Shine the Light on Johnette Scott (Heart of a Servant)

 

Shine the Light

On

Johnette Scott

(The Heart of a Servant)

 

     When I think about the influential women I’ve crossed paths with in my life, my mind immediately lands on Johnette. For those who know her, you know exactly why she came up as a woman worthy of having a spotlight shined on her for everything she is and does. Johnette is a servant in the Kingdom of God and the world. Not only does she serve in multiple ways within the Church, but she diligently reaches out to the lost and dying world through her love and servitude. The Church needs more women like her, and for the younger women and girls reading this blog, seek her out, find her, watch her, and mimic her attitude towards God and others. She has the Heart of a Servant!

     I met Johnette in 1996 at Escatawpa Assembly of God. During Sunday morning service, Johnette and her husband, Marshall, ministered to the children too young for Children’s Church. My eldest was nearly four at the time, so I encountered her bright, bubbly personality every Sunday when I dropped Brooklyn off for her class and when I picked her up. Johnette was warm and welcoming, not only to my daughter but to me as well. It wasn’t long before the handshakes became hugs.

     Around 2002 Marshall and Johnette started an outreach ministry to the homeless. They invited us to join them in reaching out to those considered undesirable by so many. This godly woman would get up early on Sunday morning and cook a big meal before driving forty-five minutes to church. She put the food in the church’s refrigerator and then ministered to children being bused in from all around. After giving of herself for a couple of hours (loving on children and teaching them the Word of God), she would load the food in her vehicle and drive to a church building in the next town over. Then she would get in the kitchen and heat all the food up while we waited on the men to get back with the homeless people. Once they arrived we all ate and fellowshipped with the homeless before having service and ministering the Word. This amazing woman would wrap her arms around the men and women coming in and LOVE them with a love only God can give a person. It didn’t matter who they were or where they’d been. It didn’t matter how long it’d been since they had a bath. She simply LOVED them! After Marshall ministered the Word, we had desert, coffee, and more fellowship with them, and once the men left to take them back to their camp, Johnette was in the kitchen cleaning up the mess from the day. You’d think she’d go home and take a nap after that, but nope! She headed back to her church for Sunday night service where she finally got to sit down and be ministered to for the day. This went on for nearly a year, and during that time I watched and learned from the best on how to have the heart of a servant.

     Matthew 23:11, “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.” This scripture is a perfect example of why Johnette is one of the greatest among the women of God I’ve ever known.

 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

 

Pinky

Shine the Light on Faith Patterson (Courageous Warrior)

 

Shine the Light

On

Faith Patterson

(Courageous Warrior)

     My friend Faith is a true warrior, a Courageous Warrior. Most women are unable to face the things she’s faced in life and come out victorious over it all, but Faith is an unstoppable force, and one of the most amazing things about her is…at the end of the day, when the battle has finally died down, she retreats back to her home to inspect her wounds, wincing as she cleans out the gashes left by the enemy of her soul. Binding the lacerations left by Satan’s sword of words, she laughs at his attempt to slay her. Joy radiates through her laughter, as a bright smile stretches across her face. Not only does she keep winning victory after victory, but she comes out of the war with a smile on her face, dancing the victory dance!

     Psalm 31:24, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.”

     I was introduced to Faith, a young, beautiful redhead, around 1997 and felt an instantaneous bond with her. Most of the time the person you “see” at church is not the person who find when you visit their home, and the same turned out to be true of Faith. At church I witnessed a meek, quiet, gentle soul, and then I got to see the real Faith, a young woman full of courage, a warrior stepping through the gates of Hell on a daily basis. She demonstrated true courage each day as she chose to live for God and stand against the demonic forces assaulting her. She never backed down, and she made her “Hope” in the Lord evident when she gave that name to her precious daughter.

