Grace Point! January 2015

January 2015 Volume 1 ~Issue 1
Announcing
the launch of:

Table of Contents
3~Notes from Rebecca
4~About Us
5~Restoration & Renewal
6~Christ on Campus by Taylor Smith
7~Spotlight on: Billy Smith, Artist
8~Young Christian Mom by Rachel Dills
9~Memoirs of a Foster Mom by Keitha Parton
10-13 Handmade in Israel
14~Poetry of Peace & Praise
15~God’s Toolbox
16~Hands of Mercy-Uganda by Michael Nakhokho Odili
17~Of Words & Wisdom
18~Scripture with Impact
19~My Story...My Walk
20~PPM eStore
21~Links & Credits
2
Back Cover~StillWorks Imagery

Hello to all readers!
First, I want to thank you for clicking on the link that brought you to this magazine.
We will be sharing various articles with you from guest contributors that will vary
from month to month, regular features from guest writers, as well as regular features
by us as the publishers.
Notes
from
Rebecca
We have designed this magazine to be different than typical online magazines. First of all, as you can see,
it flips like a real magazine. It’s not a website with a lot of links that a person must subscribe to to read
the whole thing. Also, it is set up on a simple premise: short, straightforward articles that have a message.
We have no well-known Christian celebrity interviews. Instead, we have articles by ‘common, everyday
folk’ who have a story to tell, all for the glory of God. As of this printing, there are already more articles
coming together for the February issue. Each issue will come out on the 8th of each month, so look out for
it!
All pages will have links to the websites they represent; however, on some social networks, these links will
not be active. This is something beyond my control. So, inside the back cover, I have added a page entitled
“Links & Credits” that has a complete list of all links in the magazine that can be copied and pasted into
your browser.
The purpose of this magazine is for help, hope and encouragement toward our fellow man. It is about
promoting Godly endeavors and Godly results. It is not about judgment, or whether our beliefs are the same
or not. The adversary is about division and subtraction; God is about multiplication and addition. We are
our brother’s keeper!
Operating in the promise that God made to Abram in Genesis, in this issue there are four pages dedicated to
artisans in Israel who make beautifully handmade items that are available for purchase.
And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless, And make your name great; And so you shall be a
blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the
families of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 12:2-3
Our prayer is that there will be a blessing for each reader among these pages. God bless each and every one!
Shalom.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Matthews
Co-founder, administrator, and ordained minister at Philippi Prospect Ministries
Editor in chief of Grace Point! eMagazine
Photographer and curator at StillWorks Imagery
3

Philippi Prospect Ministries was started by husband and wife ministry team, James and Rebecca
Matthews, in December of 2012. At that time, we had had an online ministry through Facebook and
Google since January of 2010, called Boaz Ministries~The Kinsmen Redeemer. This ministry has
grown to incorporate issues of general ministry, the homeless, international ministry connections,
and men’s restoration ministries. In July of that year, God impressed upon me to start Ruth
Ministries~The Virtuous Woman. It consists of various women’s restoration ministries. Then, in
September of 2011, the Lord had us begin a ministry geared toward the youth, called Timothy
Ministries~The True Son.
In July 2012, I began writing a blog, and it soon grew into six separate blogs within a few months.
The blogs seemed to blossom immediately and, here we are two and a half years later, our online
presence is now approximately 10,000 followers in 128 countries, and growing continually. We also
have several ongoing projects; some are posted weekly, and others posted as God leads. So, the
purpose of this e-magazine is to put all of our ministry components together under one ‘roof’, as
well as give others an opportunity to share their calling with the world.
We have now been ‘on the road’ for over four years. We gave up our house, and almost all our
earthly belongings, in August in 2010. Since then, we have physically ministered in 5 states-North
Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. During this time, we have actively
ministered in 36 churches, and countless homes and families. We go wherever God sends us.
We have many stories, praises, testimonies, life-lessons, and unique happenings to write about each
month. We look forward to sharing them with you.
Sincerely,
Revs. James & Rebecca Matthews
4

