Arise Magazine - Pursuing The Dream

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Page 3: Editors Welcome.

Page 4 - 5: Rev Celia Apeagyei-Collins.

Page 6 - 7: Yemzi Photography.

Page 8 - 9: Inside Look With Ify Ossai.


Page 12 - 13: The Man Behind

Unashamed TV.

Page 14 - 15: Frances William - The

Dream.

Page 16: Alex Pemberton Photography.

Page 17: Yemzi Photography.

Page 18 - 19: Vanessa Makes Girls Talk

London Her Dream.

0 - 21: Monthly Word..

Page 22 - 23: My Journey & Advice By

Louise Mensah.

Page 24 - 25: Pursuing The Dream.

Page 26 - 27: Melisa Dundas Artwork.

Page 28 - 29: Insight On How Swone

Earnest

Page 30 - 31: Poet’s Corner

Page 32 - 33: Catch Up With Elizabeth

Hopkirk


Page 36 - 37: Keeping Up With The

Rudders.

Page 38 - 39: Meet Jenni Steele.

Page 40: Kende.

Page 41: Hyphon.

Page 42: Living Life TV.

Page 43: All About Christ.

Page 44 - 45: Upcoming events.

PROFILES

David Wure - EditorGrace Alalade -

Magazine Reviewer

Laura Henry - Web Designer

Amifel Cliff-Eribo - Videographer

Temmy Odumosu - Sub Editor

Natalie Casey - Magazine Overseer

Shanize Bonner - Sub Editor

Dekkel Simmons - Magazine Designer

Oshane Woodhouse - Magazine / Web Designer

CONTENTS

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EDITORS WELCOME

Pursuing The Dream is this month’s

theme and whenever I look at this

it makes me smile because I know

the God that I serve and I know that

through Christ all things are possible.

When you have a dream, you have

to remember that if God is in it, there

is no limit. Achievements may seem

too high, but yet again, we are just

humans and lack telegnosis powers or

superficial strength. However the God

that I serve, has the ability to perform

all signs and wonders and you cannot

filter what He can and cannot do; He

has done so many things for us, so

why is it that we fear whether he can

help us achieve and see our dream

come into reality?

Do we all have a dream or dreams? Of

course we do, everyone has a goal in

life and because we are wonderfully

and beautifully made, we each have

a purpose; therefore if we have a

purpose doesn’t that then coincide

with having a dream? So what does

this mean you may ask? Well, let me

tell you this; if you have a dream, ask

God for guidance and to navigate you

to that dream. Be patient, because

your dream might not come to life

immediately, seek God and learn how

to manage responsibility. So, when

you are in alliance with God and he is

the focal point of your dream, he will

then lead you to seeing through the

dream, which ultimately allows you to

walk in your purpose.

The cycle goes like this –You have a

dream >> you work on reaching that

dream>> you achieve that dream and

have reached your purpose.

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first

the kingdom of God and his

righteousness, and all these things

will be added to you.”

In the bible Joseph emulates the

perfect process when trying to pursue

your dream. His stories of tribulation to

fulfill the dreams of God’s provisions

on his life showcases the Godly spirit

and right approach we all must take

when looking to pursue our dream.

He is a true example of patience for

dreams to become fulfilled. When

growing up Joseph was sold into

slavery by his own brothers and family

and then told to be dead. Potter’s wife

then lied so he was thrown into jail

among an onslaught of many other

escalated and harsh consequences

for troubles that were not his own.

Despite all of that, eventually he rose

to become second on the planet only

to Pharaoh in the worst drought the

area witnessed in the history of the

region. It is Biblical role models like

Joseph we must remember to imitate

when our dreams seem stagnant. It

was twenty years before God granted

the original dreams sent to him.

How many of us in this day and age

can honestly say they can wait 20

years for God to deliver our dreams

into being? This is why we have to

remember biblical giants such as

Joseph, because we serve the same

God from yesterday, today and he will

be the same God tomorrow.

At times we think things should be

happening faster and we jump from

one idea to another; we go from one

dream to a next. If you are really going

to work on your dream, you have to

be more than willing to make some

sacrifices and try to carve out time with

productive activities. Do not pursue a

dream you don’t genuinely love and

also say yes to many opportunities on

the way to that dream because your

network will become your net worth.

Leaving note: Pursue God

intentionally with your prayers. He

will show up to answer the requests

presented before him. Remain on

your knees in gratefulness, and the

dream will come. If you desire God,

you will desire to spend valuable

time with Him in prayer. God has our

back; He enables us to make our own

decisions but is required for direction.

He loved you to call your name, so

we shall therefore call on his as well

when we look to reach the end goal

and live that dream. David Wurie

Editor

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LOOKING INTO MENTORING WITH CELIA APEAGYEI-COLLINS

The Arise Magazine caught up with Rev Ce-lia Apeagyei-Collins, the founder and president of

The Rehoboth Foundation. She runs a mentoring network for pastors and young and emerg-ing leaders.

Celia, who was listed as one of the top ten most Influential black Christian women in the UK, is

an international Minister and Conference Speaker known for her challenging, in-depth, prophetic teaching.

She was also our guest speaker at this year’s Deptford District Convention where she spoke about “When God Said I Will.” It was a powerful word and testament of

her influential ministry.

She told us that “Nothing influences more than helping

“WE HAVE ACCESS TO WISDOM ON HIGH AND TO TRANSFORM OUR

COMMUNITY.”

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others be successful in God’s call.

”She loves people and Jesus with a passion, which is evident when you are in her pres-ence. Furthermore Celia strongly believes in leadership de-velopment because she feels that leaders influence everything.