     2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

     Faith, God made you a Courageous Warrior, and I believe 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 explains why. Not only are you able to teach and train others like yourself to fight the good fight of faith, but you can comfort those trapped in the web of lies associated with domestic violence. I’m so proud to call you my friend

 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

 

Pinky

Shine the Light on Ann Bonnett (An Overflowing Cornucopia)

 

Shine the Light

On

Ann Bonnett

(An Overflowing Cornucopia)

     Ann Bonnett has been a significant part of my life since I was seven years old when I met her daughters at school. They quickly became my best friends, and by the time I was eight, I spent more time at their home than I did my own. Ann has always been a mom to me. She taught me how to swim. We won’t talk about how I nearly drowned in the process! J She introduced me to Cookie Crisp cereal. All we had at my house was Corn Flakes and bananas. She gave me a love for photography and modeling, teaching us how to pose properly. She made us feel beautiful, and encouraged us to follow our dreams. She watched the dances we choreographed and drove us to the talent shows we insisted on singing in. In her home I was safe to be myself, and that’s something I wasn’t able to do just anywhere. She opened her heart and home to me, accepting me as one of her own. Ann took me under her wings and taught me so many things about life. She truly has been a mom to me.

     Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

     Ann is a cornucopia overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. Patience, kindness, gentleness, and love flow from her heart in abundance. I’ve never known anyone with such a gentle heart. The love and kindness that exudes from her astounds me. I’ve watched her my entire life, and I’ve always desired to have those traits. Our world, replete with wickedness, seeks to destroy these traits, and Ann has been its target more than most, yet through it all she stands. I’m amazed by her ability to ward off a spirit of bitterness and enmity. While many allow the cruelties of the world to turn their hearts hard, Ann’s wounded heart is still as gentle as ever, and I’m inspired by that. Her strength is remarkable.

     When she looks in the mirror, I hope she sees the woman I see, a woman full of love, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and I hope she speaks to that woman and tells her how loved she is by God and so many others. You are never alone, Ann, even when you feel as if you are, you are never alone.

 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

 

Pinky

Shine the Light on Kimberly Keevil (The Braveheart)

 

Shine the Light

On

Kimberly Keevil

(The Braveheart)

 

     To begin this series, I can’t think of a better woman to shine the light on than my health coach and friend—Kimberly Keevil. As my health declined due to my weight gain, depression set it, but during that time, I watched in amazement as Kimma (as she’s called) climbed the mountain of “Health” and gained form, strength, and fitness. As I watched her life change drastically for all to see, I was inspired to follow her footsteps to better health, so I reached out to her to ask how she did it. I wasn’t quite ready to step out and take action at the time, but Kimma, the Braveheart, eyed the woman entangled in a web of lies saying she couldn’t do it because of her age. She called out to me over and over again with words of encouragement, and when I finally answered back. “Help me, Kimma. Help me out of this valley,” she immediately descended into the valley with me, helped me to break free from the sticky web of lies, and held my hand, and together, we began the journey back up the mountain of health and wellness. She never left my side!

     When I met Kimma six years ago, we were both ministering at a halfway house. I had not been ministering there for very long when Kimma came in to minister to them through interpretive dance. I observed this bubbly, lively, full of joy woman express her love for God in a beautiful dance. It was obvious she was a woman willing to break her alabaster box and pour everything she had onto the feet of Jesus as she danced before Him. Talking to her after service, I learned quickly that her testimony was a driving force in her life to advance the Kingdom of God. She had been down to the lowest of the lows in her life, and God had lifted her from that place—setting her feet upon the Rock that could not be moved or shaken! And now that she had a firm footing, nothing could stop her from storming the gates of Hell to embrace those still held captive by the enemy of their souls. Kimma is a force to be reckoned with! Her heart is brave for those held captive; she’s not afraid to go into the darkest valley with the Keys of the Kingdom to unlock the prison doors. She is truly a Braveheart!

     Thank you, Kimma, for all you’ve done for me and for all the damage you’ve done to the kingdom of darkness. You will always be my “coach,” and there is no devil in Hell that can take that away from us!

 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

 

Pinky

Shine the Light (Introduction)

 

“Shine the Light”

(Introduction)

 

     Hi everyone! I know it’s been a while. The truth is it’s been far too long since I’ve opened my blog, much less published in it. L I feel that I owe everyone an explanation, so the beginning portion of the introduction to the series I am about to begin will be just that, my explanation for my lack of discipline over the last year.

