CORA JAKES: KEEP WATCHING

By Francheska "fancy" Felder

When we talk about modern women of faith or Black Christian businesswomen who are doing God’s work, it’s impossible not to mention Cora Jakes The eldest daughter of the mega-preacher and New York Times best-selling author Bishop T D and First Lady Serita Jakes is a modest, but to-the-point powerhouse in her own right

Ever trailblaizing, the life coach, celebrity spiritual advisor, ministerial director, and mother of two is redefining what it means to be a woman of strength She is the author of books Faithing It: Bringing Purpose Back to Your Life and Ferocious Warrior: Dismantle Your Enemy and Rise.

Last year, Cora announced her divorce from her husband of twelve years, R. Brandon Coleman, and it caused quite a stir over the internet Consequently, the woman of God went on hiatus, but now she’s back! Cora no longer identifies as a pastor, but she continues her ministry through life-coaching She is also the director of the children’s ministry at The Potter’s House Church of Dallas, Texas It was an honor sitting down with her to discuss motherhood, faith, and her work as a life coach

Fancy: In your own words, who is Coach Cora, and what do you do?

Cora: Well, just call me Cora. I am here to spread joy and faith and help people get through their trauma and become triumphant in it I have mentored and, for a long while, brought healing to people who have experienced sexual abuse. I have brought healing and reconciliation to those who have had bad marriages. I was a health coach,soIhelpedpeoplehydrate, lose weight, choose better health, livebetter,andmindtheirbusiness during this season. I am a mother atheart.Iamafriend,abigsister, and honestly, just trying to be a light [in places] where there is so muchdarkness.

Fancy: I love that because I always say, "I'm a light," so I canrelatetoyouthere.Butwhat made you decide to pivot from health coaching to life coaching?

Cora: Well, I was doing life coaching early on, so I actually pivotedfromlifecoachingtohealth coaching, back to life coaching. I enjoyed the one-on-one and personal connection that I could have with my mentees. Health coaching was very programmatic. In life coaching, I get to walk with you, fight with you, pray with you, be personally connected to the chaos in your life. I help you learn how to control yourself and your emotions while in the midst of the chaos.Ienjoythat.

Fancy: Life coaching would allow you to help even more because a lot of those barriers maybeimpactinghealthaswell. That makes a lot of sense…So I'm curious to know–being the daughter of legendary, worldrenowned Bishop T.D. Jakes, did you feel any pressure to go into a Christian business or a livelihood where you were helping people? Did you ever feelobligatedtodo that, or is that something that justcamenaturallytoyou?

Cora: It has come naturally to me since I was a little girl. Literally, at my five-year-old kindergarten graduation, I said I would be a preacher just like my dad. I dedicated my life to studying him, his rhythm and just admiring his study, his connection, his anointing. I was wowed that I had that ability to tap into that anointing. Being his daughter, I could replicate and continue his rhythm and hold up the legacy. Somehow,thatwasnotsomething I felt pressured into doing. It was an honor. It was something that I wanted to do. I set myself up for it atfiveyearsold.

Fancy: Wow, that's really beautiful! Having that type of father figure sounds like an awesome experience. As for your clients, what do you often see as their biggest challenges orthemostcommonchallenges you see within those you work with?

Cora: Oh,fear.Ifyou'recomingto mytable,itisfear.Typicallyinthis season we are not necessarily afraid of failure. But, still, we're afraid of the responsibility that comes with success. God may showuswherewe'regoingorgive us a snippet of what He would have for us to do. The success of that becomes so scary and overwhelming. If you measure your mantle based on your mess and not your message, then you end up feeling like you are not worthyofwhereGodiscallingyou to walk. When you come to my table,Igiveyouthemapofhowto seethethingsthattrytomakeyou avictim.Igiveyouthemapofhow togetthevictoryoutof[adversity], andhowtofindjoyinthemiddleof the storms. I think it's a very good strategy of mine to find out the method of my enemy. I am a secret weapon to my mentees because they'll tell me a story or what they're going through, and I automatically can see what the enemy is trying to do. So I give themamap.