“Whoever influences you deter-mines the quality or your lifestyle and what you are able to achieve in life and what you’re able to do for God.”

As a Trustee of the International Third World Leaders Association, she influences third world lead-ers so people of colour can take charge of their own lives and des-tiny and understand that we have God living inside of us.

“We have access to wisdom on high and to transform our commu-

nity.”

We heard that you were mentored by the late Dr Myles Monroe, what were some things that you experi-enced and learnt?

I knew Dr Myles Monroe from 1992 and he took me under his wing which means that I was ac-countable to him.

Mentors aren’t just there for ac-countability but they are also there for direction, inspiration, wisdom, experience and they share it will you with one sole aim to make you successful in life. A mentor believes in you enough to raise you to a certain level and that’s what Dr Myles Monroe did for me.

He brought change in my life, he transformed me, equipped me and empow-ered me and now I’m doing the same thing by God’s grace around the world.

What can young people take from the message “God Said I Will.”

Do not think like how old peo-ple think; think like how God thinks; youth are bold, coura-

geous and haven’t been made toxic by disappointment and frus-trations. They see a mountain and believe that they can take it on. I advise young people to keep that thing that God is going to use you for, don’t let anything intimidate you because the “I will” has gone forth, whatever God said he’s going to do he has made the path straight and removed some impossibilities and all he is looking for is some-one to take up the challenge.

“IT’S HELPFUL AND HEALTHY TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO SOMEONE

REGARDING WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE.”

Never compare yourself to anyone because it can create a problem that can hinder you. In this time God is using those that are avail-able, that have energy, passion and creativity; which are the young people.

It’s important as a young person to find out what you have as a gift, what your talents are, and what you are passionate about. God has placed the answer inside of you, look at the gifts that you have, the abilities you have, what brings results and you will find out what you’re calling is.

The things that those who have come before you have built are all good but you are coming with a different dynamic, a different sense of wisdom and perspective and all you need to do is love Jesus and honour him with all you have and you listen to him and fear him and if you do all of this, you will be successful.

“I WILL” HAS GONE FORTH, WHATEV-ER GOD SAID HE’S GOING TO DO HE

HAS MADE THE PATH STRAIGHT AND REMOVED SOME IMPOSSIBILITIES AND ALL HE IS LOOKING FOR IS SOMEONE TO TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE.

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Website: Yemzi.comFacebook: YemziTwitter: YemziLdnGoogle+: YemziPinterest: Yemzi ©Yemzi

Website: Yemzi.comFacebook: YemziTwitter: YemziLdnGoogle+: YemziPinterest: Yemzi

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INSIDE LOOK WITH

IFY OSSAI

Ify graduated from Queen Mary University of London in 2013 and due to her connections within her Christian society opened up more ideas to lead a women’s fellowship team. She was the president of her Christian student union called Unite and was also a part of the Young, Black & Successful (YBS) Twenty20 Leadership Campaign. Her leadership skills and attributes suggests that she has much in store for her seeing as she is just 23 years old. Ify is working full time in ministry as a commissioned minister, serving in her church and has such a positive effect on those around her.

“I grew up in a Christian home and attended

church pretty much all my life, but it wasn’t until I

was 15 that when I made a decision to know God

more and to want to chase him and know him a

bit better, it wasn’t as easy decision because I

was young and there was a lot of backlash that

naturally you receive because your different

from other people because they are more

carefree and do whatever they want to do.”

God wanted Ify to lead young women and she received a word from him when deciding to choose what she wanted to pursue.

“The way we love as human beings isn’t

the same as God’s love, because his love is

unconditional and nothing can separate the

love that you have from Christ Jesus.”

As a dreamer, Ify sees a movement of young women who are set apart and different from

Ify is the founder of Love Limitless, a Christian ministry aimed to provide every young woman with the important tools they’ll need to excel, flourish, extend and develop into the woman God intends them to be. The name Love Limitless coincides with their mission statement and is linked with the scripture

- Romans 8:38-39“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not

even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is

revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

G

D

O

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“Our spirit bears witness to our salvation.”

the status quo. She see’s Love Limitless pursuing bigger things and reaching out more each time they look to ex-pand. In order to allow women to appreciate themselves more and benefit from meeting up within the focus group is down to She feels that showcasing love, joy, peace, patience and kindness seeing as they are all fruits of the spirit and naturally, this is what makes a woman beautiful.

“We want Love Limitless to be a hub, where young women

can come through and get training, get equipped and leave

a better person, ready to impact the whole world.”

“At 19 the vision for placing Love Limitless was birthed.”

“I believe the more I walk with God the more I’ll learn and

know that the different facets will come together.”

Ify feels that reading the word of God allows her to be more Christ like and by reading His word you then tend to find it easier to surround yourself with more like minded individu-als. The company that you keep is key when growing your relationship with God and when you are with Christ like in-dividuals, it becomes easier to pursue your dream in Christ, because they are able to water the seed of God in your heart and also correct you when you may look like you are drifting off track. “Our spirit bears witness to our salvation.” Who is your role model in life?

“The Lord Jesus Christ...hahaha no, I’m not going to say that

but I believe that he is a very good role model. Erm role

model; I think for me, it is anyone I believe is living a life for

God and they are just set apart and they are just pursuing

God. An example that I would say is my mentor who is also

my Pastor and also my sisters in Christ.”

“The way we love as

human be-ings isn’t

the same as God’s love,

because his love is uncondi-

tional and nothing

can sepa-rate the

love that you have

from Christ Jesus.”

Closing note:

“A role model is someone

you would like to model

your life after, so for me

when I’m looking for a role

model, I’m looking at your

character, your competence

and your work within Gods

Kingdom.

