PAJE Magazine - Vol4, Issue 2 - The Well Encounter

For the better part of 3 weeks, The PAJE Media team had the privilege of being an official partner of The Well Encounter which was staged on March 18, 2023. Reminisce on the experience with us as we take you on the journey with us.

Review&More

Carlene Davis

Rondell Positive

COVERAGE BY

Rhoda Isabella

COVERAGE BY

Kevin Downswell

Naomi Raine

Chandler Moore

COVERAGE BY

Welcome

Hey there PAJE Fam,

I'm hoping that 2023 has been treating you well thus far and that your faith in God has found more and more depth as your relationship with Christ unfolds!

For PAJE, 2023 started out with a bang! We introduced more ways to access our content, and we also expanded from PAJE Magazine into PAJE Media - a uniquely outfitted Christian Media House.

This issue, as you can imagine, is very special to us, as it witnesses our expansion in action (event coverage, podcast interviews, and more).

I want you to enjoy learning more about some of your favourite voices in the Kingdom, and also enjoy the rich encouragement that continues to flow from our Contributors.

I consider it a privilege to be able to bring this all to you and I give God thanks for the impact that PAJE continues to have on those who are a part of our community.

Cheers to what's ahead! Enjoy PAJE!

Charmian-Marie Beedle

(Founder, Designer & Editor-In-Chief)

SPECIAL THANKS

Kingdom Culture

Chandler Moore

Naomi Raine

Kevin Downswell

Rondell Positive

Rhoda Isabella

Carlene Davis

Crystal Daye (Esp Eston, Lloyolette & Tricia)

Darren Salmon

Dexter Johnson & the Jamaica Youth for Christ

Candicia Ashman

Toni-Ann Millen

Akeel Henry

Caribbean Christian Response

INSIDE PAJEMAGAZINE

MAIN FEATURES 54

LEARNMOREABOUTCHANDLERAND CHECKOUTHIGHLIGHTSFROMHISTIME OFMINISTRYATTHEWELLENCOUNTER!

JOINUSASWETAKEYOUONAMINIJOURNEYTOTHEWELLENCOUNTER!

LEARNMOREABOUTNAOMI,HEARWHATSHEHASTO SAYANDCHECK-OUTHIGHLIGHTSFROMHERTIMEOF MINISTRYATTHEWELLENCOUNTER!

KEVIN DOWNSWELL RONDELL POSITIVE RHODA ISABELLA CARLENE DAVIS

LEARNMOREABOUTKEVIN,HEAR WHATHEHASTOSAYAND CHECK-OUTHIGHLIGHTSFROM HISTIMEOFMINISTRYATTHEWELL ENCOUNTER!

LEARNMOREABOUTRONDELL,HEAR WHATHEHASTOSAYANDCHECKOUTHIGHLIGHTSFROMHISTIMEOF MINISTRYATTHEWELLENCOUNTER!

LEARNMOREABOUTRHODA ANDCHECK-OUTHIGHLIGHTS FROMHERTIMEOFMINISTRYAT THEWELLENCOUNTER!

LEARNMOREABOUTCARLENE, HEARWHATSHEHASTOSAY ANDCHECK-OUTHIGHLIGHTS FROMHERTIMEOFMINISTRY ATTHEWELLENCOUNTER!

NAOMI RAINE

CHANDLER MOORE

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TRUST GOD'S

I continue to be amazed at how accurate the Bible remains on current and trending issues so many thousand years later.

ple have leaned on their own ing of matters of relationships, and finance and how the biblical seen as outdated still ring true.

of the Lord is the beginning of nd the knowledge of the Holy One nding” - Proverbs 9:10 Only God lity to say “nonsense” that result in and unattainable results. Spitting oesn't make blind people see, a nch cannot feed five thousand ter doesn’t turn to wine because d it in a wine jar and dead children e back to life because someone said they should.

anytime a human relinquishes gence and follows these illogical s amazing things happen. Stories istory and told for generations.

We often forget we are not on the same level with God. His words carry life, therefore obedience is life-giving and disobedience is lifetaking (not limited to death but the quality of life). So when he asks us to tithe, keep the Sabbath, fast, submit to our husbands, love our wives and be prepared to give our lives.

We dont make enough money to tithe, we dont have enough time or get enough sleep to have devotions, we can’t release the money-making opportunity on the Lord’s day (they pay time and a half! Or even double) and we need our energy throughout the day so we can’t fast.

He in no way expects our full understanding of the implications and far-reaching effects on generations beyond us or the impact on the quality of our immediate lives. He does know that our obedience will accurately measure our trust.

These reasons expose that we have missed the point entirely and unfortunately we will pay the price in running money down for the rest of our lives, disconnected families and illness.

He has put in safe guards in his Word that help us and equip us to be in the world but not of the world. Tithing help us have a healthy relationship with money, fasting fosters a healthy relationship with food, Sabbath safeguards us from overwork and the pride of work and time set aside to regularly meet with the Lord aids us in time management.

We think that Sabbath-keeping, fasting and regular prayer time are signs of the mature Christian and God is therefore especially pleased with those persons while he understands that I am struggling along and “doing my best”.

The wisdom of the world and its own understanding is in conflict to these things and so many of us as Christians excuse ourselves from these principles using the very same reasons that people who don’t know Jesus would use to defend their sin.

God never asked you to do these things because you have the capacity by yourself to do it. God never asks us to do anything we are independently capable of doing. Instead he asks that we commune with him and trust him to give us all that he already desires to give. That our homes are not filled with exhausted and disconnected parents fighting to secure a future for their children as if they even have the power to guarantee their children anything.

He calls us to find sweet rest in him, to sleep well at night regardless of what is before us knowing we have daily laid it in his hands, hands so much more powerful than our own.

He calls us to release the desire of selfsufficiency, knowing that our jobs do not supply all our needs but deeply understand that we have a provider. This way we protect our self from the traps of this world.

The enemy has had great success in destroying people, children, marriages and various relationships by having people believe they must make sacrifices to achieve their goals.

Time away from children (especially young children) so that we miss the chance to raise a righteous generation because we must provide for them.

One thing I have observed many of us fall prey to is somehow believing that ensuring our child’s material wealth is more important than their salvation and our sacrifices show it.

We spend time away from spouses as we strategically work our way up the ladder and the ministry of marriage is neglected.

We become emotional eaters and food becomes a crutch a means by which we survive hard times, it becomes an idol. We save our tithe for the overwhelming expenses, yet we fail to see they only increase. If God has said something, doing the opposite never yields rewards, though Satan likes to sell that it can.These guardrails protect us from a fall, an inevitable fall when we ignore the Word of the Lord

In the midst of your piling bills, extended wait on a prayer, strained marriage, hurt or workaholic tendencies is God inviting you to cash in on his promises of peace, rest and contentment. We have the secret to life in our hands.

The Holy Spirit shared an obvious yet profound revelation with me. I made a sacrifice to the Lord, I gave up something that I valued but I expected to no feel the impact of the loss. I expected that God would have seen my willingness to let it go and swoop in and bless me so that I didnt experience the feeling of the loss. So where was the sacrifice? When we give God the things that matter to us, when we withdraw from the things that displease the Lord, our flesh will feel it. The discomfort is normal. The discomfort can come from how we feel people see us to physical discomfort, whatever it is the daily walk with Christ is a continuous killing of our flesh.

