My 7 min Delivery | 3 Lessons from My Pregnancy Journey

Yes, you read that correctly! Check out my newest video to find out all the deets about my labor and delivery, along with lessons learned from my pregnancy journey! #NobodybutGod

Enjoy and be encouraged!

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Week 3 | Fierce 5💍 Marriage Series | First Lady Tawana Washington

It’s week 3!

Yaaaasssss! And our feature for the week, First Lady Tawana Washington, is taking it there! Married for 24 years, check out what she has to say about Communication, balance, and what it means to “wait on God”. You can connect with her via email: tawanacoolbeans@gmail.com

1. How many years have you been married,

and what has being married for xx years taught you?

After being married for 24 years, I have learned that communication is a key component in my marriage. I have come to the realization that communication is not just talking, but the ability to listen to what my spouse is saying. Many times we say “I hear you,” but the question is are you really “listening” to what your spouse is saying. Listening is something I consciously choose to do. When I choose to listen to my spouse, I make a conscious effort to concentrate on what my spouse is saying, and to process the information. Communication is paramount in one’s marriage. The Word of God says:

“Let you speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” –Col. 4:6

2. You are definitely a “woman of purpose” how have you navigated that space of being a help-mate for your husband, and a woman with a purpose/platform/ministry? What challenges have you had to overcome and how?

Balance is how I navigate this thing called life. Not only am I a wife, but also, a child of God with a divine purpose, a mother, a daughter, and a woman with a career. How does one handle such a great responsibility… it is called Balance. It is important to learn how to balance all facets of your life. At any given point we are being called upon to satisfy or fulfill one of our roles. Balance is what is needed to maintain stability and, truth be told, our sanity. It is important to align one’s role with one’s responsibility and not allow your self to get lost in process. Again Balance is the key.

“A false balance is abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is his delight.” Proverbs 11:1

3. What word of advice/wisdom do you have for the young wife who is struggling with “submission”?

Submission is the act of yielding oneself. God has given us (wives) the commandment to submit to our own husband. Ephesians 5:22-23… “Wives, submit yourselves unto you own husband, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” During present day, submission is often misunderstood and sometimes comes off as a negative act. We have to understand that our submission is to God first. Submission comes from a place of love, caring and trust. In our obedience and submission unto God, we submit ourselves to our husband. We submit to our husband because we love him, and are confident that we can trust him with our heart in knowing that he would not bring us harm with his word, actions or his deeds.

The Bible also says in Ephesians 5: 21…“Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

In a marriage, both the husband and the wife are called to submit. Christ is saying that the wife is willing to follow her husband’s leadership, and the husband is to set aside his own interest in order to care for his wife. I encourage the wife to know that submission is honoring God. As we submit to God we become more willing to obey his command and submit to our husband.

4. What about the singles who want to be married, and feel like they’ve been waiting FOREVER? What does it truly mean to “wait on God” as a single woman waiting to be found? Is it just a cliche?

To wait on God, for a husband, is to trust God and understand that God knows what’s best for us. God knows what we need and when we need it. Waiting is the process of preparation. Preparation is the process of First, knowing who you are as an individual and knowing who you are in Christ. Secondly, knowing that you have worth and that you are worth waiting for. What God has for you is for you.

5. Anything else/advice/wisdom you feel led to share?

Marriage is a “Good Thang.” Like anything in life, marriage is work. You have to work at being communicative, understanding and forgiving. Marriage is ordained and sanctioned by God. Trust God, trust yourself and trust your spouse. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13)

Yasssss to all of the above! Love what you’re reading! Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts! And be sure to connect with me on Instagram, @reese__dennis, for a more wisdom from the Fierce 5! Can’t wait to hear from you!

Fierce 5 Live Chat with Dionne J. Edmonds| Replay 🎥

Hey ladies! In case you missed this week’s Fierce 5 Live Chat with Dionne J. Edmonds, the replay is posted below! Get your entire life! Be sure to like, comment, and share! Super excited for next week’s feature!

Week 2 | Fierce 5💍Marriage Series | Dionne J. Edmonds

Can you feel my excitement?!? It’s Week 2 of the Fierce 5 Marriage Series! This week’s feature, Dionne J. Edmonds, is droppin’ gems! Married for 11 years, check out what she has to say about extending a ” whole lotta grace“, submission, and overcoming holding on to past wrongs! Like, comment and subscribe so you don’t miss out! And be sure to connect with Dionne on social media: @dionnej.edmonds

1. How many years have you been married,

and what has being married for xx years taught you?

