CONTENTS Through It All! - Pastor H. Al Sims, Jr.
.............................04
Interview With Darlene Kearney
.............................05
Power In Our Words - Apostle Dr. Meta James
.............................07
The Valley And The Mountain Top - Sharon Weeks-Alleyne .............................09 Embracing Life’s Trials and Difficulties - Athena Morrison ...............................11 Sophia Sparkle Youth Group and Mothers Action Group - Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon
.............................13
You are being controlled right now - Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon
.............................15
Words of Encouragement from God’s Heart to Yours - Donna Royalty Ross
.............................16
Contributors Apostle Dr. Meta James Athena Morrison Donna Royalty Ross
Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon Pastor H. Al Sims, Jr. Sharon Weekes-Alleyne
2
From the Desk of the Editor-in-Chief
Donna Royalty Ross Happy First Year Anniversary to Transformational4Real Magazine. When God gave me the vision for this magazine, I shrugged it off. I had already written my little twopage newsletter in about 1997 and was fine with that. God had already spoken into my spirit that I would write books and have In Trust Ministries Distribution Center, a publishing company to help writers who are charged astronomical prices to print their books. I said “oh, okay Lord” and I lived. Years later, I was offered an opportunity to do a monthly article in Grace and Glory Magazine, a Baltimore Magazine, the owner of which is Jackie Epps. I was grateful for that opportunity and wrote in that magazine for several years, still never returning to the vision God had given me for Transformtional4real. Actually the first name that God give me for the magazine what just “Transformation”. It would take almost twenty years later before I allowed God once again to drop having a magazine in my spirit. So here we are celebrating our one-year anniversary. TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY. When God originally give me the name “Transformation” for the magazine, I did not know what to do with it. So I put it on the back burner until He brought it back to the forefront of my heart at which time, He change the name from “Transformation” to “Transformational4Real”. Of course, I asked God why the name change. The answer was and is that the Bible tells us in Romans 12:2 [AMP] -- “And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].” Because God knows the time and the season we are living in, He wants us to not just be “transformed” but to be transformed 4 Real. Being “transformed 4real” means being transparent, honest to and about ourselves and allowing the Word to transform us.
Boy, did we wing it through this first year. We had some happy endings and sad endings in our articles, but God remains faithful. We went from a mom telling us about the death of her newborn to Darlene Kearney having two maternity homes for homeless, hopeless, and helpless women – “Gods Lovely Butterflies”. Darlene is setting a new trend also by becoming the first interviewee to grace the cover of Transformational4Real Magazine. Again TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY. As we enter the beginning of a new year for T4Real Magazine we are becoming more articulated in what the name of Transofrmational4Real signifies – giving our readers life transforming stories coming out of the lives of men and women who have been or are transforming the lives of God’s people. I personally thank every contributor who have written an article, poem or even poured out of their hearts to our writers. I am believing God that He will give everyone attached and associated with our magazine, (whether writing or reading) a 100-fold return for the time they have invested in Transformational4Real. Come join us on the journey as we move forward to watching God transform lives 4Real.
Donna Royalty Ross
Walking in God’s Scandalous Grace 3
From the Pastor’s Desk:
Pastor H. Al Sims, Jr. SENIOR PASTOR OF BETHESDA CHURCH OF GOD, SUMTER, SC
Through It All! The Famous singer, songwriter Andre Crouch was inspired by God to write the wonderful song of hope and encouragement titled, ‘Through it All’. Andre wrote, “I’ve had many tears and sorrow, I’ve had questions for tomorrow, there’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong. But in every situation God gave blessed consolation that my trials come to only make me strong.” Then the chorus says, “Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God. Through it all, through it all, I’ve learned to depend upon God’s word.” Undoubtably Andre had gone THROUGH some problems but had come out victoriously. To say the great King David experienced some issues in his life would be a gross understatement. He was hated and sought after by King Saul. He had battles against a giant, a bear, a lion, and numerous enemies, yet he came through
victoriously. Thank God for inspiring David to write the 23rd Psalm. David says in verse 3, “He RESTORETH my soul”. In verse 4 has says “Yea, though I walk THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil”. In verse 5 he declares, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my ENEMIES”. It is quite apparent that David made it THROUGH because in verses 5-6 it says, “my cup runneth over” and “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”.
weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn, this is the heritage of the servants of the LORD.”
