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King of the Crown Imperials: Inspired by the Story of Queen Esther (Where the Lilies Wander)

Sep23

I usually can’t find time to enjoy a good book because I am always working on my own book projects. However, I made time this time because I had an inkling this new book would be just that good, and it did not disappoint.

Today is official launch day for Joanna Alonzo’s new book, King of the Crown Imperials.

Here’s my 5-star book review:

“Serve the King of kings first and foremost; serve the kingdom next. You cannot fail.”

Insightful words spoken by an ailing King Edward to his once wayward son, Prince Philip, who was bracing himself for the impact of a kingdom thrust upon him during the threat of war with a neighboring island.

Rest assured this is not a typical fairy tale or typical Christian fiction for that matter. The two main characters, Prince Philip and his fake fiancé Vivienne, will tug at your heartstrings as you are immersed from the very beginning of this high stakes romance. I found myself so immersed in this story that I wished I had the time to sit all day and binge read from beginning to end.

Joanna Alonzo is a brilliant author who has weaved together an emotionally charged masterpiece inspired by the biblical story of Queen Esther. I couldn’t wait to turn the page to see what happened next. Throughout the drama, I had to remind myself that the emotions I was feeling were based on fictional characters. My mind knew that, but my heart had a hard time not being truly fixated on whether the story would have a happy ending. There were so many twists and turns that I didn’t know who to love, who to trust, who to pity, and yes—who to despise.

Suffice it to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue, the romance, the drama, the suspense, the powerful storytelling, and the truth hidden inside the pages. Although technically a work of fiction, we can all learn from this book and be inspired to serve God first and foremost. While Philip and Vivienne thought they came from vastly different backgrounds, they discovered, just as we all should, that humanity is interconnected regardless of where we come from or where we may try to hide. All is not fair in love and war, but if you trust God above all else, you cannot fail.

In other words, buy this book! My only regret is that it ended. I am now officially an addict and can’t wait to read the next book in this series!

Follow Joanna Alonzo here on Instagram and take a sneak peak at one of the book’s videos below.

Love Broke Me

Jun4

When I was 14 years old, I told a boy “I Love You” because I thought I did. When I was 18, I told that same boy “I Love You,” but that time I knew I did. I remember it like yesterday, but it was exactly 40 years ago today, June 4, 1983.

Keep reading as I share the short story I wrote that revolves around this love affair. It’s part of an anthology I co-authored with 20 other women entitled The Breaking Point. My chapter is called LOVE BROKE ME, which starts with this quote from Mother Teresa.

We have not come into the world to be numbered; we have been created for a purpose; for great things; to love and be loved. ~Mother Teresa

Can loving and being loved actually cause a breaking point? I pondered that for quite some time as I contemplated what I deemed my undeserving place in this book. I wondered if I had truly experienced something so monumental that my life required a shocking reboot? It was only after I prayed about it that my answer was an outrageously loud affirmative. While it may not be the horrific or cataclysmic ordeal others have fought for dear life to overcome, you may be able to relate to my much more subtle, but no less powerful breaking point, which catapulted my life’s trajectory into places I never imagined.

My first breaking point actually occurred a week before high school graduation in the aftermath of a physical assault by a classmate. That near-death experience began with a skull fracture and ended with emergency surgery to remove an epidural hematoma (blood clot) on the brain of an eighteen-year-old.

That eighteen-year-old was William Collier. He was and still is the absolute love of my life. He is also my beloved husband of thirty-five years and counting. In my heart, I truly believe God saved his life back in May, 1983 because he was created just for me. He’s part of my story, and had he not gone through such a horrendous nightmare, we probably never would have gotten married. We fell in love as fourteen-year-olds in ninth grade. We also broke up in high school and would have gone our separate ways after graduation had God not allowed that dreadful misfortune to take place.

“I hope that boy don’t die.”

Those were the inadvertent words my mother spoke when she first heard the news about William’s assault that sent me spiraling out of control. We had grown so far apart that I didn’t even know what happened to him a week before our high school graduation. He was clinging to life when he was taken to the second emergency room after the first one (unknowingly) sent him home to die with an undiagnosed medical emergency. The blood clot was so severe that the brain surgeon was quite certain it would have killed him if he had not rushed him into the operating room to relieve the tremendous pressure building up on his brain.

Prior to that horrendous calamity, I didn’t think I loved him anymore even though he never stopped loving me in high school. However, the thought of losing him shattered my heart into a thousand little pieces. As I reflect on that awful period of our lives, I realize it was only by God’s grace and mercy that we were reunited on William’s “near-death” bed. I loved that eighteen-year-old boy more than I ever thought possible. Past disappointments and hurt feelings had to be put aside in order to receive the magnificent gift of his beautiful love for me. In turn, I could shower him with that same love.

Just as Mother Teresa said, we were created for a purpose, to love and be loved. The basic definition of love according to Merriam Webster is strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; attraction based on sexual desire; affection and tenderness felt by lovers; affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests. While it seems humanly impossible to actually define what love is, there is one thing I know for sure. There is no greater gift than love.