Our lives continue to get more and more demanding, mental health challenges taking its toll on so many individuals. There is a better way.

What is it so hard to harness the power of these Kingdom principles? The quick answer is our flesh, it naturally opposes anything holy.

To walk with God requires trust in the uncomfortable. To trust God when it appears foolish and/or may draw unwanted attention or change people’s impression of us. It is an invitation to submit our will and intelligence and is the best expression of saying “God I give you my life”.

Every act of submission to God we will feel, it will be uncomfortable. I recently cried out to God about a matter in which I felt that i had boldly made a sacrifice and he had offered the comfort of his provision as promised.

Many of us struggle with satisfaction, peace , joy and overall contententment in life, as Christians this is a red flag. Treat it like your “check engine” light, something needs repair or replacement. If ignored will overtime have devastating effects.

As Christians, our striving should be towards making Christ the echo of our lives instead of making our names a legacy. That when people meet or hear of us that they would be reminded or introduced to Jesus instead of being impressed with us. We make known our desires to God (because he cares) and entrust them to the Lord but we preoccupy our present with his intended purposes, knowing he will exalt us in his perfect time. We daily submit our feelings and challenges and we walk through sacrifice with the desire to honour the Lord.

We are willing to be uncomfortable for our belief. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness 2 Peter1:3

I don’t think I know anyone who feels that they have all they need. We will always feel there is something we need whether for the present moment or to secure us in the future. If we have God, he who has everything, then we do have all that we need because we trust his timing in releasing and withholding.

We tithe when we have little, we fast when we would do anything but fast, we pray when we feel God isnt listening or we have more pertinent tasks to address. We keep our priorities in check, not according to manmade deadlines and earthly circumstances. We declare in taking this stand of doing the inconvenient that we understand that we are powerless to give ourselves and people we love good things and so is any other human. We take a step of faith in knowing that God comes before every threatening storm and has the full capacity to uphold us in his righteous right hand as he told us. We recognize that we have a source that is not subject to the frailty of the economy.

We trust the supernatural benefits of obeying what seems to be requests only made to be hard and uncomfortable. We surrender the desire to be known to make Christ known and represent him well. We order our godly priorities to raise godly children, walk in purity, minister in our marriage and work at our jobs as worship unto God. We lay down our worldy wisdom for truth and life (even when we don’t understand it) not simply for our own benefit but for the generations beyond us. We recognize the frailty of the what the world holds dear and we save ourselves from the enemy’s trap to make us more like the world while we sit in church.

SPECIA FEATUR

Take a read fro Crystal Daye's end and we pray that impacted by what share as you are e live A Royal Reality

A ROYAL REALITY: WALKING INTO YOUR GODGIVEN IDENTITY

By Tricia Goulbourne

Royalty, as the Cambridge dictionary defines it, is ‘the people who belong to the family of a king and queen’. In Ephesians 1: 5, “God decided in advance to adopt us in His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” We aren’t merely Christians or followers of Christ; we are a part of a Kingdom. And that makes royalty. As we are blessed with life each day, us, as members of the Royal Family must show up on purpose.

Showing up in purpose starts by surrender. And this surrender is continuous – on a daily basis. It is only when we surrender to our King will we be able to complete the tasks He has assigned us. It is in the surrender when we gain clarity, strength, insight and all we need to fulfill our mission here on earth.

See, we have been ordained by God Himself. He took His time in uniquely crafting and molding us. He has designed us for His unique purpose to be fulfilled in the earth. This is the part where it requires our participation. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, in our likeness”. In verse 28, He further tells us to be fruitful and multiply. To fill the earth and subdue it. To “have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Being fruitful doesn’t only mean bearing children. We are called to bear fruit, that is, spiritual fruit. And we fill the earth with just that. The fruits of the Spirit.

That means we have authority.

These are love, peace, joy, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Whichever environment we find ourselves, we are to fill them with these fruits. That’s in the home, in the workplace, at the grocery store, at the park, wherever. We are called to be light and to reflect and represent our King and the Kingdom.

So then, we ought to walk in and exercise this authority we are mandated. Tony Evans, in his book ‘Kingdom Woman’ says that “While God retains absolute sovereign authority and ownership, He has delegated relative authority to humankind within the sphere of influence, or dominion, that each person has.”

Now look back closely at what He says in Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth”.

In John 15:16, Jesus says that He chose us that in Him we will bear much fruit. Fruit that will last. So no matter our profession, race or rank in society, we must intentionally do all that is required to give glory to God. In the workplace, show up to work toiling for the glory of God. In the classroom, learn all you can to the glory of God and to the abilities He has given you.

In the home, love and honour your family practically. This advances the Kingdom here on earth. As it is produced, so it permeates. This is multiplication.

This is legacy. And being a part of any kingdom, there is always a legacy.

This isn’t always easy. But that is where trust comes in. We serve an omniscient, omnipresent King in which we must remind ourselves of in times of adversity. This is the time we really take up the whole armor of God, standing on His promises and speaking His word by faith.

As we know, life doesn’t always go as planned. As Kingdom members, we should not dread trials. The Bible does not hold back in telling us that we will have tribulations. Note, it doesn’t leave us there. Jesus encourages us to take heart because He has overcome the world.

All these are lovely in and of itself but there’s one thing we should never forget. We aren’t meant to do it alone.

We need community.

Additionally, Romans 8:37 tells us that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us. So when those troubles come, and they will, we remember there is a King in whom we hope and whose Word and promises we possess.

It is written in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 that “two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” We are a body, part of a Kingdom and so we are stronger together as we are diversly gifted with gifts that produces growth as we operate in the function which we are called.

View challenges as already overcome as we know we serve a King who fights for us, listens to our petitions and causes all things to work together for our good. Let me be honest.

We sharpen one another as we come together in community (Prov 27:17).

Powerful things happen when we come together in one accord, as in the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), when a sound from Heaven like a mighty rushing wind filled the house as they came together in unity.

In living our royal reality, we must be secure in our God-given identity. It is only when we walk in close communion with our Creator do we find our true identity. It is there we know that we are loved, we are chosen and that we are enough. It is there our minds and hearts are renewed and transformed.

It is there our characters are being built. And in the moments when we fall short, we repent and rest assured knowing that His grace is sufficient for us and our sins are forgiven.

The Kingdom offers many treasures which must be valued and constantly sought after. It is when we submit and remain under the mighty hand of our King that we truly live our royal reality.

FROM FEELING BROKEN TO LIVING ON PURPOSE:

5 TIPS TO TAKE YOUR MESS AND TURN IT INTO PURPOSE

By Eston Swaby Confidence & Money Mindset Coach

Someone told me once that broken things can be blessed things too and that there is purpose in your mess.

At that time I could not see how my messed up story could be valuable and life changing, I could not see how it all leads to purpose.

All I could was feeling rejected by friends, church family and females, all I could think about was the emotional, verbal and sexual abuse, all I could think about was the relationships that went wrong and childhood wounds.

When all you can see when you look in the mirror are all the mistakes you have, failures, and broken pieces in your life, it's hard to see how all the pieces can come together to create something beautiful and impactful.