This June 20th will make 11 years of marriage for me. Being married for almost 11 years has taught me that my husband is not my savior. My husband loves the Lord, has a heart for God and seeks to love me as Christ loves the Church, but he can not nor ever will be able to do for me what God in Christ can do for and has done for me. I used to put a lot of pressure on my husband to do all kinds of things and if he didn’t do it the way I wanted him to my whole world was wrecked. But I’ve come to learn that he is not my savior and he can’t do for me what the Lord can.

I’ve also learned to give a whole lotta (misspelling intended) grace! I used to keep a whole record of his wrongs. I mean I had lists for days that I would pull out of an arsenal anytime we had a disagreement or argument…I would even go back to what he did “last year,” but the Lord has taught me and reminded me (daily) of the grace that I not only received at the point of salvation but that I am still a daily, even moment by moment, recipient of. Therefore, I am compelled to extend the same grace to my husband that I receive from the Lord. What does this mean practically? I no longer keep a record of his wrongs. I’m more quick to forgive and even quicker to be understanding of him when he falls short, makes mistakes, repeats the same behavior that I thought he overcame…there is grace even for that! Ha!

I appreciate this, but I want to stress that we are All women of purpose and that was predetermined by God himself or else He wouldn’t have thought the world was worth dying for. My being (or your being) a woman of purpose isn’t based on me walking out my purpose. It was predetermined by God before He formed me in my mother’s womb (Jer 29:11). I want to stress that off top because sometimes we can assume that someone walking in their purpose is what makes them a person of purpose. When the truth is, you being a woman of purpose was predetermined long before you begin to walk in your purpose. In the same way that your value and worth is determined by God long before you begin to understand how valuable and worthy you are! This is not based on anything we do rather what God in Christ did for us on the cross!

So with that said, my ability to live out my purpose, or walk in it, is specific to the grace that God has given me. The Lord graces each of us for what He has called us to do. So while my many hats and full plate may be overwhelming to some, my reliance on the Lord’s grace daily is what empowers me to accomplish what I ordinarily couldn’t do in my strength. In the same way that the next sister is able to do what may seem hard to me, by God’s grace she can do it with ease.

Now, let me clarify… this doesn’t mean that I don’t have moments of being overwhelmed, tired or even stressed. Those are often evidence that I’m relying too much on myself and not enough on Him. So those moments cause me to lean into the Lord more, and ask Him for the grace and strength to do what He has called and equipped me to do! It also means that when I physically rest, I rest. Yet the dichotomy of being in relationship with Christ, also allows me to experience “rest” even when I am working and doing what He has called me to (as a wife, mom and ministry leader). My rest ultimately comes from my dependence on Him and not myself.

3. What word of advice/wisdom do you have for the young wife who is struggling with “submission”?

First, I want to affirm the fact that I’ve been there, and I know what it feels like to struggle with submission (I’m not perfect so I still struggle with it in certain areas). But what the Lord has taught me is that submission is extremely difficult when we reduce it merely to submitting to our husbands. If you think submission is just about you doing what your husband wants, or you getting on board with what your husband desires, then you miss what submission is.

In Ephesians 5 — (the famous chapter where the Apostle Paul talks about submission) — before Paul addresses wives submitting to husbands, he states “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.” This is extremely important because before you can even understand or talk about submitting to a husband, you first have to have an understanding of what it means for you as a believer to be an imitator of God in ALL Things (all means ALL…not just marriage). 21 verses later he then states, “And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” So as an imitator of Christ I’m also called to submit to my brothers and sisters in Christ. Then in verse 22 he states, “For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

So I’m called to submit in many areas, and specifically as a married woman (not a single woman in a relationship with a man). But my submission to my husband is done as one who is ultimately submitting to the Lord. That essentially suggests that if it’s done unto the Lord, God in His wisdom and sovereignty will not allow my husband to get away with leading me down a wrong path. God cares about my submission just as much as He cares about the way my husband is leading me. So if I have concerns about the way He is leading me, I am to take them to Jesus. As our advocate, He stands at His throne interceding on our behalf, and advocating for us (and our spouses) to the Father. This also means that I cannot submit to my husband apart from the grace of God and my reliance (or faith) on God. I need God to help me to submit. Practically, I’m constantly asking the Lord to help me to submit or to help me to listen and hold my tongue when I want to out talk my husband.

