BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Read Through the Bible MAY Old Testament/New Testament Sun 1 1 Sam. 15-16 / 1 Cor. 6 Mon 2 1 Sam. 17-18 / 1 Cor. 7 Tue 3 1 Sam. 19-20 / 1 Cor. 8 Wed 4 1 Sam. 21-22 / 1 Cor. 9 Thu 5 1 Sam. 23-24 / 1 Cor. 10 Fri 6 1 Sam. 25-26 / 1 Cor. 11 Sat 7 1 Sam. 27-29 / 1 Cor. 12-13 Sun 8 1 Sam. 30-31 / 1 Cor. 14 Mon 9 2 Sam. 1-2 / 1 Cor. 15 Tue 10 2 Sam. 3-4 / 1 Cor. 16 Wed 11 2 Sam. 5-6 / 2 Cor. 1 Thu 12 2 Sam. 7-8 / 2 Cor. 2 Fri 13 2 Sam. 9-10 / 2 Cor. 3 Sat 14 2 Sam. 11-13 / 2 Cor. 4-5 Sun 15 2 Sam. 14-15 / 2 Cor. 6 Mon 16 2 Sam. 16-17 / 2 Cor. 7 Tue 17 2 Sam. 18-19 / 2 Cor. 8 Wed 18 2 Sam. 20-21 / 2 Cor. 9 Thu 19 2 Sam. 22-23 / 2 Cor. 10 Fri 20 2 Sam. 24; 1 Kgs. 1 / 2 Cor. 11 Sat 21 1 Kgs. 2-4 / 2 Cor. 12-13 Sun 22 1 Kgs. 5-6 / Gal. 1 Mon 23 1 Kgs. 7-8 / Gal. 2 Tue 24 1 Kgs. 9-10 / Gal. 3 Wed 25 1 Kgs. 11-12 / Gal. 4 Thu 26 1 Kgs. 13-14 / Gal. 5 Fri 27 1 Kgs. 15-16 / Gal. 6 Sat 28 1 Kgs. 17-19 / Eph. 1-2 Sun 29 1 Kgs. 20-21 / Eph. 3 Mon 30 1 Kgs. 22; 2 Kgs. 1 / Eph. 4 Tue 31 2 Kgs. 2-3 / Eph. 5 “Read Through the Bible in a Year Plan” written by Marilyn Hickey, and used by permission. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * “My parents were sharp, funny, witty and they assured us that we could accomplish anything. They supported our dreams and goals. In our family it was a given that we would succeed and excel. We were a Catholic family who knew a lot about God, but we didn’t know Him. “In 1999, I started attending Mariners’ Temple Baptist Church, which was a Word church. I didn’t have any idea what that even meant at the time, but people were meeting there on their lunch hour to pray, and I was enthralled. “In 2001, I auditioned for a part in the Disney spectacular Aida, and got a call within 48 hours offering me the job. That’s not the way it usually happens. They asked where we would like to be placed. We could perform on Broadway, on a U.S. tour or in Amsterdam. Of course, everyone wanted Broadway, and that’s what made the most sense for me because it would be another impressive Broadway show. “But there was a refrain that had been going around in my mind since January 2001: 'You’ve got to leave New York City. You’ve got to leave New York City. You’ve got to leave New York City.' I didn’t realize it was the Lord leading me, but I obeyed the prompting, and told them I wanted to perform in Amsterdam. “I left New York City on Aug. 4, 2001, and moved to Amsterdam. On Sept. 11, 2001, we were called together and told about the terrorist attacks against the U.S. As we watched the coverage of the Twin Towers, all I could say was, ‘That’s my neighborhood!’” Out of Sync On Aug. 13, 2003, Maureen returned to the U.S., and from December 2003 to April 2004, she performed in the West Coast tour of Dreamgirls. In California, the talk among her show business friends shocked her. Sensitive topics were being discussed openly that she would never have discussed publicly. Though many of her friends and associates lived what some might consider questionable lifestyles, Maureen accepted them for who they were, never judging them. But some of those same people criticized Christians for being out of sync with the world today. Although she wasn’t yet saved, she recognized that her beliefs were opposite those of a majority of her friends. When Maureen shared her traditional beliefs with a couple of her closest friends, she was told she was on the wrong side of history. They didn’t understand how, as a double minority—an African-American woman—she could have traditional values. She was terrified that she’d lose all her friends and business partners when they found out what she believed. She felt trapped. When she returned to New York, Maureen began to build her radio voice-over career and her vocal private coaching/diction/musical theater workshops, which to this day keep her traveling throughout the U.S. and beyond. Five years later, in August 2008, Maureen was at the gym doing yoga when the same small, still voice that had warned her to get out of New York City in August 2001, spoke again. 'If you don’t stop drinking and hanging out and trying to be like the world, you will not ascend.' “As I pondered His words, I sensed God was telling me that going to church wasn’t enough. He wanted my life. He wanted me to step into the Kingdom.” Once again, Maureen obeyed the command. She stopped drinking and changed her habits. As she experienced the love of God, He moved her to another level. “I’d always judged my life in comparison to my friends,” Maureen recalls. “I thought that was how God judged me. It wasn’t until I realized that God judged me, not by my friends, but by His Word, that I realized I’d been wrong. I chose Valentine’s Day, 2008, to begin a new relationship with the Lord. That’s the day I began practicing celibacy. I’d developed such a voracious appetite for God that it wasn’t hard for me to make that commitment.” 14 : BVOV

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