Experiencing Amazing Transformation
Welcome to the Experiencing Amazing Transformation Podcast, where we dive deep into the power of personal growth, spirituality, and the incredible journey of transformation with God. This podcast is a beacon of hope, designed to encourage and inspire individuals from all walks of life.
Join us as we explore the remarkable stories of ordinary people who have overcome extraordinary challenges through their unwavering faith and connection with the divine. Through their experiences, we discover that no matter what you're facing—be it hardships, doubts, or insecurities—there is a path to victory and a way to conquer any obstacle with God by your side.
Each episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the limitless potential that lies within. We bring you conversations with thought leaders, spiritual guides, and everyday heroes who share practical insights, tools, and strategies to help you navigate your own transformative journey.
Through honest discussions and heartfelt stories, we provide a safe space for self-reflection, growth, and empowerment. Our mission is to remind you that you are not alone and that your connection with God can empower you to rise above any circumstance, no matter how daunting it may seem.
So, if you're seeking inspiration, encouragement, and the unwavering belief that you can overcome anything with God's guidance, this podcast is for you. Join us on this transformative adventure and discover the amazing possibilities that await as you experience the profound transformation that is within your reach.
Experiencing Amazing Transformation
The Art of Forgiveness and Building Community Connections
Life's storms often bring unexpected lessons of resilience and empowerment, which we explore in an intimate conversation with Melissa. Through her stories, we uncover the essence of staying focused in the face of adversity, drawing parallels to Biblical figures like Peter to illustrate the perils of distraction. This episode is a testament to the strength found in spiritual nourishment and the candid discussions that pave the way for our children's future, teaching them to build upon our experiences with respect and intimacy.
Closing our heartfelt dialogue, we underscore the necessity of a safe haven for vulnerability—a place where church, counselors, and community converge to offer solace for those grappling with mental health challenges. Melissa leaves us with a potent reminder of the transformative impact of forgiveness, love, and dedicating time to one's spiritual well-being. Embark with us on this journey of faith and community, and let Melissa's story inspire you to forge a path of resilience and connection.
Facebook: Determined to be a Better Me
Facebook: Melissa Y. Mitchell
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Welcome back, dear listeners, to another electrifying chapter of Experiencing Amazing Transformation podcast. We're thrilled to have you join us as we embark on a brand new adventure through the realms of personal growth, extraordinary stories and profound insight. Get ready to be captivated by the extraordinary journeys of individuals who have undergone remarkable transformations, defying odds and pushing the boundaries of what's possible. So buckle up and prepare to be inspired as we delve into the exhilarating world of self-discovery and witness the power of change unfold before our very eyes. We are welcome back to experiencing amazing transformations, where the extraordinary becomes reality. We're here with Ms Melissa Mitchell. Hey, Ms Melissa, Welcome.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you for having me, thank you for allowing God to show you who to pick and call on, so it is an honor to be here with you on today.
Speaker 1:Oh, thanks, thanks. You're excited, so why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Speaker 2:I'm born and raised in Memphis, tennessee. I married my high school sweetheart in 2005, and we moved to St Ford in 2013. So I've been here for a nice little minute. I just joined the city grant and called Pastor Grant. He is our founder. And we have Pastor Darden a lady, shantae Darden as our pastor and first lady. So just enjoying life with husband, church words being who we are for the kind of God, just enjoying life.
Speaker 1:I love it In the midst of ups and downs. Okay, that's the real. That's real. That's real. So tell us first, Memphis, Tennessee, all the way to Shreveport how did that happen?
Speaker 2:My husband was working for a company called RGIS, which is an inventory company, so he got a promotion and then moved us to St Ford. I worked for UPS, so I transferred my position with UPS here to St Ford Awesome, yes, so it was a big move. It was a must needed move, because we a lot of times we need to move to growth and so to where we're not around the same environment.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So that move was most definitely amazing, and so it was crazy even in the midst of the transition, because he was here six months before I even came. So while I'm at home praying, god was like it's time for a job. This is a God move.
Speaker 1:Well, he was working, because they do inventory.
Speaker 2:That's where he met Bishop Grant and so his boss at the time told Bishop Grant was just Pastor Grant at the time he sings and during this time Pastor Grant was actually looking for a praise and worship leader. My husband has been praising worship leaders I want to say 14, 15 years old, leading worship at church. So Pastor Grant invited us. We went in joy and just been there ever since.
Speaker 2:Wow, it's been amazing to be up under such a phenomenal leadership that pushes you and you're able to grow, you're able to get fit and you're able to see yourself grow In the Word of God. You're able to see yourself be like wow. You sit back and you examine your life and you're like, wow, I really have grown. I'm the same person I used to be, and that's big, because a lot of times we think in our own mind, we think we're still the same Timid little girl, a little boy, but when you actually look and examine yourselves, you're not that person anymore. Your past is not who you are. Where you are now is like so much greater, and then there's even more growth to come. It's so amazing. So just allowing God to be who God is in our life so that we can mature in those areas Through our ways, mature and we always learning with those areas in our life that we have not truly matured. But then for the next level of life that God has taken us to, that's awesome.
Speaker 1:That takes a lot of growth and a lot of honesty with yourself to say that either I've grown or I haven't grown, or there's some areas I need to mature in. That takes a lot of guts. You know how many people walk around. A man's ways is writing his own eyes. We walk around. Oh, I don't need help with that, I'm good. So to say that you guys can sit back and look at yourself and say, hey, I've grown and then also say there are some areas that I can get better in. Have you always been like that, or is that just something being under that leadership?
Speaker 2:Actually, for me it started back at home in Memphis where, when I really got saved and got dozed in the God's Word, where I would, whatever I'm going through, I will look at the back of the Bible and find those scriptures to help me, and those scriptures they really speaks to me. I'll write them down and put a prayer with it. I have multiple journals from over the years that I have killed, even come to see what I still have right To just help me to be a better me, because I don't want to be beating myself up because those areas that I have not grown on, because we are our worst critics. I know for me, I am, I am too. I will beat myself up with you and got there yet or you still working on that right, and I have to learn that it takes time. I have to learn that what I'm facing, what you're going through, it's not going to happen overnight. You couldn't get in this overnight. So therefore, it takes time to overcome, it takes time to heal, it takes time to believe in yourself again.
Speaker 2:That takes time and so, within those process, reading the word, like I told you earlier, reading the word and actually believing the word for myself, because so many times we are read the word or we are hearing somebody's preaching and we are all omega-I, monotheistic. But they'll go great clerk so long. But you don't believe it for yourself. So therefore we have to God tells us, do not be conformed to this world. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind. So therefore I have to open God with new my mind. Allow me to receive your word for me and not for nobody else. This is me and you. So I need it to believe it for me.
Speaker 2:So that's where for me, that's where it started, because my husband is a PK kid. He loves PK kids. They read the word name. I be like, because I tell him all the time, I teach him all the time. I say I'll try and be ace like you. You read the word, you know they were like like babe. But of course that's not the answer. Because he's up and he has a study. He's up to 12 o'clock in the morning studying. He's put in the work. Therefore we have to put in the work. Then border God can do the work within us. Those big conversations, faith without work? Today I can have the faith but I don't put my work in it, I'm not going to see the fruit that I need to see. So I have to put in the work in order to be what God has called me to do, or what God has called me to be to help my princesses in Christ, perfectly said.
