Testimonies Today Tributes Tomorrow

By Gabriel Amoateng-Boahen

When all three, culture, theology, and spirituality, work harmoniously in the life of the believer, a balancephysical, emotional, and spirituality stabilityis the outcome. Peace and joy within oneself, self-confidence, respect, and love for God and humans lead to satisfaction, and hopeful, faithful (faith in God) life will eventually lead to a powerful soul-impacting life and glorious testimony, which is easily seen, read, written by others (biography) or self-written (autobiography). The individual must hear the testimony today, but not as a tribute at death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524504076

Gabriel Amoateng-Boahen

Dr. Gabriel Amoateng-Boahen is a Professional Staff Chaplain (Retired) University of Chicago Medical Center Chicago, Illinois USA and also the Chaplain for the Brong Ahafo Association of Chicago and the keynote speaker at the Council of Brong Ahafo Associations of North America (COBAANA) in 2011, and the Ombudsman for COBAANA. Gabriel has strong ecumenical inclination and is deeply involved in the activities of the Council of Ghanaian Churches in Chicago, where he is the current Vice President. Gabriel takes a lot of inspiration from Evangelist Dr. Billy Graham. He is Gabriel's "spiritual mentor" and has twice attended the Billy Graham Schools of Evangelism in Cincinnati, Ohio (2002), and Kansas City, Missouri (2004). Gabriel was at the Haggai Institute in Singapore in 2000 for the Advanced Leadership Training for Christian Leaders from Developing Countries. Gabriel is the Missions Director for the Ghanaian Catholic Charismatic Renewal, North America (G-CCR-NA). Dr. Gabriel is the Founder and President of Royal Diadem Pastoral Center. He is also a member of these professional associations: National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC), Association of Professional Chaplains (APC), Spiritual Direction International (SDI) and others. Gabriel was the representative for the University of Chicago Medical Center at the Kenwood-Hyde Park Interfaith Council (2010 - May 31, 2015). On March 27, 1977, Gabriel and Mrs. Agatha Amoateng-Boahen were joined together in holy matrimony at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church at Ahafo Hwidiem. They now live peacefully and happily with their eight children: Mrs. Veronica Amoateng Antwi; Rev. Sampson Amoateng; Rev. Mark Amoateng, MD; Rev. Daniel Amoateng; Rev. Brian Amoateng; Christabel Jessica Amoateng; Davina Amoateng; and Gabriel Amoateng Badu Jr.

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Copyright © 2016 by Gabriel Amoateng-Boahen.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5245-0408-3

                eBook           978-1-5245-0407-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by the Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

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Rev. date: 07/26/2016

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Preface

Abstract

Introduction

1.   Why the Topic at this Time?

2.   Your Testimony Impacts Ministry Positively

3.   Why Not Now But Later on Deathbed?

4.   Bring the Testimonies Together as a Spiritual Energy Booster

Chapter 1

I Cannot Afford to Miss It Alive

1.   The Importance of Testimonies and Ministry

2.   Expensive Gospel and Ministry

Chapter 2

The New Notion

1.   Why this Notion?

2.   Reverse the Equation

3.   In Relation to the Past, Present, and Future

4.   The Legacy Factor

5.   The Ministry Factor and Young Ministers

Chapter 3

This Is the Time to Change It

1.   To Change What?

2.   This Time in Ministry

3.   In An Effort to Bring Sanity into Ministry

4.   Protecting the Master’s Vineyard

Chapter 4

Culture, Theology, and Spirituality

1.   Culture

2.   Theological Implications

3.   The Human Person is Naturally Spiritual

4.   Summary

Chapter 5

Death is Real, Inevitable, a Blessing, and Gateway to Heaven

1.   God, Our Final Judge/ Arbiter, and Eschatological Implications

2.   Death is Real

3.   A Blessing

4.   The Beautiful Gateway to Heaven and the Glorious Entry

Chapter 6

The Testimonies

1.   Introduction

2.   Testimonies from Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana

3.   Testimonies from Accra, Ghana

4.   Testimony from London

5.   Testimonies from the United States

6.   Tributes

7.   Obituary / The Life Story of Madam Veronica Yaa Afrah (Alias Maame Yaa, aged 95)

8.   Few Reflections and Legacy About Maame Yaa

9.   Reflection on the Above Testimonies and Tributes

10.   Lessons from the Testimonies

11.   Lessons from the Tributes

CONCLUSION

1.   Your Noble Birth

2.   The Heavenly Call

3.   Death is Synonymous to International Air Travel

4.   Family and Loved Ones

5.   Conclusion

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the loving memory of the late Mr. Kojo Wireko-Brobby, senior lecturer (retired), Department of Sociology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Late Mr. Wireko-Brobby was the director for my undergraduate thesis entitled Comparative Study of Traditional and Christian Marriages in the Brong Ahafo Region: A Case Study of Ahafo Hwidiem Traditional Area. My authorship journey started with Mr. Wireko-Brobby when he gave me a copy of his book entitled Sociology and Spirituality of Life during his visit to his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Linda Wireko-Brobby Kwaten and family in Chicago in 2012. His book was a great inspiration, too great to propel me to write my first book, Integral Pastoral Care in Ghana: Proposals for Healing in the Asante Context.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This is the time to pause to appreciate all pastors and ministers of the Gospel for your continued commitment and dedication to advance the Kingdom Agenda. To all missionaries out there in the world sharing the love of Jesus with many, especially, those in the most difficult and challenging mission fields. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death"- Rev.12:11, (KJV). To you all lovely and good Christian friends who wrote testimonies about me by way of Recommendation Letters.

My greatest appreciation goes to Xlibris, my publisher, for this book and three earlier books; and to all who spent quality time to proofread the manuscript.

My deepest gratitude is extended to my wife, Mrs. Agatha Amoateng-Boahen, and our children and their respective families, for your continued love and prayer support.

PREFACE

To hear one’s testimonies by others alive has many advantages which will invariably impact the individual’s life and ministry/vocation/profession/career positively. It will serve as an encouragement to do better than what has been accomplished already. On the contrary and flip side however, the individual will be challenged to wake up to make amends before things get out of hand and become too late to ratify. In other words, it will serve as self-assessment moment because death is real, heaven is real—and indeed, a prepared place, for prepared people, And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband- Rev. 21:2, (NIV).

Though tribute is good and has its place in funeral celebration, let us encourage and promote live testimonies and not tributes. Let us aim at changing the dynamics today for the new thing—testimonies. Regardless of what loved ones and others write or say about us in their tributes, it amounts to nothing to the dead body lying in the beautiful, gorgeous, and expensive casket.

To hear my own testimonies alive will motivate me to do better and more to help my family, others, church, community, and country. The flip side of this will also challenge me to do more for the full inclusion of what I expect to hear in my own testimonies by others. The Apostle Paul could proudly, boldly, and confidently write his own testimonies which we read today. These are few of them below:

• And they glorified God in me- Gal. 1:24, (KJV)

• Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ- 1 Cor. 11:1, (ESV)

• So I urge you to imitate me- 1 Cor. 4:16, (ISV)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which