© lassedesignen - Fotolia.com #52150181

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THE MAN BEHIND UNASHAMED TV

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Rudolf Brenyah, (Better known as Rudee) a young man of God and a key role model is also the founder of Unashamed Tv; a Christian youtube channel, created to showcase an assortment of gospel talents. The concept was placed as a vision and Rudee felt that he had to act upon it and make this vision a reality.

As an up and coming entrepreneur, Rudee has no limits to his talents; he is also a script writer, lyricist, group member of TR Mime and plays a huge role in his church, especially within the youth department. Rudee has pretty much grown up in church all of his life and has been around a Christian environment through-out his childhood. Nonetheless it wasn’t until he encoun-tered with a church in South London that he really got to know Christ. In his first service a woman approached him and asked him “What can you do for God?” And that question made him think that there was a reason to why she had asked such a deep question. As a result Rudee used his gift of rapping to start rapping in church and using positive lyrics to bring those listening closer to God. During his time ministering, Rudee’s relation-ship with Christ grew and after a sermon his youth Pas-tor preached, an alter call was made and Rudee took that step of faith and accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour and proclaims that it was one of the best deci-sions he has ever made. Rudee began to pursue his dream two years ago, at a branch church in Birmingham. He led his church’s dra-ma production, which they performed in a service. They had a great response and many people were blessed by the work the drama crew produced.

Two steps when seeking God for direction:“The first is prayer; it allows you to remind God to do what he told you he was going to do. For example, if I am sick in the body and need healing, I will go to God and say, according to your word you say by your stripes we are healed, so basically God I accept my healing.”

I like to look and research others in my field, because ev-erything you try and do has already been done before, so I look at people who are on top of the market to get to where I want to be.”

-The main purpose for Unashamed TV is to showcase, different individual’s God given talents. We want to tap into their talents so they can come out and inspire others who are viewing their talents.

“So the main purpose is for people to be inspired, moti-vated and to use their talent for the glory of God.”

Rudeee stays focused on his journey because seeing as he has a vision, he then adapts a sense of discipline. There are so many things he still wants to achieve but in order to stay on track, he reminds himself to stay disci-plined.

“The one thing I’m happy about is the fact that I have a great team.”

Nonetheless, there have been some challenges on the way. Seeing as they are a start up organisation, at times financial constraint can be a slight hindrance however, Rudee believes in a God who is an all round provider and always has his back.

“He is Jehovah Jireh; our provider.”

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know?

“I am a huge Dragon Ball Z fan, I can even quote lines from the show. It’s quite funny because even at my age I find it so interesting.”

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PURSUING THE DREAM

Don’t let fear prevent you from pursuing your dream, says Frances Mensah Williams

There’s something very frightening about being told to pursue your dream, isn’t there? When someone gives you ‘permission’ to put yourself first and go for what you want, it doesn’t really leave you anywhere to hide.

What if I don’t succeed with my dream? What if I find out that it’s really not my dream after all? What if I fail in trying to achieve my dream and look foolish? Where does all this leave me?

Do any of these questions sound familiar?

And, sometimes, the biggest question of all can be, ‘What, exactly, is my dream?’

Some people are blessed with knowing exactly what they want, which makes it much easier for them to articulate their desires and work towards achieving them. However, for many people, it’s more a case of knowing what they don’t like, rather than having a clear idea of what would be a dream way of earning a living or pursuing an ambition.

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PURSUING THE DREAM

Don’t let fear prevent you from pursuing your dream, says Frances Mensah Williams

What do You Want?

Rather than being afraid of not even having a dream or – if you do have one – of not having the confidence to achieve it, first seek clarity so you know exactly what you are aspiring to achieve. Ask yourself that toughest of questions: What do you want?

By this, I don’t mean what does your mother or your father want for you, or what does your lecturer or best friend think you should be doing. I want you to think about what you want for yourself. Because the truth is that we are all, as humans, deeply wired to be moti-vated by what’s in it for us. If we don’t see or appreci-ate the benefit that doing something offers to us, we simply don’t put our all into it.

If you want to successfully pursue any dream, you’ve got to first know what that dream is, and then under-

stand what achieving it will do for you. Whether you are 16 or 60, without that clarity, you will continue to go through life with that vague sense of dissatisfaction that somehow you never quite did what you really wanted to do.

Ask yourself: What do you dream about and what challeng-es you? These are two more questions that we can use to help us determine what we want. In my case, my dream for many years was to be a writer. What challenged me was the fear of trying and not succeeding, or of trying and not being good enough. Of course, those weren’t the excuses I put forward to myself; it was far easier to blame the demands of work, family life, and indeed any other ‘priority’ that I could dream up.

After years of living with that nagging sense of dissatisfac-tion, I finally published my first book which celebrated Black heroes. My second book provided guidance on the oppor-tunities for working in Africa, and this year, I’ve succeed in doing what I’ve always wanted to do: publish a novel.

Recognising Your Roadblocks

What you may find – as I did – is that what usu-ally challenges us is ourselves. We fear pursuing our dream because we dread being wrong or, even sometimes, being right.

The real challenge is declaring that truth and facing it head-on. The fear of failure is a power-ful one and, ironically, the fear of getting what you want can be equally powerful. Think about the times you have sabotaged something just as it appears within your grasp; when your mind tells you that getting what you want might be more than you deserve or more than you can deal with?

Persistence Pays

But, life is short and if you have a dream and fail to do your best to pursue it, you will forever regret it. If you never give yourself the chance to get what you want, you will have squandered a precious opportunity. So move the roadblock of you from your path to success and seize the opportunity to achieve the dream that God sent you here for.

