Holy of Holies

^©1997 Erika Jackson

I can see myself laying aside the cares and the weights outside the tabernacle doors. I wait expectantly to enter into your presence. I feel excitement welling up on the inside. I shake my hands in anticipation. My feet are moving from side to side as I sway to a rhythm only I can hear.

The doors open and I’m allowed to come into the inner courts. I see other people milling about, talking to each other about you, the excitement almost tangible. I step over to a corner, alone, to further prepare for what I will experience. A little awed by the prospect of actually seeing you, I take a deep breath to steady myself. I begin to think about some of the things you have done for me, and I smile.

Not far from me, a door opens and someone walks out. From my place in the corner I watch as he approaches a dais. There’s a microphone on a lectern. Speaking quietly into the instrument, he announces that the doors to the Holy Place will open shortly. If we had anything in our possession that could be considered negative, we should leave it here. I examined myself and found unforgiveness and offense, and realized that I wasn’t ready to enter. Quickly I discarded that weighty baggage and prepared to enter.

I moved closer to the door where that man had exited. From the corner of my eye I noticed that he was returning, so I stepped aside and let him pass. As he reached for the door, a sudden hush fell across the room. He pushed and the door gave way to two very large steel doors that opened very slowly. He stepped through and motioned for us to follow.

The throng moved as a single, floating mass toward the doors. One by one the people peeled off as we crossed the threshold into the Holy Place. I could feel your presence emanating from somewhere inside. I began to sing. One praise song after another poured from my lips as I was thrust from the crowd into the Holy Place.

I began to dance as memories of your goodness flooded my consciousness. Closer and closer I drew to the source of your glory. I could feel you. I needed to be in your presence. Others were also singing and dancing. We were all moving in the same direction. I couldn’t even count how many people were there, there were so many.

Off in the distance I could see what appeared to be light coming from under, around, and between two grand doors. Incredibly, as I drew closer, I discovered the doors were made of pure gold. The crowd gathered around the two huge gold doors and waited with bated breath. A chill crept up my spine as I peered anxiously at those doors.

Crack!! I heard a loud sound like a door makes when it is opened for the first time in a long time. I steeled myself for what was to be an awesome experience. My excitement rose along with my expectation. I stared as the doors swung open eerily slowly. The bright light burst from the other side. I moved closer along with the crowd.

Stepping up onto the first step, I began to shake with such eager anticipation, I had to take deep breaths to slow my racing heartbeat. My eyes never left the light as I moved up one step and then another until I was right at the entrance. Holding my breath, I stepped through and was consumed by light and warmth. I could feel you all around me. No one else existed. It seemed like it was just you and me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as thoughts of past hurts and pains rushed into my mind. I just wanted to tell you all about them so I could be healed. I opened my mouth to speak, but all that came out were words of adoration. I had to tell you everything you are to me. I felt like such a small nothing compared to your greatness. I told you I was not worthy of you. You told me I was because you said so.

I smiled as tears of joy streamed down my cheeks. I closed my eyes and held out my arms. I felt your love encompass me like a warm embrace. As I hugged myself and opened my eyes, I found myself standing at my seat in church, right where I began this adventure into the Holy of Holies, where you sit, waiting for me to return.

Contact: Erika Jackson

(269) 381-6919

eprice5@yahoo.com

www.richesandhonor.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

What You Say Is What You Get

Local author uses daily affirmations to create wealth and prosperity.

Kalamazoo, June 27, 2005: You’ve heard the age-old expression “What you see is what you get.” Now, author Linda C. Newberry declares that what you say is what you get. Her new book RICHES and HONOR: Transform Your Life with God’s Powerful Word takes the reader through a word study of a daily affirmation that promises riches and honor to those who adopt and use it.

According to world renown author Napoleon Hill, Think & Grow Rich, “Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.” He said that by repeating affirmations, a person can trigger belief in the subconscious mind. This belief creates action, and action produces results.

