4
Soulful Image Magazine / Issue No. 12
SPECIAL EDITION - VOICES OF VICTORY
Artist Line Up and Features
8 11
Chelsea Amber
Check out one of the featured performers at the Voices of Victory Multicultural Concert. Her story is truly a blessing.
On Earth, as it is in Heaven.
For those of us desire that desire to bring Heaven on Earth, we should consider The Lord’s Prayer and understand that it is an important piece of achieving that goal.
Inside Your Soul 4
Soulful Image Executive Team
4 5
From the Desk of the Founders of Voices of the Nations Main Concert Artist Line-Up
6
Message from the Editor
7
Begin to See Yourself Using Your Voice for Victory
13
Have Faith In Your Investments
15
Event Sponsors
Disclaimer: All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the written permission from the publisher. Soulful Image Magazine is published digitally with limited print editions. To advertise in our publication, or if you are interested in being featured, please contact us at soulfulimagemag@gmail.com or visit us at www.soulfulimagemag.com. Soulful Image Magazine is published by Faith Filled Books Š Thomex Inc
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
3
Inside Your Soul
Your Faith Lifestyle Magazine
Executive Team Tracey-Acadia Thomas Founder & Editor-In-Chief
Allister F. Thomas Creative Director
Stacey Ann Berry
Director of Public Relations Executive Reporter
Mari Grace Executive Editor
Vivian Kung Sales & Promotion
From the Desk of the Founders of Voices Of The Nations
V
oices of the Nations is an organization which was founded in 2006 to unite and promote diversity within the Christian community by showcasing its mosaic of fine arts and music.
Check out our summer edition at Soulfulimagemag.com
We work with various cultural groups, organizations, multi denominational churches and artists to spread the gospel to all nations residing in Toronto and other cities throughout Ontario through the art of music, drama and dance. Music is an intricate part of our society. People of all ages, ethnicity, cultural
background, and economic status love music and relate to it. Some even live their lives through music. Since we are working with artists and worship teams from all denominations and cultures to participate in these concerts, it will give us a great opportunity to bring together different denominations and cultures. We desire to work with one another as one body in Christ with the sole purpose to reach the lost by spreading the Gospel to all nations residing in Toronto through the art of music and dance.
“Our mission is to provide a venue and unite the various denominations, cultures and the outstanding talents within the Christian community and to embrace and celebrate the wonderful diversity in the city.�
4
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
Inside Your Soul Voices of Victory Main Stage Concert Artists August 5, 2017. Yonge/Dundas Square.
Destiny & Dominion Worship
Allen Froese
38:20 Worship
Caves
Also Featuring. • • • • • • • • •
Chelsea Amber Qmajur Emmanuel Latin Ensemble Upstream Ripple Effect & FTC Nevahurd Jia Praise & Worship Team Great Maker 1:11 Ministries
• • • • • • • •
Vida Plena Derin Bello The Pelican Christian Ministries Above All Christian Gathering True Worship Dance Ministry Rod Purpose Veshone Doahl Dance Group
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
5
Inside Your Soul
Message from the Editor of Soulful Image Magazine
W
e all should strive to obtain the image of God on the inside and outside of ourselves. Sometimes negative thinking, an improper view of ourselves, or uncomfortable circumstances can prevent us all from growing into that amazing image God created us to be. We want to encourage, uplift and educate everyone and inspire you to believe it is possible to experience CHANGE in order to evolve into a better you. As you meditate on God’s Word or as you begin to see yourself in a different light, it makes it more achievable to experience a change in all areas of our lives so that we can be a light to others and ourselves allowing the image of Jesus Christ to manifest Himself daily. Be encouraged! All things are possible if you BELIEVE!
6
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
Begin To See Yourself is the Staple Signature article of each issue of this magazine. It determines the theme or the message God gives to lead the issue. The purpose of this magazine is to transform and encourage each reader closer to the complete image of God -a person who is wonderfully and beautifully made to be a blessing on this earth doing good works for the glory of His Kingdom. A Soulful Image is where we line up our Soul: Mind, Will, and Emotions to match the Image of God and His will for our lives by living a LIFESTYLE of Faith daily! Tracey-Acadia Thomas Founder & Editor-In-Chief
Light inYour yourSoul Soul Inside
Begin To See Yourself...
Using Your Voice For Victory By Tracey-Acadia Thomas
D
eclare the promises of God over yourself, your family and your community. No matter what is happening around you, God has equipped you with the tools you need to obtain victory in any situation. Begin to see yourself calling forth the things you need to be changed as though they already are. Stand firmly on God’s Word and allow your Voice to
be the spark of Victory in your life. Sing praises, rejoice, declare, shout, profess and receive God’s promises for your life. See it, Believe it and Receive it! With Action, your situation will change! Check out more Issue of Soulful Image Magazine online at soulfulimagemag.com
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
7
Soulful Image Magazine / Issue No. 12
21
Special Feature
Chelsea Amber
This up and coming Christian Contemporary gospel artist is turning some heads in the industry today. Her dedication to her music and to Christ has helped her overcome some challenges to become an inspiration to those who are blessed enough to listen.
T
he Halifax Canadian born singer-songwriter is making a name for herself in the Christian music industry. With her recent win of Best Female Vocalist and Best Pop Album at the Covenant Awards and a Juno nomination, this is just the beginning for her as she starts her explosive career. With her first appearance at this year’s 8th Annual Voices of the Nations “Voices of Victory” concert for August 5th, 2017, everyone is excited to have her here to perform this year. Amber is a talented musician and singer. She writes all of her music including her lyrics and transposes them to instrumentation as well. Growing up music has always been important to her. She always loved to sing from an early age. But it wasn’t until she finally made the decision to take her music more seriously that things began to change and move quickly for her. After applying for a grant for new up and coming musicians she ended up in a recording studio recording her first tracks which became a great learning experience she was deeply involved with.