You see we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord. Think about it, the mighty stories in the Bible are not about those who failed but about those who came THROUGH victoriously. You and I are children of The So now I ask what is your Most High God just like those mindset? Are you looking mentioned in the Bible stories. at the problem and saying If God did those supernatural the problem is too big, too deeds for them, He will surely imposing, too overwhelming for do them for you and I. me to ever come THROUGH it? What are you looking at? If you Does the mountain of despair look at the problem, it will grow or the valley of defeat look so and grow in your mind until it tall or so deep that all hope becomes too big to conquer. is gone? I am writing this to However, if we keep our eyes remind you that the word of fixed on Jesus, then He will God states in Isaiah 54:17, “No bring us THROUGH IT ALL! 4
Interview with
Darlene Kearney Owner of God’s Lovely Butterflies and Maternity Home.
Darlene, it gives me great pleasure to interview you. When I met you the first time in Houston, Texas; I knew that there was something different about you. I met you when I accompanied Apostle Jerome Brandon, who was ministering ay your church. Do you remember that? Yes, I do, I was admiring your necklace and you took it off and you gave it to me.
As I ponder over your resume, my first question is when did it start? It all started in 2010.
Did you grow up in church? Yes, I grew up in church.
You have a passion and tenacity for women. Where and when did you get the passion for the homeless, helpless, and hopeless women? In 2010, on my way to the Metamorphosis Concert, that was hosted at the Fountain of Praise. God gave me a vision; I saw butterflies and pregnant mothers. I had my first child at the age of 19. I remember the struggles I had to endure. I always said to myself, I have to help other mothers. I have walked in every one of their shoes, I can relate to being homeless, helpless, and hopeless.
Is your vision only for women and children, or the entire family? My passion is for women and children. Not only are you a visionary and owner of God’s Lovely Butterflies Maternity Home, but you are also an author, owner of several businesses, officiant, and Christian Counselor. Should I go on?
5
Tell us about some of these titles/positions that you hold. Medical Assistant, Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor Intern, Community Health Worker, Domestic Violence Facilitator, Smoking Cessation Instructor, Parenting Instructor, and Anger Management Instructor.
I know that you have under your belt the two maternity homes. Is there one more maternity home or several more in the near future? My plan is to acquire a building in the near future.
Do you plan on going into other nearby counties to open other maternity homes? Yes, I plan to have maternity homes all over Texas.
Are you state or federally funded? No, we are neither one. I am currently working with my savings and believing God to get funding very soon.
What advice would you give to others looking to open maternity homes or transitional homes? Make sure you are going to do it from your heart. There are many mothers that are in need of love, support, resources, teaching and support.
My heart’s desire is to open two orphanages in Guyana, the country of my birth. FYI, I will be pulling on you when I am ready. Just putting you on notice. That would be fine with me.
When do you make time for yourself both mentally and physically? I pray daily, I give God his time when I wake up and travel to my designation. I take mental breaks; I have days I pamper myself. I take at least one day off to do things I like to do.
I have seen photos where you make time for your family, so I know that vacation time is in your schedule. Please tell us how you schedule yourself. By just doing things, my daughter is pretty active, and keeps me busy. Once a month is family time; weekends is family time.
Darlene, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to allow us to see how God has transformed your life. We definitely will be checking back with you to see how the maternity homes and the women God has called you to minister to are doing.
