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8/7/2013 2 Comments Watch Your Mouth “Just cause you stay at home with your kids doesn’t mean you have a job. Get a life!” Why do we kill one another with our words? Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit”. I watch people walk around all day with their spirits low and heavy because of complexes over the years which came from seeds planted from family, friends and/or media. We do not realize how our words impact people daily. I went online to study mental abuse. When I pulled up a few sites my skin began to crawl. I already knew that I had been affected by verbal abuse as well as an abuser. Read this, “American Humane reports that verbal abuse can occur through isolation, rejection, exploitation, threats and neglect. Someone who's being emotionally abused might get yelled at, called names, criticized and blamed for all mistakes. Many times the person is ordered around and manipulated, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”. “Adults who experience verbal abuse also develop low self-confidence, suffer from mental health disorders and live in fear. Other effects include suicide as well as alcohol and drug abuse, according to American Humane”. James 3:8 “So too the tongue is a small part of the body, yet it has great pretensions. Think how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze”. This is quite an analogy. However it is so true. Some people grew up hearing nothing but negative comments. Think about it; “You will never be anything in life”, “all your good for is cleaning, cooking and sex”, “ain’t nobody gonna love your ugly self”, “Your daddy was sorry. You look and act just like his sorry behind”, “You need to straighten your hair. That looks a hot mess”. These are negative proclamations that have caused countless depravities in our lives. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that may give grace to those who hear. Why are so quick to speak out of our feelings to hurt one another? Is it because we want to? When someone has offended us we speak badly to them because it has a lasting effect. You want them to feel as bad as or worse than you. Why pay evil with evil? You are not only hurting them, you are hurting yourself. More importantly you are not pleasing God. It is time to consider how we treat people. Though some of us do not try to intentional hurt God’s people the receiving party does not interpret the blow in that way. Take a self-survey and determine what has caused you to become so bitter that you cannot love people with the love of Christ. Allow love to cover any blemishes. Remember “Christ” is at the beginning of Christian. He was our example of how to love people. He did not have to wash Judas’ feet especially knowing he was going to betray him. He didn’t have to speak to the women at the well. Jesus has made it simple for us to communicate with people, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Let’s do the right thing because God said so. As Israel Houghton says, “Love God, Love people”. Allow God to be the center of your life. ~Nathan Wallace Meditation Scriptures Hebrews 13: 1 – 3 Brotherly love must continue. Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as though you were in prison with them, and those ill-treated as though you too felt their torment.
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7/19/2013 0 Comments Truly Trusting in God Psalms 118:8 says it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. Even if that man or woman is yourself. Trust in the Lord. Seems like a simple request, but something that we all struggle with daily. For years, God told me to teach the youth and give them an educational foundation of right and wrong to be successful (Ezekiel 44:23). I ignored my purpose and for years went to do what I wanted. Yes, I got the promotions and the money, but I was empty inside. I was a DEAD WOMAN WALKING! Finally I prayed to God for understanding on why I felt empty and what do I need to do to fill the void. He reminded me of the calling he gave so many years ago. He told me that because I was out of line, nothing could grow inside. Because I was not fulfilling my purpose, all that I was asking God for, was put on the shelf.
God said you need to teach the children as instructed. I gave God every excuse of why I didn't want to teach and He said if I can't use you for my Purpose, what do I need you for? That opened my mind and heart to God and I was finally willing to make His Purpose my mission. ( 2 Timothy 1:9). I trusted God like never before to be my Jehovah-jireh. I started school and finished with an advanced degree in education. I left my employer of seven years with no income or gurantee of a teaching job. He made a way for me to be hired as a substitute teacher for the year and encouraged me to sharpen my skills. After countless interviews and many days and nights of prayer, I finally got a permanent teaching position. I didn't even interview, she just offered me the job after a light conversation! God deserves all the credit and praise for this journey. Even though I had hills and valleys, I learned my true purpose and other truths about God: 1. I learned to trust God with all my heart. (Proverbs 3:5-6) 2. I learned that God rewards obedience. (Isiah 1:19, Deuteronomy 4:30-31) 3. I learned that once we dedicate our purpose to God, he will make it happen. (Proverbs 16:3) ~LaTosha Pugh 7/18/2013 0 Comments Positioning Yourself to Receive
Recently, I learned an invaluable lesson regarding the importance of making certain I am positioned to receive the blessings that God has in store for me. I was invited to attend the Sanctuary Retreat. I paid the costs for attendance and was excited about the opportunity to retreat from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. As the retreat drew near, I began to have doubts and eventually sent word to Minister Yolanda that I would not be in attendance. I maintained this position until the evening before the retreat. I am beyond grateful that the Spirit of God gave me the strength needed to press my way to the Sanctuary Retreat.
