May & June 2019
DELIGHTED SOUL SPIRITUAL MATURITY & PRAYER
Letter from the Editor It’s one thing to say we’re saved, it’s another thing for the people who we interact with to recognize the Holy Spirit in us through our actions because that demonstrates spiritual maturity. Salvation gaurantees our heavenly home, maturity determines how we’ll spend our time on Earth and our contributions to drawing others to Christ. How will we respond to difficult situations? How will we counsel others? What conversations will we be drawn to and which will we avoid? What temptations will we be able to flee? How genuinely can we serve others? These answers are all subjective to our spiritual growth. And how can we grow spiritually? Some people grow more through their community and accountability, some through attending Bible Studies, others through books and sermons, many through experiences, but we can all agree that prayer is essential for growth because anything spiritual comes from God and is communicated to us through the Holy Spirit. There’s no scale, no rubric, and no one version of spiritual maturity, but my prayer is that the words written in this issue will encourage you to pursue a deeper, more mature relationship, no matter where you are on your spiritual journey.
Jasmine Powell
Maturity 101
Table of Contents
2 Go Sis, Go! 3 Ideal Corner 5 for Quiet Time Michelle’s Jewels 8 Break It Down 9
NOTES FROM BREANA CHATMAN OF FREE HIS DAUGHTERS TAYLOR TURNER’S JOURNEY
IDEAS BY KRYSTAL HAWKINS
WISDOM FROM MICHELLE POWELL UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT PRAYER
A magazine for young women in pursuit of deeper relationship with Jesus.
Maturity 101
Notes from Breana Chatman Founder of Free His Daughters (@freehisdaughters) Writing this is actually pretty difficult. The first thing I thought was, “Am I spiritually mature enough to encourage others in the faith on this specific topic?” Currently, I am struggling to converse with God consistently and understand His will for my life, if I were honest. I don’t know if you were expecting that from the author, but I’m a firm believer in honesty being the best policy. It’s interesting that the editor of this magazine chose prayer and spiritual maturity to be talked about in the same space. I love it. “Not only did they pray When I think spiritually mature, I think Paul, David, and Jesus eloquent, beautiful, powerful Himself. Paul prayed endlessly for the churches, always asking that they be prayers, and exhibit massive filled with love, joy, and growth in the knowledge of Christ. David sought amounts of strength in various the face of God and poured his heart out to God whether he was depressed situations, but they also wept. or dancing naked in pure worship to God. David prayed so much that They also screamed. They also the bible says, “He was a man after God’s own heart.” Like, what do you wailed in agony to God. They reallllllllllly have to do to get a nickname in the HOLY SCRIPTURES like also asked if God would let them that?! Then there’s the sinless, perfect, God-man named Jesus. He also prayed throughout His 33-year ministry… consistently. You could always off the hook for some things He was asking them to do.” find Jesus up on a mountain or hill before He spent time with people. He prayed throughout his time in the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights before he had to get on the cross. We see that prayerfulness is an overarching characteristic of men who made a major impact on Christianity and the world today. What I love about these men is that they all cried out to the Father in distress. Not only did they pray eloquent, beautiful, powerful prayers, and exhibit massive amounts of strength in various situations, but they also wept. They also screamed. They also wailed in agony to God. They also asked if God would let them off the hook for some things He was asking them to do because they knew those obstacles would be painful. No matter what, they sought God. Always. Maturity is defined in the Cambridge dictionary as “the “As opposed to growing by way of state of being completely grown, the state of being mentally and dependence on ourselves, maturity emotionally well-developed, and therefore responsible.” I find this comes with being totally dependent very interesting. It seems that growing in Christ is backwards. As on God, His Word and His people.” opposed to growing by way of dependence on ourselves, maturity comes with being totally dependent on God, His Word and His people. When we try to be independent, we find out REAL QUICK that we are not that good at leading our own lives. But, when we are prayerful, we are saying, “God, I trust You to take care of me, I believe Your promises, and I want to fight “Praying causes to live and love like You.” When we consistently seek God’s face and pour our hearts us to look at God, out, we grow. We change. We transform into His image. “And we all, with unveiled face, renew our minds to beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one be aligned with His degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (1 Corinthians truth and recenter 3:18). The scriptures also define maturity as understanding the will of God and being firm in your faith. We cannot do this without being prayerful. Praying causes us to look our focus on His perfect purposes and at God, renew our minds to be aligned with His truth, and recenter our focus on His plans.” perfect purposes and plans. This is very convicting because currently, I need this lesson. I need to be prayerful, I need to stare at God, I need to consistently pour out my heart to Him like David, seek His face in my wilderness like Jesus, and pray for those around me like Paul. The outcome will only be maturity in Christ, completely depending on Him and His love, NOT depending on myself. EPHESIANS 4:13- “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” COLOSSIANS 1:28- “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” COLOSSIANS 4:12- “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” HEBREWS 5:14- “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
MAY & JUNE 2019 | DELIGHTED SOUL | 2
Go Sis, Go! CAREER PROFILE
Name
Taylor Turner, M.A. (@itstater)
Hometown
Missouri City, TX
Education
High School: L.V. Hightower High School in Missouri City, TX. 2011 Graduate.