With the news of the Big Blue’s massive layoffs, thousands of newly displaced workers will be looking for new income producing opportunities. There are many more people competing for the same jobs, and employers need help wading through the piles of applications to find not only qualified workers, but also those that will add the most benefit to their companies.

Job seekers can boost their visibility and desirability by having a redefined sense of purpose, which significantly increases their confidence and focus. Rick Warren and other authors recommend spending time discovering purpose as a way to find satisfying work.

RICHES and HONOR merges the time-honored principles of Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich with the practical disciplines of Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez. Author Linda C. Newberry delves deep into the meaning of Isaiah 60 and paints a poignant picture of success for readers. Having lived through financial disaster and near mental collapse, Linda has created a significant positive net worth as a result of this amazing confession.

Unlike Think & Grow Rich, that only tells readers what needs to change, RICHES and HONOR is an actual tool that can be used every day to bring about the change recommended by Mr. Hill.

Everyone who loved The Prayer of Jabez will indeed appreciate the power of the words in Isaiah 60 to transform their lives. Much like Jabez, RICHES and HONOR offers a specific tool to be used during meditation time to create altered thinking.

One reader, Erika Jackson, stated, “RICHES and HONOR had the same impact on me that Joel Osteen’s book Your Best Life Now had. My life is forever changed as a result of it.”

RICHES and HONOR will help readers unlock their destiny. When readers follow the simple instructions outlined in RICHES and HONOR, it will open the channels of communication between the reader and God so God can reveal his purpose and the steps to take to live out destiny.

Like the vision of Jabez, RICHES and HONOR will expand the reader’s vision. It will raise the level of expectation, causing the reader to see bigger and believe more. Readers will begin to look for God to operate in their behalf.

RICHES and HONOR is an excellent book for anyone who has recently lost a job or who is dissatisfied in their current position in life; whether work related, spiritual or financial condition. It is also great for high school seniors who need help deciding what steps to take next. Any college graduate who is facing life in the “real world” will not want to be without their own copy of RICHES and HONOR.

As a result of affirmations like the one in RICHES and HONOR, Linda has created a generously positive net worth in a very short period of time. She states, “I’m poised to never have to work a regular job again.”

RICHES and HONOR is available online at www.richesandhonor.com. Contact the author at linda.newberry@richesandhonor.com. She welcomes comments, feedback, and suggestions that will improve the quality of life for her audience.

But He Was So Nice!

© 2005 Erika Jackson

Chapter 1

What Do You Want?

I am of the opinion that experience is not the best teacher; someone else’s experience is. I am happy to share my experience with you in hopes that you will never make the same mistake I made – marrying Mr. Wrong. This is the story of how one man’s influence in my life almost ruined the best thing that has happened to me since Jesus. I often joke about the fact that I was married to Satan incarnate, but I really believe it’s not far from the truth. If I had remained married to him, I believe he would have ruined my life. Since I can’t use his name in this writing and not run the risk of lawsuit, I’ll call him Ted. He was a chef, or so he said. He also said he was a pastor. There were many things he said that were absolutely not true. Here’s one of them.

Ted was living in Long Beach, California, at the time, and we were talking daily by phone. He called me often, and showered me with compliments about my intelligence and how great it was to talk to someone so smart. He was so charming that he disarmed me. I told Ted about some of the important items on my list of requirements in a husband, including intelligence. It was important for me to be able to hold intelligent conversations and not become bored with him. It was also important to me that he was able to think for himself without stealing his opinions from me.

One day, when we were talking, Ted brought up the subject of Bible college. He said that he put himself through school after his stint in the military. From there he began to describe a particular assignment he had in which he and a fellow student were to write a paper. He said the topic of the paper should be something in which they strongly believed and about which they could make a good case. Ted then read me an excerpt from his paper entitled Staking Your Claim.

I was impressed. The passages he read were well thought out and well written. I listened for grammar and usage just to see what kind of grasp he had of the English language. I had told him how much I love English and the written word. There were no errors.

