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My Most Eventful Month of the Decade!

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Forgive,-Let-Go,-and-Live_bI hope that you’ve all had a great summer. August has been an eventful month for me.

On August 1, my new book,  Forgive, Let Go, and Live,  was released by Harvest House Publishers. I’m really excited about its potential to free people who are stuck in their story of hurt and offense. Here is a capsule of some of the key content:
• 25 Real Stories of the Tragedy of Revenge and the Triumph of Forgiveness
• 10 Signs That It’s Time to Let Go of a Hurtful Relationship
• A 12-Step Mini Program for Forgiveness
• 5 Rewards of Letting Go of an Offense
• 20 Scripture-based Prayers to Release Specific Hurts and Offenses

It is so critical that we guard our peace of mind and make every effort to have harmonious relationships in the various circles of our lives. Nothing gets accomplished without people.  You may read an excerpt and purchase the book at Amazon.com (https://goo.gl/dG761w) –or if you insist on wanting an autographed copy, order it from my website: www.ConfrontingIssues.com.

The second weekend in August, I traveled to Orlando, Fl for the culmination of my training to become an independent, certified John Maxwell Leadership Coach! I’m delighted to be associated with John and his team. He has been named the number one leadership guru in the world. John has set the bar pretty high and by the grace of God, I’ll try to keep it there. I plan to conduct corporate masterminds, seminars, and other gatherings primarily around the issue of connecting effectively with people and adding value to their lives.

Finally, on August 15, I was delighted to participate in the commencement ceremony of Next Dimension University, a private accredited Bible college on a mission to stamp out biblical illiteracy. They awarded me an honorary doctorate in Theology along with gospel greats Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, and others who are making a difference in the world. And no, you don’t have to call me Dr. Deborah!

I pray that you are pursuing your God-ordained purpose and being fulfilled in every way. Don’t be a victim to procrastination or fear—and for goodness sake, don’t wait until you feel “totally qualified” to step out on faith. Know that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that you could ask or think—according to the power that works IN YOU (Ephesians 3:20). Be blessed and thanks for being a part of my “tribe”.

Jesus: The Model Celebrity

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I’m doing an exciting study from the Gospels on how Jesus handled his “celebrity” (celebrity simply means to be well-known). No matter how much He grew in fame, He consistently:

1) PRAYED (Mark 1:35-37 NKJV : Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

2) PRIORITIZED His activities to align with His purpose: (Mark 1:38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” NKJV)… NOTICE: The crowds didn’t dictate His schedule.

3) PURSUED a life of purity (John 8:29…”He one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I ALWAYS do what pleases him.” {‘ALWAYS???’  BOY, I WANT THIS TESTIMONY!!!}

 This message is to all whom God has given a mandate but who are finding themselves distracted from the MAIN THING because of the pull of others.

Walking In Your Purpose: Remembering Dr. Myles Munroe

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I’m so saddened by the recent death of Dr. Myles Munroe and his wife Lady Ruth. I just thought I’d take a quick trip down memory lane.

I had the good fortune of interacting with Dr. Munroe at our church (Zoe Christian Fellowship of Whittier). My pastor, Ed Smith, was a good friend of the Munroes. I also had the pleasure of connecting with him and Lady Ruth in Hawaii at Bob Harrison’s Increase Conference in 2007 where I was also one of the guest speakers the following year. In our one-on-one conversation, Lady Ruth was very adamant in asserting that it is wise for a wife to travel with her husband in ministry. We had a lighthearted conversation about how lightly she (and the team) had to pack (also meant no extra shopping) because of the limited cargo space on the private plane. She was a beautiful lady inside and out.

Pastor Myles was gracious enough to endorse one of my books. And yes, I know that we’ll meet again in Glory, but the human side of me does not want to quickly embrace this loss. On an up note, I will embrace his challenge to “die empty”–to totally use every gift God has given me. Dr. Myles’ work lives on; his death re-motivates me to leave a legacy. I’m going to “step up my game”; gotta do more mentoring, go to a place of more miracles in ministry, better follow up on the awesome contacts I’ve made, do a better job of marketing the books I’ve written (sold over 1.7 million but I realize that, while that might sound impressive to some, I could do a lot better if I invested in a stronger organizational structure and hired GOOD, STABLE people, etc.). All of this is motivated by Dr. Myles’ emphasis on fulfilling your PURPOSE.

Pray for me and I’ll pray that all of you are walking in your PURPOSE. My purpose is to model and teach the practical application of God’s Word to every aspect of life (relationally, financially, etc.). I’m making every effort to do that, but I want to do it BETTER.

In honor of Dr. Myles, I’ll challenge you with this question: ARE YOU WALKING IN YOUR PURPOSE? Don’t know what it is yet? HERE’S A HINT:

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV).” GET IT? SERVICE TO OTHERS!