I have ALWAYS known there was more for me.
I have always BELIEVED that God had a plan for my life that was bigger than me. and... I have ALWAYS felt a burning in my heart and that ache in my soul year after year of doing and achieving, but not FULLY grabbing hold of that ONE thing that I KNEW was my 'Glory Zone'. It's like I've had glimpses of it, dreams about it, close encounters with it, but never that ACTUALIZATION moment. So, I picked up this book called 'Believe Bigger' written by my mentor and friend, Marshawn Evans Daniels. I had high hopes and expectations that written within the pages would be the wisdom and the missing pieces of the puzzle I had been constructing for over two decades. Surely if anyone could direct me to what I was missing it would be her. She not only learned to believe bigger for herself, but she has helped thousands of women, just like me, believe bigger too! So I cracked open the pages of that life transforming book on a brisk, pre-spring morning flying high on a four hour flight to Los Angeles, and boy did I have a moment! Several "Ah Ha!" moments. Can you say AWAKENING! It wasn't that I had been doing anything WRONG, per say, but I had allowed my lived experiences, past, and current traumas, to taint my belief in me! When I tell you that I arrived to LA with a different swag about myself, whew! I had to stop by the restroom, take a long look at myself in the mirror, and say, "Hello Chi, nice to meet you. You are awesome!" Can you say mental SHIFT! I turned 40 this past December, which I've looked forward to for many reasons. This year is significant in so many ways for me. Two of the most significant are sending my youngest daughter off to college (making me an empty nester) and launching my lifelong dream that I had placed on the shelf many years ago until now. As I continue to read, write, and reflect while consuming the pages of Believe Bigger, I can feel the evolution of a woman who is not only ready to believe bigger for herself, but for my daughters, and all of those waiting for me to show up for them. Are you ready to take the limits off? Believe Bigger! #TakingTheLimitsOff #BelieveBigger #FOD2018 #FODF #ERLV2 #BuiltToEndure #WORSHIP365 #LMLMN #PsalmistLife #MyInsideOutLifestyle #PurposePreneur
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My Testimony. When these two were just 4 and 2 years old, I made a very difficult decision to leave an abusive marriage for them. Thus becoming a "Cycle Breaker". The journey as a single mother for 13 years was not easy, but God. Losing my mother to domestic violence when I was just 14, left me with a void in many areas of my life. I started out with MAJOR disadvantages being a motherless daughter, but God. I accepted Christ and was filled with His Holy Spirit when I was just 12 years old at a youth camp. I was standing down front near the stage lifting my hands in worship as Carmen, our worship leader ministered in song.
My love for God, my dependence on His Holy Spirit and my love for music and worship has sustained my life and the lives of these two beauties for 28 years! I'm a believer in the power of the name of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, if we will surrender to the process, and allow the power of Christ to have its perfect work in us. As we prepare to celebrate the graduation of my youngest daughter this year, I am reminded of the faithfulness of God all these years. He has ALWAYS provided for us, protected us, and sustained us. He was right there all the time. Through the ups and the downs, He was there. When I had no support, no money, and cried myself to sleep MANY nights, He was there. Through relocations, mistakes, and drama, He was there. If you are a single mother, struggling to raise your children the best you can, be encouraged and know that God is and He is ALWAYS there. Have FAITH in Him and He will NEVER let you down. I'm a witness. Will you respond to what He is asking you to do out of obedience to Him? Enduring the process of spiritual growth and maturity is an ongoing, lifelong process. Unfortunately, it took me more than a decade to reach this conclusion and finally come to a point of total surrender. Isn't it comforting to know that if we would only surrender to the process of obedience to God, being willing to wait on Him, surrendering our will in exchange for His; that we will experience tremendous spiritual growth. Honestly, I believe that it makes the journey easier to endure, and takes less time. Obedience brings healing, and it is much better than any sacrifice you can offer. God requires total obedience, yet what we offer Him daily are works, the sacrifice of our time, our talents, and our tenth. What about the other areas of our lives? "All a man's ways seems innocent to him, but motives are weighed by The Lord" (Proverbs 16:2). Where there is outright disobedience, an act of sacrifice is worthless before God. Are you doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons? When it comes to moral and spiritual actions, motives of the heart are equally complex. Sometime we may be acting from the purest of motives, yet we are in violation of God's commands. Obedience IS Better Than Sacrifice Consider Jonah and many other ordinary people like you and I who God called, as examples of our disobedient and resistant human nature. Moses, who God called and prepared, standing before a burning bush, making excuses for why he couldn't do what God