New Seasons will

NEW SEASONS Will Transform You

By Hanah St Rose

NEW SEASONS Will Transform You

By Hanah St.Rose

Anew season can happen in any stage of your life. You may not even recognize it at first because you have been so used to the same routine for so long.

What is a new season and how can you recognize it as a woman of God?

A new season is a new stage in your life that will take you to another level. God wants to elevate you and transform you, but you have to make a choice to want to change. You must walk by faith and not by sight, as God guides you day by day. It’s important to let go of the old ways and habits in your life whether it may be a person, place, or even a situation. Transformation takes place in the heart and the mind. (Psalm 51:10-12) Renew your mind in the word of God, so you can fully transform into the woman God is calling you to be. When I was facing a new season in my life, I remember a few years ago wanting a better understanding of what God

called me to do for him. I wanted to go into for wisdom, so you will know the right godly a new direction with the Lord, but I knew I steps you should take. (James 1:5) You will be had to allow God transform me from within. able to discern what is a part of your journey I wanted a new season, but I had to allow God and what isn't. When you reflect on your own take me through circumstances to mature me life, you will see how God took you from one even though I thought they were challenging. I journey to the next. This can help you pinpoint had to allow myself grow within opportunities times in your past where transformation took I had never experienced before and bring place and this will help you see clearly how in fresh connections. During this time God you can determine when new seasons are on confirmed that I needed to expand my gift in the horizon. writing. I was praying to God daily New seasons can come as a to reveal to me my calling. He was surprise when you least expect it. also closing doors and weeding It could be an unexpected career out things in my life that didn’t belong in my new season. I had to "New change, friendships changing, and even through a new idea that let go of wrong connections. Maturity doesn't happen seasons will came to you out of the blue. For example, an unexpected career overnight and you have to be change can show you a talent or willing to be patient. You will have transform even a skill you didn't even know to ask the Lord to show you what you had. When friendships is keeping you from the next stage in your life. (Isaiah 43:19) I had you as you change in your life it can show you who truly values you and to take a good look at myself and realize that if I wanted a change, walk by faith when a friendship has run its course. Sometimes, an idea can I had to stop getting in the way of God and the way he works. and not by come from God that can take you somewhere you have never been Maturity and challenges go hand in hand. During the process of sight." before. Finally, know that new transformation, take time out seasons require you to keep of your day to write down what moving forward. (Philippians areas in your life you see positive 3:12-14) I am so happy I’ve changes and write down the areas walked closely with God to see in your life you still need to work on. This can transformation take place. God has shown me help you keep track of what God is doing in my calling and shown me who I am in Christ. your life and keep you motivated as you grow. I have seen my character evolve, my choices New seasons will transform you as you change for the better, and my mind more walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians focused on the things of the Lord. You will 5:7) You may not quickly see what God is doing see new seasons transform as you continue to as you step out in faith, but faith requires seek God for who He is and as you receive his you to take risks. You might not understand powerful love in every stage of your life. how to walk in faith, so you can see godly transformation. In order to operate in faith you must take time to sit with God and ask God

Hanah St.Rose is a writer, dance choreographer, and Christian speaker. She has a passion for writing, helping women of all ages, and she loves God. She loves to praise dance, volunteer, and inspire others. She started her own personal ministry called Single Roses That Are Waiting. Her ministries focus is to help women during their season of singleness and to let them know God loves them. She has created her own blog page for her ministry, and she is working on completing a 31-day devotional. She has a writing ministry called Christian Women Who Adore Writing.

Hanah St.Rose is currently working on creating new ideas and expanding the visions God has given her.

Michelle McKinney- Hammond

WEW: Who or What defines your identity?

MCH: I believe that my identity is hidden in Christ. That is biblical-- it says in Ephesians without Christ we have no way of knowing who we are or why we’re here and I truly believe that, I believe that we have God given dreams that God puts in us, but we’re not really able to identify them and know how to use them properly until we walk in sync with God and He begins to unfold the plan of how to use the things He put in us. I definitely find my identity in Christ because without Him I am nothing and what defines me is me walking in my purpose on a daily basis, being who I am every day is the thing that gives me my sense of who I am and why I’m here.