Speaker 1:I used to get teased all the time. I can't know the word, but you literally don't know the work that goes behind it. You don't know that I've been in the word since I was two, three years old. You don't know that the reason why I'm able I was able to speak when I was 14 was because the word was already in me and the word never stopped. That's my go to book. Everybody else I talk to other book readers and they're like oh, I've been reading, car, whatever. Nothing against those, but my go to is the word because God's word is life.
Speaker 2:It is a guide for life, and so for me to go to God's word to help me is important, because God said to imitate me, so I was supposed to be the light in a dark place. If I'm supposed to imitate God, I need to know what God's word says for me so I can be the light that God needs me to be, whatever I am, so I can be a better me. That's it, because we all have temptations. We all fall short of the healer mode, god, but my thing is okay. Where I am now is not where I used to be. This mindset of I want to be like God, that wasn't me. This mindset for me was what time are we going to the club? What time is the after flight up? Okay, what am I wearing? You that this? No, yeah, you know stuff like that. Being able to see the shelf within yourself is amazing, and being able to say I'm strengthening in this area and now I can help my brothers associate in Christ there's going through what I have went through so they don't have to go through all this other stuff, because that's what God tells us. Once you overcome that, you go a hill strength in your brethren, and that's what life is all about, one of the things that Bishop tells us all the time that in this life we can't do this like that. So I can't leave this life without you. This is in your life If you're strong and in that same area, I thought that me there strong, and so I'm ready to pull from you until I gain that strength and vice versa. Right, so therefore, that's even with those friends, those in our life, okay, I'll use strong in this area, so I'm going to tap in with what you have until I gain that strength so I can be mature to, I can be able to handle what life situations cause all the way.
Speaker 2:I don't think a lot of you realize that a lot of times, but we go through situations. We immediately stop life. Life's still going, but because I want to solve, almost stop doing for what I'm supposed to do. No, you still have people that you're leading. You still have people that look up to you that you only realize they look up to you in spite of what you want to do. You still have work to do. You don't know that person might need your touch, that person might need your smile, that person might need your inspirational word with every whatever they might need that day. You don't know, but because you fall through something, you want to stop. Yeah, I might be down and out, but I can't stop.
Speaker 1:I love that. I was talking to God yesterday and I was like Lord. I think I'm going to do a blog on tunnel vision. Give us tunnel vision. Yeah, if we just say that that's right, give us just knowing, because as long as we look to the left and we look to the right, we'll lose because we'll waver. We'll be like Peter walking on the water when he heard his homeboys that's how I talk about the Bible we just knew I am. When he heard them in the boat, I know they were talking about hey, that may not be, jesus, don't go. Hey, come back, you're going to fall in that water. And so he wavered because he got distracted. And for him to be right there at the tip of Jesus fingers and for Jesus to say oh, peter, little faith, was it not me that told you to come? Oh, and I saw Z, but I was distracted in the middle, I didn't know.
Speaker 2:I had to go through what I went through in order to get to Z. Think about it this way too. Who we had to go through Be this trick of the night faith of yes, yes, or did we allow our faith to waver, because sometimes it happens right, but once we actually see it and realize it. Okay, god, let me dust myself off and show me how to keep back on the right track so I can finish this race that you have in orange, because your race is not my race, my race is not your race. What we all want to say in race for the kingdom of God, we have to stay focused on what God has told us, so that way you don't get off track, god tells us. In His light, you shall have treasured relations. How do you handle it? Do you allow those travelers' tribulations, to stop you? Some reach your purpose, some reach your goals and likes what you gonna do.
Speaker 1:Okay, right, Because I think we read that part or we know that part, but we miss it when he says Count it all joy. Even myself, although I know the Word been in the Word no, god, that's my go-to I'm a little nervous, I'm scared. That's why I thank God for the Holy Spirit, because he reminds me Count it all joy when you fall into diverse limitations. Count it all joy, kim, it's gonna be okay, it will be okay. You will get through this and that's when you get into encouraging yourself. But that only comes when you stay in the Word we have to stay in the Word.
Speaker 2:This is daily feeding. We have to feed our spiritual man daily. I've learned that in His light, that as I feed my spiritual man daily, those fleshy desires will be in true slow. So therefore, we allow our spiritual man to arise and be strengthened, to be whole with God's. We're not in our flesh anymore as bad as we were. Of course, the flesh will still be there, but it's not as bad as it was before we got it. Before we got it, we were all in our flesh. Yeah, we're out here doing everything up on the sub. I don't got a topic, but I think that it's so important that we, as parents, open and honest with our children of what we went through so they don't go through what we went through because mom and daddy got a T-shirt for it. Mom and daddy, like mom and daddy, stuck out the window.
Speaker 1:I snuck the car too. I took the car to the other bottle. I braked as well, I sure did. I went to the grocery store. That's sad, but it's my truth. Y'all.
Speaker 2:I'm at the Kmart, it's being honest, though, and that's why it's so important to relay and talk to our children Look, mom and daddy did that. You ain't got to do that. We done enough for you to live a free life. We went through too much depression, stress, yes, yes, To even get you here. We don't want you to go through what we went through. What I prefer is that our children will see the love that we truly have for them to say hey, we don't want you to fall in our same clistils. I want you to be better than me. I want you to be me, but be better. That's my motto with everything. Don't be me.
Speaker 1:Be better than me. I wish it was that easy because, if I can be honest, I've always been open and transparent with my children. But as they've gotten older and I'm sitting back watching them and they're not struggling or doing what I did, because they're like oh, mom did that, mom said that's not a good idea, dad did that and we're not doing that. But then I see them struggling other areas that I never even experienced the temptation of marijuana smoking. I didn't have that.
Speaker 1:You should see how humble I am because I have to look at people. I look at them and I'm like when you get through it, tell me about it so I can help someone else, because that's something I never went through. And then I've also noticed how God will send people that have conquered that so they can pour into them in that area, because I'm like Lord. I know they call me green, I know they talked about me, but I don't know nothing about this. I need some help. Yeah, and God will send the right people and my deepest desire is that when people are around me, they feel comfortable enough to be transparent and honest. Where iron can truly sharpen iron and whatever I have in me, I can help, and whatever they have in them, they can help. And if it's something that my children need is a need for me too, I'm not so arrogant or honorary to say, oh, you going through that, that ain't going to help me, no, no, I don't know what my children might go through, so let me.
Speaker 1:What did you say? Right? What happened? Okay?
Speaker 2:The way that my husband was just my boyfriend at the time, the way that he looked at me those judgmental eyes. They're right there. Those are right for me Really. Yes, First, LS, those are right.
Speaker 1:Those are right Because I was like oh wow, Because he didn't understand it Of course, see, if PTA came he would understand it, but that helped me.
Speaker 2:The only thing that I heard the wind through was like every Friday I will leave work, go to gas station, give me a four-bed coolers, screwing out colds, yeah. Go home, get in my tub, put my rubber baths and just chill out and go to sleep. And this is one of the reasons why I don't drink now, because one cooler for me. I'm drunk, I don't take much at all, and I think it's one of those things learning about yourself to where you use email, your layer. You know what you can, you cannot do, and I tell my, I know, I tell my God child all the time. She calls me bougie. She called me her dad bougie, okay, she said, because I don't eat like this at all.