called him to do. Consider Gideon who God called to lead an attack against the Midianites; arguing with an angel, explaining why he couldn't do it. How about King Saul, the wisest, most powerful King of Jerusalem. Who hid behind luggage when Samuel came to anoint him King of Israel. Consider Jeremiah, whom God called to be a prophet to the nations. Debating with God about his tender age, as though God didn't know how old he was. When God calls you He equips you. Jonah's disobedience resulted in God's intervention and where he ended up, was not an ideal situation. Although he didn't debate with God or argue with an angel, he simply ran the other way. He didn't object to his call because of his inabilities, but rather his personal opinions. He felt that the people of Nineveh didn't deserve a warning of repentance, and rightfully so. The people of Nineveh were evil and wicked. A few days of running the opposite way landed him three days in the belly of a big fish where he would quickly regain his perspective and obey God. Despite Jonah's disobedience, his lack of perspective, his cultural prejudices, and his self-rightoeosuness, God never have up on him. God can still use us in spite of us. Are you a friend of God, obeying His word and His will or an enemy of God rejecting and running away from God's will and not obeying His word. My Nineveh Experience: Before God called me into full time ministry, I was preparing to move back to Atlanta for what I perceived to be a strategic move on behalf of my daughters as they approached middle school, it was clear that they would need the influence of their father to keep them on the right track. I was right. However, before the official move I came to a crossroads. God was calling me back to himself in total surrender. No longer my way but his way. My plans had been blocked and to my surprise, I would spend the next 6 months going through a process of being broken, surrendering, and receiving divine revelation. It was very painful and I felt as though I was being punished. I did not understand and I was angry, but I submitted to the process and allowed God to work in me and eventually through me. I believe that because of my surrendered heart, I was granted permission to continue with my plan to move with my daughters back to Atlanta, GA. I believed that I had made the right decision, however, the circumstances that I encountered when I arrived caused me to doubt. My doubts and lack of faith in God, caused me to waver in my obedience to Gods Word and His will. Anytime you enter into a state of disobedience to God your way will be made hard to bring you back to a place of obedience. It would take me an entire year to finally get this revelation after waisting time, money, and making many mistakes. Eventually my situation would bring me to a point of surrender again. I would spend the next year going through a tremendous process of growth. I stopped running away from the call and surrendered in obedience to His will. The more time I spent in His Word and in prayer, the more clarity I gained about the plan and purpose for my life. This book that you are holding is the product of that and all because of obedience and total surrender. OBEDIENCE = FRUITFULNESS [Harvested Produce] When I finally let go of fear and stepped out of the boat, I began to walk on water, and as long as I keep my eyes on Jesus, He will not let me sink. #FailureIsNotAnOption Exert from The Endurance Ride of Life Vol 2 "Becoming Fruitful" “When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. "You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you. “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought. "You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat. "You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for. "You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. "You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family. "You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom. “Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don’t like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.” Matthew 5:1-12 MSG “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.” Mark 11:22-26 KJV FAITH OVER FEAR FRIDAY!
Working on being more intentional in every area of my life, and a big growth area for me is being more relational. I know, those who REALLY KNOW ME and have relationship with me would say, "what are you talking about you are relational". I'm speaking of extending the net to become more relational with those whom I know but have yet to "get to know". I asked God how to do this without stretching myself too thin and this is what He instructed me to do. It's FAITH OVER FEAR FRIDAY! There is power in agreement and I love to pray for my friends. I know this life is hard and can present challenge after challenge, but, what I know for sure is that it's very difficult to handle alone. Your not alone. I would like to stand with you in faith and prayer. If you have a prayer request please post it in the comments. If you would prefer to keep your request private please message me directly. #FaithOverFear Yours In Faith, @chi_likethetea Waiting is hard. Let's be honest, in this microwave society that we have all grown accustomed to, we all hate to wait. From waiting in traffic to waiting in line, it's just not easy to wait. However, during this season of my life, I have learned some valuable lessons in waiting that I hope will inspire you.