“You wrote that?” I asked.

“Yes, I did. My classmate and I turned this in as our assignment.”

I told him that I was impressed that he could write so well and could almost hear his smile over the phone. He was happy that I thought he was so smart. We talked a little while longer about the paper and other subjects that seemed important at the time. During the conversation I kept thinking about what he had read to me because it was so well done. You have to understand. I critique other people’s writing all the time. I proofread many documents for a living. I had to switch from red ink to green because when I finished proofreading, many documents looked like they were bleeding. He had scored several points for being intelligent.

Two months after we were married, he was offered a job in Virginia, which he accepted. He moved; I stayed. Not long after he was gone, I discovered his Bible on the bookshelf in my office. I was curious as to whether he actually used it, so I picked it up to flip through the pages. There, within its pages, was the “paper” he told me he wrote in Bible college. I was shocked to find it because it was a torn out magazine article written by Dr. Dennis Leonard called Staking My Claim. Ted hadn’t written it at all. He lied.

By this time, however, I had discovered so many lies that it was actually funny. It was good for him, though, that he was not in my house at that very moment. There’s no telling what could have happened to him if he had been.

Ted was secretly becoming everything I wanted in a man. He listened carefully to what I said about the man who would be my husband and altered his behavior and conversation to appear to be that man. You see, I, like many other women, had a list. This was the list of every quality the man who would be my husband would have. If you’re reading this book, chances are you have a similar list. You want to be married, and you already know what kind of man you want. My question to you is, “What’s on your list?”

Having survived two disastrous marriages, been counseled and coached by several relationship experts, and now being married to the man of my dreams, I would like to offer suggestions for compiling a new list. We won’t dismiss the usual important characteristics relating to appearance, job, and education. I certainly would not suggest that any woman settle for the president of UA (Ugly Anonymous) just for personal security. Along with those external features, our new list will contain several important internal qualities that will help you easily eliminate Mr. Wrong from your list of candidates.

Can you imagine getting married to someone who seems to be the right guy? He’s handsome, intelligent, and has a six-figure income. You know you’re set for life. Then, one day he comes home and announces that he believes his destiny is to be a missionary in the jungles of Africa. What would you do? I believe the first item on our new list should be a compatible vision and mission.

Having a good job is very important. Even the Bible says that if you don’t work, you shouldn’t eat, but are you sure that job is what he’s planning on doing for the rest of his life? You should find out what his destiny and goals are before you commit to him. On our list, we are going to put something like, “Must have a passion for…” Whatever is his passion will determine the course of his life. It will also direct his daily activities and to what he applies his energy. If his passion does not correspond with yours, he could possibly be Mr. Wrong. This is not to suggest that he’s a bad man who won’t make someone happy. You have to decide whether you can live with what stokes his passion. Write the kinds of things on your list that you can relate to.

What would you do if he suddenly announced that he wanted to change his career and become a missionary in the jungles of Africa? That’s something the two of you should have discussed in advance. When you talk to him about his passion, you can discover his mission in life and determine whether it is something you can commit yourself to. It will be easy to spot Mr. Wrong when you consider his destiny in life, his vision for his future, and his personal goals.

Ted didn’t have a vision. He had never really considered his personal destiny in life. During the time we were dating long distance – a situation I don’t recommend for any reason – Ted listened intently to everything I said because he was formulating a plan to represent himself to me falsely. I have always been able to come up with good ideas. I love listening to other people tell me their ideas and then give them back expanded. I can see beyond the initial idea. Ted picked up on this and listened intently every time I talked about his career. Everything I said about the possibilities for him he turned around and began to talk about it like it was his idea. He knew it was important to me that a man should have a vision and mission, so he took everything I said and claimed it as his vision. How unoriginal is that?