If we never open our hearts and allow love to prevail, we would miss out on so many wonderful things in life. William and I were on the brink of giving up on each other when love essentially broke us all the way down to a place where eighteen-year-olds rarely go. We spent the two weeks he was in the hospital recovering after emergency surgery getting to know each other all over again while reflecting on what went wrong with our relationship in high school. I never expected to open my heart so wide and let him in, but I did . . . right there in his hospital room where he actually had to get out of his “sick bed” to comfort me as my tears flowed. 

June 4, 1983

I remember that day and the look on William’s face very well. He was recovering at home by then. It was the day my eighteen-year-old self told William “I LOVE YOU!” I knew when I said it that time that it was forever. I had said it before as far back as when I was fourteen. This time though, this time, I knew deep on the inside God had filled my heart with a love for William that would never die.

As insignificant as that may seem, whether you consciously choose to fall in love or it happens without you even realizing it, the main thing to realize is that it is indeed life’s greatest gift. Loving and being loved sometimes requires overcoming a vast array of feelings to get to the point that you allow yourself to feel that way and trust the love being given in return.

While the world may debate whether true love exists, I encourage you to open your heart and expect it instead of doubt it. I simply cannot imagine my life without love, without William, without our children, and without the family that we have been blessed to share together. There is an idiom that says “And they lived happily ever after.” By definition, an idiom is just an expression, a figure of speech. Love is not a fairy tale; but if you open your mind to the idea of happily living in love, you may just find yourself there.

Although I don’t have a dramatic story of how I nursed him back to health once he was discharged from the hospital, I must admit that I smiled every time I heard his father proclaim that I brought William back to life! We were only eighteen, so of course we certainly didn’t have all the answers and would have been quite naïve to think otherwise. However, not only did we trust each other, but we also trusted our love for each other. It was something we cherished back then and learned to never take for granted.

Do I wish everyone could marry their high school sweetheart and live happily ever after? Of course! I know that is not realistic though.

Can I give you advice or simple steps to follow to ensure you have a long, successful marriage? Of course not! That’s not realistic either.

But what I can do is encourage you to follow your heart. There is no magic formula for meeting the right person or finding the perfect match. We are all imperfect, and what works for one person or couple may not work for the other. William and I grew more in love as time went on. Sure, we had trials and tribulations along the way, but marriage means trusting each other through the good and bad because it is worth it. Communication and honesty are vital components in a relationship. If you can’t trust someone to hold your heart gently in their hands without breaking it, save your heart for someone else who will take incredibly good care of it.

I know people long for finding true love. We were blessed to find it while still in our teens. When I thought about my life without William in it, I knew that no matter what it took, I would love him through whatever may come our way. How could I not love this person that I truly believe God made just for me? I couldn’t reject my love for him or his love for me.

Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

That may very well be the best definition of love that I’ve ever heard. It may sound cliché, but think about it. If you put the other person’s feelings above your own, and in your heart commit to making that person happy, doesn’t that bring you happiness as well? I have discovered the more I try to make William happy and put him first, the happier I am because I love to see him happy.  

Let me conclude with this prayer for you.

Dear God,

May those reading this wholeheartedly accept the fact that you created them out of love. Show them that they were created for a great purpose—to love you and each other. Help them to understand your love for them on a deeper and more personal level so that they can learn to share that love with others. Open their hearts to receive natural and supernatural love. Bless them to fully expect to love and be loved.  

In Jesus’ Name,

Amen

Here we are, 40 years later, at our 40th class reunion last month.

Chapter 2 Began 40 Years Ago

May17

Exactly 40 years ago today was the beginning of Chapter 2, page 6 in my first book. It was the day 18-year old William Collier (my future husband) could have died. But GOD…

William survived the assault and had a life-saving craniotomy (brain surgery) the next day to remove an epidural hematoma (blood clot) that was 5 cm thick and 10 cm diameter. Picture that, y’all… It was huge! Life cannot exist if something that large is squishing your brain. Left untreated, death occurs. But GOD…

As Chapter 2 goes, my brother asked if we had heard about “that Collier boy who was hit upside the head” and was in the hospital. (No, I had not heard.) Then my mom crushed me with her first reaction, “I sure hope that boy don’t die.” The rest of the evening is pretty much a blur to me. For the first time in my 18-year old life, I experienced the devastating pain and agony of my heart shattering into pieces too small to ever put back together. But GOD…

This is only the beginning of our story. I walked across the stage on May 20, 1983 to receive my high school diploma. William was still lying in neuro-trauma ICU that same day, but he was doing much better and able to transfer to the regular neurosurgical floor. His life had been saved, and he was recovering with NO neurological deficits. He was discharged home on May 29, 1983, and his only medication was to prevent seizures. What started out as what should have been a celebratory week for a high school senior turned into something so catastrophic that it still gives me a headache when I think about it. (Yes, I have a headache now as I’m posting this, but I felt the need to reflect on this moment and testify about what happened 40 years ago.)

But GOD is so good, so faithful, so full of grace and mercy! William and I will celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary in August. We have been blessed beyond measure with a life full of love, 2 fabulously wonderful baby boys (now 24 and 28) who are extensions of our hearts, and a beautiful daughter-in-love who is the perfect addition to our family.

Our 40-year class reunion is Saturday (May 20, 2023) exactly 40 years to the date from when I walked across the stage while the absolute love of my life was lying in neuro-trauma ICU. Our class reunion is much more profound for me than the rest of my classmates. My life would have been catapulted into a totally different trajectory had God not saved William’s life that day.

