Message: Only for those serious about ‘CHANGE’

As you may or may not already know, the long awaited V-Day, which stands for Victory-day is fast approaching. This special event marks as an ‘Achievement awards day’, held once every year in the VYG. This year is all about ‘New Beginnings’ and as this quote states: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end” – Author unknown

Its purpose commemorates ‘change’ in the lives of those who took up the challenge not to be one more statistic on the streets. For those who decided not to allow there past bad experiences affect their futures and especially for the youths who were outstanding in their transformations and are now using what they have learnt and become to help other youths. They now stand as positive role models not only in the VYG but at home, school, and within their community. They put an end to their bad beginnings and began with a good one.

Maybe you’re thinking I want this change, how can I go about it?

Well change only happens following this two-step process. The first step is to be ‘fed up’ with the situation you are facing; it could be in your family, studies or even within yourself. Only when you have reached this stage will you be able to start to change. However, the second step requires you to employ all your strength from your ‘fed-up-ness’. So you may ask, what is all my strength?

· Body – everything you do let it be directed at what you want and need to change.

· Mind – let all your thoughts be; how and what can I do to make this change happen.

· Spirit – through your prayers and faith to take action even when you don’t see the results right away. Not forgetting belief in your-self.

· Time – manage your time with a schedule or plan, so that you have something to focus on.

· Tools – Use your resources; find out who and what is available to help you achieve this change.

· Speech – Use the power of positive words to confess you’re victories, until and after you receive them.

If you have come to the realisation that you need to change, remember that you will face ‘resistance’. Unfortunately it will always be there when you decide to better yourself. But resistance is good sometimes because it makes you stronger mentally and spiritually.

No matter what may come your way to put you off track, don’t give up; instead persevere because you will accomplish your victory.

Pastor Joseph

I have in my hands two boxes, Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black box, and all your joys in the gold."

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes, both my joys and sorrows I stored,
But though the gold became heavier each day, The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black, I wanted to find out why,
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole, Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused, "I wonder where my sorrows could be!"
He smiled a gentle smile and said, “My child, they're all here with me."

I asked God, why He gave me the boxes, Why the gold and the black with the hole?
"My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go."

All you have is today…

Yesterday is gone – Learn from it, but no point worrying about it. (Phil. 3:13-14)

Today is here – Choose what you what it to be. (Duet. 30:15-19)

Tomorrow, will be today when it arrives – Plan for the future, but no point borrowing worries
from tomorrow and paying for them today (Matt. 6:34)

When we were born, we were given the most valuable/precious currency on earth - Time.
Spend it wisely...

Relationships are based on Time

The wages you get every month, is recompense for your Time
What are you spending your Time on today? Are you getting the return you expect?
Remember, the currency of earth is Time, and all we have is Today

Spend it wisely...

A NEW YEAR, WILL THERE BE A NEW YOU?

Another year has come to a close. Another new year has begun. Is it just me, or do you also feel that time goes by quickly? The changing of one year to another certainly makes us think about “time”, does it not? Our creator God exists in eternity, outside of time. Time is meaningless in eternity. Time is part of the physical universe and we, therefore, live in time. God has given an equal amount of time to each of us every day. Have you used your time wisely? Was there a time when you were saved from your sins and the wrath to come? The Bible, the Word of God, has much to say about “time”. We read for example, in the book of (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8) “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted …a time to break down, and a time to build up, a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance ..A time to keep silence and a time to speak, a time of war, and a time of peace”. It reminds us of the affairs of life to which each of us have experience. There are many other things the Bible has to say about “time”.

From the Asylum to the Altar

He was a man with little or no recollection of his past, no hold on the present and dying hope for the future. Oblivious to everything around him, Joseph Ouverney lived a life none would envy. Heavily reliant on drugs, foaming at the mouth and looking like a beggar – not by choice – simply because he was physically unable to take care of himself; But that was years ago. Today instead of people coming to him feeling sorry for him, they come to him seeking the same help he received at the church where he pastors. Together with his wife, Raquel, they dedicate their lives to helping people transform their life through their faith. Here they tell their story.

At the age of 12, Pastor Jose as he is more commonly known today, and his twin brother developed a mental illness which made day to day life a hard task. According to their family doctor, they had inherited the illness from their grandfather who suffered from Parkinson’s disease (a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer's motor skills, speech, and other functions - Wikepedia). Taking care of the twins took its tool on his mum since she was left alone to take care of her boys.

