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nicholegrzychinoveradozenworks · 6 months

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I Am Published In over A Dozen Works …

As a small baby until the age of four I lived next door to the YMCA in Hammond of Indiana and played outside by it and would go learn & do crafts there and learned & did gymnastics there all under four years of age

I was at about four or five years of age in a first southern baptist church of Hammond Indiana church play reciting psalm 23

As a child about four or five years old at first southern baptist church in Hammond Indiana I drew a large poster on a large poster board of a dog to put up to get kids to vacation Bible school and won the contest & got a $5 bill & they used the poster for vacation Bible school

I was in a newspaper on Santa’s lap at about four years old in around 1980 as a child in Hammond Indiana

I was in a preschool Cinderella play in Hammond Indiana playing the evil step sister at about four years of age

I was when in elementary school in summer school at Franklin School in Griffith Indiana on how to make commercials

I was in Brownies in grade schoo at Eldon Ready Schooll in Griffith Indiana which is a form of Girl Scouts

I participated in Eldon Ready school spelling bees & art shows in elementary school. I got ribbons for the art shows of my art I made under instruction of an art teacher in art class . I did not get ribbons or awards in the spelling bees though but did good and participated.

I was a narrator and memorized and recited a long script before a large crowd in various Eldon Ready Griffith Indiana school plays

I was in church Awanas in elementary school and earned badges and medals in Highland Indiana Calvary Baptist Church. I was in Chums & Sparks for Awanas.

I was in VBS Vacation Bible School at many churches and learned and did the Bible and arts and crafts in elementary school

I was in choir for Highland Indiana Christian school in sixth grade

I was in the choir for Highland Christian School ‘Sound Of Music’ play in Indiana in sixth grade

I modeled a dance outfit for Jeannie’s dance academy in front of a small crowd at the dance academy

I was on free tv for a Jeannie’s ET dance recital at the Holiday Star at the Raddisson of Merrilville Indiana dancing with my class of dancers and doing cart wheels. It was ballet and jazz and acrobats. I did all that in the recital.

I did piano competitions and recitals in Griffith Indiana and won awards for playing the piano in elementary school.

In elementary school my grandma came to grandparents day at Eldon Ready School in Griffith of Indiana and she won an award for youngest grandma. This is my mom’s mom

I was on Childers & Austin softball team. They are both heating & air conditioning company’s for softball and I played softball & won trophies in Griffith Indiana. I played on the Griffith of Indiana softball field.

I volunteered in the Franklin Field softball concession stand when in softball in elementary school and made tips & sold candy bars for softball and made the team money and ate at a Villa Pizza celebration in Griffith of Indiana

my third grade teacher bought me a book on cats at a book sale when I had no money. She had me write and make books for the students to read. I would write Jenny books about a girl named Jenny that was poor and wanted to make money to buy her mom a coat. I came up with the idea and books myself. Around fifteen years later that teacher won the country radio station US 99 best teacher award.

Was involved in scavenger hunts & snipe hunting and went on many camping trips with the church while in Elementary school

5th - 12th grade I cleaned houses and babysat for money

In fifth grade I volunteered for the cafeteria during English class and made a little money and ate free food and learned how to work in their kitchen and cook and serve their food

I was a Cheerleader in 6th grade Highlamd Christian school in Indiana

I got in a magazine about what I would do if I was president when I was in sixth grade at Highland Christian School

I did Calvary Baptist Church in Highland Indiana track relays relays and won ribbons

I was on the fifth & sixth grade Griffith Eldon Ready School basketball & volleyball team in Indiana

I in fifth and sixth grade won ribbons and medals for science experiments on wisdom teeth and getting out stains with laundry detergents at Eldon Ready Elementary school in Griffith and at Purdue University both in Indiana

In sixth grade I won the cheerfulness award at our sixth grade graduation dinner at a nice banquet hall where we had to learn to dress nice and professional and we were graded on the whole thing and yes I got the cheerfulness award