Fancy: I like that. I think it brings me to my next question. In your book, Faithing It, I remember you saying, “I don't have to be perfect to help you find your purpose." I thought that was such a monumental statement because often, even with my clients, everyone feels like they must have it all together.Usually,wedon'tneed to have it all together. What broughtyoutothatpointwhere yourealizedyoudidnothaveto haveitalltogether?

Cora: I think that moment came when I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and they hit me with infertility or the inabilitytoproduce.Thisiswhenit became very easy for me to understand that just because I maynotbeabletoproduceinone area doesn't mean that I am not abletoproduceinothers.Thereis a season for productivity. I felt it wasveryimportantformetofigure out how to continue to be fruitful, eventhoughIwasinaseasonthat felt fruitless. It was a challenge. It wasachallengetomyfaith.Itwas achallengetomymentality.Itwas achallengetomyheart.IthinkI had to really put myself in a position [to motivate myself] to say,“I'vegottobeproductive;I've gottobefruitful.”

JustbecauseImayhurtinaspace doesn't take away my power. Just coming off of Resurrection Day, I just tap into that power for a little bit.Ifweweretowaituntilwewere cleaned up and perfect, then we would never get to the victory that God had for us to begin with. It came through bloody betrayal and denialandhurtandpain.YetGod, still in His sovereignty, showed a PowerinJesus'bloodinessthatno one will ever be able to replicate. That was Him broken, and that was Him bleeding, and that was Him hurting. If His story of being broken and bleeding and hurting for us can heal us and save us, then why can't my story of bleeding and being broken and hurtnotsavesomebodyelse?

Fancy: As we are discussing faith in this issue, would you sayyourinfertilityorinabilityto produce was the biggest test of yourfaith?

Cora: Like, if you had asked me maybe four years ago, I'd say yeah. Infertility was the biggest challenge to my faith for sure up until two years ago. The biggest challenge to my faith right now is the sudden divorce due to absolute, surprising trauma and my daughter's shaking both of our worlds. I found myself having to choose between the love of my husband and the love of my daughter.Ifoundmyself[havingto make the decision] of whom to believeinandwhomtohelp.My faithwaschallenged…Ican'teven really explain the desperation that you go through when you have hit your worst nightmare, and you really need God. There was no other option for me. I have tried other options to get me through other storms, but in this particular storm, there was no other option but Jesus. My faith was not broken,butIquestionedmyfaith.I questioned my steps; I questioned what I ordered and what God ordered.

I think the true challenge to your faith is when you find yourself submitting to God's true will and plan...a plan that you have no control over and cannot see. Infertility was kind of an unknown thing to me. Absolutely! I really needed to depend on God because I couldn't see the other side of that. Being absolutely blindsided gives you the push and the pressure you need to push toward God in a way you've never done before. Divorce and trauma andtwelveyearsofwhatIthought was absolute love and amazingness–to crash and burn the way that it did, I'd say now wouldbemybiggestfaithfight.I'm still fighting! I'm still pushing! I'm still overcoming and happily healing. It did shake me, and I think I'll be shaken for some time, if not just for me but for my daughteraswell.

Fancy: Wow, that was a lot. I'm sorry.Iwasn'texpectingallthat, but I appreciate your transparency. I know a lot has been said about your divorce, andIhaven'tseenyourespond. How did you keep yourself in suchamentalstateto constructively deal with people orchoosetoignorethem?

Cora: Rightnow,Idonothavethe luxurytoentertainanythingoutside of what's going on with my family. It is very easy for me to ignore outside noise. Outside noise will neverbeabletosilencemyhome. The only thing that will silence my home and stabilize my children andstabilizemeisformetofocus on my children. People will say things about me for as long as I live. Some things will be true; some will not. I have no control over that. I have to focus on my kids.Iwoulddoadisservicetomy daughter and to my son to allow people that do not know us–that donotunderstandandcouldnever fathom what we're going through–tobeadictatorinthedirectionthat I'mgoingtowalkin.

