First-time author Diane Pierce talks with Emunah hosts Tamara and Charisse about the journey she traveled in the nation's capital to write the book, "God is in the Details."

Diane is a retired government employee with more than 30 years of experience in the Washington, D.C. area. She also served as secretary to the pastor of her church, First Baptist Church of Highland Park, Landover, Maryland. She says on her book cover that she is "a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and daughter."

Diane's daughter-in-law, Dr. LaTonya Pierce, encouraged her to write the book. Dr. Pierce and her husband, Diane's son John joined her on the podcast.

In the podcast Diane tells us: "God can save you at anytime, no matter what you're going through."

The book can be purchased on Amazon.

Women of the Word encourages Emunah listeners to provide feedback, comments and testimonies. The website is https://wordconsultingllc.com.

Pastor Ronnie D. Simmons of the House of Faith Christian Center in Smyrna, Tennessee takes a unique approach to witnessing to family.

He reviews the ABCs of Salvation (found on page 55 of his book, "3 Bs That Do Not Sting! The 3-Step Process to Christian Discipleship)":

Step A - Admit that you are a sinner and that you deserve to die for your sins. "You are a sinner, not because you sin, but you sin, because you are a sinner."

Step B - Believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and now you are willing to repent of all your sins.

Step C - Confess Jesus as your Lord.

Pastor Simmons stresses the necessity of telling family about Jesus, saying "It's important and we have to do it. It is not the church's responsibility to witness to the family; it's the family's responsibility to witness to the family."

He says there are three roadblocks or hinderances to sharing the Good News of Christ with family:

1. Some people don't want to talk about it and try to bypass the situation altogether.

2. Some people attempt to talk about Jesus with family but the information they have is incorrect. Often, these people talk about feelings or what they heard. Their perception of God is incorrect and they give out misinformation.

3. Some people have incomplete information and in sharing leave out key or essential facts, leaving the family frustrated or discouraged.

His advice is to get to know Jesus first by reading what He says in the Bible, what he taught, commanded and promised. This information will give clarity to who God is. He concludes that when we "come to Jesus, hear what he has to say and then go do it" our paths become straight, our concerns and problems dissolve.

"When Jesus says something in the Bible, that's His faith. Every time He speaks He's speaking His faith. When I say what Jesus says, now it becomes my faith," said Pastor Simmons.

Scriptures to review:

John 1:17; 14: 4-9; 17:25-26

Matthew 11:27-28

Colossians 1: 15

Acts 10

Romans 10: 9-10, 17

Hosea 4:6

Find the book: "3 Bs That Do Not Sting!" at Amazon or contact: Ronnie Simmons Ministries, P.O. Box 985, Smyrna, Tennessee 37167.

wwwhouseoffaithchristiancenter.org (615) 223-0420

Follow him on Facebook at House of Faith Christian Center Smyrna

Visit Women of the Word website: https://wordconsultingllc.com or email us your feedback, comments, reactions at [email protected].

Two Christian young people, Bianca Shante and Dominic Lyon talk with Emunah hosts Tamara and Charisse about a myriad of concerns, ranging from mental health and seeing Results in their Christian walk to various ways to avoid compromise in this age of multiple temptations.

"There's a sense of urgency and a level of demand that society puts on us: where we should be in life; what we should have accomplished; and, a lot of the times our lives don't reflect that," Bianca said. Dominic said: "When folk try to do things for the love of money, they can slip into a depression."

See what else these two young people have to say.

We also encourage you to visit earlier episodes of Millennial Minute. The first episode on December 8, 2023 featured Bianca. The second Millennial Minute featured Dominic on Jan. 9, 2024.

Most of the research about Millennials came from The Pew Research Center: pewresearch.org. The organization provides periodic reports on generations and offers Millennial publications from 2021 to the present.

We welcome feedback, comments, suggestions. Our email is [email protected]. Check out our website: https://wordconsultingllc.com.

Continuing the poignant discussion that began in Part I, Bro. D and Min. Eugene Howie of First Baptist Church of Glenarden International consider what forgiveness is not. When you forgive, are you to gloss over or deny the seriousness of an offense against You? Though you can help repair a damaged relationship, does it obligate you to reconcile with the person who harmed you?

Other questions are: Why must we forgive? How do we forgive?

Bro. D. and Min. Howie share their favorite Bible verses about forgiveness and reasons why they were selected.

Here are other applicable Bible verses:

-We forgive as the Lord forgave us: Colossians 3:13 amplified - "bearing graciously with one another, and willingly forgiving each other if one has a cause for complaint against another; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so should you forgive."

-We forgive by faith, out of obedience (feelings have little to do with it): Hebrews 11:1 NLT - "Faith shows the reality of what we hope for: it is the evidence of things we cannot see."

-Our decision to forgive must include a change of heart: Philippians 1:6 NLT - "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns."

-We can pray and ask God to deal with the injustices. We can trust God to judge that person's life, and then we ought to leave that prayer at the altar: Luke 6: 37 NIV - "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

As you know listeners, the goal of Emunah is to help believers live lives that honor God. We hope that you meditate on the scriptures and advice of these two God-anointed disciples of Christ. Application is key; pray about the ways God is leading you to forgive and then take small steps toward resolution.

Share your testimony on our Women of the Word website: https://wordconsultingllc.com. Or, send us an email with comments about the podcast: [email protected].

A phone conversation with a distraught mother concerned that society is mistreating her son after he served time in prison led to the production of this podcast on FORGIVENESS. Bro. D and Min. Eugene Howie of the First Baptist Church in Glenarden International share powerful, God-inspired insight into one of the toughest topics in the Christian faith.