Psalm 130:5 says, "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.” What beautiful words, but what does it mean to "wait on the Lord"? Here is what I have learned, to wait is to surrender to God's timing and control. Woah! That's a mouthful. In other words, we must keep in step with God continually, day by day, at His pace, and learn to rest in Him. This is not easy to do, because it requires work and discipline. I had to really become intentional with seeking God's face and His perfect will for my life everyday to stay in step with His rhythm. I was very careful not to move ahead of Him or become slothful when He said go! To do this I had to increase my level of intimacy through prayer, reading His Word, and develop a lifestyle of fasting according to the Isaiah 58. As a result I began to change. I felt different. I moved differently. I learned to rest in God and wait patiently for Him to speak, give direction and instruction. I found myself looking in the mirror asking myself, "Who are you"? Patience was having its perfect work in my life and I was beggining to really understand James 1:4, “But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” It's important to share that during this season of my life ALL HELL was breaking loose every other day! I was so overwhelmed, frustrated, and I desperately was trying to figure out how to fix everything that was happening. You know that's what we do. Instead of letting God teach me I was too busy trying to figure it out and fix it. A sista was worn out! My mind was exhausted! I went up for prayer one Sunday because I was just so overwhelmed. My Pastor prayed with me and said these words "rest, rest, rest". God wanted me to STOP trying to fix and figure things out, and just REST. It was my job to figure out what exactly that meant and how to do it! So I started seeking and studying God's Word and before I knew it I had entered into His rest. During seasons of pruning it's important to understand the season and discern what you should or should not be doing. I was in a season of "patience pruning" and boy did it hurt! I don't know anybody who prays for patience or enjoys the process of becoming patient. So, if you find yourself in a season of "patience pruning" you will need a sustaining source to lean on while your waiting for God to move in your life. Trust me. 1. #HOPE is the key to patience and God's word is the key to hope. "In His Word I hope" Psalm 130:5 2. #SURRENDER to God's will and His ways, they are perfect. Don't resist the process it will only take longer. Patience is the evidence of strong faith, because it is the result of a surrendered heart, that hangs its hope on the promises of God. 3. Meditate on the #PROMISES of God by studying His Word concerning the season you are in. A few #PromisesForThePatient can be found in Isaiah 49:29; Isaiah 64:4; Isaiah 40:31 4. #PRAY for more faith to trust His will, strength to accept His plan and to believe His promises. Remember, patience is the ability to wait on God's timing and accept His will, with joy, peace, hope, and assurance of His goodness. Rest in Him, He has everything under control. #WaitOnTheLord #Perspective #Patience #ERLV2 Excerpt from The Endurance Ride of Life Volume 2 "Becoming Fruitful" #ERLV2 When you genuinely love you, you open yourself up to receive the genuine love of others. You also give enough care, attention, and empathy to yourself so that you can give to others from a place of abundance. “The key to loving yourself truly is to give yourself that which uplifts you, not just for the moment, but long term. Ask yourself, what is it that you really want?” Rena Greenberg @EasyWillPower. According to research, it takes 21 days to establish a habit, so here are 28 self love tips to get you started and a few more days to make it stick!
To continue your #SELFLOVE journey 365 days a year visit loveselfme.com @loveselfme DAY 7: #DVAM2016
Earlier this week, Samyah Copeland, a 16 year old girl was shot to death in Riverdale, GA by her boyfriend. "The little young fellow took my daughter's life and his own life, that was her best friend," said Tuwanna Copeland. "He couldn't live without her, he didn't want no body else to live with her if he couldn't have her to himself." Our hope is that #FOD2016 will bring awareness and education; provide prevention and intervention resources, and support around the cause of domestic violence and teen dating violence prevention. All proceeds from the night will benefit the Loves Me Loves Me Not Teen Dating Prevention Program which will be hosted by 6 schools in February of 2017. Why?
#FOD2016 #LovesMeLovesMeNot #HOPE #AWARENESS #EDUCATION #INTERVENTION #PREVENTION October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) evolved from the "Day of Unity" held in October 1981 which was conceived by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The intent was to connect advocates across the nation who were working to end violence against women and their children. The Day of Unity soon became an entire week devoted to a range of activities conducted at the local, state, and national level. The activities conducted were as varied and diverse as the program sponsors but had common themes:
* Mourning those who have died because of domestic violence * Celebrating those who have survived * Connecting those who work to end violence These three themes remain a key focus of DVAM events today. As a survivor and overcomer of domestic violence, I personally champion the cause of domestic violence and use my voice to bring awareness and education to the community. Would you join me? I invite you to help us break the cycle of domestic violence on Sunday, October 22nd by attending the 5th Annual For Our Daughters Benefit Concert. For Our Daughtersis an annual signature benefit concert that I produce in October featuring myself and local artist coming together to be inspired and break the cycle of domestic violence and teen dating violence through creativity and positivity. I know first hand how powerful music is and it's liberating effect on the soul and spirit. Thank you in advance for your commitment to breaking the cycle of domestic violence. To join the movement, purchase tickets, or become a sponsor visit ChiTMathias.com #FOD2017 In the year 2000, after the birth of my second daughter, my message was "early detection saves lives, during my tenure as Cancer Control Specialist & Cancer Prevention and Education Advocate at The American Cancer Society. Today, Sixteen years later, my message is "inspire, empower, endure long and finish strong." Over the past sixteen years my professional career and life have metamorphosed beautifully, despite turbulence, test, trials, and tribulation. In Volume 2 of The Endurance Ride of Life, I will share my endurance journey of entrepreneurship, parenting, and personal life transformation with you. I will also share how the lessons I learned transformed my life and shaped my future.