A Journey to
It’s not about forgetting the past.
It’s about choosing to let go of the
pain associated with it, then
moving forward in faith, and using
our experiences to help others. It’s
about overcoming the enemy, and
not letting our past be used
against us. If that is you, then you
are on his hit-list.The devil IS a
liar, and is out to kill, steal, and
destroy anything that promotes
the Kingdom of God. The key is to
keep pressing forward, one step at
a time.
Several months ago, I embarked on a journey of renewal: of my mind, heart, and
character. But, I didn’t choose to do this on my own. No; God was at the helm of this ship,
and made it plain to me that I had to lay down some parts of me that had become an
integral part of me. It has been a struggle. Some things He asked me to put away go all
the way back to childhood; things that I had used to view of other people. But, God
revealed to me that it was pure poison, and was hindering my Christian walk.
To help me along this path, I
have collected pictures that
represent different aspects of our
Christian walk, because we are
all at different places on the
path, yet have the same goal.
To successfully reach the end.
So, here is my attempt to help
someone else, while revealing
what the Lord has told me to let
go of, along with the benefits of
being obedient.
a publication of Ruth Ministries-The Virtuous Woman TM a women's restoration ministry/a section of Philippi Prospect Ministries TM 5

hrist on ampus Overcoming the Fear of Evangelizing by Taylor Smith
Evangelism is just a fancy word for sharing your faith through personal experience. Let me be
the first to tell you that it terrifies me. Not only does it terrify me but I am constantly thinking
of the thousand and one reasons why I am not equipped enough to do it. “I’m not smart
enough”, “I’m not a good enough Christian.”, “What if I sound like a blubbering goofball?”
Guess what? That’s just what Satan wants you to believe!
I’m here to tell you, as a living example, that you can be an evangelist just like the disciples.
You can share your faith without being a ‘Bible thumper’ or a ‘crazy radical Christian’. In the
Bible, God used those that came from normal, ordinary lives. His disciples weren’t kings, they
didn’t have excellent public speaking skills, they didn’t have a role in the church, they were just
normal run-of-the-mill men of that time. Even Moses was an ordinary man who lacked the
ability to speak with grace and poise, look at the wondrous things he did all in the name of God.
“Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have
never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have
spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue." Ex. 4:10
God also used Paul, who had previously killed Christians, as one
of His biggest evangelizers. No, I’m not kidding! He killed and
persecuted Christians because he thought they were working
against God, and believed he was working for God. If God can
transform him into one of the greatest evangelists of his time,
then God can transform anybody.
The best advice that I can give you to learn to be an evangelist
is to just do it. It doesn’t take a special moment or a deeply
spiritual conversation, all it takes is you looking for an
opportunity. Always be on the lookout and aware of when you
can tell someone about Jesus. Be intentional. At first, you
don’t even have to start with Jesus’ story, but start with a
Pray for it, look for opportunities, and take those opportunities when they
arise. Remember, you could be the only light of Jesus that they ever see.
Don’t let that person go another day without knowing the power of the One
who died for them.
This is my prayer for you.
...I am constantly
thinking...
“I’m not smart
enough”,
“I’m not a good enough
Christian.”,
“What if I sound like a
blubbering goofball?”
Guess what?
That’s just what Satan
wants you to think!
story of your own. Be transparent and authentic to those you are trying to minister to, relate
to them, and tell them the ways that you’ve seen God work in your life. It doesn’t take a special
knowledge of the Hebrew translation of the Bible or an in depth description of the Old
Testament, all you need to do is use your own life and the Truth of God as a template. You will
never be able to change someone on your own, only God can transform someone’s heart, but all
you need to do is simply allow Him to use you.
Only an hour ago, I shared my faith for the first time in a setting where no other believers were
around. I had an evangelistic tool, but it was really up to me to provoke the conversation. We
talked for upwards to 45 minutes about things that I couldn’t have ever dreamed that she
would open up with me about. She vocalized her desire to know the Lord better and her
struggles with her faith up until this point. We are getting lunch next week to talk about it
more. Was it easy for me? No. I was shaking the whole time, but I can’t describe to you the
amount of joy that I felt as I called my Christian friend to tell her about the news, and
coincidentally, she had already been praying for this very same person!
6
read more about Taylor at Live By Faith