After walking through my own valley of deaths and helping so many people as a life coach to overcome their own pains, reclaim their self-worth and have confidence to pursue their purpose, here are 5 tips on how you can do the same:

1. Stop Seeing Yourself As Broken

and Messed Up. Know that you are not broken, you are being position for purpose. You are not broken, what’s happening is that God is positioning you for a much greater purpose. Believe me, I know its easy to look at your story and feel as if something is wrong with you, you are too broken, or ask God ‘Why me?” You wish your life was different, I get it. But the reason why you have your story is because God have chosen you to run this race and he wants to create something beautiful out of your pain.

What is happening now is that you are gaining the experience, the character, the knowledge that you will need to walk in the purpose God has called you for. It was going through rejections, abused, failures, and struggling with body image and low self-esteem for most of my life that position me to be a life coach and author today.

2. Give yourself the gift of Self-Love. The most important relationship we will ever have is the one with ourselves. And it is the one that can easily be damaged and overlooked especially when we go through adversity.

I know that sometimes when you look in the mirror, what you see is someone that is broken, not good enough and unworthy, but that is not who you are.

Stop criticizing yourself. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes and so when you make mistakes or do or say something you shouldn’t have, be kind to yourself. Your just human after all Start praising or speaking kindly to yourself. Praise builds you up, criticism tears you down and you have already been a lot in your life for you to be against you.

Take care of yourself and practice self-care. You are number, start making you your number one priority.

What would happen if you start appreciating yourself more, if you start being kind to yourself when you make mistakes or fail instead of beating yourself up all the time?

Focus on being the best you can be. That could look like not dimming or making yourself looks small so as not to offend others, or pretending to be someone you are not.

Here’s what to do to start loving yourself:

Go in front of the mirror naked and start loving every part of you, even the parts of you that you don’t really like, for example your nose or your feet. Tell each part of you something nice as if you were speaking to someone you love

There will always be things about yourself that you will want to change about yourself, but that’s part of the growth work we all get to do. Your job is to love yourself through the process.

3. Finding the Gold in Your Story

Start looking for the gold, or the lessons in your story by asking yourself, “what are the lessons in my story?” and “how can I use this to add value to my own life and that of others?” When that happens you stop being a victim of your story.

It was asking these two questions that led to my first book, An Empowered Life: A Daily Dose of Inspirational Messages for SelfDevelopment and Transformation and being a life coach. Find the lessons and ask God how you can use your story to impact others.

4. Believe That You Are Worthy and Good Enough

Right now there is something you could be doing with your life but you are not because you believe that your story, your life experiences, have somehow disqualified you. You don’t see yourself as good enough or even worthy of the assignment God has called you to do.

I totally get it because I have been there. I could have been speaking long before I started but my inner critic talked me out of it. I never saw myself as worthy and good enough. I thought “who would ever want to listen to me or hire me to coach them?

5. Start taking action and surrounding yourself with people who can help you to soar

Two of the key things I did was I started taking actions even before I started believing that I had anything of value to share, and by doing that I started surrounding myself with people that were further along than I was. As I started doing that, I started to raise my own belief about myself and my standard.

Who would ever want to read my book? They must be crazy.” When I finally had the courage, and borrowed a friend’s belief about me, I went from being sacred and insecure to feeling confident and helping so many people to transform their lives.

You don’t need to know all the steps to take, start taking the first step you can think of and then keep taking the next best step. When you fail, learn from the failure, refine the steps and keep going. As you do, you will start surrounding yourself with people who can help. That could be hiring a coach or getting in a community of likeminded people who are on the same path you are on.

Your inner critic is not the only story you can subscribe, there is another story. What I have discovered is that you are perfect for your assignment, even in your imperfections. Even in your mess up condition, God has called you and he has qualified you for purpose.

The road to go from feeing broken, feeling like a mess, to living on purpose will not always be an easy one, but it will be well worth it. It starts with knowing that you are not broken, that there is nothing wrong with you to finding the lessons and then using the lessons you have learned to create something powerful. As you do, you become unstoppable.

A ROYAL REALITY: PURPOSE, GOD'S WAY

By Lloylette Stewart- Russell, Self-Esteem Coach & Speaker

We were all created by God for a purpose. It’s not easy waking up every morning seeing others around you living meaningful lives or involve in something they are passionate about, this can become very frustrating to you.

not going to be all ups every day but knowing that God has a purpose for you will help drive you to through the down days.

God always have something in store for you and it is always something good. His intention is not for you to live in pain and regrets, it is

Let’s be real, even though you may not see or know your purpose, deep down you believe God has fashioned you uniquely. You just have to call on him and ask him to take you out of the darkness into the light so that your purpose can be fulfilled.

In life our purpose is the meaning of existence and not knowing this cause us to suffer.

We fall prey to the idea that our lives doesn’t matter and that we have no impact on this earth, but once we stay reading the word of God we will get the understanding that we matter and have purpose in more ways than one. At some point in your life you would have made plans for things you want to achieve in life but somehow they didn’t come through and now you are questioning what your purpose is.

Maybe he wants you to struggle a bit to get all those things or maybe he will allow you to achieve some of the things you desire but either way your purpose will be reveal through it all.

To you it may seem uncertain now because you are not where you want to be, but I implore you to appreciate it because every season serves a purpose.

In Proverbs 19v 21 it says “many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that will prevail, so no matter how much plans you have and they fail and think that you don’t have purpose God knows it all.

God wants to provide you with eternal happiness even through unpleasant situation, but you might not get it. You see the thing is, here on earth the experiences that you have faced in life comes with many lessons that will help you to better understand the purpose for your experiences.

Let’s say you have plans to graduate from college, get a job, get a house, car, married and then have children but it didn’t worked out that way. Now here is the thing, God wants you to achieve all those things but just in a different way.

It can be hard to accept that your plans have failed but the truth is God loves you infinitely he wants you to be happy and grow to learn that sometimes your purpose is to go through experiences that are painful in order to help others overcome what you have gone through.

Your experiences will help to bring joy, peace and help others to build resilience, so it is safe to say that your purpose was carefully designed as painful or harsh as it was for you to see and understand your purpose. God’s purpose gives direction and his purpose gives meaning to your roles and that become the way you fulfill your purpose.

Sometimes we are hooked on the wrong things. We sit around wish that we had different roles or the functions within the roles were different. Instead let us whatever roles we have now to live out God’s purpose for us right now. When we are connected to the source we will be better able to live in and understand our purpose because he has a ROYAL REALITY for us.

Here are some tips to learning God’s purpose for you:

1.Ask him – Don’t make demands about what you want from him, just ask him to reveal his purpose for you and that way you will build a relationship with him. It doesn’t mean you will get answers right away. It sometimes take a lot of waiting and asking his timing is different.

His kind laws have benefits for us. They are not meant to keep us away from happiness but rather to increase it. Do what God says and don’t justify or make excuses just do what he says. This is how you will understand the why.

4.Surrender Wholeheartedly – God knows what we need, and he wants to save us from ourselves, from dangers of society and from bad influences.

2.Listen to God – God as a lot to say to us and it is always important to the point where it will make a difference in our lives. We are going to search his words ever so often to find out want he wants to say. The more we read and ask for understanding then we know just what he is saying regarding our purpose in that small still voice of his. Good and bad things happen in our lives because of the choices we make and he will ultimately use them to work out his purpose in our lives.

When we obey him it leads to blessings and when we disobey him it leads to heartache and danger. When we give in to God it means that we trust fully in him no matter how difficult things maybe and what he ask of us is always for our best interest.

