Infini te Poss ibi l i t i e s Inc .

February 2015

EMPOWERED!

www.infinitepossibilitiesvi.com Volume 4 Issue 1

Inside this Issue

Lead with Love Lead with Love Lead with Love

AGAPE Love AGAPE Love AGAPE Love

A Beautiful You A Beautiful You A Beautiful You

Love EXPOSED Love EXPOSED Love EXPOSED

Photo Gallery Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

If you knew when you would die and

had an opportunity to leave your lega-

cy for others to fulfill, what would it

look like? Some might leave a legacy

of wealth, for others it might be a lega-

cy of education or political power.

However, Jesus, the Son of God, the

King of Kings and Lord of Lords desig-

nated love as His legacy to leave on

earth. He knew His purpose was to die

for mankind's redemption and to set

the example for others to follow.

Therefore, Jesus left the example of

unconditional love. In Biblical times

the followers of Rabbis had distinctive

marks. You could identify a disciple’s

Rabbi by the disciples character. Je-

sus was establishing His distinctive

mark and the character of a Christian.

During the final moments of His life

Jesus focused solely on love and servi-

tude. Jesus took time on the same

night that He was betrayed to demon-

strate love at its purest. In chapter 13

in the book of John, Jesus laid out the

template for His followers to emulate.

First we see the importance of inti-

mate fellowship. Jesus shared His

final hours with His closest compan-

ions, His disciples. He expressed gen-

uine love towards them by not only

having His last meal [the last supper]

with them but by serving them as well

as, washing their feet. The washing of

feet was a common, lowly practice

usually done by a servant or slave. But

look at the heart of Jesus in John

13:14-18 where He states "If I then,

your Lord and Teacher, have washed

your feet, you also ought to wash one

another’s feet. For I have given you an

example, that you should do as I have

done to you. Most assuredly, I say to

you, a servant is not greater than his

master; nor is he who is sent greater

than he who sent him. If you know

these things, blessed are you if you do

them.” It’s important to remember

Lead with Love Michelle Mardenborough

that in Bible times people did not walk on

paved sidewalks, nor did they wear the types

of shoes we wear today. They wore sandals

and walked on hot, dirt roads. Obviously,

their feet were exposed and would be ex-

tremely dirty when they arrived at their desti-

nation. Most people would not want to wash

another person’s feet but Jesus was demon-

strating the position of servitude that Chris-

tians are to follow. We are to serve one an-

other, no matter what your position, salary

or status in life, as a Christian you must

serve one another. Peter, knowing Jesus

was the Messiah did not want Him to wash

his feet. But Jesus responded to Peter that

He could have no part of Him if he didn’t

allow Him to serve him in this manner. Peter

quickly replied in John 13:9 “not only my

feet but my hands and head as well.” Jesus

also left His disciples with a new command-

ment in John 13:34 “A new commandment I

give unto you, that ye love one another; as I

have loved you, that ye also love one anoth-

er.” When we truly love one another we will

have no problem with serving each other.

Love is the foundation of who we are. Jesus

further states in John 13: 35 “By this shall

all men know that ye are my disciples if ye

have love one to another.” This is a colossal

statement that I want you to think about.

Ask yourself, do I lead with love? Do I

demonstrate the core character, of a Chris-

tian? If we’re really honest we might say “I

give it my best; but sometimes people get on

my last nerve.” That ‘s human behavior, and

we understand but as Christians we are

challenged to go beyond our human behav-

ior and be led by our spirit .Jesus said His

core identifying mark is love. Let’s make it

our daily objective to love and serve one

another. Don’t lead with your appearance,

your title, talent, or your money, lead with

love. Everywhere you go, be a love bug, in-

fecting people with the love of Christ. Emu-

late Jesus! The unequivocal, characteristic

mark of Christianity is love and if you cannot

be identified as a genuine loving individual

you cannot be identified as a true Christian!

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EMPOWERED!

Agape Love Nishon Geary

We sometimes wonder what agape love

is. I often wonder if we as humans who

have these faults, can truly display

agape love. Or do we subconsciously

place conditions on our love? Human

devotion isn’t always dependable. Even

the most stable relationships change

over time. According to the American

Heritage dictionary, agape love consists

of “love as revealed in Jesus and selfless

love.” That means loving a person, re-

gardless of how that person treats you,

or what they do to you, you love them no

matter what. Your love for them is uncon-

ditional and unwavering. The only love

that I know can fill those BIG shoes is the

love of our Heavenly Father. We should

be thankful that God’s love is quite dif-

ferent. God is a forgiving, merciful, loving

God who shows us compassion and

grace over and over again. He doesn’t

put any boundaries around His love for

us. The most amazing part of it all is, He

loves all of us unconditionally. He loves

all his children equally and alike. God’s

love is unconditional because unlike

earthly affection, His love doesn’t fluctu-

ate. Our Father doesn’t care for us more

when we have pleased Him or less when

we have sinned.