I am an Artist that has been referred to as "God-taught". A title I
carry with much conviction. Without any formal training from a
prestigious art school, I have managed over the last 7 years to
develop myself as a well sought-after artist. It all began in my early
years with just doodles and copying things that I seen around in
nature. Over time I began to really develop my love for listening
and playing music which also began Influencing my art. Art for
me is a way of life; it's a way that I can interact with the soul deep
inside people. I have created an art style that I like to call "Reality-
Fantasy." Sometimes I try to capture the true essence of a person’s
outer image, other times I let their spirit speak from within and
attempt to bring the message I receive to life.
The woods
are my institution
and God
is my professor.
The only technical training that I have had is an advanced placement class at Brevard High School under Sean
Parrish in 1994-98. He really pushed me to pursue Art as a career; he saw something in my art that I was too blind
to see at that time in my life. His class was nothing short of college level, as he was advancing us with the
knowledge and skills that we would need to go to the next level.
Even though I did not pursue art directly after high school, his teaching and methods never left my side. Art
became my escape from reality for a while. When I didn't like or accept the way the world was going around me I
would pull out some paper and create a world that I could agree with. Practice became the key, in my moments of
escape I began to develop the photographic side of my mind. Images that I would see in my minds eye I would
project them out on paper and breathe life into them. All I ever heard from others was "You need to go to Art
school; you need to go to Art school!" The woods are my institution and God is my professor. I personally do not
believe that the amount of credentials make the artist. It’s a person’s heart dedication and work ethic that will allow
each one to achieve greatness.
God has given me a gift and I feel that it is my obligation to use it to better the world around me. I have now come
to this conclusion: that only God can get the credit for all my work, because according to this world I do not have
the proper amount of schooling to do what I do. After being told time and time again that I would never make it as
an artist, I have been driven to be the best that God has created me to be. An amazing Topiary Artist Pearl Fryar
told me, "Never let anyone tell you what you are supposed to do and what you are supposed to be!" Words of
wisdom that I will pass on to all I encounter. I am now known for my skill at portrait art, illustration, airbrushing,
rock painting, murals, and tattoo design. I have been commissioned by many music venues and businesses for
logos, paintings etc...
I paint to release messages from my spirit that my soul may speak long after I'm gone. I want all who view my art
to know and understand the existence of God through love, passion, and perseverance that I pour into my work.
find Billy’s art work on new-art-domain
Artist
7

Young Christian Mom by Rachel Dills
Dec. 29, 2008
See that little guy in the picture? His name is Aiden, and he is my
life. It was really hard at first. And, I'm not going to lie, there are
still some days I want to pull my hair out. But, I wouldn't change a
thing.
If someone had asked me ten years ago where I thought I would be
today, I definitely would have said something other than becoming a
teenage mom.
I was not prepared at all for what God had in store for me. I had
graduated high school at seventeen and the world was my oyster. But,
not long after my 18th birthday I met him.
He was a daredevil and he liked to break rules
and for some reason that intrigued me. We
started dating and two months later I was
pregnant. I panicked. How could I have been so
stupid? I barely knew this guy! What was I going
to do? To me, abortion was out of the question. I
had a child growing inside of me, so I needed to
accept the responsibility of my actions.
Having a child obviously changes a person’s life.
Little did I know the impact that my son would
have on me, and why God sent him to me when
He did.
8

y Keitha Parton
So, after all these,
and many other
wondrous blessings,
why do I still
question, have
doubts, and shaky
faith?
learn more about Keitha at Tuckasegee Country Living and Keitha Parton-Official Mary Kay Consultant
9