QUESTION: Why do I write about this experience over and over again?

ANSWER: It’s my testimony. William doesn’t like talking about it, so I share this story on his behalf. We are overcomers by the words of our testimonies. (Revelation 12:11)

MORAL OF THE STORY: I hope others will hear this testimony and be encouraged to know what God did for us, he can do for you. Nothing is too hard for God. He is never too late to meet you at your point of need. He extends unmerited grace and mercy when we need it the most. After all, we all live inside testimonies meant to be shared to help encourage others. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Do you have a testimony you’d like to share to encourage others? Please leave it in the comment section.

Merry Christmas From My Family to Yours

Dec14

In the busyness of the holiday season, let’s not forget the true meaning of Christmas.

This is my family at Memphis Zoo Lights 2022. We started a new tradition recently of having a family Christmas outing every year (like those field trips my boys used to have in elementary school.) Then I use pictures from the field trip to create Christmas cards to send out to family and friends.

Family, fun, food… what can be better?

(Betty along with her husband, William, sons Jordan and Brandon, and daughter in love, McKenzie)

We’ve all heard the saying “Family is Everything”, and it really is. So take some time to reflect on what’s important in life. Make time for those closest to you and enjoy the merriment and wonder of the season. But most importantly, never forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. His birth was part of God’s display of His love for us.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

God did indeed give us the greatest gift of all! #LOVE!

What traditions do you have with your family to celebrate the holidays? If you don’t carve out time to spend with loved ones, let me encourage you to try it. Family field trips are fun. Just look at all of us piled into one car on our way to Memphis Zoo Lights. And yes, I had my Motown Christmas CD playing in the car.

What’s in Your Jewelry Box?

Jul20

This Facebook memory popped up today from a post I made last year. It’s actually a memory from 38 years ago though, so I thought I would share it today on my blog. I think the majority of my Facebook friends know I plaster pictures and “short stories” about my husband all the time. I call him my love man on Facebook, and “my love” in real life, face-to-face. We will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary in 2 weeks.

After you read it, let me know in the comments what memories you have in your jewelry box that are priceless. Mine is simply a Ziploc bag of hair that a neurosurgeon shaved off my love man’s head 38 years ago before he did emergency brain surgery to save that then 18 year-old boy’s life.

This is a picture I posted on Facebook one year ago. Below is the caption I wrote, one of my many “short stories” that I frequently post on Facebook about my husband and our love.

Look closely! (I’ll try to be brief….) Sometimes I open my jewelry box and find all sorts of memories. This Ziploc bag is one such memory dating back to 1983. It has William’s hair that they had to shave off prior to the neurosurgeon doing an emergency craniotomy to remove a blood clot on his brain that saved his life. The bag was much fuller back then, but over the past 37 years the hair has clumped together and shriveled up to this. When we got married in 1986, William still had this bag, so that’s how I became the “proud owner” of it. We’ve moved several times since then, and I think this is my most “prized possession” because it serves as a permanent reminder (along with other reminders) of that horrendous day that God turned around for something good.

Look closely at the picture of William. It was taken a year later in 1984. All his hair had grown back by then of course. Can you see that scar in his forehead over his left eyebrow? That’s where the assault took place, blunt trauma to the head during a physical attack by someone who went to school with us. The scar has faded a bit, but it’s still there, yet another constant reminder of how his life was saved. What you can’t see is that ear-to-ear scar in his scalp underneath his hair. It’s still there too. I can see and feel it. Yes, another reminder of what happened in 1983 and how things could have gone catastrophically wrong.

Look at us… Our couple picture is from 1984 after we had been together for a year after high school graduation. (Pay no attention to my small waistline. I know it’s very distracting…LOL) Anyway, so this is what happened when I opened my jewelry box looking for something totally unrelated today. That Ziploc bag holding 37 year old dead hair led to a flood of emotions. Looking at that scar over his forehead a year later when it was much more prominent was reason for me to pause once again and decide to share yet another short story about that love man of mine.

William’s birthday is later this month. He will be 56. We are both 19 on this picture. What if that bag of hair was all that I had left of him? It is for reasons like this that I share my testimony of God’s amazing love and abundant blessings. #OurGodIsFaithful! He has truly blessed us beyond measure!

The Birthday Gift (Spoiler Alert)

May24

Timing was perfect to launch my new book, The Birthday Gift, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic while people felt they were still somewhat safer-at-home, while others were somewhat bored or perhaps even somewhat fearful of the unknown. Who wouldn’t spend a mere $0.99 cents to purchase an eBook advertised as being an exceptionally thought provoking story of heartbreak and hope? Even the book trailer made you feel like this was a great alternative to fill the void of not being able to indulge in a new movie at the theatre on Friday night. Just watch this:

Everything was still kind of shutdown or just starting to reopen, so I hoped this would be a great weekend to persuade people to take a chance on spending a dollar and discovering this new (movie)… book which was exactly what they needed during these unprecedented times. It would literally have the power to change their lives. All they had to do was download the eBook and start reading instantly. Many told me they read the whole book in one sitting after getting hooked from the very beginning!

