From Dilemma to New Dimensions: A Four-Week Devotional for Change

By Marian Bellamy Gibbons

D-day is when you wake up and realize that your life is stuck in the middle of a serious dilemma and you need to move out! Living beneath your God-given potential and aspirations is the season when the sleeping leader within must be awakened to take the steps necessary to confront challenging issues of life and overcome them all.

From Dilemma to a New Dimension is a four-week devotional that introduces the struggles of a historic character named Richard Allen to help inspire readers to develop and increase their leadership potential to change livesfor the better. Through learning of the many severe struggles and victories of Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, certain aspects of spiritual fortitude can be identified by each reader to strengthen their walk with God and arrive at their destined place of promise. The brief episodes in the life of Allen help highlight the same struggles people face every day right now. The same Lord and Creator stands ready to heal, restore, and equip believers with the faith and personal stamina to move beyond the chaotic dilemmas of life to enjoy victory by creating a new-dimensional lifestyle of service and spiritual prosperity. Each meditational moment provides readers with scriptures, interesting stories related to Allens history, an insightful response, and a creative space for the reader to interject thoughts of their own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 17, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493148189

Marian Bellamy Gibbons

Rev. Marian Bellamy Gibbons is a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the preached Word and the music ministry. Since her youth, she has given of her talent, treasure, and time to share the love of God with all generations in her church, the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Throughout her life, she has been involved with youth development, church music, and Christian education, beginning at her home church affectionately called the Fountain Chapel AME Church. She is a native of Tallahassee, Florida, where she has been employed in public relations and media at Florida A&M University for more than thirty years. The author has studied at Florida A&M University (BA and MS), Florida State University (postgraduate), and Asbury Theological Seminary. She has a passion for inspiring people to live for God and aspire to achieve their maximum potential. She is an ordained minister and minister of music who loves to praise the Lord throughout the church and the community. She has served on the Media Committee and with Women in Ministry at the conference level of her church. For the many varied opportunities to share the good news from, Rev. Gibbons sincerely expresses “to God be the glory!”

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Marian Bellamy Gibbons.

Library of Congress Control Number:      2013922032

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4931-4817-2

                Softcover        978-1-4931-4816-5

                eBook            978-1-4931-4818-9

Scriptures taken from the King James Version of the Bible and from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 1/16/2014

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

How God Molds Spiritual Leaders

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Day 17

Day 18

Day 19

Day 20

Day 21

Day 22

Day 23

Day 24

Day 25

Day 26

Day 27

Day 28

Epilogue

PREFACE

W hile a student at Asbury Theological Seminary, the inspirational story of one of my favorite heroes unfolded as a project in my Christian leadership class. Little did I know that the main work needed for the project would turn out to be a new and improv ed me!

Often during my youth, the life of the late Bishop Richard Allen was highlighted as a role model for young people in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. However, an in-depth study of Allen’s life and times revealed the holiest example available to man—the love of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A perfected partnership was formed between the Spirit of Christ and Allen that literally changed the way of life for generations of families among people of color around the world. Allen’s greatest legacy is that of a loving leader who founded a church for people of color to worship freely when there were no other doors open to receive them.

I am a child of Allen aspiring for a home in God’s kingdom. My story is so threaded to the main character of this book—a life of episodes filled with aspirations, achievements, limiting circumstances, mistakes, errors, accidents, and derailments, yet dreams and desires fueled by a firm, abiding belief in God and his Word.

My prayer is that this devotional will point out the wonder of a God-given leader who stops at nothing to bring God’s vision into reality. The leader of yesterday was Bishop Richard Allen who endured incredible difficulties to make it possible for the countless people to become Christian disciples in many diverse roles. The leaders of today are so critically needed for future generations to overcome the challenges that we face in the twenty-first century. Men and women, youth and adult, should be inspired to stand strong with faith in God to develop and design the leader in you and respond affirmatively when God calls you to be empowered and ready at the appointed time to move forward—from dilemma to new dimensions—in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Read and digest the brief stories, scriptures, and spiritual thoughts!

Share your thoughts and meditations as the Holy Spirit taps into your soul.

Bud and blossom in spirit to bear the comeliness of the Lord upon your life!

With the help of the Master, you can overcome all obstacles that you face to bring forth a beautiful portrayal of greatness and a life of service that makes living more meaningful to humankind.

With much gratitude, I am thankful to my parents—the late Deacon Raymond Bellamy and Rev. Mildred Bellamy Mitchell—for the godly examples they lived and the love they poured out for our family. To my church family at Fountain Chapel AME Church, I offer true appreciation for the rich, immeasurable spiritual investments made for my personal development and success. To Ayana Gibbons, the flower of inspiration born to blossom under my care, I could not have done this without your help and support. Many blessings to the team at Xlibris for the excellent professional service