I’ve come to realise that purpose sometimes is not this big dramatic moment in life, but it’s those small mundane encounters that we have when we don’t even realise the impact we’re having on other people, those are purposeful moments and that happens every day.

WEW: What Would You say your Purpose is?

MMH: I would sum up my purpose in one word which is transformation. That is what I’m passionate about, a lot of people love the ‘empowerment’ word, which is a great word, but empowerment to do what, is always my question. If it is to fulfil your own goals, there’s a problem. I like the word ‘transformation’ better because I know that God is bent on making us look like Him, and so when I speak into the lives of people, I know that if they’re looking like God, they’re looking what he would want them to look like-- which is successful, victorious, whole, loving and all the other attributes of God because His Character encompasses all of that. So my job is to transform people to help them look like Christ who looks like God and when we all look like God, that means our character is intact, our integrity is intact, we walk in soundness and we walk in victory.

WEW: How does transformation translate to people in the business world who are not Christians?

MMH: I think everybody is looking to be better, whether they know Christ or not., people want to do the right thing instinctively, they want to be known as good people, people who are significant, who are making positive changes in the lives of people around them, making contributions that contribute to the wellbeing of other people, so even if someone doesn’t know Christ, transforming them to have integrity and sound character is something that we can all do, the rest will follow suite later. For a long time before I knew Christ, I wasn’t thinking of how to be godly, but I still wanted to be good if you know what I mean.

WEW: What Was your own encounter in discovering and finding Christ? MMH: It was very dramatic because I’m a very dramatic person (she laughs). I was living with my boyfriend and we had an argument, he took a trip, he got shot and died. For me that became a time of questioning what happens after death, I don’t think it was something I thought about before, I don’t think the notion of death had even entered my mind. Yes, when your grandmother dies, she’s supposed to die because she’s old, but when someone young dies in their twenties it bring questions and thoughts to your mind about eternity. For me I became very sober about what is there after this, is this all there is, will I ever see this person again? There were lots of questions that I had which eventually led me to Christ. WEW: From writing, singing and acclaimed spokeswoman, you are gifted in many areas, what would you say your secret to actualising your creativity is? MMH: Following the Yellow Brick Road (laughs), and when I say that most of my friends would say if I was not saved, they would say I’ve lived a very capricious life. But because they are mostly saved people, they say “girl, you know God just takes you on the wildest journeys.” That has been my full walk feel like God put a lot in me. There’s a famous DJ out of Chicago that says, “I got the gift and I’ve got to use it” (laughs) and I think God has afforded me those opportunities in stage., We talk a lot about if people can have it all and I say yes, you can have it all but probably not at the same time. I love music, it was put aside for a season of my life, I started writing books, the books led to me speaking, before that I was in advertising, so I got trained in the studio, I got trained in film production, art direction, writing, those things were latent for a while during the book part of my career, when I started travelling, speaking in conferences and then I moved to Ghana, West Africa and my book career slowed down and gave rise to my music ministry again and to acting, so there have been seasons in my life where God allowed different fruit to grow in a different orchard of my soul so to speak and I’ve been able to live those things out to the full and I believe God gets excited when we agree with Him to use everything He has placed In us. I would say in actualising, I think that it’s important to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, follow where God is pointing to get to manifest those things. Some of them won’t be on purpose, but they come into being and you love it because it’s a God thing. "I believe God gets excited when we agree with Him to use everything He has placed In us." with God, never a dull moment. It’s interesting I would have to say all the dreams I have ever had in my heart have all come true and God has systematically done that along the way and He has done that when I didn’t even realise they’re coming true, for example, people I wanted to meet, places I wanted to go, things I wanted to do, like doing a song with Michael Omartian, Stormie Omartian’s husband who is an amazing producer. Earlier on in my Christian walk I said I want to work with him and there I was one day in his studio with him playing the piano and working out a song for me, it was like God tapped me on my shoulder and say “Hey, I remembered!”, and this was like ten years later when I had that first thought. was like Oh my God! He aske me what was wrong and I had to tell him. I also acted in a movie, I still have to meet Barbara Streisand though, but pretty much I WEW: I do appreciate you’re not married, and you have been able to actualise what God has put in you. However, can that be the same for a woman who is married? MMH: I think it is but again there are seasons, when we look at the Proverbs 31 Woman, you can get overwhelmed by all the stuff that she did. However she didn’t do it all in a day, she didn’t do it all in a week, she didn’t do it all in a month or in a year, those where the seasons of her life and I think there is a pressure around us to be all things to all people all the time right now and that is not physically possible, we are not built or wired that way and God doesn’t even expect that of us. I think we tend to be harder on ourselves than He is. I think that we need to take a deep breath and say where am I? Is this my season and what are the tasks at hand? When you’ve done that the assignment changes and we move onto something else.