6
Power In Our Words Apostle Dr. Meta James
J
esus is The Way, The Truth and The Life. As we go about our lives taking care of family, our jobs, or maybe retirement we can’t forget that we are not powerless.Let’s be honest when so much death is around us, we can tend to lose focus and get depressed. This is what the enemy’s goal is. Once he gets us off balance, we forget the power we have in our mouth.Yes, losing a loved one is difficult, but to lose them unexpectedly seems to take the wind out of you. I want to encourage you to stop, sit, and mediate on what you are feeling before you speak. Yes, mediate on those feelings and ask yourself does my loved one fall into any of these categories? Can I change the outcome, are they out of pain and lastly would they want me to give up? We can’t change the outcome, if they were in pain, they are no longer in pain and of course they would not want us to give up.
Stop, sit, and realize that the future will be different, but you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you. Let Jesus strengthen you today. Sometimes the struggle is asking the Lord to forgive us if we know we might not have done all we could while they were living. Again, stop and realize that may be a true statement but the enemy’s job is to keep you focused on the negative and have you to forget that it is already covered under the blood of Jesus and that Jesus has forgiven me. How can I look toward the future when my spouse, my child, my aunt, my uncle, my mother, my father are all gone? Stop, sit, and meditate on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, we have the power to think on these things. Ask for help to move forward; don’t allow anything or anyone get in your way. Sometimes you may have to cry out to the Lord and that is okay. He understands and knows your heart. Have you ever said I can’t wait to get off work and head to the beach for the weekend? I’m going to relax, barbeque and have a great time, and once you got there you had a great 7
time? Most of us would never say I’m getting off work and headed to the beach for the weekend and I’m going to have a terrible time. Words can dictate our mood, words can encourage or discourage you, words make can make you feel good inside. Saying “I love you” or “I hate you” makes you feel good or bad. Jesus gave us natural words to build us up. He also gave us the word of God to strengthen, keep and give us hope. Let’s go way back remember when you were getting potty trained and had an accident, you cried or hid and normally you heard not such good words and maybe a pat on the backside. Finally you mastered it and you were so excited and mom, dad, sister, brother or whoever was training you gave you all the accolades: “great job, I knew you could do it’’ etc. Those words gave you the determination that next time you could do it. We all like praise and to feel good; everyone wants to hear good words. So as a child we learned that words could encourage us, or words can make us feel bad. Think about when you were growing up and accomplished a task and received rewards. We sometimes are conditioned for the reward even as adults and sometimes, when we don’t get it, our tendency is to feel bad. But be encouraged because Jesus always wants to reward us if we do our part. If we walk upwardly before Him, He will not withhold anything from us. We have to speak light in every dark situation. We are the light of the world so if we lose our flare, what hope does the world see? Words can pick you up and let you know that nothing is impossible with God. The world was brought into existence by God saying let there be Light, and it was. Jesus has left us with 66 books of the bible and even if some of the books were lost down through the years, we have 66 books that are filled with powerful words so we can live a victorious life. Decide today; instead of speaking death, gloom, and discouragement, speak life. We have power in our words and because of Jesus we live, move, and have our being. What words will you speak today? Speak blessings!!! If you need a word of encouragement, I am here to talk, contact me at metajamesministries@gmail.com.