See more from
this artist at
Ronit Shwartz
Original art by Ronit
Shwartz, Israel.
Watercolor, Oil and
Acrylic Paintings on
paper and canvas.
Abstracts, Geometric
paintings, Mandalas,
Nature, Kitchen & Home
decor.
Even Yahuda, Israel
10
all photos used by the expressed written consent of the artist

See more from this
artist at Galleros
My work has a Mediterranean flair. I create
quality, multi-functional colorful painting and
Stained glass products made using lead free
solder. My art works are for Home, garden
and personal gifts.
My items, eclectic but modern, are made with
the beauty that can be achieved with texture,
colors and materials. Liman, Israel
all photos used by the expressed written consent of the artist
11

See more from this artist at
CaspiSilverShop
Amnon Caspi uses the process of
Silver Electroforming* with
stunning success to produce a
vast collection.
Israeli born artist Amnon Caspi was
stricken with polio in childhood he dealt
with his disability in his everyday life by
painting and drawing the world through his
window and used his art to communicate
with the world.
Amnon's love of nature can be seen in his
art where he integrates flowers and
animals into the detailed sculpture-like
artwork in which the figures project from
the supporting background creating
beautiful relief objects.
Transforming disability into ability Amnon,
now a married man with grown children,
established himself and his studio as a
leading Judaica artist.
12
all photos used by the expressed written consent of the artist

See more from this artist
at StudioArmadillo
Studio Armadillo are Hadas Kruk and Anat Stein, both
product designers. Our art works and design pieces,
exhibited in museums and galleries such as the Jewish
museums of New York, and San Francisco.
We create a modern contemporary look for Jewish
iconic objects, yet we keep their original function and
connection to rules of tradition.
Tel Aviv, Israel
all photos used by the expressed written consent of the artist
13

Rescue Me Lord
Rescue me Lord
Comfort my soul
Pull me away from the lies
They are aging my body and making me old.
Rescue me Lord
Comfort my heart
Pull me in away from sin
And I will never part.
Rescue me Lord
For I have strayed
I pray to You at night
May I rest where I lay.
Rescue me Lord
Help me to one day see Your face.
Rescue me Lord.
Save me by Your amazing grace.
by Jaime Dills
14

God gives each of us a box of tools to use in our daily lives. Are we using these tools as they were intended?
Or, are they located in the bottom of our box, still unused?
Prayer gets God’s attention
when we have gone astray.
If...My people
who are called by My name
humble themselves and pray
and seek My face and turn
from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin and will heal
their land. Now My eyes will be open
and My ears attentive
to the prayer offered in this place.
2 Chronicles 7:14-15
Prayer sanctifies
what has been rejected.
For everything
created by God is good,
and nothing is to be rejected
if it is received with gratitude;
for it is sanctified
by means of the word of God
and prayer.
1 Titus 4:4-5
Prayer moves God.
...the LORD was moved
by prayer for the land,
and the plague was
held back from Israel.
2 Samuel 24:25
Prayer heals our mortal bodies.
Thus says the LORD, the God of
your father David,
I have heard your prayer,
I have seen your tears; behold,
I will add fifteen years to your life...
2 Kings 20:5
Prayer casts out demons, moves mountains, and
makes all things possible.
Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him,
and the boy was cured at once...if you have faith the
size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,
‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and
nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does
not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 17:18,20-21
15