Ask yourself what you want and put in the work to make it happen. Don’t give up when obstacles arise; they are there to test your willingness to do what it takes to succeed. Persist through disappointments and push through discouragement and keep your eye firmly on the prize that awaits you. Pursue the dream and, if you are anything like me, you will be very glad that you did!

Frances Mensah Williams is an author and the Chief Executive of Interims for Development, a Hu-man Resources and Training consultancy and Editor of ReConnect Africa.com (www.reconnec-tafrica.com) an online careers and jobs publication for African professionals around the world. She is the author of ‘I Want to Work in Africa: How to Move Your Career to the World’s Most Exciting Continent’ (www.IWanttoWorkinAfrica.com) and ‘Everyday Heroes: Learning from the Careers of Successful Black Professionals’ (www.everyday-heroes.co.uk). Her new novel ‘Pasta to Pigfoot’ will be published in May 2015. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pasta-Pigfoot-Frances-Men-sah-Williams/dp/1909762202

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Photography: Alex Pemberton

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Vanessa SanyaukeVanessa Makes Girls Talk London Her Dream

Vanessa Sanyauke is the founder of Girls Talk London and a keynote speaker, role model and presenter. Girls Talk London connects businesses and brands with

women from the ages of 14-40 by initially engaging and informing them about products and services that can benefit their daily lives and careers.

W h hen growing up, Vanessa never thought she would own and run her own business. She came from a very stereotypical, Christian, African background, where you are expected to be a doctor, accountant or lawyer. As a result, throughout her childhood Vanessa took a key interest to medicine. She then went to University and studied Biomedical Science at Brunel University, nonetheless throughout her third year

she realized that her aim to become a doctor was not to be. This then gave her the incentive and courage to set up her own business enterprise and she set up her first social enterprise called The Rafiki Network. This initiative al-lowed her to meet the Mayor of London, key business delegates and also the Prime Minister. Furthermore, through her work there, she felt lead to work with young women and wanted to build a platform to cater to their needs, there-fore that is what lead Vanessa to start up Girls Talk London, 2 years ago. Since then she has met with the Prime Minister David Cameron and advisers at No 10 Downing Street on several occasions to advise them on concerns

and topics that affect young people in the UK, especially young women.

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“I knew I wanted to work with young girls, because as a girl myself I know what we want, so it was kind of a passion point which then lead me to actually start Girls Talk London.”

Girls Talk London has over 4,000 viewers each month visit their website and Vanessa can really see her dream turning into reality, because women are being empowered; they are reaching out to their target audience and also developing working relationships with their audience. Knowing that they are meeting their goals is success in Vanessa’s eyes. Knowing the fact that it is working suggests that not only has this wonderful idea brought young women from across the UK together but also helps establish genuine relationships that then form into strong friendships.

“A reward is actually knowing that it’s working by empowering young women to go for very senior roles.”

Whilst growing up Vanessa was raised in a Catholic church and was a regular church goer; however she lost touch with her faith by the age of 16. Nonetheless, she was able to reconnect with God in her final year of University, where her relationship with God really took off. She started attending Worship Tabernacle church in Archway, London. She felt at home from the moment she stepped in the church and states that there is a real sense of honesty surrounding the fellowship at Worship Tabernacle. The church has many young people, and through Vanessa’s desire to work with and lead young people, she finds the church a perfect environment to enhance her walk and assignment with God.

“Pastor Tai keeps it real and honest with us all!”

One thing Vanessa wanted to do was to have her own talk show. Through her ambition, hard work and faith in Christ, Vanessa has now accomplished that dream through Girls Talk London. Girls Talk London now has a new online panel talk show that provides motivation, brainwave and tips from leading professionals on

fashion, beauty, careers, business, health and well-being along-side conversation on current news. Vanessa co-hosts the show with three other inspirational individuals such as: Sky 1 Presenter Remel London; Journalist and Blogger Yazmin Joy Vigus and cast Member of Bear Grylls Series 1 on Channel 4, Dean Quinton Smith. She always wanted to have a job where she can talk to people and inspire them.

“Inspiring people through visuals, you know, TV, is always some-thing that I wanted to do.”

She also touched on dealing with rejection. Vanessa is an indi-vidual that doesn’t dwell on unfortunate circumstances or halts, she feels that you have to keep going whenever dealing with set-backs and overcome critics in order to rise above disappointment.

“You have to believe in yourself, so no matter what you want to do, you must have self belief and I believe I taught myself self belief.”

What makes you a role model?

“It involves a lot of pressure, but being a good role model doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be perfect. I believe a good role model is someone who lives in their truth, who makes mistakes, but owns up to their mistakes and share what they have learnt. Ultimately a good role model is just being yourself.”

“Every day I write my goals, I write my vision board, because I always want my life to change and to progress.”

Vanessa advices young people who are pursuing their goals to take their time when planning what they want to do, you have to remember that it is not a race but more of a marathon. If you are looking to move forward in life, you have to do it in small steps because it is a long journey, but you have to remember to enjoy it.

Tell usKey Tips

Have a planHave vision boardsMake quarterly goalsHave a business plan

Tell us one thing about yourself that nobody else knows?

“I am very musical and used to play of in-struments in school and I love to dance!”

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THE MONTHLYWORD

This issue is all about pursuing a dream and for some it could mean a dream you have already started or maybe you’re unsure as to whether the dream is a God given one or just something you want to do. I am a firm believer in planning. Timing is important as you do not want to pursue something to early as you could fail before you have even really started and on the same hand if you wait maybe somebody could beat you to it.