Living for God means we make a choose to commit to him, knowing his will for us and following it.

3. Be obedient to God – This means that we recognize that God has control over our lives and expect things of us and requires us to follow him.

If we make our life about growing in grace, knowledge and his word and serving others rather than ourselves then we will be living his divine purpose every day. Stay connected to the source that reveals your purpose.

HEART MATTERS

I am OFFENDED! I am OFFENDED!

3 proven ways to deal with offense in life

Let’s face it if you are a human being, chances are, you’ve been offended multiple times, whether you are born-again, water-baptized, speaking-in-tongues believer or not.

The offense is not partial to those ‘of the world’, it is something that affects the hearts and lives of many.

But as a born-again believers, we must recognize that though this is somewhat humane, it isn’t a matter to take lightly as it is right up there with other sins such as backbiting, malice, etc. In fact, there are over 91 verses in the bible that in some way point to offense.

What is the offense? This is ‘annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself’ (Oxford Dictionary). So, if you are offended you harbor resentment.

COLUMN WITH CANDICIAASHMAN

This resentment is brought about solely by someone’s perception that is challenged in some way. People can literally be offended by anything based on their perception of that thing. That is why offense is so common and the cause of many heart issues.

The offense has broken up countless friendships, and relationships, caused many to lose opportunities and rise up in anger, bitterness, and maliciousness, sometimes over minute things that may not matter once the smoke clears.

These are some effects of Offense: Opens a door to the Devil:

Believe it or not, fornication is not the only sin that opens a door to the devil. Offense and other heart-related sins are subtle doorways for enemy entry, manipulation, and destruction of your life.

Offense can cause serious ramifications not only for your spiritual life but your physical and mental well-being. This is a matter of the heart that the enemy has used countless times to destroy believers and nonbelievers alike. But before you know how to overcome it, you must learn the extremity of it.

Saul was offended by the chants that the women made in the book of 1 Samuel. Because of this, an evil spirit entered Saul and his offense morphed into anger that transitioned into attempted murder.

Saul’s life was destroyed and David had nothing to do with it personally.

This is the effect of offense on the life of someone.

It can destroy your life at your own hand and oftentimes, the alleged perpetrators had nothing to do with it.

It was the scenario or violation based on YOUR perspective, not necessarily reality. One match can burn a building down.

Affects you physically:

How did this matter of the heart that has to do with your emotions affect your physical health? Is it possible? -YES.

Offense can cause stress and anxiety, which weighs down on your physical body and can cause hernias, goiter, high blood pressure, and other physical ailments, not to mention the mental effects such as anxiety, depression, etc.

Holding on to offense can cause your life to go on a downward spiral, really quick and the enemy knows this.

Affects your relationally:

Obviously if you allow the offense to consume you, it will affect your relationships.

1.He doesn’t see the act of kindness; he only remembers his hurt. Those who struggle with offense also struggle with bitterness and this can lead to unforgiveness. Have you ever tasted something bitter? Not appealing right? Imagine this taste in human behavior-still not appealing. Offense can cause others not to want to be around you because it’s a negative destructive environment.

Now that we see the ramifications, what are some ways that we can tackle this matter of offense? I tell you, it’s not easy. It is almost impossible not to offend someone or be offended. The point is to not allow the offense to fester and become something the enemy can manipulate and use against you and others.

Being offended can cause you to bleed on others, lash out on those closest to you and become suspicious of others’ motives and intentions, no matter how pure it may be. It is like having a wounded dog and trying to feed him.

Be Slow to Anger

In order to keep your heart in a place where God will be pleased, you must learn to be slow to anger. When we say anger here it’s mainly, not being reactive.

It’s easy to hear something you don’t like and open your mouth at the moment or use your fist etc. because it touches a part of you that you didn’t like, but you can condition your heart and mind, not be a slave to the flesh and what it wants.

If the person is one who is mature enough to hear it, express your feelings, ‘Hey, that comment really offended me, it’s not sitting well with me’ or ‘Hey, can I get more clarity on that comment, not sure I understood it fully’ are ways we can avoid conflict and salvage relationships. If it is a case of confrontation, then you know nothing can be salvaged there so you can walk away.

Separate

You have to be able to apply wisdom at the moment and choose a peaceful path. This isn’t something you learn overnight but through continual conditioning.

When something is said that offends you, take a deep breath, think of a response that is suitable and peaceful, ask questions for clarity of what was said if you can, and start a conversation if possible. Sometimes offense comes from a place of poor communication. What is said might not be what is meant and sadly so far, human beings can’t read each other’s thoughts so all we have is communication.

For those dealing with someone who may be offended by something you said and you had no intention of doing so. Don’t let the offense be contagious. Sometimes people are offended that people are offended and so the cycle continues.

If this is your situation, learn to separate the reality from the situation, meaning, don’t take it personally. Sometimes these things have nothing to do with you but rather the trauma, hurt, and season of the other person and the only thing you can control is YOUR actions. Open a line of communication if it is safe (if they are not in a space to listen then wait), and clear the air. Always try to defuse a situation, not escalate it, fire against fire only burns the world down.

Pray

Prayer brings about peace of mind. It is a good thing to do when you are battling offense. Meditate and ask God for some help in dealing with this situation. Sometimes we can’t speak the offense aloud or confide in anyone about it, especially if it’s fresh and severe and the best thing to do is to take it to God in prayer.

Pray for peace of mind, pray for wisdom in how to deal with the situation, pray to close any doors that might have been opened to the enemy.

Please know though that it’s also ok to get help if it bares a burden on your mental health, seek a professional and get to the root of it.

CANDICIA ASHMAN, Columnist

A lot of offenses are caused by past traumas and people don’t understand the outbursts because they don’t know the story. If it is something that is beyond a simple counseling session, seek out others that are trained to help you heal.

The Heart Matters.

The Desire for The Desire for IINTIMACY NTIMACY

The Story of Chad Browne

The oak tree is one of Earth’s great natural phenomena. It is fascinating to think that such a grandeur and durable tree was once a three (3) inch long acorn.

Its colossal stature rivals that of some of the world’s great monuments. Its branches envelope meters of terra firma, providing shade to passersby. Its beefy bark provides an impregnable habitat for its occupants.

These are all supported by an inordinate root system, which spreads far and wide to provide anchorage, and find the nearest water source for its nourishment.

Desperately moving in search of water. So that it may find nourishment to sustain further growth and development.

I can imagine the roots burrowing through the earth’s crust. Breaking and shifting every rock which impedes its path.

In the same way, I believe people’s hearts yearn for and go in search of intimacy. We desire to be seen, understood, remembered and accepted. So that we can flourish, just like the oak tree. Many of us spread far and wide, and go great depths, in search of sources, in order to satisfy this yearning. Yet, only One, truly satisfies. In this edition of Living ‘N’ Telling, I share with you the story of a young man who greatly desired intimacy.

CHAD BROWNE

Who struggled to experience the love of those around him. But, is currently in love with Jesus, and desires to make his love be known to men. He is a close friend of mine, and I hope you find encouragement in his story.

Chad Browne was born on October 29th 1992, in Boston, Massachusetts. Though he was borned in Boston, he was raised in Barbados. He didn’t spend much time in Massachusetts as his mother moved back to Barbadoes within a year of his birth.