I think God is about constant movement and progression so He is not interested in us being stagnant, but what happens is when you decide to be jack of all trades and a master of none we usually get stuck in the midst of the scramble of life. If we can just focus on one thing and doing it well before moving on to the next thing.

You have to have a plan; He says write the vision and make it plain so that you can run with it. So, at some point in order to move forward you have to institute the plan and follow it and that’s where discipline comes in. One of the fruits of the Spirit that we don’t talk about a lot is self-control, which is discipline. Therefore, in order to get things done that has to exercised big time.

When we talk about embracing a specific season of life, that’s why I tell women all the time when their moaning and groaning about getting married, take advantage of the time you have, you won’t always have this time. Paul said it this way -- the married woman should be more concerned more about the things concerning her husband than anything else, take advantage of the time you have because the season will change and your priorities will also change and if you didn’t get some of those things done, you might feel robbed of them because you might never come back to them. We only have the capacity for so much. So, it’s very important to know how to utilise our time, understanding the season and the purpose of the season. As a single person I am personally into exploring every single time that I have, because when I get married, those moments won’t all belong to me anymore.

WEW: Many women over the years have read at least one of your books which has empowered them to discover their true identity before they get married, would you say identity is a prerequisite for getting married and perhaps staying married?

MMH: I think in order to have a happy marriage one should be more self-actualised and whole before you do it. I find that a lot of people are desperate about being married because they’re expecting this person to come in and complete the picture of who they are, two incomplete pictures create one big incomplete picture; two broken people create one broken relationship and so I think that part of the single walk is getting to that place to where you know you; you become the best person that you can be, understanding who you are and what you are called to, so that you don’t do false advertising to your partner (laughs). All of these things are things we take advantage of in the single season so that we bring our wholeness to the relationship, so that we have something to offer, love; true love and marriage is not about what you’re going to get, it’s really about what can you give; what are you going to be able to give to the other person and if both of you have that mindset, you’ll have two satisfied people, but if there is one person in the equation that is expecting the other person to make them happy or whole, they’ve set themselves up for a life of frustration, because we’re human, we will fail one another and God didn’t wire that person to be that for you.

Usually when you focus on God allowing Him to work on you, the other stuff will fall into place. A lot of times we focus on “Lord fix him” and the Lord is saying what about you! Its that whole speck in their eye, log in your own, if you can see it, it’s because you’ve done it yourself and that is a truth that we have to own that we are highly sensitive to things that we ourselves do, so I won’t see it, if I haven’t done it to be perfectly honest.

WEW: How did HeartWing Ministries come about?

MMH: In the beginning of my ministry, which I didn’t think it was going to be a ministry (laughs), I wrote a book and I thought I was done with the assignment, people started reading and thinking I knew what I was talking about, asking me to come speak and I was like “really?” and asking what the name of my ministry was and I thought “ministry!” “Really!” “I have one of those?!” For me it was about hearts being free. That’s where HeartWing came from, but it’s now transitioned into Michelle McKinney Hammond Ministries because its an umbrella over the things that I do, so that’s where HeartWing came from. HeartWing was my sentiment that I wanted hearts to be free to fly and soar.

WEW: We are in the dispensation where many women are rising out of the place of obscurity into significance in many areas of life, what would you say this is down to?

MMH: I think that we’ve had that in various seasons not just now, I think that women are

wired to rise to the occasion when the need presents itself and historically that’s what we’ve done from the beginning of time. We’ve had the Harriet Tubman’s of the world and different people that have risen up at specific times, the Queen in Ghana that fought for her village. It’s in us, women have the capacity to rise and when pushed they will rise. I think that more than ever we are in critical times and so more and more women’s voices are being raised and we’re coming together and getting past the suspicion that we have with one another. We are now more dedicated and committed to becoming sisters in order to accomplish things and I’m very excited that we’re championing one another and seeing the benefit of being unified with one voice about the issues that we face. I think that necessity has always been the mother of invention and that we have moments and lapses in history where we become complacent and apathetic, but then something happens to jar us out of that moment and we wake up and rise to the occasion and we go full force against whatever the opponent is and we champion it.

