CATEGORIES

Papi's Sign

“I saw a butterfly,” my mother said with a shy smile. It was the first time I’d seen her smile since my father’s death the week before. After a seven-year period of steadily declining health, he’d passed away in his bed at home, surrounded by his wife and three daughters. It was a peaceful end to his suffering, but saying goodbye was still difficult. We all missed him terribly. Especially Mami.

Wings and a Prayer

I heard the front door to our apartment open and walked over to see my mom returning home from the laundromat. She had tears in her eyes.

Luca

It was a sunny October day. My husband, Anthony, and I sat with our three kids—Ella, seven; Luca, five; and Zoe, two—as they drew with sidewalk chalk in the driveway. The whole family was enjoying the last bit of nice weather before the winter. Everything felt warm and peaceful.

Secrets of the Labyrinth

I WAS AT THE ENTRY OF Battery Park’s Labyrinth of Contemplation in New York City. A winding pathway of rocks and grass stretched out before me. After studying labyrinths for weeks, I wanted to try one. I’d learned that these fantastical, circuitous pathways can act as prayer tools, helping calm the mind and soul. I sure needed that. Beyond this quiet park, the city had been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Though cases were down and things seemed to be improving, I still felt overwhelmed and uncertain about the future. Will I find the spiritual comfort I’m looking for? I wondered. Adjusting my face mask, I took a deep breath and began….

An Unexpected Visitor

I couldn’t even sort through the first box of our dog Bama’s toys without bursting into tears. My husband, Alan, found me sitting on the floor in our utility room, clutching our late boxer’s favorite squeaky. He gently pulled me to my feet. “It’s okay, Lisa,” he said.

The Transfiguration

Whenever I think about the Transfiguration, my mind travels back to the fifth- and sixth-grade Sunday school class I once coached to act it out for the congregation. The task seemed nearly impossible.

Breaking Free

I stepped out of the federal prison in South Dakota after a decade behind bars and breathed a sigh of relief. I’d served my time. But I wasn’t just free. I was a new man. Honestly, I doubted anyone who knew me before would recognize me. I hardly recognized me.

Creating Communities for Health – Part 2

In Part 2 of this exclusive interview, BARBARA BUSH speaks with MAMATA VENKAT about how to nurture mental well-being during the current pandemic, gratitude practices, the styles of leadership needed in today’s world, authenticity, what she learned travelling the world as the daughter of a US President, the importance of racial justice, and what is next for her.

IRA CHAUDHURI - A life in the day

IRA CHAUDHURI is a studio potter and ceramic artist who now lives in Delhi. She grew up in Tagore’s Visva Bharati, Santiniketan in West Bengal, where she studied art. She moved to Vadodara, then known as Baroda, in 1951 with her husband, the world-renowned sculptor Sankho Chaudhuri. At the newly founded Faculty of Fine Arts, she spent her time learning pottery in a tiny annex of the Sculpture Department. Thus began a prolific career marked by numerous exhibitions and a transformative impact on Indian pottery, as well as a stint heading the pottery courses at the very same Sculpture Department where she began. Even today, at 93, her zest for life is unmatched. Here she speaks with ANANYA PATEL.

Kindness Is Key to Resilience PART 2

In June 2020, AUDREY LIN from ServiceSpace spoke with PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN about the qualities needed to live a life of kindness, and the relationship between kindness and resilience. In part 2, Audrey continues by focusing on the Compassion Quotient, the concept of leading with inner transformation, and how easy it is to integrate simple acts of kindness into everyday life.

THE EVERYTHING OPTION

MICHAEL RICHARDSON celebrates the miraculous nature of our everyday existence and explores the reasons why we are not attuned to the miracles all around us in every moment. He encourages us to open our eyes to the miracle-nature of all things.

THE ART OF JOURNAL WRITING

MICHAEL LEWIN shares his own experience of the value of writing a journal, including embracing imagination, feeling, expansive thinking, creativity, spiritual growth, self-development and much more.

