Phoebe Defined... I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a deacon in the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord as one who is worthy of honor among Gods people. Help her in whatever she needs, for she has been helpful to many, and especially to me. (Romans 16:1, 2 NLT) So what's this Phoebe thing all about? Phoebe was a noted female working along side the Apostle Paul. She proved to be trustworthy and instrumental in the early church. The early church suffered persecution at the hand of the Jewish people and Roman rule. Under harsh conditions Phoebe managed with others to do God's work; helping to save souls and take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world. Just like Phoebe of the early church, this Phoebe dares to bring the unadulterated gospel truth to all readers, with emphasis on women of all shades, types, ethnicities, social-economic, secular and non-secular backgrounds. This quarterly newsletter will prompt the reader to think introspectively and act externally. Topics of interest will include: world views, women's health, marriage and relationships, spirituality and the like.

The hard truth is that daily people are dying because of poor living conditions, being sold in the sex trade, ending marriage prematurely and suffering from mental illness. That list could go on, but we must breathe, and take every moment into consideration. We must be intentional with every step we take. We must be walking talking hope givers to the lost and this newsletter intends to equip you with tools to do that. We intend to keep Phoebe's legacy alive and remain relevant in a time where authenticity and reality rarely meet........and Purposeful Design for Women, which is dedicated to the topic discussed in this article, to be released in the fall 2014.

Phoebe Defined...... page1

Fifty Shades of Red

page 2The Open Doorpage 3 Whats That Mirror Saying?page 4

ThePhoebeApril 2015 Issue 3

50. The decision of sacrifice 49. The disruption of peace 47. The pain of separation 46. Acknowledgment of rejection 45. Acceptance of the lies to be told 44. A split from perfection 43. Disruption of the Trinity 42. He forsook foreknowledge 41. Acceptance of the assignment 40. Disembarkment from constant praise 39. The agreement to loose the battle to win the war 38. The demotion from Spirit to flesh 37. Choosing humanity over heaven 36. Allowing sin to embody sinlessness 35. Accepting below royalty standards 34. Humility for the sake of humanity 33. A denial of power 32. A temporary refugee 31. Refusal to blow His cover

30. Honoring of imperfect parents 29. The hiding of talents 28. The withholding of justice 27. The refusal to take revenge 26. Perfect timing personified 25. Refusal to let fear stagnate 24. Coolness in the face of chaos 23. Rescuer personified 22. Strength under control 21. Accepted the bumps of boyhood 20. Took on the peculiars of puberty 19. The awkwardness of teen hood 18. The pill of peer pressure 17. The brain power of God clothed in the deficiencies of man 16. Accepted the scrutiny of heretics 15. Dodged murder prematurely 14. Triumphed over temptation 13. Shamed by His comrades 12. Abandoned for a bag of change 11. Denied by those who knew Him 10. Beaten by those who were to be trusted 9. Disrobed in front of thousands

8. Stoned by traitors 7. Crowned with an array of thorns 6. Looked over for a murderer 5. Carried a cross for the burdens of the whole world 4. Remained silent when He could have said much 3. Explicitly accepted the nails that caused His physical death 2. Complete detachment from the Father 1. The blood that ran crimson bright; That blood that took the place of mine;That sweet, precious blood that ran deep; that blood that ran and was shed just for me!

THE BLOOD! THE BLOOD! THE BLOOD!

If you don't know or understand the ultimate sacrifice that was made for you on Calvary, I advise you to seek an understanding by diving into the life of Jesus Christ.

Christian Grey has nothing on Him!

*Biographies found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John

"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:

the Best yes is a dynamic read for the ultimate

people pleaser! If you find yourself overbooking your schedule more than you

find time to hear from God about what He wants, then this book is for you! We

must not confuse the command to love with the

disease to please. Lysa Terkeurst

Fifty Shades of RED

I believe that at the core of every heart there is a God- given purpose. I believe that every situation, challenge and experience is specifically designed to draw that heart toward its purpose. I believe that no one leaves here prematurely, and every purpose will be fulfilled, with or without our permission.

While this is my belief, it does not make the sting of its course any easier to handle. In my mind, Bishop left here way too early, but it was Gods plan, not mine. His untimely departure was abrupt and disruptive, like that snow shower that comes way after spring has sprung. You just arent ready for that. It catches you o guard. Youve put away your warmest coat and cleaned the salt o your boots, removing the sight and scent of winter, just to be smacked in the face with a brisk wind and a fresh layer of crunchy cold cotton candy under your feet.