WEW: What would you say to a particular group of men who say women are not called to preach and refer to scripture to support their claims? MMH: I would tell them to read the whole bible and not just a part of scripture that they like. There were many churches established in women’s homes in the word. Deborah was a judge, God put Deborah in leadership and she not only led people, but she spoke into the lives of men and she encouraged them to battle. There is no way that God is saying that women are not supposed to speak in church. The scripture that most of them are talking about was a matter of culture, was a matter of what was happening in the temple on a day where the women were in the upper gallery and they were being a little too noisy so Paul said wait until you get home to ask your husbands all those questions instead of interrupting service.

I think that when he was talking about women teaching men, he was saying don’t usurp authority and talk down to men, there’s a level of respect that still has to happen. God called Wisdom a woman. Something tells me that God would find it godly for men to listen to the council of women as well, it’s not a matter of not teaching the men, but a matter of how we approach talking to them. I think that men are much more sensitive about being instructed, because they see themselves in a place of authority, not understanding that authority is actually not lordship over, but responsibility for the woman. When we understand that submission is not about being a doormat but it is walking in compliance with your partner so that the two of you win the game together. It’s not a weak position, its an aggressive decision to walk in agreement with your partner, balancing your weaknesses amongst the two of you. Deborah is a fine example of that. She said to Barak “Did God tell you to go and fight?” and he said, “Yes but I won’t fight if you don’t go with me.” and she said, “I will go with you.” But isn’t it interesting that she led him to the battle lines but she ultimately made him go and fight by himself because that was what he was supposed to do. Women need to know how to give men that push without them thinking that they are being pushed.

They’re egos are very important and God wired them that way. We have to respect that they are also instructed to love us as Christ loves the Church, we are not asked to die for anybody; the man is asked to die. So when we look at those dynamics, we see that God finds women to be just as precious as men. He does not see women to be underlings or weaklings and He is really serious about His women because He has said to the husbands, “If you don’t treat your wife right, I won’t listen to your prayers.” We had people like Lydia and others who were over the church in their homes, how could they not teach? We have to look at a balanced harmeneutical gospel, not just one scripture that you like.

WEW: Many know and follow you as a woman who understands the dynamics of relationships, why do you think marriage is such a widespread topic in the Kingdom?

MMH: Because we were created for partnership, I think that we have decided that it is human partnership, but it is really partnership with God. People always ask me, whether I believe in soulmates and I respond yes God is your soulmate, He breathed into man the breath of life and man became a living soul. That also created this desire in us for an eternal kiss; the only person who can kiss us eternally is God, a man’s got to come up for air at some point right (Laughs).

We also have the pressure of the media, we

have the pressure of our own internal longings, we have the pressure of our biological clocks, we have a lot of different external pressures, that push us for marriage. Even intellectually if you don’t really care about marriage, you start feeling guilty about not getting married. The media, people, peer pressure, movies, songs everything presses you and pressures you to have that as a goal. I believe that marriage should not be a goal, I believe that it should be an inspiration. Its not conducive to me feeling great pleasure if I want ice cream and there isn’t ice cream anywhere within a 10 mile radius of me. Why bother but if I am passing by a store and I see an ice cream shop and I realise that I want Ice cream, it becomes more of a realistic thing and it’s without the frustration, right? Because the possibility is now within the realm of becoming a reality. Therefore my whole things is marriage should not be a goal, marriage is inspired when you meet someone you decide you don’t want to live without; notice I said don’t want to live without them, not can’t live without, because we can live without anybody; this person must really add to me, I like them in my life, I like how I feel when I am with them, I could do this for the rest of my life, then it’s great.