I got the sparkle and shine award in seventh grade cheerleading camp cheer competition

I did a cheerleading competition in the center of southlake mall in Merrilville/Hobart Indiana for Griffith Highschool Cheerleading

I was on free tv for Griffith Highschool Grease play doing choreography on top stage in Indiana

I ran long distance in track my freshman year and won various ribbons at track meets for Griffith Highschool at Various schools in Lake County Indiana

I took tennis lessons and played tennis for the freshman tennis team in Griffith Highschool

I played the piano as a substitute for Trinity Fellowship church in Highland Indiana

I modeled a fancy red dress for Rosalee fine clothing store at southlake mall when about 15 years old in Hobart/Merrilville Indiana

I dressed runway models for a Rosalee fashion runway show at the Star Plaza Radisson in Merrilville/Hobart

I was a Cheerleader in 7-9 th grade Griffith Junior High in Indiana

I was in Griffith and Highland Christian school choir and Griffith elementary school and junior high choir in Indiana

Went on a couple skiing trips and camping trip in highschool with a couple churches in Northwest Indiama

I won a dating award for best date in Suburbam Bible church dating seminar in the state of Michigan around the mid 1990s

I marched with virgins in Washington DC in DC/LA Christian seminar in Washington DC in about 1994 when i was about 17

I was in DECA my senior year of highschool learning across the disciplines and working as a filer for a sports doctor Dr Brown through that program. He did that knee surgery on hall of famer motorcycle stunt man Evil Kanieval. I was in a competition at the end and got a plaque for the Dr Office. This was around 1995.

I was a Student Ambassador at Purdue University and got a plaque awarded to me at a dinner for donating the most hours in Hammond Indiana. This was around 1998.

Gave tours of Purdue and the brand new computer lab they built as a Purdue Student Ambassador. I gave the tour to prestigious to foreigners working on computers and revolutionizing computers.

I was at the Wrigley Brothers Circus in around 1999 where I was called in the ring and participated in a stunt before a very large crowd and on tv.

I was in a Psychology journal on research I did with a research team on adolescents and self esteem with body image in the media for Purdue University in Indiana. We presented the research before a crowd in Indiana and it ended up in a psychology journal

I was a research assistant at Purdue University and made the Headstart Directory in Hammond Indiana

I acted in a skit for a video for my fellow student male cohort friend in college at Purdue. I will call him bear. The video was made for a grade in his communication class and he showed it to me at his house on his tv and shows it to his friends on his tv.

I volunteered. at Eads and Winfield school at various events in Munster and Crown Point of Indiana

I put in job applications at Brookfield, Lincolnpark, and Michigan City zoos taking my daughter to the zoo regularly. I ended up my daughter and I in a lion den of a raped female lion with her male pride at Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City of Indiana. I was like a foot away from them live in the den giving my thoughts of the whole situation.

I supervised and walked with about a hundred elementary students and teachers down downtwn Crown Point of Indiana streets from the bus and took them on a field trip to the library and fire station. Students got to go in and learn the real downtown Crown Point Indiana fire truck and jail. I learned the Crown Point fire truck and police station a little

Supervised about one hundred students with a few other teachers on a bus field trip to the challenger center in Hammond of Indiana. It is an outer space center for children

I worked at TGI Fridays in Hobart/Merrilville in my early 20s where it was the motto back then that when you are on the floor you are on act and show. I was a server with personality acting in Merrilville/Hobart for a few years. This was in around the year 2002.

Got a letter in the mail as an alumni from Purdue University from a professor to help a research team with cancer of the brain research about the links of cancer to cell phones. He gave me a tour of the research lab and showed me a vial of cancer. Be careful not to have your phone to your ear all the time. Can cause brain cancer

I was in the newspaper commentary on the war in my early 20s at Barnes & Noble in Merrilville/Hobart Indiana

I volunteered at many reiki healings doing hands on reiki at reiki shares for Linda Rosenthal at Insight out. I have a reiki I, Ii, & Reiki Master certificate from there.

