Hunter Shift Happens

Finding Value in Adversity
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 979-8-31783366-4
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 142 Seiten

Reihe: Shift Happens

This inspiring guidebook will show you how to find value in the crucible of these adversive times. Discover 30 simple, yet powerful and effective, ways you can change your life from the inside out in only 30 days!

Dr. Millicent Hunter is an award-winning author of 12 books. Her first book, 'Don't Die in the Winter,' has been made into an 8-week television mini-series. In addition to her writing, Dr. Hunter is the Presiding Bishop of the Worship Center Worldwide Fellowship of Churches, with an Episcopal Jurisdiction that includes churches in the United States and South Africa. She has founded multiple institutions including the Excell Christian School, the South Africa Worship Center Bible Institute, and The Baptist Worship Center Church in Philadelphia-of which she still ministers as Senior Pastor. Bishop Hunter currently serves on the Executive Board of the Joint College of African American Bishops. She is also a member of the Baptist Pastors and Ministers Conference. She has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Italy, China, India, Europe, Thailand, the Middle East, Japan, and the Caribbean, inspiring congregations with a message of hope. Dr. Hunter has an extensive educational background including a doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary where she served as a faculty mentor and adjunct professor. Her numerous accolades include the Dr. Gardner C Taylor, Exceptional Preacher Award and induction into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers. She has been featured in Gospel Today Magazine and Historymakers as one of America's Top 10 Global Pacesetting Pastors and a Leading Pastor for World Evangelism. Bishop Hunter was cited in a pictorial study of African American Religious Life in the 21st Century at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Outside of worship, Dr. Hunter is the CEO of the Excell Community Development Corporation and the President of Hunter House Publishing. She is regularly active in community and civic affairs having served as a city commissioner and a member of the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Baptist Association. She has also had the privilege of serving as a spiritual advisor to members of Parliament-including a presidential candidate. Dr. Hunter's podcast and television broadcast are viewed around the world. She is a much sought after preacher, scholar, and teacher having ministered in hundreds of churches, international faith community conferences, convocations, and the Hampton Minister's Conference. She is married to Dr. I. Marino Hunter, and they are the proud parents of two adult children and grandparents of two.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hunter, Millicent

Leseproben

    Chapter 1     Shift Happens

Difficult things are put in our way, not to stop us,

but to ignite our courage and strength.

Dr. Ron Hall

I was minding my own business that day, following my routine and watching television way past any reasonable hour, when it happened! My life was interrupted when there was a rumbling and shaking that was so alarming that I heard glass shattering and dishes crashing in my kitchen. Everything in our comfortable, well-organized, suburban home was shifting. The antique clock that had been in my family for at least one hundred years tipped over and fell to the floor with such force that it shattered into hundreds of pieces. My children jumped out of their bunk beds, sprang to their feet, and ran down the hallway to our bedroom. My husband, the problem solver and fixer in our family, ran down the stairs and looked out of a window. I ran behind him with our two children in tow. We could see that things were shifting on the outside as well. The beautiful maple tree in our neighbor’s yard had toppled over. Then small cracks began to appear in the asphalt of our smooth suburban street. My husband flung the front door open with such force that it damaged the wall in our foyer. I froze. What was happening?

A Seismic Shift Took Place In Me

I live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the east coast of the United States, an area known for its stability, so the last thing on my mind was an earthquake. There are 500,000 earthquakes globally; 10,000 of them are in the California area, so the thought of an earthquake happening in my state, let alone my city, never crossed my mind. My area is not prone to such seismic events. Sometimes, we have fierce storms, torrential rains, damaging winds, and scorching hot weather, but those are regular occurrences, and most people are well-prepared for those kinds of weather events. But most importantly, they’re always temporary. But an earthquake! I stood motionless, trying to gather my thoughts as I wondered what was happening; then my phone began to ring. Everyone who called asked the same questions – what’s happening? Did you feel that? What should we do? Can you help us?

The few neighbors that live in our sprawling suburban community quickly began congregating in the street. Everyone had a hypothesis about what was happening. Everyone had a proposed explanation based on limited evidence. We knew that something was happening that we had never experienced before. It wasn’t raining, there was no thunder, there was no evidence of an explosion that we could see. The only reasonable explanation was – that everything was shifting because this was an earthquake. But that was a wild assumption, I thought, because earthquakes don’t happen in my city.

