February is Black History Month! We are excited to hear from Beverly Headen and be encouraged about our identity in Christ.

Identity Theft

Everyday someone or something in our culture is attempting to steal our true identity. 

I grew up in rural North Carolina, the eldest of three girls, raised by a single mom.

Looking back, my childhood was kind of idyllic in that my first memory was of love and acceptance from the most important person in my life at that time, my mom. 

But as I explored the world outside our small wood-framed house, I encountered the opinions and perceptions of others about who I was supposed to be.  The joy of my childhood started a slow slide into the despair of feeling never quite good enough.

First, I discovered that by United States economic standards, I and my family were considered poor.  Financially challenged and low-income, my mother worked two jobs as a young woman. Amazingly, I never felt the pinch of lack, but from a worldly perspective being low-income was strike one.

Second, I discovered I was not considered “pretty” like the girls in fairy tales or my baby dolls, or even in my own culture.  I had dark skin, was overweight, and had acne! I simply could not be recommended on the basis of worldly beauty; however, as my dear grandmother once told me in most tender terms, “you have pretty hands and feet.”   Not much consolation to a pre-teenJ: strike two.

Third, as a sixth grade girl I attended the first integrated school in my small rural town. There I discovered, through the pain and sting of racism and bullying, that I was hated by some people. I wasn’t prepared for the treatment and the words others used to “name” me. Growing up African-American in the Jim Crow South: strike three. 

The truth is, the labels the world uses to name us, and even the labels we get from our families can be powerful and harmful.  These labels shape us, guide us, and ultimately identify us. They cling to us as imperceptibly as dead skin. The writer E.E. Cummings said,

“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable….”

For me, my life in Christ is my identity now. All other labels have fallen away.  I cling in faith day-by-day to the truth of who God created me to be as found in His revealed Word. 

“We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT)

I turned 43 this summer! 

In many ways I still feel 23 BUT the spattering of grey hairs and the fine wrinkles that are slowly appearing remind me that I AM getting older J  So why would I reveal my age in a public environment when it is something, as women, that we generally don’t speak of past the age of 30-something?  Revealing my age ties in with the purpose of this article – to show how we can be enslaved to different behaviors for large periods of our lives without realizing how long it has been or even at what initial age we began exhibiting the behavior. 

Ok, slow down, you might be thinking.  What in the world are you talking about?  I am talking about a subject that, I do believe, is a major issue in the lives of many women – eating disorders.

In the summer of 2010 – 3 years ago to date – God began an incredible work in my life which he completed this summer on Wednesday 31^st of July.  The journey began while I was teaching a Bible Study entitled Embracing the Uncluttered Life at the local church we were attending.  The third week was an in-depth look at the physical clutter in our lives, with specific emphasis on diet and exercise.  I commented to my husband during the week of preparation that I was expecting it to be the easiest of the sessions. I had been involved in competitive sport from the young age of 5 and always had an interest in diet and how it affects the human body in terms of health and strength.  Well, was I in for an awakening – it was the toughest session to prepare AND to teach because God revealed to me a very deep obsession with my physical appearance (specifically in the area of my weight) and an even deeper obsession with competition (in the area of sport) because of a deep-rooted insecurity to prove my worth as a person.   As I spent time searching His Word for material to teach the ladies, he brought to the surface an unwillingness on my part to admit that I had been enslaved to various forms of weight control – bingeing, purging, fat burners, and heavy strength training.  All of these things had given me a strong, slim body BUT had left me with an emptiness and heaviness within my spirit that He began to peel away.  It was an exhausting time, but, as He is faithful in finishing what He begins in our lives, it was also the beginning of a journey to freedom.

Jump with me to this summer.  Recently, God sovereignly acted in my life so that I “stumbled upon” Beth Moore’s Breaking Free Bible Study.  In this study, Beth asks the reader to identify any strongholds that need tearing down.  Needless to say, God showed me how dieting and body image had been in my life as a stronghold for over 20 years, and that it finally needed to be laid to rest. 

This is my journal entry from the day that I believe God finally set me free from the insecurities that led to a lifetime of mistreating my body through excessive exercise and eating disorders . . . 

“Father, I am not sure when I began overeating but I do remember the nickname that I was given as a child:  “FATS”.  I hated being called this.  It was and still is a derogatory remark that did nothing to encourage me or to allow me to see myself as beautiful.  It hurt me terribly.  Father, right now I want to offer up forgiveness to those who gave this name to me and I want to ask Your forgiveness for believing this lie.  This image of being fat has infiltrated my mind and been the root cause of so many struggles with my weight over the years.”

It is hard to admit that we have ANY form of eating disorder, for they come in various forms and disguises.  But my heart’s cry is that if you are reading this article and your heart is stirred because of it, that you will seriously ask God to show You if there is anything within your eating or exercise that could be seen as obsessive or destructive.  If He shows you anything that needs dealing with, don’t wait 20 years as I did.  Deal with it today and then believe His Word when he says,

“For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:13-14)

And then remember, EXTERNAL beauty will fade with age but INTERNAL beauty remains forever!