I was in around 2005 in a topics in physics one-on-one course with professor Megan Pickett a Purdue University professor who was writing a book getting ready to do a sabbatical and she did work for NASA

I was with my favorite girlfriend at the time. She is a probation officer. We were invited VIP to Zentra nightclub in Chicago and they put our pic on their website

I volunteered for the free tv show Jeffrey Kraft’s Painting Secrets in various places in Indiana

I did a reiki art display for hobby lobby in Hobart/Merrilville Indiana

I was in “Earth of Aquarian Skies” poetry book with my poem I wrote “Timeless Voices” by editor Howard Eli on the front page

I have a poem published in a cd as baroque music

I sold and used arbonne beauty and vitamin products and hosted one party and earned unlimited arbonne natural vitamins and beauty products I used for years and earned $300 profit in around the year 2005 when that was a lot of money & eventually got my dream arbonne car from an arbonne client that was my mother

I delivered the free Aspectarian magazine volunteer

I have an article I wrote on pet habits in a magazine after submitting the article to helium.com

I displayed and sold art I drew at the Porter County Fair in Porter County of Indiana

I was awarded around thanksgiving one Veterans Day around 2016 for my help with the veterans

I volunteered as secretary for former 1990s hbo televised boxing hall of famer and champ Angel Manfredy in 2018 and was on tv and radio with this former 1990s boxing champ Angel Manfredy and have two professional YouTube videos and shows up of us on YouTube with me as his secretary in Hammond Indiana and Illinois

In October 2018 I went up in the baptismal with former Mr Indiana Mike Otano a pastor now at CRC church in Merrilville of Indiana and got baptised before the church and born again

I was in “ Turning the Corner” poetry book I have a poem titled “Only You” I wrote in it

I was in “Great New Songs 2022” cd with my song I wrote ‘That Smile Just Don’t Got It Now’ and I have a contract with that song on a single cd too

I have a single cd ‘That Smile Just Don’t Got It Now’. I have a contract and wrote the song,

And I am in a few other poetry books…

I am on the cover of 2023 December Edition of Fashion Republic magazine with pics and interview inside

Currently 2024 & upcoming I will be on the billboard on Broadway in Times Square New York, New York. Then in March Fashion Republic magazine.

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onenettvchannel · 7 months

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BALITANG LOKAL: Dumaguete City welcomes a newest FM religious radio station 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' quietly launches the airwaves on Test Broadcast before the 1st Undas Weekend 2023 [#OneNETnewsEXCLUSIVE]

DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ORIENTAL -- The City of Gentle People and Negrosanons are about to experience a harmonious transformation in its airwaves, with the quiet launch of 'The Anchor 101.7 FM', a religious non-commercial FM radio station. This exciting development was revealed through a series of Facebook posts between last October and early-November 2023 (which is all owned by Meta Platforms Inc.).

The Anchor 101.7mhz FM is part of 'The Anchor Radio Network' (TARN), a project deeply rooted in the faith community. The radio network aims to bring the spiritually uplifting experience of Christian music and programming to local listeners. The mother station of 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' hails from the Bible Baptist Church International (BBCI) and the Anchor Broadcasting Company (ABC), which operates a potential callsign of DWBS-FM's The Anchor 101.5mhz FM in Parañaque City, Metro Manila and DYLJ-FM's The Anchor 103.5mhz FM in Jaro, Iloilo. This local expansion to Dumaguete City represents a significant step in furthering the mission of this Christian radio network.

Randy DeMoville, a Filipino-American pastor individual migrating from Hammond, Indiana, United States of America (U.S.A.) to Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines spoke exclusively and virtually via Facebook Messenger to OneNETnews… The only religious station is to connect Jesus Christ through the FM radio: "Jesus commanded that we go into all of the world and preach the Gospel (Good News) to every creature. FM provides for us a great medium to do that, and our listeners can expect to hear, regularly, a clear presentation of the Gospel, according to the Bible, God's Word", he said.

