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2 February 2019 | Grace&Glory
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February 2019
™
contents on the cover: Apostle Kenneth & Lady Lenyar Robinson DreamLife Worship Center 4111 Deer Park Road Randallstown, MD 21133 www.dreamlifewc.com
Cover Story pgs 8-11 - The month of February we are spotlighting ‘Power Couples- in Love, in Ministry, and in Business’. Power couple Apostle Kenneth and Lady Lenyar Robinson, pastors of DreamLife Worship in Randallstown, answer the question, “What is a Power Couple?” The Robinsons talk candidly about love, ministry and spirituality. This dynamic duo both share their individual keys on what makes marriage work for them; they both agree that the grace of God is what makes them ‘Powerful’.
Special Feature pgs 14-19 - Power Couples: In Love, In Ministry, In Business Ministers Danny & Tracey George, New Destiny Evangelistic Church Dr. Jermaine & Elder Michelle Johnson, Word Of Life Christian Community Church Bishop Greg and Pastor Tonya Dennis, Kingdom Worship Center Pastor Tim & Brandie Manigault, Healing Voice Ministries Charles & Ursula Harris, Chizelit Transformation Fitness Pastor Tim & Bishop Shirley Stanfill, Kingdom Word & Worship Cathedral
Healthy Soul 14 TRINKETS TO TRIUMPH
19 KEEP THE FIRE BURNING 28 WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE
Tracey George
Bishop Shirley & Pastor Timothy Stanfill
Tiffany Bethea
Dream to Destiny
What You Put In Is What You Get Out
I Am Not My Sister’s Keeper, I am My Sister
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Healthy Mind 24 TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH
Dr. Carla J. Debnam, (Founder, Renaissance Christian Counseling Center)
Love is the Greatest Gift of All
Healthy Body
In Every Issue Contributors............................................ 6 From the Editor....................................... 7 Scripture Page...................................... 30
18 BODY BASICS
Charles & Ursula Harris
Fitness is Better Together
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Meet the Team About the Editor
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
JACKIE EPPS – Jackie is the editor and owner of the Grace & Glory Magazine, created in 2007, as a spin-off of the Grace & Glory television program. Her career in communications spans almost 40 years; working in radio broadcasting for 11 years and shifting to television broadcasting in 1989. She has also been the producer of the Grace & Glory television program for 18 years. Having worked for the Fox affiliate in Baltimore for 10 years and presently working for the ABC affiliate in Baltimore, her expertise is in advertising sales, program sales, media planning and television production.
Psalm 84:11 PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jackie Epps EDITORIAL Dr. Carla J. Debnam Tiffany Bethea Min. Carenda McCray Tracey George Ruth Young Tyler Charles & Ursula Harris Bishop Shirley and Pastor Tim Stanfill GRAPHIC ARTIST Claire Lesesne www.JandCDesigns.com WEB ADMINISTRATOR Andre Felipe for Arts Period www.artsperiod.com COVER/COVER STORY PHOTO CREDITS KFinch Photography @KFinchphotography Grace & Glory Magazine is published monthly by JE Media, LLC,a Baltimore based, independent publisher. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction without expressed permission is prohibited.
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DR. CARLA DEBNAM Dr. Carla J. Debnam is the wife of Bishop Dwayne C. Debnam and an associate minister of Morning Star Baptist Church, Woodlawn, MD. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Maryland. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Association of Christian Counselors and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She has written articles on mental health topics and frequently presents at workshops and conferences. Dr. Debnam has contributed to two books, Those Sisters Can Preach: 22 Pearls of Wisdom, Virtue and Hope, and 7 Ingredients To An Effective Prayer Life Series, Volume 3-5. She stands on the promise of Philippians 1:6, "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (NIV).
CHARLES HARRIS Charles Harris is the owner of Chizel It Transformation Fitness. Charles is a highly effective fitness expert with a passion for health and wellness. His personal lifelong battle with high blood pressure became his source of motivation and passion to help others confront and conquer their personal health issues! He is a certified fitness trainer with the America Fitness Association of America with over 20 years of experience, and a certified Yoga Teacher at YogaWorks in Pikesville, Maryland. He is the author of I’m Too Cute to Sweat, What’s Your Excuse For Not Working Out? and It Takes 21 Days To Get Fit. Charles is the weekend fitness expert on WBALTV. He completed the 2010 Ironman 70.3 Competition in Augusta, Georgia and is currently teaching his mega cardio workout class throughout the state of Maryland.
TIFFANY BETHEA Tiffany Bethea is a bestselling author, speaker, minister, coach, podcaster and mompreneur. She is called to help believers become the bold, fearless CEOs of their lives as called to in Genesis 1:28. Through her Kingdomboss brand she also helps authors, speakers and entrepreneurs to become profitable, Christ-centered CEOs. She is an associate minister and worship arts director at Set the Captives Free Outreach Center under the direction of her parents Pastor Linwood & Dr. Karen Bethea. TRACEY NICOLE GEORGE
Tracey Nicole George is a licensed minister and ordained deacon. She is a native New Yorker residing in Maryland married to her best friend and love of her life, Danny George. Tracey works with her husband managing their inventory and asset control company, George Imaging. She is the creator of Trinkets to Triumph, a Biblically-based blog and ministry designed to edify and encourage individuals with a “trinket” of encouragement to triumph over any angst and edify individuals to attain living their best life. She is a member of New Destiny Evangelistic Church and serves as the assistant to the pastors, director of administration, facilitator of the high school Bible study class, and youth board treasurer. BISHOP SHIRLEY AND PASTOR TIM STANFILL Bishop and Pastor Stanfill are the co-creators of Kingdom Word & Worship Cathedral. They are humble servants who live by God's word in everything they do in life, love, travel and business. When they are not spending time with family they run missionary programs in Africa; share their ministry across the globe; and manage 3 businesses. In every issue of Grace & Glory, learn how they keep their fire burning and keep God first, no matter what tests life may bring them.