Chad was a very quiet young man who was quite troublesome during his childhood years. He would often play fights with his friends, imitating what they see in the popular anime tv show; “ Dragon Ball Z”.

As well as beatboxing in front of his friends, as he was gifted in beatboxing. It was a selftaught skill that he developed over time through watching youtube videos.Chad accepted Christ at age five ( 5). However, he admitted that he became more serious about his faith at age 16.

Between that time, Chad had challenges accepting the responsibilities which came with growing up. He also experienced difficulty finding his identity in Christ.

Chad admitted that his fear of disappointing others, especially his loved ones, contributed to his unwillingness to embrace the responsibilities expected of him. After hearing so many times that “he can’t do this” or “he can’t do that”, Chad, at that age, concluded “why bother trying?”.

He believed it was more prudent to abstain from responsibilities, than to embrace them, then being later scolded for not doing it right. He was constantly mindful that if he embraced responsibilities entrusted to him, that he would somehow “Make a mess of things”.

His fear of failure made him reluctant to say yes whenever anyone would ask him to do something.

This fear persisted even when he became serious about his faith in Christ. However, with growing knowledge of God’s will, Chad grew to embrace the responsibilities given to him.

Chad also had issues finding his identity in Christ. He admitted that his identity was found in trying to please his friends. This led him down a wrong path.

In Secondary (High) school, Chad was known as the “School pervert”. Whenever he was around his friends, he would make sexual comments about the females at his school. Which his peers found hilarious. He enjoyed making his friends laugh. However, he didn't like what he was doing.

He sensed that what he was doing was wrong, but it was the only way he got some recognition from his peers.

He only did those things because he desired companionship. He admitted that throughout his youth, most times he was alone. Therefore, he was willing to compromise in this regard just so that he could be accepted by his peers.

However, when he became serious about his faith in Christ, Chad realized that he needed to separate from his friends.

As pleasing them was leading towards sexual perversion. Which he understood to be morally impure.

Chad's increased knowledge of scriptures guided him through his adolescent years. In 2012, he began his tertiary studies at the University of the West Indies, Cavehill. Where he studied Computer Science.

Within his first year at University, Chad was invited to be a part of Campus Crusade for Christ, the student-led movement of CruBarbados. Being a part of this movement helped Chad to grow in his identity in Christ, and challenged him to accept the responsibilities that came with that growth.

He was an active member of the movement on the Cave Hill campus. He would regularly meet up with members of the movement for fellowship and bible studies.

This helped him to grow in his interactions with other people. As his involvement with the movement grew, he was given the responsibility of coordinating prayer meetings and evangelism on the campus. Chad was reluctant at first; but, he eventually accepted the responsibilities and enjoyed doing it. This testified to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in his life, since he was previously reluctant to accept responsibilities.

Jesus, in Acts chapter 1 verse 8, assured the disciples that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit to be his witness throughout the Earth. It is by this same Spirit that we are empowered also, to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ today. This was becoming evident in Chad’s life.

At university, he would often communicate his life’s journey with others through poetry.

Chad admitted that it was the Holy Spirit who taught him to write poems.

He would often use poetry to share the gospels with unbelievers. He would also use his poetry to promote sexual purity as a better way of life.

He continues to do this by uploading his poems to his blog “ AgapeWriters” on Poetizer.com. Despite being used by God in the ways stated above. Chad wrestled with comparing himself to his peers. As he was mindful that they were further ahead of him in certain aspects of their faith.

However, one day a close friend advised him never to compare himself with others. She reminded him that each person is at different stages in their faith in Christ.

Chad cherished this advice, admitting that these words helped him to be less willing to compare himself with others.

God’s work in us is unique and will always lead to goodness. This truth should be celebrated every day.

We may be at different stages in our faith in Christ, but we are always being transformed into his image (2nd Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18).

Chad encourages all believers to believe this. To keep our eyes on Jesus, who perfects our faith (Hebrews chapter 12 verse 2). Therefore, we continue to press forward in Christ. Knowing that He will complete the work He has started in us (Philippians chapter 1 verse 6).

Bearing this in mind, Chad looks forward to meeting Jesus in Heaven.

He also hopes to see his friends and family there as well. As a result, Chad remains steadfast in his faith.

The young man who desired to be accepted and understood, now finds rest in the finished work of Christ.

His search for love, led him to the One who loves him the most.

Chad’s story isn’t complete, but as he presses forward in Christ, I pray that his mind continues to be renewed, his heart remains steadfast, and his eyes remain amazed by the grace of God.

The Worst Relationship Advice EVER

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

LOVE - This 4-letter word is hands down the most powerful word in the English language. Its reach is as vast as the ocean.

Its definition changes from person to person like the skin of a chameleon. Whether it is received or not determines your outlook on life’s horizon. It is the most important aspect of our world’s most impactful religions. Yet, a true understanding of love is quite elusive. Because we are all left to ourselves to define it for ourselves.

IS LOVE...

THIS

We try to make sense of it by combining all the deep, correct sounding and complex definitions that we hear throughout our lifetime. But is love complex? Or is it simple? Probably what complicates it are the additional things we add to it as if we are trying to build a mega Zord. Or trying to ensure we are on the same page as everyone else.

Love at its core is selflessness. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13. The selfless nature of love, is totally counter intuitive to the human nature.

This is why Christianity is built on the selflessness of God toward his children and His children toward one another. There are no different types of love. The love you show your sister is the same love you show your mother. The love you show your co-worker is the same love you show your spouse. The only difference is the mode of expression.

Now, I know this sounds crazy to you, because possibly, if not entirely, your definition of love has an emotional basis. But may I propose that the emotions that we attach to the acts of love are an effect and not a cause? Every action that we do for the benefit of other people whether intentionally or not is an act of love.

Unless we pay keen attention to the actions and the effects they are having on our emotions and the emotions of others. We will be quick to draw the conclusion that the emotion which is more apparent came first. But really it was the subtle action.

Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 defines love for us. He said “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…”.

This right here my dear reader is the blueprint. I recommend you follow it as you seek to develop your ability to love unconditionally. Every unloving action or thought you have ever done, can be traced back to a digression of at least 1 of the descriptions Paul gave in this scripture.

Interestingly not one of the statements made by Paul mentioned warm fuzzy feelings. Love is either the presence of a positive action or the absence of a negative one.

The feelings of endearment we call love usually flow from loving actions.

Positively impactful actions inspire endearing emotions. In the same way negatively impactful actions, may evoke dark emotions and we call that hate.

Unconditional Love

I have heard people say they don’t like someone even though they have never interacted with them.

In my previous article I mentioned this as one of the foundational ingredients of a healthy relationship. I came to this understanding after analysing the failure of my most previous relationship, which had the potential to become beautiful we just could not get on the same page with regards to love and respect.

It’s most likely because that person did something that was subtly offensive, like neglecting to say good morning upon entering a room of people.

That subtle action has now won the person an enemy or two. Love is an action not a feeling and so is hate.

Unconditional love is the love God has for us and the love a mother has for her child. Now, if what I said about love above is true.

Then, unconditional love is the love we ought to have for each other especially in a marital relationship. However, to consistently love a person unconditionally seems to most of us to be impossible.

So, while you most likely wouldn’t have sex with your sister. Giving your sister a gift is just as loving as having sex with your spouse. Helping your classmate with an assignment is just as loving as baking your son a cake.