The word pursuing can have several meanings. One is to follow or chase something or someone. You will hear a lot of slogans saying follow your dreams but I think you first need to look at the dreams or things you or maybe pursuing. Make sure that it is the right thing for you that you are chasing after. It may not necessarily be always a good thing or even a Godly dream. I mean look at Saul for instance; he pursued David hard to kill him (1 Samuel 18-19) and all of

this was based on his pride and wrong doing. Although it was wrong, none-theless one thing is, he had passion in chasing after David and he put his all into it despite the act in itself being a wrong doing.

Personally, I feel that this is something that you can take from the story. When your chasing after something that you genuinely want, you do it with pas-sion but what also is key, is to do things with humility.

Saul was a chosen king if we remember he was anointed by Samuel, (1 Sam-uel 9) but he was disobedient and chose not to listen to God. His pride and impatience got in the way of his calling and the very thing that was given to him was just as easily taken away.

When we look at Joseph we understand that he didn’t even need to chase af-ter his dream. He went around telling everybody about his big dream which subsequently, was not well received by all (Genesis 37-40). Moreover, al-though his bad situation turned around for him he still ended up sold as a slave and in jail! Sometimes we have dreams and we get so excited about what it is that we don’t seek direction or wise counsel but just run around

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THE MONTHLYWORD

PURSUING THE DREAM

telling everybody and then we could end up without direction or another individual running with our key concept. There is no point asking a plumber what his job is like when you want to be a banker! What is your dream today? Have you started planning yet? Have you sought wise counsel?

Another meaning of pursuing is to continue or to pro-ceed along and some of us may already be fulfilling our dreams or living them. I would encourage you to continue. It does not mean that things may not go as you plan, or that challenges may not come your way, however you press on towards your prize; you strive to do all you can. I would also encourage that you go back to the source who deposited that vision in you. The beauty of God is that He will not give you a dream or vision and then not give you the resources and to help you fulfil it. Proverbs 16:3 ESV / 42 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

PROVERBS 16:13Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be es-tablished.

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+LOUISE MENSAH

My name’s Louise and I am a Freelance Magazine Journalist and TV/Radio Presenter. I’ve written for numerous publications including Channel 4,

BBC 3, Heat Magazine, Pride Magazine. I’ve also interned at Closer Magazine, Elle Magazine and Star Magazine. My presenting gigs have seen me doing radio presenting for Reprezent 107.3FM and most recently TV presenting for Vox Africa. Being able to undergo work expeierience within

these huge organizations is due to the work of God. I look back at my experi-ences and see them as blessings from God.

Here are some of my tips for getting into the industry:

My Journey and advice

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•Work Experience - Try and get as much work experience as possible. It’s never too early to start. If you’re still in education, apply for to work experience within established me-

dia organizations in the areas of: radio stations, television broadcasting networks, newspapers, or magazines. Learn how to use job specific equipment and software e.g. voice recorders.

•Be smart - Don’t underestimate the impor-tance of working at smaller titles. We all have to start from somewhere. You’ll find at smaller titles you’ll be given more editorial

tasks as opposed to administrative ones, which looks great on your CV!

•Network - Whenever a networking op-portunity presents itself, grab it with both hands. You never know who you might be talking to. Whilst interning at Closer Maga-

zine, I bumped into the features editor at Heat, who I started having a chat with. She then in-troduced me to the editorial assistant at Heat, and that’s how I got a byline at Heat.

•Develop a thick skin - You need to be apt at picking yourself back up after rejection. I remember the days when I would send 20-30 applications in one week and not one

yielded a positive response.

•Qualifications - You don’t need to study Journalism to be a journalist. If you would like to go into newspaper journalism you should do an NCTJ accredited course, make

sure you’ve mastered shorthand, and can write up to 100 wpm of shorthand. There are also ac-credited courses for magazine (PTC) and (BJTC).

•Broadcast Journalism - If you’d like to go into either TV/ Radio, you may want to con-sider getting a BJTC qualification. TV pre-senting courses can be quite expensive and

are not always good value for money, so before splashing out on one, research the company’s credentials, employability rate and if they’ll be given you a showreel. If you can’t afford one, make a showreel yourself. It is not essential to get a professional one made, as a homemade one will do the job just fine!

Some people will say you also need a lot of luck to succeed in the industry, but I don´t believe in luck so don´t consider luck to have played a huge success in my

journalism story, but do believe that the favour of God has given me a very blessed route into the industry. Ultimately my final piece of advice in the industry to believe in yourself, as people are often too quick to tell you that you won´t make it for various reasons but don´t let them deter you. If you re passionate, determined and hardworking you´ll go far!

Remember to keep God at the centre of all that you do and do not be afraid to Pur-sue Your Dream!

‘Be strong and cou-r a g e o u s . Do not be afraid; do not be dis-couraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wher-ever you

go.

’Joshua

1:9

Pursuing your aspirations could be among the most daunting things you will do in your life. It can be the beginning of a very long and uncertain process. It can also be the beginning of the rest of your life but you will never find out what you can achieve if you don’t take the first step which, in most cases, could be as simple as discovering what your dream or life goal is. Soon after that, the hard work begins.

Sometimes a person’s dream may seem unrealistic, but this is why we call it a dream and this is why it is important to consider the courage they have taken to share their ambitions with you.

On the subject of courage, a trait which can be hard to muster at the best of times, the Bible tells us:‘...Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’Joshua 1:9

But courage may not always be enough; sometimes ‘the dream’ may seem to be simply impossible. For in-stance, courage will not help you to fly or to be able to swim underwater for hours at a time without as-sistance. Sometimes, courage needs to be married with alternative thinking. Courage did not help man-kind fly, but the Wright brothers and their out-of-the-

box thinking helped mankind fly with their invention of the aeroplane.

