the phoebe issue 2

8/10/2019 The Phoebe Issue 2

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Phoebe Defined...I commend to you our sister Phoebe, whoisa deacon

the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in theLord ason

who is worthy of honor among Gods people. Help her

whatevershe needs, for she has been helpfulto many,

and especially to me. (Romans 16:1, 2 NLT)

So what's thisPhoebe thing all about? Phoebe was a notefemale working alongside the Apostle Paul. She proved tobetrustworthy and instrumental in the early church. The e

church suffered persecutionat the hand of theJewish peoand Roman rule. Under harsh conditions Phoebe managedwithothers todo God'swork; helping to save souls and tathe Gospel ofJesus Christ to alost world. Just likePhoebeof the early church, this Phoebedares tobring theunadulterated gospel truthtoall readers, withemphasisowomen of all shades, types, ethnicities, social-economic,secular and non-secularbackgrounds. This quarterlynewsletter will prompt the readerto think introspectively aact externally. Topics of interestwill include: worldviews,women's health, marriage and relationships, spirituality anthe like.

Thehard truth is that daily people are dying because of poliving conditions, being soldinthe sex trade, endingmarriageprematurely andsufferingfrom mental illness. Tlist could go on,but we must breathe, and take everymoment intoconsideration. Wemust be intentional withevery stepwe take. We must bewalkingtalking hope givetothe lost and thisnewsletterintendstoequipyou with toto do that. We intend to keep Phoebe's legacyalive andremainrelevant in a timewhere authenticityand realityrarmeet........andPurposeful Design for Women,

which isdedicated to the topicdiscussed inthis article, tobe released inthe fall2014.

Phoebe Defined......

page1

Freed FromFatherlessness

page 2

That Happy Sad Place

page 3In Search of Sisterhood

page 4The

Phoebe

January 2015 Issue


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We have to fight ourselves

and win when it comes to

accepting who our fathers

were, who they are and

who they will be. They

may not have been there

for us. They may not bethere for us now or have

the capability to ever be

there for us in the future.

But our ability to let go of

the unmet expectations of

our fathers frees up space

within us to grow

differently. It avails to us

an opportunity to shift the

air in our atmospheres into

a place of peace,

awareness andconsciousness that we

were blocked from by

holding onto what we

thought our fathers should

have done. We don't have

to be bound by unmet

father expectations. We

don't have to live in a way

that is confined to the

space of "I am broken

because he was not all he

could be," but we have tomake that choice. It is

contingent on our ability

to move instead of our

ability to blame.

Forgiveness is an

of the will and the

can function rega

of the temperature

the heart.

Corrie Ten Boom

"I want my life to be a novel that

when the book is read, the

reader has one more thought of

Christ than they did before..."

Rhonda C. White

SuggestedReading:

Best read this year! Thebasic concept of the text isyou reap what you sow ineverything, including your

thought life! Easy tounderstand biblical

concepts that help thereader to think in a totallydifferent, but consistent

and Godly way. This bookis truly,The secret to a

Joy-filled Life.

Freed From Fatherlessness


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there such a thing

a happy sadace?

Written in 12-2013)

o the beginning of this

liday season has been

mber to say the least.

ith death, it is often

id that it comes in

rees. Well, I've found

yself crying out, "Lord,got my three, just let it

!" I have attended

ree funerals within 10

ys; one of which was

y paternal

andmothers. I find

yself wondering in the

idst of all of this, is

ere such a thing as appy sad place?

y grandmother was 98

ars old, just 10 days

y of her 99th birthday

hen she passed.

nd while 98 years is

enty enough to ask for,

e absence of life has

finitely caused a sting.ven with her suffering

om Alzheimers for

veral years and you

anting the misery of

at illness to go away,

u never want to see

yone go.

My father set a high bar

for any person of an

aging parent. Although

she had been in a nursing

home for almost 15

years, he rarely missed a

day of going to care for

her. And when I say care,

I mean, bathing,

brushing, clipping,

washing, feeding,walking, praying and

singing with her daily. I

think one of my biggest

concerns is the void that

will need to be filled in

his life now that she is

gone.