Love is the selfless action of giving for the other persons benefit. It is not measured by the intensity of our emotions, but rather, how big or painful our sacrifice.

Because at our core we are selfish and prideful. Those 2 traits are at the very basis of sin. We are sinful beings according to the teachings of the Bible. Added to that, is the fact that we cannot read minds. So, we cannot tell what another person’s true intentions toward us are.

This life has trained most of us to live on the defensive and avoid pain as much as possible. So, to love someone unconditionally seems insane. It’s clearly a set up.

It positions us to experience unimaginable emotional pain and betrayal. Most people who don’t appreciate the purpose of unconditional love will say it is naïve and sets one up to be a doormat to be walked all over.

This is absolutely true! Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that both people in a relationship be on the same page regarding unconditional love. Both giving and receiving simultaneously.

This is how it would be from the jump in a perfect world filled with perfect people but unfortunately that isn’t our reality.

Unless both people started the relationship with this understanding. They are more than likely going to have to figure it out.

The process may take years of undoing their previous notions of love. However, when the transactional love makes the relationship feel more like work than like peace. Maybe then the two may just choose to end the relationship or drop the expectations, ultimatums, trades and tit for tatting and finally chose to love ‘in spite of…’ instead of ‘because of…’

It will be painful and will take intentionality and practice. But when unconditional love becomes like second nature to both in a relationship it produces a safety like no other. Unconditional love is not devoid of negative emotions. It’s despite negative emotions.

Unconditional love is not devoid of conflict, it is despite conflict. Unconditional love is not devoid of betrayal, it is despite betrayal.

Its “I love you still because I know you are better than that and I know your moment of weakness doesn’t define the entirety of who you are. I refuse to give you over to darkness even though you have hurt me deeply. I will still love you.”

In a relationship where you love someone unconditionally you may need to make a statement like that at some point. Or even hear a statement like that.

If you cannot fathom forgiving even the most egregious of offences, then you cannot love unconditionally.

If you cannot love unconditionally, you best find a perfect person to be with, and you best be a perfect person as well. One who will never need forgiveness.

By right we should be able to have high expectations, but unfortunately the Holy Spirit doesn’t strip us of all humanness. We are still very fallible so long as we exist in this flesh here on earth. Not one of us is above falling to the depths of sin. If you think yourself holier than thou beware lest you fall.

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” John 13:14

Perfectly Imperfect

For those of you who know me since college days. You know I’m a poet. One of my favourite poems that I have written is ‘Perfectly Imperfect’. It’s a poem about how our imperfectness as humans is designed to keep us reliant on the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that confers holiness onto us. Without Him, our flesh will inadvertently rule our behaviour.

So, while I understand why we expect perfection from our Christian loved ones. Just know, that expectation is unreasonable and those of us who have high expectations of people on the basis that they are Christians are setting ourselves up for disappointment.

For pride often comes before a fall and pride in and of itself is sin. There is no perfection outside of constant contact with the Holy Spirit and EVEN THEN, we may still offend. Because a positive action with positive intentions can be received and interpreted in a negative way and STILL cause offence.

Accepting that your partner is imperfect puts you in a better place mentally to love them unconditionally. Accepting that you are not perfect and will need grace puts you in a better place mentally to extend grace upon even the most egregious offences.

Therefore, unconditional love is foundational to a healthy, happy long-lasting relationship. It is hurt and accumulated offences that chip away at the strength of a relationship. The faster we get over an offense is the better a chance our relationship stands for survival.

Learn To Dance

Every one of us have wounds, scars, hang ups and triggers. A person coming into relationship with us, that did not grow with us, most likely has no clue what will have a profound positive or negative impact on us. When you enter a new relationship, it is like stepping on to a dance floor.

You know bachata and your partner knows waltz. Without coming to an agreement of which dance rules you are going to move by you are bound to step on each other’s toes. Without grace and patience one or both of you will leave the dance floor fuming that your partner doesn’t know how to dance.

Be ok with having to teach your partner your dance moves. I know it’s more romantic when they just know. But God put you with this person to teach you grace and patience. God would rather you implement His principles to develop a beautiful relationship, than just give you one gift wrapped. God’s main prerogative is to make us holy, not happy. Happiness is your responsibility. The more you grasp this truth the happier you will be and the better you will be for your relationship. As for God he is most interested in your holiness.

So, he is very likely to give you a partner you will need to love unconditionally in order to stay long term. However, unconditional love needs to go both ways. If not the possibility of one partner abusing the other is very high. Abuse comes in different shapes and sizes, that’s a whole nother article. But I speak from experience. Even the sweetest of people can become manipulative in a relationship just because they know they can get away with it.

This is THE WORST RELATIONSHIP ADVICE

EVER. You definitely should not take what I say to heart, unless it makes sense to you in some weird way. Blessings to you and your family.

Darren O. Salmon

Closing Remarks

Thank you for reading my article I hope it blessed you, challenged you, caused you to consider your personal definition and understanding of love. Love is painful and it’s scary because we have no control over whether the sacrifice will be reciprocated.

But when two people with the same intention put in the work on themselves to get to that common understanding and expression of unconditional love toward each other. They would have formed a bond that can only be broken by death. In my next article I’ll be going deeper into unconditional love.

CARIBBEAN CHURCH

CARING FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CARIBBEAN CHURCH

God’s Unchanging view of our children

If we don’t have our children, then who are we doing this for?

The Caribbean faces an urgent crisis. According to the World Bank data, in 2020, the estimated population of the Caribbean was around 44 million people, with approximately a quarter being children. in countries like Haiti, the percentage is up to a third of the population.

We must view our children as gifts, not burdens, and create structures that support their wellbeing.

Yet many children do not experience the love and care needed. Our view towards our children should reflect God’s view. Beyond developing policies and redirecting resources that support our families and communities, we must also prioritize the unique needs of our youths in vulnerable situations.

We must make sure our young people have access to quality education, health services and have safe environments to live and grow. Again, I ask, if we don’t have our children, then who are we doing this for?

Being intentional in parenting

Who are we going off to work, building homes and wealth for? As we say in Jamaica, what if the whole a we, gone? Or worse if we have to live in the future we create by how we treat our children? Our children will be the ones to continue the next leg of the race of life. As a young mother, I was challenged by God to start calling my children a reward. Therefore, how do you treat a reward?

What is your attitude towards your children? Do they feel love and appreciation from you?

Parenting is an ongoing journey that is filled with challenges, joys, and successes. The journey begins when a child is born, and it continues until the child is an adult. As parents, we have the opportunity to nurture, guide and love our children. Likewise, every child is different and each has his or her own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Therefore, we must be intentional in how we parent. Being an intentional parent involves; setting goals and boundaries for your children, having clear expectations of them, and, following through with consequences when limits are crossed. It also means focusing on positive reinforcement and communication, being proactive rather than reactive, and understanding the journey we make with our children is worthwhile.

Without our children, God’s vision for our future, the future of our communities, of our church and our nations is at great risk. Are we willing to take the steps necessary to secure the future that God has given for us and for our children, and their children?

Taking a proactive approach to parenting, means anticipating and responding to potential problems before they arise. It means not shying away from difficult conversations and having open communication with our children. It also means providing structure and guidance, and communicating importance of discipline.