As you discover what lights his fire, you should also carefully consider what his priorities are. Notice what occupies most of his attention and time. Listen carefully to the topics around which his conversations center. Without his speaking directly to you about it, you can discover what is important to him by intentional observation. He will talk your ear off about his family, his career, his lifestyle, money, and anything else that matters to him.

Let’s say he spends 60% of your conversations talking about his last baby’s momma. He talks about how much money he spends in child support. He spends a lot of time angry about the fact that she demands that he spend more time with his child. You roll your eyes every time he mentions the money he shells out in clothes for the child. It’s possible that his child’s mother is excessive in what she asks of him, but chances are his keeping his money for himself is more important to him than what his child needs. In fact, you may wonder what he spends his time doing that keeps him away from his own child.

Perhaps he wants to spend all his time with you. He showers you with gifts and affection. You are beginning to believe you are very important to him because of his undivided attention. If, however, he has a child that needs his attention, and he is not giving it, you should ask yourself about his priorities. You should also wonder about his level of responsibility and whether he will be able to live up to your expectations of a husband. Be careful to notice what he considers to be important. You may find that they don’t agree with what is important to you.

We will add to our new list something like, “His priorities must include…”

Only you can tell what is important to you. Along those same lines, only you can tell what pleases you. If you are clever, you can discover his likes and dislikes and see for yourself whether there may be contention between you. For example, I can’t stand to be cold. When I’m cold, I get the shakes, and my body stiffens up. My teeth even chatter. My first husband, however, couldn’t stand to be too warm. He would sleep at night with the window open – in the middle of winter! I woke up every morning unable to inhale through at least on of my nostrils.

The next item on our new list will be something like, “He has to like…” Laughing is a good ending to that phrase. You may want a lot of humor in your relationship. You should also consider the types of music you enjoy, foods you like to eat, places you like to go, activities in which you like to participate, and church you like to attend. Don’t forget to include the types of people you like to hang around. Strike out Mr. Wrong if his interests are not compatible with yours.

Compassion is very important. How he treats other people will be a clue to you of how he will treat you. It indicates another set of priorities for him. You will see what he values. If he does not value human life, eventually he will not value yours no matter what he says. Watch how he treats other people. Notice what happens to him when people around him need help. Listen to his conversations regarding people he considers less fortunate than he.

Ted and I were married in Vegas. I was happy because I thought I had found the man of my dreams. After a week out West, I had to return home and to work. He had some loose ends to tie up in Long Beach, so he stayed out there a couple more weeks. He arrived in Michigan on a Thursday in early February. Two days later, all hell broke loose, over something I thought was trivial.

We stopped to eat at a Chinese place after a puppet show I did out of town. I earned $75 for my part in the show, and I gave it to Ted in a show of good faith in him. When it was time to leave the restaurant, I asked Ted if he would leave a tip. He said he would not. I asked if he was sure, and he had the gall to glance upward as though he were seeking an answer from God. He nodded his head heavenward as though God had confirmed his decision regarding the tip, smiled at me, and reiterated his answer. I didn’t say anything further until we got home.

Once there, I waited until we were in the bedroom alone before I broached the subject again. I just wanted to know why a pastor who supposedly believed the same Bible I did – the one in which it clearly says that if you have it to give, you should do so willingly – would feign such kinship with God that He would tell him not to leave a tip. I think it bothered me more because I’m the one who earned the money he should have used for the tip.

At an elevated pitch, Ted proceeded to curse me up one side and down the other using some of the most colorful language I had ever heard. I suppose he felt it necessary to remind me who was the man of the house just two days after his arrival. He had to tell me that those waiters are running a scam and don’t need all the money they get in tips because they have enough already. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to see I had made a mistake. He wasn’t the compassionate person he led me to believe.

Not only did he not care one whit for the waiter, his only concern for me at that moment was that I might try to run things in our home. He showed me that his greatest priority was himself, and he didn’t care what he had to do or say to protect his interest. How a man treats people will give you a good indication of his priorities. If he is not compassionate, you probably want to reconsider his status as a prospect for you.