Monday night we had a full house as we learned more about the sex-trafficking world and spent intentional time in prayer for those who are involved in this horrific practice.  Read on for a brief recap of what we learned... 

"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

We began the evening hearing from Kimberly Merida.  Kimberly, is the wife of Dr. Tony Merida, who is the Pastor at Imago Dei Church in Raleigh and a professor here at SEBTS. Kimberly is very involved with IJM (International Justice Mission) and is an intelligent teacher and advocate for the victims of sex-trafficking.  To say that she started out the night amazingly would be an understatement.  Kimberly is such a wonderful speaker, and she genuinely speaks from her heart.  As she spoke Monday night, it was impossible to not feel burdened for those involved in this practice.  Kimberly explained what sex-trafficking is, why we need to be aware of this practice, and how we can be part of the movement to end it.  You can read a full post on exactly what Kimberly talked on by visiting her blog.  Click here to visit Kimberly's blog.

After Kimberly spoke, attendees spent some time painting one of their nails the color red in remembrance of the victims of sex-trafficking.  This is to be a constant reminder to pray for the men, women, and children involved in the trade daily.  It is our prayer that this will encourage our ladies to make an intentional effort to pray for those in the Red Light Districts around the world.  

We had our first ever Skype date at this event.  It was a blast!  Save Our Sisters, an organization out of Winston-Salem, NC, is made up of seven high school girls who are passionate about living for Christ and putting an end to slavery around the world.  They shared how their organization began and what they are doing now.  These ladies were amazing!  Smiles overcame all of our faces as we were able to hear from young girls who are fervently serving the Lord.  Go and check out their story and how you can be a part of it by clicking here.

WAR (Women At Risk),  International representative Jenny Parker was at the event selling many beautiful items, including jewelry, scarves, and other gift items. WAR, International unites and educates women to create circles of protection and hope around women at risk through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects. If you were not able to buy any items and would like to do so you can visit the online store by clicking here.

For our giveaways at this event we were able to give away a few pieces of jewelry from WAR, International as well as a book donated by the The White Umbrella campaign.  Congrats to our giveaway winners! 

We ended the night with some time of intentional prayer and a sweet time of worship.  Over 80 women praying for the victims, the workers, and all of those involved brought tears to many of our ladies eyes.  There is just something unexplainable to hear the prayers of many pleading before the Lord.  It was such a sweet, sweet time.  Members from the Imago Dei Church praise team led us in worship as the night closed.  Thank you ladies for sharing your gifts with us and leading us to the throne.

Project:Captive was such a great event, and we are so thankful for everyone who came.  Mark your calendars for our next Connecting Point event, Monday, March 18th.  At our next event, Project:Compassion, we will hear from  
Dr. Steve McKinion and talk more about how we can love and reach those who are hurting around us.  

Check back tomorrow to find yourself in pictures from Project:Captive!

Christmas has passed and we are all gearing up to make resolutions for the new year, but beneath all of the crumpled wrapping paper and wrinkled stockings lurks the one thing that no one made it through Christmas without...  

THE WORST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!

 

Source: Uploaded by user via Megan on Pinterest

Perhaps you opened a box expecting jewelry only to find:

 

Source: perpetualkid.com via Megan on Pinterest

Bacon candy? Really?

Or perhaps that nice pine-scented candle that you were hoping for turned into this:

 

Source: thinkgeek.com via Megan on Pinterest

I hope it doesn't smell like formaldehyde...

I remember the year I received  

THE WORST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER 

like it was yesterday. 

My grandparents had sent me a big 'ol box, so you know I was excited to open it.  Yet as I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box, you will never believe what greeted my eager eyes.  On the very top of the box was a magazine article about menopause.  I'm pretty sure I was 16 or 17 years old at the time, so I assumed that they had just used the article for packing purposes and passed it over to my mom.  Directly under the article, however, I discovered a pair of my dad's underwear that he had left behind on our last visit to the grandparents' house.  At this point, I'm not even sure that I am opening a gift that was meant for me. But after double-checking the tag, I kept digging.  After all of the trauma that I had endured getting to the bottom of this box, I was sure that the gift would be amazing!  My teenage mind was hoping for all kinds of things: cool geodes from Colorado (where they live), DVDs and books that I would truly enjoy, jewelry, a new attachment for the mixer they had given me for my birthday...  And yet when I got the the bottom of the box, I found two place-mats.  Not four, so that I could set a matched table.  Nothing electronic or shiny.  Two place-mats, each quilted by my grandma with care with my name stitched in the back, so that I could be sure this box really was meant for me.

Now don't get me wrong, I love my grandmother's quilting, but these particular place-mats came after an article about menopause and a pair of my dad's underwear.  I remembered to write a "Thank You" note that year, and I will never forget the laughter that we all got out of that box.

So how about you?  What is the worst gift you have ever received?

 At least you will always know it was better than

Source: furby.com via Megan on Pinterest

We all thought they were cute once, but after 2 days, you'll never let it out of the closet again!


Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, y'all!