Bro. D, whose background is similar to the mother's son, shares how he found solace in the Scriptures, particularly in Matthew.

"Even though I encountered Christ for real, for the first time in my life ... I think the hardest part was forgiving myself," Bro. D says.

Min. Howie defined "forgiveness" and took a deep dive into the subject to unwrap its many layers.

"Forgiveness costs something," Min. Howie says. "It is not a nothing for nothing exchange. There is something that will have to be given up."

The guests agreed that generally, forgiveness is:

1. intentional and voluntary

2. feelings and attitudes may/can change toward the offender

3. the person who feels wronged, victimized, harmed or hurt can actually overcome the impact of the offense, flaw or mistake.

Also generally agreed to is the idea that success comes only with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit and or professional counseling or therapy.

We encourage comments, questions, reactions, feedback. Please send all emails to [email protected]. Check out our website: https://wordconsultingllc.com

Emunah Podcast hosts Tamara and Charisse were invited by Elder Jean Hopper King of Oliver Spring, TN and Apostle Victoria Lockhart of Jersey City, N.J. to present a Bible lesson for their group, Restore, Refocus and Refresh. RR&R is another way to refer to their monthly 12-day Bible Study. The March theme was mentoring - or how older believers must prepare the youth for the future. We hope you enjoy our teaching and find one or two valuable nuggets.

Of the many barriers between the young and old today, Charisse and I selected "conflicting agendas" and reviewed the Bible lesson in 1 Kings 12. King Solomon is dead and his son Rehoboam is ready to take over the throne. He consults both his father's elderly advisers and his own young counselors. Whose advise do you think he took?

Here are two points that were made:

1. Wisdom is essential when addressing the needs of the youth and the elderly.

2. Both the elderly and young must discard agendas and look only to God for answers.

RR&R meets each month for the first 12 days at 6 a.m. The Dial In # is 774-267-7513. Elder King and Apostle Lockhart were guests of Emunah on Feb. 23, 2024. They talked about the importance of Bible Study and why the unique approach of RR&R works.

We encourage feedback. Our email is [email protected]. You also can post your testimony on our website: https://wordconsultingllc.com.

We'd love to hear from you.

Cohosts Tamara and Charisse, a mother-daughter duo, tackle a tough subject in this episode –

repentance. What is it? How important is it in the life of believers? How do we repent? When do

we repent?

Summary

Repentance is an integral part of God’s redemptive plan and has power to radically transform our lives. Repentance is more than saying “you’re sorry” about something. In the New Testament, repentance is tied to the idea of going in a new direction.

Key scriptures:

Joel 2: 12-13

2 Timothy 2:25

2 Samuel 12:9

Romans 10:9, 10

1 John 1:9

Connect with the Ministry

https://wordconsultingllc.com

The Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque is the assistant to the Pastor for Small Groups at the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA. She oversees a relatively new study approach where members gather in what are called “Villages” to discuss how to apply the various sermons to their lives in a way that they grow spiritually and see their lives transformed. Information and copies of the curriculum or study guides can be found: https//alfredstreet.org/village.

Summary

Villages@Alfred Street provide fellowship, space to learn through dialogue and practical ways to strengthen members. The original vision was to create a church where everyone is connected in family, growing in their faith, and supported towards their future. It offers an opportunity for every member of Alfred Street to move from crowd to community and get connected as theywould in a small church.

“This is a silly analogy, but it works,” said the Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque. “Remember the sit-com “Cheers” where ‘everybody knows your name and they’re glad you came’? That’s what underneath Village. You can come to worship on Sunday and, unless you sit with people who know you, folk will ‘pass the peace,’ and there might not be any meaningful exchange. Village is a space where the same 10, 15, 20 people gather in person or virtually to pray together, to study together, where ‘everybody knows your name and they’re glad you came.’”

To contact the guest

Rev. Dr. Zina Jacque

Asst. to the Pastor for Small Groups

Alfred Street Baptist Church

325 S. Patrick Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-746-9602

Connect with the Ministry

https://wordconsultingllc.com

Elder Jean Hopper King of Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and Apostle Victoria Regina Lockhart of Jersey City, New Jersey work together in producing a monthly 12-day Bible study called Restore, Refocus and Refresh. The two powerful Women of God discuss the importance of Bible Study in the lives of believers. To join their study the first 12 days of every month at 6 a.m. EST, dial: 774-267-7513.

Some reasons for Bible Study:

1. Gives instructions for daily life

2. Reintroduces you to God if you have strayed

3. Enable you to get to know God on a much deeper level.

4. Guards against false teaching

Recommended Resources

Women of the Word posted an article that details the vision behind the Bible Study. It was posted on Jan. 26, 2024. https://wordconsultingllc.com/studying-the-bible-gods-way/

In Part II, Melvin and Voncille, hosts of “Living a Godly Marriage” TV show,

continue their conversation about God’s blueprint for marriage. They look at the

challenges of blended families and the problems bringing disparate groups together

under one roof.

“I think it’s important to communicate,” says Voncille Greene. “Communication is

No. 1.”

Key Verse: “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself,

and the wife must respect her husband.” Ephesians 5:33 NIV

Interested in viewing their TV show Living a Godly Marriage? In the Maryland

area, it can be found on Channels: Fios-42 and Xfinity-76 from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on

Sundays, 11:30 a.m. to Noon on Wednesdays, and from 1:30 to 2 p.m. on

Saturdays. Search on YouTube at Voncille Greene.

The email is [email protected] and/or

[email protected].

Women of the Word also invites you to share your testimony on our website –

especially if this podcast has made a difference in your life.

https://wordconsultingllc.com.

This podcast can be found on most podcast platforms, including Apple, iheartradio,

Amazon and Spotify. It’s also featured on our website.