Speaker 2:Okay, but I push her so much as far as school wise, I've been telling she was a baby you lost in yourself to college. I just push her because I want her. I know that you can be great, I know you can be phenomenal in whatever you do, and so she's been a press release since she started school. It's just phenomenal and she sees it as me being hard on her. But no, I want you to live life so freely to her. When it's time for you to go to college, your mom, me or your godfather don't have to worry about come up for money for you to go to school, because you already got your college degree. You already got money to go to college. That's what I mean. You already got money. When I say she's smart, she is so smart, so smart, and it's one of those things where encouraging her to be the best purchase she could do.
Speaker 1:You're a good god mommy. You're going to be a wonderful mom Is he here, he will, he will. Yeah, I have all my money. I know it. I know it. That's how it happens, oh.
Speaker 2:And when that time come, I already know it's going to be amazing. Because the funny thing is that my mom, my husband, my mom over and I talked to mom and dad in Mitchell. They always come back. Granted, sometimes I say I'm going to call you. It was so funny the last week, the day the Mitchell said I don't think I'm going to never have no great kids because y'all always throwing stuff at the church, y'all never had no youth. I looked at my husband. I was like, wow, this is what we do, okay. And I have to say okay now, because my husband is very petty. This is where you get your pennies from this night and day, because when we talk to mom and daddy, we already know it should be petty times 10. Oh, wow, I'm grateful that I'm able to have that relationship with my mom and dad in Mitchell because it's amazing.
Speaker 2:A lot of people are looking at oh, those are my in-laws. No, they're not my in-laws. That's mom and daddy Mitchell. They don't do in-laws. I'm one of them and that's who they are because they have been there through thinking. Then They've been through trust relations with those and to help us, which is amazing to have a family that believes in the way that has created and being there to be there a spiritual guide is to be there for prayer, to be there to help in God is right in whatever aspect that we may be struggling with. And it's amazing to me because if I'm going through something, the Holy Spirit will tell mama Mitchell for what I'm going through. She will call me and say, daughter, let's pray. And I love that. But I have that connection with my mom, mitchell, that can say that, can be open and honest with her. Yeah, this is where I'm at, this is where my mind is at.
Speaker 2:It's so amazing to have a safe space in life with friends, family, and what is so amazing about that? You don't have to worry about it going full-danced and you'll have to worry about the person that's next to you know what you want to do, because if you didn't tell them, it's not a business. But having this safe place is all in phenomenal for me, just because in order for me to grow, I have to have a safe place. And I don't have a safe place, I can grow spiritually feet time because I'll feel stuck, because I don't have nobody to talk to. So therefore, I'll one grow because I'll shoot everything inside.
Speaker 2:But that's why it's in cord even for our kids to have a safe place. And of course, we're not our kids best friend. But you should always have an open door policy, because nowadays police should not kids getting taken, friends who are strongly free and feeling like kids, and there's so much going on in this world today that we want our kids to be free. We want our kids to be open and honest. Kids being bullied at school, kids chilling they self because they being bullied at school. So I want you to be open and honest with your parents.
Speaker 2:But what's going on in school? Don't feel like you can't talk to this, because we've been there but we thought we'd get the help that is needed so we can not go off to this. One of the things that's so important for me that I've learned that counseling plus God, because it goes for you to, because we need counseling, we also need God, but also need to see us. So there's another one with quantum counseling. There's nothing wrong with talking to our Lord and say about what's going on, and I'm most difficult once they have some of that's a regimen that's like a how to.
Speaker 1:That's exactly what we need, and I love the fact that you said earlier that you journal, because that, to me, that's my freedom as well. I believe in counseling, I believe in journaling, I believe in being free.
Speaker 2:Because, writing your journal, there's some things that you might not want, you might not feel comfortable talking to somebody too, but you don't have to go journal and talk to God about it. Right, and indeed after a chance, I think God will place a scripture with it. Right, like, are you able to dissect the thing to understand of what God truly means in his word, of how to come out of the storm there with AC? And so that's one of the things that's phenomenal to me about the word of God Is that he's there to help us. He's there to hold our hand and to guide us to. Of course, we have those here on earth. There's there to hold our hands, to walk through. But having that scripture follow those to help us and guide us through so much peace for me, because I know, for acting depend on what I feel like mentally.
Speaker 2:I might feel like can depend on this person today. You know what I'm saying. Yeah, I know I got to put on my guy on everything, so let me just go to my daddy and be like daddy, I need you Because the door ain't gathered today. That's how I talk to you. That's it. I need your help Because my thing is I'm talk to me like I'm five years old, so I can understand.
Speaker 2:A lot of times have been a daddy's girl, right. So I need my daddy got to talk to me so I can comprehend, so I can understand how to handle life, even as a little girl, because every day is not peace and tranquility. But I need my daddy to help me Because right now I'm not handling Israel mentally. People might not see it because I'm not acting on it, but mentally, god, I need you to help me with this, because I can't do this on my own and being open and honest with God or where we are isn't for it, because he knows all things right. So therefore, when we open and honest, he's able to send the help that is needed.
Speaker 1:I love it Because we need him. I know this is going back, but how did you know that your husband was your husband, being your high school sweetheart?
Speaker 2:So we went through. We've been through a lot. So what's crazy was that dad told me first that was my husband, and so we went through some things. We broke up multiple times, literally seriously. We broke up multiple times because of adultery, which is being honest, and because we wanted to get it right. We wanted to make sure it wasn't just for Because you're getting the views, and it was one of those things where God told me that he was in a very bad car accident where he had crack-free. He was real bad. He was in the hospital for a couple of days. It was real bad, and during that time I will go.
Speaker 2:What was crazy is we had broken up. He was dating somebody else and the girl was driving this car was in the accident. She had no license. At the townness of my heart I said, hey, I'll find those C-brides. You want to go with me? Were you all friends too? I don't know, but I know always been friends Okay, we'll always been friends. And she was like, yeah, I picked up, went to the hospital to see her, but even in that, we were still friends, even though God told me what he told me, I'm going to say maybe a year or two after his car accident. That was when he proposed, which was like out the blue for me.
Speaker 1:So wait. So you just stopped talking to the other girls. They just she couldn't handle the healing process of him.
Speaker 2:We never had a bad relationship, it was all. Maybe you broke up because of intimacy, because of that. I don't know if she was just because of our friendship. I already knew what God told me. So therefore it wasn't. I never had out against her or anything like that. I was just being a good friend of saying, hey, I'll find a girl, see him. Do you want to go with you? Because I knew she didn't have a car, she didn't have a license. So just look, I'm finding a C. You want to go with you? And that's just me just being at the curse of my heart. You don't have to do that. But this is who I am.
Speaker 2:Okay, you know what I'm saying, because I always, regardless if you're dating him, he's just out of respect for me. To me, this is respect. For example, if your husband is a mechanic, right, yeah, I'm not going to call your husband, I'm going to call you. So, me, this is respect To me too. Regardless of whoever he is, I don't call him, he's my best friend, right? If I've called my best friend and say, hey, I need your husband, you die a lot. She would say he called his number, but now I love you, but I'll call him you Right. Talk to your husband about that. For me that's show of respect. I respect your relationship and I don't think a lot of women understand that I'm not going to call. Why would I call another man? That's not my husband. I'm not falling in love.
