with you or can give you the advice you need on the best way to prepare. You would not go to a butcher for advice on how to build a house you would seek a bricklayer. So do your research and get to know people who are strong in the faith and when you feel you are at a certain stage give back to those that may need your help too “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” Proverbs 27:17. I feel there are more things that will help you to prepare for your assignment but you have to know what it is you are called to do, then begin to work from there, however those preparation skill sets listed above are fundamental in any assignment God has called you to do. Lastly there is also another meaning of preparation that gave me a whole new insight on the concept of preparation and this one was almost like I had a light bulb moment. It also means a substance that is specially made up - this hit me and I realised that we are God’s preparation, His special substance that He has specially made up, He is The Potter and you have to allow yourself to be the clay so that he can do His part in your preparation. He will edify us, He will get us ready, He will develop us, He has devised us and put us together but we have to allow Him and do our part of the concoction in your preparation, then you will be the right mixture and the right blend needed for whatever you are called to do.

Natalie Casey

Website: Yemzi.com Facebook: Yemzi Twitter: YemziLdn Google+: Yemzi Pinterest: Yemzi

I know that God exists seeing as He has saved my life and has given me a greater reason to praise Him. I was getting ready to go to work one morning, I went out to my car as usual and started driving. As I turned off unto the main road I felt as if I should have turned around; it’s like I heard a voice saying to me “do not go that way” but I still proceeded to go along the road. I was ready to turn right and as I turned the corner a car was coming towards me at full speed, I just about had enough time to put my foot on the break before the impact, nevertheless the car had hit me head on. I was in shock at what had just happened, nothing felt real but what I was sure of was that God had saved my life and I believe it was his voice that I had heard the same morning. My car was badly damaged but by His Grace I was not hurt and I give God thanks as he blessed me with another car the next day. What I have taken from this accident is that when you hear Gods voice telling you not to go somewhere or not to do something you should obey. I encourage anyone to apply this to their life. Aaron Brown

+MY TESTIMONY

THANKS FOR PURCHASE MORE SPACE LOREM

16 YEARS A STUDENT

150 years ago, Lewis Carroll wrote in his classic Alice in Wonderland:

‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any path will get you there.’

Aseosa Uwagboe

budgeted for education by the government, yet only £810 It seems that this sentiment could not be more relevant

million is budgeted for apprenticeships for people over

to my own life, let alone the lives of thousands of other

19 years old (according to the House of Commons Library

students across the country who have recently completed

statistics on apprenticeships). This tells us that the British

their third year of studying at university and will shortly

Conservative government places far more importance on

be entering the world of work. But I ask myself, and others

a broad education for the masses than specific vocational

at the same point in their lives ‘how do we prepare for a

education for those entering the world of work instead of

future we are uncertain of?’

going to university. This is almost like we are being told to

Three years ago, I had no plans on going to university. I

do something, but when it comes to doing it, we are not

was studying for my A-Levels at college but had no idea

told how...

what I wanted to go on to become. Now I’m only a few

In the workplace however, such phrases as ‘over-qualified’

months away from graduation and I’m still not entirely

and ‘inexperienced’ go hand-in-hand as individuals spend

sure what my future has in store for me. I’m sure I’m not

so much time gaining qualifications and recognitions of

the only one who is still struggling to answer questions

their own education that they have no time or energy

posed by friends and family members such as ‘so, what

left to gain experience of the working world they want

are you going to do now?’, ‘have you been applying for

to enter. Many employers will not hire staff who have no

apprenticeships or internships?’ or ‘what are you going to

experience, which begs the question; is education the best

do for work?’.

way of preparing yourself?

