DIVINE INSPIRATIONS MAGAZINE JULY 2010 by Qualita Pendergrass

A WORD FOR THE CHURCH

7 17

TO CHILDREN EVERYWHERE: What Really Matters in Life Diane A. Sears

Will The Real First Lady Please STAND UP! Co-Pastor Dayna D. Devine

IRON SHARPENS IRON WOMEN OF ZION THE BIBLE TEACHER A WORD IN SEASON MARRIAGE FOR TODAY

21 23

Now This is Loving You! Tara Gaudin

LIVING THE “E” LIFE THE BEAUTY CORNER THE REALITY CORNER

Can I Get An Amen? Tiffany Ann Lewis

LIVING INSIDE OUT ...AND MORE

DIVINE INSPIRATIONS MAGAZINE Qualita Pendergrass SENIOR EDITOR/PUBLISHER

DIVINE INSPIRATIONS MAGAZINE 233 Hirst Ave Lansdowne, PA 19050 Phone: 484-429-5080 WEBSITE:

Robert T. Sells CREATIVE ARTS & POETRY EDITOR

www.divineinspirationsmagazine.org

Kelly Laws BEAUTY EDITOR

divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com

Scherell Vonner GRAPHIC LAYOUT DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Elder Mae Davis Cheryl C. Shumake Min. Jaketha Farmer Ain-Kamilah Wilson Robert T. Sells John Glenn Taylor MA Sophia Avery MA Elder Brenda Bradley Mandy Woodhouse Stylicia Bowden Pastors Mike & Trisha Fox Evangelist Debra Savage Kaysha Sahai Evangelist Zella Burno Sonja Smith Jones Apostle Lee Ann Marino Michelle Pumphrey Dr.Cynthia Togle, D.Div. Kelly Laws Minister Cheryl Thomas POETS Carol “Eycecreme” Steamer Joe Bruenig

EMAIL:

WE WELCOME ALL FREELANCE WRITERS! If you have a passion to express yourself through writing or poetry or want to publish that sermon God gave you, then we are looking for you. Please contact Divine Inspirations Magazine at divineinspirationsmagazine@gmail.com. Submit your article today! Advertise your next event in Divine Inspirations Magazine. Our readership reaches from the North, South, and East to the West Coast, and Overseas. To submit your advertisement, email Divine Inspirations today!

TO SUBSCRIBE TO THIS E-ZINE, CONTACT US TODAY!

Divine Inspirations Magazine is a division of Priscilla House Network, visit www.priscillahousenetwork.org.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Greetings! Welcome summer! I am reflecting on the warms breezes and summer rays I experienced when I walked on the beach in Ocean City, New Jersey. As I walked towards the water I stopped at the shoreline just to get my feet wet and the waves kept trying to pull me in deeper, and I would quickly step back. It was such a spiritual moment for me. Each time a wave came to pull me in deeper, I thought of how many of us like to get our feet wet in our Christian walk but stay away from getting in too deep. All I could hear was the Father saying “Come.” Realizing we think we are okay, but all the while the Lord is saying, “Come Deeper.” That is what He desires of us, to know more of Him. You may not visit the ocean this summer but it is still possible for you to have this experience. Stop and remember the God of your salvation, seek His face and He will draw near to you. He’s waiting! This Issue we are featuring Women With Excellence and Purpose, Minister Carol Shannon founder. The testimony of how this ministry was formed will truly bless you. We are excited about the new look of the magazine. We are continuing to strive in excellence bringing you Inspired Words to Uplift and Edify the Spirit. You can view the magazine in digital print or purchase a print copy at :

http://quapen.magcloud.com Be sure to bookmark the magazine to visit throughout the month. As always we welcome your feedback and comments. Please be sure to pass this publication along! Subscribe Free today!