I was born in 1972 in Eastern Uganda at
the border of Uganda and Kenya among the
poor communities of the slopes of
Mountain Elgon, where many people have
been killed due to landslides. I grew up with
the ambition of becoming a doctor. Doctors
in our communities were considered men
of consequence. I missed going to a good
school of my choice after qualifying
because of lack of finances and the
ignorant communities discouraged my Dad
from paying high fees in such a school.
Michael Nakhokho Odili
The orphanage school is called
BRIGHT ALLIANACE ACADEMY
(NURSERY AND PRIMARY
SCHOOL) This school began in 2002.
There was need for this school
because of the many orphaned kids as
a result of the AIDS/HIV, civil wars in
Northern Uganda by rebel Joseph
Kony, poverty, and accident victims.
We began with 15 kids and now we
have 150 children at the orphanage
school.
At High School level, I joined a small school with limited
facilities. I never qualified for the University. I was
really discouraged, lost hope and hated life. I ran away
from school for casual (odd jobs) job in Nairobi (Kenya).
Life was hard, so I came back home as the prodigal son
in the Bible, and the Father welcomed me. My former
secondary school teacher advised me to join a Teachers
College. I did not know God was preparing me for a
great Children’s ministry. After qualifying with better
distinctions, I joined a juvenile delinquency school in
Rakai District where the AIDS/HIV has hit families. I
found that elder kids were heading families in which all
the parents had died of AIDS/HIV!
When I moved into the villages, life was hard for the
kids. Some Guardians used the kids as labor force. God
has used my profession to help these kids who were
hopeless to have hope. God talked to me about this.
However, I worked there for a year and left, but God
kept on visiting me. In 2002, I met brethren Robert
Bikala and Francis Makokha and I shared my vision with
them. We began a small church on a rented premises,
then got more rooms for rent and began
accommodating the needy kids. We have worked
together so well. We have rented more rooms which are
used as classrooms. The first kids we recruited in 2002
joined University in 2010. This is my great joy.
16
all photos used by the expressed written consent of Michael Nakhokho Odili
Hands of Mercy-Uganda
Hands of Mercy is an NGO (non-government
organization) founded in 2002 for the purpose of
promoting the gospel of Jesus Christ to the communities
in and around the Mukono district.
Mukono district is located 22 kilometers from Uganda's
capital, Kampala City, along the Kampala Jinja highway.
The ministry of Hands of Mercy is implemented in rural
areas where most of the people are poor. In these areas
are few, if any, missionary or evangelistic works being
done. Also, because Mukono district is only 22 kilometers
from the city center, it has high prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

Anyone
can count the seeds in an apple,
but only God can count
the number of apples in a seed.
-Robert H. Schuller
"Robert H. Schuller." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2015. 4 January 2015. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/roberthsc121372.html
17

There are a few phrases in Scripture that makes an impact on our hearts and
minds. If these words were spoken to us, what would our reaction be? How would
they change our idea of how God sees us?
But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has
I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
Numbers 14:24
Are we following God fully?
18

20
check out more of my ministry related art at our PPM eStore

21
Links
Page 4: http://www.philippiprospectministries.org/
Page: 6 http://taylormoriah.com/
Page: 7 http://lucky7btk.wix.com/new-art-domain
Page: 9 http://partsk5.blogspot.com/
http://www.marykay.com/Kparton
Page: 10 https://www.etsy.com/shop/ronitshwartz
Page: 11 https://www.etsy.com/shop/Galleros
Page: 12 https://www.etsy.com/shop/CaspiSilverShop
Page: 13 https://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioArmadillo
Page: 14 https://sites.google.com/site/handsofmercyugandaea/
Page: 19 http://ruththevirtuouswoman.blogspot.com/2012/08/my-prayin-grandma-i-was-reading-book.html
Page: 20 http://www.philippiprospectministries.org/grace-point-e-stores
Back cover: http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-rebecca-matthews.html
Credits
Background photos on pages: 2,3,6,9,14,15,17, courtesy of StillWorks Imagery.
Photos on pages: cover,5,19,20,back cover, courtesy of StillWorks Imagery.
Photos on page 8 courtesy of Rachel Dills.
Photos on pages 10-13 courtesy of the respective artists.
Photos on page 16 courtesy of Michael Nakhokho Odili.
Photos of contributors courtesy of themselves.
Quote on page 17 courtesy of Robert H. Schuller Quotes - BrainyQuote

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