The Fairytale God

By Shirley J Inkton

"The Fairytale God" embarks on a profound exploration of the divine in the 21st century, inspired by the revelations of God the Holy Spirit. The narrative unfolds with a purpose-to challenge and dismantle the skepticism surrounding God's universal att

• Language: English
• Publisher: DITR Ministry, LLC
• Release date: Nov 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9798987356012

Book preview

THE

FAIRYTALE

GOD

The Fairytale God

Copyright © 2022 SJInkton.

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise – without prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-0880-5034-7 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN: 979-8-9873560-0-5 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN: 979-8-9873560-1-2 (Ebook Edition)

Book Cover Artist: Lee Ann Billings

Biblical Scriptures reflect the New King James translation unless otherwise noted.

Published by DITRM: October 31, 2022 (3rd Edition)

DITRM, LLC.

P.O. Box 1405

Little Rock, AR 72203

www.DITRM.rocks

[e-mail]

THE

FAIRYTALE

GOD

SHIRLEY J. INKTON

PREFACE

God, the Supreme Artist, Who has painted living portraits throughout history; continues in this 21st century. God’s mystical strokes were introduced in our beginning; mystical because they were both infinite and finite; both abstract and concrete. (Genesis Ch.1)

God’s proudest masterpiece is the creation of humanity in the essence of the Trinity. Many types of art have evolved over the years, but none, not even the great Picasso, Michelangelo, or Rembrandt can measure with the Fairest, as they too, must humbly bow to the Artist who created and gifted them.

While we all have passions, some stronger than others, and the desires and urges exist in our conscious as well as unconscious thoughts. I have always enjoyed writing but was clueless God would use this joy to bring to fruition an unanswered prayer that I never consciously prayed. Mysteriously, God does use the simple to confuse the wise. In many eyes, including my own, I would be considered the least likely candidate to paint an august living picture of God’s twenty-first century’s Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence likened to those revealed in the historic Bible days. What is the primary difference between today’s society and biblical days? I would suggest the hearts of humanity and the weakness of the flesh. God’s prophets are as evident today as the days of Abraham; they never stopped existing, many of our hearts have been hardened to the belief that lies are truths and truths are lies. Unfortunately, for humankind, the true and living God continues to see all, humanity’s belief or unbelief does not change who God is. God sees all; God hears all; God knows all. Yesterday, today, and forever, God does not change; however, the appearances of His prophets do. Their challenges are the same as those who came before; the biggest continues to be the war of the flesh and spirit. The Prophet Joshua challenges us transparently in his 24th Chapter and 15th verse.

Seeking the limelight has not been my desire. I have sought God, and the God whom I sought brought the Light.

Miracles! Miracles, sixty-two years of colorful miracles! But in the same vein, one must acknowledge, that miraculous miracles materialize after devastating struggles. Both stories must be revealed if God is to receive the glory. There is truth in No test, no testimony!

God’s tender nudging in the direction of writing this second book was not embraced or received immediately. Procrastination plagued my efforts, so God used this season of social distancing to arm me with no excuses. If you do not already know, I must share, God has a sensational sense of humor! While speaking on one of my first Stay Woke Facebook videos, bragging on God’s goodness in our lives, I was inspired to call for those viewing to count their blessings with me, but afterwards, I was convicted. I had been the one who initiated the testimonies; therefore, if no one accepted my invitation, I could not bow down to peer pressure, or be a hypocrite by not counting the many blessings God had bestowed upon my life. God would use this season to introduce humanity to the True and Living God of the 21st century. Mysterious life-giving words would be used to speak through me on a weekly basis via social media; however, it was not until the 3rd week of writing testimonies God revealed I had unknowingly begun writing the second book.

Below is the testimony of words spoken on the March 23, 2020 Stay Woke Facebook message:

I am sharing this message as a Well-Check" inspiration, with this thought in mind, I concur:

We are living in rapidly changing times. . . Our new Season of normal was not expected, invited, nor desired, BUT it’s here and appears the only thing we can do is take precautions and trust God to give us the courage to ride it out.

