Sharing Our Stories: Strong Enough to Know When to Stop and Protect Your Health

Strength, Self-Care, and A Life Lesson for Black Women
A guest post by Kai A. Pineda

A few weeks ago Simone Biles, an American artistic gymnast who has won 32 Olympic and World Championship medals, did something most of us have never had the courage to do. What many called selfish, stupid and wrong I saw as bravery.

While the entire world was watching, Simone unapologetically made a decision to choose something more important than a gold medal—she decided to choose herself. According to CNN, Biles withdrew from the women’s team gymnastics final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, citing mental health concerns as she attempts to protect “her body and mind.”

The choice Biles made to put her health first resonates me in a deeply profound way because in the African American community, Black women historically have been raised to put everyone and everything before themselves. From the time they are born the idea surrounding their value is steeped in what they can do or have, and not around who they are.

They are trained to give to the point of exhaustion and hold everyone else as more important. This misinterpretation of selflessness has been detrimental to the Black woman for centuries.

With mental health discussions on the rise, many who’ve battled with mental illness or mental and emotional stresses in the Church, have been told they can pray it away or told, “You need more faith!” These words have caused some to reject therapy and or medication. Within the African community, counseling or therapy was seen as taboo. Even the Black church in time passed turned their noses up to the idea of help beyond praying and traveling.

I know this personally as a close friend of mine for years avoided a diagnosis because the ministry she attended told her to trust God. After years of back and forth stays at hospitals and a final episode where she went missing for days, she let wisdom through the Holy Spirit lead her to find a Christian psychologist who prescribed her what she needed.

We as the Bride of Christ must understand there are spiritual and natural sides to everything. To ignore one is dangerous. Jesus Christ lived on this Earth and dealt with evil spirits and the worries of men. He was moved with compassion knowing the complexities of humanity and our deep need for saving. God has always been our protector and provider. In all things we must get understanding and use wisdom. Seeing a doctor, having surgery, or taking medicine doesn’t make you faithless.

As an African-American woman, I have felt unseen and devalued constantly. I know the pressures to be perfect and to stand out amongst a crowd who doesn’t always think you matter. This can be a heavy weight too carry alone. And though we have the Holy Spirit to help us, God has also prepared people to walk with us through releasing trauma and facing our own fears and fragility. God cares about our physical and spiritual health.

In closing, I’d like for you to read this message from God found in 3 John 1:2 (TPT), which says, “Beloved friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and that you continually enjoy good health, just as your soul is prospering.”

Let’s Pray: Dear God, thank you for caring about all aspects of our health (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual). Thank you for always understanding our fragility and being there for us no matter what we face in this life here on Earth. Please continue to equip us to walk the path You’ve set for us. When we feel weary and like we cannot move forward, strengthen us and carry us until we’re strong enough to walk on our own two feet with You by our side. Thank You that you will never leave us. Please help us to trust You. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

I am a fire-starter and a passionate student of the Bible who helps others discover their identity and the beauty within the Body of Christ by leading them into an encounter with the Word of God.

I am married to a man I am madly in like with and love more than I can explain. Together we plant home fellowships within the U.S. and abroad.

I am an author who released her first book, Dear Church: Vol 1: The Beauty of The Body, in 2019. The second volume will be released in 2021.

I have recorded two praise and worship albums and love to travel.

I am an introvert who loves her family, people, rainy days, a chai latte from Starbucks, and my Maltipoo McLovin.

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor challenging people to live lives based on a biblical standard and not personal preferences.

~*~
Connect with Kai:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kai.a.pineda
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamkaiapineda/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kai_A_Pineda
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/92920689-kai-pineda

Sharing Our Stories: Perspective

This Hour’s Perspective
A guest post written by Stephanie Bankhead

Violence, disunity and death pervade the hour we are in. When this hour is over, what do I want to be able to say my posture was? When I look back in 10 years from now, 20 years — or even when I’m gone from here and living in the next life looking back — what do I want to be able to say about how I handled myself?

If the past eighteen months was the final answer, I would have to say that I was anxious and distracted. I allowed the madness of the world be the loudest voice in my heart and mind. But I do not want that to be my story.

One of the most eye-opening situations has been my inability to keep my focus on the Lord. Prior to March 2020, I would have told you that my relationship with God was deep, full and meaningful. I would have told you that I trusted God and followed closely to Jesus and His teaching. Along came 2020.

Fear became the dominant emotion and anxiety followed closely as well. I was surprised at how I was reacting to the situation. The old me would have said I wanted a “do-over,” but NO WAY do I want to experience any of this all over again.

Over a year later, my faith still feels terribly shallow. My thoughts are scattered. I can’t seem to go more than 15 minutes without getting on Facebook or checking my news app. Why? In complete candor, I really don’t know. Speculation swirls in my mind. The unknown is scary. Remember the old saying, “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know?” Maybe that is my underlying reason. Do I think that if I know all the facts that I won’t be as scared? If that’s the case, it’s not true. The facts scare me.

So where is God in all this? My relationship with Him feels like a miles long river that is only a few inches deep.

Deeper.