The retreat helped to re-ignite my passion for living purposefully. Long gone are the days of dragging myself out of the bed, going to work, fighting traffic then going to bed. Now, I jump out of bed joyfully, work unto God while at the job, drive home with inspiring music playing in the car and immediately change into my exercise gear when I get home. The best part: the Sanctuary experience served as the catalyst to restoring my desire to complete the books that God has place on the inside of me. I am preparing for entrepreneurship; however, while still in transition, God has ensured I am financially stable. A few days after returning from the Sanctuary Retreat, I received news that I was selected for a promotion. There are many more testimonies that stemmed from my attendance at the Sanctuary; but, perhaps the most poignant one is that while on Lake Lanier, God reminded me that he still has greater works for me. I could not have received a better gift than the gift of receiving correction, instruction, and edification from Yahushua…all in one meeting…by being in the right position at the right time! I had been in a dry place for a long time; but, God used Minister Yolanda’s Shepherd’s Heart to spring forth rivers of Living Water in my soul. I am eternally grateful for how God used the Sanctuary Ministry to restore my joy. In the words of the gospel group, the Winans, “It Looks Like I Can Feel The Breaking of Day, Oh What Joy Breaketh Forth In My Soul.” ~Kimba Mason  It has taken me quite a few attempts to write this particular post. All of my posts are personal, based on my trials, tribulations and triumphs in God’s will for my life. I pray that I communicate this message that God has placed on my heart in a way that brings anyone in need comfort and peace.
One Friday last month, in The Sanctuary, our topic of discussion was ‘When the Desert Meets the Mountain’. In that discussion we covered those times when God allows us to be in the desert. Our time spent in the desert may be the result of decisions that we made in our lives or they may be in preparation for something that God needs us to do in the lives of others. Whatever the reason, however long the duration, God will never allow us to undergo such desolate conditions without a source of comfort. Isaiah 51:3 says: For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody. I know this to be true. In my natural, physical state of barrenness, God was there to comfort me. There were times when I tried to get pregnant and couldn’t, with no explanation of any natural condition. No blockage, no absence of ovulation. No diagnosis of a hostile womb. There was nothing naturally wrong. Then there were the times, at least four that I know of for sure, under the most unlikely natural circumstances, where life was conceived. Yes, God permitted life where life naturally should not have taken place, only to be lost prematurely and never carried to full term. I was in the desert. I was a desert and I wanted someone to blame. I wanted to ask why. I wanted to question God. Others questioned my faith. I questioned my faith. During my recovery from the last miscarriage that I experienced, I went so far as to ask God why he would do this to me. Saying it out loud jarred me back to reality and I remembered that every good and perfect thing comes from God (James 1:17) and that He is faithful and will keep me from evil (2 Thessalonians 3:3). Well, weren’t my unborn children good and perfect blessings from God? Yes, they were. So, if God is faithful and would keep me from evil, how could the loss of my good and perfect thing be of God? Yes, I was in the desert, a barren wasteland, and I may have been there by God’s permission, but He did not send me there. He did not give me a gift that I had long desired to snatch it away from me. God didn’t allow life to be created under miraculous circumstances only to say to me, His child, “No, on second thought, I don’t want you to have that.” What God did say to me was this: Even in the most tumultuous set of natural circumstances, I am here. He told me to cast all my cares upon Him for He cares for me (1 Peter 5:7). He told me that when my days are dark, He will be a light unto me (Micah 7:8). He told me not to worry or to stress because He is with me wherever I go and whatever I go through (Joshua 1:9). So now, we may ask, "Well why, as children of God do we have to go through these things? Why does God allow these things to happen to us if Jesus paid the ultimate price for our lives?" The debt Jesus paid was to give us back what we lost