Editor
From the
Love Beyond Measure
Jackie Epps Editor-in-Chief
“Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me, yes Jesus loves me for the Bible tells me so.” If there is any doubt in your mind if you are loved this Valentine’s Day, let me help you out. There is someone who loves you unconditionally. This someone loves you through thick and then, come what may. They even love you no matter what you look like or what your profession or vocation may be. How about this, it is a love that looks beyond your faults, your shortcomings or when you miss the mark. And guess what you do not have to do anything for this love. You can’t buy it, you can’t earn it. It is a love that is there to accept and embrace . . . a love beyond measure. Do you have any idea how much God loves you? I mean do you really know the scope and depth of the love of God? The scripture tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:34-36) Isn’t that kind of love incredible? God loves us beyond measure. It is hard to comprehend a love beyond measure. Generally speaking we have experienced love in many different forms. We’ve experienced the love of our parents and our siblings. We’ve experienced the love of a significant
other, our spouses and the love of our children. We’ve even experienced the love of friends, colleagues, church members, etc. But there is nothing that can compare to the love that God has for us. Sometimes there are those who experience some sadness at Valentine’s Day thinking that no one loves them enough to send flowers or buy gifts and dinner for them. While it is nice to celebrate those who have a special place in our hearts on Valentine’s Day, it does not mean that if you do not receive some expression of love on that day that you are not loved. This Valentine’s Day choose to embrace it with joy and happiness, as a reminder of how much God loves you and His unselfish act of love towards you. “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Spend the day thinking about how God loves you beyond measure. Use that day to reflect upon the many ways God has shown you how much He loves you through His word. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) www.gracenglorymagazine.org 7
Pastor Ken Speaks When I was asked to write this article I first thought about the challenges we have today in just stabilizing marriages. All of us have seen what we perceived as a beautiful “powerful married couple” suddenly dissipates right before our eyes. This has caused us to wonder if there are any real sustainable power couples left. However, I still believe in power couples, that is, couples that are having a powerful impact on the lives of others. They are the couples that are fulfilling their God-given purpose and accomplishing these things together as one. That’s what I am going to share, the key principles that make a power couple. I first felt impressed to look at the definition of couple, I assumed that most people have a general idea of what power means. So I found an interesting definition of the word couple besides the common one that is obvious; two persons married, or a pair. The interesting definition is something that joins or links two things together and two equal and opposite forces that act along parallel lines. I believe every couple that God has joined together should be a power couple because of Christ, who is the power of God living within them both. The power of any couple lies within the first command of God to the first married couple, Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:26b, when He said, “…Let THEM have dominion (complete authority and reign).” Note
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that He didn’t just say let HIM, but He said let THEM, which implies that He gave THEM the power to rule together, not separately. This is not the picture we see in our independent driven society today, unfortunately many couples are on two separate tracks, not acting on parallel lines, as the definition states. However, we see in this scripture, built within every couple is the DNA of power. In my 27 plus years of pastoring couples in our congregation, I have seen various couples who had great potential to be powerful, but could not seem to link their differences to move in the same direction to accomplish things together. I have seen some couples begin powerful but pride, greed, jealousy and competition eventually got the best of them. Personally, Lady Lenyar and I have never striven to be a “power couple,” but what we’ve always believed is that if we pray and work together in purpose and peace, we would be able to do some powerful things together in life and ministry. So let me give you some keys that we live by that will unlock God’s power in any married couple: 1) Know Your Purpose Not Just Your Potential As A Couple - I’ve seen a lot of talented and gifted couples who recognize and even celebrate their potential together but never discover their purpose together. They take their individual callings and even
professions and develop it separately but never develop it according to their God-given assignment together. For example the husband becomes a great theologian and the wife becomes an exceptional doctor. They climb the ladder of their professions but never work together to act along parallel lines. They are both successful in what they do, yet they remain content in their individual successes, never discovering that their purpose together can include ministry and medical. Working together will help create the power of a dynamic kingdom duo for spiritual growth and healing. Lady Lenyar and I strongly believe that our purpose is inseparable. God has endowed us with our gifts, talents, call-ings and professions to blend them harmoniously to fulfill one purpose together. Any deviation from that will hinder the power that God has invested in us to do His will on the earth which includes raising our natural and spiritual children in the fear and admonition of the Lord and fulfilling our ministry purpose. 2) Respect Each Other’s Gifts And Strengths - This might be the most challeng-ing key of them all because it requires a lot of humility. Both husband and wife have to be very secure in their own gifts and strengths so they are not intimidated by each other’s strengths. It’s true, even within the definition of a couple themselves; that you may have opposite forces together because opposites tend to attract, but if they are not secure, they will eventually attack. This tends to be very common with men who have very gifted and strong wives. They tend to hold their wives back fearing that they will out shine them as the head of the union. However to be a power couple, you have to understand that your wife is your glory according to I Corinthians 11:7 (“For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.”) I am the proudest man in the room when Lady Lenyar is using her gifts and strengths to glorify God. This key requires the husband and wife