Why drop everything and read this book right now?

Because it really can change your life!

Just look at the reviews people are leaving on Amazon.

So what’s inside the book? Here’s the beginning of the spoiler alert:

And this is the full blown spoiler…

The Gospel Symbol, created by Terry Gurley
  • The Birthday Gift is indeed an exceptionally thought-provoking and intriguing story that will uplift and inspire you.
  • It will hook you from the very first page and compel you to continue reading until the very end.
  • You will become emotionally attached to the passionate characters and feel like they are part of your family.
  • If you don’t typically read fiction, you will be glad you gave this book a chance because it takes you on an emotional journey you won’t soon forget.
  • As K. Young said, you will love how the storyline was written, and the fact that it was intertwined with such messages of love, grace, heartache, forgiveness and so much more.
  • The message inside the book is exactly what we all need to be reminded of, especially during such a time as this. That message is JESUS! He is the greatest gift of all!
  • The actual “Birthday Gift” is the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed below in this beautiful Gospel Symbol created by artist, Terry Gurley, the author of the afterword in the book.

The Final Spoiler Alert

The Gospel Symbol, a sculpture created by Terry Gurley

So as the world continues to reopen while fighting this novel coronavirus, we will face the reality of a new sense of normalcy. Through it all, rest assured that one thing will ALWAYS remain the same, the gospel of Jesus Christ. In our search for answers and quest to decipher fact versus fear, remember that FAITH is the key that unlocks the door. There is no mystery and absolutely no failure in God!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Purchase the book here on Amazon, and keep reading all the way to the very last page. Everything suddenly becomes abundantly clear, and you will discover the very best birthday gift ever!

Click the [FREE PREVIEW] button above to take a look inside the first few chapters of the book.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As for the virtual book launch party on Facebook, we had a lot of fun and games as people enjoyed reading the eBook for the very first time. I gave away over $500 in Amazon gift cards, and one lucky attendee walked away with the grand prize, an exact replica of the actual birthday gift. Terry Gurley created a stunning framed presentation of the Gospel Symbol, both the artistic rendition and sculpture just like the ones pictured above in the spoiler alerts. The winner said, “These are just gorgeous. Terry totally outdid himself. They are just beautiful. I can’t wait to hang them. I will have to show these off for sure!”

And thanks to everyone who helped make the book launch a huge success. Because of YOU, The Birthday Gift debuted May 1-2, 2020 and made 2 separate outstanding lists on Amazon, their best-selling “hot new releases” and most popular “gift ideas”.

If you’ve read the book, please let me know what you think. I would love for you to share your thoughts on Amazon by leaving a review. Those reviews will help other people discover the book by increasing the chances of it appearing in general searches.

Thank you very much for your encouragement and support! I feel the love and hope you share it with others just like this person did. Here’s a text I received during the launch.

A Sneak Peak at Chapter I of My New Book: THE BIRTHDAY GIFT

Sep23

This is the first chapter of my new book coming out in 2020. I’d like your opinion, please. I won’t share the book synopsis just yet and hope instead that you will give this a quick read and let me know if you’re interested enough to turn the page to Chapter 2.

Chapter I – Black and Blue

“Mrs. Williams, I regret to inform you that your husband was found . . .”

The next thing I remember hearing is “Code Blue” even though it was now pitch-black outside my ICU window at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. I don’t know what happened next on that beautiful sunny morning after I opened my front door for the police officer. He was standing there in the last ray of sunshine I would see for quite some time. I guess I could look at the police report or medical records, but what’s the point. I really don’t want to be reminded of the single most horrific day in my entire life.

What happened? Why was the police officer talking in slow motion? Was that simply my mind abruptly coming to a halt because I could not bear to hear the next words coming out of his mouth? I know for a fact that my heart broke into a thousand little pieces, so I guess that explains the Code Blue. My heart had stopped beating.

Heart attack—when one’s heart attacks its own body because the heart has been shattered. That’s according to me, not the American Medical Association. When a police officer knocks on your door and regrets to inform you of anything, that only means one thing, one gut-wrenching, unimaginable thing.

I had been married to that man for twenty-two blissful years, and there was no way it was all coming to a catastrophic end like that. We had plans. We had a whole lot of plans. We still had so much life to live, and of course, we were going to grow old together. Our daughter’s sweet sixteen birthday party was only two weeks away. As a matter of fact, I had planned to call the caterer to finalize our headcount for the party before I left for the airport to pick up Bill. His plane was due to arrive at LAX later that evening.

Bill had just called me less than twenty-four hours prior to that knock at the door when he was on his way to the airport. He was giddy. He told me that he had found the perfect birthday present for Bella on his very last day in Tel Aviv at the Jaffa flea market. Bella was a daddy’s girl and, needless to say, the beneficiary of various quaint souvenirs he always seemed to find no matter where his research took him. It was surely going to be a spectacular sweet sixteen surprise that I couldn’t wait to see. He even hinted that it was something that would change her life forever!

The birthday gift that Bill found here at Jaffa Flea Market in Tel Aviv, Israel changed Bella’s life forever. You can even say it literally changed the world.