Though I have now finished my university career and can

Whether or not you believe your future lies in academia,

do nothing but wait for my degree, I feel I have to ask

or even in an industry which requires qualifications of a

myself if I am any more prepared for the working world

certain level or in a particular subject, the education we

of a journalist than I was three years ago? I’ve spent so

have available here in the UK is intended to guide children

long in a classroom that I’ve never had the opportunity to

into adulthood by teaching us to think independently and

see a newsroom. In total I’ve spent 16 years of my life in

to be able use what we have learned in real-life situations

education. This September will be the first time I will not

while ensuring we can articulate our own opinions, feel-

be returning to an educational establishment, a thought

ings and thoughts.

which fills me with relief and terror all at the same time. It’s a strange feeling, almost of institutionalisation.

Thinking of all my classmates over the years, it seems hard to think that we are now on our way to become profes-

Education is undoubtedly seen as the most effective

sional working adults. Now that I’m leaving education

method of preparation for an enormous range of careers

behind me, and I look towards my own future, I have to

or goals. £90.1 billion of tax-payers money has been

stop and ask myself... Am I prepared?

EVANGELIST BROTHER P

Brother P is a 22 year old Evangelist from the Colim Church in the Plumstead area. Most importantly, he has a passion for serving God and loves the things of God. Moreover, he loves empowering the youth of today within the things of Christ and dedicates a lot of his time in teaching and fellowshipping with young people on a daily basis seeing as his life is mainly ministry based.

rother P goes out to different communities and churches to win souls for Christ and uses all social media platforms to spread the good word in aid of encouraging and teaching others. Despite not being a Pastor (yet) Brother P offers Pastoral care to those who are young and maybe new to understanding Christ. Within the Church Brother P also sings on his choir and expresses his love of praise and worship by leading on occasions. As an ambassador for Christ he aims to do the things God has called him to do because when it comes to ministry it’s something you

have to take seriously and act upon God’s direction and calling. In terms of Preparation, Brother P is also engaged now, so the next step for him would be marriage. He is being prepared and shaped to become one with his fiancé as they take that leap of faith and soon wed, which will happen next year. “God is preparing me for marriage by allowing me to understand and fully get to know my soon to be wife. I truly believe that everyone has a purpose and before going into a relationship you have to know what that

Ultimately someone who is living their lives in the eyes of the almighty When considering his calling, there are numerous challenges Brother P would have to encounter, such as: fear, disappointment, working towards marriage and fighting against opposition , nevertheless a challenge is never a bad thing as all Christians go through trials and tribulations, but it’s the way you counter attack these challenges and suppress them, that will allow God’s glory to shine. “When you go over a hurdle and look back, at times you think; wow that was quite a tall hurdle and that’s how I see it.” Brother P urges all young Christians to build a relationship with God, know God is and most importantly; know who you are are in God. When you have a strong relationship with Christ, the unachievable becomes achievable and he installs that sufficient strength that is needed to fight all battles and overcome disappointment. “The bible says; cast your burdens onto Jesus for he cares for you.”

purpose is.” Furthermore, Brother P feels that in terms of being regarded as a role model, you do not necessarily have to be famous or someone with a big title next to your name, which leads us to ask the question: What attributes suggest that you are a role model? Someone who lives their life for God and reflects his image Someone after God’s own heart A person similar to Paul the Apostle

Brother P feels that it is imperative that God is your main focus and pointer in your life because you have to be in the mind frame to seek him first. He also regards God as his boss and he is his P.A due to the fact that God directs him, instructs him and demonstrates the actions needed to be fulfilled within the Kingdom. “Have a great relationship with God, seek God, and allow him to have a mentorship in your life. Also aim to fulfil your purpose as God will give you a good understanding and a complete pass.” God has so much in store for this young man and he has showed sheer discipleship in his walk with Christ. He is a young man with a passion to serve God but also to teach and spread the word through all platforms and mediums; a character that helps mould and hearten his peers but makes sure he applies wisdom at all times. Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows? “I am a quite open and public person, so it is hard to answer this question, however something that maybe not everybody knows is that I also rap and my mentor is Lord Michael Hastings.”

SHE RULES WITH ROMANS POET’S CORNER

She rules with Romans Her palms deep in psalms Each verse she fingers intimately. Confining each monumental word to her head. Ephesians 6:11 “...Put on full armour of God, so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes...”