when Adam and Eve sinned—our relationship with God; our opportunity to go to Him in prayer. We lost our lives the day Adam and Eve sinned (Romans 5:12) and Jesus gave it back to us. That does not mean we will be able to go back to the Garden and stay there forever. Not yet. We have the opportunity, through Jesus, to access the Garden, but there are times when we will indeed be in the desert. The wonderfully awesome thing about God is He will never allow us to be in the desert without Him. That is the loving, caring, faithful God that I know. As you travel through your peaks and your valleys, please, don’t ask God why He has allowed the valley or the desert. As hard as it may be in that desert, God can be a lush shade tree and a giant waterfall in the midst of desolation if we believe that He can. He will build you up and strengthen you. Remember the saying, “Faith in the valley”? Yes, we find our faith, build our character and are strengthened and renewed in the low and desolate places of this natural life. But, we need no not fear. Only believe. (Mark 5:36) Be bold. Be brave. Believe. Your Sister, Veronica 6/6/2013 0 Comments My Help Cometh From the Lord Do you know the source of your help? Do you know it like you know your name? Well, this is something that I didn’t always know. It was information I had but I didn’t know in the true sense of the word—I didn’t believe. Psalm 121:2 - My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. I spent the early part of my adult life upset because I wasn’t appreciative of the source of my blessings. Can you believe that? I was upset because in my limited thinking, I believed that certain blessings should have come from certain people. You read that right! I was walking around with this attitude of ungratefulness and animosity because my parents should have done certain things and my siblings should have done certain things and my friend should have…yes—a hot, raggedy mess!
It was not until I fully knew, understood and believed the scripture at Psalm 121:2 that I was able to see my life differently. When I finally got it, I felt really bad. I got down on my knees and begged God to forgive me for being so shortsighted and ungrateful. God has always given me everything I need but because those blessings were not delivered the way I envisioned, I was salty. Can you imagine? Someone gives you a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers, tied up in a nice red bow. Maybe the kind gesture comes from a close friend, or a family member. Can you even wrap your mind around being upset about that bouquet of flowers because you don’t really care for the color red? Don’t they know that pink is your signature color? Or, would it make sense to you to be annoyed because the flowers didn’t come from your husband? Of course both of these instances sound ludicrous--absurd, but that is exactly the attitude we are exhibiting when we don’t view every blessing as a blessing because of who delivered it. The blessing is from God. He is the source. He knows the desires of your heart and He will grant them to you (Psalm 37:4). So many people are disenchanted in this world because they feel they have nothing to be grateful for. If we consider the source of every blessing we will surely know how much God, our Father, loves and cares for us. There is a blessing in every situation and circumstance. I pray that we all can view our lives in this way from this day forward. Peace and God’s Greatest Blessings, Veronica 5/30/2013 2 Comments Thank You For The Water!Shakirah McQueen is the owner and operator of Kirah's Place Family Childcare in Dallas, GA. She is the wife of Joseph and is the mother of three beautiful children. Shakirah attended our Making WAVES Retreat and not even a week after experiencing those life changing waters, she experienced supernatural blessings and favor. Read her testament of how the disruption of the status quo in her life caused major WAVES that she rode right into her windows of blessings.  Joseph and Shakirah McQueen For the past couple months, life has been not to shabby. We have been making it, we are happy, there has been laughter here in our home. But for me, the wife, the mother, the walls seem to be closing in on me. Preparation for everyday life, keep our home in order, my children, church, goodness sooo much to do, but when will I have time. I needed to be with GOD, just sit and speak, but Listen for his word and not speak over him. I wanted so much for us, we are good church folks, we (well I) visited the word..but for me I still need more, I was sinking.
