2010: My Turning Point!

[Vickie Evans]

2010: THE TURNING POINT! By: Vickie L. Evans

The year 2009 had its mixtures of joy and pain for me. The joy - Making bestseller; Receiving 4 Velocity Magazine Awards for the stage play, "A Change Is Gonna Come"; Relocating to Charlotte; and Turning a half of a century! The pain - death came in triplicates: My father - Robert R. Ellis, my children's grandmother - Inez Crawford, and my children's grandfather (Their Dad's side) "Doc" Hamilton. In each situation you have to "play the cards" that have been dealt you. Thankfully, I had great friends to celebrate my joys and comfort me through the pain. My theme and outlook for 2010 is "The Turning Point". A Divine incident occurred a few weeks ago that brought me to this revelation. In December, prior to receiving the news of my father's untimely passing, I was making preparation to lay the foundation (auditions) for the upcoming and final running of my stage play, "A Change Is Gonna Come" in the Washington, DC area. This year will be a unique experience because we are merging the cast of two cities-Charlotte and Washington, DC, with the theme: "The Transfusion: The Permeation of Two Cities". I had scheduled the Charlotte auditions for January 9th, so I was preparing correspondence to ensure a successful turnout of auditionees. And then, the news came of my Dad's passing, and time stood still. On New Year's Eve, I returned to Charlotte from Washington State and turned my focus towards the audition, which was only 10 days away. Four days prior to the audition date, I was on my way to a local YMCA to inquire about usage of one of their conference rooms for rehearsals, once the auditions were completed. On my route, a sign caught my attention that said "Turning Point". It was a normal size sign but for some reason, it magnified before my eyes. I went to the next intersection and "turned" my car around. As I pulled up closer to the sign, I further discovered that it was a school, "Turning Point Academy". I tried to open one of the doors that were directly in front of me; however, it was lock. At that specific time, a very nice lady came from nowhere, and informed me that I needed to go around the front, ring the doorbell, and someone will come for me. The director of the academy answered the door and asked how could she assist me? I told her about the stage play and that I was in the need of a place for rehearsals. She invited me in to obtain further information concerning rental of the academy from her secretary. As I was giving the secretary details about the stage play and showing her one of our former Playbills, she informed me that there was a man that worked at the school who was trying to produce a similar project, and stated that he could probably give me a better idea of the rental cost for the school. She summoned him; he is also a pastor and apostle. As I was disclosing details about the play and showing him advertisement material, The Apostle began to skeptically ask me questions about the production. Then, he informed me that he had previously tried to partner with a lady, (whom he described as "aggressive" and opted not to disclose her name) who was a domestic violence survivor, with hopes of hosting a conference on domestic violence in the church; however, it was unsuccessful. Incidentally, upon my initial arrival to Charlotte, I had an encounter with that same "aggressive" woman who told me that "The Lord" had instructed her to assist me with my play. However, upon further examination of her character, I found her lacking in integrity and immediately cut ties with her. Once The Apostle finished speaking, I blurted out her name, and the apostle's eyes became as big as golf balls. He immediately said to me, "we have to talk" and ushered me to the school's library. We talked for over an hour, like two old friends that had known each other for years, both giving our account of our dealings with this woman, and disclosing our passion for raising awareness of domestic violence in the church. At the end of the conversation, he offered the usage of his church for the auditions and offered to help me with any other needs I had for the play. The audition was held at his church that Saturday. O.K, at this point, some of you are still wondering, what does that have to do with the theme "turning point". On January 3, 2009, I moved to Charlotte via Divine instructions. Prior to my first of two visits in August 2008, I had never been to Charlotte nor did I have family here. I did not relocate to Charlotte with the "full" understanding or vision of my purpose; God told me to go and I did! I call it my "Abrahamic (faith) Journey"! Friends, sometimes in order to receive the extraordinary blessings of God, you have to go to places that you have never gone, be with people you have never seen, do things you have never done, and move beyond your own thinking, restrictions, and inhibitions. Sometimes you have to believe God for what appears impossible -until that which is unseen; becomes seen! At times, I began to doubt my reason for being in Charlotte because the doors was not opening as fast as I wanted and some of the people I encountered and shared my vision with did not give me a "warm and fuzzy" greeting. Some made statements such as: "You have the cart before the horse!" (Yes, someone truly told me that!). A pastor told me that God was not going to bless my project (my play) until I found a covering. He informed me God would not send me out on my own without a covering! In other words, I needed to join a church, preferably his. Let me say this, I was not going to let anyone prematurely influence me to rush into joining a church that was not "ordained" or "suitable" for the mandate God had given me, just to please man. I desired a covering, but the right covering, not the wrong one. Besides, God is my covering! Another asked me, "What credentials do you have to write a book on self-esteem?" She further asked if I have a degree in Mental Health! I may not have a degree in "Mental Health" but I have a degree in "knee-ology" and "faith-ology", and those degrees are not man made. I was informed that the folks in Charlotte were not too receptive to "outsiders" and that I needed to know someone in order to be accepted in the "inner circle". Well, I do know someone, and His name is Jesus! But, I must admit, after receiving such "negative" vibes, I was a bit discouraged. And the other disappointment was that I could not find a church that I believed could "facilitate" and be openly receptive to the "calling" that God has given me to fulfill. Some leaders are intimidated (yes, intimidated), especially by a woman, who emphatically knows her purpose and has a ministry that God has instructed her to perform. The main requirement that I was looking for in a church, was one with love and sincerity. I don't know about you, but I am tired of all the "fluff" and "business as usual" churches. When I walk in the door, I want to experience the Love of God from the moment I am greeted by the ushers until the time of the benediction. Here in Charlotte and the surrounding areas, I have searched and visited, and visited, and visited some more, but no one had what I was in search of! I am reminded of the scripture in Ezekiel 22:30: So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. That is, until I saw the sign that said "Turning Point" and met the Apostle. The start of 2010, has truly been a turning point for me. The auditions went well in both Washington, DC and Charlotte! I have a new church home, Greater Faith Temple Ministries. It is something about that name "Greater Faith". Truly, since I been here in Charlotte I have gained "greater faith"! My faith has truly been put to the test! You, too, may be at a particular juncture of your life-a crossroads so to speak-well I come to prophetically proclaim-"This is Your Turning Point!" Though you may not fully understand your purpose, step out on faith and believe God for the "impossible". Abraham did and it was imputed unto him for righteousness. That's same God, the God of Abraham, lives within you-therefore "if you dare to believe the promise", you can definitely receive it! This is my turning point, I will perform "greater works", and believe God for "greater blessings". In the words of Fred Hammond, Late In The Midnight Hour, God Is Gonna Turn It Around; It's Gonna Work In Your Favor!" The Year of Turning Point!