Speaker 1:And we shouldn't do it. I feel the same way, although I believe that a lot of women and men don't understand it, because they feel the sense of entitlement and freedom is taken or that's a part of control, when the truth is it's just respect, it is respect, it's just respect and it's it lines us up with and not to say America's different, but it lines us up with God's word and with every other country, every other country. You're not going to see a woman talk to another man. That is downright respectful, disrespectful.
Speaker 1:If a single woman talks to a single man, they immediately think, oh hardlet, it is indecent to do that in every other country except for America, because we don't have a standard or we don't as a whole, as a culture, as a community, we don't hold ourselves at any standard, right, so it's just oh, girl, that's fine, you can tell me she can't call my phone. Wait a minute. Okay, there is a boundary and there is a standard of respect. I respect her and I would like the same respect. I love the fact that you do that, because I do the same thing. Yeah, it's basically.
Speaker 2:Dallas, what is respect? Yeah, I want the same respect, right? For example, if a young lady wanted to invite my husband somewhere for a beach, it would be more respect to call the wife in order to call the husband Because one unlikely, if you go to the husband, hey, would one like the husband say no or not even say anything to me about it and we won't even be there because you then go to the wife. So just just respect.
Speaker 1:It is respect.
Speaker 1:Or he might say just go to my wife In mind. It's just not getting done. I'm the leader, not to say it like that, but the wife normally does all of the moving. It's a strong woman behind every man. It's wise to go to the wife to make sure it gets done in the first place. A good husband or a good spouse, a good spouse is going to make sure they consult with the other anyway. So you may be asking him, but in my case he ain't gonna get done unless you ask me. Not saying he's lazy is just he might forget or he might go on the road or he might not have enough time to do it. So it's like to make sure it gets done. I have to.
Speaker 2:he has his honeydews, so in that order right, right, because my husband be like I got eggs to that out, but I know you go, I know you win. You don't want to go. So that's it, because we are going to be a hooker. Be there, who invited you? And even though you're top 10 people, you might be like, no, we're old.
Speaker 2:Because we have to be honest, we have our top 10. We have those that we talk about being open and honest with right. Then we have those that just shut down because you don't even know my life, like that and like even in the process I had to learn. So I'm going through this devotion of insecurities, right, yeah, and within that, I'm learning how to allow the walls that I have built are allowing God to tear those walls down, and I'm learning how not to have walls but to have gates, right, saying OK, god, show me who I can allow, enter into my gates. And so I have a top 10 people that is welcome to enter into my gates. If you're not those top 10, then there's a wrap for me, because I like to have fun, right, yeah, and I like to have my vulnerability, yeah, if I need to have a vulnerability moment, but I don't need to have a vulnerability moment around people that don't care about me.
Speaker 1:I teach that all the time. I love it. I love it. That's real. And I only have three. And I tell my, I tell my posse, you know how Jesus was? I teach him, yeah, jesus had his three, he had his 12 and he had his many followers. Man, that posse was the ones that was able to see him cry blood. Yeah, because out of fear, nobody wants to die. Everybody knows we have to die, but nobody wants to die. That grew some death, knowing that he only lived so many years, he only did so much, he was human. So he had his posse. He was like hey, come pray with me, you three. How come?
Speaker 2:And that's real because my circle is real, it's fabulous in my circle right, and so therefore it's. Y'all know the intimacy, part of being.
Speaker 2:Y'all know where I am and you know where my mind is at, and so, therefore, if I say something, it don't offend you, because you know I don't mean it like that, right? Because I had to learn how not to be so harsh, because I know my husband tells me all the time baby, you just say something, I'm happy to take it. But that was true, that was so true. But I had to learn how not to be so harsh and how to say what I need to say, but say it kindly. How did you learn that it's a time is more of getting more in the word of God and being and having a compassion heart, a loving heart, a forgiving heart, and really just saying okay, God, help me with my temper, help me with the words that I say, help me not to see it in the high pitched tone, not to why I'm yelling at some wives, to why, if I'm mad at them, help me not to show that I'm mad at them, but help them to be calm, cool, calm and cool. And it took time because I didn't go for my heart, so I got out real quick, but then it took time. Okay, god, help me, because a lot of times we build things up so much that we don't talk about it. It would keep allowing it to build to points where it explodes. So therefore, there's some grateful for my circle. I'm able to say this is how I'm feeling, this is what I'm going through. Okay, god help me. So therefore, I am not exploding, because a lot of times you will see a volcano and be looking like what just happened Because we haven't talked about what we're going through.
Speaker 2:We haven't had that safe place to where we can be open and honest and vulnerable, in that safe place To where there's always going to be transparency. But I'm not going to condemn you for the way you think. I'm not going to condemn you for what you said. I'm here to help you with our prayer about it so we can overcome it, because you have people that will condemn you for what you said. They will, every chance they get, they will try to bring it back up. If I can't talk to you, if you bring your stuff back up, look at what I've told you in private around people. That's not my safe place Because I'm just going to be shut down. I'm going to listen to whatever y'all got to say and tell them about our business and you will never know what's going on.
Speaker 1:And that, folks, is how you fall into a depression. Well, not having the safe place, yeah, it is Not being able to have a vulnerable group that you can go to. I was once there.
Speaker 2:Me too.
Speaker 1:It's real, yeah, and that's really good and good advice to give someone make sure you have a safe space.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is less needed, even for our kids, especially because they need it, because they go through pressure, and it's this day and time. It's so different from how we were raised. Yeah, yes, it is so different Because I'm an 80s baby and there are places on top of that. You have parents. You can't talk to my child being an 80s baby. The whole neighborhood looked after, everybody heeds, right. Yeah, the child did something. It was your neighbor's house built to whoop your child. Then you get high up and work.
Speaker 2:And you can live with your child and talk to them about it. It's a village. It takes a village to raise children. If I don't have a village to where I can just let my kids talk to my kids about life, that's an issue Because, honestly, in my day and our day, I don't remember hearing about kids suicide. I don't. It's bad that it is not remembered. I don't remember that at all. It might have happened, but I don't remember it. It's important that we have this same place, and I don't think our parents it would be. I think it would be a lot of tears to see the phone calls to other girls, for a lot of people are not ready Because it might bring back a lot of pain. So they'll.
Speaker 2:But the thing is, I've learned from my healing process. I need to talk about it so I can get out of the pain that I'm in. Like again, if I don't talk about it, yes, I'm going to be in depression, I'm going to be down, I'm going to have thoughts of suicide. So therefore, I need to talk about what I'm going through, right, because if I don't talk about it, I might hurt myself or hurt you too. So therefore, we need to be talked about and we need to have this safe place. Either it is the pastor, somebody in a church, a counselor, whomever but it needs to be a safe place. It's a place to where we feel comfortable and we don't have to hide, because I think us, as children of God, we have hid so much from the reality of what we're facing because, oh, the body of Christ don't do.
Speaker 2:But why you say that? We all hear that we all go through things, we all need help. That's the whole purpose of going to the church, right, because it's the church for sick people. We all going through something. It's going to be the same thing. We might not be physically sick in our body, but there's something in us that does die that God doesn't like. So therefore, we all are sick. So therefore, we have to go to God and say, and we'll give you all the full Heal me, save me from me, for this wretched woman that I am, save me from my evil thoughts, save me from my wicked ways. Right, because, god, I need you. I cannot go on without you. And having that safe place and having that person that you go and talk to this is where I am, because I need help. And going to God and telling God that you need help is amazing. It's amazing Because God sees that we need help.