I run a successful business from home, I mean we have created a mini school here. I have received awards from the Commissioner. I received National Accreditation. The State of Georgia would visit and commend us. They would bring others to see my daycare, expressing that it is a great example of a Home Based Childcare Center. I was good. But still I felt we were sinking. I told my husband I needed to go on the "Making Waves Retreat". I wasn't sure how, because around the same time he approved it, I lost 4 of the 5 children I was teaching; losing more than 90% of my income. How are we going to do that? My husband said not to worry, he knew we could do it. I went. GOD and my husband made it happen. I drove with a friend, talking about the excitement I felt, how JESUS was the reason I made it. We pulled into the home, my breathe left my body. The beauty of course of the home was one reason, but JESUS beat me there. HE got there first. I walked, dragging the heavy body of mine thought out the home, buzzing and speaking to beautiful women. I made it to the top of the stairs and Yolanda was there, welcoming me in her arms. I took my first breathe and I cried with each breathe thereafter. THE HOLY SPIRIT was with us during this embrace. I felt him, right there. We had sessions, and with each session, I felt they took a chapter of my torn life. We prayed, the music, the teachings I took it all into the water. That weekend, I received my first massage. She spoke to me with words of the HOLY Spirit, I was lifted. I began to chip away those things that weighed me down. She washed my feet, after that the door was wide open…come on in Holy Spirit, take a seat. Those sessions, the prayer and the worship in that home changed me and my family forever. I burned all things that made me question my purpose. I came home and told my husband, Joseph, what God had for us and that He was going to be more and do more. He was going to lead our family so much higher. Raises and promotions were on the horizon. I guess he figured I am his biggest fan, and he is a believer, so he went with it. That Wednesday, Joseph didn't go to mid week service. I took our tithes and offering and spoke to Jesus with the authority HE gave me in the water at Lake Lanier. We are going higher. I prayed to the Father for my husband Joseph, for increase, raises and promotions. I grab a church member and said this is for my husband, Joseph's, raise, promotion, and increase this coming Wednesday. I told her to be in agreement, she had a look of shock and disbelief, but I said I know it is going to happen and I placed in the basket. I poured into my husband Joseph, told him to ask his boss that Thursday for all the things WE had prayed for, he did. He called during lunch and said another co-worker had quit. I told him God is moving some things and we better be ready. He said his boss told him that they would talk to him the following day which was Friday, they didn't. I told him he needed to speak to them no later than Wednesday, that is when the change would take place. His boss wasn't able to speak to him on that Monday. We continued to pray and we stood on that Word. We stood together, we planned our attack, we learned what My husband worth was in the company. Tuesday they called him in the office, we were ready, and they offered better than what we prayed. Bonuses, a raise and a $500 a month gas allowance!!!! The water changed us, our marriage, our income, our relationship with GOD. The water opened our gates, our eyes, our nose, our mouth, our ears. My family was changed on Tuesday, but by Wednesday, JESUS blew FAVOR into my Husband mouth and embraced each and every one of us. I encourage you to sit down, speak a plan, write a plan, make it clear. Lay in that word of GOD, and watch him lift you off your feet forever. Our home increased, therefore our tithes will joyfully increase. And we know this is not the end, we must continue as GOD has more for us. Again we are ready. We are setting time aside to fast and pray. We have the shield of the Holy Spirit and we are ready for the next level. Jesus is not done with us, and we have only begun with HIM. We are sitting and speaking, listening and embracing the HOLY Spirit. Our passion for JESUS has been forever changed. Thank you for the Water! Giselle Dailey, of Dailey & Company Hair Studio was a moderator at our 2013 Women's Retreat. She has a testimony of surviving and breaking free from the bondage of Domestic Violence. I pray her testimony can be a source of strength, courage and freedom to someone.  I've been told but now truly grasp how your trials and tribulations are not just for you. In what is sure to be most my transparent moment ever, I'm here to share with anyone suffering in the grips of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE...physical, emotional or mental it is NOT your fault! There is absolutely NOTHING you could say or do...not say or not do that will justify having to dance with the demons of others. Sure, you'll hear repeatedly how it's your fault, how it'll never happen again and treatment is on the way but it WON"T stop until you stop it!