I think one of the things that we assume about waiting is that it’s passive, when it is actually active. Waiting requires me to harness my strength and submit it to the plan and purpose of God (in the same way that submitting to my husband requires me to harness my power to submit to my husband). It requires me to trust that God is good, that He wants what’s best for my life and that He actually knows what’s best for me even down to the time frame in which I receive things. Waiting requires me to bind myself to the Lord (the Hebrew word for wait has to do with binding). And if I’m bound to him I’m in a position to know and do what He desires for me to do while I wait.

5. Anything else/advice/wisdom you feel led to share?

I just want to share that there can be so much emphasis placed on marriage, and rightly so in that marriage is a God idea. But being unmarried doesn’t make you any less important to God or loved any less than a married person. Your value, worth and importance aren’t based on whether or not you are married and it’s definitely not determined by whether or not God sends you a spouse.

Ephesians 2:4 says, “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” God proved how valuable and loved you are by rescuing you and I from sin, even though we deserved death. He proved how loved you are by sending His son as the way back into relationship with Him. When we truly get a revelation of how loved and valued we are apart from anything we ever did or will do (this is good or bad things), it puts our desire for marriage, into the proper place… meaning nothing can fulfill us (not even a good thing) like God can. And when He becomes the primary One that we desire and seek after, all other things are added to us (Matt 6:33).

To learn more about Dionne J. Edmonds and her ministry be sure to visit www.dionnejedmonds.com and follow her on Instagram & Facebook @dionnej.edmonds

Yasssss to all of the above! Love what you’re reading! Be sure to comment below and let us know your thoughts! And be sure to connect with me on Instagram, @reese__dennis, for a live follow up discussion TOMORROW, TUESDAY 5/7 @ 4pm! Can’t wait to hear from you!

Marriage Mondays with “The Fierce 5”; Teri Milton

Hey ladies! Today is the DAY!!! It’s finally here! Marriage Mondays with ‘The Fierce 5″! These are the 5 women who, over the past few years, have poured into my life as a young women and as a wife. I’ve learned so much from each of them, and thankfully have avoided many mistakes due to the wisdom they’ve shared with me. So you know I had to share the wealth! Yaaaasss!! Today, we’ll hear from Teri Milton. Whether this advice is hitting you for the first time, or coming as a timely reminder, be sure to chime in and let us know! Be encouraged! – Reese

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How many years have you been married? What has being married taught you?

July 23, 2018, will be 30 years as Mrs. Milton. Being married has taught me, marriage is not for the faint of heart and that it is not about me, but about becoming one with my husband.

What are 3 key ingredients that have helped you build a healthy marriage?

Communication – not allowing fear to stop you from discussing the difficult things.

Laughing – not taking things or each other too seriously.

Having a no divorce option at heart.

What word of advice/wisdom do you have for the young wife?

Be careful of telling your marriage business to your family and friends. When you diminish your husband in the eyes of your family and friends, it is hard to get them to see him beyond what you have portrayed. As a wife, I believe my major role is to help my husband be the best version of himself. It is not my role to control him or change him, but to bring the best out of him.

What about the singles? What word of advice can you share to help the single women, who desire to be married?

“A man that doesn’t bring out the best in you is not the best for you.”

Don’t ignore the red flags and settle for what you honestly know is not acceptable or comfortable for you. I firmly believe to trust a person when they show you who they are; continue to ask yourself what are your “deal breakers”. And watch how they interact with their mother and family. “You are what you tolerate.” Don’t give up the best years of your life dating someone for 3 – 5 years. I believe a man knows within a year if he wants to marry you. To quote Kristen Fry, “Never compromise with a man who treats you like one of his options, but wait for the one who will make you a priority”.

Anything else/advice/wisdom you feel led to share?

I think people focus too much on building careers, education and wealth which are all good things but miss the important things of the heart. Be true to yourself and the woman God has fashioned you to be. Allow God, and not the opinions of others, to shape who you are and influence your relationships. Focus on building values and character in people, especially in your dating relationship.