Blessings! Qualita Pendergrass Senior Editor/Publisher

TO CHILDREN EVERYWHERE: WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE? By: Diane A. Sears

Letting your word be your bond really matters in life. If you make a promise, keep it. If you say you are going to do something, do it! Excelling at every task and project that you undertake is what really matters in life. Prada? “Bling?” iPhones, iPads, Plasma TVs, and Blackberries? Multi-million dollar condominiums and townhouses? Lamborghinis? If you can, you should live comfortably. Just keep in mind that material things are not what really matters in life. Material things do not define who you are as a person – nor should they. So, what really matters in life? What you believe, what you learn, how you conduct yourself in public and behind closed doors, and how you treat others, to a great degree, defines who you are and signals to the world what type of person you are. Respect for your elders, family, integrity, wisdom, loyalty, compassion, and your ability and willingness to create your own happiness and a set of options when Life throws you a few curve balls is what really matters in life. Understanding the importance of having a sense of purpose and a sense of direction and finding that purpose and that direction is what really matters in life. Understanding that you have a duty to overcome your environment is what really matters in life. Being responsible and empowering others is what really matters in life. Being trustworthy and dependable to such a degree that someone would consider placing his or her life in your hands is what really matters.

Learning how to successfully navigate the world that exists outside of your immediate environment is what really matters in life. Why? Because the world is only interested in knowing three things about you:

One:

How smart are you? contribute?

Two:

Is your word your bond? Do you do what you say you are going to do? Will you be where you say you are going to be at the time that you say you are going to be there?

Three:

Can you create high quality products and services? What do you have to offer?

What can you

Learning as much as you can about everything – science, world affairs, history, music, art, information technology, foreign languages, business, mathematics, communications, and medicine – is what really matters in life. TO CHILDREN EVERYWHERE: You are our hope. You are our future – our bridge to the future. Your laughter, insatiable curiosity, unflinching honesty, boundless energy, and the songs that you sing when you are happy remind the adults of the world what really matters in life. Diane A. Sears is the United States Coordinator for 2010 International Men’s Day (www.international-mens-day.com); a member of the University Council for Fatherhood and Men’s Studies Program at Akamai University (www.akamaiuniversity.us) in Hilo, Hawaii; Managing Editor of IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD®, an international quarterly journal which facilitates a Global Dialogue on Fatherhood and Men’s Issues (http://globalfatherhooddialogue.blogspot.com); the author/editor of a Fatherhood book – In Search Of Fatherhood®--Transcending Boundaries (www.amazon.com); and the Director of the IN SEARCH OF FATHERHOOD® International Fatherhood and Men’s Issues Internship Program.

EMANCIPATED (BY THE BLOOD) EQUIPPED (BY THE WORD) EMPOWERED (BY THE SPIRIT)

IN CHRIST often hear Philippians 4:13 quoted in sermons. Normally it is trotted out when the preacher is reaching the crux of his message.

(Do not throw me under the bus. I am using the

universal ‘he’ realizing that a preacher could be a woman as well.) Picture it with me for a moment. The congregation has been whipped up to a charismatic frenzy. People are standing all over the sanctuary.

Women are waving handkerchiefs in the air. The

feathers in Mother Meyers’ hat are swaying in time to her sanctified stomp tickling the nose of Lil’ John five rows back. Men are gripping the back of the pews, twitching and shouting and all but running down the aisle. The preacher wipes his brow, grabs the mic and leans back. “I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me! Aha! (Yeah!) You might see me down but I am not out! Aha! No matter what I look like! Aha! (Yeah!) No matter what you may think of me! (Yeah!) I can do ALLLLL things through Christ who strengthens ME!!” Cue the music, commence with the shout, pick your feet up and dance!

I do not mean to sound irreverent about people genuinely praising the Lord but so often, in our celebrating, we miss the point. The emphasis in our preaching and the celebration in our heart are all too often focused on the “I” and the “me” in Philippians 4:13. We get excited because what was previously improbable for us to accomplish due to the lack of ability or resources has now become quite within our reach. We leap on pews because we are told we can leap over walls. We back flip down the church aisle because we are told we can run through troops. 8