By the grace of God and ONLY God, I am here to share what I've hidden in shame for 2 years. I was afraid of how others would view me and failure. The light that God placed inside of me was threatened to be dimmed by the sickness of someone else. I am SO...GRATEFUL that He gave me one moment of true clarity. One moment when the chaos that whirled inside me was still just long enough for Him to remind me WHO I AM and WHOSE I AM. To every woman or man dealing with abuse at the hand of another, please know that you are loved and deserved to be treated like the Queen/King you were created to be. Anything that detracts from you operating at your optimum levels is not what was intended for you. I thank God for giving me the strength to continue to pour into the lives of others when I was at my lowest and I'm thankful for the prayers of those who knew something was a little off with me. I am most grateful for those in my life who knew for certain that I was going through but loved me without judgement...understanding that I could only be free when I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. There is healing that must take place but RESTORATION is at hand. Totally trusting the work that only I can do will be completed and more excited about my future than ever before. Grace, Peace and Blessings! ♥ Giselle  If you attended the Riding the WAVES Retreat last month, I don’t have to tell you that God is serious about His children—and His children are serious about Him. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be in that sacred place with like minded individuals who had come to that retreat determined to walk fully in to God’s will and purpose for their lives. I am so grateful for those who shared their gifts and talents and purpose with us to encourage us to just take the first step of faith on our path to the greatness God had already ordained in each of our lives. I am most appreciative of the spiritual, emotional and mental space to gather my thoughts and speak to God about my purpose and vision. I was so enlightened and enriched by the spirit that swept through that house during the time we dedicated to our visions that I didn’t get a chance to execute anything I held in my heart, but the spirit was strong and lively and bold and determined to be present as long as I was determined to allow it and the spirit traveled home with me. On Monday, April 29, 2013, I sat and wrote my vision for a mate. Yes a mate! Some of you may remember me saying that I never wanted to be a wife, but I always wanted to be a mother. No sooner than that statement left my lips was I convicted and corrected. I was given clarification. I was reminded that I was God’s child. I was a Queen and God wanted the very best for me. I was reminded that the husband I had convinced myself I could never have was not only obtainable, but already granted if I believed. On my way home, I had a conversation with God and thanked Him in advance for granting me the desires of my heart. I asked Him to help me to visualize what He had in store—His best for me. Then I committed to making it plain to anyone I encountered so they would know who and whose I was—it would be made plain (Habakkuk 2:2). The one God kept for me would surely be able to recognize his good thing (Proverbs 31:10). I would show my appreciation, though I could never be deserving, by fasting, praying and enhancing my God given gifts to be a blessing to others. On Friday, May 3, 2013, I received a call. A call that would change my life (that’s what the voice on the other end of the phone told me, “I am about to ask you something that will change your life”). It was a very dear friend of mine who had been in a terrible accident. I spent the earlier part of the week (Monday-Thursday) fasting and praying and I said many prayers for and with him. On May 3, 2013, my friend asked me to become his wife. Because I had spent uninterrupted time with God, as a result of those things revealed to me at the retreat, I heard clearly that I had been found. Without any hesitation, I made arrangements to get on a plane and go to Connecticut and wait for God’s answer in response to our asking what we should do and how God would have us do it. We both agreed that we would pray and wait to hear from God and proceed as He directed. On Saturday, May 4, 2013, we received our answer. In our spirits, we knew that God had prepared the way. We knew that this union was of God. It was so. We were at peace, spiritually, but there were natural laws that needed to be satisfied as well. We went to God in prayer once more. On Friday, May 10, 2013, we legalized our union and we are now husband and wife in the eyes of God and within societal law. When we reflected on God’s timing we immediately thought of the number for completeness—seven. Being a multiple of seven, 14 partakes of its importance and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection. While I am not professing to be perfect, I do believe that our union was created in God’s perfect timing and I am so thankful that we are both in a place to listen to and know God’s voice and to follow Him (John 10:3,4). I am overjoyed by what God has manifested in our lives in 14 days. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in the future and I can’t wait to hear what He has ordained for you. We are so blessed and pray that you are encouraged by our testimony that you will continue your journey to the icy deep, without fear of creatures or cold, to find the treasure God has waiting for you. Go ahead and walk on the water. Believe you can. It is so.  Continued Blessings & Boldness in Christ to you,