to do an assessment of what strengths they both have that contributes to their God-given assignment together. By all means, keeping the spirit of competition out of their union, so there is no fear of either one of them using their gifts and strengths. 3) Love Perfectly Despite Each Other’s Differences And Faults - In keeping in the spirit of Valentine’s Day, a power couple has a keen understanding of what agape love means to their marriage. Love has so many meanings to so many people, but to the Christian, love means agape. This agape love is what distinguishes our love from the world’s version of love. Agape love perceives and desires the highest good for the other in spite of the other’s differences and faults. I often say these words to Lady Lenyar, “You are perfect in my eyes.” What I am saying is that I see you as God sees us, already complete for me. This core belief releases power between a couple, because they no longer have to strive to earn their partner’s love, they only need to accept and receive it. This agape love can only be shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit according to Romans 5:5. It’s this love that empowers me to prefer her needs and desires to be met before my own. It’s this love that causes me to fix things in my house that I didn’t know I could fix. Also, to make sure she finds pleasure and satisfaction with our intimacy, I’m sure you understand what I mean. When you have authentic and sincere love in private for your spouse, it will flow effortlessly in public toward them. This is so powerful and rewarding in a marriage. 4) Make Time To Pray Together To Stay Together It is surprising to know the number of couples, even in ministry, that do not pray together on a consistent basis. Despite how gifted, talented, anointed and appointed a Continued on page 10
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couple may be, if they will not exercise the privilege of praying together, they will short circuit their power and eventually lose it all. Life as a couple will place heavy demands on each partner’s time and tasks, subsequently leaving them at times vulnerable to tiredness, frustrations and disagreements. Praying together is the only place of peace and staying power. One of the reasons I married my wife is because I knew she loved to pray and respected the power of prayer in a relationship. Any couple with divine purpose will encounter great opposition from satan. He knows that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32), so he works overtime to keep couples in strife and contention for the purpose of keeping them powerless together. However, prayer softens the heart of an angry spouse, soothes the soul of a frustrated spouse and seals the purpose of the union in the spirit of a spouse. You can trace most problems of couples to the lack of prayer. You will never hear a divorced couple say they loved to pray together, because praying together is staying together. Prayer defeats the spirit of offense and unforgiveness, which tends to keep couples from praying together. A power couple knows that praying together is their greatest asset. I love praying with Lady Lenyar because we both know that a couple that will pray together will also stay together. Despite the many challenges we see in marriage today, God has
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still ordained power couples to impact lives and to fulfill their purpose in the earth. These are just some of the key principles that have empowered our lives as a couple.
Lady Lenyar Speaks One of the definitions of “Power Couple” is defined as a “couple consisting of two people who are each influential or successful in their own right.” I believe that this definition is correct, yet incomplete. My definition of a “Power Couple” is the following: A couple who are each influential and successful in their own right, and who have a deep level of love, admiration, and respect for one another. Their union is a force of positivity, good works, and an example of God’s idea for marriage. Although I am honored that some people may see Apostle Robinson and I as a power couple, I know that our marriage is powerful because of the grace of God that is on our union. Like many of us, we often don’t see ourselves in the same positive light that others may see us. If I can narrow it down for us, the power in our marriage consists of five components. The first and most important is the work and movement of the Holy Spirit in our relationship. As we submit to the leading of the Spirit, He teaches us how to love one another in ways that only He can reveal. According to 1 Corinthians 2: 10-11, the Holy Spirit searches all things and reveals deep and hidden things to us. There are areas in our spouses’ lives that need love and grace from us. The Holy Spirit teaches and empowers us to love them in and through those areas, even when they have not verbally revealed it to us. This kind of love is liberating and lasting and is most certainly a necessity for the “Power Couple.” The second power component is what I like to call “relationship character.” It is the combination of things about our marriage that others cannot see. It is how we interact and handle one another behind closed doors. It is how we handle conflict, hurt, disappointments, and
drama. It is attitudes, actions, tones, and conversations when there are no lights flashing, no one is watching, and no one is listening. Relationship character is what demonstrates to our spouse how we really feel about them. It is the private relationship that fuels what is seen and felt publicly. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus warns us not to practice good deeds only to be seen of others. Apostle Robinson and I continuously work on honoring and serving one another just to please one another, rather than creating an image for others to admire and celebrate. Thirdly, partnership is critical. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” This scripture captures the true essence of partnership; that we have a greater reward when we work together, and that there is always someone there to help us when we need them. Having defined roles in our marriage helps us to accomplish tasks with some fluidity, but having support with the things that may be outside of our defined roles is invaluable. Our partnership requires us to be flexible in our roles so that we can lighten our spouse’s load whenever they need us to do so. Number four is purpose: shared purpose. I believe that when God places two people together, their divine purpose is intertwined to the degree that they need one another in order to fulfill their earthly assignment. In Genesis, God’s idea of marriage involved governing, ruling, and multiplying. This required Adam and Eve’s interdependency; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This interdependency in marriage makes your shared purpose as a couple much clearer and more tangible. Understanding purpose and meaning is a deeper layer of marriage where you explore the idea that God had when He brought you together as a couple. For us, this realization has caused us to cherish one another, and consider how we want to impact the world and create a legacy as one. Although my marital relationship does not create my identity, it does modify my identity. My identity is now joined with his to create our identity as a unit. We realize that God wants to accomplish something unique through us as husband and wife as we model unconditional love, and mirror God’s relationship with the church.