The Wright brothers were laughed at by many people who they shared their dream with, but they did not attempt to fight their fear. In sharing their dream and talking to their peers about it they pursued their dream despite their fears of dismissal and disregard. But while doing this they also taught others to be brave enough to pursue their own dreams.

This is among the most important part of pursuing your dreams, to teach others how to pursue theirs. This does not mean that you should laugh at or shrug off someone’s ideas to teach them to stand by their aspirations and to get used to being laughed at, but to encourage them to inspire cour-age in others by stirring them to share their dreams with more people. With anything, practice makes perfect, so the more people you share your dreams with, the more confi-dence you will have in what you aspire to do. It is important to remember that while people may laugh at your hopes and ambitions, it is your own response to their reaction that will turn your dreams into nightmares, so take courage, and see the lack of imagination and creativity in those who laugh at you.

Dream big, aim to reach the sky with your dreams and re-member to put God first in whatever you aim to achieve.

PURSUING THE DREAM: COURAGE, AMBITION & DESIRE

‘All your dreams can come true if you have the

courage to pursue them.

’ Walt Disney

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Melisa Dundas Artwork

Website: melisa-dundas.com

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An insight on how Swone Earnest pursues his dream

Swone Earnest is his music name but his Government name is Uzo Anyia and he is a husband, a father, Managing Director of Zoe Records, a gospel music producer and a Christian. During the day he makes and produces music and during the night he writes his own music.

When did it all start? How did you become a music producer?From my childhood, in school when I was growing up it was two things, sports or music, that I enjoyed the most. From age four I was listening to my dad’s sound system playing African tunes and then learning to play the recorder when I was seven, being forced to do scales and exams with Trinity Centre of music and it all built up from then.

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l

Trust

When did you decide to give your life to Christ and what influenced you to do so?My mum! I was brought up in the church and it was the best decision ever made for me. There were things that were poignant in my memory that I knew could only be God. As I grew up I strayed a bit but ultimately I always knew that there was something there pro-tecting me and drawing me back. Even when I did something stupid I would always be brought back. It’s undeserving favour.

How do you incorporate God in what you do? If it hasn’t got God in it I won’t do it. I love music and I listen to everything but I have always had a resistance to doing what they do. All the materialistic things that they promote in secular music to be the be all and end all didn’t appeal to me.

We have heard that you are in the process of creating your own re-cord label, what has it taken to make that happen?It’s a journey, it’s one of those things that never stops growing. It takes knowledge, as long as you have the knowledge you can make your decisions work for you. Prayer is more important than anything because with-out God at the centre it’s a frivolous task. Grace and favour help along the way and patience.

What was your faith like when be-ing tested? I have grown up in challenging environments where I have had no choice to have nothing but faith. What I’ve been through has made me really trust that there is a God there and that will pull me through and he has done it so many times. Growing up I didn’t have all the things that most people had so I had to literally rely on God only. That’s the way I still live and how I will teach my children to live.

“If you have everything thank God and if you have nothing still thank God.”

If you had to write a song for young peo-ple, what current issues would you talk about? Young people need to know who they are and how to value them-selves; they have no self worth anymore. It doesn’t help when they have songs out there, like rap and hip hop, which are pretty much insulting them. Now because society accepts this, the youth now have become what they are being called which is a problem. When you have an image or message like that the more people that it reaches out to, the more people that are likely to adopt it.

“The Bible says that we are beautifully and wonderfully made and I think it’s the most important message that people are forgetting. God made you the way you are for a purpose.”

How do you think the Gospel industry and the Body of Christ as a whole can attract more young people? We need to ask them! We need to understand what they have a passion for and cater to it. If the bigger organisations can reach out to them and provide them with the platforms to do it so that people like them will watch and get inspired.

How do you set an example as a youth leader?You just have to live that life; as much as we can, we have to try. It’s not going to be easy; it’s called a narrow road for a reason. We may fall off but it’s not a bad thing for young people to see this because when they do they won’t feel alienated and then you will be able to lead them back on the right path.

“Gospel music is everything I do.”

“If not for God I couldn’t tell you what I would be doing or where I would be.”

“If you have everything thank God and if you have nothing still thank God.”

A Dreamer’s WorldIn pursuit of the dream

All of its fantastical themesInto realms of the unseen

Manifesting thoughts intoLucid realities, bestow words

For the beginning of life Is the manner we confess

The birth of everything.Through choice we shape

And create our own fateDestinies await us concealed

In the choices we take,Every opportunity you get

Take it! Manipulate and shapeLike a sculptor create a masterpiece

Until critics in your life flee.Fly! Be free through the word within!

Blessed by the gifts given,Strengthened by tribulations

An approach of joy, the style of lifeIs the quantifier which scopes

The prosperity of living.Masterful acts, to master the way

To master the acts, to manage the bodyTo recognise that wonderful something

To live the dream is to manifest God’sMarvellous purpose, the frequency

Of desire, the glory that inspiresWorking the vision - born sovereign

Fulfilling one’s own purpose is to Continue along the path of the dream

For this is the art of good living.

©Lemuel Phillip-Moore

POET’S CORNER

Shantel Cherebin

POET’S CORNER

As I wake to see the world operateI remember your grace and your mercy

You look upon my face arranging my life to keep what you want to see

You put me on this earth to pursue the dreamThat is faithfully painted with your hands

The dream is written by your love that no one can’t organ-ise or plan

Oh this dream you have for me is a process and a journey to wait

The dream is to be managed by me so I don’t want to leave it to late

I cry out to you when I don’t know my purpose as I have life on this earth

You placed the dream in me that I need to push and get ready to give birth

I want to pursue the dream but failure, obstacles, disap-pointments, and challenges comes my way

You remind me of Your word ‘I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me’

So yes Lord I will go through it and please have your wayMy eyes are desperate to see, my ears are running to hear, my heart beats with wondering, my mind sits in hope. My

hands want to know what to touch, my feet are eager to travel with determination.