“My dad abandoned us when he found out that my mum was having twins. It wasn’t easy for me because we were very violent. We used to fight until one of us shed blood. We even used to hit out mum,” he said regrettably. “We were prescribed strong medication to help control our aggressive behavior. We were on 12 a day. Mum was never at peace because she had to deal with two problematic kids and have her family humiliate her whenever she would go ask to borrow money for the medications (they were expensive)”

Unlike Pastor Jose, his wife Raquel never had to struggle financially. Both her parents held good jobs so at home; she had everything she would need materially

speaking. But as the saying goes, ‘money can’t buy you happiness’, Raquel’s family was riddled with story arguments that almost always spewed over into

violent fights

"I came from a broken home,” admits Raquel. “My parents were heavy drinkers and would fight until it was out of control. My father was in the military and kept weapons in the house. I remember one day, in the midst of another argument, he pointed a gun at my mother's head.

I was just a child… I was always afraid wondering whether today would be the day he would kill my mother."

There was a time when Pastor José also lived in fear. Due to his increasingly uncontrollable violence, he got himself into a clash with a local gang who retaliated with death threats.

"They threatened to kill me five times; they were going to jump me then kill me. I was so scared I hid in doors. Mentally I was getting so bad that, twice a week I had to have injections "calm the lion down". I felt so low I tried to kill myself a few times. My mother had to always be around, to watch over me because I would tear my hair out and would only eat if my food were put in the blender - I only wanted it through a straw. I got to a point where I did not talk, smile, and bath nor cut my nails any more. I used to scratch myself until I started bleeding. My mum was so tired of seeing me in that state that she considered putting me away in a ‘madhouse’."

Meanwhile Raquel and her family were also going through tragic and traumatic events. Her father was shot in the head (and survived), she was hit by a car, and her mum weight weight plummeted to 6 stones and was plagued by health issues.

"We did not know what to do,” said Raquel. "That is, until mum and I came across a UCKG TV progamme offering help and decided to see if they could help us too. We received a warm welcome; that day I felt a peace that I had never felt at home before. We took on board the advice we were given and decided to make a Chain of Prayer to fight for the restoration of our family. My mother got invaluable advice that made her wise wife (the arguments started to decrease as a result)

and I started to seeing my obstacles as challenges."

Pastor José also heard of the HelpCentre at this

point and asked to be taken there.

"By the time I came to the UCKG I looked like a beggar. My hair was long, I was drooling because of the medication and angry because everyone looked at me with pity - I did not want pity from anyone. At the HelpCentre they spoke and treated me like a normal person - I did not want to leave.

His mother continued bringing him to the HelpCentre where they were encouraged to use their faith in God together with the doctor’s direction.

“The more I came the more I felt better. Within two months my doctor took me off the medication. My doctor could not believe what was happening to me because I was dependent on the medication since I was 12. Today my brother is also well. We went from being problematic children to becoming our mother’s pride and joy. Madness today? Only for God!" concludes Pastor José

BROKENHEARTED

The Lord Jesus said in, (Luke 4:18) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; HE HATH SENT ME TO HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED”. The dictionary defines the BROKENHEARTED as those who are crushed by sorrow, grief or disappointment sometimes to the point of being inconsolable.

This world is filled with brokenhearted people. There is a sighing, sobbing, and sorrowing multitude in this world. A preacher once said to his students, “Preach to the brokenhearted and you will never want for an audience”. In our day we live in a broken world. Everywhere we look, things are broken. Increasingly there is broken confidence because of the uncertainty of the future and an unstable world with its unstable societies. There are broken relationships resulting in broken homes and broken lives. Hospitals are filled with broken bodies. Mental institutions are crowded with broken minds. Prisons are filled to overflowing with those who have broken laws. Dear reader, are YOU included in any of these descriptions? Are YOU among the BROKENHEARTED?

What is the cause of a broken heart? The answer is sorrow, sorrow in all its aspects. The broken heart comes from sorrow that reaches intensity beyond the limits of endurance. When this occurs we say, “The heart is broken”, broken by overwhelming sorrow. This sorrow can be the sorrow of illness, the sorrow of loneliness, the sorrow of remorse, the sorrow of sin, the sorrow of calamity or sorrow from many other things. What is the cause of YOUR sorrow?

THIS EVENT IS GONNA BE GREAT, YOU CANT MISS OUT!!! BRING YOUR FRIENDS INVITE ALL OF THEM TO THIS EVENT HALF FULL!!!! in case you are not from north London but from another region you can go to Kilburn and Plaistow!