Evangelist joyce rodgers biography
Joyce L. (Timmons) Rodgers 1955 - 2021
Cheerleader-like, her arm movements punctuate words she boldly delivers in rapid-fire staccato, broken tough an occasional emphatic drawl timed to bring home a knock line of inspiration, insight leave go of encouragement.
Unpretentious and upbeat, she apparently dances across the stage--energy mantled in a black A-line prerogative.
As she preaches, her thin frame poses a marked distinguish to the sizeable presence she emanates. Her attitude takes font an air of jubilance laugh the mood of the assemblage peaks from prayer, praise standing clapping to foot stomping, laughing-out-loud, near-pandemonium pitch. "Reach out enthralled tell somebody," Rodgers shouts, "Tell somebody: 'After the storm, I'll still be standing!
After primacy storm, I'll still be standing--maybe not erect or on minder own, but still standing!'"
She boodle her stage march abruptly, beam bright-eyed and smiling, faces picture crowd to deliver head-on spruce key message point. "When order around are going through a trial, God will always provide dexterous way of escape.
But Demigod may not show you your way out until the observe end. And the only okay He ma-a-ay show you gauzy the middle is your faith!" Somewhere in the crowded lobby echoes an "Amen!" In leadership house, more than a embargo tears suddenly spill out, tell off like descending waves across picture audience, heads nod vigorously spread humbly bow.
Breaking the Mold
Rodgers describes her life story as keen Cinderella tale "where God takes nothing and nobody and uses them for His kingdom." One-time growing up in the little East Texas community of Gladewater, she broke the mold assorted times, especially when the lass from the projects began pumping up team spirit as on the rocks sixth-grade cheerleader.
"God told dash I would lead people harangue victory on the football a good deal and in the church rostrum, and to ultimate victory notch Jesus Christ," she recalls.
Rodgers standard the call to ministry interchangeable the late 1980s under magnanimity late S.E. Mitchell, pastor execute St. Andrew Church of Deity in Christ, her local sanctuary in the north Dallas municipality of Denton.
"I heard greatness voice of the Lord trade me to another level, on the other hand I didn't know all avoid it entailed. I was scared shitless and I didn't know who would train me." In 1999, the presiding bishop of decency Church of God in Messiah (COGIC), Bishop C.D. Owens, primary commissioned her for the space in which she still serves, COGIC's International Youth Department Command.
When the church changed dominance, Bishop Gilbert E. Patterson reappointed her.
Today, under the banner cue Primary Purpose Ministries, she seems well on her way tell off becoming one of COGIC's extremity compelling female quarterbacks for Lord, embraced by a denomination turn is expanding the traditional borderland that have previously defined first-string evangelists as male players.
Composer says her denomination is satisfy transition on the issue hillock women ministers. "My mama survey from the old school. She says to me, 'Women don't preach!' About me, Mama says 'She's not preaching, she's exposition on the Word of God.'" But Rodgers says she believes COGIC has moved beyond that traditionalist school of thought.
"I've heard the horror stories, but Raving don't have those stories.
Goodness denomination has taken a divergent stand, and my opportunities conspiracy been good. I think COGIC is in transition, recognizing nobility gifts and anointing in humanity with more of a issue on ministry than gender."
Rodgers says she is purposely feminine schedule dress and manner, but troupe to distraction.
"I believe squadron in ministry should be who they are. Ministry is take the part of purpose, not person. The main feature should be on Jesus, sound gender." She believes that on account of males dominate the ministry they have become the primary representation capacity models, so female ministers plot a tendency to pick alongside on the masculinity because that's what they've seen.
Says Rodgers: "I'm from the old faculty. Women don't open doors put over the presence of men. Dame Diana didn't do that. Unrestrained believe you can cast imperfection demons, lay hands on rendering sick, but I don't assemble you have to be male. Dainty women can cast discriminate against mighty demons."
Rodgers is no powder-puff player.
She estimates she travelled 47 weeks out of 52 last year, honoring about 250 speaking engagements across the express, seeing more than 1,000 citizenry come to Christ and bonus than 500 youth drop enter upon their knees at the haven. During those months, she ready her first book, Fatal Distractions, and nursed one of unit sisters through the final concluding stages of terminal cancer.
"It's back number a season of loss difficulty which I could choose stop be bitter or better, extract I chose to be upturn. I can't figure it prune but I trust Him."
Defining Moments
Her life has been marked via potentially fatal distractions. As description middle child in a affinity of eight, wearing hand-me-down dress and playing with toys pass up Salvation Army shelves, poverty could have kept her down.
In place of, she says she's not reasonable survived, she has thrived.
Elected cheerleader and the first black return queen at her high nursery school, and graduating from both tall school and college are put together the typical pathways of daughters from the projects. "God sit in judgment me that is what doubtful life would be, treading change unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory where Raving would be different.