The local church affiliated with 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' in Dumaguete City is on the International Baptist Church (IBC) located at the City Limit, National Highway in Brgy. Buñao. Situated prominently in front of the St. Paul University, this church is poised to become a beacon of faith and inspiration for the local Negrosanon community.

Listeners can look forward to a test broadcast starting in the early first weekend of November 2023 during the 'Undas' holiday or All Saints and Souls Day, with a potential grand launch: "We are currently under test broadcast while we await the release of our Provisional Authority and the frequency 101.7 has been submitted for approval. Our live programming, such as our 7am to 8am, Monday to Friday morning program (Good Morning Dumaguete!), as well as LIVE listener request times, are available currently, ONLY through our App which can be installed from our website. Our FM is streaming mostly music at this stage of our operation", as DeMoville added.

(PHOTO COURTESY: Randy DeMoville via FB PHOTO)

What sets 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' apart is its commitment to being a constant companion to its listeners, as it operates 24 hours daily without sign-on to sign-off. This means that whether it's the dawn of a new day or the stillness of the night, Negrosanon listeners can find solace and strength in the programming offered by this non-commercial, religious FM radio station.

"I am waiting to see if we are permitted to start using our callsign yet, so I will withhold that until I know more. We do not yet have a date for a grand launch, but will be happy to let you know when that day comes", he also added. The station yet awaiting its radio callsign, pending radio franchise approval from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and/or Kapisanan ng mga Broadcaster ng Pilipinas (KBP). You can tune in via Audio Streaming to 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' Dumaguete at "ibcd.theanchor.app", allowing for a seamless connection with the spiritually enriching content.

With 'The Anchor 101.7 FM' making its presence known in Dumaguete City, the city's residents can now look forward to a source of inspiration and comfort through Christian music and teachings.

As TARN or The Anchor Radio Network expands its reach, it is set to become a special and cherished voice for the people of Dumaguete and Negrosanon listeners: "We welcome all Dumagueteños to tune in for a refreshing sound, unlike anything else you'll hear in Dumaguete. We are distinctly different and unshamed. We believe that in order to make a difference, you have to be different. We truly have a desire to help people by introducing them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and life-changing truths contained in the pages of the Bible. We invite everyone to tune in and be blessed", as per the concluded statement from DeMoville.

The airwaves have a new anchor, and it's poised to guide and uplift the hearts and souls of those who tuned in locally right here in Negros Oriental.

Listen the exclusive full radio aircheck here:

SCREENGRAB COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Google Maps BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227003446105138 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #1 via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227046927312141 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #2 via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227068730177199 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #3 via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227107926557084 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #4 via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.facebook.com/100006193866968/posts/3463767967172965 [Referenced FB VIDEO via Gene Sharp] *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227122606284068 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #5 via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.facebook.com/1624104694/posts/10227145402493959 [Referenced FB Captioned PHOTO #6f via Randy DeMoville] *https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212876 [Referenced News Article via Philippine News Agency] *https://ph.linkedin.com/in/randy-demoville [Referenced Biography via LinkedIn] *http://www.atentmaker.com [Referenced Main Page via A Tent Maker website] *https://elibrary.judiciary.gov.ph/thebookshelf/showdocs/2/82883 [Referenced Law Article via Supreme Court E-Library] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_radio *https://dwbs.theanchor.app/#/desktop *https://ibcdumaguete.com/#/location *https://www.facebook.com/100064059666632/posts/741309248014391 [Referenced FB Post #1 via JTVNet] and *https://www.facebook.com/100064059666632/posts/741367721341877 [Referenced FB Post #2f via JTVNet]

-- OneNETnews Team

#local news #dumaguete #negros oriental #the anchor #radio #religious #jesus christ #test broadcast #undas #international baptist church #exclusive #first and exclusive #OneNETnews

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kingjamesbible1611 · 3 years

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(via Preaching by Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001))

#Pastor Jack Hyles #First Baptist Church Hammond Indiana

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wutbju · 5 years

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From 1974 through 1978, Lester Roloff conducted “Liberty Rallies” all over the country to garner support in the midst of legal scrutiny for abuse in his “homes” for “wayward” children.