Why should I walk around saying ahhh I want to get married, no man in sight, no woman in sight, ahhh I want to get married, I want to get married, what is that, what’s the purpose? Is it to validate yourself, to affirm that you’re desirable, lovable? What is the motive for your desire for marriage? Well, I want to have children… There are children for you to love all around the world-- foster care, adoption, homeless children. There are a lot of children to love on if you just want some children to love. Why does it have to come out of your body? These are all self-related reasons. But then when you go to the average married person, they will tell you this is highly overrated. Marriage is like a besiege city, those inside want to get out and those outside want to get in.

WEW: Do you think that God chooses two people to come together to fulfil His purpose in marriage?

MMH: I think for the most part that is true, I believe that God wants to create power couples, when we move past ourselves and our desires out of the equation, He gets to put together some incredible people that do incredible things together and I think that is the potential of any couple. Even though one can live with a bunch of different people, God knows the best one; the one that will get the most out of you, the best out of you and be in alignment with His plan and His purpose for your life. We read in scripture that people’s steps where ordered to meet one another and those marriages worked. What God has put together, let no man put asunder, there are a whole bunch of folks putting themselves together and it’s creating a bunch of disasters.

WEW: Would you say matchmaking services are one of the ways a woman should engage in to find love?

MMH: I’m not against matchmaking services, I have a protocol for how I think they should be used, I think people get in trouble with them because they don’t follow the protocol. I think that if women want to be on that service they should post themselves, but they shouldn’t choose the men, they should allow themselves to be chosen and once they are chosen, they should not engage their hearts until they gather as much information a they can about the men. You need to meet them, see them in action, what their friends are like, how they respond and react to different things. Falling in love online is quite dangerous because its an illusion. People put up pictures and they don’t even look like their pictures. Yet internet dating has its place. It provides a new vehicle to meet people, because if you’re just going to work, going to church, you’re circle becomes small.

WEW: I’ve always believed in He who finds a wife, do you think God approves of she who finds a husband?

MMH: I don’t think that a single woman should be looking for a husband. I think that a single woman should be looking for fulfilling her purpose and being who God called and designed her to be. In the midst of that, her feet like Ruth, in the book of Ruth, will land on a spot. It says that Ruth happened upon a field and was observed by Boaz. If you go looking for trouble, you’ve come to the right place the song says, you will find trouble. You can find someone who you think is your husband because you’ve decided, and it usually ends up being a deception. Whereas if you are doing the life that God called you to do, He will surprise you with Joy in and of its own time. If you’re out

circulating and doing things, someone can be watching you. You never know when so you’re cultivating your life, cultivating who you are, ,so that you have a field with fruit when this person comes. I always say to myself, “your life should be the party that everyone else wants to attend and if your life is about looking for someone else to create the party for you; you will never find the right person. Desperation always attracts distraction and deception nothing else.

WEW: Living in a cultural society where being married is more celebrated than being single, how do you handle the barrages of comments or questions re your single status?

MMH: I don’t really get a lot of comments anymore, maybe they think I am very happy, I actually am too happy. People do ask when will I get married. A while ago, before I moved to Ghana, I thought I was getting married, but it didn’t happen and I was fine with that because I haven’t waited all my life to end up with the wrong person. That being said, I got a letter one day from somebody saying if you’re not married what hope is there for me? I said, “What has my life got to do with yours?”

God has His reasons and His purpose, and I am okay with that because I know He knows best and I have been walking with God long enough to trust His Choices for my life.

WEW: Do you prefer living in Ghana and would you go back to America?

MMH: I don’t have a desire t move back to America, so I will continue right where I am until that grace lifts or shifts; I don’t see myself moving back, but to be perfectly honest I didn’t see myself moving here either, but God said to move and I was obedient and I moved and it’s the best thing I ever did, I love it, I am enjoying living here, I love my life here and I get to go back and forth. Which is the best of both worlds to me.

WEW: Are You Ghanaian?

MMH: I am. My father was Ghanaian, I was born in London, I’m a Chelsea girl and my mum is from Barbados, I am the full cultural mix, so I’m pretty comfortable everywhere. I’m in London a lot.

WEW: How can our network of women connect with you Michelle?

MMH: Instagram and Twitter @ MckinneyHamond; they can join my Fan Page on Facebook @MichelleMckInneyHammond and I have a Youtube Channel @ MichelleMcKinneyHammond they can subscribe to, my website is MichelleHammond. com and get on my mailing list for invitations.