Being reactive, on the other hand, is responding only after a problem has already occurred. This approach can quickly become overwhelming and can lead to more issues down the line. Reactive parenting can result in a lack of consistency, ineffective discipline methods, and boundaries that are not enforced.

As the journey continues, we can often find ourselves in unfamiliar and trying situations. In these moments, it is important to remember that parenting is an ongoing process and we need to be present and engaged in your children’s lives. providing support and guidance as they grow. Helping them to develop the values and behaviors that will help them become successful adults.

It also involves creating a home environment that promotes healthy growth and development. By facilitating open communication, and creating a safe and secure space for exploration and play. With appropriate structure and discipline.

Being intentional in educating all our children

In addition to creating a home atmosphere that is encouraging and supportive, our children need to provided with equitable education in their respective school environment.

Treat all students fairly and with respect and provide the resources and guidance to schools to address educational inequities, increasing access to and availability of resources.

We can then begin to come up with solutions that can address these issues. This can be done by actively listening to them, showing interest in their lives and accomplishments, and being open and encouraging about their ideas. Create an atmosphere in which mistakes are seen as opportunities for learning. Finally, be sure to focus on the progress each student makes, providing feedback that is reinforcing and uplifting.

We need to advocate for educational policies that promote equity, and examining and addressing any implicit bias that may exist in education.

Parents, Teachers and community need to encourage students to express their feelings and perspectives on issues. Provide opportunities for meaningful discussion and dialogue.

Once we know the issues that can contribute to educational inequities, such as disparities in access to resources, opportunities, and cultural competence and creating a safe and welcoming environment in the classroom through building positive relationships and fostering respect for each student.

Allow time for students to respond and discuss topics. Encourage active listening and emphasize the importance of respecting different perspectives.

Use positive reinforcement practices to encourage and motivate students for their hard work and contribution.

Intentional in Discipling our children

Furthermore, we must also prioritize creating an environment in which our youth feel they can; safely express feelings, ask questions, and receive guidance.

A Godly environment should be one of discovery and acceptance, where our children can grow in their understanding of the Bible and be guided towards wise decision-making.

We should also take examples from David and Timothy, with their examples of faithfulness, justice and perseverance.

Providing meaningful accountability and prayerful guidance for our children.

Timothy was trained by his grandmother and mother in the ways of the Lord. He was then picked up by Paul, who encouraged him in his faith and example. Specifically, Paul gave Timothy instructions to remain strong in the faith, be an example to others, and remain faithful to the Lord’s commands.

David's example served as a model of faithfulness and obedience to God. Teaching Solomon the importance of relying on God's guidance, wisdom, and justice. David taught Solomon to use wisdom and diligence in his decision-making, and to be patient and humble when faced with difficult situations. Finally, David exhorted Solomon to always serve God and be devoted to his religious duties.

He also instructed Timothy to patiently endure hardships and reject any false teachings. Paul reminded Timothy of his godly heritage and urged him to be an example of youthful perseverance. Our children need our investment of prayer, service, nurturing, and mentorship. Leading them in paths to help shape their worldviews and giving them a solid foundation to become all God wants them to be.

Investing in God’s Future by embracing our children

We must balance our responsibility to protect our children from harm. Encourage them to pursue their dreams. Teach them about God’s love.

When we create a safe and uplifting space for our children, where they can make mistakes and learn from the consequences, we are modeling grace and Christian love. The most effective way to model grace and Christian love is to lead by example in front of our children. So that they see the concept of grace and Christian love in action.

We need our children to realize God’s future by embracing who they are and who He has called them to be.

Every youth in the Caribbean needs the opportunity to fulfill their potential, while addressing the unique needs they face.

We must prioritize God's vision and values; investing in our children who are the future of our communities and nations.

Marsha McDonald

Caribbean

Christian Response, President

It is our responsibility to pass on the faith to the next generation, granting God's vision for the church and the advancement of His Kingdom to be fulfilled.

Caribbean Christian Response (CCR) is a movement that seeks to bring a God-centered perspective to global events, aiming to ignite a sense of purpose in Christian young people and emerging leaders of the Caribbean and its diaspora. Through media, meetings, and ministry programs, CCR aims to gather, unite and deploy these individuals as a force to contend for the Kingdom of God in the end times.

For the better part of 3 weeks, The PAJE Media team had the privilege of being an official partner of The Well Encounter which was staged on March 18, 2023. Reminisce on the experience with us as we take you on the journey with us.

"Meet us at the well” has been the call sign of the impending Christian Worship event, The Well Encounter, as it stands on its vision of promoting oneness, inclusivity, and transformation like what was experienced by the woman at the well as written in the Bible.

When asked about her vision for the event and what she hopes is accomplished through the meeting of people for this momentous occasion, The Well Encounter the event’s Founder & Executive Producer, Indrid Abrahams-Larmond expressed that, “it is my passion to create a space where people of all backgrounds and beliefs can come together to encounter the transformative power of God's love."

The night promised to flow with powerful worship sessions led by various ministers, including multi-award-winning Gospel Aristes Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine of Maverick City Music as well as Jamaica’s very own: Kevin Downswell, Carlene Davis, Rondell Positive, and Rhoda Isabella.

PAJE's journey with the team officially began somewhere close to March 1, 2023, and we quickly hit the ground running - getting into the groove of providing support for what promised to be a purposeful encounter with the Lord. The first stop was The Press Conference, which was to be held a day before the actual event to facilitate one final push of info to the audience, and to also allow persons to hear more from the ministers who were about to pour out from their own encounters with God.

Hosts, Kingdom Culture, continue to affirm that "All Are Welcome to Meet with the Lord," reflecting its commitment to creating a space where everyone is valued and embraced as they journey together in surrender to Jesus Christ.

Before the programme officially began, Experience Director, Mrs. Ingrid Abrahams-Larmond, informed those in attendance that there were a flight delays affecting the international artistes, with Naomi Raine eventually taking her seat - while Chandler Moore was delayed another day.

We also later learned that Rhoda Isabella would not have been in attendance, and with that, the event was turned over to the host, once more.

The host for the evening was Mr. Daron Smith, a popular, young Master of Ceremonies within the Gospel industry, who brought a solid flow and tasteful charm throughout the evening.

Though the full complement of the headline Acts were not present due to flight delays and other unforeseen circumstances, the programme was able to flow and allow for a unique time of bonding

followed by a fun moment in the programme led by a surprising and dynamic duo of wellknown Gospel minister, Jodian Pantry, and also popular social media Pastor, Stephen Blake! They went on to introduce guests to the headline Acts in more detail, so we gained more of an understanding of their stories and their own journey to The Well Encounter.

The programme flowed with us hearing from key Sponosrs Purity & Digicel. Then, we got to spend some time hearing from the ministers.

CLICK EACH MINISTER'S IMAGE BELOW TO HEAR HIGHLIGHTS OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED OF THEM AND THE POWERFUL RESPONSES THAT WERE PROVIDED!

The ministers shared passionately about their personal convictions while they skillfully provided potent responses to all questions that were asked of them.

Carlene Davis speaks about her own journey up to this point and the work that she has been doing through her ministry to impact lives

The Press Conference served as a powerful time of sharing for all those in attendance and truly set the stage for what was to come on the next day - a time of prophetic worship and basking in the Lord's presence.

To close the time of sharing, Prophetess Sarah Smith passionately prayed over the event and all those involved, declaring God's coverage and authentic and transformative move over the event.