Last but certainly not least, the fifth power component is prayer. There is an old hymn that says, “Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pains we bare; all because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.” There is not a more powerful demonstration of love for my husband than to pray selflessly for him, and for our relationship. Certainly, regular date nights, romantic vacations, sharing life’s milestones, and enjoying children and family are all good things for your relationship, but they don’t address the heart of a Godly marriage. Without proper prayer support, these activities and occasions are powerless on their own accord. Prayer is one of the most powerful ways I can love my spouse. I pray for my husband daily in the following ways: His heart for God, his clarity of mind, his physical health and safety, his hurts and concerns, and his purpose. I believe that there is no greater intercessor than a praying spouse. No one can stand in the gap and blanket him in prayer better than me. I am graced, empowered, and anointed for it. I am not a relationship or marriage expert by any stretch of the imagination; on the contrary, I am a student of marriage. Always learning more about how God demonstrates His love for me through my marriage, and how God uses me to minister to my husband. I am learning that it is God’s divine work that brought us together, and His divine plan that is at work in and through our marriage. As we continue to honor God with our lives and our love, His power is released in new ways that allow us to shine and be light and hope in a dark world.
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12 February 2019 | Grace&Glory
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trinkets to triumph
I had the perfect picture of him in my mind. I prayed and praised God in advance for him. I now pursue my purpose with him. His name is Danny, my dream manifested. Since we are celebrating the season of love, I want to share with you my journey from Ms. to Mrs. that was full of treats and trials but in the end, God blessed me to dare to dream, fulfilled my destiny and gave me double for my trouble. Love Lost I was courting a guy and eventually got engaged. We got down to our last counseling session and he declared that he was not willing to serve God. This was alarming to me because my Lord was everything to me. I thought, “How can two walk together if they do not agree?” (Amos 3:3). This perfect relationship was missing the major link, Jesus. I called the wedding off and ended the relationship. People couldn’t believe I ended my relationship over this one thing, but they failed to realize this one thing was my everything. The breakup was devastating. I didn’t know if I would ever find love again but I was willing to risk it all for my Lord. I wiped my tears one evening and promised myself my mourning was over. I prayed, “Lord I did this for you, now do this for me: give me double for my trouble.” Love Without A Limit I met Danny through a mutual friend. He was her husband’s best friend who, at the time, was going through a distressing divorce vowing to never marry again. Our friend knew after he was done healing, he would be ready for love again. She knew I was single and ready to meet my mate. Since Danny started attending our church I also had my eye on him but never made a move. He approached me one day and, after a few encounters, we went out for coffee. Fast forward eleven years from that day, we are still having conversations over coffee. We dated exactly for one year and got married. The first couple of years were saturated with struggles because of my insecurities. With God’s grace, we were able to conquer those shady situations that I created in my head and our bond became stronger. The biggest blessing in our marriage is communication. We walk in wedded bliss because God is at the center of our lives. We make it a point to together pray, study the Bible, and serve in ministry as a unit. Jesus is the key part of the three-cord braid of our marriage that is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12).
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We are friends first. We also date often and a good number of our dates are “date night in.” These are my favorites! We usually eat and play our made-up of game of “name that song.” Is our marriage perfect? Absolutely not but we serve the perfect one, Jesus. Knowing that, gives us the consolation that come what may, we can conquer anything and are always victorious. Looking for Love – Your Camel is Coming One of my favorite Biblical stories is when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac, with specific instructions, confidence that the angels will go before him, and ten camels loaded with gifts (Genesis 24). His servant was successful because he first prayed for victory. The servant didn’t even get a chance to finish his prayer before God had Rebekah positioned and coming to encounter the servant. While he was still praying, God answered his prayer and Rebekah showed up. Both parties were blessed when they saw the camels coming. Rebekah and her family received gifts that the camels carried and Isaac saw the camels coming and went out to meet them when the servant came back with Rebekah. Your camel is coming. In the meantime: • Write the vision of your desired mate including negotiable and non-negotiable items. • Give all of your time to God in the meantime. • Be who you want to attract. • Be ready and occupy yourself in the meantime. • Let God bring you your mate. • Wait on the promise of God and never settle. Love at Last - D.R.E.A.M. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). God gave me double for my trouble and exceeded my dream for my mate. Taking matters into your own hands only delays the process. I created the acronym, D.R.E.A.M., to encourage singles to dream and believe God for their mate because, “Dreams Really Eventually Appear Manifested.” Don’t grow weary in well doing for in due season you will reap if you faint not (Galatians 6:9). Dare to D.R.E.A.M. because Tracey Nicole George Dreams Really Eventually Appear www.traceystrinketstotriumph.com Manifested.