Speaker 2:But until we actually say it and believe it for ourselves that we need help, we can't walk right out like we got it all together because we don't, but saying, hey, I need help. Vulnerable and vulnerable is real. We need to be vulnerable. We need to have this sacred place. We need to have the place where we can say this is where I am. We're just putting it all on the table. This is where I am, because without my circle, somebody might have what I need to help me get over the hell. You never know, and I know.
Speaker 2:I've always told my friends that, whatever you're going through, I can't get in the boat with you, but I can help you through it, because I might get in the boat but I'm not going to come out, but I'm not going to boat with you. Oh, we're going to pray about it and then, whatever God plays on my heart, to send you scriptures or whatever it may be, help lifting, what everybody be to help you to overcome these stages of life. And yeah, I'm going to do that, because what I'm going to do, I'm going to do something too, but I'm here to help you. She's going through it, regardless of what I'm going to do. I'm here to help you Because a lot of times, when we put ourself aside, god I'm, as he helped us.
Speaker 2:What we need, and I've learned that that is not life, is not about me, but is about health. It's about pleasing Him. So therefore, we, putting aside my own, whatever I got, going on to help somebody else, to pray for somebody else. Therefore, god is going to all make it felt. We for what I need, and he always comes for us. And there it is. It'd be amazing. It blows by my eyes.
Speaker 1:OK and feel it. It's hard for people that say, no, I'm just going to take care of my foe and no more. Or I've heard here within the last year and it blew me away and I didn't condemn, I didn't convict, didn't judge. God, just let me sit back and watch. In this season, god has me learning people and just watching people.
Speaker 1:And I remember saying this person was so mean and rude and disrespectful and they mistreated all these other people and one of the ladies that I was telling that to, she said it didn't affect me. So I saw what happened, but it didn't affect me, so it didn't bother me. And every asset of my mind went to how do you think that African Americans were able to vote? Or how do you think women were being able to have more rights? People spoke up for those that were hurting. People spoke up. But it also allowed me to realize everybody isn't there yet. They can go to church every day, they can cook for the church, they can, I mean, at this church 30 years and still have that same mindset because it's a heart issue.
Speaker 2:It's a lot of boys down too. What is in your heart that makes you think that what somebody else did, why is it that it didn't affect you? Because, being a child of God, it should affect you, but because you think like them and you act like them, it doesn't affect you. So therefore, with this whole we went through this whole trauma stuff right, you have more people, you have more racists. Come out for it, the people you would never thought that was racist and you, like it, opened your eyes. Right, because you're pretty much, you're saying that it's okay to call us to inward know that it's not okay because it's not who I am and so, therefore, because they looking at, oh, the president can do it, therefore I can do it, no, and he don't need to do it anyway Because somebody in higher authority, you think that it's okay, but God said that the government should be on his shoulder, that's it. So, therefore, the government is not the head, god is the head.
Speaker 2:So why are we not praying, asking God who to put in the White House? Why we not asking God who to choose? Because it's election time? Yes, god, show me, reveal to me who you want in office that will help this nation to grow. For you, it's not about who I want in the office, it's about God, who you want in the office. Therefore, we can be one nation, one unity under one umbrella for the kingdom of God.
Speaker 2:We're all chosen. We're all God's people, regardless of what color we are. If I cut my finger, if you put your finger, our blood is the same color. Therefore, if our blood is the same color, it may help. So, be course, we're all different. Ethics boys in your heart, because God looks at the heart. The word tells us God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. But God died for you and me. He love us just as much to die, but us, regardless of what color there we are. So why do you think it's OK for you to talk down Because I'm black and white? If God said I'm going to choose the African American and not choose the white, what if he chose? Why should I, if God knows it all right? Why do we think that we're truly Christians living for God? Why are we so eager to put down one another just because we have different colors of asking?
Speaker 2:It was best to not have a standard, and I was like those days we're not having a heart of God, because when we have a heart of God, we're able to love realities, what color they are. God is of what they're going through. Be able to see them the way God sees them, be able to love them the way God loves them. Because of that fact that I love you, god tells us to love one another, just as though it didn't fall to be love, right? So, because I want love, because I want compassion, because I want to have an open and vulnerable space, because I want it, I'm going to give that to you. I'm going to treat you the way I treat myself because I love this. So, the same love I give myself, I'm going to give it to you.
Speaker 2:One of the things I remember a long time ago I was going through something and I wasn't understanding why there is so much domestic violence in this world. And within that scripture, love your neighbor as you love yourself. And I ask, okay, god, if the woman or man that is in the preceptor relationship is causing the dews to ignite a little basal? Because if they love a self, they will be a reasonable person. They soak, they say they love. So that's how I look at the world, how I can help, how we can motivate other people to be more like God. God loves you. You say you love this person, so why do you want to love them the way you love ourselves? Therefore, you don't love yourself.
Speaker 2:So what is in you that's causing you not to love yourself? We haven't done a deep dive within ourselves. So what causes me to act this way? What causes me to respond this way? Why do I have a heart of Pharaoh towards certain things? It's all about self-reflection. If I'm truly supposed to be a Christian, I'm supposed to love God as people, the way I need to love God. When I say I want Christians, I need to love God. It's the way God will love them. This guy said before he put he was on the cross and said God forgive them. They don't know what they're doing. So God forgives them. They don't know what they're doing. They love you. Insight, oh, because it's a commandment for me. I know God's just an image. I'm not the person. No, that's good, because I love God just as much as I have to love you.
Speaker 1:No matter how you treat me, no matter what you say about me, no matter what happens, because I love God. I choose love as a choice, loving God and having a posture, a heart posture for God.
Speaker 2:That I got the choice yeah, a.
Speaker 2:God-pained love is amazing. It is Because you is one of the who never seem to love. If you don't know what love really looks like, I always can do this with God, because that's the love. What man do you know? They'll would die for us, for our sins. They'll put his life on the line for us. Knowing that we were a jagtail, knowing that we will be like, nah, I'm dead. In spite of all of this, in spite of the rejection, he still loves us. So, in spite of you hating me because I'm black, I'm white, I'm blue, I still have to love you and God still loves us. There's no other man on this planet they can love me the way God loves me. That is the best love that can ever exist.
Speaker 2:Sarah Shea has a son. She recorded years ago. It's called my boyfriend and for me, even in the process of me dating my husband him and God pretty much he was in a competition with God, because God is by everything. You can't go peep with God. I am good Because I know the man that loves me. I know the man that would cherish me. They'll hold me tight and never let me go, in spite of what I go through, in spite of what I have endured, in spite of what. I think that is the best type of love to have and God is so amazing because of the love that he cherished for us and that they reach, share that same love around this world. I believe it will be such a better place and there will be less domestic violence, there will be less suicide, less killing. But God, heal our heart. This word of war is a hard issue. We need God to heal our heart, dear.
Speaker 1:Ray.
Speaker 2:Because there are so many people that have endured pain, childhood pain and marriages right, and they don't know how to handle it. They don't know how to cope with it. Take the time to allow God to heal your wounds. Take time to allow God to show you where you are and how ears allow light. We need to be healed so we can be healed, so we can overcome those. For heal, because we never know how to heal. You never know how we need to heal in the next life and so once we overcome what we need to overcome, we're able to go straight to our brothers and sisters. We're able to go help our children.