Love you ,Apostle
Dr. Meta E. James
Psalm 32:8
8
THE VALLEY AND THE MOUNTAIN TOP
Sharon Weeks-Alleyne
T
he Shepherd does not steer his herd around the valley. He leads them through the valley. So this is saying to us that we are going to go through, not around
our mountains. We’ll have to climb from the valley to the mountain top regardless of how treacherous they may look. We, like the sheep, need to surrender to Our Shepherd’s leading. Where He leads us, we need to follow. We can’t be afraid of the steep descents or ascents. We need to see the valley not as death but a shadow of it. A shadow is not real, it has the form, the look, but it’s not it. Many times that’s our problem: we see death, we see damnation, we see failure, instead of seeing the situation as just a shadow. It is 9
just what’s trying to form, but it cannot prosper. We know that we should have no fear because our Good Shepherd is with us, and His Rod pulls us up or out of whatever the situation is, and His Staff draws us closer to Him (which sometimes means a broken leg to keep us close and on track). The Valley is where our thirst is quenched, the mountain top is where we (graze), rest, relax and restore. This is where our table is prepared. We eat, regurgitate, enjoy the view, and sometimes get carried away with the indulgence. We need to remember that we are still totally dependent, as this is the time the predators come out. This is the time the enemy seeks who he can devour! Herein lies our problem once more; we get comfortable when our table is prepared, we get high-minded and feel we have arrived and can do it on our own. We strut off and the enemy could devour us if Our Vigilant Shepherd is not there to defend and save us. It’s at this stage of the journey the Shepherd checks his sheep out. He anointed them with oil for two reasons: for heatstroke and for parasites, flies and fleas that could not only get them sick but could kill them. Yes, it’s the anointing that breaks all yokes, sickness, death, and all other things that come to bombard us. So when David gave this analogy, he knew what he was speaking about and his conclusion is, if we allow The Shepherd total reign of our lives, our cups will overflow. His goodness and mercy will follow us and where else would you want to be with such A Shepherd everyday of your life but in His House, in His Word and in His presence.
10
Embracing Life’s Trials and Difficulties
Athena Morrison
W
e all have gone or are going through difficulties in life. Speaking for myself, I have had the tendency to run away and not face my difficult times, but I found
the most amazing scriptures that took me to a more understanding place. In our most difficult times, thanking God is not necessarily the first thing on our mind. Our flesh takes us to places where the darkness of the “what ifs” and the “why me” tries to take over and overshadow what we know to be true about the blessings and favor of God. Life may be a good teacher, but biblical truth is a better teacher. In the book of Job, I marveled at his faith in God. When everything was taken from Job, when he had lost his children and everything he owned and he faced so many difficulties and trials, his faith never faltered. Job 1:21 “And he said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (NKJV) He continued to praise and thank God after his difficulties. 11
Are we not able to think of our trials and difficulties as a lesson from God? Lessons that will lead us to be dependent on Him and lessons that will make our faith stronger. Lessons that will lead to blessings because we have taken them directly to our Father. I think this will be one of those “hard” lessons in life that will take us to a glorious kingdom. This is spelled out in the following scripture: Romans Ch 8:16-18 “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” These are truly perilous times! We hear daily of viruses raging throughout the world, climate changes, violence against each other, including shootings and so many other trials and challenges that kills millions. This is the time for us to buckle down and take it to God in prayer. We have to be vigilant and not get complacent with the things of this world that are distractions, but instead stay in prayer. We should welcome challenges as opportunities to trust God, to stay in close communication with Him and let our thoughts be filled with trust and thankfulness and He will be glorified. The old adage of “whatever does not kill you makes you stronger” because of my belief in the promises of God, I can say “whatever difficulties and trials I go through will be my greatest blessings.”
12
SOPHIA SPARKLE YOUTH GROUP AND MOTHERS ACTION GROUP
Supporting the Communities in which we operate and going above and beyond to help.” Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon
S
ophia Sparkle Youth Group and Mothers Action Group on Social Issues are proud of our
role in bringing urgently needed items to persons within our communities during this time of crisis. In addition to doing the important work of keeping the supply chains moving please know that many Nonprofits Organizations could use your time and contribution to make
sure that vulnerable population are cared for during this time of uncertainty. As millions of people struggle globally with layoffs and lost wages as the coronavirus outbreak upends many aspects of our lives, and most of the world has hit a pause on daily life during this pandemic. This virus has touched almost every state, leading to many deaths. We are navigating uncharted waters right now, but I know that we can all get through this together. The outbreak has families feeling greater strain on resources, and we here at SOPHIA SPARKLE YOUTH GROUP would like to reach those vulnerable communities. They do need our help and all the assistance now more than ever. The current environment that we find ourselves in is one of uncertainty. The effect of Covid-19 is far reaching it has not just affected our health but also our economy and way of life. We pride ourselves on being a valued resource within our community. As such, we are diligently working towards bringing an ease towards families within our community. We do understand the enormous 13
impact this time is having on our people. And we realize that for us to get through this we must pull together. No man is an Island. As such, we have some duties to others. Every man has to depend on someone for something, especially in difficult times. So it is our foremost duty to help one another, love is powerful. We expect to pass through this world but once, so any good deed that you can do, or any kindness that you can show to a fellow man, do it now. Do not defer it or neglect it. You may also need the help of others sometime. When we are generous in small ways, it can change someone’s life forever. DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS FOR WHICH YOU GET NO PAY, BUT THE PRIVILEGE OF DOING IT. I would like to personally reach out to update you all on what we are doing here at our Friendly Space at Sophia Sparkle Youth Group and Mothers Action Group on social issues during these unprecedented times. Our classes continue but under strict covid guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health. Our face-shield, facemasks, sanitizer, cleaning materials are all available. Health and safety is our number one priority here at Sophia Sparkle Youth Group and Mothers Action Friendly space.