She ignores her flesh. It’s calling out to worldly desires. The struggle Shantel Cherebin is deafening. Remembering her grandmothers words: “Do not pamper sin.” The weight ringing in her ears. Her fears try to the confuse her, the devil will do that, she muses. And not until she had experienced the pain of life, that she realises that it is an evil that has many faces. She rules with Romans Her palms deep in psalms Each verse she fingers intimately. Confining each monumental word to her head. Matthew 24:44 “...Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” And so she stays prepared. Planting her seeds so that she may bear fruit. So that she may live to see His Glory. It is not without difficulty. Without disaster or tragedy, but what silver lining isn’t? Cradling her Bible, it’s doubled-edged sword against temptation.

POET’S

She rules with Romans Her palms deep in psalms Each verse she fingers intimately. Confining each monumental word to her head.

©Aseosa Uwagboe

KEY BEHAVIOURAL QUALITIES TO HAVE: Drive Passion Confidence Get yourself presenting your ideas Pushing yourself to unfamiliar boundaries

ADVISE TO YOUNG PEOPLE FROM CLARE: It’s important to be influential You have to be likable Get people to buy into your vision Study something that you love

PURPOSE AND GOALS Clare Ashley is an investment banker, vice president and project manager at The Goldman Sachs Group which is an American multinational investment banking firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients.

Do something you are passionate about and work hard at it Be active, whether it’s church or local ACS societies/ communities Take on leadership roles

C lare who is in her mid thirties is also a mother of two and married to Andrew Ashley and tries to balance the work life cohesively with family life. She chose to go into investment banking without having a desire in banking; she didn’t really make a conscious chose to go into this specific field seeing as she studied History at University because it was a subject that she enjoyed and loved; specifically Africa, Caribbean and black American history. Nonetheless when it was time for her to graduate and Clare started to review the jobs that were being presented to her she decided and was adamant that she didn’t want to become a teacher or necessarily go into Government. Clare then initially took the risk and went to work in IT; nonetheless it paid really well and did the service helpdesk role for a few years. Nonetheless, that didn’t put a halt on her career; she gradually worked her way up the corporate ladder and pushed herself to reach higher and more innovative positions.“I worked for various IT companies before I started working at the bank.” Adjusting the balance between home life and

her profession, Clare stated that organisation is vital. She makes

sure that she is very strict on herself when it comes to balancing

her own children and would like it to follow on to other gen-

the two in aid of diverting from allowing one to outbalance the

erations. “To be Vice President and an American Multina-

other. “I make sure I get into the office early; do what I have to do

tional Global Bank is an achievement, I’m proud of myself.”

in order to leave early so I can spend time with the children.”

Clare also feels that you have to be a good person and it’s

Within Clare’s household, she told us that the family has a shared

not always about doing better. When she started pursuing

calendar in which the children manage to have access to, so they

investment banking she felt out of place and feared. She felt

can plan efficiently and plan towards the weekend. They are able

not good enough seeing as she grew up in an estate in Lon-

to lean on each other, so that they are aware of the various events,

don and didn’t feel she was a big enough character, none-

school shows and family occasions that they have planned. She

theless her hard work, perseverance and God given talent

also praised her husband Andrew and described him as “Great”

has steered her to be in the position that she currently is in;

because he is very helpful around the house and makes sure he

rightfully. “It’s hard to see senior black female, MD’s in big

puts enough time aside to spend with the family and the things

corporate firms” She also feels that despite her fears, confi-

that are important in the Ashley household. “I was fairly intelli-

dence can be built as you build your knowledge within the

gent so I knew I could get a decent job, but when I was young, I

business. Seeing as she manages people and has become a

had no idea at that stage what I wanted to get into.”

mentor, you are capable of doing great things. “It’s important for me to really know my stuff and also network with