Over the last 20 years, God has ordered Dr. Jermaine and Elder Michelle Johnson’s steps into public ministry. They both grew up in church; actively participating in the work of the church with singing on Youth & Young Adult choirs, Sunday School, youth leaders, etc. Jermaine attended Mt. Carmel Christian Community Church and Michelle Christian Community Church of God. In July 1998, at the age of 19, Dr. Jermaine was humbled to preach his initial sermon and eventually serving various ministries, thereby establishing a ministry foundation. In September 2000, Jermaine and Michelle became united as one, Mr. & Mrs. Jermaine Johnson, at the Christian Community Church of God. The Johnsons, as they are affectionately called by so many, grew as a couple and, also grew in their passion and love walk with God. As young adults, they were committed to their faith and ministry, which would be unusual so young. Within the first four years of marriage, Elder Michelle accepted her call to the ministry and preached her initial sermon in October 2003. God continued to manifest His unique plan for their lives. In fall 2004, Michelle pursued an opportunity to attend Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, Illinois to obtain a Master’s in Divinity Degree. This required Michelle to leave her home, family, and job as a Registered Nurse. She even had to be apart (nearly 800 miles) from Jermaine for three months as he completed his undergraduate degree in Communication at Eastern University in Saint David’s, PA. This was an Abrahamic experience indeed, requiring complete faith and trust in God for journey. After graduating from Eastern University in December 2004, Jermaine moved to Illinois also and enrolled as a full-time student, along with Michelle, at Northern Seminary. What an amazing and life-changing experience it was to attend seminary together- a true example of partners in life and in ministry. Jermaine and Michelle began a campus bible study (Times of Refreshing Bible Study), wrote a weekly blog on the seminary website, taught at the Urban Initiative Theological Program at the Rock of Ages
Baptist Church, and travelled as Missionaries in the Go Global initiative to Thailand for a two-week ministry assignment for the people in Bangkok, Chang Mai, and Chang Rai. Jermaine and Michelle graduated from Northern Seminary in June 2007 and were recognized by faculty and students for outstanding student leadership with the Ian Chapman Leadership Award. After returning to Baltimore to faithfully serve their local church and community, Dr. Jermaine and Pastor Michelle were called to establish the Word of Life Christian Community Church, where Dr. Jermaine currently serves as the lead Pastor and Elder Michelle serves as the Co-Pastor. Their synergy, anointing, and creative gifts and talents, together with their ministry callings has allowed them to facilitate an atmosphere of discipleship that transforms lives and brings men, women, and children together as the Word of Life Christian Community Church. It’s been a humbling, yet exciting journey to serve along in ministry together to experience mission fulfilled and to see vision come alive. Moreover, as partners in life and ministry, for over 18 years, God has been intentional in establishing their purpose and assignment for the Kingdom of God. It has been a wonderful journey of evolving into the very plan and will planned for them before the beginning of time. When service and surrender are at work, the doors of opportunity for God to manifest His glory are unlimited. As servant leaders, Dr. Jermaine and Pastor Michelle view those unlimited doors manifested into pastoring the local church. They both have specific roles, with Jermaine serving as the Lead Senior Pastor and Pastor Michelle shares the journey as Co-Pastor to help meet the ongoing needs of the ministry. The shared responsibilities of the Johnsons works well for church and family life. Jermaine and Michelle are blessed with one daughter Zoe Imani. It’s been a journey of faith and they continue to believe the words of the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 2:9, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” www.gracenglorymagazine.org 15
Friendship in Marriage Bishop Gregory and Pastor Tonya Dennis KINGDOM WORSHIP CENTER
Baltimore, Maryland Our story is not uncommon, but it is unusually woven into a beautiful story of faith, hope and love. We have been married for 25 years in July and have maintained a true friendship that worked even when our marriage did not. We both grew up as “Preacher’s Kids” with hopes and dreams of doing something other while still admiring what our parents were called to do. Tonya: I didn't ask for this. I kind of knew my husband was called to the ministry and 6 months into our marriage he confirmed it. It was all too scripted for me and I'm not a scripted kind of girl. I'm off the cuff and although I did not want to accept it at the time I already knew. He would turn to me and say I've been called to minister. All I could think was aww man! I guess I just wanted to live a life under the radar. Yes, the radar was all too familiar growing up as a PK. Gregory: I was actually called at 14 years old, at which time my father enlightens me that this calling was for me to prepare for 16 February February 2019 2019 || Grace&Glory Grace&Glory 16
my future. I wanted to do sports medicine, but my chemistry class said something different. I did not think that doing ministry would mean I would end up being a Senior Pastor of a church (and I love Kingdom Worship Center). I enjoyed helping the visions of others come to pass. Our friendship began in college and we always looked out for one another. We genuinely cared about each other’s wellbeing even while dating other people. It was not until much later we recognized that we had a genuine love for one another and that was a funny moment. The decision to marry was not only related to our love for one another but love for God. We wanted to please God. Little did we know that our commitment to one another and God would be tested tremendously in the area of starting a family. We experienced frustrated faith for nearly 10 years. God had a plan that we would have never guessed for our lives. When you are going through major challenges and cannot
imagine your victory you do not want to commit to anything, at times not even your spouse. Somehow our faith in God would remain intact... that presented hope for everything else in our lives. Fast forward another decade and we see that the plan of God was full of purpose. Schooling, family, ministry, kid's schedules, counseling, and the bond we share as a couple have all come together; by the grace of God. God has always been faithful to give us grace for His purpose in our lives. We had to learn to agree with God for our marriage and family, and we are so grateful that we did! God has filtered our hearts and strengthened our love for each other. We pray together, we worship together, we praise together, we counsel together, we cry together, we laugh together, we are forever together. Our forever was blessed 5 years ago with two children who give us more reasons to bless God. Marriage is ministry and working ministry is not always easy but it’s worth it.