Undergraduate (Bachelor of Science): The University of Texas at Austin. May 2019 Graduate. Major: Communication Studies. Graduate (Master of Arts): American University in Washington, D.C. May 2019 Graduate. Major: Producing Film, Television, & Video. Professional Employer: The Washington Post Position: Video Producer, Digital travel initiative How long? April 2017-Present Employer: Alexandria City Public Schools Position: Substitute Teacher How long? Spring 2016-Present Employer: ABC News Position: Production Associate How long? September 2015-March 2017 Employer: ESPN Position: Production Associate How long? August 2014- May 2015 Employer: Comcast Cable Corporation Position: Emma Bowen Foundation Scholar How long? June 2011-July 2014 Employer: The New York Times Student Journalism Institute Position: Video Journalist How long? May 2014-June 2014 Employer: C-SPAN Position: International Programming How long? January 2014-April 2014 Employer: KVR News Position: Online Producer How long? September 2011-August 2013 Employer: The Houston Press Position: Video Journalist How long? September 2010-May 2011 3 | DELIGHTED SOUL | MAY & JUNE 2019
Every day presents a new challenge, a new project, a new opportunity! Prior to my promotion, I would come in every morning at 6 a.m. before anyone got here and not know what to expect. I was in charge of setting the team’s coverage plan for the day. From reading analytics to see what stories people were reading to searching the Internet for gems, there were surprises around each corner. Some mornings were heart-wrenching covering natural disasters or terror attacks. Other mornings brought immense joy with everyday people What do exemplifying extraordinary acts of kindness. My job reminded me every day that I am human. you love most about A human who is capable of making mistakes and laughing until I cry. My job is a blessing. It’s a place that allows me to combine my calling with things your current I love. I have covered Politics, Entertainment, and food. I was recently promoted to video program? producer for our new digital travel initiative. I am excited to take on this new position that highlights something I love and do often - travel. In this new role, I am working to diversify the travel experience, making travel more accessible for communities of color and highlight our stories. It is such a blessing to be able to do this on a platform that is widely recognized, highly respected and has such a broad reach. Imagine the audience it will impact. What is one of the most monumental experiences on your journey?
I have not taken this journey alone. God has placed people in my life that have made this experience even sweeter. The support of my family has been endless. I have known what I wanted to do in life career-wise since I was 8 years old. Never once did anyone in my family ever discourage me. My family reads every article I write and watches every video I shoot, edit or produce. They are my biggest support system. In the workforce, even during my years of interning, God has always surrounded me with wise counsel whom I can consult for career advice, and go to for a laugh, hug, cry or some office tea.
Phew child, the events in the news cycle can be draining. DRAINING, okay. However, I am surrounded by a strong village of coworkers who remind me of the importance of How do you self-care and community. The community piece has been one of the highlights of my job. avoid getting I never feel alone at work and my community empowers me to walk with my head held burned out? high every day at work. No matter what challenges I may face, mistakes I may make, or new opportunities that I earn, my community supports me and keeps me grounded. We are friends. We are a family. Working in news means that you do not have a typical 8-hour day or Monday through Friday work schedule. You can sometimes work 11 to 13 hour days, work on weekends and not have days off, so time management is important. I believe in having a balanced life where my job, although I love it, does not consume me. I belong to Grace Covenant Church in Washington, D.C., where I am the hospitality leader. I also plan social events for my friends How do you and volunteer bi-weekly at Martha’s Table, a non-profit organization that supports women and balance your families in D.C., and works to increase access to healthy food. Additionally, I am active with work, church, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. I rely heavily on my phone calendar to remain balanced. and social I also schedule time to talk to my family daily and my friends back home in Texas. The best duties? piece of advice I received in regards to time management was from my older sorority sister Tyler Kiles, who said, “Block off your time for certain activities and get as much done as you can during that time.” I also think it is important to schedule time for yourself, eat well and SLEEP in order to remain balanced. I take one “Taylor day” per month to do whatever it is I want to do and only what I want to do. To ensure I get a good night’s rest, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb after 9:30 p.m. and wake up at a set time every day. Keeping myself in a routine helps me stay focused and efficient. Within the next year, I would like to take on a part-time adjunct faculty position teaching university students how to be video journalists. Helping mold the next generation of What is your storytellers, particularly journalist of color, is something near to my heart. I will continue to work full-time in video. My 5-year goal is to transition into a management role where I work ultimate career goal? in project planning and development creating short-form video stories for both digital and television platforms. The video topics will range from food to travel, social issues and identity politics. I will continue in an adjunct position during this time as well. My 10-year plan is to transition into a full-time tenure-track faculty position. I cannot wait to take my students on study abroad trips and domestic study away trips. MAY & JUNE 2019 | DELIGHTED SOUL | 4
Ideal Corner for Quiet Time Ideas from Krystal Hawkins (@kryslejoye) Pause your busy life for a second (or two)! It’s time to dedicate more space for quiet time. Whether you need a moment to read, pray, meditate or simply breathe – we have options for you, babe!