In his film called Azariah-Uzziah, however, he has a revealing set of supporters:

The case for the separation of church and state is presented in the film by these well-known speakers: Dr. Bob Jones, Chancellor of Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, Dr. Bob Jones III, President of Bob Jones University, Dr. Jack Hyles, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana and President of Hyles-Anderson College.

Now why is it that BJU would so clearly support a Texas hillbilly who was charged with physical abuse of children? Why, oh why, oh why?

From the Tyler Williamson Collection

#Bob Jones University #Tyler Williamson #Lester Roloff #Azariah-Uzziah #Rebekah Homes for Girls

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phungthaihy · 4 years

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The Bible Way to Heaven http://ehelpdesk.tk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/logo-header.png [ad_1] We are all sinners Romans 3:10 “... #academics #baptist #bible #calculus #chineselanguage #christ #church #cross #datastructures #englishconversation #englishgrammar #englishlanguage #first #frenchlanguage #germanlanguage #god #hammond #heaven #hope #ielts #indiana #japaneselanguage #jesus #linearalgebra #love #math #probability #salvation #signlanguage #spanishlanguage #statistics #teaching #thebible

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kiatastic · 7 years

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Fall

The deep exhales of breath released from my nostrils became visible in the crisp, cold air around me. Tree branches hovered over my head as the sun filtered its beaming rays through hues of green, red and yellow leaves. Each step I took was followed by a crunch – the sound of fallen leaves under my feet. As beautiful as fall is, there is also a harsh reality:

When leaves fall, they die.

Similar to the pruning process autumn brings, there were leaves in my own life that had to fall while transitioning from the dorm room to the boardroom – habits, tendencies and character flaws that had to die if I ever wanted to grow. Moving away from Atlanta to start my career began as the loneliest season of my life. At the same time, it brought new opportunity to experience the Lord for myself, allow Him to change me and experience Him in new ways. Andy Mineo said it best in one of my favorite songs:

“I was so far from home – and everything that I’ve known. But I got grown in that time alone and that faith became my own.”

I was an anxious college-graduate. Ready to leave those awfully flavored 5-hour energy shots behind me in the KSU Sturgis Library. Eager to box my work within the parameters of 8am – 5pm. Prepared for the ultimate corporate office slay! I was also entirely wrong to believe my most challenging years were behind me. In the words of my late grandfather Charles W. Little, "All your life you are a freshman". I was at the top of my game as a college graduate and at the bottom of the largest learning curve of my life – all at the same time.

Before starting my job I was required to make a pit stop at Indiana University for 3 weeks of training sponsored by the Company known as Immersion I. Think of it as an intense boot camp for rookies in Corporate America. I met all 150 of my colleagues in the Digital Technology Leadership Program from around the world including Brazil, France, India and Egypt – and they were truly the brightest minds I’ve ever met. Each morning began with a quiz on previously reviewed material. The remaining hours were spent in C# building our capstone applications – a language I did not learn in school. I seemed to be the only one starting from ground zero. While many of my colleagues could afford to go out at night after class, I expended several hours in my hotel room learning the very basics. 11:00 pm turned into 2:00 am. 2:00 am turned into 4:00 am. 4:00 am turned into resurfaced doubts as I reflected on all I accomplished in college. From being named a top 5 IS student to winning Miss Alpha South – I started wishing I were back at KSU.

Thoughts and feelings from the previous night lingered in my head the following morning as I talked myself into finally putting my feet on the floor… so much for ditching those artificially grape-flavored 5-hour energy shots. While eating breakfast, an email notification appeared on my phone titled “Short Daily Devotion” – a daily email I receive with a short scripture and word of encouragement. The Lord put my thoughts in check with Isaiah 43:18-19:

“Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.”