The Power of Agreement PASTOR TIM AND BRANDIE MANIGAULT HEALING VOICE MINISTRIES Temecula, CA
Doing life with someone is not always easy. We have been married for almost 13 years, and, just like all other couples we have had our share of ups and downs. There’s no magic potion and there’s no perfect journey, but we can choose to have a real one and in that we live into the covenant that unlocks the supernatural power that we are designed to walk into together. For us, we could have easily defaulted into the traditional husband and wife, man and woman, pastor and pastor’s wife roles, but part of the success that we have found over the years is when we function in a way that feels right to us even when it looks unconventional and untraditional. We remind each other that, “just because that’s how you were raised doesn’t make it right” to keep us accountable to the road we have chosen to walk down, not forsaking our individual upbringings, the methods that did work, and the tools it gave us, but to help us to see that we can create a different path of effectiveness in our home life and our ministry life that is more in line with who we are and how we want to be with each other. We decided early on in our marriage to adopt a strengths-based approach which would allow us to lean on each other’s strengths and minimize the impact of our weaknesses on our marriage and the task at hand. Practically speaking, this means that some weeks look and feel like your favorite round of middle school dodgeball. A project or problem
gets thrown into our lives and you’ll find either one of us moving quickly out of the way as we trust the strength in the other to take lead on that project. It is important to note that we say take lead because the other person is available to help and assist, but they recognize that their strengths may not be in this specific area. Being in agreement regarding which projects we would take on has been essential to achieving the success that we’ve wanted. We learned early on the power of our agreement, and the power of our disagreement. We could have a fully loaded team, jobs assigned, financing, venue, and a well-crafted marketing approach, but if we were not in agreement nothing seemed to lock in. On the contrary, if the finances were not aligning and the venues weren’t opening up and the team was questionable, but we were in agreement about what we were supposed to be doing, even in the face of a rapidly approaching deadline, we maintained our focus because we knew that if we were in agreement concerning the will of God that we would see it manifest. This is priceless. The power of agreement has become one of our most treasured and trusted core values as a couple, and it goes beyond the boundaries of doing ministry, but touches every aspect of our life together. We have chosen to not make any major decisions regarding our family without first praying about them and then agreeing on them. From where we live, to the schools our children attend, to the
cars we buy, to the vacations we take, all the way to the jobs we say yes or no to; they all must be vetted and sifted through the filter of agreement. We do not make a move until we agree or agree to disagree, in which case we lean in harder to hear from the Lord which way to go if it is not an obvious choice. No matter what life throws us, the ups, the downs, the good, or the bad one thing has remained constant through the years and that is that we will do it all together all the time. We don’t get to quit on each other, ourselves, or the people who are attached to us as a result of our union. With a mantra and a commitment like this little space is given for discord. This doesn’t mean that we don’t face the normal challenges of two autonomous human beings journeying together, but it does mean that because we have resolved fundamentally that we will do it together some questions are answered, and some decisions secured. www.gracenglorymagazine.org 17 17 www.gracenglorymagazine.org
body basics
Fitness Is Better Together! Two is better than one, for they can help each other succeed. Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT)
What’s the one thing that will help you accomplish your fitness goals this year and keep you motivated? The answer is right next to you. Your spouse! Having your significant other as your accountability partner will be your secret weapon in 2019. Who would be better equipped for the assignment than the person who knows your strengths and weakness? Working out with your mate will be the game changer this year. Outside of work, your spouse is the one person you share the most time with, so he/she should know your food triggers and excuses and recognize the obstacles that easily distract you. This is the time of year when everyone starts to hit the gym, attend fitness classes or attempt to do an in-home fitness routine to fulfill their New Year’s goals. Over the years, I have discovered that one of the secrets to making goals become a reality is to have a person that you are accountable to. Having someone that can keep you on track and support you in your fitness journey is imperative. Working out with your mate has benefits in many more ways beyond just the physical and spiritual realms. It can enhance your relationship romantically, cut down on doctor visits, and improve your health for future years to come. This is a great way to catch up on each other’s day and to share some quality time together. When you have a common fitness goal with your significant other, it will encourage and support you when you feel like giving up. Start with a healthy eating regime that can include other family members. It can be quite challenging when one person is eating healthy and the other person is eating unhealthily. Making healthy nutritional choices together is the foundation toward living a healthier lifestyle. Sharing quality time with your mate without always going to an expensive restaurant is a great way to eat better and save money. Let’s look at a few ways to put a plan together. 