Veronica and Arnold Feaster 5/9/2013 0 Comments God is Able…  "God is Able" is truly all I can say about the 2013 Making WAVES, Women Achieving Victory Esteem & Spirituality, Retreat at Chateau Lanier in Gainesville, GA, April 26th-28th. When I say this I mean it with every fiber of my being. I saw the hand of God truly move and I surely cannot take credit for what we experienced that weekend. You know how you always hear that you experience the greatest attacks before the biggest victories, well I found this to be the absolute truth. From the onset of setting the date, I was attacked on every hand trying to bring this vision to fruition. You see, this Retreat was originally planned for May 26th - 29th, 2012. We had eight women to initially register, a deposit to secure the facility was made, but by April 28th, 2012 we only had five that wanted to attend. All of this was revealed on my birthday weekend. I had gone to Charlotte, NC to minister at a Sanctuary goes Mobile event and that weekend, all hell broke loose in The Sanctuary. I say this to shame the devil because he thought he had me and the work God was doing. You see some of the members that had attended faithfully made a choice to no longer attend. So when I returned from Charlotte, NC, I was forced to cancel. I tried to recover, but it was just not possible with loosing so many of the participants at one time. Thankfully, the owner of Chateau Lanier agreed to credit the deposit to a future date, but I wasn't sure if I was going to or wanted to reschedule. But, I am a person that believes in fulfilling obligations and commitments. It took several months to work through the pain and the feelings. I am not going to lie, I was all in my feelings. I was crushed, hurt, let down and disappointed. Words could not truly describe the depth of the pain. And this event was just another reminder that so many people were continually walking out of my life without so much as a word. I prayed and cried to God, had in-depth conversations with my husband and had many sessions with my spiritual life coach trying to work through the feelings. They encouraged me to continue to do the good work that God had started in me and to know that if God brought me to it, he would see me through it. By October 2012, I heard the Holy Spirit speak the date that I was supposed to reschedule, and the date was my birthday weekend, April 26th - 28th, 2013. After all the hell I went through the previous year, I was not feeling it. But I am in a place in my life that I am committed to being obedient to the leading of God. So I got out of my feelings and set the date. I still had five original participants to start with, but I eventually lost another and now I was down to four. For me to meet the budget of the home, I had to have a certain number and I was well below that number. So, I prayed as I do every Retreat. I covered and saturated the event with prayer. I saught God, asked Him for strength to do the work, I prayed for those who were committed and to those who would be committed. I prayed for women who would be receptive to what God was going to do that weekend. I prayed for every minor detail, down to the food and gifts. There was nothing that I did not ask God for direction. Well, as the New Year approached I had a few women express interest, but no deposits. The deadline for the first deposit was January 1, 2013, and I prayed harder. And on January 1, 2013, I was astonished at the women He brought into The Sanctuary to ride the WAVES and as the final payment deadline approached, the interest for the Retreat begin to increase and women were diligently trying to get the water. God had instructed me to gift and bless a few participants with the retreat or to discount the cost to make this experience more available to those who could not afford it. I am a firm believer in, just as much as you receive you are to give and that's what we did. Although, on paper it did not look wise, but I was dealing with a divine plan and I had to be obedient. And not only did He bring the women who were ready and prepared to get in the water, He lead me to session moderators that were ready to stir the waters. Everything was going so much better than the previous year and I realized that I was not doing it alone, God was with me every step of the way. But as that weekend approached. The enemy turned up the heat. He attacked my home straight in the pocket and attacked my person. I knew it was an all out attack to discourage me once again. But it did not work. I had a good work to complete and I had to trust that God is Able. He tried to attack the food and he thought he had us there..but nope… God is Able.  