Yes, I must admit that I too was a very happy recipient of sentimental and oftentimes breathtaking gifts from around the world. We were his girls, and there was absolutely no way he was not coming back home to us. No way. He had been in Israel for thirty-three days. It was time for him to come back home. I had been expecting a phone call from Bill during his four-hour layover at Heathrow. Instead of Bill’s much anticipated call, I got that abominable knock at my front door!

Then I heard it again. “Code Blue.”

Everything went black. As I reflect on that disastrous day, everything was already black. My world had gone dark and void.

From what I’ve been told, I woke up the following morning with no recollection of the previous day. Apparently, I had a heart attack on my front porch after hearing the mind-numbing news the policeman had come to tell me. Apparently, I had another heart attack in the emergency room and a third one shortly after being transported to ICU. And sadly, apparently those words my ears had refused to allow my mind to process were no less true just because I refused to hear them, let alone accept them.

My heart was broken. I was broken. Life as I once knew it no longer existed. There was no reason to go to the airport. Bill never boarded his connecting flight in London. The only thing at the airport now was his luggage, and there certainly wasn’t any reason for me to go claim that. Well, no reason that I knew of at the time.

Had it not been for the birthday girl and the birthday gift, there really would not have been a reason for me to ever wake up again. I had no inkling that the gift of life was literally waiting for me at Virgin Atlantic. All I had to do was go claim it.

Can you image the “life changing” birthday gift Bill found for his 16-year old daughter at this flea market in Israel? It truly was and still is the GIFT OF LIFE! (The video is actual footage of the Jaffa Flea Market)

A Short Story… from FaceBook

Jun28

I posted this picture on FaceBook earlier this month as my profile picture along with a rather long caption. I called it “A Short Story…”

Yes, I know it’s rather odd to have such a long post on FaceBook, and I’m fairly certain most of my friends didn’t even read it before they clicked like. My guess is they just liked the picture and kept on scrolling. But for those who took the time to actually read it, they left some very encouraging comments and thanked me for sharing my story. So I decided to copy my FaceBook post to my blog since this is where my storytelling actually belongs.

Below this 1993 picture of my husband William and I, you will find my actual short story post from Facebook, copied exactly as written. I’ll explain the details after the end of the story.

A Short Story…

This pic is from 1993. Ten years prior to that, William had a near fatal head injury, an epidural hematoma (bleeding around the brain) requiring emergency surgery to save his life. The neurosurgeon had to do a craniotomy where he opened up part of William’s skull to remove the hematoma that reduced the pressure on his brain. By the way, that was May 17, 1983, a few days before high school graduation. William and I weren’t even talking to each other at the time. We had broken up like many teenagers do in high school…. On again, off again… we just couldn’t get it right, so we were going our separate ways forever after high school.

BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED! God has a way of getting our attention, doesn’t he? I had no idea he had even been injured. My brother Dennis was home from California and heard about it before I did. He just causally asked one evening at home “Did y’all hear about that Collier boy who got hit upside the head?”

TIME STOPPED! MY HEART DROPPED! Somebody please help me… The rest is a blur. Fast forward a bit, and there I am walking down that long hallway all by myself to that scary neurotrauma ICU where I see many Colliers standing at his bedside. (Remember, we were NOT a couple at this time. It was way over for us.) They saw me walk in, and EVERYBODY left. I don’t recall any words spoken. 

There he lay with my shattered heart scattered in thousands of pieces all over his ICU bed. How could it come to this? I don’t recall much of anything from that first visit except that he appeared lifeless, his beautiful brown eyes almost swollen shut, and that gauze dressing wrapped around his head like a turban. His head was huge, machines were everywhere, and I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to speak or even recognize me. Or if he did recognize me, would he want me to stay? After all, I had broken his heart in high school.

Well, I can’t tell you what happened next because I don’t remember. To this very day, I still get a headache when I think about it. Of course he doesn’t remember because he was recovering from brain surgery after almost losing his life. 

All I know is this. Surgery was over. He was recovering. We were beginning.

Our true love affair began at Methodist Hospital as he continued to improve over the next few days. He went home 12 days after surgery. Our high school romance, as shaky as it was, just didn’t matter anymore. We had fallen in love in 9th grade. We fell in love again at Methodist Hospital. And yes, I do remember some of those conversations, unlike the first one in ICU. Suffice it to say, many tears were shed. 

God saved William’s life that night for me. So when I say I just love that man sooooo much, and he is the absolute love of my life, now you know why. 

Ok, getting back to this pic. This was 1993, 10 years after our life changing experience right before high school graduation. By now we had been married 7 years and were expecting our first little bundle of joy. (I’m pregnant with Jordan on this pic… lol) So when I see pictures like this, sometimes it brings back all sorts of memories for me. This one opened the floodgates! I like looking back and reflecting on where we began, what we’ve endured, and where we are now. There are trials and tribulations in all marriages, and ours certainly isn’t exempt. But this one thing I do know. When I look into those beautiful eyes, I can still remember 1983 and what it felt like when I thought it was the possibility that I would have to live my life without William. I know there is an ear-to-ear scar all the way across William’s scalp that no one can see underneath his hair, but I can feel it. It’s an ever-present reminder of God’s grace and mercy. I can also feel the lifetime of love that we’ve shared. And even though Jordan wasn’t born yet, when I look at this picture, I know he’s there inside me. That’s where love begins – inside. Jordan will be 25 next week. William and I will celebrate our 33rd anniversary in August. All I can say is #ThankYouLord!