No one child receives more love than

the other. It doesn’t matter if you’re the

“problem” child or the “golden” child;

God loves us all the same. Now, it is

important to mention that like any par-

ent, God does have expectations of His

children and sometimes we disappoint

God. This makes Him very unhappy and

sad to see the way we sometimes live,

and some of the choices we make; how-

ever, if you ask for his forgiveness, He'll

always say, “I forgive you.” But those

who reject Christ will be estranged from

God. God shows his agape love for us

daily. God sent His only begotten Son

into the world (John 3:16) to pay for our

sins with His own blood. (1st Peter

1:19; Acts 20:28) God did this why…

because He loves us. God’s love is a

love that initiates; it is never a re-

sponse. If God’s love were conditional,

then we would have to do something to

earn or merit it. We would have to

somehow appease His wrath and

cleanse ourselves of our sin before God

would be able to love us but that is not

the case and that is what makes God’s

love for us so unconditional. And so

amazing!

A Beautiful You New Year, Love You , Ethlyn Farrell 2015 is here. It is a new year; we are

excited about the new beginning before

us. One of the things that are usually in

the forefront of our minds is our weight.

This is also on the minds of many retail

stores. Right after Christmas all of the

workout gear is on sale. They know that

we are going to want to lose the extra

pounds we may have picked up over the

holidays. However do not get caught up

in the numbers on the scale nor feel

guilty for having apple-pie a la mode to

celebrate with a friend. Accept where you

are and start your journey there. This is

the unconditional love that you must give

yourself. Your beauty is not a number

and your love or acceptance of that beau-

ty is much more than the size of your

dress. Love yourself where you are and

love you for you. Whatever you decide to

do for you is another step in your journey

to love you. “Love is a very splendid

thing,” is a phrase I heard my mom say

when I was a child. This sounded very

complicated to my naive ears but as an

adult it sounds like music to my ears.

Let me explain. The Bible states that,”

God is love. 1 John 4: 8 states “He that

loveth not knoweth not God; for God is

love.” Love is the heart, character and

the very being of God. Everything He

has done for us was because of His

love for us. John3:16 states “For God

so loved the world, that he gave his

only begotten Son, that whosoever

believeth in him should not perish, but

have everlasting life.” God’s love for

us is unconditional. This is the example

that God set for you on how to love

others as well as, yourself. Don’t get

caught up in the media or society's

hype. Your true beauty radiates from

within and is expressed outwardly. You

are more than a number or a size. It is

the very essence of God that resides in

you by His Spirit that shines through

you! So, you have set a goal or made a

resolution and you fell off the wagon so

to speak. Get up, dust yourself off, get

back on track and do you. Let this New

Year 2015 be the year that you make

certain to love you.

Empowered! Page 3

My grandchildren and I spend quality time togeth-

er full of talks, laughter and hugs. One time I

made arrangements to have them over for the

weekend because I had not seen them for a few

weeks. The older of the two girls asked her father

to call me the night before their weekend stay

and she said to me, "Gigi, I have something for

you”. So after dinner the girls and I gathered to-

gether to chat and watch a movie and she came

and handed me a drawing she had colored and

cut out of her extra-large sized, coloring book. It

was a picture of a woman and a young girl nuz-

zling together in a hug. Their faces exposed the

love and devotion for each other. I looked up from

the picture to see the prettiest smile on my grand-

daughter's face. As I write this article on love, I

remember that special night and what my grand-

daughter's exuberant smile was telling me with-

out words.

Her face and the picture said it all. Likewise, I

am filled with love and adoration for Almighty

God, my Father, who has continuously been

steadfast to show me how much He loves me

no matter the season of time. I can confi-

dently say that I am secure in His love. De-

spite my circumstances; in the good times

and in the not so good times my heavenly

Father’s love is consistent. My granddaughter

exposed her heart through the picture she

gave me. I expose my heart's love through

what I do, what I say and where I go. I have to

personally say as The Apostle Paul said, “I am

convinced that nothing can ever separate me

from His love”. Romans 8:38-39. When you

come to a place of security in God's love

through Jesus Christ you are able to expose

genuine love to others.