Once the event was over, we entered into a time of sharing over refreshments, which allowed all those in attendance to leave on a great, positive note, and expectant of what was going to be taking place during The Well Encounter.

It was finally D-day, and best believe we were absolutely ready for the day ahead. We got to the venue at 12:30 to carry out our specific duties, and to also prayerfully settle ourselves for what was about to unfold. With sweet tones ringing from sound check and the humidity pelting, we knew that the Lord was about to do a mighty work! Guests began arriving from as early as 2PM, as the gates were to be opened at 3. However, due to the downpour of rain in moments prior, and the need to ensure that guests would not be affected by the water in designated areas, the gates opened closer to 4:30pm.

By 5:45, a number of quests began pouring into the Bleechers, Grand Stand, VIP and Ultra VIP areas, with complete anticipation of what was about to take place.

Darron Smith quickly warmed up the guests, signalling the official beginning of the show, and that landed us into a fun, pre-party session with DJ Chinny who got the guests on their feet, ready to worship and praise the Lord! He played all-time crowd favourites and truly got the energy going ahead of the time of repentance that the guests were about to transition into.

Then, the night's official Host, Nadine Blair, took to the stage to officially welcome guests to The Well Encounter and proceeded to introduce the Jamaica House of Prayer who were prepared to lead the guests in a time of repentance and prophetic worship.

Carlene Davis

At approximately 12 minutes after 7, we were officially ready for our first minister, and just like that, the legendary Carlene Davis took to the stage!

Her set was a refreshing reminder of exactly why she is revered and respected in Jamaica's Gospel music fraternity. With song after song, she held her own, delivering passion, power and prowess through her lyrics, her sweet sound and her commanding stage presence.

It was difficult to keep still as she included true favourites in her set and was genuinely having a great time up there alongside her versatile band.

Rondell Positive

COVERAGE BY

Next up, we had the effervescent, Rondell Positive who took to the stage and instantly lit it ablaze with his solid and authentic worship. here's just something special that happens when Rondell hits the stage and witnessing this energy and the outpouring of his own worship unto God was truly an experience.T

Rhoda Isabella

COVERAGE BY

y p pp g p p re is an understatement. This minister never ceases to flow in the prophetic, and on this night you could literally see every fiber of her being worshipping the Lord as she also ushered others into a place of deeper worship and enjoyment through her powerful music!

Kevin Downswell

Now, we've gotta say... Kevin Downswell, in fine style, delivered some true hallmark moments during his set! In a beautiful outpouring of worship, talent and excellence, Kevin had guests basking in the presence of the Lord, and THEN - he invited members of the upcoming generation of artistes to share the stage with him and what a sight it was.

Oshane Mais, Lucas Musiq and Johnmark Wiggan joined him in delivering powerful pieces and signalled that there is so much more in store for Gospel music in Jamaica when it comes to the bridging of the gap between generations!

We also couldn't do a proper review without highlighting this amazing moment of the ministering of 'Not Afraid' - a true crowd favourite that instantly ignited the audience with militancy! Truly a moment to remember!

Naomi Raine

g p y y you know that this set.... was one of those where you just had to be there. The prophetic beauty that flowed from Naomi was astounding. From her vocals, to her vibe, to her evident love for Jesus Christ... the ministry was absolutely potent. But, what we know is forever etched in the minds of guests is when she sang "The droubt is over..." and with that, the rain instantly started falling. It was a moment of awe and one where we were made to recognize just how tangibly the Lord showed up that night.

Chandler Moore

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Energy and authentic worship anyone?? Well, let's just say Chandler served it UP!!

From he touched the stage with his team and the 25-voice choir of Jamaican voices, it was pure energy and truly a VIBE! The time of worship came to an abrupt end but that wasn't before lives were impacted and the event was beautifully blessed by this time of worship and celebration in the Lord.

We want to take this moment to thank and congratulate Ingrid Abrahams-Larmond and the entire team at Kingdom Culture for their hard work, dedication and sacrifice to make this entire show a success.

What a time in the Lord it was!

Lives were touched, the energy was top tier and the overall production was truly one for the books.

The Well Encounter 2023 was truly a success and PAJE Media was extremely grateful to be a part of the journey.

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MINISTER BLESSED ENCOURAGES US TO 'BOUNCE BACK' WITH LATEST VIDEO

We were first introduced to Minister Blessed's song, 'Bounce Back' on his latest body of work, 'Glory', and immediately, it was definitely a favourite among listeners because of the fun vibe and powerful message of encouragement that it brought.

Minister Blessed was definitely able to match the energy and message of the video with this highly energetic video which creatively expressed scenarios that many viewers could relate to in terms of challenging situations that the Lord could help you to 'bounce back' from.

In the video, we're met with some great surprises and catchy dance moves - the merge of which really helps viewers to keep engaged.

JAMAICA YOUTH FOR CHRIST

LOOKING BACK ON WHAT WAS A FRUITFUL CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS IN EXISTENCE

Contributed

by: Dexter Johnson,

Columnist

The Jamaica Youth For Christ, a 75-year pillar that has been standing string through the years is a non- profit Organization that has touched, impacted and changed the lives of youths they encounter. The Organization seeks to engage youth from all walks of life through different creative ministries. In the past year the Jamaica Youth For Christ has had numerous events and standing calendar events and this article gives insight to what we are about and to highlight a few that has transpired within the last year.

The year 2022 was quite an extraordinary year as they celebrated 75 years of existence. We start off by saying we are grateful for the support we have received over the years and say a BIG Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of this organization.

The 75th year anniversary commenced with a church service signifying the launch of a yearlong celebration with varying activities and events.

The annual staging of our Gospel Praise Fest known as Genesis started our year off on January 1, 2022, where we featured the likes of Johnmark Wiggan, Rian Davis, Jermaine Edwards, Trevelle Clarke- Whyne and others on a virtual platform as COVID 19 still had some restrictions that did not allow for a live performance. The virtual staging was well received and is available on YouTube where people can enjoy the ministry of each Artiste.

On the note of ministry and being doers of the word, we understand the need for service and seek out ways in which we can offer help for persons who are in need.

We do care packages and often visit children’s homes and host a children’s treat, also in keeping with our focus on cultivating and fostering the youths for a better tomorrow we do school tours that see some volunteers from the JYFC engaging our students through morning devotions.

Another area to highlight and make mention of is the contribution to the local faith-based films. One such film was released on March 28th titled Defenders of the truth and is a part of the Children Faith Film Series.

On the more environmentally friendly side of Jamaica Youth For Christ, in keeping with their 75th celebration the initiative was taken to plant 75 trees Island wide for children’s and Golden –Age Homes as an ongoing labour day project. This 75 initiative also extended into a Back –To-School Tablet Drive.

We believe in nurturing and honing talents in our youths and our Talents for Christ competition offers them the chance to show case their gifts. It allows for features in the area of singing, dub poetry and drama just to name a few. We have lived through unprecedented times and though our cultural climate is changing, reaching our youths to live a full life in Christ is the main goal.

The aim was to get 75 tablets, all to be donated. We are still accepting donations at this time, feel free to visit our offices located Islandwide to donate.

You can visit our offices Islandwide or email us at jamaicayfc1@gmail.com to find out how you can become a volunteer. We live to serve, and Jamaica Youth for Christ is committed to taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to every young person in Jamaica.