So yeah, I actually wrote all that on FaceBook as the caption when I updated my profile picture. That’s why I prefer FaceBook over Twitter and Instagram. I haven’t mastered the craft of brevity yet. My friends know I tend to be long-winded once I get started, and my posts often go on much longer than most people’s attention span. But that doesn’t stop me. I continue writing anyway hoping that someone will read what I have to say and get something out of it. That’s really my reason for copying this post to my blog. I hope when you read this, you will get something out of it too.

We all have stories to share to help inspire and encourage others. Think about your own life. I’m pretty sure you have many stories to tell. What has God done in your life where you have absolutely no doubt it had to be a blessing from him? Many times he blesses us beyond measure without us even asking. He knows us just that well.

As for that little bundle of joy hiding inside me at the time this picture was taken, he’s now 25 years old. This is our precious little firstborn, Jordan William Collier. He’s getting married next year and is well on his way to becoming the man God created him to be. I encourage all of you parents to continue praying for your children. There is greatness inside all of them.

Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.

Psalms 127:3 (NLT version)

I would love to hear from you guys. What stories do you have to share that will encourage someone else? After all, we all live inside testimonies meant to be shared with others. Thank you for living inside this testimony with me. God has certainly been way too good to me, so I’ve got to tell it!

Are You Living Inside a Testimony in Your Marriage?

Mar4

I had the wonderful opportunity to interview this lovely couple for my web talk radio show 7 years ago when they had been married only 8 months. They’ve been married almost 8 years now and thanks to a Facebook memory post, I was inspired to blog about them today. I only did the talk show for 6 months due to lack of time and other obligations, but I learned a great deal producing those 12 shows (2 per month.) There is so much to learn when we take time to reflect on our past and how all the pieces come together to make us who we are today. Just as I realized when I was writing what I thought would be my first and only book, it’s amazing to see how God so perfectly orchestrates our lives and prepares us for what is to come. All we have to do is acknowledge him, and he will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

First, let’s flash back to 2011 when I interviewed DeShun and Kyanna Beard. You can listen to the entire interview here: “Love and Marriage: Is It a Fairy Tale?”

The Fairy Tale Wedding – Is it possible to really live happily ever after? When you listen to their interview, you’ll discover that we don’t really live inside fairy tales, but we do all live inside testimonies meant to be shared with others. Their beautiful love story will inspire you to discover your own great love, and with God’s blessings, you can live happily ever after.

I haven’t listened to that episode from my talk show in 7 years, and I must say it was good to hear it again. Did you listen? If not, here’s the link again. Just click here… I really want you to hear this.

We can’t all be like Cinderella and find our very own Prince Charming, but I choose to believe in the sanctity of marriage and what it stands for. Cinderella is simply a fairytale. However, we can all live happily ever after with God’s blessings. Hopefully DeShun and Kyanna’s love story will inspire you to view your own marriage differently, perhaps view your spouse from a different perspective and treat them as if you are living inside a fairytale pursuing your own happily ever after. Marriage requires work, but it’s well worth the effort in order to enjoy the blessings that can only be found when you truly view your marriage the way God intended for it to be.

My goal is not to repeat what you heard on the podcast, but rather to encourage you to listen for yourself at how the interview unfolded. It’s such a sweet story, one that will truly bless you if you are one who thought true love just doesn’t exist these days. I’m here to tell you it certainly does!

The happy couple, Mr. and Mrs. DeShun Beard, along with DeShun’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Beard. You will hear my very special guest on the radio broadcast, DeShun’s mother, Greta Beard (far left) share an emotional and touching story. This is the mother-in-law all future brides would love to have!

When this interview first aired in February 2011, I also shared it on my Facebook page along with these pictures and captions to serve as visual aids when listening to the interview. I’m sharing them here with you now, along with the original captions to fully engulf you in this experience. Here’s the other 3 pictures to go along with this beautiful little story.

The wedding party at the Fairy Tale Wedding on DeShun’s parents’ estate. The Scriptures teach us that the marriage Union and relationship was inspired by God, instituted by God, is preserved by God, and can rightly be dissolved only by God. So God created man in his own image . . . ; [one] male and [one] female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:9). Any two persons entering into the marriage union should realize that marriage is an institution of God and that the One who designed and authorized marriage has the authority to determine the standards of marriage.

 

I Corinthians 13 – THE LOVE CHAPTER. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”… The wedding rings: The ring could be the oldest and most universal symbol of marriage. There are many accounts of the meanings behind the use of wedding rings but the actual origins are unclear. The ring’s circular shape represents perfection and never-ending love. The early Christian church gave religious meaning to the ring by making it part of the wedding ceremony. “With this ring I thee wed, and this gold and silver I thee give, and with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly chatels I thee endow.” The thumb and first two fingers of the hand were to represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the fourth finger stood for the earthly love of man to woman.

 

The newlyweds began their wedded bliss as husband and wife while celebrating on their honeymoon cruise. Congratulations DeShun and Kyanna. May God forever bless you and your marriage! Your beautiful love story will bless all that hear it. Thank you for living inside the testimony with me!