     Last year I began a series that I was unable to complete, and I feel that my readers need to understand why before I share this new series. I can’t expect anyone to start reading if they feel unsure that they’ll see part two or three, right? So, to give you encouragement on that end, as you are reading this introduction, know that I have several parts of the series completed and awaiting their release date! I am scheduling a weekly release with this series, so look for it every Saturday.

     There were several reasons for my lack of commitment to the series I began last year. One, after writing the first blog in the series (which was meant to address the present issues we were facing in our society), I became quickly overwhelmed by the hatred pouring out of the mouths of people all across our country. I simply could not emotionally tackle the issues at the time.

     On top of being overwhelmed by the hatred in our world, I was—like many others—overcome by the onset of depression due to world circumstances and personal health issues. I did what I could to fight the demon of darkness and keep the cloak of heaviness at bay, but that requires a lot of energy. The small amount of energy I had was channeled into completing the everyday tasks of running two homes and educating my students, my children. The business of life and the changes in our world weighed heavily on me, and at the end of the day I was left with little strength to fight the battle I personally faced. If I’m to be perfectly honest, most days I neglected the fight with depression, so how could I go to war with the strongholds consuming our world? I was being defeated in my own battles!

     At the beginning of March of 2021, I made a life changing decision. See, a big part of the reason I didn’t have the physical energy to fight the spiritual battle I was in was because I had gained an unhealthy amount of weight, and as a result of the weight gain, I began having serious health issues. I simply did not “feel” like going into battle. I finally looked in the mirror and said, “Enough!” I began a journey to lose weight, regain my health, and get back to being me!

     Thus far I’ve lost nearly twenty pounds, and I have strength again, so when that heavy darkness drapes around me, I have the physical strength to combine with the spiritual power of the Holy Spirit to cast it off! I’m still in my journey of getting back to being me and gaining control over my flesh, my health, and my spiritual wellbeing, but the big difference is I’ve replaced the spirit of heaviness that had sucked the life from me with the garment of praise! I am dancing before the Lord again. I didn’t have the strength to dance before, and boy does it feel good to shake off the shackles.

     Hallelujah! Praise His name. I am free, and I am on the warpath now!

     The third reason I’m changing gears and going with a different series is because God has dealt with my heart to change the way I battle the enemy infiltrating the world. The scripture God spoke to me for the days we live in is Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

     Well, the truth is, we think on the things we say and hear. Over the last few weeks the Spirit of God has impressed on me to fight the spirit spewing venom in our society by putting this scripture into action in my life (while encouraging others to do the same) and speaking life, love, hope, and all things that uplift, so rather than addressing the hatred saturating our world, I choose to shine the light by flashing a “spotlight” (if you will) on women I’ve encountered in my life.

     This series is meant to uplift and encourage women I’ve met at crossroads in my life, and I hope that it will inspire my readers to do the same, to shine a spotlight on women in their lives who have shown courage and strength and honor. Rather than giving power to the negative words being spoken by so many people across this country, let’s do something radical! Let’s use the power of the Holy Spirit combined with the power of our words and speak only “good” things. Let’s start a movement to change the hatred taking over our world, not by talking about the hatred, but by being the change we hope to see!

     Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

 

Pinky

Unlocking Hearts

Artwork by Schledia Anderson

     I’m a writer, and as a writer one of my missions has been to touch on difficult topics that need to be broached in our society, so that is what I have done through my novels. Over the next few blogs, I plan to open my heart, pull out my pen, and dive into the issues I have tackled and share with readers why I chose to confront those particular issues.

     On a broad scope, we should all desire to bring something to this world—to give of ourselves in the hopes of making the world a better place. I believe I was given three important keys, and those three keys unlock three vital parts of humanity, worlds, hearts, and minds. So, in 2012 I established the business Three Keys, with the slogan: unlocking worlds, hearts, and minds. My desire was to use my gifts and talents (whether it be in writing novels, skits, plays, or scripts, movies, art, or music) to unlock worlds for people to enter and explore with lessons along the way, to unlock the hearts of those around me by sharing struggles others face that may be hidden, and to unlock minds through educational tools.