My heart’s desire is to be deeper with God. To know and love Him with all my heart. To be sold out for Jesus and His way. In a recent Bible study, it was mentioned that during first century Israel the disciple of a rabbi would be expected to follow the rabbi everywhere he went. The idea was to follow so closely the dust from the rabbi’s shoes would get all over the disciple.

That is exactly how I want my life to be defined, by the dust of Jesus’ shoes. How does that happen?

First of all, the noise has to be stopped. I have taken breaks from social media, and certainly from the news. That has helped. I’m also making exercise and sleep a priority. I found an app that reads bedtime stories to me while I drift off to sleep. And I’m keeping this one verse at the forefront of my mind.

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”— Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

There’s my answer. This Bible verse (Matthew 6:33) unequivocally answers my questions.

Seek God first and above everything else. Trust God to handle the rest.

~*~
Author Bio:

Stephanie Bankhead is a Bible teacher, mentor and author of several Bible studies. She has worked at a local church as the Women’s Ministry Leader since 2013. 

In 2018, she became an ordained Teaching Pastor. Before that, she worked as the director of a very successful youth volleyball club.

What both of these experiences taught her is that women are still little girls inside. Deep down we are all still asking the same questions, “Am I capable? Am I attractive? Am I enough?”

Stephanie delivers sermons and speaks at women’s events on a multitude of topics. Her favorite topic is teaching people what the Bible says about their own identity in God.

Stephanie lives in Amarillo, Texas with her husband of 32 years. They have a rescue pup who barks too much, and a bird abandoned when her two grown children flew the nest. Her four grandchildren are the apples of her eye.

Sharing Our Stories: Thoughts on being perfect

Complete and Christlike
A guest post by Amber Hoopengarner

“Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, become perfect like him.”

– Matthew 5:48 (TPT)

Reading through scriptures one serene morning. I stumbled upon the above verse and as I pondered the wording, I thought surely no one can be perfect like Jesus.

So, true to my nature I began to search Google and read through Bible commentaries to see what it meant, as you can see Jesus was not saying be perfect as only, He can be, we know that is not a task any human can accomplish. If you look at the news and read the paper and follow the world events for even just a moment or two, it is evident as to why Jesus stated that we are to be “perfect” (all-inclusive, well rounded, and spiritually mature).

This last year has indicated to us that there is still so much work to be done within the body of Christ when it comes to racial differences. We profess to love others but choose not to share in each other’s burdens, we say we will suffer with our struggling brothers and sisters but then choose to respond with ignorance and claims of not seeing color. However, Jesus tells us to be well rounded meaning to see, hear, and seek to understand how life is experienced from other’s perspectives and to love them while we inquire about their struggles and hardships.

All-inclusive and spiritually mature means to embrace all believer’s battles and not justify sweeping them under the rug for sake of keeping the peace, but to address it in love and compassion that is the way to do it as a spiritually mature Christian. God has not commanded us to overlook the racial injustices of this world but to speak on them, in fact as we can see from this verse, he has called us to inform ourselves, to get all the knowledge we can about all our brothers and sisters in Christ those who look like us and those who do not so that we can better represent him and pattern ourselves after his character.

We as Christians have a mandate from Jesus himself to care about the underdogs, the misrepresented, and those who are suffering persecution.

As you go throughout your day, I encourage you to ask yourself in what way are you helping these minority groups? I ask that you look deep within your heart of hearts and evaluate if you have been ignorantly breezing through life without trying to put yourselves in another’s shoes? If so, how can you begin to take steps to broaden your horizons and change your mindset?

When you wake up, beloved, how do you want to represent Christ? What legacy to do you want to leave on this world? When you meet the Savior of the world face to face, what do you want Him to say? When is your life examined by God, what deeds do you want to be acknowledged for?

I want to know I did all I could for those who could not do it for themselves, in a way that was complete and Christlike.

Let's Pray: God, as we look at the world around us, let us practice compassion and love for those not like us. You said God that we are all one body, yet we see so much division. Please bring complete maturity into your body so we can be light in this dark world. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Amber Hoopengarner is a writer and self-published author who is also a Certified Life Coach working with women who suffer from PMADs and children who suffer from mental health disorders. 

She is a Maternal Mental Health Advocate and works to help raise awareness within the church of mental health disorders especially among BIPOC women.

Amber graduated in 2016 from the University of Phoenix with an Associates in Human Services Management and is currently in the process of obtaining her bachelor’s in psychology. She also has certificates in Mental Health Coaching, Bibliotherapy and CBT as well as in Perinatal Mood Anxiety Disorders.

Amber loves God and people! She enjoys making a difference through bringing up issues and challenges that sometimes would not otherwise be addressed. Amber believes that God wants His people to be loved where right where they are while they are working on who He has called them to become.

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Connect with Amber:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amberwha35/

Sharing Our Stories: When God interrupts the world, church, and life as we know it

Divine Interruption
A guest post by Dr. Angelle M. Jones

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” 

–Psalm 82:3-4 (NIV)

I can hardly believe it’s been almost one year since my plans to celebrate my birthday in Dubai were cancelled. After working with a travel agent to plan a replacement trip to Italy instead, it was also abruptly interrupted.