On Friday, April 26, 2013, 18 women, ages ranging from 19-65, converged on Chateau Lanier in Gainesville, GA. The presence and glory of God was undeniable from the onset. As each participant arrived you could feel the energy begin to increase. Some knew each other, but most did not. But you wouldn't have known it. The greetings and smiles that they gave each other was genuine and as we waited for each participant to arrive you could feel the anticipation and expectation. We opened the evening with the presentation of the WAVES pashminas. I personally presented each guest with words of love and my hopes for them and the tears and release flowed from me. To see what God did was amazing. And we then went into our opening session. Sheryl Merrit, author of "Dates with Jesus" set the stage with "Dates with Destiny" and the waters were stirred, and we were ready to get in. We then experienced, "It Really is about Hair", moderated by Giselle Dailey of Dailey & Company Hair Studio. She dealt with our esteem and how our hair really does effect our confidence and how we move about in the world. She gave us tips and knowledge that encouraged us. We ate dinner, and retired to our rooms to prepare for the next day. Saturday morning we were awakened with "All I want to do is Zum-Zum". LaTrina "LA" Sheffield, certified Zumba instructor got our blood going with an hour of high energy Zumba. This was one of the most memorable moments of the Retreat and then Tandra Turner of Marbelous Makeup and Fashion, gave us tips on how to enhance our natural beauty and we walked away feeling Marbelous. But after this we were ready "To Go Deep to Be Renewed", by Antoinette Chapman of Spa Sanctuary of Atlanta, Buckhead/Sanctuary at Your Door. We had 50 minutes of WAVES that not only massaged our natural woman but our spiritual woman, and Antoinette's surprise at the end of the massage had us walking away burdened free and ready to walk into the next level of His glory. It was time for our Victory Plan. This was the purpose of the Retreat. We spent time and resources to be victorious and that's what God had me deliver, "The Plan of Victory". We learned that it's important to write the plan, but not only write it but have faith, speak with confidence and do the work necessary to bring victory. Once we received the plan, the atmosphere shifted and it was time to "To Step in Already, Just Be". Coach Eddie Samuel of Goshen Group, Inc, lead everyone to the water and we all stepped in. The WAVES that we experienced changed lives forever. The release and healing that took place in that room was immediately apparent. You could see loads lifted. We burned and set fire to those things and watched them wash away. It was surely an experience many of us will never forget. I told those that would ask about the Retreat that a metamorphosis was going to take place. God had given me visions of those women going down into the stirred water heavy with burdens and problems and they would come up literally new creatures, radiant and vibrant. He showed me that a miraculous transformation would take place. God did just that. That Sunday, I witnessed first hand new creatures emerging from the cocoons. Butterflies were floating throughout that luxurious home. The radiance and glory of God permeated through their vessels. You could see the sisterhood and relationships that were developed. The conversations, pictures and hugs were in abundance and they were asking, "When is the next Retreat".  I live in authenticity and transparency and to be real honest, I went into this Retreat stating that this would be my last one. It drained every ounce of my being trying to bring this fruition as I fought with everything within me not to give up. That weekend changed that statement. That Friday, I was emotionally, physically, financially, and spiritually spent. By Sunday, I too was a new creature. God had restored me and brought 17 women to give me gifts, love, support and hold my arms up physically, financially, emotionally and spiritually. I saw the true power of God work through 17 amazing women. He showed His strength and power and blessed me more abundantly then I could have ever imagined, and He did a work through me, in my weakest time, that changed the lives of His most precious creatures, forever. God is Able. I encourage you reading this to stay tuned for details for our 2014 Fall Retreat. We have a Retreat Team that is on fire and it is composed of women that are committed to sharing with the world what God did in their lives that weekend in The Sanctuary. So stay tuned. If you thought 2013 we made WAVES…..2014 we are about to change your HISTORY! To view pictures from that generation changing weekend, visit here "Making WAVES Retreat".