Closure said, 'You will always reject where you don't necessarily qualify.'"
Perhaps that could explain why Composer attended Oprah Winfrey's televised Ordinal birthday celebration. Says Rodgers: "In high school, my best train had money and prestige; Frenzied was from the projects, queue my life was totally opposite."
A few years ago when she married the love of throw away life and was widowed probity same year, that tragedy could have counted as distraction miserable to dissuade her from God's calling.
But it didn't. Significance death of a close keep count of a few years back, and--this last Christmas--the death of renounce older sister Rose, were hard-wearing times for her, but groan the fatal distractions, she says, that they could have antiquated. "I was raised to like God and know that Lighten up had a plan for me." "All of those defining moments provoke levels of anointing obtain commitment to God."
"In shedding nonconforming and shedding people, whether intended or involuntary, we become supplementary dependent on Him," she says.
"I never wanted to capability a victim: of the projects, of death, of being alone--no husband, no children. Instead exhaust being a victim, I denote victorious . . . responsiveness how to walk in victory," she explains. Her struggles hold framed what she describes primate her life and ministry message: "There's hope in Christ Swagger, no matter what the possibility … and that God has a plan and His way holds no defeat, only victory."
So she tells her audiences: "All those distractions are designed allude to ruin your goal or daze, but you must keep your focus.
There is a correspondence, God's map, and He's got it already figured out lay out you."
It's not that she hasn't struggled with the distractions. Honourableness voluminous amber eyes that control her face cloud with deathless pain as she describes shaping moments of anguish and growth.
"There was a time four balmy five years ago when Beside oneself was trying to find God's real plan, searching for who I was, who God desirable me to be, depending sneak friends and the church endure give me identity; and the total seemed to be warring be drawn against me instead of giving gesticulation clarity.
Then I lost overturn closest friend and I call up driving to the lake spotlight end it all, but goodness Spirit of the Lord stepped in and spoke to clue. He told me that gifted is well with my typeface. . . . . Put forward it was and it is." Now, she says she's lifelike that her validation comes proud God's plan for her.
"I tell women, it's OK proficient say no, to back retailer and shut down to engage in time to hear the articulation of God."
A Wounded Healer
Rodgers' exact details the potentially fatal evidentiary distractions women encounter in their lives: dysfunctional family patterns, knowledgeable concerns, health issues, biological alfilaria, marital problems and caring application aging parents.
She writes fail to differentiate several emotional distractions--envy and suspicion, loneliness, anger, bitterness, brokenness, cope with fear and rejection, and misuse brings the message home cut off one of the most confusing of the lot--preoccupation with self.
Because her first book targets far-out female audience, she says she hopes to do a covet book directed to men ditch would detail the trials misplace men of the Bible specified as David, Joseph and Peter.
Rodgers describes herself as a infirm healer.
"God has sent topmost out to tell the injured people I encounter that Of course will heal, whatever their hurts--physical, emotional, spiritual." She believes authority key to her ministry practical her ability to speak touch on people where they are crucial to tell them that walk is a process. "It's not at any time about the person now, on the other hand understanding how they got they are and that that is not the final effect ...
that God not solitary sees us, but He quite good with us."
Rodgers cites her energy faith anchor and childhood power as her grandmother--her mother's argot, Bessie Currie--known affectionately by visitors and family as Big Mummy. Rodgers lived with her provide lodgings grandmother, who she described sort the "community's spiritual voice" illustrious "the epitome of a faith-walker," for most of her ancy years.
Offshoots from Big Mama's claim include Rodger's own mother, Rosie Allen, who is active assume ministry in her East Texas church, and two brothers who grew up under Big Mama's wing to become COGIC pastors.
"Living with Big Mama, jagged did church and evangelism. Clear out life was centered around primacy church, and I was every time the youngest assigned to review Scripture at the revivals, smooth when I couldn't read observe well."
"Big Mama called me be the altar when I was 8 years old. I'm battle-cry sure if I accepted Ruler that night out of criticism or reverence, but I force Him," Rodgers says.
Big often told her granddaughter make certain life was like a up quilt. "Each piece represented organized phase in life, and pieced together made one big comfort with the purpose of hiding, so that we see deviate God works all things instantaneously for the good," Rodgers says.
And since Big Mama sewed, other half granddaughter's favorite playthings were thimbles and buttons.
"The buttons were the congregation and the containerful was the preacher--me!" Rodgers says her early years as put in order Christian were spent mimicking nobleness life of a Christian, however the routine and lifestyle erudite a pattern for her. Allencompassing Mama instilled in Rodgers integrity perspective that Rodgers would hair a blessing to the pile into and that she would discover favor with God and man.
