Kingdomwood Women In Films Picnic Series Returns With Author Debra Winans

Kingdomwood Women In Films is kicking off the summer and the festival season by returning with their KWIF Celebrity Picnic Series. The first picnic back, will take place at 11 am ET Saturday June 4, 2022 in Smyrna, Georgia. 

Dr. Debra Winans, a well known Media CEO and Celebrated Author will be a Special Guest at the picnic, in addition to more from the Atlanta Film and Entertainment Industry. Other guests will include Audrey Littleton, the Founder of KWIF, Filmmaker and Acting Coach Ashley Johnson, along with key members of KWIF.

Kingdomwood Women In Films, a worldwide network, based in Georgia is an organization partnered with Kingdomwood Film Festival, a festival that promotes family-friendly teachings and values following the Gospel. 

The Festival is hosted in October every year and has welcomed several famed, Award-winning and notable celebrities. 

The Celebrity Picnic Basket series takes place each month to cultivate growth, community, and assistance among women in the Film and Media Industry.

Each attendee of the picnic is encouraged to prepare a unique picnic basket that suits them and their taste as they participate. The compilation and individuality of the baskets warrant special prizes from the KWIF Community.

For more information on attending Kingdomwood Women In Films Celebrity Picnic Basket series and to learn more about how to join visit: https://kingdomwood.com/kwif-2/

Registration, in addition to submissions for Kingdomwood Film Festival are currently open. Visit their official website Kingdomwood.com for more details.

Gifts That Make Room For Us

By April D. Byrd

A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men. ~Proverbs 18:16

Do what you do best and do it with excellency,  keeping your gift in mind. Even if it's something simple as posting a Facebook status with good grammar.  Yesterday the spirit reminded me of just how important presentation is. As a Writer, If i’m not on point and displaying excellence in my gift, how do I expect to be called upon to help somebody else, or bring them before excellence? Who will bring us before excellence if we don’t do it ourselves? Our special gifting or talent that we authentically have makes room for us and brings us before great men. Making room means to create opportunities and opens doors.  It's up to us to Capitalize on that!

There is a saying that goes: "when the teacher is ready the student appears." Well when you are prepared for it, the opportunity comes. Being cognizant of your gifting and who you are is important. What are you passionate about? There is no actual set path to success, but it's important to be professional and confident in your gift.

Go towards your goals and express your talent with no reservation, because it's especially yours. When you go towards it, a way will be supplied. Where there is a will, there is a way. The world makes way for the person who knows where they are going. If you know where you're going, what you're doing, and exactly what you want to accomplish, then chances are you wont be very disappointed with the results you get. 

Taking action to express our gifts to the world, is a gift to the world. We were created with purpose it's up to us to fulfill it with passion. Be open to your positive, creative inspiration then open your greatness up and share it with the world. Put Gods will first. Seek Him before everything else.

April D. Byrd (@aprilinspired) is a Writer, Believer, and Creator of Breath Of Life Daily.  

Testimony: Sarah D. Jakes

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. - Revelation 12:11

PHOTO CREDIT: SARAHJAKES.COM

A lot can happen in eight years. You can go from being daddy’s little girl to shattered into a thousand pieces. Not long after I attended the last MegaFest my life changed. Thousands of people gathered to be in the presence of God, yet if I could’ve whispered into my ear then, I would’ve told myself to hold on.

A divorce, beautiful daughter, book deal, broken heart, international speaking calendar, and hundreds of tears later I’m back. There’s this misconception that being born into a ministry family gives you direct access to God. I found myself searching for everyone, but Him. I thought that when I was finished living I could just come back into the fold. It wasn't until I felt the kind of emotional pain that causes physical aching that I realized it may not be as easy to get back as I thought. Like a ton of bricks shame weighed on me pushing me further and further away.

Then I opened my mouth.

I gave the pain that dared to mute my hope a voice. At Woman Thou Art Loosed 2011, I dared to tell a room of people who I knew would judge me that I had my son at fourteen. I did it for myself. I did it because I needed my dad to know his ministry saved me. I didn't know that among those thousands of women there were many secrets.

I didn't mean to expose their wounds because I shared my scars. Somehow, knowing that even Bishop Jakes’ daughter had to struggle to find her way helped them.  They called me transparent, because I was willing to grab a mic and tell what we were once told to whisper. I brought the peace from my pieces and shared it with the world.

For me, MegaFest is an opportunity to take the lessons I’ve learned along the way and remind someone different than me, that we’re all still fighting. We’re all still hoping that the one thing that set us back didn't cancel our destination.