Clare advised anyone who’s in their youth and is uncertain of what they want to do, that they shouldn’t be disheartened. There is a

other women, more senior women who have children; so I make sure I try and reach out to them as much as possible.”

time for everything and when that time comes, all will fall into place. There are pressures from society and at times from family’s who stress the urgency for teenagers to decide what they want to do from young but each individual has a different path and purpose, so putting pressure at certain individuals at such a young age isn’t always the best policy, especially seeing as Clare didn’t decide that she wanted to be an investment banker until she had Graduated and worked in a different field for a few years. Clare actually admires the microwave generation because they are inspirational, conventional and want to do really, really well, so she commends their desires. She also thinks that we all should take that into perspective and aim to achieve to do really well and have that same arousal. “I think when it was my turn I was told, put your head down, do your work and you will do really well.” Nonetheless Clare understands that in the modern day, that attitude can be very career limiting, in a sense that it doesn’t inspire many individuals to be leaders, or have the right sponsors or can be that strategic thinker; so she encourages all young people to keep believing in themselves and want to do well, but you can’t just have great ideas and have no work ethic or desires. “I expect you to be the expert of what you want to do, I expect you to know the details about it because you can’t expect to have a great idea and expect Richard Branson to knock on your door, there’s a lot of work you have to put in, but definitely don’t give up.” When growing up, the advice Clare received wasn’t exclusively career specific. She was told to always do better as her parents and Grand Parent, because they gave her the opportunity to showcase her skills and talents¬¬, so she aims to do the same with

JAYESS The

storytelling

rise Magazine sat down with Gospel Rapper JayEss and asked him questions related to this month’s theme; Preparation.The MOBO award winner is 30 years old and from Bow, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, where he grew up, went to school and attended a youth club with the likes of Dizzie Rascal and Tinchy Stryder. He first realised his passion for rapping in the 90’s when he was playing around with his brothers. He said: “We used to have instrumentals that we would buy from Woolworths, we would go back home and freestyle over them. One day my sister told me to write my lyrics down and that’s how the rapping started.”

What do you like most about being a gospel rapper?

Gospel and secular is totally different in terms of the style, when I used to rap in the secular world my lyrics were more comical like battle rap. But when I got into the gospel scene my music was more meaningful and impactful in terms of touching people. I have more purpose.

What are the main struggles of trying to be positive when ministering as an established Christian rapper?

I think it’s the public perception of you as a Christian rapper. People believe you are perfect and without fault. People don’t do it on purpose but unconsciously so you have to be very careful about what you put on social media and how you conduct yourself in public. In this industry people hold you to a higher standard so you can’t do certain things because people are going to be looking at you and judging you. It can be very stressful because it’s like you’re not allowed to really be yourself but behind closed doors you are because God accepts you for who you are.

What advice would you give young people aspiring to be Christian rappers?

For anyone who wants to become a rapper with a Christian message the first step is to be good at it because as a Christian everyone will be scrutinising your work because it’s not secular. It’s like they are challenging you to come up with something really good that will stop them listening to secular/popular artists. So you’ll have to come up with something special so I’d say make sure you work on your craft. Secondly you need to have a personal relationship with God and know your Word and how to communicate that to the public, you have to be relatable. Sometimes you get lose in throwing scriptures out there in your lyrics because your audience might not know what you’re talking about because they might not of heard the gospel before so we have to be very clever in how we communicate the message.

How did you come up with the concept for your song Intoxicated?

Intoxicated was birthed a few years ago and produced by T.P who is well-known in the music scene for making various hits. He pitched this song to me, Deborah and Triple O and we were just free-styling over the beat. We got the concept of being filled with the spirit and so we were together in the studio coming up with different ideas but the song got left on a bench for a couple of years. Whilst I was in Nigeria, sometimes NEPA causes power cuts so you have to get creative with your spare time (NEPA is an electricity company that randomly turns off the electricity in Nigeria), I had to make myself busy so I started writing lyrics to the Intoxicated instrumental. I asked Deborah if she wanted to jump back on the song as the chorus she had was really good so I asked her to polish it up and she did. We went to the studio and the rest is history.