After all the Lord brought me through in college, I had not really learned to trust Him. It was obvious through my desire to retreat back to a season that presented more comfort – but the only place to fully blossom is in the soil the Lord chooses to plant us. That is where His grace and perfect will reside.

I walked back to my hotel room stiff as a board – the Lord had just snatched my entire life with one scripture. I approached my room and heard a voice singing, “You are the Living Word” by Fred Hammond. It was Rachel – another colleague from my Company. I said to myself “she MUST be a believer!” We ended up going out for Endless Wing Monday at a bar that evening. From that moment to this one Rachel has been one of my closest, dearest friends. I never expected to meet a colleague at work who was also a strong Christian. The Lord orchestrated our friendship in the time I needed it most.

Three weeks passed as boot camp came to a close. Aside from earning an A in my first graduate course, my group was awarded for having the best capstone project out of all 150 colleagues in the class. I reflected back on day 1 and remembered how intimidated I was by everyone around me. Since high school, I have always had an unhealthy habit of comparing myself to others. I habitually convinced myself that I was not smart enough, experienced enough or good enough to be among the best. The problem is – there is no win in comparison. When I compare myself to others and come out on top, it breeds pride. When I compare and come out underneath, it produces false humility. Both are wrong. There is absolutely no competition for your seat at God’s table. Only you are eligible for the plans the Lord has for you.

After leaving Indiana, I flew home to get my car and drove to my new home in Jackson, TN. The commute to work was about an hour. I spent my rotation delivering software solutions to bridge gaps in the manufacturing processes on the shop floor. Fresh out of college, I knew absolutely nothing about engineering or manufacturing IT. I had Google pulled up on every phone call to look up all the terms and acronyms I did not understand. I quickly got up to speed by enrolling in free SAP classes and setting up 1x1 meetings with electrical engineers. A typical day included walking the factory floor in goggles, steel-toed boots and earplugs – so much for that ultimate corporate office slay.

Outside of work, I spent most of my weekends alone. Jackson, TN wasn’t exactly overpopulated with young professionals. Solo movie dates and online shopping became regular weekend pleasantries. I needed to get involved with a church ASAP and find some less expensive hobbies. Upon my first visit to a nearby church the pastor told me Jesus Christ was not my savior because I had not been baptized specifically in their congregation. I left in tears – devastated by the twisted approach they taught on the Word of God. I learned that day how important is to know the Word for myself. That evening I went for a walk around my apartment complex saying “Lord, if you don’t lead me directly to a new church home… I think I’d rather attend Bedside Baptist! I cannot risk experiencing that again and I need your help. Show me what to do.”

The next week I was leaving the factory floor when a man named Andre noticed me. He introduced himself and said, “Hey, I’ve seen you around and heard you’re new in Tennessee.” I looked down and noticed a brochure he was holding in his hand. “I would like to invite you to my church, Historic First Baptist”, he continued. Immediately, I remembered my prayer to the Lord. Overwhelming joy took over my countenance as I replied, “You have no idea how crazy this is. I JUST prayed for a church recommendation on Sunday!” I met Andre and his wife at HFBC that Sunday. It was more traditional than I was used to – but Pastor Watson taught on the foundation of the Bible and that was most important to me. There was no time to waste. I joined THAT Sunday. Throughout my time in Tennessee Andre and his wife, Liakita were my God-sent blessings. They encouraged me to take the New Member’s class and introduced me to so many people there. My circle of friends outside of work was birthed at HFBC. They even encouraged me to grow in my relationship with the Lord. Although I wasn’t perfect with daily quiet time, I did my best to set aside Saturday mornings to pray and read my Bible.