1. Fit Wife Happy Life. Studies show that after jointly participating in physical activity, couples report feeling more satisfied with their relationship and more in love with their partner (Aaron, Norman, Aaron, & Hayman, 2000). Exercise is a perfect example of the type of invigorating activity that can have these positive effects. It’s the physiological arousal, rather than the novelty or challenge of the activity that drives romantic attraction (Lewandowski, & Aron, 2004). This suggests that sharing a fitness goal (such as training for a 5K), taking regular runs together, dancing, or having a date night at the gym can boost the quality of your romantic relationship. 2. Improve Your Flex Apeal. Helping your mate shed those unwanted pounds and seeing them sculpt their bodies will bring a freshness and spark to your relationship. It is so exciting to see how this physical change impacts other aspects of your relationship that will flow into other areas of your life. Just try it and see. 3. Keep The Fire Burning. We should never lose the attractiveness in our relationship. Helping each other grow physically and spiritual is a great relationship builder. We can take better care of our loved ones when we take care of our own well-being. When we are energized and physically fit, we put our selves in a position to be a blessing to others. So, grab your partner’s hand and invite him or her to join you with your gym workouts, neighborhood walks, and outdoor sports activities. Not only will you both benefit physically, but it can also help to build a closer bond between the two of you. 18 18 February February2019 2019| |Grace&Glory Grace&Glory
CHARLES & URSULA HARRIS Fitness Experts Chizel It Transformation Fitness Center 9006 Liberty Rd • Randallstown Md 21133 443-253-0090 • www.chizelit.com Facebook:Charles Harris Instagram: charlesironmanharris
keep the fire burning
What You Put In Is What You Get Out by Bishop Shirley and Pastor Tim Stanfill
Greetings Grace & Glory Family! As Valentine’s Day is among us it reminds me of God’s tremendous love for you and us all. He is the perfect example of love; as it came with great sacrifice - His love is selfless, unconditional, unwavering, and the highest and deepest love we can receive. Colossians 3:14 states: “Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly.” Reflect on these questions for a moment: • Do you always treat your beloved ‘extra special’ on Valentine’s Day? • Do you only volunteer near the holidays that fall at the end of the year? • Do you only focus on self-care and eating healthy after a negative check-up? • Do you only pray hard and deeply whenever you feel you are in trouble? If you answered yes to any or all of these
questions, you may discover that in many ways your life is imbalanced and unfulfilled. If you are living day in and day out with an overwhelming amount of bills, stress and frustration, it’s because you need more love in your life. And I am not speaking of receiving love from a significant other; I am speaking of being loving everyday, starting with God. Your relationship with God should be the norm and not something extra or done when you need Him. Once you start praying daily, your perspective will widen, the answers will come before the questions and you will see things in all areas of your life change for the better. Pastor Tim and I pray every morning, noon and night and we have seen His blessings every day in every way. Beyond prayer, we also invest the time in ourselves to grow spiritually, physically, and emotionally; and this eventually leads to financially. I believe that success comes from consistency and focus in one direction. James 1:8 confirms this stating that, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Back in the fall of 2018, Pastor Tim and I launched Tim & Shirley Cafe along with two other businesses in the same shopping center. For six months we have been going nonstop and now we are seeing some results from our hard work. We chose to personally work in and on our business everyday because when you are personally invested, small things matter. It does not matter if it’s your business; your job; your marriage; your family; yourself; or your relationship with God, what you put in is what you get out! We love you and hope that you will stop by our cafe for food, fun and fellowship.
Celebrate with us!
Tim & Shirley Cafe Jazz & Dinner Valentine Special
February 14 - 16th
15638 Livingston Rd, Unit 16 Accokeek, MD 20607 Call 844-eat-cafe | 844-328-2233 or Keith Moore 240-375-3060
Watch The Tim and Shirley Show on Facebook, Tuesdays at 8 PM www.facebook.com/TimShirleyshow Please email your questions on Marriage & Relationships to Tim & Shirley at TimShirleyShow@gmail.com www.gracenglorymagazine.org 19 www.gracenglorymagazine.org 19
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single life
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February 14th is widely recognized as Valentine’s Day, but did you know it is also National Donor Day? From organs, eyes, and tissues to blood, platelets, and bone marrow, National Donor Day recognizes the countless lives that have been saved and enhanced by those who have selflessly given these gifts.
Register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor.
Donate blood or platelets.
Register as a bone marrow donor.