Teach me Lord to be patient pursuing the dream with self-control and paying attention

Pursue the dream with me Lord and arise within me with your power

Lord remember I need you every second, every minute and every hour.

Let’s pursue the dream!

©Shantel Cherebin

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PURSUING THE

DREAM

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ELIZABETH HOPKIRK

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and try and write about good news. There has been a group that has been helpful to me, which are called – Christians In

Journalism – because journalists don’t really get Christians and Christians don’t really get journalists; it can be

a lonely place sometimes so I have to big up to those guys. Also LICC is also a good

group when looking to empower Chris-tians.”

Elizabeth also believes that if you are truly pursuing your dream, it is imperative to pray, trust God and to not sit back and what for things to be done for you. If you want

a dream to come true you have to be equipped and able to put in the

work yourself, the dream isn’t go-ing to come to you; Elizabeth believes

because God can work with you and will always be for you.

Could you tell us something about yourself that nobody else knows?“How about this; I threw up in a red arrow plane.”

For the first time, Elizabeth is on the other end of the camera or at least the other end of the sofa as she is being interviewed by Arise Magazine. London born Elizabeth is a journalist for a publication name Building Design, owned by global media conglomerate, UBM plc. It is a trade paper maga-zine, specifically designed for archi-tects. She is also a keen cyclist and cycles to and from work on a daily basis. Furthermore, Elizabeth is also a Christian and has been a believer since she was 25 years old, but has been a journalist since the age of 19.

Elizabeth claims she is not the type of per-son to have a 25 year plan however, due to her Father’s journalistic career; a slight push towards the writing elements introduced her into the world of the media. She first started writing for a local newspaper in Bournemouth and due to her ability in placing a job within the publication; Elizabeth built a connection with God.

“I was at church one night and I remember God say, I gave you the job and that just gave me the strength to carry on through the tough times.”

Elizabeth gets her inspiration within the journalism field through truthful stories illustrated in national publications such as The Guardian. She finds them intriguing but also insightful and believes it’s good journalism. She thinks of God as her ultimate boss, nonetheless this doesn’t stop her from treating her colleagues politely. Eliza-beth has a humble spirit but takes her work very seriously. As the Assistant Editor for her publication, she has a lot on her plate but through the grace of God, not only does she enjoy the work that she does, but she also works very hard at what she does.

“I have a prayer triplet group, where we meet up and pray for each other.”

Elizabeth was able to overcome her setbacks through her prayer life and admitted having to dig deep at times but found it easier as she was able to speak to God through prayer.

“If you are pursuing your dream first of all I would say, just do it, you are capable of pursuing any dream, as for me I started off working in publication through work experience, so I advise anyone who wants to become a journalist to apply for apprentices and work placements. Be nosey about writing

“I was at church one night and I remember God say, I gave you

the job and that just gave me the strength to carry on through the

tough times.”

Keeping UP With THE RUDDERSJerrone and Leanne have been together since they were 17 and have been married for 4 years. They met each other in church and since then their relationship has blossomed and become a living testimony. Jerrone is the Youth Pastor of Clapton, New Testament Church Of God, where he seeks to improve and empower his young people and those surrounded within his fellowship. Leanne also acts as a youth leader at the church by supporting Jerrone and his ministry.

One thing that nobody else knows?

Jerrone: “I’m a massive Disney fan. When I was younger I use to watch Peter Pan, Aladin, The Lion King, Bambi and know the films word for word. I even cried when watching Bambi. Leanne: “only recently, I realised that I am a big Michael Jackson fan.”

Looking at how God has been present in their lives and the way their ministry has developed, Leanne believes that

getting married to Jerrone is part of pursuing her dream. Their ministry has intertwined and there is something powerful

about husband and wife both being in ministry; it sets a standard.

Leanne: “I ensure that everything is done through prayer and is in line with what God

wants me to do. I also make myself accountable by speaking to other people within

my ministry and thirdly, speaking to my husband about ministry seeing as we are both

in it together, there is something passionate about it and we are constantly walking

about what we do.”

CHAOS – Christians Hyped About Our Saviour: Is a group for 11 – 19 year olds where

they have weekly meetings about discipleship and have a series of activities. This cell

group was designed to allow young Christians to enjoy church and feel comfortable in

the surroundings of getting to know God and learning about the gifting of The Holy

Spirity.

Jerrone: “Being a Youth Pastor involves planning events, helping the young people

about their issues and that’s the whole purpose of CHAOS.”

Leanne is currently an English teacher at a Secondary school and she understands that

she has to be true about her faith without forcing it on her pupils. She skilful informs

them of her values and her beliefs without necessarily quoting scriptures and being

forceful.

The couple believe in the importance of keeping God first in all areas of their life. Jer-

rone is very specific with what he watches, listens to and the company he keeps.

Jerrone: “When life gets foggy, it’s good to have friends beside you to say, do you re-

member that word, which helps keeps you on track.”

As well as a Youth Pastor, Jerrone also works in south Kilburn

on an estate for a youth charity as one of the leaders. They

provide positive activities for young people. Dealing with

young people as young as 9 who are connected with gangs

are the type of individuals he works with and helps grow a

developed mentor part of their lives.

Jerrone: “We go to schools, we do mentoring, but our main

desire is to see the young people be the best that they can

ever be.