Marriage really can strengthen your relationship with God and increase your faith in Him. Jesus will walk hand-and-hand by your side along with your spouse. All you have to do is make room and let him in.

DeShun’s advice: Put the Lord first in your relationship with your significant other.

Kyanna’s advice: Things may happen, but we know joy comes in the morning light… Know that God is always there.

As I said at the end of the talk show, a happy marriage requires work and commitment. I look at my husband as the man the Lord blessed me with, and it’s up to us to make it work. In our hearts we know without a doubt, we were meant to be together. I hope when you look at your own marriage, you can see it for what it really is. Don’t fantasize about anyone else’s relationship; just concentrate on the one that you’re in. Make it what you want it to be. Be committed to making it work, and it simply has to work. Make your marriage a great love story. After all, Walt Disney had to create Cinderella. You can create your own beautiful love story!

So once again, thank you DeShun and Kyanna Beard for sharing your beautiful story with us 7 years ago and again today. Thank you Greta Beard for being my very special guest on the program that day.

As a special treat, I asked Kyanna for an updated picture of her family now. Not only are she and DeShun still happily married after almost 8 years, they have also welcomed 2 precious little baby girls into their family. If you heard this story in 2011, just take a look at how the Lord has blessed this family since then.

Love and Marriage: Is It a Fairytale? Not at all. However, just look at what the Lord has done in DeShun and Kyanna’s lives. With God’s blessings, you really can live happily ever after. (From left to right: Kyanna, Harlow, Harper, and DeShun Beard)

Besides being inspired to blog about this sweet couple after the Facebook memory popped up today, I was also inspired to create a contest of my own. Like I said in the interview, I entered a “Greatest Love Story in the World” contest several years ago. Although William and I didn’t win, I still love our story and am happy to share it every chance I get. This is what I actually entered for the contest.

* * * * * Now I’m giving you an opportunity to win $100 in my Living Inside the Testimony – Greatest Love Story Contest!

Contest Rules:

  1. Let’s keep this simple without a lot of written rules, legalities, and disclaimers. My desire is to make this sweet and easy.
  2. Write one page to explain why you think your love story is the greatest love story in the world.
  3. You must be a married couple to enter as I am trying to promote the sanctity of marriage as described in the bible between a man and woman.
  4. Email your entry along with a picture of you and your spouse to me at livinginsidethetestimony@yahoo.com.
  5. I will read all entries and select one grand prize winner to receive $100 (Visa gift card or PayPal)
  6. Deadline to submit your entry is April 15, 2018.
  7. Winner will be announced no later than April 30, 2018.
  8. If you submit an entry, you are giving me permission to post your written entry and picture on my social media and website.
  9. If you have any questions, please ask. You can leave comments/questions here on my blog, on my Facebook page, or email me at livinginsidethetestimony@yahoo.com.
  10. I am the only judge for this contest, and my decision will be final. I will judge honestly and select what I feel is the best example of living inside the testimony in your own marriage and what makes it the greatest love story. Thank you for your participation and understanding!

 

 

 

Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

Jan9

Every night at 10:00 p.m., my local news starts the broadcast by asking, “It’s 10:00. Do you know where your children are?” It seems to be a rhetorical question, but living in these days of increased crime and terror, it’s something every parent needs to be able to answer emphatically. Children need to be off the streets and safely home with their parents to help prevent getting into trouble.

So on Friday night, November 10, 2017, at 10:00 p.m., I was at Gatekeeper’s Total Recall Women’s Retreat where the host, Dr. Tiffany Swift noted: “The ability to yield yourself for spiritual, emotional and mental maintenance is a privilege. The grave condition of our city doesn’t have to be a permanent situation. The overload of your schedules and extended taxation of your mind both need a moment to reboot.”

There were many things I learned about rebooting at this enlightening and edifying 2-day retreat from the inspirational guest speakers and fun, interactive sessions. However, the praise and worship experience proved to be the highlight of the retreat for me. Let me explain how a group of 6 millennials provided an answer to the question, “Do You Know Where Your Children Are?” while they helped me reboot all at the same time.

THE GROUP, as they are known, is a close-knit group of gifted singers and musicians who used their God-given talents during praise and worship Friday night at the retreat. Although they are millennials, they are far from the typical “children” their age. They could have been anywhere on a Friday night, yet they volunteered to be part of the retreat, not to entertain us, but to usher us into the presence of the Lord through their ministry of songs and music. Interestingly enough, most of us who attended the retreat were literally old enough to be The Group’s parents!

THE GROUP at The Retreat: seated – Nikki, Ariana, and Liz; on keyboards – LaMonte and Anthony; and Stephen on drums

I posed 3 questions to The Group, but before you read their answers, take a look at the bios they wrote for the retreat booklet. How many millennials would describe themselves like this?

I’m Liz! I have lived in a few different countries and even obtained a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University, but all of those experiences pale in comparison to the ride I’m on with The Group! It is such a blessing to be able to learn and grow with a team that God has put together through his work and for his purposes. My hope is that you enjoy Total Recall 2017 and that God speaks to you personally about your own journey to finding completion in Him!