Learn more about donation at thellf.org. 22 February 2019 | Grace&Glory
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to your good health
Our world is experiencing a drought. The cause is not global warming or a seasonal anomaly due to El Nino or some other weather system. We are in a season where discord, distrust, and a lack of faithfulness and truthfulness is the order of the day. We have come to expect less than the best behavior from our public figures, elected officials, role models and others who we use to hold in high esteem. This unwelcome climate change in our communities and world is from the latest episode of people acting badly. We have gone to new lows trying to make others feel bad about their lives, so we can feel good about ours. This cultural climate of unhealthy relating, bullying and unrestrained competition has caused persons to question their self-worth and sometimes has lead to mental health problems. We can counteract the negativity of the culture with an infusion of unconditional love, acceptance and patience. Loving one another is the hallmark of being a disciple of Christ. The greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbor. In our world today, God has sometimes been replaced by possessions,
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people and money and we have become so fearful of our neighbor that it seems like hate has become the acceptable response instead of love. Realizing our world has become more communicative than ever before but also lonelier is indicative of what is happening in relationships. We have the ability to stay connected to anyone, anywhere at anytime, yet somehow there is a divide on a practical, personal level. There is an answer to the problem and that is to share the greatest gift whenever and wherever we can. The gift of love does not take money but it requires that we care about others in a way that they can receive it. Jesus met the needs of those around him through love. He let people know he cared about them. You and I can begin to touch persons when it matters the most to them. Let’s start working on spreading love whenever we can. It is the Dr. Carla Debnam, Founder, greatest gift and it is free. Renaissance Christian Counseling Center
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UNITY:
Are You Ready To Answer the Call? We live in a society where the strength of the church is diminished or weakened by individual personal gain. It’s a Me, myself and I mentality. The church is at HER best when the people of God come together as one body in Christ for the sole purpose of the Kingdom Agenda. Our society today eliminates the need to have long lasting relationships. Although, in God’s Kingdom His citizenship differs because the Bible tells us that one citizen has dominion over a thousand but two together gives authority over 10k! God multiplies our talents when we come together on one accord; and that places FEAR in the enemy’s camp. Satan’s political move in God’s physical house is to DIVIDE and to Conquer. 1. Satan doesn’t want the people of God to operate in oneness. 2. Satan doesn’t want the Body of Christ to agree. 3. Satan doesn’t want togetherness in the same place. Let’s Start Being REAL WITH GOD and ourselves! Beloved you will find that today will BEGIN to be the BEST DAYS of your LIFE WHEN YOU SAY YES TO GOD!
Evangelist LaRondi Nicole Flowers 1ST NEW LIFE BAPTIST CHURCH 3215 W. Belvedere Ave. • Baltimore, MD 21215 • 410.419.8841 Rev. Washington M. Flowers, Pastor & Founder UMUSTBREAL@GMAIL.COM “A Small Family Environment Where We Say Yes To God!” (Worship begins at 11:00 am in the lower level of Brown’s Memorial Baptist Church-Denmore Avenue Entrance) 26 February February2019 2019||Grace&Glory Grace&Glory 26
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woman’s perspective
Hello my lovely sisters! It’s February and of course love is in the air. Very soon, if not already, we will be seeing cards, candy, balloons, chocolates, flowers and so much more aimed at celebrating romantic love. I think it’s wonderful! But I’d love to also celebrate and spotlight another type of love that is also special and divine. Sisterhood. Now I’m fully aware that just the mention of sisterhood sparks so many different emotions in women and the word alone has so many different connotations associated with it. I am hoping to open this topic up and shed some light in an attempt to bring healing for broken sisterhood relationships and strengthen healthy sisterhood relationships. Isn’t it amazing when we can truly find those covenant sisters with whom we can share our secrets, cry tears of sadness and joy and share some of our most precious life experiences? When I think of my covenant sisters I think about the amazing moments we’ve shared such as being in the delivery room when my best friend became a mother and gave birth to her beautiful daughter. That is a moment in time that neither of us will ever forget. I also think about helping one of my sisters unpack and anoint with oil her very first house. That is another priceless moment that we will forever share. One of my favorite quotes is “Friendship is essential to the soul.” The love and joy shared in a true friendship between women is nurturing to our spirit and soul. God has gifted us with friendship even though sometimes we don’t see it that way. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Ephesians 4:9-10. There is so much power in agreement and connection between sisters. 28 28 February February2019 2019| |Grace&Glory Grace&Glory
Can you think of a moment when you didn’t have the strength to pray for or encourage yourself and you connected with one of your good sister-girlfriends and after that interaction you had the strength to keep going? What about that day you just needed to get out and get some fresh air and you went shopping with one of your sister-friends and afterward you noticed you were refreshed, revived and ready to keep going. There is power in connection with another Godly sister. The truth is this Christian journey we are on can be tough. There are joyous seasons that make us smile but there are also challenging seasons that we don’t enjoy as much. In those times the enemy loves to isolate us because he knows he can cut off a source of strength, motivation and accountability. I encourage you my sister not to allow the enemy to use your trials and difficult seasons to pull away from those who will love, support, pray with and for and encourage you. God is love and love is amazing. It comes in various forms including family, romantic partners and of course our friends. Let’s make sure that we don’t overlook our amazing sister-friends and find some time to show them love and celebrate them. I am touching and agreeing with each of you that God will continue to preserve your healthy sister friendships, and that He will reveal the toxic ones so that you can walk away from those.
Tiffany Bethea She-EO Life Mentor www.Tiffanybethea.com
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scripture page
1 John 4:7-21 (MSG)
God Is Love My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God. 7-10
My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us— perfect love!
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This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in him, and he in us: He’s given us life from his life, from his very own Spirit. Also, we’ve seen for ourselves and continue to state openly that the Father sent his Son as Savior of the world. Everyone who confesses that Jesus is God’s Son participates continuously in an intimate relationship with God. We know it so well, we’ve embraced it heart and soul, this love that comes from God.
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To Love, to Be Loved God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Wellformed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 17-18
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We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.
If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both. 20-21
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