Reading Time in the Nook
Make reading more relaxed by repurposing your corner into a nook. Soften up your space and add a sofa chair, lighting, seat cushions and plush pillows you can snuggle up to. You can also customize your nook with corner shelves to make storage for books you’ve been anxious to read.
AUBURN CHAIR
SOUTHPORT CHAIR
Purchase from West Elm Purchase from Target 5 | DELIGHTED SOUL | MAY & JUNE 2019
IMPERIAL BEAN BAG
Purchase from Home Depot
ALLEN + ROTH LAMP
PAPASAN CUSHION
VELVET CHAIR CUSHION
PLUSH SPRUCE PILLOWS
ORIGAMI WALL SHELF
LADDER BOOKCASE
Purchase from Lowe’s
Purchase from Pier 1
Purchase from Pier 1
Purchase from Crate & Barrel
Purchase from World Market
Purchase from Home Depot
Prayer & Meditation Time
Now what does your prayer life (really) look like? I know for myself, dedicating more time to talk to God can be difficult. There are so many distractions in our human lives, that we often focus more on what’s in front of us, instead of the One who guide us. Despite this, bad habits can be transformed. Because I needed to make more time to pray, I looked for my own way of keeping it consistent, so I dedicated a corner of my apartment to pray. I decorated it and turned it into a place to give God praise. By taking the time to decorate and display my love for God, I also discovered a way to keep my mind constantly on Him. Now that I have created space for God in my home, I am reminded of Him, and my prayer life has become more of a constant line of communication. Won’t He do it! Try giving yourself the space to pray and meditate more. This collection can add simple touches of wall decor, decal, candlelight, plush rugs, floor pillows and plants – all in a corner of your home. MAY & JUNE 2019 | DELIGHTED SOUL | 6
LA JOLIE WAX CANDLE
BLESSED WOOD DECOR
MASON JAR DECOR
FLOOR PILLOW
SITA TEXTURED PLANTER
PORTICO PLANTER + SCREEN
NACODA AREA RUG
UNIQUE LOOM RUG
Purchase from Amazon
Purchase from Urban Outfitters
MEDALLION CUSHION
Purchase from Hobby Lobby
Purchase from Urban Outfitters
Purchase from Etsy
Purchase from West Elm
Purchase from World Market Purchase from Rugs USA Purchase from Home Depot Small corners of the home can make a big impact on our daily habits and lifestyles. So stop taking your corners for granted and give them more functionality. And when there’s a moment to decompress from your crazy work/family/service/extracurricular/school schedule, trust that your corner will be waiting for you! 7 | DELIGHTED SOUL | MAY & JUNE 2019
Extra Resources
Refinery 29’s Cheap Home Decor for Small Spaces | The Source’s Stylish Ways to Decorate Empty Corners BuzzFeed’s Products to Level Up Your Plant Game | JoyBird’s Quick Tips to Creating Your Perfect Meditation Space
Michelle’s Jewels Words of Wisdom from Mother-In-Chief Michelle Powell
SPIRITUAL: Of or relating to the spirit or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature: an approach to life. MATURITY: Full development; perfected condition. PRAYER: A formula or sequence of words used in or appointed for praying. Ex: the Lord’s Prayer. MEDITATION: Continued or extended thought, reflection, or contemplation. Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God. HEBREW 6:1 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation. I PETER 2:2
Salvation When we first come to God, it is through the belief in Jesus Christ, that He lived, died on the cross, was placed in a borrowed tomb, and was resurrected 3 days later. We believe that He ascended to the heavens and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God, intervening on the believer’s behalf. This is what Christians believe is required to have a relationship with our Heavenly Father. After we are assured of our salvation, having confessed that Jesus is Lord, believing in our hearts God raised Jesus from the dead, we know that we will have eternal life in heaven, and are excited to tell others of our decision to believe in Jesus, love God, and live as temples of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual Growth to Spiritual Maturity The next thing we want to do is to grow spiritually. As our desire to grow spiritually becomes our focus, we will yearn to learn more about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through studying the Bible, praying, meditating, and hearing the preached word. As we begin to study the Bible, we initially start as little babies feeding on milk, we feed on God’s Word and we grow spiritually. We do not stay like babies on milk, eventually we grow teeth and can handle food, and meat, so we desire more. We get more and grow spiritually, as we gather at church and hear the Pastor preach what thus says the Lord, and our Sunday School teacher teaches us, and Bible Study teacher teaches us, as we spend quiet time in meditation with God, and listening to God through the Holy Spirit, we grow spiritually. As we spend time in prayer with God several times daily, we grow spiritually. As we adapt to the ways of God, and we gain a zeal to do God’s will, we grow spiritually. God is doing a perfect work in us, let us continue to grow spiritually, and thrive in the spirit to become the spiritual women that God would have us to be. Prayer We as believers in Jesus Christ, pray to