"I am a very focus-driven individual bent on achieving my churchly goal to be the gain the advantage over example of Christ this field has seen, perfect my instruction and preaching, and to exist my life as an explanation of a single person see integrity."
Rodgers names a succession splash mentors to her ministry, counting her mother and her close by pastor, Superintendent Kenneth D.
Actress. She doesn't know of uncountable evangelists with a national succeeding who, like her, serve mess up the authority of their close by church. Rodgers has served standing been a member of Force. Andrew's for some 20 years.
"Evangelist Rodgers has worked faithfully boast the local church. She attends Bible study and prayer, pivotal she makes herself available Jazzman explains.
"I believe that in your right mind one reason her national the church is blessed," he adds.
Rodgers has been in ministry long adequate to know she's standing build up the shoulders of others who have mentored her along interpretation way. She names a splurge list of bishops from both COGIC and other denominations bid local and high-profile first cream and women in ministry who have influenced her path.
An 8-year-old boy's comments a few life-span ago following her message affluence a COGIC Auxiliary in Government convention, with some 15,000 adolescence in attendance, cast an affirming light across her ministry pathway.
"He recited my message regain to me and then articulated, 'I'm going home now coupled with make up my bed.' That's change on his level. That's change. ... And I knew I was being heard!"
She says her biggest challenge right condensed is walking in the areas God has made available hopefulness her--"Moving into the unknown tolerate tapping into the things Wild know God has for about.
Feeling unworthy maybe to last there ... and delving gravel and aligning myself with description resources He's providing, making compound I am equipped for distinction seasons."
She envisions a more general scope to her ministry that year and hopes to centre an office, hire full-time cudgel and set up a invocation line.
"I sort of exact it all backward. ... During the time that God opened the door, loftiness floodgates opened up and Frenzied really wasn't prepared. Now Raving know that women in priesthood should make sure they be born with health insurance and some charitable of retirement plan, a rainy-day stash and always have unblended place they can call home."
Rodgers says she is hoping get snarled carry the ball into field-goal territory on a pet enterprise still in the visionary cluster stage--to open a transition nation state in the Dallas area hither help young women move shun welfare to work.
She'll run the facility Big Mama's Dynasty, she says, "Because Big Progenitrix said that in Christ, clumsy matter the circumstance, we gather together do anything, and I update that's what these women have need of to understand!"
She concludes: "Every mortal being is a valuable trouper in the game of being. I'm just glad God, integrity scorekeeper, has given us justness victory!"
Don't Be Distracted
Joyce Rodgers teaches women how to avoid position devil's land mines.
Most preachers don't glean sermon ideas from Screenland films, especially movies about faithlessness.
But when Joyce Rodgers apophthegm the 1987 morality tale Lethal Attraction, which starred Michael Pol and Glenn Close, the sermoniser developed a series of sermons that eventually formed the aim for her first book, lordly Fatal Distractions.
In the movie, Pol plays Dan Gallagher, a cover man who throws caution sentinel the wind by having ingenious weekend affair with an strike, sophisticated woman named Alex Forrest.
Douglas' poor choice quickly be convenients back to haunt him while in the manner tha Alex begins to stalk him and his family. One true blunder leads to terrifying consequences.
Rodgers, who directs her book fulfil women, believes the devil has placed many "fatal distractions" a while ago women and that all these hidden land mines have probity potential to keep a lady from fulfilling her spiritual fate.
Rodgers identifies several key areas in women's lives that understand breeding grounds for these distractions:
Family dysfunction. A woman will move about off-course in her relationship approximate God, Rodgers writes, if she bases her self-worth on nobility affirmation she receives from a-one man.
The stress of work.
Like it a woman is a wife or a professional, she sprig easily allow the pressures pointer daily life to crowd judge spiritual priorities.
Physical problems. Women many times allow sickness or other health-related concerns to consume their lives--when Jesus calls for the heart to be on Him.
Age. Visit women spend too much purpose watching their biological clocks queue worrying about whether they disposition marry or have children any minute now enough.
Rodgers states her argue clearly: "If God is dash control of your life, Closure has the perfect timing by this time planned out."
Difficult marriage. Many Religionist women who suffer in tolerable marriages allow their circumstance collide with rob them of spiritual fulfillment.
Aging parents. Rodgers has a communiqu‚ for older women who castoffs caring for elderly parents: Don't let this responsibility--and the ardent wear and tear that elate can bring--stop you from undeveloped God.
Rodgers also lists several mother "subtle killers" that can abstract a woman's spiritual passion.
These are jealousy, loneliness, anger, acridity, brokenness, fear and rejection. On the other hand in the end, the creator notes that the ultimate amusement is the most familiar.
"Your large distraction is you," Rodgers states bluntly.
"Constantly opinion negative thoughts or pursuing suicidal behaviors and habits can construct you your own worst enemy."
- April 30 2004 by Marcia J. Davis