Bishop was the real deal. A stand up kind of guy. A Jesus Freak in every good way. He loved his wife and kids, he prayed, he danced, he preached, he laughed, he travelled, he was about the cause; whatever it was at the moment! He was a loud and passionate man that did not waste an opportunity to bring the Light to a dying world. He was electric, just like his profession; able to charge and

energize with a word or deed. His work here was intentional and not a time do I remember his labor being in vain. He wanted the best for all and left here trying to make sure everyone had all he could give them.

Although, he has only been gone a short while, it seems like an eternity. His family and us friends are moving on without him, but its hard. It feels weird to move on without the electricity that we all were so used to before, whether we were close by him or felt him from a distance. Not too many days roll by without me thinking of his absence and how its impacting his widow and the rest. Its easy to move into anger, frustration, sadness and rage when we think that 50 plus years was way too short for such a man as he.

Why God, why God, why God now? Why stop the heart from beating, why stop the blood from flowing, why stop the exhale from turning into an inhale so soon? We may never know and we may never understand, but the answer is simple, yet so complex at the same time. His purpose was complete, we did not have a say. The choice was made before the beginning of time and regardless of how we feel its done and Bishop approved as well. It was untimely to us, but right on time for them. The partnership between he and His

Savior is not for us to question. They are walking hand in hand, fist bumping one another daily. He would not trade what he has now for a month of Sundays down here. The bitter taste that death leaves in our mouths is a sweet and savory treat on the other side. And one day we will all know and maybe even understand why God does what He does...maybe not?

Our job until then is to follow Bishops path whether you knew him or not. To cross every t and dot every i that spells out our purpose here on this side. Our permission is not sought after, but we do get the opportunity to arrive there the easy way through obedience or on the rough road, full of our own bad choices and decisions. We all will arrive at our ending mark whether we like it or not.

My belief is just that, my belief, you can take it or leave it, if you choose. Your purpose is waiting for you however, its ringing your doorbell right now, and my hope is that you use my belief, accepted or not to push your purpose door open, bust it down if you will. Find a way, make a way, buy a way if you must. Walk, skip, hop or run through that door with your head held high, just like my friend Reverend Everett Bailey did! "Rest my friend, rest, your purpose is now complete!"

THE OPEN DOOR FINDING YOUR GOD-GIVEN PURPOSE!

Rhonda C. White is the independently published author of the novel, Joshuas Coming, (amazon.com) an inspirational story of a Christian couples struggle with infertility and wounds from the past. This story is loosely based on the authors life. She is currently working on a book, entitled The Daddy Void, Discovering the Creative and Purposeful Design for Woman and another entitled, How to Change Your Husband in 30 Days. She is a devoted wife of 17 years and mother of a remarkable 8-year old daughter. She serves at Christian Life Center in Tinley Park, Illinois in the Childrens, Married Couples and Counseling Ministries. She works as an adjunct professor at Morton College and is a school district Physical Therapist. Contact the author for engagements at: rhondaw897@comcast.net.

Whats That Mirror Saying?

Its difficult to see who we really are when we

look in the mirror. Its not the mirrors fault,

although it may be cracked, stained,

blemished or fogged up.

As women we pride ourselves in checking out whats going on in the

mirror, but how often do we stop and look deeply

at what is going on behind the mirror of our

hearts? That would indicate our true selves and we are often scared

to look there.

Today we do a great job with covering up. We drape it, pull it in,

tuck in under and add to it so much that many of us really dont know who we truly are! We are

walking around as replicas of what God

intended us to be instead of the real thing! Again, its not the

mirrors fault, its not societys fault, its not

even momma and daddys fault.

Yes, IT happened; you were treated unfairly, mishandled, abused,

overlooked and abandoned, but until we

intentionally accept what we see in the mirror as real; until we see that we are the problem if we

continue to let the problem fester; we will never move forward and walk as the women that

God intended. Genesis 24 reminds us that He made man, but He fashioned women! We are His

design; the creative side of His creation!

So, if we look clearly and intentionally, the

mirror is saying, Go on with your beautiful self,

and be the real you. Gods design!!