the only living God, who is the Father of Jesus Christ. Our God is all knowing, all seeing, all hearing. We pray to our heavenly Father, God who is in heaven. Prayer is the key to unlock the door to change what you seek in your heart, mind, and spirit. Prayer is real communication with our God. We can pray anywhere at anytime. Prayer can be personal, or corporate with others. Our prayer can be spoken from our mouth to our God’s ears. We can pray and communicate with our God in a quiet mode, and not ever open our mouths to speak. We absolutely can think of our prayers and never speak. God knows what we are thinking, and what we say with our hearts. Prayer is important to the believer, and can be in the style of petition, praise and worship of God, thanksgiving, or as a result of a message that we hear. We pray in humility, because we honor God as holy, and powerful. We pray that our submission will always be to God’s perfect will. We can be changed through prayer by conforming to God. It is important due to the fact that prayer is what the believer does when we need to worship and adore God. We pray when we need to confess our sin, or when we need more love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, meekness, and self control in our lives. We pray when we need forgiveness, blessings, courage, and God’s favor upon us. We pray when we need healings not only in our bodies, but in our families, our homes, and our communities, in our nation, and in the world. We pray when we need protection, traveling grace, a job, bills paid, food in our pantry, clothes/shoes/school supplies for our children, and direction for our lives. We go to God, the Source, who is the Supplier, Provider, Protector, and Keeper of us, His children. We go to our God in prayer in Jesus’s name. Even Jesus pointed us to prayer through the Lord’s prayer. MAY & JUNE 2019 | DELIGHTED SOUL | 8
In the Bible, Jesus Christ Himself gave us the best example and model prayer in the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; For thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. ( Matt 6:6-13) Let us develop a habit of praying several times throughout the day to God. Let’s be mindful about praying then meditating. After we spend time in prayer, it’s good practice to pause a little while to see if God speaks to your spirit, if you feel an unction from the Holy Spirit to act on God’s behalf, or receive the answer you’ve been waiting on. Meditation is a calm state where one listens and thinks intentionally over what you have asked God for in prayer, or how you interpret the scripture you have read. Maybe you read a devotion that really spoke to your heart, then you meditate on how you should handle a situation that is happening in your present life. Meditation can take you to a much needed quiet place that relaxes your brain. You can focus on one word or phrase during meditation, all the more after prayer, reading or memorizing scripture, or hearing a preached word. Schedule time for meditation to help you to grow spiritually.
This Issue’s Scriptures This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 JOHN 5:14
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 6
PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7
Break It Down Oh to be a child again. To be bold enough to dream big as our overlapping career goals (See: When I grow up I want to be a teacher/ballerina/doctor/travel agent/astronaut - and I’m speaking specifically from personal experience here), and ask for anything we want like the finacially-unaware Christmas lists we’d give to our parents (also speaking specifically from personally experience). As we neared high school, then college, and our favorte chapter: adulting, many of us threw away our abilities to dream and put our time and focus into things that we could accomplish on our own, along a sure path, often times requiring minimal faith. But what if we dreamed bigger? If we trusted our God-given visions, no matter how big, and moved toward them with unlimited faith, knowing that God hears our prayers, and whatever comes to pass - whether success or failure - is in His Will for us, which is unimaginably bigger and better than anything we can dream of. We’ve got to increase our faith. I think of my almost 5-month-old nephew who is taking floating classes for pool safety. From the pictures and videos my siblings send us - he is the bravest big boy, showing no fear because something in him knows that he’ll be taken care of no matter what happens because his dad is holding him up and mom is standing very close by cheering him on. That’s the complete trust we should have in our Father - that no matter what may be happening in our current seasons, our God is holding us and He’s near to us. When we ask for things and cast our cares on Him, we have to actually let it go. Let’s commit to being better at making our requests known to God for the big and small things, not worrying about how He’ll do it, being mature enough to recognize what we should do while we wait, then being patient enough to see His complete work. Do you want to share feedback or see a specific topic covered in the future? Let me know! jas@delightedsoulmag.com
9 | DELIGHTED SOUL | MAY & JUNE 2019