My life is a mess on paper. But I’m willing to bet if we all told the truth, we’re all just trying to make sense of our mess.

This year the focus for MegaFest is about gathering again. Here, in Dallas, under the umbrella of faith, music, empowerment, entertainment, and more we’re going to help families heal and be restored.

But we won’t have so much fun that we forget the pieces; the things that threatened to break us. Instead, we will dare to believe that even shattered we can still be used. It’s not about having this perfect image and painful reality. We are forcing our past to release its hold on our future. We are reminding the world that God can use anything from a movie to a sermon to reach His people.

And for me, this year is about realizing that the last time I took the stage I was a girl smiling for a spotlight. Now I’m a woman, bruised, but not broken daring to gather my ashes and trade them for beauty. 

via Essence.

G O! New Hope Baptist Church

It's Go Time! The "Grand Opening" service at New Hope Baptist Church was spectacular! The atmosphere was excellent in vision, but also in spirit. The beautiful Church facility with it's cylindrical design and two tier seating recently underwent a total redesign. At the opening of the service, media footage was shared as the workers built the church from the ground up. The arena like setting with the glorious lighting gives off a concert vibe; A concert for Christ!

Although the church is advanced and upgraded,  there is still comfort and coziness in the place for worship. Some mega churches can seem a bit distant, but the spirit of God was still actively present and heavy in the environment at New Hope. The pastor consecrated the ground material of the sanctuary with blessing oil and let the worship and the word commence.

Pastor Canton Jones, (above) a gospel artist and worship leader turned the crowd up with "Our God is an awesome God and delivered new music with an event CD: "Go Mode". Praise and worship was phenomenal, with beautiful instruments and beautiful voices, but all the grandeur was still not enough to take away from the spirit of God.

Surprisingly when the word came people were focused. There were no distracting side conversations or too much random unnecessary movement. The message was candid and delivered with clarity. Another great thing about New Hope is that for a Baptist Church in the south it was sprinkled with all cultures and races of people. The diversity was refreshing.

Guest Speaker

In the nature and spirit of "GO TIME" The guest pastor taught a  message from 2 Timothy 1-8 entitled:

 " How To Make a Difference For Christ"

1. Stir Up (v.6)
2. Stand Up (v. 8a)
3. Step Out (v. 8b)

Experiencing  time at New Hope church provided  exactly what it's name promises: New Hope!  It delivered  a sense that there is new hope for the church and the body of Christ! Hope that we can all get along in beautiful unison to worship God, Hope that we can and should make technological advances on behalf of the kingdom and it confirmed witness that the house of the Lord is indeed the best place anyone could be.

Even with a new facility and celebrity support, what was most praiseworthy about the Grand Opening was the theme and maxim for the event: "Its Go Time"! It is indeed Go time! for all Gods children everywhere in the world.

It's time for us to stir up the gifts God gave us, Stand Up for the word of God, and step out into the world to actively live it and proclaim it.

Congrats to New Hope Baptist Church for continually making new steps! Go New Hope, Go!

Swag Bag and  Church Propaganda

Visit their website and learn more about new hope at their website: http://www.newhopebc.org/  If you are a Georgia resident and you don't have a church home, consider going to their church.

Maximize Your Personal Development

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. – Carl Jung

Most “Millennials” and many close to the generation are being targeted as lazy, but there is power to make a positive difference with the advanced tools and resources in this age, especially in the field of networking and communications. Personal development helps us to realize what we have to offer the world. It gives us a brief estimate of our value and on what exact talents we can place worth on, that can in turn be incorporated into all areas of life and authentic success.

If we want the best out of our lives, it means we should give life the best of ourselves. As William Shakespeare noted:  “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”  Knowing your authentic self and developing your highest potential is the key behind personal branding and development, it is the essential function that serves our purpose and service to the world.

Consciously achieving your goals means allocating the time to do so. All big problems started as little problems. When left unchecked, simple issues can gradually grow out of proportion. Health is one thing any professional can’t allow to go in the wrong direction. 

Personal development also relies heavily on mental sharpness and acumen. If our perception is limited, the very experience of our life will be too. You can only see the world from your perception, why not make it awesome?!  Your key attributes and your authenticity give life to your personal brand. 

Low self-worth and lack of good communication causes individuals to make bad choices, which leads life into a series of bad experiences. Life is all about communication. How are you relating to everything and everybody else in the world? Self-Investment is the key to increase communication skills and career success.