Speaker 2:There are so many family curses around here, but who are we willing to break the family curse? We can't be scared because we don't want that on our children, but we need to break it and also in the process, joe Aguilera has had a break. So therefore they're not dealing with what. We know that you've got the enemy. They ain't going to keep us in bondage and we have small fights. We're not fighting against one another, we're just a spiritual battle in this life Big time.
Speaker 1:I'm going to go off of it. No, that was perfect. That was perfect. That was perfect, and I believe that a part of being transformed by God is by the renewing of our mind every day. We have to be in the right posture with our heart in order to have compassion, in order to understand the same grace, my God, there's the same grace that God gave you. You need that same grace for someone else. Yeah, the Bible tells us. If he won't forgive our sins, if we don't forgive those.
Speaker 1:So, even though we sit there and say that our Father prayer, the model prayer, we don't even know what we're saying, because we're quick to say, without compassion, oh, I just cut them off or I will abuse her, or I just slap her in the mouth. It's just, hey, is that how you want to be treated? Hey, you just. But you still want the same God we serve to do great things for you, but you want to physically do something to someone that he made. Also, did we really want to hear depart from me? I never knew you.
Speaker 1:You prayed every day, you gave, you fasted, you were encouraging the others, but forgave or your heart never changed. It never turned the way that God needed it to. If you had it, just let it turn just a little bit. Baby. To compassion yeah, I said. The grace among you, charity, yeah, ain't good for you, but that charity, where was your heart at when you did it? Well, who was your? Where was your heart at? You still didn't deal with that bully issue when you was a child. You never forgave him. It may have made you stronger, but you never let it go.
Speaker 2:And that brings on malice, yeah, because it brings on envy. Yes, it brings on jealousy. Oh, we got to think about it too. The forgiveness is for the next person, because also it's for us.
Speaker 1:We need it in order to be forgiven, and I've been seeing people don't get that. They just say incarnally. I hear people say forgiveness is not for the other person, it's for you. And wait, they just hear it as in oh, I need it so I can get better. No, you need it to live. You need it because, in order for God to forgive you, you need it. You need it to live. You need it to get to eternity, not what you can gain here on this earth. You need it because you need your father. We need our father to truly forgive us of every evil thought. We ain't perfect, every evil word, mean thing we've said to somebody, accidentally, meaningly or unmeaningly, knowingly or unknowingly, every offense that we've done. We need God to counter that. But in order for him to counter it, we really need to forgive. We really need it, or he won't do it for us. It's a principle.
Speaker 2:It is. God tells us that we have to forgive. Like you say, in order for him to forgive us, we have to forgive. If we don't forgive, then for that means, whatever I've done, whatever wrong I've done, god has not forgiven me now.
Speaker 1:And I just don't think people get it because I'm speaking to someone right now. I know it. I understand that you may have been molested. I understand that you may have been cheated on. I understand that those people at your job mistreated you or mishandled you. I understand it. But I'm here to tell you, if you do not forgive them, you will not be set free. You will not. God needs you to grow through that, not just go through it. He needs you to grow through it, but he needs you to say it's okay. I promise you, when Judas betrayed Jesus, I promise you one of the people that he was talking about when he said forgive them, father, for they know not what they do. He knew he was also talking about Judas.
Speaker 1:The best thing about a rose to me is seeing how the thorns are so prickly. It's like how could something beautiful grow out of that Sweet that is such a beautiful and it's probably the most given flower that's given in the world but it has thorns on it because it had to go and grow through those thorns in order to become beautiful. Thank you, holy Spirit. You have to grow through those things in order to become beautiful. Well, so it's not. We're not saying being mistreated is okay, no, but we're saying growing through it is okay, you will be okay. You have to forgive. That's where your healing comes from, that's where your deliverance come from, that's where generation curses are broken, come from you simply saying that happened to me, but I forgive them.
Speaker 2:And even in forgiving them. Even in the midst of what you're calling through, god tells us to cast all of our cares upon him because he cares for us. And so, therefore, in the midst of the storm, telling God this is how I'm feeling, this is what my mind is. I said, this is how I feel about these people. I'm working with Casting all of your cares upon him because he cares for us, so he could help you through those storms. He could help you through how to handle bullying and L word, help you through how to handle the balls talking negative balls cursing L word right. So therefore, you can overcome this. And you don't know, if you don't speak up now, if you don't do that now, you don't know the next person might get targeted. And you don't know that next person that might get targeted might be the person that come and just go crazy, and nobody will be a word. You ain't lying. We all will be at a friend's you, right, right, yeah. This is why we have to fast and lay aside on, slay aside the plate. That's for our own, for our jobs, for those that are attacking us.
Speaker 2:God tells us that we should pray for our enemies. Therefore, take the time to call the name out before God, to pray for them, because we don't know what they're going through. We don't know. All we know is they are taking us and I don't understand why they are taking us. And a lot of times we're like okay, god, what did I do wrong? Why is this happening to me? Well, it's not even us. It could be something that's triggered within me that they don't think they might know. They might not know, but pray about it and I kid you not. When you pray about it, god will show it to you. I know for me. I had to learn because I was squandered on the jobs. I had to learn. Okay, god, allow me to see exactly what's going on behind the scenes. I'll see myself hiding the next person. Okay, I see you for the bully that you are on the job. Okay, and God showed me how to remove her, but you don't have to respond.
Speaker 1:That's literally my thing.
Speaker 2:I don't even know what I do and when I'm done it ain't no sitting talking mingling. I had somebody on the job and said hey Melissa, how come you don't stay in top? I don't call it make-believes. I come do a job Now. If friends come about, that's that come about. But in that I come do a job and I always. We ain't got time for the backstabbers to act, I don't have time for the back-back support and that's what.
Speaker 2:I'm coming into, I'm coming to you and God to be the little me, to be the cherished me, because you don't love and cherish me. If you love and cherish me, you won't treat me the way you treat me. So therefore, I see you. So you won At the end, as God showed you, revealed to you who they are at the end, studied those scriptures, how to handle them in the process, because everybody is different, right, trust me, your enemy, they'll learn how to back-back.
Speaker 2:They'll come out, come and say to which end did you weigh your speck? Say what, but what is going on? What, the where is it? They come be, want to say hey, hi to you, try to get to know you, but what, what? Just come on. But because of the fact that you've prayed, but now you're still being mindful of what has inspired, so now it's okay. God, we'll say modus, why they being, why they trying to be nice to me? He'll be understanding what I'm saying. Still pray until whatever animosity, whatever they had against you fall, because you will see the difference and walking into the workplace you will know you're most of it. When you go into the parking lot, you will feel the difference because you have been praying. It's a process. It is.
Speaker 2:It's not a three day process, it might be a 21 day process or six months process that tells us to pray, keep knocking, right, you keep knocking to the door is answered and don't give up until the door is answered, and this with everything like where we're facing right, we keep knocking to. God answered the door, but don't give up. Give up is not an option.
Speaker 1:That's right, because the just man fall seven times. That means giving up is not an option, just dust yourself out that keep going to work.