The Sanctuary is honoring Lent with our Season of Giving and we believe in giving to worthy causes and this is a worthy cause. We all have family and friends that are victims of some form of cancer. We have seen the effects of this deadly disease. This Thursday we are featuring Quincy Pedew. A vibrant young man in the prime of his life, was diagnosed with cancer of the white blood cells in 2004 and due to many prayers and the advances of medical science Quincy is no longer a victim to this disease but a victor and he is giving back. We have personally seen God work a miracle in his life and it is an awesome testimony to the divine providence and power of God. Read more of his story of how he went "From Victim to Victor to Giving Back".  Quincy Pedew with wife, Princess Pedew and his three children Aaron 16, Quincy Jr. (QJ) 4 and Alexis 13 Like many of you, I have witnessed first hand the debilitating effects that leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma can have on those who suffer from these blood diseases and on the friends and family who care for and nurture their loved ones. In fact, leukemia still cause more deaths among children than any other cancer. I was born Quincy Nathaniel Pedew in Kannapolis, NC and I am the oldest child of Theo Wilkerson and James Pedew. I attended A. L. Brown High School where I was a standout football player. After high school, I was accepted to North Carolina Central University (NCCU) in Durham, NC. I played on the football team where I was the captain. In 2004 during my Senior year, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) which is a cancer of the white blood cells. For 6 years, I was able to live a normal life by taking Gleevec. Gleevec is used to treat a certain types of leukemia (blood cancer) such as Philadelphia chromosome positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Gleevec was tremendous in my progression in life. In addition to playing football at NCCU, I also coached football where I won a conference championship. In 2006 I left my alma mater and joined Shaw University’s football program winning back to back conference championships. However, in December 2009, my disease relapsed. In order for me to have a good quality of life, my oncologist Dr. Joseph Moore of Duke Medical Oncology recommended a stem cell transplant. Because I did not have a match in the bone marrow registry, I received an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant on July 21, 2010. My cells did not graft and after 28 days, I had to have a second stem cell transplant. This time Theo Wilkerson, my mom was my donor. After a few days, my cells began to graft. God worked a miracle through my mom. I have been in remission going on three years! I am thankful that I am back to doing what I love most, I am currently coaching high school football at Panther Creek High School in Cary NC. I am also the Director of Sales with Champion Sportswear and serve as Athlete Marketing Advisor for Champion Sports and Entertainment. Sports have always played a major part in my life. I am active in the community by participating and volunteering in service to different organizations. I serve as youth basketball coach and summer advisor with the Salvation Army Community Center, American Red Cross, Be the Match, Peace Missionary Baptist Church and Carolina Skills Academy. During my coaching career, I have maintained membership with American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Fellowship of Christian (FCA) Athletes and North Carolina High School Athletic Association. But my biggest accomplishment is being married to Princess Pedew and my three children Aaron 16, Alexis 13 and Quincy Jr. (QJ) 4. Now, I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to help the more than 1 million Americans who are living with blood cancers. Each year the NC Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society hosts the Man & Woman of the Year fundraising competition. This year I was nominated to campaign for the 2013 Man of the Year. The campaign will elapse over a ten week period beginning February 19, 2013 and ending May 2, 2013. Our team goal is to raise $100,000, which will go directly to LLS in support of its longstanding mission to find a cure for blood cancers and improve the quality of life for patients and their families. I am honored to be nominated as LLS provided resources to me and my family during those difficult months. With support, LLS can continue to fund critical research in the fight against blood cancers as well as provide outstanding patient services. If you know someone who has been touched by cancer please consider a gift in honor of that person. Blood cancers in particular know no boundaries, but you can join us in the fight for a cure. You can make a secure donation online by visiting my Leukemia & Lymphoma Society page at http://www.mwoy.org/pages/nc/triangle13/qpedew and click on the Donate button or by sending a check or money order by May 2, 2013. Please make payable to: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 401 Harrison Oaks Blvd., Suite 200, Cary, NC 27513 Memo: Quincy Pedew The Sanctuary encourages you to show your support to Quincy. Let's help him become Man of the Year, but most importantly lets help the next generation of children and adults that will be diagnosed with Blood Cancers! For more information visit: |
Testament is defined as proof or to bear witness. And on Thursdays in The Sanctuary we feature individuals who can "bear witnesses" to the power and divine providence of God in their lives. We hope that with their transparency of the trials and challenges that they have faced and
overcome inspires and encourage you. Archives
August 2013
CategoriesAll All That Glitters...You Know The Rest God Is Able Our Shade And Waterfall In The Middle Of The Desert Positioning Yourself To Receive Quincy Pedew: From Victim To Victor To Giving Back Thank You For The Water Truly Trusting In God Veronica Feaster: Riding The WAVES For 14 Days |
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