 

Hey my name is LaMonte Gray and my main goal in life is to serve and please God. I do enjoy sports, playing the keyboard and eating a nice tender steak, however there is nothing that I enjoy or value more than being in the presence of God and his people. He has always been my everything and my hiding place. There is nothing that I could ever put before him in the life that he gave me.

 

My name is Stephen J. Starks. I have always been around the glory of God, and God gifted me to play drums. I’ve been blessed through my years of playing to play with and for many great musicians and singers, but nothing has blessed me more than playing with the great group that I play with now. I have a deep hunger and thirst for Jesus that is being fulfilled! …. Hey beautiful people! My name is Nikki Starks, and yes, I married our drummer. I enjoy being a part of ministry with my family. I consider myself to be a people person; I love spreading God’s love to whomever I can, however I can. Although singing is one of my gifts as part of the group, I am excited to be exposed to the many other gifts and ultimate calling that the Lord has for me.

 

Hiya folks, my name is Ariana Ward. So far during my 20 years of living, I have experienced some great heartache and pain, but God brought me out. Because of certain decisions, I am now a mother of 1. I am a singer, bass player, a full time college student and most importantly a lover of Christ. Everything in my life has led me here with The Group, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

I am but a man after God’s own heart, named Anthony Ward. Alias: Tony Kartez. God has gifted me with a mission of love, to share His heart with the people of this world via music, service, and creativity. Each day He reminds me that there is nothing I can’t accomplish through Him. So I take great pleasure in learning new ways to edify the gifts and talents He’s generously blessed me to possess, so that I may give them back to Him and His people without void.

Like I said, how many millennials would describe themselves like this? So yes, the women who attended the retreat were blessed to be ushered into the presence of the Lord by these kids. It was a praise and worship experience like none I’ve ever had in the past, and as I listen to brief excerpts of the worship experience I recorded on my iPad, I am still in awe at how God’s spirit entered that room on that Friday night and ministered to us through them. Of course I was so caught up in the moment that I did not record the “best” part, but maybe you can catch a glimpse of what I’m talking about by watching the clips below.

PLEASE NOTE: I really had no idea when I was recording that these videos would end up on my blog. Forgive the very amateur nature of the video and just enjoy being in the presence of the Lord through our praise and worship experience that Friday night.

 

 

 

 

 

So now, back to my interview. But first I need to mention that the retreat was actually the very first time The Group led a praise and worship service other than at their local church. For all practical purposes, this was their first public appearance as worship leaders… WOW!

It’s surprising what you can learn about a person just by asking 3 simple questions. I’ve known 5 of these kids since they were born, and all are members at my church, New Covenant Outreach Ministries. Related by blood and one by marriage, The Group is not your typical group, and their answers are very uncharacteristic of what you see in the media from the ‘typical’ youth of today.

Q1: How did The Group come together? Combining 5 minutes of conversation in response to this question, it can be summarized like this:

A: We could easily and appropriately say that we are together because God said so. A lot of things happened to get us to realize that God picked each one of us to be here. Our individual journeys with music and worship were for the most part separate. We grew up in the same church, but never worked together unless it was under the watchful eye of the Pastor’s wife during a holiday program. God took the time to reveal his plan in ways that were unique to each of his little children. In retrospect, it is such a blessing to be known by such a loving and careful God, who really does order our steps for his perfect purposes. We were off doing our own things—one of us too pregnant, another too scared to sing outside of her head, some too busy navigating the trials of marriage, others too focused on everything God had to say other than music—yet God brought each of us face-to-face with his plan. If anything our union is a testimony that you are never “too” anything for God to hit the master reset in order to give you a new purpose!

Q2. What would you like for the world to know about The Group?

A: We exist to cultivate the heart of worship and have a heart for God’s people. We are actually all related and like each other.

Q3. Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers?

A: Thank you, readers for reading and jumping in to a story that is being laid out before our very eyes. We are just a group of young people trying to do what God called us to do, and we want to share this burden with you—so please pray! Pray first that we are able to grow together under God’s direction and headship so that we can reach the goals he has set before us. Secondly, pray that we have the faith to believe for his provision. We have very practical individual and group needs in order to keep moving forward in this journey. So please join us in petitioning—better yet, bombarding heaven so that those needs are met, and that we are able to do what God called us to do to the best of our ability. Not only will that improve the music God gives us to create, it will be a bold testimony to each and every person we stand before. It’s not always easy. In a worldly sense we are young and trying to get started. We get scared and nervous. We also need instruments so if you feel led to bless us to continue to bless God’s people, don’t hesitate to be part of this harvest. Please consider donating to help us reach the young (and not so young) through our music as ambassadors of His presence.

THE GROUP (from left to right) Anthony Ward, LaMonte Gray, Stephen J. Starks, Nikki Starks, Liz Hunter, Baby Areah, and Ariana Ward.

If you would like to make a donation to help The Group move forward in their ministry, you can do so through my Paypal by clicking here.  I assure you that 100% of the donations will go directly to The Group.

I’m pretty sure the parents of these “kids” are thankful to be able to answer the question, “Do you know where your children are?” with an affirmative, “YES, they are working in the spirit of excellency in the ministry the Lord called them to do.” After all, this is The Group… Created by God.

 

BONUS AUDIO – Songs (Breakthrough and Weary Soul) composed, produced, and performed by The Group!