Speaker 2:The thing is so, check this out. We're so eager, we still go to work, even though the boss acting funny, employees acting funny, we want to give up the church. They quit. You just say the just man fall seven times. You right, but that first time just man fall, we want to go to church. That's true. He was a church, not perfect even, that's true. They still learning, we all still learning, that's true. This ain't why we're right. Yeah, so if we're still going to the job to get our benefits, our paycheck, whatever it may be, why won't you go from the church?
Speaker 1:Because what is it benefiting us? Salvation.
Speaker 2:I can get that at home. We start the same. How do you know? Been a, done it. So let me tell. You have to tell the story. So let me tell you In the pandemic I ain't alive, I'm taking back.
Speaker 2:I didn't get saved in the church. I guess I did that, but I don't mean, do tell. I woke up in the middle of the night speaking in tongues. I was dealing with saving me. I got saved.
Speaker 2:The house it wasn't at the church, and so within the pandemic, I was cool being at the house. I was so comfortable being at home Watching service to the streams. But is one of those things where you said earlier I am shopping. Yes, and it's different when you are at service with your brothers at such a price because you're able to be strengthened. Because the same strength that I need I can't get at the house, but I can get when I go to the church. Either it's through the word, through Sunday school, a conversation, right, get that strength that I need to keep going.
Speaker 2:I can't be a bedside. Beth is all my life. This needs to go to church. I need to walk even though we are the church, but I need a physical body to help me to be strengthening for the body of Christ even more of what I'm going through or what I'm facing. So for me, that's why it's important to go to the church. Yeah, we get church at home, but it's at the same. Yeah, we can worship at home. Yes, we can most definitely do that. Yes, the whole spirit can come. We can have a Bible at the house. Yes, all of that can happen. Being a doner, I enjoy every bit of it. But when it comes to the time when I am feeling depressed, I am feeling the sleepiness. I need the church, I need the body, because there's many members in one body. What you need, I might need. What I need, you might need. But we don't know that we need each other until we hold one another and it's like a real lease.
Speaker 1:It was good.
Speaker 2:That was good.
Speaker 1:It was good for people that are naysayers or say they don't have to go back to the church. Good church people. Hurt church people.
Speaker 2:You know what we?
Speaker 1:just don't realize that same grace. I'm going to say it again, that you're asking God for the same grace you have to give.
Speaker 2:I don't know why I always thought hurt people, hurt people they do, because, regardless in church or out of church, you've hurt, so you want to hurt somebody else. Yep.
Speaker 1:And that's real. The truth of the matter is it takes us right on back to forgiveness, because they haven't forgiven.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and we have to learn how to forgive ourselves too. Yeah, because we beat ourselves up and we take. I suggest that we take time to have a meeting without any kids. Spouse, take time and just have a me day to find who you are again, to forgive yourself, enjoy yourself. I love date, date Me myself and I Maybe. So I'm going to get my nails done, get my feet done and go to my favorite spot broken egg and have a good lobster breakfast. Oh, that's a nice date. Yeah, that's a nice date. It was on good old coffee.
Speaker 1:I was kicked up on the floor, not the coffee, jesus, some of us need that caffeine.
Speaker 2:Good old cup of coffee. I might have two cups of coffee, depending on how you're sitting there, but is that date day where you're able to see, you're able to think, you're able to reach and take that time out for you, because we all need that. We all need it without the noise, without the kids, without the husband, and we all need that to regroup the best thing for me. I love to regroup those days when my husband at work. I see that as an hour vacation for my husband. So, therefore, when we come back together, is we being refreshed? We're not overwhelmed by whatever has happened the day before or early in the morning. We're refreshed, we're rejuvenated because we've had time apart, even though he works from home.
Speaker 2:On certain days I see him, but I don't see him Because you at work. I'm going to let you be at work and I see you at work Because I want to be refreshed from my husband, because when my husband at work, it's all day full. I didn't deal with whatever I needed to do because he at work. I've been doing that for 18 years. That is a model for me. You just picked that up.
Speaker 1:You just decided to do that, or how did you pick that up?
Speaker 2:I like me time. I love me, some me time. I ain't gonna lie, I ain't got to go out and hang out with the girls I love me, my self and I. If it was just me on the planet, I'm cool, I'll just be a alonist.
Speaker 1:I love it. I just told them the other day. I said if I could just live in a tree house by myself, I'm good.
Speaker 2:But I had to understand how to have me time, because they could be just me in my city area, reading a book, having a piece of mine for me, nothing without anything being a distraction, to help me to stay focused on what I need to do for me. I'm not worried about my husband's business. I'm not worried about what I need to cook for Delna. I'm worried about me because my mindset, my health, my spiritual well-being, my mentalness is important to me. Because you can't make me whole, we need to come whole together to be one. So therefore we're called part with each other. You know what you gotta do. I'm gonna do what I gotta do. So we come back together, we do. Our whole family is whole together and we're not lacking nothing. I ain't gonna be in front of my whole family for a second. That's how I be. I'm cool with him. I enjoy the love that he has for God, the time that he takes out to study, to prepare for his podcast. I love all of it because it shows me discipline.
Speaker 2:You're the head of the household, so you got to be by example in order for me to be able to be the help me, the student through and through the business. So therefore, you're leaving by example, things that I need to do, goals that I want to achieve. I can now achieve, filled, because I have helped you to get to where you need to go, where you need to be, so now I can focus on me. So then, eight hours, I call the center on me, on my goals, on what I want to achieve. So there was a moment where I stopped doing what I needed to do to help it Because I was a wifey doofing. Here I am. But the thing is, once they find they so and know what it is they want to do to be the head of the household the day that God has called them to be now we're good. Now I can go do what I need to do to better me. So that way, give both good. You have your entrepreneurship, I have my entrepreneurial, and we do it.
Speaker 1:That's perfect. That's good advice too. Tell me a little bit about your nonprofit.
Speaker 2:The time to be a fan of me. Pretty much motivation, mentally, physically and my main focus has been working on the fitness part of it, but also adding the spiritual side of it. Because, if I am, my favorite, scripture is cast all of my cares up on him because he cares for us, right? If I'm not casting my cares on God, I'm eating the foods that all needs to be eating, I'm talking the way all needs to be talking, I'm drinking what all needs to be drinking and I'm not taking care of me Because I have not cast all of my cares upon him. Because I used to be an emotional eater to where I would eat my fillings Big time. I had to learn discipline. I had to learn how to motivate myself. I had to learn how to journal. I had always been there, but I had to learn how to talk out my fillings. But my first aspect was talking about my feelings to God in order to get to where I am now. So that's what the church of it is, because I want people to be better than it was yesterday. I'm just here to motivate, because I don't want you to be stuck. I know that my season in your life is not going to always be there, but I know I've done my part Me doing my part, hey, I'm good, I have motivated you. So, therefore, now you know what it is you want to do to help you so you don't go backwards but you can be uplifting mentally, because a lot of times, the weight gain causes us to be drained, it causes us to be fidgety, have a lack of confidence, it causes us not to see the way they'll need to see it Because, again, we don't see our set as we bring the word. We don't see that about us because we look at how we looked because of the weight gain. And so, therefore, we have to change our mindset. We have to see our set of the weight-go-high sequence and we have to speak that over our line daily and we have to work it out.
