Crossing Jordan Rivers: Locked and Loaded

By Dr. ReGina A. Etter

Jordan Rivers depicts the life of a confident, competent, and cross-bearing young woman who believes others can identify with her challenging relationships. It seems that people continue to cross her path. People who have challenged her talk and walk; professionally, relationally, and spiritually. The one thing that she knows is that God will work all things out for her good. Yeah, that Romans 8:28 word is continually being proven as a "KEEPER". Why? That word keeps her walking in purpose whether the assignment is understood or not. After all, she's locked and loaded with an arsenal of firepower!!!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669845706

Book preview

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to you. You know exactly who you are, what you did, and why you did it.

Thanks,

ReGina

CROSSING

JORDAN RIVERS

Locked and Loaded

Dr. ReGina A. Etter

Copyright © 2022 by Dr. ReGina A. Etter.

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.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/06/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

813454

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Praying from the Pulpit

Chapter 2 "Can you RELATE?

Chapter 3 You gotta FIGHT RIGHT

Chapter 4 The VICE Grips

Chapter 5 Get in shape GURL

Chapter 6 Welcome to FAM – U

Chapter 7 For WHAT?

Chapter 8 Politicking

Chapter 9 Death

Chapter 10 The Friend ship

Epilogue

Before we start this journey, I need to ask one question! Have you been hurt while trying to do the Lord’s work? Well, that was probably not the question that you were expecting, but from this saved, sanctified, and water-baptized woman who has experienced it, I had to ask. For you to get the revelation (I sound like a preacher) of this book, you gotta understand that hurt is hurt whether it comes from the church, work, or your home. Hurt can meet you anywhere. Can I get a witness? Yeah, that was churchy too. I just can’t help but share some of that good ole’ Bapti-costal teaching. You wouldn’t have thought of that question coming from someone writing about being Locked and Loaded. So, let me tell you upfront, this ain’t a book that’s written to make you the BISHOP, the PROPHET, the APOSTLE, or any other titles preaching folks give themselves. But, it is about the Lord’s work. That is the work that the Lord did through me – Jordan Rivers.

This book is written to provide the reader with some real talk regarding the walk of a young, attractive, professional, saved sister and the peeps who have crossed her path. The words penned in this book are from real and not-so-real experiences that I or my friends have had within the church and outside of the church. Being in the church does not exclude us from experiencing hurt (in fact the Bible never says we won’t experience pain), and we have to be real that sometimes that hurt comes because we are in the church. Other times, some of the hurt comes from doing the Lord’s work. Can I get a witness to this truth? You can’t tell me that when she got to do the solo you wanted, you were not hurt. Or when the preacher called everybody on the committee, but you, that you weren’t pained. And let’s not forget the occasion when it was your idea and someone else received or took the credit. There’s always that one (or for some of us, many) experience that caused you to stop going to church; an innocent act of love made you mad as hell and had you throw in the towel. If I keep on, this book title will have to be changed to CHURCH HURT. I think you’ve got the picture. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I ain’t saying you won’t be hurt being a member of a church, after all, we’re all imperfect humans, but developing a relationship with God, like all other ones, offers many opportunities for us to mature in faith. That relationship will help with the hurt. I never knew that it would take all of the trials and tribulations to get me prepared for my purpose. I learned that you got to go through to truly do the Lord’s work. However, He will provide you with the weapons you need to be Locked and Loaded for your purposed talk and walk. That’s why I tell my friends, you can cross Jordan Rivers if you want to, but baby, you will get taken out without a doubt. Don’t get it twisted. When you cross my path, I will help you get out of the clutches of the enemy and pray for you to be placed into the arms of a loving God.

Reading this book will help you find out how to aim for the things that have been set up to take you out. The devil and his demons are strategizing every day on ways to trick you. He uses deception, distractions, and deputized persons to pull or push you out of your purpose. How do I know? I got the shot glasses to prove it. I didn’t like the T-shirt. One last thing, I need to let you, the super saved, know that there may be some talk that causes you to say a prayer for me. Please do, because God is still pruning me (John 15) or for some, I’ll say it like this, He ain’t through working on me or through me because He wants me Locked and Loaded!

CHAPTER 1

Praying from the Pulpit

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5:15 KJV)

There he goes praying again! How long is he going to pray? What? Oh, my God does he have to pray for everybody in the church? Have you ever had these thoughts? Well, ya girl has and if you are truthful, you have too. I even wondered why prayers are said at churches, at weddings, at funerals, or even at the inauguration of the President of the United States. Some people even pray over their food and their pets. Well, after having some bad days and some hills to climb, this woman learned that there is truly power in prayer. The power behind any change is prayer. I have learned that if I want to know that I’m walking in the will of God, I got to go into some deep prayer. The truth is, I struggled with prayer, or rather how to pray. I truly enjoyed praying for others but praying for me, that was another story. However, when I joined Christian Faith Non-denominational Church, I learned that God loved me and that he wanted to hear and answer my prayers (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV). When I entered the church sanctuary there was a brilliance of color and a peaceful atmosphere. For the first time in my life, I felt the presence of the spirit move all throughout the service. Oh, I was no stranger to church. I was the church girl. Not the church girl you heard about on Larry Reid’s show recently. I ain’t a THOTTIE!

One Sunday I entered the sanctuary of Christian Faith Nondenominational church and I could feel that there was something different about the service.

Over 3,000 congregants were sitting in the sanctuary to give God praise, and worship him in Spirit and in Truth. Rev. Dr. Gabriel Jamison III asked that all clergy and leaders gather for the time of restoration. Watching the group of twelve dedicated and anointed individuals encircle Dr. Jamison to pray a prayer of restoration set the atmosphere for some true worship. This was a practice that occurred every time Pastor Jamison returned from preaching the Word of life to other congregations.

Christian Faith was a church that strongly believed in the power of prayer.

Each Sunday, Dr. Jamison and the prayer team would always offer opportunities for persons to come for prayer. This Sunday there seemed to be more people needing prayer than ever. It was so amazing to observe people of all ages coming forth to present their cares to God. At one point, the pastor stopped and said that there was a prayer request for Sister Chandler who had tested positive for COVID. Her son, Micha walked to the front and fell on the altar. He was a 27-year-old with long dreads and sagging pants, but oh so FINE. His attendance in the church was infrequent and Sister Chandler had shared her desire that he come to know Jesus for himself on several occasions. She prayed, and believed, that God was going to turn him around in time. Seemingly the more she prayed, the worse he acted. There were the drugs, the robbery charges, the attempted murder charges, the 3 baby mamas, and the list kept going. But, he had a praying mama. As he knelt the weeping grew louder and louder. The pastor walked over to him and he stood up with tears running down his face.

He said,