Ican'tdothat.IwishIhadthetime that people think I have to separate myself from focusing on my children, healing them, and healing us, but I simply don't. I don't have the time to get distracted by nonsense. The Lord has really been telling me to tell people to just keep watching. People have been bashing me, sending [negative] messages. I justsay,keepwatchingbecauseat theendoftheday, all willbeseen. Just keep watching. Crucified, all we could do was keep watching. Justkeepwatching.

Fancy: I want to circle back to faith. You mentioned looking forward to motherhood since youwerefiveorso.Whatwasit that attracted you so much to motherhood?Youknewyou anted children at an early age, and I thought that was different. Many people are still trying to find their way, but that was a goal for you.

Cora: Yes, absolutely Well, a few things: The first thing is, at ten years old, the Lord gave me a dream of being a mother to a son I would birth, and his name would be Nehemiah From age ten until now, I have been waiting on that promise, fighting for that promise, working towards that promise That's the first thing The second thing is I had an amazing mom. My Mommy Bear is top quality motherhood. Like, I don't know a nurturer better than her. I don't know a hug better than hers. I don't know a word of encouragement [like hers] Her voice would calm the worst storms in my life I look at her in awe

My sister became a mom very early and knocked it out of the park She graduated high school first in her class with like a 4 0 GPA I had amazing examples around me and I wanted to be like my mom I wanted to be like my sister

The third reason is I wanted to experience God the Creator. I believe that there is a special, unique connection that a woman has and gets with God when she births from her body I believe that there is an Elohim encounter that happens from woman to God, from womb to the hand of God, and I'm intrigued by that connection I'm intrigued by God the Creator in me, not just through me Those are the three reasons why I really ran after motherhood I always felt like I would have to birth in order to be a mother, but I don't know that I would love my kids anymore than I do now had I birthed them myself. Like I would rip a bear's head off over mykids.Like,easy.

Fancy:Forthosewhoaretrying to strengthen their faith, what advice or suggestions would yougivethem?

Cora: Get into your Word. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the WordofGod.Simple,right?Really you want to get into your Word from a perspective of what you need and not just [over the fact] that you're just studying. What I mean by that is a lot of times, we will read the Word for just knowledge and understanding, and all the while we'll be going through anxiety, pain, depression. We'll be going through needing wisdom. We don't use the Bible strategicallytohelpusgetthrough thosethingswe'regoingthroughin our lives. When I read the Word, I go to the Word for what I need strategyfor.Itfeedsthedeficitand getsmyattention.

You are getting into the Word and wanttobuildyourfaithaboutwhat you believe God can do for you. I prayonthelevelofmyfaithbased onwhatIbelievehecandoforme and what I've seen Him do for others. If you're reading it, but it's not applicable to you, it's not relatable to you. It's boring. You're probably falling asleep every time you pick up the Bible because you're not picking it up for a strategy for your storm. You're picking it up just to read a story. YouneedtopicktheWordupfora strategy foryourstorm.Once you're feeding that particular deficit,thenyougotothenextone andthenextone.Yourfaithisbuilt as you are building a strategy for whatyou'regoingthrough.

Fancy:Thismakessensetome, especially as I get closer to God…Sowhat’snextforCora?

Cora: Well, I am definitely writing anotherbook.Alotofpeopleknow me.Myministryisprayer,somany peoplehavebeenaskingformeto do a prayer book…just a book of prayers. Though the books I've written have prayers that I've written in them, the book I'm workingonnowwillbetheprayers Ihavebeenusingtogetthrough

Those are the two projects I am working on right now. I'm starting to minister again and get my feet out there. So we're going to rock theboatandgowhereGodsays

Connect with Cora at callmecora.comoronInstagramat @officialcallmecora