Meanwhile, instead of focusing our attention on what we don’t have, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage us to Count Our Blessings!

On Saturday morning I attended a monthly meeting via webinar, during which time various reports were given, including one from the Courtesy Committee. This report warmly touched my heart with surprise when words of accommodations and congratulations were extended to me in celebrating 33 years of service to the public and private fields of education. I officially retired on Jan. 31, 2020. And because we were not physically together, the report included I would receive my plaque at a later time. I was baffled! A plaque? The chair sent me a picture of it later, and I could not hold the tears back and thought, Even during this time of peril, people are still doing kind things.

My mind rushed back to a card I had received on Thursday (from S. McCullough, a member of this same organization) entitled, Count Your Blessings

I believe this was a way God was reminding me, as well as this message to share with you, the importance of Counting Our Blessings, even and especially during this Corona-19 season.

This is what I’ve begun doing, and I challenge you to do the same:

Start reminiscing on the many blessings God has bestowed upon you from birth to present... Blessings you did not deserve and/or expect, but God touched somebody’s heart to lavish them upon you. Make a list and/or pictures! Share them on social media with the hashtag #countingmyblessings!

Beloved, this is not a means of bragging on you, but bragging on God’s love and provisions throughout your life.

Don’t worry about what others will say or think, we’ll always have haters, remember, they were the ones who crucified Jesus. The Bible reminds us that God loves the praises of His people!

We are blessed not by our might, nor by our power, but by the Spirit of God! Only God can bring us out of this darkness attacking us, but I truly believe when praises go up, blessings will come down.

Before I close, allow me to share one of my personal testimonies: Over 30 years ago, my heart was strangely touched to share my faith in God. I had a rainbow plate made with the words, God is Good and placed it on the front of the first car He blessed me to buy (an older model Honda). A few years later, I was blessed to purchase a new Hyundai. I was so grateful that I applied for the personalized license plate 34Psalm, as I wanted everyone (stranger, friend, or foe) to know in Whom I put my trust! And I want you to know that I still possess that license plate. It has publicized my trust in God through years of blessings via numerous vehicles including two Lexuses, and the one I am currently driving, my 3rd Mercedes! No personal brag but absolute truth and boasting of God’s mystical provisions for my life!

Do I consider myself special? No. I know I am merely a sinner saved by grace, but even in my sinful nature, I love God! And I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If this pandemic has not done anything but opened my eyes and ears, this one thought holds firmly in my mind: tomorrow is not promised; therefore, the wise should count their blessings each and every day!

Habakkuk 3:17-18

CONTENTS

Introduction

Dedication

Chapter 1 Once Upon A Time

Chapter 2 A Charge To Keep

Chapter 3 Seasons Change

Chapter 4 Have Thine Own Way

Chapter 5 To Serve The Present Age

Chapter 6 There Is A Cross For Me

Chapter 7 Miracles, Signs, & Wonders

Chapter 8 Fairytale Endings

Letters to the Seven Churches

Testimonies of Our God Who Sees

Perceptions & Precepts

The Epilogue

Part I Incognito

Part II The Substance Of Faith

Part III Love Always Wins!

The Conclusion

About the Author

INTRODUCTION

Colors! Where would we be without them? Because of colors, we are afforded the opportunity to see the world in all its glory! The Rainbow has a miraculous effect on all who see it; there is a feeling of hope, promises, and expectations. Picturesque rainbows have always had a special place in my heart; I’ve loved chasing them.