I don’t know much about earthquakes. Like most people, I only know what happens when an earthquake hits from what I’ve read in books and seen on television. I know that nothing will ever be the same in that area. When an earthquake hits, a seismic shift takes place that makes the ground shake. Energy is released and the violent ground motion and aftershocks affect buildings and cause shaking, and swaying, and sometimes even total collapse. There are also effects on objects inside buildings – objects falling, shaking, breakage, damage, and ruined goods. The seismic shift that took place in my area that night seemed to be of epic proportion. No one welcomes an earthquake. Everything, material and physical, was affected in some way. Everything was different after that event; nothing was ever the same. The earth shifted that night, but more importantly, something shifted in me.

Every setback is a setup for you.

Every Setback Is A Setup For You

On the night of that terrifying earthquake, it seemed like a setback for my family and those around us because of the physical damage and destruction in our neighborhood. Looking back on that frightening event, I realize that it was a setup. God was setting me up by allowing this dreadful experience to be a wonderful opportunity to build more strength and perseverance in me and give me more on-the-job training to help others as they navigate the difficulties of adversity in their life.

I have often heard people say that there are no coincidences in life, and I agree. When we look at challenging events from that perspective, we realize that every setback is a setup that can contribute to our personal growth. Not only did the earth shift during the earthquake that night, but that chilling event caused a spiritual shift in me. I knew that if an earthquake, or a similar traumatic event, happened once, it could happen again. I’ve learned some valuable lessons from that experience that are chronicled from the personal safety and security of my family which prepared me for future life-changing events. Anything that causes a shift in your life prepares the heart and mind to grow from the challenging experience and learn that indeed, there is value in adversity.

Trust What God Allows

In his book, Connecting with Coincidence, Dr. Bernard Beitman presents the perspective of a person of faith when it comes to coincidences which he defines as “a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.” Indeed, independent circumstances are sometimes aligned extraordinarily. But to someone who believes in a Divine Supreme Being who sincerely cares for the welfare of His creation, such occurrences are more than mere coincidences. Beitman states that the two most popular explanations for coincidences are:

God-Mystery and random chance. I tend to favor the former. Believers accept that what appears as coincidence is indeed orchestrated by a sovereign God who cares about the tiny sparrow and the hairs we have on our heads (Matthew 10:29-31).

So, for me, God is not just in charge of the big events in our lives but also our everyday challenges. God’s loving care and concern for all of humanity are seen best as He speaks through the prophet in Jeremiah 29:11 says:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

In its context, Jeremiah is speaking to his people and warns them that their lives would be shifted by years of oppression and persecution as they were forced into exile to live under enemy rule. Jeremiah was tasked to deliver a message of encouragement and hope to God’s people. The people were told to establish residence, build houses, marry, establish families, pray for peace, and prosper in a city that was not theirs. This word of encouragement was a difficult message to deliver during tremendous adversity for the people. However, God spoke through Jeremiah and assured His people that He had not forsaken them but that they would be restored someday.

In this story, God shows us that persecution and opposition were not caused by God but allowed to take place. Amid it all, God had a plan for good. Therefore, the responsibility of the people was to trust what God allowed.

Does Jeremiah 29:11 have meaning for us today? Absolutely! This verse is an excellent reminder that amid any difficulty, we can be encouraged because God has a plan for our future. This promise to us is a great source of comfort. We should not give up. We may be experiencing difficult situations such as the pandemic, wars, and rumors of wars, racism, sexism, political unrest, financial crisis, or a family relationship on the brink of being torn apart; whatever the challenge, this verse tells us that these things are temporary. Therefore, we must cling to this promise in times of trial and hardship. Difficult situations are put in our way not to stop us but to ignite our courage and our strength. Therefore, we, too, must trust what God allows.

Coincidence is how we humans explain unexpected events and surprise meetings. But just because we are taken by surprise does not mean that God is. There are no coincidences, but God has an explanation for all things. Beliefs are foundational to our views of the world. Some beliefs are open to empirical testing, not just by scientists but by everyone. Gravity, for example, can be tested every day by dropping an apple from your hand. Proof of God requires some empirical testing, but it also requires faith-belief by feeling, by intuition, and by a sense of knowing. I know that everything that happened to my family and me on the chilling night of the earthquake would benefit me because there are no coincidences in God.

There are no coincidences in God.

I was determined to see that frightening event as an opportunity to learn and grow in some way. So, I opened my heart, and from that point on, I stopped thinking about the chaos and confusion brought on by the earthquake and instead started focusing on what God was developing in me.

Life Happens

Uncomfortable situations that are disruptive to our lives seem to happen when we least expect it. My riveting story depicts what people experience in life – problems, adversity, and challenges that seem to come on suddenly and without warning. We are often blindsided by situations and circumstances that are life-changing experiences because we know that even if we survive the event, we will never be the same.

When everything shifted after the earthquake, I knew that there was something powerful at work in my life. God used that...