14
You are being controlled right now. Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon
O
h yes you are, and it is just my take. I will tell you exactly how. I believe the media controls us. We have become so consumed and addicted to it that it is controlling us. It’s a part of our everyday life. We believe that we are in control of the media that we consume because we have the remote in our hands and do have the power to change the channels, also the delete button is available to discard. But no matter what channel you are on, the programs that you are watching are programming you. Programming your values, your belief, your ideas without you even realizing it. Without the media we feel lost. With it controlling us I feel that we are now less sociable. The cellphones also. Does the thought of being stranded in an isolated place without no phone fill you with a sense of dread? Yes? We now have family together at home and all eyes and heads on the phone. Most of the times family communication is scarce. It is serious when you come to think about it. We need to break free from Social Media Hypnosis. Sometimes and have a broader, more objective
point of view. Let us try turning off electronic, breaking away from the technology. But how do we as a society do this when we are so overrun by our electronics? Some cannot be absent from the media for a few minutes. It’s as though we can’t even breathe without it. You’ll get anxious or even begin panicking if your phone, the remote or the phone charger gets misplaced. Especially if the phone battery is dead. We will not rest until all items are found. While phones are without a doubt a beneficial device, some suggest that over-reliance on digital devices may be a form of behavioral addiction, which experts believe may have a detrimental impact on mental health and well-being. Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Twitters, television, etc., we’re all wrapped up in them so tight, they are hijacking our minds by exploiting psychology vulnerabilities to manipulate and control our time and attention. It’s like fast food companies that exploit our human craving. We as users must decide if the benefits of these sites out-weigh their cost, but can that decision be made freely if social networking site are potentially addictive? We will, we must remind ourselves every day that “I’m not going to be controlled or manipulated”, “I’m in control of what I watch” and will balance my time on social media and we must monitor our children too in these areas.