January 2020, God told me change was coming and my assignment was to organize a statewide prayer vigil. Lingering to my stubborn will of resistance did not solve my dilemma. God would not allow me to rest, and I was often awakened from my sleep at 3:33 AM and other days at 5:55 AM. God certainly captured my attention. After a couple of weeks of denying and fighting against this assignment, God revealed the platform had already been set. I am an ordained Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A.M.E.C.) and serve as the Arkansas State Chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Realizing the many matches I had attempted to box with God, my arms were always too short to even contemplate a win. It was transparent I was not going to win this one either. Finally, I conceded and prayed for guidance; but, secretly hoped those who would have to approve and give blessings to hold such a feat would balk at the request, saving me from the judgmental thoughts and perceptions of others. I was led to first share the vision and assignment God had revealed with our sorority’s State Coordinator, Deborah Bland, as she would have to approve it before seeking the approval of our Southwest Regional Director, Michelle Brown. Afterward, I contacted my Episcopal leader, the Right Reverend Michael L. Mitchell, Presiding Bishop of the 12th Episcopal District A.M.E. Church, who was also supportive of the vision. For me, the confirmation came when both Bishop Mitchell and Mrs. Bland’s responses were identical. In their conversations with me at different times, both rendered these words: Prayer is always in order.

God’s instructions to me included inviting a rainbow of state leadership from various Faithbased denominations as well as Greek organizations (D9), and the NAACP. Collectively, we were to offer prayers, scriptures, and songs to God on one accord.

Everything was done decently and in order, I was able to submit the application to assemble on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol on Friday, February 14, as the request had to be received at least 30 days before the event. The date God spoke into my spirit was March 15, and upon looking at the calendar, I learned this was a Sunday.

The membership of Delta, spearheaded by the State Chaplains Council, worked diligently to ensure inclusive representation from all the organizations God willed to participate. Special accolades to Karen Lovelace, Jean Moore, Felicia Fisher, Lois Paschal, Lynell McGruder, Dr. Danielle Williams, Kenya Eddings, and Dr. Erica Holliday, as they were the wind beneath my wings and efforts.

Arkansas received our first coronavirus 19 positive case on Wednesday, March 11, but God had already prepared us for this fate as our reverence to God was not canceled, just redirected to be held via teleconference. Over 150 calls were on the line and for some unknown reason, we did not have control over the mute feature; however, God touched the hearts of the people, and most were able to mute themselves. God’s will was done. Blessings blossomed from this ministry of prayer and praise.

That night after the prayer vigil, while tarrying with praise and thanksgiving in the presence of the Lord, I thought my assignment had been completed; however, it was in the midst of my praise, the voice of God spoke again with a new assignment. I was told to share God’s messages on Facebook beginning the very next day. God said the focus of this ministry would be to wake God’s people up out of their Rip Van Winkle’s slumber. Extraordinary change and revelations were coming in which being awake and opened to God’s message would be His believers only saving grace. This thought took me so far out of my comfort zone I wanted to disappear but could not say no to the God in Whom I made a covenant with at eleven years old. The following day I recorded my first message; however, did not go live until the 3rd Monday’s message.

During this same divine visitation, God likened my life’s journey to that of a fairytale; however, God said His people in this 21st century likened His existence to that of a fairytale. Through your life, I will show them what a fairytale God can do.

God said His people reverenced God in words only that dissipate once spoken. God had become numb and disappointed in our lukewarm religious doctrines and practices. 2020 would be a year of Revelations. The year deemed to expose 2020 Spiritual Vision as a reminder of God’s realness. God, the Great I Am’s presence is, has been, and will always be with God’s people, seeing every move, hearing every thought; therefore, true repentance would be the non-negotiable requirement for touching the heart of God. The same God who spoke, Let there be light is alive and reigns today. Wisdom of the flesh is foolishness in the eyes of God, as humanity’s trivial beliefs and denial of God’s existence is only a pacifier for the ingrate and deception of the adversary. (I John 2:16)

Much has happened in the world since this revelation was shared that has caused those who professed to be followers of Jesus Christ to call upon the Father through the Son. The Holy Spirit has been moving and touching hearts all over the world in the aftermath of Mr. George Floyd’s video execution in Minnesota, causing hearts to be shaken and eyes opened. This orchestrated the season when people of all ethnicities and colors, joined together during the deadly pandemic in protest of the inflicted systemic racism’s darkness in the United States. God revealed that the oppression and racism that many had slept through for years were also forms of disguised pandemics. People called for the intervention of our True and Living God more in this season than in the last twelve decades of Sundays. Phenomenal murals in memory of Mr. Floyd, and the social injustices and oppression that have and continue to plague people of African descent are painted on walls all over the world. Such talent was revealed through tragedy, which shows even in the worst of times, righteousness can be found.