We temporarily forget that only through Christ can we accomplish anything. If we’re honest, in that moment, it is all about what we can do, what we can have, what we can become. Yet, without Christ we can do nothing! The emphasis, the focus of that Scripture is that we are in Christ. The treasure is not our unlimited ability. Our home is in Christ and He is IN us! The Lord of Glory, Creator of the Universe, Lord of the Holy Armies seeks with relationship with us and makes His home in our hearts! (Yeah!) Part of the tag line for this column, Living the E Life, is empowered by the Spirit. ‘Empowered’ means to be authorized, given legal say-so, or licensed to act. Empowerment is power conferred. What I am lacking has been bestowed upon me by the origin of the needed resources. We have the tendency to value independence, a hard work ethic and diligence. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It takes hard work to earn a PhD, a phenomenal accomplishment by any standard, however you must first have the ability to grasp, retain, interpret and dissect information. Hard work is our effort. The ability to learn is all God. Without that which is not earned on our part (the ability to learn), hard work will yield little to no results. Everything we conquer, overcome, do, leap over and run through is a result of having first entered into a relationship with the Source of all power and ability. Think about it. This is wonderful; a shout-worthy factor. We do not have to wring our hands, tear out our hair, wrinkle the brow or wear ourselves out ‘trying’ to do all things. We can relax. His mercy, His unrelenting, inexhaustible compassion and His grace, His empowering presence, is with us always. We stay connected, God directs our steps.

The amplified version of Philippians 2:13 further illustrates this point for us: [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. In Christ I am the righteousness of God. Away from Him I am wicked. In Christ I am a friend of God. Away from Him I am His enemy. In Christ I am more than a conqueror. Away from Him I am defeated. In Christ I am free. Away from Him I remain a slave to sin and death. In Christ I am accepted and secure. Away from Him I am lost. Yes and Amen! But since we ARE in Christ, cue the music, commence with the shout, pick your feet up and dance!

CAN YOU DO THE WORK?

Carole

Can you do the work that God wants you to do without murmuring a single word? Can you act as if you’re always obedient and abide by the word that you’ve heard? Can you do the work that God wants you to do and exercise the gifts that you have? Can you show the unsaved world that it’s God who directs your path? Can you do the work that God wants you to do even when trouble comes in your life? Can you give honor to the Man of God who prays for you even when you give him strife? Can you do the work that God wants you to do when the money is far gone? Can you have enough faith in Him to know By that He will never leave you alone? D. Steamer Can you do the work that God wants you to do during the day and even at night? Can you walk the line that is set before you and at least try to do what’s right? Can you do the work that God wants you to do and be obedient as He has said to do? Can you live a life that is righteous because there is a great reward waiting for you? Can you do the work that God wants you to do without murmuring a single word? Can you be the Light that shines so very bright all over His Creation called the World? If you can do the work that God wants you to do the blessings will surely come For it will be the place that He prepared for you that you will make your home! So please do the work that God wants you to do because I don’t want you to miss out On the things that He has in store if you do the work on your life’s route! © Copyright May 24, 2010 - Carole D. Steamer

RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE: A PERSONAL TESTIMONY (James 4:7) Hello my brothers and sisters in Christ. I have been absent from writing this column for a few months now. I normally write what the Lord gives me about marriage and relationships but this month I feel the Lord is leading me to share with you a personal experience I have been living. For the last few months, I have been constantly encountering the devil’s attacks. I pray you will be blessed by my story. And I pray that as you read this, if you are going through anything right now in your ministry or your life, that you will receive deliverance from that thing that has you bound. Here then is my testimony: I am so grateful to God for what He has done in my life! I have had a very challenging year so far in 2010. In January my favorite uncle passed away from cancer. He had been sick for some time and was living down south with his daughter. As far back as I can remember my uncle has always been a source of inspiration for me. And little did I know how many lives he affected until I went to his funeral. Then in February, my father-in-law (the only man whom I ever called pops) passed away from cancer also. He was very dear to me and I loved him very much. I remember as he fought for several years with the fact that he was legally blind and in deteriorating health, he always had a good word of encouragement for my wife and I when we stopped by. He always said, “I love you and I’m proud of you son”. This meant so much to me. Ever since I first started going to church after accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in my adult years, I can remember him standing and holding open that front door as I walked in. “God bless you”, he’d always say. I didn’t know that he would one day become my father-in-law. Then in March 2010, my father went into the hospital diagnosed with cancer and was there for a month in and out of the ICU four times before he passed on to be with the Lord on April 2, 2010. He also had cancer attacking his body. My father was my rock and the prime example of how a man should be. He wasn't a "go to church every Sunday" type of man but he read the bible cover to cover many times and he definitely believed in the Lord. He provided a good home for his wife of 53 years (my mother) and my brother and me as we grew into men. My mom passed away on November 5, 2004 from complications from a stroke she suffered a few months before. I am so grateful for the life I had with my earthly parents. They were a constant example of what it meant to be successful at marriage. I have been blessed to have two loving parents who adopted my twin brother and myself at 8 months old and loved us our whole lives as if my mom gave birth to us herself. But this last 5 months have been especially trying on my heart and soul with the loss of 3 of the most important men in my life. Throughout the process I allowed the devil to come in and try to damage my ability to write. For a few months I couldn't write anything and I temporarily stopped writing for this magazine, which I write for every month. I allowed the devil to come in but I wasn't going to allow him to steal what God has given me. And I prayed to God for an answer to this turmoil I was going through. Why couldn’t I hear His voice the way I had before? Why was I struggling to allow God to write through me all of a sudden when before He spoke so freely? Then I heard God say, “You need to be refilled my child”. After all of the attack my heart took I didn’t realize that it had drained me of my faith to hear from the Lord. I was drained of energy, faith, and perseverance. The devil was trying to take the very gift that God had given me to do His work.

I couldn’t allow this. Then, in the midst of this struggle, our church made the announcement that they were going to be hosting an “Area Wide Pentecostal Rally” and I knew I had to be there. The answer to what I was going through was going to be at that meeting. So I made sure my wife and I were there. We didn’t know what God was going to do, but we knew it was going to be something big. So on May 23rd of this year, we went to the Pentecostal Rally and it was during this rally that the Holy Spirit truly moved. I was singing praise and worship earlier that day I heard the Lord say, "Stay faithful, I'm refilling you." That night at the rally the pastor delivering the message about gifts of the Holy Spirit called people up, and as a deacon in the church I was called to help pray with someone who wanted to receive the Holy Spirit. We prayed with them and they did receive it! What a wonderful time in Christ and a moment for celebration!! Many people received the Holy Spirit during that service. After that I thought I was done and the pastor who spoke that night called up me and my wife. He grabbed our hands together and pushed down very slightly and said "take it!" We both went down under the power of God and the Holy Spirit truly ministered to us during that time. By the grace of God, He refilled us!! I have been writing ever since. I am sharing this to let you know that the devil moves during our grief and it is during those times of human weakness that we must be careful to stay prayerful because he will try to steal, and kill, and destroy what God has for us (John 10:10). If the devil can't get to you because of your faith, he will try to get to you through your family members. The thing that I understand now is that even though these mighty men suffered tremendously during their last days here on earth, as they transitioned to be with the Lord God healed them and they will remain healed for an eternity with the Lord!!! When praying for healing for loved ones, trust God without fail that He knows what He is doing. You may not see the manifestation of healing in them but believe me, if they accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior then God WILL heal them, in this life or the next. Some of you reading this now may be going through some major storms and trials in your life with ailing family members and loved ones passing away. But there are two scriptures I want you to remember. In John 16:33, Jesus was comforting the disciples after he just told them He would be leaving them. He says to them, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." This is a firm reminder from Jesus that even though we experience hard times while we’re hear on earth, Jesus is always with us and He is the great overcomer. He came to this earth to die for our sins so that we may be free from the bondage of death once and for all. 1 John 5: 1-5 reminds us that we are overcomers because of our faith in Jesus. It says, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God”. No matter what you’re going through, just remind yourself of who you are in God by meditating on 1 John 5:1-5. Regardless of what you may go through, because of Jesus, you’ve already overcome it. Glory to God in the highest for He is worthy to be praised!! © 2010 Robert T. Sells – all rights reserved