15
Words Of Encouragement From God’s Heart To Yours
Donna Royalty Ross
T
he end of a matter is better than its beginning; patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit (pride). [Ecclesiastes 7:8 Amplified Bible]
What really does “better is the end of a matter than the beginning means to me? When I first started Transformational4Real in August 2020 – in the midst of the Pandemic, I was too excited to think of all the ramifications that goes into having my very own magazine. Even though, I was excited I did not think of who, what and where the contributors or the finances would come from. I was turned around because I didn’t know how or what to start my own magazine. Oh yes, I had my two-page Newsletter in the 90s and then I was a contributor of Grace and Glory Magazine for several years. However, the challenges of making sure that the articles in the magazine get to the proofreaders and then magazine designer was not what I expected. The glitz and glamour of own a magazine is not an easy task. BUT GOD. We are down one year and better is the end of this first year than what we started out with. We are really moving into this new year with the first year under our belts. Which means that going forth, we know where to up our game and we know where we can pace ourselves. The contributors and I are looking forward to great years ahead of us. We had nail biting days and we also had some joyous days. With God guiding us we are really looking forward to hitting the ground running. We all go through seasons of challenges in our lives. Challenges that cause us to operate out of character, fear, or contrary situations. Sometimes out of what we may see as an urgency, we step ahead of God and not allow patience to have it perfect way in our lives. I am not ashamed to let others know the many times out of my haste, I have stepped ahead of God, only to be hit with challenges beyond my wildest imaginations. Then still have to wait until God cleans up my mess. What an awesome God we serve that He would guide me to the end of what I ventured out to do without Him. God will always give us grace for whatever we have started by ourselves. What is your matter that seems so impossible and ridiculously hard for you to get through? Just like I had to give all of Transformational 4Real back to God to be able to get through the growing pains of this magazine, so do you too have to give what you are dealing with back to the Father so that He can walk you through whatever you are dealing with. Wherever you find yourself in the gifts and talents that God has given to you, just remember that during mountaintop and valleys low God is always going to be with you. He promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you and remember like Donald Lawrence song said, “your gifting looks good on you and you wear it well.” Be all that God has called you to be because here at Transformational 4Real we are all striving to be all that God has called and ordained for us to do and be I encourage to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. Acknowledge God in all that you do, and He will direct your pathways (Proverbs 3:5-6) Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus as I navigate through life, may I keep my eyes fixed on You. I purpose in my heart to use every gift that You have given me for Your glory and honor, in the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.
16
Congratulations
on the First Anniversary of Transformational 4Real Magazine. To God Be the
Glory .
wwwwerrr
~ Athena Morrison - Contributor
Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!
Prophetess Donna Royalty Ross! Heartiest Congratulations on the completion of one year of your up and running vision in the form of this magazine. I feel extremely proud and privileged that you saw it fit to have me be a part of what God is doing through you. I know God will continue to enlarge your territory and allow this venture to blossom and grow. May God continue to bless the works of your hands. ~ Sharon Weekes-Alleyne wwwwerrr The Transformational 4Real Magazine commemorates one (1) year in existence in August 2021. Reaching an anniversary is cause for celebration. Today I come before GOD’s presence with celebration, and Thanksgiving. It is just a year since the first issue of this wonderful magazine was 17
published. And in that short space of time Transformational 4Real has become a seriously competitive publication. This day is the perfect opportunity to thank everyone who have made this amazing initiative a success and to foster a culture of appreciation and recognition in the process. Our monthly spotlight on inspirational and uplifting articles, literatures in translation, events and a lot of much needed information has its readers anxiously awaiting its monthly publication. It has been a very exciting journey in providing so many rich contents to the general public in the United States and the Diaspora I am indebted to all our dedicated writers and wish to acknowledge the contributions made by you, all your articles were always submitted in a timely manner, to my professional Staffs, thank you. Our team wish to extend our deepest appreciation also to our readers, you are very important to us, we couldn’t have made it without you too, we do look forward to publishing more amazing articles and encourage you to send us your valuable feedback and ideas for further improvement of this magazine. The Team would like to express gratitude to you all for making this journey a success, as we all together continue this productive agenda of this Beautiful Magazine GOD bless you all, and please take all the necessary precautions to keep yourself and family safe during these challenging times. Greetings from all of us here at Sophia Sparkle Youth Group.
~ Doris Anetha Shelto McLennon, Contributor
Congratulations
wwwwerrr
on the first year of Transformational 4 Real Magazine’s Publication! I’m clearly glad, that I was given the opportunity to have works published in your magazine and being a part of Transformational 4 Real Magazine’s first year of publication. Being a part of its first year of success is truly an honor and a humbling experience. You, the contributors, and everyone else involved has done an amazing job at putting together this publication and meeting all of its criteria in a timely fashion and expressing all of the topics that are concerning today’s views. I have enjoyed working with you, and I would like to continue to do so and share in the future success of Transformational 4 Real Magazine. I’m extremely excited for you. Best wishes to you and to Transformational 4 Real Magazines future endeavors.
~ Michelle Brown, Contributor
18
19
20