8 Soulful Edition 56 SoulfulImage ImageMagazine Magazine/ Special / Issue No. 12 - Issue No. 13
Her message is Hope! “In the midst of a dark season in our lives everyone needs to hear there is hope. I just really want people to realize their full potential.” Amber has started work on a new album that will keep her message of hope alive – which she is dedicating to anyone who has ever struggled with mental health issues. Through her music, Amber wants to leave a legacy of hope and determination behind, and with the way things are going for Amber there’s no reason to believe she won’t do just that. For more information about Chelsea go to her website at www.chelseaamber.com
Special Feature
Soulful Image Magazine / Issue Soulful No. 12Image 57 Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
9
Inside Your Soul
On Earth, as it is in Heaven. By Bruce Mann
I
have recited the Lord’s Prayer hundreds, maybe thousands of times. I’m old enough to have recited it every morning before school began as a youth. Only recently, though, have I begun to really understand what this prayer is all about. One thing I now appreciate is that it’s not the Lord’s Prayer; it’s the disciple’s prayer, which means it’s my prayer. As Jesus said, this is how we should pray. It’s also a transformational prayer. When Jesus says,
“thy Kingdom come, thy will be done,” He is teaching us to agree with God and take part in establishing God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. He’s not talking about some kind of political structure or dominance. He’s talking about bringing the life of heaven to earth, so the values, attributes and ethos of heaven are here like they are there (Matthew 6:10). Most of us have a picture of what it would be like to live in God’s country. There would be no sickness, and no poverty of any kind. There would be no abuse or cruelty, and there would be no division. We may not think this way about what it would be like in God’s country but there would also be no pollution, bankruptcy, unemployment or corruption. Everything would be aligned with God’s justice and righteousness (Romans 14:17). When I think about this picture of heaven, I think of a jigsaw puzzle. Imagine sitting in a kitchen on a rainy day with one of those 1000-piece puzzles before you. How do you start trying to fit all those pieces together? In order to make a puzzle, you first need some idea of what it should look like. So you keep looking to the picture on the puzzle box to help make sense of the
pieces. Next, you must consider how each piece is unique, designed to fit properly in its place. Even if two pieces have an identical shape, they have a unique spot in the picture. In this analogy, the Lord’s Prayer (our prayer) is the picture – heaven on earth ¬¬– that we’re trying to follow. Each of us is a piece of this puzzle, and the communities we’re part of are larger sections in the puzzle. We’re all part of making a heaven-inspired image of something beautiful. It will never be as perfect as heaven, but as more pieces fit harmoniously into place, it will come close. There are many truths to uncover, but for now, here are two things to think about. First, in this model of God’s kingdom, having unity and relationship is not optional: it’s essential. If we aren’t functioning in unity, then we’re just a pile of random pieces lying on a table. But if we allow the Holy Spirit to arrange us in the place that was designed for us and bring us into right relationship with the other pieces around us, then a picture will emerge that will be remarkably attractive. Remember that unity doesn’t mean that we aren’t all the same; we can be different, but still choose to be connected to each other. Second, when we pray the Lord’s Prayer with this understanding, the righteousness, joy and peace that are hallmarks of God’s kingdom will not only be evident corporately, but personally. We will display these fruits of the Spirit in our own lives, not as a strategy but as a natural outflow of sharing what is in God’s heart for the world around us. The prayer that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven is immense, and it needs you for it to come into being. We are all a piece of the kingdom puzzle: we are, really, the answer to our own prayers. If Jesus really meant this, and I think we can agree he did, then maybe we should revisit this prayer and our image of heaven, because we have a big job ahead of us. Happy puzzle building!
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
11
60
Soulful Image Magazine / Issue No. 12
Inside Your Soul
Have Faith in your
Investments Are you ready to organize your financial life in a way that is consistent with your faith?
F
aith-Based investing has been on the rise in North America and according to the non-profit Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment (RI), currently over $8.7 trillion investor dollars is managed using socially responsible, faith-based or other screening methods. There are now millions of religious & socially responsible investors whose desire is to align their values, religious & social beliefs with their investments. Conscious Investors have long been concerned as to how their investment portfolios may be exposed to companies that contradict their belief system such as alcohol, tobacco, pornography, human rights, environmental & climate change, military industry, animal rights, abortion etc.….
RI funds have achieved results similar to or slightly better than their non-RI counterparts. Your investment choices can have an enormous positive impact on our planet. Besides our homes, our financial investments are our largest assets. We greatly underestimate the collective influence we have on governments and corporations through our investment choices. Faith-based investing continues to grow and expand as investors have taken a shine to building profits with a purpose. There’s no longer a trade-off between profits and faith. Your money has a huge voice! Why not leverage it for the greater good as well as your personal good.
Would you purposely invest your money in companies involved in any of the above areas? Most investors simply haven’t thought about merging their personal values with their investment portfolios. Why? Because many investors are not even aware of where and how their money is invested. Faith-based investing is not only about your personal values but it’s also about making better, more informed investment decisions. Historical performance data from 2010 to 2017 has shown that
Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
13
70
Soulful Image Magazine / Issue No. 11
Inside Your Soul
Event Sponsors Voices of the Nations would like to offer a special Thank You to all the sponsors who made this event possible and a huge success.
To be a sponsor of one of our upcoming events or if you are interested on being a vendor, then please visit us at voicesofthenations.com Soulful Image Magazine / Special Edition - Issue No. 13
15