Love EXPOSED Lita Aleese

The lyrics in Christina Perry's song "A Thousand

Years" reflects the universal desire of men and

women to experience that "forever love." The

chorus "...I've loved you for a thousand years; I'll

love you for a thousand more" is symbolic of eter-

nal love by its use of a thousand. The song

speaks to bravery as she takes one step closer to

the love standing before her after realizing fear

and asking herself "how can I love when I'm

afraid to fall?" I chose this song to provoke us to

really think about wedded love and symbolically

our love as the bride of Christ (His Church). We

occasionally hear of stories where a man or wom-

an marries their love one as they prepare to die

of some terminal illness. More often we attend

weddings where the couple are planning for their

best days ahead. Rarely are the days of struggle,

sickness, sacrifice or sadness at the front of the

newlywed couple's minds. Ephesians 5 speaks to

a submission and sacrifice as demonstrations of

this love. Verse 25 reads "Husbands, love your

wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and

gave himself for it." I believe abuse in all relation-

ships within our culture have caused many to

incorrectly equate all pain with abuse. That is a

lie. Healthy loves sees value in oneself and oth-

ers. We recognize sacrificial love is seen in a

soldier sacrificing himself for his "brothers and

sisters" in war, Abraham was willing to sacrifice

his son as an act of love and obedience to God

and ultimately Jesus' willingly giving himself as an

innocent sacrifice for you and I on the cross. An

excerpt from Revelation 12:10-12 NLT reads

"they did not love their lives so much that they

were afraid to die.?" Restated...they weren't

afraid to die because they chose to NOT love their

lives or lifestyles more in the face of choosing

Jesus.

Forever Love

Michelle Roberts Motivating Moments Michelle Mardenborough

I talk to myself all day long, but not out

loud. Although I must admit there are times

when I walk out the door, get in my car, pull

out my space and realize I left something

very important at home. That’s when I let

myself have it! “Oh my goodness, you must

be going crazy how could you leave the

house without your wallet.” or whatever

item I forgot that day. Or I’ve been known to

walk into things or stumble over something

and stump my toe; that’s when I really fuss

myself out” You’re blind as a bat; you’re

going to kill yourself.” Now you might say,

“Michelle give yourself a break. You know

you’re not really going crazy or really going

to kill yourself.” I agree but then why say it?

We have to be cognizant and most im-

portantly responsible for the words we

speak to each other as well as, to our-

selves. Most of the time talking to yourself

is pretty harmless, until you have a major

challenge, or receive devastating news.

Critical scenarios identify what’s on the

inside of us. If fear is on the inside of you

that’s what you will confess. Words like“ I

don’t know how I’m going to make it, I just

can’t go on anymore, or no one loves me,

and no one cares ,I’m in this all by myself.

These are very negative, pitiful confessions

to speak over your life. I often hear people

confessing poverty over their lives, words

like “I’m always broke, I’ll never get out of

debt, I don’t have any money and of course

I can’t afford it. Every time you say I’m al-

ways broke, you are inevitably prophesying

poverty over your life. Whether you realize it

or not your words create your environment.

So instead of confessing poverty confess

prosperity, wealth, restoration , well being

wholeness and total satisfaction. Be mind-

ful of what rolls off your tongue. The Bible

states in Proverbs 18:21 that “Death and

life are in the power of the tongue: and they

that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Most

of us focus on the death and life. But "they

that love it shall eat the fruit thereof; is a

powerful statement that basically means if

you are too chatty and love to hear yourself

talk, you will deal with the outcome whether

positive or negative. So make certain you

are speaking positive words of power and if

you don’t have anything good to say don’t

say anything. I realize that’s easier said

than done for some of us. Everyone who

knows me know that I enjoy talking there-

fore I have to watch my words carefully.

When I slip up at and make incorrect con-

fessions over my life I immediately catch

myself and say “delete delete” because I

realize my words create. Remember be-

loved, we are made in the image of God.

God our Divine Creator spoke everything

into existence and we do too. So begin tak-

ing responsibility for your words. Its critical

that you do; read what Jesus Christ states in

Matthew 13;36 “But I say unto you, That

every idle word that men shall speak, they

shall give account thereof in the day of judg-

ment.” Be cognizant of your conversation.

Make certain that it’s uplifting ,edifying and

encouraging . Paul teaches us in Colossians

4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of

grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may

know how to answer everyone.” NIV Now

that we know better lets do better by

speaking words of faith, prosperity and love!

7260 Sea Cliff Villas

Unit - 54

St. Thomas, USVI 00802

I n f i n i t e P o s s i b i l i t i e s

www.infinitepossibilitiesvi.com

Publisher

Infinite Possibilities Inc.

Executive Editor

Michelle D. Mardenborough

Staff Writers

Ethlyn O. Farrell

Michelle Roberts

Nishon Geary

Lita Aleese

Editorial Director

Nishon Gearyo

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