Seeing as the pair both work within the youth ministry

it is imperative that they support each other, they do that

through prayer, bouncing off each other ideas and allow-

ing to learn from one another. Communication is the most

important thing for the Rudders and they believe in the im-

portance of constructive criticism. Helping each other allows

their marriage to blossom and they connect in such a spiri-

tual and loving way.

Leanne advices young people dreams to seek to serve God;

she feels that it is very important to also serve others so that

you are not despising the journey that you are on. God’s

word is timeless and is not affected by the events of man, so

if you hear a calling from God, do not be afraid or ashamed

to go ahead and pursue the dream and enjoy the journey.

One thing that nobody else knows?

Leanne: “only recently, I realised that I am a big Michael Jackson fan.”

JENNI STEELEA great catch up with the lovely

A great catch up with the lovely Jenni Steele. Jenni expresses her love for TD Jakes and the work that he does and says she tries to install his teachings within her life and walk with Go hold d. As a motivational speaker herself she feels that having other speakers who share the same beliefs as yourself is good to look up to and

have as your role model.

“One of my favourites: When you hold onto your history, you do it at the expense of your destiny.”

“Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

You can firmly say that Jenni has pursued her dream and is walking in her purpose. She created “Keeping It Real” because she feels that we all need to be honesty. Honesty to her serves a purpose in life and demonstrates how far certain individuals have come.

“I created this to appreciate our heroes and sheroes.”

Jenni works within the media and she wants to find men and women who are doing good things and who want to make a change. She feels that knowing that you are producing the good news, she is then fulfilling her goal on a daily basis.

Jenni is in a very tough industry, because as a black, female, believer; it is hard to see many others like her within the industry. She feels that you have to have a passion to be in the industry because when you are passion about some-thing, you will do your all to make it work and happen. Furthermore, you have to be able to carry yourself well. Respect is something that is needed when you are trying to get into presenting and the media; it also involves hard work and a lot of perseverance as it’s a tough industry.

“I think as long as you know where you are trying to get to and you believe it, there’s a chance that you can see it through.”

“I’m a big fan of being educated by someone else.”

Despite her many achievements and accomplishments, Jenni is still always open to learn more, to do more and ultimately become a better person. Her hardship has not only been demonstrated by the work that she has cre-ated but also by what she has been taught. She feels that there is always room to learn something new and that you should never put a stop to educating yourself. Being a mentor is key, and Jenni utilises social media as a beneficial tool to help mentor and train up other young individuals who are seeking advice and opportunity. “For me I’m non judgmental and quite open, I try to say to people do not be judgmental because you don’t know what someone has been through and the support they need.”

“We need to respect and listen to our young people, because at times a lot of young people don’t feel that we listen to them, so for me I always listen to my young people and offer help.”

Jenni’s advice on young people pursuing their dream in the business world:

•Be creative, look at the market and see what is missing.

• Look around at who can help you

• Your NETWORK is your NETWORTH

• Approach people and never be to shy to approach someone

• Look around you, find a mentor someone who is in your chosen industry.

• Use your social media wisely and be careful what you upload

• Do your homework before you go to or organise a meeting.

As a mother, speaker, broadcast journalist and National Ambassador for Domestic Violence UK, Jenni has so much on her plate and has to juggle all her responsibilities well. This illustrates good leadership skills as she is also seen as one and has to lead by example; especially as she constantly looks to encourage, inspire and elevate the youth. As a young adult, Jenni went through emotional abuse and unfortunately

was a victim of domestic violence. Nonetheless she never lost faith, and kept telling herself that one day she would be able to tell her story. Through strength and determination, Jenni overcame and has now produced award winning schemes and programmes to help and provide aftercare for young women and girls who are currently experiencing what she went through. This is the type of inspirational woman Jenni is; She puts others first and is always looking

to build upon relationships.

Tell usJenni’s Highlights

In 2013 she was voted top in the top 12 most influential African Caribbean women in the UK.In 2014 she was nominated in the top 8 inspirational women in media in the UK alongside the likes of Jessica Ennis.

Tell us something about you that nobody else knows?

“I’m actually a level 1 coach in Lawn Tennis, Basketball and Squash.” “I have always loved sports, I can always go back to it if I needed to in the future”.

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EVENTSUpcoming

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NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH OF GODENGLAND & WALES

BISHOP DONALD BOLT

“Prayer is what drivesthe church and is key

to our success...”

Join us in...

The Engine Room is a place of prayer and worship where we stand in the gap and intercede for:

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people. For kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness...” 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2 (NIV)

The work of the Church Church Leadership Nations & World Leader

Marriages and Families The sick And various other needs...

NTCG NATIONAL OFFICE: 3 Cheyne Walk, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 5PT“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land...” 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 (NIV)

Throughout 2015 each district is invited to join us in the Engine Room at the National Office in Northampton from 10.30am - 1.00pm:

WED 14 JANUARY - Reading & West Croydon WED 11 FEBRUARY - Gloucester & Manchester WED 18 MARCH - Deptford & Stoke-On-Trent WED 22 APRIL - Coventry & Sheffield WED 13 MAY - Handsworth & Nottingham WED 17 JUNE - Bristol, Highgate & Wood Green

WED 8 JULY - Aldershot & Brixton WED 12 AUGUST - Bilston, Leeds & Luton WED 16 SEPTEMBER - Cross Cultural Ministries WED 21 OCTOBER - Dudley & Lee WED 18 NOVEMBER - Leicester & Willesden WED 9 DECEMBER - Clapton & Wolverhampton

For further information please speak to your local pastor, call: 01604 824 222, visit: www.ntcg.org.uk, or email: [email protected]

If you are unable to attend with your district, why not set aside some time and join us in prayer right where you are!

Arise Magazine - Pursuing The Dream

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