Another very important quality is integrity, which can be identified by what he does when no one is looking. This applies both to his personal discipline as well as his ability to do right. Examine his level of integrity because it will determine what kind of life you can expect to have with him. If he is crooked, you can expect a lifestyle of watching your back for every person who wants to stick a knife in it. Then you should be careful of everyone who gives you a hug. They could be feeling around for a soft spot.

I really do believe that had I remained married to Ted, he would have ruined my life. After we were married, and he revealed his true self, I discovered his complete and utter lack of integrity. You would be amazed at the schemes he thought up for making money. All right, here’s an example. When we were talking on the phone long distance, I used the cellular phone I got from work because I didn’t have long distance on my land line. Of course, that ran a hefty bill, so I had the phone turned off until I could pay the bill. I put the phone away and didn’t really think about it again.

One day after we were married and Ted was in Michigan, I noticed him talking on a cellular phone that looked just like the one I had. I asked if it was mine, and he confirmed that it was. That was amazing to me since there was no service on it. So, I asked him how he got the service turned back on. He laughed and suggested that I didn’t want to know. Don’t be naïve like I was! I smiled and dropped the subject. While he was in Virginia, he called me many times from that cellular phone. At some point I wondered about the bill and how it was getting paid, but I still didn’t do anything.

When he returned to Michigan, something prompted me to ask again how he got the phone turned back on. When I did, he chuckled again and told me I didn’t want to know. Since he didn’t want to tell me, I decided to go to the finance office at work just to check for myself. Not only was my name on the phone bill from the previous month with a new outstanding balance, the new balance was over $600. Then the bookkeeper handed me the bill from the current month. My name was on that one, too, but this one was over $2,000. I immediately called the cellular company to find out how the phone got turned back on.

Ted had gone to the cellular dealer claiming to be the administrator from my place of employment and had the phone turned back on the way it was before. Now that’s crooked! And he thought that was funny. I’m telling you, that man would have made life very difficult for me. It really is too bad I didn’t take the time to discover all this before we got married. But, if I had, I wouldn’t have written this book, and you could possibly make a similar mistake. I’m really glad I have the opportunity to share my blunders with you so you can have a very happy marriage.

Knowing what he’s good at and not good at definitely help you identify Mr. Wrong. You should complement one another; your strengths cover his weaknesses, and vice versa. If you pay attention to his strengths and weaknesses, you will easily see whether he will benefit your life or be a detriment. It should be evident to you if his weaknesses will drive you to drink or if his strengths will lead him in a career direction that is incompatible with your preferences.

If, for example, you are like I am, you may prefer a man who has strong leadership skills because you are a leader. He must be able to lead because, as a leader, you can’t follow a follower. It’s impossible to follow a parked car! He has to be moving in some direction in order for you to follow him. Look for these skills in your regular dealings with your prospects. If these skills are not evident, you will have a difficult time following his lead, or un-lead.

I’m sure that by now you can guess what I’m going to say about Ted. That’s right. He was not a leader. Instead, he kept insisting that he was the leader without actually leading anywhere. I don’t believe he ever actually had an original thought during the time we were together (except for the crooked stuff). He was too busy climbing up that stairway to rock bottom to take the time to lead us toward something productive or successful. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not bitter toward Ted. I just don’t want him or anyone else like him to be able to dupe any woman ever again. That’s why I wrote this book.

Believe me when I tout the joys of being married to the right person. After two complete blunders, I am finally married to Mr. Right! Oh, it was not easy. I was very untrusting of him initially. He is very mild mannered and even keeled, and I spent most of our time waiting for the real him to emerge just like Ted. Fortunately for me, he was persistent and patient. As we spent time together, I learned from him about his destiny. His priorities are very consistent with mine. We like many of the same things. He is a man of integrity and honor whose compassion for others outshines my own. One of the things I like most about him is that his strengths completely cover my weaknesses, and I truly complement his weaknesses. We were made for each other.