SNIPPETS FROM MY ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY I have learned so many life lessons as a result of embarking on the path of entrepreneurship sixteen years ago. The most important lesson learned, is that there are ebs and flows in business and how you ride the tide determines your level of success. This is my story. After a few years of cancer education and outreach, I would grow weary of hearing about the health disparities effecting my community and seeing women I had grown to know, love, and admire, lose their battle to cancer. So in the year 2000, I decided to get on the prevention end of health disparities as a business owner. My first business, of subsequent others, was Inside Out Health & Beauty (IOHB). It's mission was to improve the quality of life from the inside out. At the time, I was an independent health and beauty consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics and Body Wise International, both companies focused on beauty, health and wellness products. It was during that time as an independent consultant, that I had the epiphany to launch my own brand. IOHB would become an education and life enrichment company, which focused on educating individuals in the community about the importance of living a holistically balanced life from the inside out, spiritually as well as naturally. So as I sold my products and hosted skincare classes, I educated, empowered, and inspired lives along the way. By the year 2003, I became a single mother of two little girls, ages 5 and 3 at the time. This life change would force me to put my entrepreneurial dreams on hold and pursue full time employment to support my family. This was a very difficult decision to make, however, like all single mothers, I did what I had to do. During that season of my life, not only was I a single mother, but I was a 26 year old still trying to find my place in the world. In addition, I was learning who I was in a city where I had no friends or family. I thank God for divinely ordered steps and the friends and serrogot family that He provided along the way. For the next few years I navigated through life the best way that I could working as a Community Health Advocate until I realized that I needed to heal my own emotional wounds. So in 2007, I returned to my hometown of St. Louis, MO to do just that, focus on my healing journey. As I surrendered to the healing process I learned more about myself and bloomed in ways I could have never imagined! Picking back up my IOHB brand, I re-evaluated, re-purposed, and re-launched IOHB as The Inside Out Company and began developing innovative youth workshops and after school enrichment programs. I was also blessed to be able to speak and implement them to captive audiences by organizations like, The Girl Scouts of Greater St. Louis, The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Sisterkeeper Empowerment Center, the YWCA of Greater St. Louis, and local schools within the community. Needless to say these programs were meeting a need and proved to be effective, enriching, and produced lasting results. As time when on, every four years I found myself re-evaluating and re-inventing my brand, as well as developing new brands. As I continued to serve under the umbrella of The Inside Out Company, music, my first love, started speaking loudly. So, in 2009, I launched a mobile music school, The Musik Institute, Inc., where I taught piano and voice lessons privately in the homes of my students. With two brands under my belt, I decided to go for a third after experiencing let downs at national vocal auditions with Sunday's Best and The Voice. Inspired Soul Music International was born! The first phase of ISMI was to self produce my first project as an independent artist. So I wrote five songs, hired a producer, and recorded an EP. After recording the EP, I began researching how to duplicate and package my product. With product in hand, I sold numerous copies at singing engagements locally. By the end of 2009, I had multiple streams of income from The Inside Out Company, The Musik Institute, and Inspired Soul Music. I was on a roll and enjoying my local success, but deep down I knew there was so much more. By the year 2010, I was ready to launch the second phase of Inspired Soul Music International, producing local concerts, and For Our Daughters (FOD), "Breaking the Cycle of Domestic Violence Through The Arts", was born. The inspiration behind FOD, came from my personal life tragedies. The first, which I share in my book The Endurance Ride of Life Vol 1., occurred in 1992, at the hands of my stepfather who murdered my mother, sexually assaulted me, and stabbed me thirteen times, leaving me for dead. After surviving the traumatic event, I moved through life by the grace of God. In 1999 I became a young wife and mother who would eventually leave the marriage, for my daughters, because of domestic violence. Anxious to share my story of tragedy to triumph with the world, in 2013, I wrote and self published my first inspirational work, The Endurance Ride of Life under my independent publishing company Food For The Soul Publishing. Since releasing my book, I have been on a quest to share my story and my song with the world and I will not give up until my ultimate vision is actualized. Today, with five successful brands under my belt, I am re-evaluating and re-launching. Still holding tightly to the most precious gift that I have as a vocalist, I still believe there is more. With sixteen years of entrepreneurial experience under my belt, I'm anxiously anticipating what's next for me. Excerpt from The Endurance Ride of Life Volume 2 "Fruitful" #ERLV2 |
AuthorLife long journal keeper who is now ready to share my story with the world! |