One Woman’s Testimony of a Transformed Life: a Book for the Hungry, Hurting, and Healing Heart: An Attestation of Christ’s Work in My Life

By Darlene Lorraine Gibson

This book exemplifies the many things that God used to transform her own life. Darlene went back to school in 2006 at the age of forty-two during some of the most difficult times in her life. In her younger years, she was quiet, shy, an average student, a slow learner, and not very enthusiastic about school. However, God blessed her with the opportunity and desire to participate first in a program at Montgomery County Community College for adult students. This course, New Choices/New Options, helped her to reinvent herself. This was not an easy road for her. She had to take remedial classes before she could even begin college courses. It took six years for her to complete the associate’s degree program. Immediately following, she entered a bachelor’s program which took less than two years to complete. After that she enrolled in a master’s program, which took all of seven years to complete, while stopping and starting again, and changing her program several times.

These things are highlighted because they were part of her struggles, journey, healing process, failures, and accomplishments. She dropped out a few times, failed some classes that she then repeated, and made numerous changes while on this path. By God’s grace and strength, she diligently kept going and maintained an average of 3.08 to 3.56, and sometimes higher and or slightly lower. One part of this book in Part 2, “The Heart of Me/a.k.a. Straight From My Heart,” is a book that she wrote and completed at the beginning of this journey in 2008. Now, fourteen years later, it is finally being published. According to the Bible Study website, the number fourteen means “Double measure of spiritual perfection of God’s people.” The number seven is completion and rest in the Bible. According to the Bible Study website, the number six represents “Man and human weakness, sin and Satan.”

This symbolism is significant to understand because while finishing this part of her life’s journey, it allowed her to see God’s plan more clearly. On her path, Satan was always trying to stop her from walking in the way of the Lord. However, God is faithful and has given her the courage and strength to go forward with a mighty testimony and do His will for His glory. We are never too old to go back to school, to start a new journey, or to dare to hope and/or change our paths. Despite the struggles, she finds complete joy in this journey and is looking forward to what is to come. Her prayer is that in these pages, others will see Jesus, and find strength, hope, encouragement, and joy in their journeys too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9781664295087

Darlene Lorraine Gibson

Darlene Lorraine Gibson is a woman on a mission for God. She was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a postal worker/clerk for about fifteen years prior to going to college and has since held various other roles. She is an alumna/student at Liberty University, but more importantly a disciple of Jesus. She recently finished a postgraduate certificate program in military resilience in community care and counseling in behavioral science. She earned an associate’s degree in human services from Montgomery County Community College, her BS in human services from Chestnut Hill College, and her MA in Christian ministry from Liberty University. Darlene is currently a psych rehab specialist (PRS) at PATH (People Acting To Help, Inc.) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is the founder of a non-profit, Divine Healing and Wholeness Ministry, Inc., and owner of Becoming Whole in Your Soul, LLC. She is a grateful mother of three extraordinary adult children: two tenacious sons, Caleef and Marcelo, Jr., and one phenomenal daughter, Darcela. She is also blessed to have one exceptional daughter-in-law, Sara, and one amazing step-daughter, Marcela. She is a loving grandmother of nine amazing grandchildren, and she takes great joy and delight in spending quality time with her family, studying the word of God, and ministry.

Book preview

Copyright © 2023 Darlene Lorraine Gibson.

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make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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Unless marked otherwise, all scripture quotations marked NKJV

are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-9507-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9509-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-9508-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023904721

WestBow Press rev. date: 03/21/2023

Contents

Acknowledgments

God’s Confession on His Children and Their Children Who Believe

Preface

Part 1

My Journey

1.     The Beginning—My Childhood and Teenage Years

2.     Adulthood Beginning Stages

3.     Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

4.     My Trauma, Trials, and Tribulations

5.     Mental and Emotional Health

6.     My Process of Growing in the Lord

7.     My Transformation

8.     Divine Healing and Wholeness

9.     Reconciling my Past

10.   My Freedom

11.   The Overflow

12.   The Conclusion: To Everything There Is A Season

Part 2

Scripture-Inspired Poetry: The Heart of Me

a.k.a. Straight From My Heart

1.     The Gift of Love

2.     I Am Somebody

3.     Friends

4.     Growth and Change

5.     Life

6.     The Games That People Play

7.     I Made another Mistake

8.     Forgiveness

9.     What Family Means to Me

10.   The Family Strength

11.   To the Youth

12.   No Stress

13.   My Definition of Obedience

14.   Getting off Track

15.   Strength, Wisdom, and Courage

16.   Faith, Hope, and Jesus

17.   A Challenge

18.   Vanity

19.   Hocus Pocus Please Focus

Part 3

Sermons God Gave Me During Tough Seasons

of My Life, and Special Poems

1.     The Four Ps

2.     The Lesson of Patience

3.     What Shall We Do at a Time of Crisis?

4.     Looking in the Mirror, Looking Good, and Being Blessed (My First Sermon)

A Mother’s Quest

A Grandmother’s Triumph

The Love Relationship between a Husband and a Wife

Part 4

An Outline for a Transformed Life

Bibliography

About the Author

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I give honor, glory, and praise to God for allowing me to share my journey and changing my life from the inside out. Next, I am grateful for my children, daughter-in-law, stepdaughter, and former husband for challenging and inspiring me to grow in the Lord continually. I also thank my parents, Charles T. Gibson, Sr. and Bobbie J. Gibson, who dedicated me to God as a youth and guided me with their love, patience, and kindness. I thank my siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and all my relatives for being in my life. They have all played a major role in my growth, development, and healing process; that is much appreciated. I have learned and grown from my relationship with each one of them.

Moreover, I am grateful for my friends, and anyone who has touched my life. I am thankful for every church that I have been affiliated with and the pastors, their spouses, and families, and all the leadership and church membership. I also thank my supervisors, friends, co-workers, clients, classmates, professors, and mentors who have played a key role in empowering me with wisdom, examples, and knowledge. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my publishers who have patiently helped me bring this book into fruition and publication. Thank you all!

God’s Confession on His Children

and Their Children Who Believe

And as for me this is my covenant with them, says the LORD: My Spirit is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, will always be on the lips of your children, and on the lips of their descendants—from this time and forever says the LORD.

—Isaiah 59:21 NIV

Thanking God for the gift of children and grandchildren;

Each one is unique and precious.

They send chills and always refreshes.

Such blessings and jewels to treasure

Which come with great pleasure.

Herein lies a great mission:

To leave a life of hope, faith, love, and transition.

There is no doubt, this will occur

Because of God, and His ability to reassure.

Preface

This book contains the various experiences that led me to learn about life and God as I faced many challenges and struggles. It also shows the blessings I gained from my relationship with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, through these times. These experiences have been a great inspiration to my transformation process and journey. This book shows how the help of the Holy Spirit, reading the Bible, and the guidance and mentoring of others have helped me. Through it, I would like to help you through the struggles that you might be facing. Although the ultimate help is to know the Lord Jesus Christ, above Him there is no other way to be saved, free, and whole. Accepting, believing, and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior is where the journey began for me. This book is written and expressed through four parts/themes or sections.

The first theme is the most of my life story, while the second is expressed through Bible-based poetry. The third theme consists of a few sermons the Lord laid on my heart when I first discovered God’s calling me to share the gospel and my growth journey. There is also a series of personal poems of dedication to my family. It all began back in 1997 after I joined my first church as an adult. I will explain my road to salvation: becoming a Sunday school/Bible study student, a youth Sunday school teacher, an intercessory prayer warrior, and experiencing God using me in many ways I