The Beauty of MARTIAL ARTS

ADITI SAXENA holds a black belt in Taekwondo. She explains the beauty of this art form, and how it has given her the discipline, refinement of consciousness and moral fiber to live a life of purpose, with the balance of the spiritual and worldly aspects of existence.

Gratitude

As a young mother in Sydney, Australia, KARISHMA DESAI was diagnosed with a serious illness and went through life-saving surgery. Here she shares how this changed her attitude toward life and her appreciation of the simple daily things she previously took for granted.

ACTIVISM

MARYAM and NIVAAL REHMAN became activists when they were eight years old, inspiring girls in their village in Pakistan to continue their education. The now 19-year-old twins have since worked for such causes as girls’ education, climate justice, gender equality and inclusivity. They have their own non-profit, The World With MNR, that uses advocacy, storytelling and development to take action and inspire others to do the same. They have used their social media and YouTube channels to cover several events, including the Social Good Summit in New York City, the Girl Up Leadership Summit in Washington D.C., and interviews with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, and Madame Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank. They have received several awards, including the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. Recently they released a documentary on the status of girls’ education in Pakistan and held global screenings to spark further conversation and inspire action.

A User's Guide to Living - Part 11

BECOME THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF

thanks for the Chicken Soup

Nothing about Auntie Esther was traditional

Room at the Inn?

My four-year-old had one line, and he blew it

One Thankful Grandma

I found brand-new ways to show my family I loved them

Saint Nicholas Eve

I wanted to make my daughter’s unexpected wish come true

perfectly simple

Popcorn, pine cones and holly berries…

Holiday Angels

It’s their busiest time of year

A slice of heaven

Pumpkin pie was Mom’s favorite

Finding Enchantment in Imperfectness Can Heal Us All

Look intently with Beauty Hunting

We are Stewards of Our Bodies

STEWARDSHIP MINISTRIES Paul Holt Director of Finance and Administration

THE PRINCESS AND THE BABY

A long time ago in Egypt, there was a young Hebrew girl named Miriam. Her family had just had a beautiful baby boy. There was a big problem, though. The Pharaoh of Egypt had issued a decree that all Hebrew baby boys be killed to decrease the population of the Hebrew people, who were enslaved by the Egyptians.

SOUTH AMERICA

Bishop Gabriel Vidal was saved at the age of five and has been involved in church work his entire life. In 1984, he moved to New York after finishing three intensive years in a school of business in Santo Domingo and then lived in Rhode Island from 1985 to 2000. He co-planted a church in Providence and later became regional youth leader for both Southern New England and the Northeast Hispanic regions. He has also served as administrative assistant for the Spanish Voice of Salvation ministry and director of the World Language Department before his appointment as general presbyter of South America. He and his wife, Hanny, have two children.

How Living in the COGOP Orphanage Changed My Life

I recently contacted a few of our children’s home directors and asked if they could get in touch with a former student who would be willing to share how living in the Church of God of Prophecy children’s home affected them and influenced their lives. The following testimonies are examples of how your donations and prayer support are helping to raise men and women of God in a loving home–not only in providing physical care, but spiritually impacting their lives and their eternity.

CARIBBEAN

Dr. Clayton Martin entered full-time ministry in 1987 as a pastor and district overseer in the Cayman Islands. He later served on the Biblical Doctrine and Polity committee for the COGOP and national overseer for Jamaica and the Cayman Islands prior to being selected as general presbyter for the Caribbean and Atlantic Ocean Islands. He received a Bachelor of Religious Education from Christian Bible College and a Master of Arts in Religion with Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Sonia, have one daughter.

AFRICA

Bishop Stephen Masilela is the general presbyter for the COGOP in Africa. He is also a counselor and registered marriage officer and currently serves as president for Evangelical and Pentecostal churches in Africa. He holds a diploma in Personnel Management and Training (IPM) from Bible Training Institute and is enrolled with the Gordon Conwell/COGOP Leader of Leaders Master’s Degree program and the Extension School of Ministry of Swaziland College of Theology for a theology degree. He is married to Sibongile and they are blessed with three children.