Tell us about your upcoming album

I’ve been working on it for a while now and it should be ready for a summer release. This album is different from Genesis Snapshots which I released in 2010. This album has a lot more life-themed music on it. So people can relate to certain songs also there’s a lot of collaborations. I wanted there to be a lot more colour in this album because I had a lot of theology in the last. We haven’t decided on a title or release date yet however when we do we’ll let people know.

What’s your favourite song on this album and why?

My favourite song on the album is Forgive Me because it really digs deep into the heart of people being betrayed or hurt, whether it’s an ex or relatives. The song really digs deep into the subject of forgiveness and hopefully through the song people will be healed and gain a different perspective of why certain things may have happen to them in the past. It came from the a stand point of experiencing hurt myself so in the song I’m not just preaching at people to forgive those that have done wrong to you. I’ve also been hurt and I still had to forgive that individual unless it would have burnt me for the rest of my life. That song is really close to my heart.

How has God prepared you to become a rapper?

I was first introduced in rap in the 90’s when I listened to LL Cool J and Biggie and the rest is history because that’s when I really started to enjoy rap. I used to try and copy them and rap over these instrumentals once I knew that I was very good I released that if I kept doing this I could get somewhere. When I started writing lyrics down I tried to push myself, what I used to do was battle the rappers I listened too. In pushing myself I improved. When I become a Christian it was only right that I used that gift for God. However at first I didn’t want to rap anymore, I had no idea what I could rap about. My mum gave the obvious advice to talk about Jesus but in my head I felt limited. So I had to really research and read about it more and through all my skills were about to display the word.

How can others prepare themselves for God’s calling?

You have to look for whatever your passion is and that will link you to your calling. Once you realise what your calling is then you can start working on your craft and researching how to get better in that field.

Why is it important for young people to prepare themselves when taking their ministry further?

Depending on the ministry, for example, I’m in the music industry so I have to do things relating to it. Like working on brand, image, craft, performance, communication, public relations and that in doing all this you’re impacting people at the same time.

What is God preparing you to do next?

I would say my album and working on that because it’s been a long time coming and I haven’t released an album in 5 years! I’ve released 2 mixtapes in that time (Good Friday and Walking By Faith.) What advice would you give to young people aspiring to be rappers? Be yourself and don’t try and copy anybody else. You’ll be a better rapper if you are yourself. Write lyrics from your heart. Don’t worry about what people might want. Whatever is true to you write that. Your style and how you deliver has to be 100% you.

Random Fact?

My name JayEss is my initials. I used to spell it JS when I was younger but my friend, Dizzle Rascal, thought it would be clever to spell it how it is now.

HERE AT ARISE WE WELCOME MR & MRS ACS UK

CULTURE Mr & Mrs ACS UK 2015

Arise magazine was able to catch up with this year’s winners of Mr & Mrs ACS UK which is a cultural talent competition, with candidates representing their local ACS societies. This year marked the competition’s second consecutive show with contestants coming from all over the UK. As you can imagine competition was stiff but there had to be a winner, well two to be precise. May, 19 year old Law student at Hertfordshire University was completely overwhelmed when she had realised that she had won the competition. She is of Nigerian decent and not only did she feel that she made her ACS society proud but also she felt that she came through for her country. She is also a believer and is always much focused when it comes to her degree, seeing as she is aiming to graduate with the best possible grade. This year’s winners were Ben Mundeke, who was crowned Mr ACS UK and May Haruna, the winner of Mrs ACS UK.

Ben is also 19 and is a Law and European Studies student at Portsmouth University. He is half Congolese and half Angolan and appreciates his African routes and is also a believer. Ben, felt that it was time to showcase Africa therefore, he felt that it was a good idea to enter the competition. He felt that due to the media, many people have misguided views of the continent and this portrayal undervalues the richness and natural resources Africa has been blessed with.