One Saturday in particular, I spent my morning watching a sermon on YouTube recommended by my friend Gabby called “Five Keys to Finding Your Soul Mate.” I had my pen and notepad ready – finding bae was a priority on my to-do list. The pastor, Toure Roberts made an altar call for loneliness at the end of the sermon. To my own frustration and disappointment, what I took away from that sermon had nothing to do with finding bae. Instead, the Lord brought an ugly truth in me to light – a void of loneliness.

I never knew I was lonely because I often “talked” to guys I never had any business considering. To fix that the Lord moved me to a place where I had no choice but to “talk” to Him. There were no longer casual movie dates or “good-morning, beautiful” text messages to fill my void. I began to realize that “trying to fill an infinite hole with a finite thing or person only leaves an insatiable appetite that can never be fully and finally satisfied.” Any attempt to fill a God-sized void with selfish pleasures (no matter how harmless they seem) will fail every time. The Holy Spirit showed me that the part of my life I wanted to control was the part He wanted most. I paused the YouTube video while going into one of the most unorthodox cries I have ever had. For the first time I became aware of God’s relentless pursuit of me – and my half-hearted acknowledgement of His love in return.

“… Every man’s emptiness is nothing more than a hunger for God, masked by temporary pleasures. We always want more and more of it, because it will satisfy us less and less – until soon it does not satisfy us at all.”

I had tried several times to surrender my love life (or lack thereof) to the Lord – but never sincerely meant it. I regretfully acknowledge that He had to strip me of all options to win my undivided attention. “For the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a Jealous God (Exodus 34:14).” In complete vulnerability and transparency with Him, His love ushered me into His perfect peace – a need for no one else but Him.

That same evening I received a FaceTime call from my close friend, Drew. Andrew became my go-to Alpha during my time serving as Miss Black & Gold at KSU. However, we became friends through a Bible study group the Lord led me to start during my junior year of college. After expressing how much he valued our friendship, he shared that night that he had feelings for me he could not quite put his finger on. Immediately, I said in my head “Lord, you’ve got a serious sense of humor. I know I just cried my eyes out about being single – but this is not what I wanted. Drew is my friend! I can’t date him.” Still, I was pleasantly shocked to be pursued (for the first time) by a God-fearing man. I knew Drew personally as a friend for years. I have even tried to hook him up with a friend in the past! I told him I did not know how to feel about it. He assured me that if I did not feel the same way, he would still love me as a friend. Surely this man was from another planet. Never in my life had a man with such humility and Godly love approached me the way he did.

When it was time to wrap up my first rotation in Tennessee, Drew surprised me by driving to Jackson to help pack up my apartment. I told him my company was paying all the expenses for movers to come pack – but he insisted on coming anyway. He stayed in the hotel across the street and never insinuated wanting anything out of me. I became drawn to the sincerity and Godliness of his heart. Although I thought about him often, I knew the Lord was still working on me. I read a book called “Your Knight and Shining Armor” by P.B. Wilson. At the end of it I concluded I was not ready to date anyone – there were parts of me that needed work first. Drew and I remained friends for the next several months.

Two days before my rotation ended, I pitched out my final results from my rotation to several executives and business leaders. I made friends with so many people in the factory – they even brought in home-cooked dishes on my last day! I was thanked personally by the CIO of the business for going to work alone in a factory without any IT colleagues or mentors. It was an a-typical situation for someone new to the Company, but the Lord was my Source through it all.

In Tennessee, I learned that my weaknesses are the best platforms for God to teach me about His power. In Judges 7, the Lord commanded Gideon to slash his army down to 300 men before going into battle. It wasn’t about terrifying Gideon – it was about stripping away anything that could suggest that God was not the reason for his victory. These are win-win scenarios - the Lord is glorified and our faith is strengthened in the process.

As soon as I started to build my network, understand supply chain IT and become comfortable in my new city… it was time to do it all over again. One rotation down - three left to go. I packed the few remaining valuables from my apartment in my Honda accord and headed to my second rotation in Houston, TX. The autumn leaves had fallen, but a new season was on the way. Bundle up – winter is coming.

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