God uses the life of this commoner to paint the miraculous portrait of Omnipresence, Omniscience, and Omnipotence viewed through the life she was assigned.

May your spirit be uplifted, faith be resurrected, and hope be restored as you journey with me on my mystical encounters with the Creator and Keeper of humanity: the God who sees, even in the darkness.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the God, Who was and Who is the inspiration of its fruition; the God who allowed a commoner to live, experience, embrace and reveal God’s divine glory, majesty, and power through the transcribing of these words.

May those who read be convicted, purged, and drawn closer to the true Fairest One of All, Who Sees All.

Almighty God, unto Whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from Whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN. (1998 African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal – The Lord’s Supper, Collect #2, page 2)

CHAPTER ONE

ONCE UPON A TIME . . .

By You I have been upheld from birth; You are He who took me out of my mother’s womb. My praise shall be continually of You.

(Psalms 71:6)

Once upon a time, over sixty years ago there lived a family of very modest means. The man of the house had been stricken with a stroke that weakened the right side of his body. The mother was a God-fearing woman who loved and believed in her husband. The setting takes place in the late fifties, and this was a family of melanin. Geographically, they dwelled within the southeast foot of Arkansas; the town was known as Eudora, which borders the state of Louisiana and a kiss blow from Mississippi.

The father’s disability had an adverse effect on the family’s finances or lack of. For people of color, the availability of jobs was sparse and when found, required physical labor. The stroke challenged the father’s ability to ensure sustainable income for his family; thusly, his manhood suffered, and his self-esteem was low. The inability to secure a stable job stripped him of the essence he believed necessary to be the husband and father his family deserved. The mother had been sheltered from the intricacies of the realness of a marriage. She gave birth to her first child, Robert, at the age of thirty. During this era, birth control did not have today’s options, most women entered their childbearing season much earlier in life. Louisiana was her home before marrying and moving to Eudora. She was also green as a tomato compared to her husband. He was fifteen years older and had lived considerably before meeting and asking her to become his wife. Despite their differences, this odd couple had three children together. When the time came for their second child to be born, the family was experiencing excruciating financial difficulties. They were unable to afford a midwife; therefore, the mother went into labor and her brother Era, who still resided in Oak Grove, LA, drove her from Eudora to Monroe (LA) so she could give birth in a charitable hospital. Yes! A hospital that did not charge women who lived in their state to deliver existed over sixty years ago!

Miraculously, despite the almost ninety miles of graveled roads in those days, on January 24, 1959, the child was born with no medical complications. This little sandy red-headed baby girl was named Shirley by her mother’s sister, Lillie Pearl. The third child, another boy was born two and a half years later. All three of Cather Mae’s children were born about two and a half years apart; however, for reasons beyond their understanding, the girl child was the only one born at a time in which the family could not afford a midwife for delivery, little did they know, this was just the beginning of the battles their daughter would face and confront for the rest of her life.

The first home Shirley was introduced to became affectionately known as the piecie house. The family gave it this name because they could literally look through some of the planks on the floor and see the ground under their home; it was on prime property at the edge of Main Street, yet in need of repair. Another interesting fact, their house was about 500 feet from a church, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal, on Front Street. During the labor and delivery of the girl’s baby brother, McKinley, she was so inquisitive that her Aunt Ella, her mother’s older sister, placed her under a Number 8 Wash Tub to keep her from peeping. A few days later, the little almost-three-year-old girl decided she needed to visit the church. While her mother rested in bed with the newborn, unknowingly, Shirley had ventured out of the house onto the graveled road leading to the church, on hands and knees because her feet were too tender to walk on the pavement of rocks. An across-the-street neighbor looked out of her window and spotted the determined child’s journey. She began to scream, Kat! Cather Mae! Your baby is in the middle of the street! Upon hearing this devastating news, her adrenaline rose to the point