At first when Mary met the other contestants she felt that there was a spirit of unity within the camp and enjoyed the banter and relationship they all had together. By the end of the competition she felt that the group had formed such close friendships and that they had become a family. When preparing for the show, Ben’s biggest support and motivator was his mother. She told his whole family that he had entered the competition and was rooting for him from the get go. Nonetheless May felt that her biggest challenge when approaching the show was having lack of confidence. As a person she knew that confidence was key when being part of a show like Mr & MRS ACS UK, so she had to adopt to selling her personality to the judges and also allow her true colours to come out. By the end of the night, confidence was beaming out of May hence her success in winning the competition. “erm on the night I don’t know what happened, it must have been the Holy Spirit that took control” May said.

Ben gives advice on individuals who are unsure about entering a specific field of study –

FASHION

Although throughout the show Ben was confident, he admitted that he was slightly surprised when his name was called out as the winner of the competition.

“When they said the winner was Ben, I had to remind myself that my name was Ben.” Ben went on to say that when he had realised that he was the winner, he felt that he had done his mum proud after seeing her crying with jubilation in the audience. He felt that he was able to excel because he was representing his family and classed the experience as his X-factor moment. Furthermore, Ben plans on improving the state of youth relations by firstly not referring to them as ‘youth’. He prefers to call them people and wouldn’t want to label them as something different from what they are classed as. He also said that in order to connect with young people you have to put yourself in their situation and remember the days when you were their age. That way you are able to see things in their light and will be able to give better advice and non biased feedback to their problems and issue. As a role model, May feels that in order to be a role model you have to set a good example, be someone that others would want to emulate and be able to be a leader so you can direct those who look up to you into positive paths. She feels that if she is positive throughout her day to day life, that will affect others around her and essential bring out positivity in their lives likewise.

“You need to have a plan A,B,C,D, and E. What you have to remember is that you can never be too prepared, so picking something that is open that allows room for you to move into other areas is always helpful especially as your interests might change.” “You need to have a plan A,B,C,D, and E. What you have to remember is that you can never be too prepared, so picking something that is open that allows room for you to move into other areas is always helpful especially as your interests might change.” As an ambassador for her ACS at Hertfordshire University, May feels that within her society the African side is very loud and out there, whereas you don’t hear much about Caribbean history or heritage, so she would like to improve her ACS by integrating the two cultures in order to learn more about the background’s and grow more as a unit. “Portsmouth ACS holds numerous debates and we are so serious about that, and what is interesting is that it attracts so many people and at the end of them we also get people coming up to us saying that is was so amazing.” Ben also believes in team work and says that he get’s joy in helping others; he finds it rewarding and takes it as a learning curve. Knowing that someone looks up gives him the satisfaction that he has helped empower and inspire those individuals.

Question time: Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows? May: I am double jointed but I found out by mistake though. Ben: There was one time I ran out of school when I found out my mum had given birth to my little brother.

ARISE MAGAZINE CAUGHT UP WITH ALEX AND HEARD THE DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENTS HE IS CURRENTLY PREPARING FOR. Alex is an entrepreneur and started his own business called Associates Media. His company help businesses to start up and assist them with: photography, video work and graphic designing. Alex first worked at a marketing research company but before that he had already started planning on creating and building his own company. So, not only did Alex think about putting his skill-set together and creating his own company, he actually achieved his goals and went through a stage of preparation to form his own organisation.

“I asked myself, what can I do? Especially with all the skills that I have such as; sound and photography, so I decided to put it all into one box and that’s how I came up with the idea 32

of Associates Media.”

Remarkably, Alex first gave his life to Christ when he was 8 years old and got baptised when he was just 12 but to him Christianity at the time was just a routine. Nonetheless when he was around 16, he then built a solid relationship with God and it changed from being just a routine to a connection with The Lord. God revealed so much to Alex when preparing to walk in his calling. Due to the relationship he has with God, he was able to hear from him in order to direct him into the right paths. At one point he thought that his sole purpose was to be a sound engineer, but only years later to find out that he was called to be more than an engineer but in fact to become an entrepreneur.