In February 2020, the news hit that there was a deadly virus moving rapidly throughout Asia, then Europe and had now landed in the United States. By the time of my birthday at the end of March 2020, all fifty states had reported cases of the virus that has now become a household name. Unlike any other virus in my lifetime, COVID-19 has ravaged the United States with over 500,000 deaths by the end of February 2021.

This deadly virus has left the entire world reeling! Quickly rising to the elevated status of a full-blown pandemic, I watched as the world we had all known slowly but surely disintegrate right before our eyes.

In the beginning I was intrigued, not so much with the disease, but with following the way the virus was transforming life as we had known it. It hit me personally as a group of female friends from different seasons in my life were all but packed and ready to go to take in the beauty of Rome and all her history, food, love and architectural majesty.

Although I had traveled the world for years as an itinerant minister, I had come to understand that those were actually work trips. Even though preaching and giving away humanitarian aid were rewarding and gained me a heart for serving others, it was now time for me to spend the later years of my life traveling for pleasure. Italy was going to be the first of only a few places left to mark off my bucket list. My dream trip was interrupted when Italy became one of the first countries in the world where the virus moved rapidly, ending thousands of lives. As with most of us, I thought, “This can’t last too long.”

However, the pandemic continued to claim more lives around the world and since meeting in person to celebrate my birthday was too risky, I made different plans. Last March, I was one of the first in my tribe to host a group of family and friends to celebrate my birthday via the now famous world of Zoom. To my dismay, in a few weeks I may be celebrating the same way again.

As we enter into the one-year mark of this global pandemic, no matter how the United States has been looked upon as the role model in almost every aspect of life for other countries, this Divine Interruption has shone the light on the darkness of America. What became clear was a healthcare inequity. Whether you were affected by the virus or not, it was sobering to watch as this strange new mask-covered world quickly became the norm. Exposing racial disparities ranging from healthcare to politics, the world has paused to give us time to admit the sins of our nation.

The pandemonium of this pandemic has everyone asking, “When will it end?”

In the year that has changed the world, everything has shifted. The globe has experienced record-breaking highs of anxiety caused by an unknown virus bringing with it the uncertainty of its long-term effects. But more importantly, this pandemic has revealed the need for the world to heal. Who would have thought that in our lifetime God would step aside and say to the cosmos, “Heal thyself,” causing even the Church to push pause?

Were we listening in 2020 when the still, small voice of God silently screamed as though there were little fires all over the world, “Get out of the buildings!” As we entered deeper into this state of uncertainty, I began to ponder: Could this be the time spoken of in the Word of God that says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Romans 8:22 KJV)

I’m not so sure of the dispensational theology framing the verse, but I do know that something Divine has happened to gain the world’s attention.

The voice went on to say in more of a hush, “I live outside the walls of your normal spaces of worship. Seek and you shall find me. Find me in sacred spaces where you can learn authentic worship in Spirit and Truth. Find me in the spaces where the needy can just be. While the playing field has been leveled and the curve has been flattened, no matter what our status, the stillness of God has breathed a holy hush upon the creation. The stillness calls us to be defenders. To uphold. To rescue. To deliver. This is your time to be the change you have been seeking. The stage is set to find your voice to stand in the gap for the oppressed in this season of fear and trepidation.”

The quiet Voice is whispering to us all, “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4 NIV)

Listen.

Can you hear the voice of the voiceless, the weak, the little ones without a father to guide them through the wilderness of social isolation, and technological stimulation?

Listen.

Can you hear the cry of the poor and the oppressed who were seated on the pews looking for a place of solitude for their wearied souls to be healed?

In the Divine Interruption, will the prophetic and social witness of the Church be heard?

~*~

Author Bio:

“Inspiring and Motivating With the Power of Words”

Angelle M. Jones believes that the power of words inspires, and motivate to bring about transformative change individually and collectively.

Angelle originally hails from Cleveland, Ohio. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in African-American studies from the University of Cincinnati. Angelle has a master’s degree in Theological Studies from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia and an earned Doctorate in Ministry on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, and his philosophy of The Beloved Community from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Her ministry career began as a staff member of the Northeastern Ohio Billy Graham Crusade in 1994. For twenty years, as founder and director of In The Spirit Ministries, Inc., she led teams on mission outreaches throughout the world. From 2007-2012, Angelle served as Missions Director of New Salem Missionary Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio where she currently resides. Angelle is founder and director of GlobaLife Coaching and Consulting serving as a Life and Transformation Coach and Church Consultant.

In 2016, Angelle authored and self-published her first book, Happily Never After. Along with sharing words of hope by sharing her writings on her social media platforms, she has been published in Vantage Magazine which is a literary source for faculty, students and alumni of Columbia Theological Seminary, and Ready, which is a cutting-edge online magazine addressing current events and trending socially relevant topics for women.

Angelle is the mother of an adult daughter. She is a grandmother and great-grandmother.

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Connect with Dr. Angelle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelle.m.jones.5
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abundantgrace1/
Website: www.globalifetransforms.com
Email: globalifeconsultants@gmail.com