     I began my mission by writing a story similar to my own. It wasn’t my story because I did not want to open my heart and experiences for the world to see, but I knew I could create a fictional story closely related to my own, and in doing so I could share my heart without exposing all of my wounds. Being vulnerable is not easy, and being a writer is putting yourself in a vulnerable position; it opens up the writer to scrutinizing eyes and those who desire to pick your words apart, and there are always those who troll through your writing to attack and tear (not only your words) but you into shreds.

     Plain Jane, my first published book, tacked the issues of self-esteem and the power words hold when it comes to it. Once self-esteem is lost (or even if it is never obtained to begin with in life) depression can consume the life of an individual. Words or the lack thereof have the power to mold an individual’s self-esteem. Bullies use them to assault innocent lives, and even an innocent child can go astray and begin to make unwise choices when there is no self-esteem to build a resistance to such peer pressure and temptation. After making such grave mistakes, depression then entangles its victim in an endless cycle that has one final destination in mind—death by suicide.

     Those are the issues I undertook using my gift of writing. I desired to help those suffering from a low self-esteem to see how much they matter, and to give them the same hope I now have after fighting my way free from the spidery legs of the demon depression. Depression can be defeated. Freedom from its clutches is available! I desperately wanted to give hope to those caught in the tangled web of depression. I hoped people who used words to hurt others would see the damage they caused, and maybe, just maybe those individuals might be changed through the power of the pen in my hand, and I wanted those injured by a life similar to my character’s life who had been left wounded and bleeding by hurtful words, careless words to receive healing. I hoped beyond hope that my words would be a healing balm used to pour upon those wounds, leaving no scars!

     If you know someone struggling with depression, Plain Jane is a great tool to show them they are not alone, and there is hope. I’m attaching the link to the book for those interested. If you are unable to afford a copy, please contact me. I try to reserve several copies from each shipment for those unable to afford them.

Be Blessed and Be made Whole

Pinky

Plain Jane

God's Way is Not Ours

(Artwork by Lauren Anderson)

We've all heard the saying "God works in mysterious ways", but the reality is God's ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8 and 9, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." As a result of our thoughts not being as high as His (See, He can see the full picture. We see what is right before us.), we usually reject it when God shows up and works in His mysterious ways. Most Christians respond no different than the Pharisees responded in Jesus' day. They accused Jesus of not doing things the way they were supposed to be done---according to their interpretation of the law. They did not accept Him as the Messiah because He did not come in the manner they expected. 

There are times when God desires to move in a person's life, yet it requires an action that others often reject, saying it is not God's will for their life, so they are advised they will be stepping out of God's will if they go in the direction they are feeling led. I have personally experienced this in my own life and walk with God. Not only was I told I was out of God's will, I was told I had been tricked by the bait of Satan, and my children were told that I was choosing to walk away from God. 

(Just a little side note: The Bait of Satan is a book about a device Satan uses to snare believers, offense. Offense leads to anger and bitterness. It is a snare. It is a trap. Avoid it at all cost.)

In 2003 I found out I was pregnant with my fifth child. My husband had already made an appointment to get a vasectomy. He did not want anymore children at that point in our lives, and I knew I could not be the one to prevent another pregnancy. It wasn't in my heart to do so. When I found out I was pregnant, we were saving the money for the vasectomy. After a couple of weeks of walking around in a dazed shock, he finally accepted we were having another child. My body, however, was rejecting carrying a fifth child. I nearly lost her twice, so I spent my entire pregnancy on bed rest. He was thankful he had not already had the vasectomy, and I knew my beautiful baby girl was worth nine months in bed. Trinity Sierra was born on July 31, 2004, and he had his vasectomy within a month of her birth. No more children for us!

In 2008 we had a special speaker come to our church. At the end of service he called us all down for prayer. When he got to me he told me I would have another child. Specifically, he said, "When he comes, he will be a boy." I ran back to my seat because I had accepted I would not have anymore children. My husband had made sure we wouldn't. Because others knew we couldn't have anymore children, some suggested it would be a grandson we would raise while others suggested we may adopt a boy. That is what we all do, isn't it? When God tells us He is going to do something in our lives or in the world, we sit and try to figure it all out in our heads. I decided that if God chose for us to have a baby boy, He would supernaturally reverse my husband's vasectomy, and that was how it was going to have to be---according to me, that is! 