Speaker 2:Working out is a stressful era for me. It's the best stressful lever for me. Oh my God. It's one of those things where you, we have a rough day and go out to the gym or work at home, you feel like you lost 20 pounds just in one day. I might be a judge waiting, but you get what I'm saying, I do, and it's like the weight has been lifted off from that day because you're able to talk to God about why you're working. Now You're able to listen to your word. Right, just be free. Yeah, but in yourself, knowing that I'm not who I used to be, but I'm better than where I was always. I'm not who I used to be mentally, but I'm better than what I was. And that's what the time is about me is all about.
Speaker 2:It's just uplifting and helping people to see who they really are and what I'm buying a process of working on their fitness, on their spiritual life. Can I cheer on you Because you're working out and your spiritual life go hand in hand. If I don't read my word, I ain't worked out. So they go hand in hand. I gotta read my word so I can work out. I'm not growing if I ain't worked out. Hey God, what got my own salvation right? The word of the hill is to the city. Therefore, I have to work on my fitness too. It goes hand in hand, I agree. It's just the motivations I'm just here to motivate.
Speaker 2:How does it work? What do you do? I use my own life as a testimonial. Okay, my biggest weight was close to 400. There was a moment in my life where I went to OBGYN and they said you're not ovulating because you're obese. In 2007, I went and did a gastric sleeve chest and said the PIMS in over form 200. No, no, that was close to 200 pants. It's like 180. We're ovulating, we get pregnant, but they were losing the baby Depression I ended up gaining.
Speaker 2:I ended up gaining 60 pounds. I never lose that bag. Then I ended up gaining a school and it's more of understanding your body and understanding how we need that safe place, because at that time I didn't have a safe place so therefore I didn't pick up through all of this. I didn't pick up all of that. Head was all over the. So now I'm at a point where I'm starting all over to get the weight that I've gained cause now that I have a safe place.
Speaker 2:So that's how I use it as a life, for a testimonial, because we all go to things. We don't know if people would live with a houndrel without being through right. We don't know how to say it, but just say it and those that would grab it will grab it. If it's just one that understood what I say it to help them build, that's good enough for me, because we all go to child tribulations. But how are you going to help yourself in order to help the next person? Cause we don't know what woman or what man built. They got one of us to pour into, then score through something we don't know until we talk about it and they say man, I was going through that, you just helped me. So that's what it's all about. I love that. So transparency.
Speaker 1:How do you know? I'm all for that. So how do people find you? How do they connect with you?
Speaker 2:So I am on Facebook. It's a wide Mitchell and I have a private group page for this. Her. That me on Facebook and then on Instagram. I am determined to better me.
Speaker 1:Okay, awesome, and we'll put all that in the links below when you guys watch this and listen to. This has been so inspiring. You have said so many encouraging things. What is one thing you want the listeners to take away? Don't?
Speaker 2:give up on you. But, guys, what's your face? What's your couple? Never give up on you. It might take some time, but don't give up. You will go through child simulation, but don't give up. That's the biggest thing. Never give up.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you. Thank you for your transparency, thank you for your vulnerability, thank you Because I know this is going to help more than one person. I know it is helping us so to be motivated not to give up and not to quit in the middle of the fight, knowing that this thing isn't physical anyway, it's spiritual. It's so important to be able to take that away, not to give up and not to give up on ourselves. I've enjoyed this and I hope you come back and have some more wisdom and nuggets.
Speaker 2:I'll be glad to.
Speaker 1:You're so amazing and we'll definitely connect with your private page on Facebook and your Instagram. Yes, determined to be a better me, because every day that's what we strive to be. It's a better me. I've never done this before, but would you like to pray? Sure.
Speaker 2:Father.
Speaker 2:We come before you even now, O God, we come down to say thank you, father. We thank you, o God, for your love, for your grace and for your mercy. O God, father, I come before you even now, god, I pray, o God, for every relationship you are with God. I pray even now, god, I'm impressed as a watching God. I pray whatever their faith seems. Even now, god, I pray, o God, as you give them peace. I pray even now, o God, that they will cast all their cares upon you because you carried for them, o God, I pray even now that they will lease, o God, to every spirit of anxiety. God, every spirit of fear. Even now, god, in the name of Jesus, o God, I come before you even now, god, I pray, o Father, god, for your love, for your grace and for your peace to fall fresh upon them like never before. God. But, lord, god, I pray even now that, as you breathe upon us again, o God, we need your anointing. O God, to handle trust, relations. God, to handle life, o God, we need you, father. We cannot walk in this world without you, o God, I pray even now, god, those that are hurting, o God, I pray even now that you let them know that you are there with your arms open wide to receive them, god, that you are there to help them. O God, heal the brokenhearted. O God, heal the confused mind. Even now, god, in the name of Jesus, lord, god, I cover them upon your blood. Even now, Father, no whipping God from the gifts, and shall be able to prosper, o God. And I pray even now, o God, even as you heal them, o God, I pray, o Father, show quiet your spirit upon them, god, I pray even now, o God, they will follow their needs, o God, and seek you daily. O God, I come before you even now, o God.
Speaker 2:Other than those, o God, they want to get to know you, god, those that are lost, o God, I pray even now, o God, that they turn their wicked ways and seek you daily, god, I pray they will follow their needs and ask what must I do to be saved? O God, I pray for salvation on today, god, I pray even now, god, for no one on the mind. On today, god, I pray, god, for no one on the heart. On today, o God, I pray even now, o God, that you will save us from us. O God, you will save us from our wicked ways, god. You will save us from our wicked thoughts even now, god, look, and I pray even now, o God, that you will show us back to you. God, you are our first love. God, look, when you sit with us, o God, we'll say our mothers will be ruined by them.
Speaker 2:So I pray even now, o God, that you show those, god, who not know, O God, the next they need to take, o God, they don't know their purpose in life. God, let them know. Remind them, god, that you know them, remind them who they are in you, god. Show them their purpose for your glory, god. I pray even now, o God, that you touch, o God, our youth, O God, touch our young adults even now, god, even the name of Jesus. I cover them up under your blood even now.
Speaker 2:But I pray even now, that you will show them, o God, what they have been hurt, what they have been abused, misunderstood. O God, give them the strength that they need. God, show them how to handle life, show them how to handle every storm that come, O God, because there's greater than this inside of them, o God. Yet they are higher, o God, because of you, god. They are knotted because of you, Father. So I thank you even now, god, for this time.
Speaker 2:God, I thank you even now, god, for what you are doing. God, and I pray even as you will bless Kimberly and her daughter, even now, god. I thank you, father, God, for experiencing transformation, o God. I thank you, o God, for what you are doing in this time and in this season in your life. Lord, god, I pray that you will know their hands. I pray that you will know every day.
Speaker 2:Touch God that it will manifest for your glory. I pray that you will bless this podcast, eat podcasts like never before and allow it to explode, god. I pray even now, o God, that you will go around nations. God, I pray even now that you will blow that model, what you are going to do in them and through them. God, through this podcast, god, I pray, o God, that souls will be saved. God, their hearts will be renewed because of this podcast. O God, do like never before God. Open up doors, god. Open up the windows of heaven. Put out a blessing of light never before God. We love you, God and we adore you, god. We bless your holy name, father, and the name of Jesus. We pray amen.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you for taking the time to listen and what an amazing time that we've had today. I pray this blessed you and continue to encourage you and keep you transforming every single day by the renewing of your mind. God bless, and have a fantastic week. Bye.