Fun fact Alex use to do Salsa dancing with his wife before they got married, but as soon as they got married that stopped. Although Alex is a sound engineer at church he strongly believes that his ministry is to encourage other people. He enjoys doing it and also feels great after giving words of encouragement.

ALEX PEMBERTON “The way God has prepared me

“The marriage counselling really

is that he’s prepared me in differ-

encourages you to be really open

ent segments of my life.”

and encourage each other.”

Through networking and speaking to a host of different people, Alex was able to gain information and advice on how to start up his own company. God had strategically placed certain individuals in his life to help him work towards his calling in order to gain as much vital information as possible, which inevitably prepared him to start up his own company. Not only is Alex a business man, servant for Christ and musician, he is also a married man; married to singer/ song writer & musician, Tiffany. God prepared the pair through marriage counselling. God opened their eyes as they underwent counselling.

Alex feels that it is very important that young people must always trust God.

“Preparing for marriage is as interesting as being married.” Alex feels that being in love with something is completely different from living with that person. Therefore through marriage counselling they were able to prepare for that difference. He also recommends it hugely seeing as they’re so many young couples seeking to tie the knot.

“Have faith in what you have been called you to do will work out.” Alex described the real trust as knowing that God will deliver no matter what, that means when God has assigned you to do something don’t go off and do your own thing. Alex admitted that at first he lacked faith and feared a lot. Nonetheless the turning point came from when he got a job despite being a student at the time. Alex’s key things you must incorporate when seeking your calling: Trust God Listen to God when he speaks Seek him so that you know his voice and when he talks to you, you know it’s him talking.

Tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows? “I get really angry when someone talks to me about their passion and when I ask them another time how they are getting along they tell me that there has been no progress.”

RAMON O. LEWIS Digital Distribution | Web Design | Mobile App Creation | Producer | Promo Merchandise | Designer | Entrepreneur London, England Keep in touchâ&#x20AC;Ś For regular updates on music, events and videos, Follow me on Facebook and Twitter http://twitter.com/HyphonMG W: www.HyphonMusicGroup.com | http://onairbeats.com/musicproduction101 E: onairlewis@gmail.com T: +44 (0) 7508766371

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EVENTS

NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GOD ENGLAND & WALES

“Prayer is what drives the church and is key to our success...” BISHOP DONALD BOLT

Join us in...

The Engine Room is a place of prayer and worship where we stand in the gap and intercede for:  The work of the Church  Church Leadership  Nations & World Leader

 Marriages and Families  The sick And various other needs...

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness...” 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 (NIV)

Throughout 2015 each district is invited to join us in the Engine Room at the National Office in Northampton from 10.30am - 1.00pm:

 WED 14 JANUARY - Reading & West Croydon

 WED 8 JULY - Aldershot & Brixton

 WED 11 FEBRUARY - Gloucester & Manchester

 WED 12 AUGUST - Bilston, Leeds & Luton

 WED 18 MARCH - Deptford & Stoke-On-Trent

 WED 16 SEPTEMBER - Cross Cultural Ministries

 WED 22 APRIL - Coventry & Sheffield

 WED 21 OCTOBER - Dudley & Lee

 WED 13 MAY - Handsworth & Nottingham

 WED 18 NOVEMBER - Leicester & Willesden

 WED 17 JUNE - Bristol, Highgate & Wood Green

 WED 9 DECEMBER - Clapton & Wolverhampton

For further information please speak to your local pastor, call: 01604 824 222, visit: www.ntcg.org.uk, or email: bigmove@ntcg.org.uk

If you are unable to attend with your district, why not set aside some time and join us in prayer right where you are!

NTCG NATIONAL OFFICE: 3 Cheyne Walk, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 5PT “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land...” 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 (NIV)