Again, our ways are not God's ways. The way God ended up bringing that prophetic word to pass (Yes, it did come to pass.) was rejected by some as not being God because: "God," they said, "doesn't do things that way." You see, it required my husband and I to divorce. I had been hearing my entire Christian walk that God hates divorce, and it says so in Malachi, but what no one bothered to do was read the entire passage. The men of Israel had divorced their wives without cause and married non-believers. You see, it was their actions that God hated, the putting away of their wives without cause. Does that mean that God loves divorce or simply winks at it? No, that's not what I'm saying, but He does allow divorce, and He doesn't persecute the one who is justified in their divorce. 

People still refused to believe that God was bringing His word to pass in my life through a divorce, yet we find in the book of Ezra that the men had sinned against God by marrying those God had forbidden them to marry. They repented of their sin, and it required they divorce those they were never meant to marry in the first place. It was a union not joined together by God. When Ezra stood and proclaimed their sin and repentance in verses ten and eleven of chapter ten, he told them to do what pleased God, to separate from the people of the land and to put away their wives. So, Ezra was saying that in this particular situation it pleased God for a divorce to take place. The reason I bring this up is simply because it is one of those moments where God's ways are not ours and His thoughts are above ours. We cannot make a blanket statement and say God hates ALL divorce when He clearly does not. He just doesn't always do things the way we think He should---usually because of how we were taught. The Pharisees stuck to their guns for the same reason; they were taught a particular way and refused to accept God when He showed up and did things different. 

Let me get  back to the prophetic word and how it came to pass. Colby and I were friends while I was still married to my first husband. Colby was my friend, and he was there for me through my divorce. He home schooled his little boy. He needed help with it, and I needed a little extra income (I cleaned a few houses, but with no child support, I was struggling), so he asked if I could educate his son. I was at his home on a daily basis teaching his son, so we grew even closer. My friendship with Colby became love. It happened quickly. My children already loved him, and they respected the way he had been there for me, and I fell in love with a precious little boy. One day it hit me; the words spoken to me back in 2008 came back like a flood, "When he comes he will be a boy." I had taken those words to mean the sex of the baby, but I realized Little Colby was six when he came into my life. He was a young boy. 'He will be a boy' meant he wouldn't be a baby nor would he be a teenager. HE (the gender) would be a boy...a young boy when he came into my life. I never expected God to bring that word to pass in such a way, but I'm oh, so glad that He did. He saw the whole picture. He saw what was down the road for me. 

You may wonder why I'm sharing this story. I'm not encouraging anyone to divorce by any means, but if you are divorced, I will never judge you for it. I recognize that sometimes it is God's will for a divorce to take place in order for a person to get their life together and in line with God's word. It was necessary for me. There were sins I was trapped in because of my first marriage, and I prayed daily to be set free from those shackles, and yes, in my situation it required a divorce in order for me to be free from those sins. I'm sharing this story because there are times when God shows up in an unconventional way, and when He does, I want Him to be seen. Don't be the person refusing to see His hand moving because He's not putting His hand inside the box you think He should do all things through. 

Yes, God is a God of restoration, and there are times He will restore a bad marriage and make it new, but just because God restored your marriage doesn't mean He will deal with your friend's marriage in the same manner. Every person has a will of their own. God doesn't force us to submit our will to His, so when a marriage is truly restored, both parties have repented and changed and allowed God to restore the marriage, and sometimes a person goes through the confessions, the cries, and the 'I'm sorry's' only to find that their spouse never truly repented. You see, restoration takes both parties, and because God can see the whole picture, He knows when that will never happen, so please don't stand in judgment of others simply because God did things a different way in their life than He did in yours. Sometimes God does things in an unconventional way, and remember His ways are not our ways. 

Be Blessed and Be Made Whole,

Pinky