It makes no sense to be

happy in all of this. Thelives of the people that I

know who've lost a love

one, will be changed

forever. No more calls,

no more laughs, no more

meals or holidays with

the person they cherish.

But yet in the midst of

that pain, time stops forno man and the holidays

come upon us with a

much brisker force this

year. Memories, family

traditions and the good

times of the past are

bittersweet and now you

understand that life truly

is too short and nothing

should be taken for

granted.

My saving grace, in all

this? What makes me

chuckle even as my tears

roll down my face? What

makes my deep breathes

and sighs

worthwhile?.....it's therealization that one day it

will be my turn too. And

my prayer is that when

that time comes, that I

will have lived a life

worth mourning for. That

I did my work here on

earth, just like many

before me. That changes

the whole perspective forme. I don't have time to

mourn without purpose. I

must be diligent and

steadfast in the work that

I have been called to for

tomorrow nor the next is

promised and I refuse to

let the death angel catch

me in the middle of mymission. I must persevere

attempting to walk in

goodness all the days of

my life so that those who

walked before me in the

ways of The Lord might

be honored.

That is my happy sad

place. I am saddened by

the temporary loss, but I

rejoice in the eternal

peace that my

grandmother has with

her Savior and the

assurance that I will one

day obtain that same

peace. Until then I have

work to do and so doyou! How will you spend

the rest of your days?

Will you mourn your

losses or make a

monument out of them?

When you establish

monuments in your life

they are used to

remember, to reflect, but

most importantly theyshould move you to

action.On your mark;

Get set; Go!

"As for me, my life

has already been

poured out as an

offering to God. The

time of my death isnear. I have fought

the good fight, I have

finished the race,

and I have remained

faithful."

2 Timothy 4:6, 7 NLT

That Happy Sad PlacePeace in the Midst of Tragedy


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honda C. White is the self published author of herebut novel, Joshuas Coming, (amazon.com) anspirational story of a Christian couples struggleith infertility and wounds from the past. This storyloosely based on the authors life. She is

urrently working on a book, entitled The Daddyoid, Discovering the Creative and Purposefulesign for Woman. She is a devoted wife of 16 yearsnd mother of a remarkable 8-year old daughter.he serves at Christian Life Center in Tinley Park,inois in the Childrens, Married Couples andounseling Ministries. She works as an adjunctrofessor at Morton College and is a school districthysical Therapist.

at do you value most in a

er? Accountability,

alty and transparency are

a few values that seem

e important to most.

ers who value

ountability most, want

ple in their lives who

n with the highest truth

n when it may causem some detriment

ally. The truth hurts, but

still the truth. Others

ue loyalty most. These

ers want others to remain

heir corner regardless of

situation. It is important

hem to know,

egardless of if I am right

wrong, you have my

k."Its ride or die," for

m or you are out the

door! Lastly, there are sisters

who value transparency

most. They value

authenticity or people who

are able to show the real

person on the inside in every

situation. While all of these

values are important, what

you value most determines

what people stay in your lifethe longest and those you

will call sister in the end. I

recently celebrated my

twenty-fifth anniversary

with my line sisters. We

were very proud to

commemorate our 25 years

as a part of Delta Sigma

Theta. Sorority,

Incorporated. While we

laughed, cried and argued

just like old times, the whole

experience brought on a

plethora of emotions for my

sands and me. Some

relationships were

challenged and others were

restored and rejuvenated;

but any differences that

were revealed through this

reunion might have occurred

just because we valuedifferently. My prayer and

conviction is that we would

be intentional about making

the next 25 years different

and better than the first 25.

Personally I value

accountability most in

sisterhood and that does not

always feel good. In fact

sometimes it stings. But, if I

am ever to change, if I am

ever to be my best, I must

accept what those who

me have to say, so that

grow no matter how it

makes me feel. Ultim

it will make me better

bitter. Its vital for you

fight for those relation

that are important to y

That is the only way y

will seek and find truesisterhood.

21 D.E.E.P, I look forw

to continuing to grow

each of you, even whe

hurts!

Wounds from a sifriend are better many kisses fromenemy.Proverbs 27:6 NLT
http://amazon.com/http://amazon.com/

the phoebe issue 2

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