March 11, 2025 • 55 mins
This episode highlights Rhonda Robinson’s journey of perseverance and purpose. Our conversation explores themes of resilience, accountability, and the importance of community in navigating life’s challenges and discovering one's divine calling.
• Rhonda's inspiring mission through Beauty for Ashes
• The significance of saying "yes" to God in trying times
• The impact of accountability and supportive communities
• Strategies for decluttering life to hear God’s voice
• The power of knowing one’s identity in Christ
• Emphasizing the importance of facing and embracing personal struggles
Listeners are encouraged to actively seek their purpose while leaning on faith and community.
Thanks for listening!
Until next time, continue to press into your purpose!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let me wipe my nose one more time.
I said you can hear everybreath that I take, jesus, every
breath you take.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Destiny Film and.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Media and their great mic-age.
Bless the king.
These are good mics, very goodmics.
Are we ready to go?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I've been recording all day Five minutes, and I just
started recording.
Oh okay, I was about to saybecause you Alright quiet on the
set oh jeez Let me get that out, okay, and I'm just doing it.
Alright, quiet on the set.
(00:42):
Cameras are rolling and I'mcoming on one.
One is ready and we're comingon two.
All right, valeria, now okay.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So if there's anything you want to, address to
the people Look at that camera.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's your personal camera.
Okay, that's your personalcamera.
It's just a two-shot and if youwant both, you want to look.
You know, I just cut to it.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Okay, so I'll start here, then I'll turn there, okay
.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
All right and action.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Hello, my name is Valeria Wright, the creator of
Pressed Into Purpose.
Pressed Into Purpose is apodcast dedicated to examining
the journey toward discovering,embracing and living out one's
purpose.
In each episode, my guests willprovide their perspectives on
how they identified theirpurpose and the ways in which
(01:36):
accepting and pursuing it hasinfluenced and transformed their
lives.
What is purpose?
It's the ultimate aim or goal.
To sum it up, it's the reasonwhy you were created, or why you
exist.
Prestige to Purpose is based ontwo scriptures Jeremiah 29, 11,
(01:57):
for I know the thoughts that Ithink toward you, sayeth the
Lord, thoughts of peace and notof evil, to give you an expected
end and 2 Corinthians 4, verses8 through 10,.
We are pressed on every side bytroubles, but we are not
crushed.
We are perplexed but not drivento despair.
(02:20):
We are hunted down.
We are hunted down but neverabandoned by God.
We get knocked down but we arenot destroyed Through suffering.
Our bodies continue to share inthe death of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus may also be seenin our bodies.
So let us meet today's guest,our first guest on the podcast
(02:50):
President to Purpose.
Her name is Rhonda Robinson.
Rhonda Denise Robinson is theExecutive Director of Beauty for
Ashes BFA.
In this role, rhonda managesthe Board of Dire directors, a
team providing programs andevents that support low-income
families and high-risk youth.
Beauty for Ashes Corp is anorganization that seeks to
(03:12):
empower and inspire people andhigh-risk youth of all walks of
life that have experienced someform of brokenness through
single parenting, marriage,divorce, financial devastation,
insecurities and otherlife-gripping challenges.
Bfa provides outreach services,career services, resume review,
(03:35):
mentoring and coachingconferences, quarterly workshops
and other projects and eventsthat will empower people to move
past the state of being brokeninto a state of restoration in
all areas of their lives andultimately see their beauty
through the pain of traumaticlife experiences.
A big believer in giving back,rhonda is always looking for
(03:59):
ways for her organization toserve and give back to the less
fortunate.
Professionally, rhonda has beena human resources leader for
over 15 years in corporateAmerica as well as in the
nonprofit sector.
Rhonda takes pride in providingexcellent customer service to
the employees that she supportsand is always available to go
(04:21):
beyond the call of duty.
Rhonda has worked as an HRprofessional for McDonald's
Corporation, allstate CatholicCharities and FedEx Express.
As the vice president of humanservices and, I'm sorry, as the
vice president of humanresources and programs at
Easterseals, serving Chicagolandand the greater Rockford.
(04:42):
Her goals I am so sorry therest of that did not come
through, I don't know why.
Oh, hold on, wait a minute.
So I'll start at as the as thevice president, give me one
second.
We were so close.
(05:02):
Go in there.
Get my note, bio.
Ah, here we go.
In Greater Rockford, her goalsinclude coaching and mentoring
(05:23):
leaders, executive coaching,creating processes and systems,
training and development andfacilitating change in the
organization.
Rhonda holds an MBA in businessand a Bachelor of Arts degree
in organizational managementfrom Concordia University,
chicago.
She has been married to herbest friend, dwayne Robinson,
for the past 10 years and hastwo incredible daughters,
(05:46):
brianna Winbush, 32, andBrittany Winbush 28.
Please help me welcome ourfirst guest, the very first
guest of the podcast Preston toPurpose, rhonda Robinson.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Rhonda welcome.
Thank you so much, Valeria.
I am so glad to have you here.
I'm excited to be here, Reallyexcited.
Thank you for this amazingopportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
It is.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
We have known each other for oh five years, five or
six, five or six years and wemet at church.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yes, and we were in new members class.
Yes, and in new members class,we realized that you know our
love for Jesus and our love forlaughter.
Yes, it brought us together.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
And our love for singing.
We later found out.
That is right, that is right.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So we had so many things in common.
And listen, learn thosescriptures, honey.
That was rough, it was, it was.
So we had so many things incommon and listen, learn those
scriptures, honey.
That was rough, it was, it was.
But we made it.
But we made it and we becamefull partners.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
We did.
You know what I'm saying we did.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
So I am.
Ever since I met you, it hasfelt like we have known each
other for years, agreed, and Iam some of the things we've
talked about.
So many things, yes, over theselast few years, and we have
connected in so many ways.
Yes, and I love you because youare able to cut right through
(07:20):
all of the foolishness that weenjoy so much, all of the
foolishness that we enjoy somuch, and you can get, and you
hear from the Lord and you youget right in it.
Okay, I love that about youBecause sometimes you know we
need to just get right on inthere and cut to it and be like
thus, saith the Lord so that wecan get together.
(07:43):
But I am really excited aboutthis talk today.
I'm really excited about whatGod has done in your life and
I'm excited for you to sharewith the people all the things
that God has done in your life.
So I'm going to start with ourfirst question, which is
throughout your life, you've hadsome challenges and some
(08:05):
triumphs.
As you have walked through this, what do you believe is your
purpose?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So, first of all, thank you again, valeria, for
the opportunity.
I am indeed grateful and veryproud of you and your yes, you
know.
In regards to this firstquestion, I think that one of my
purposes probably more the mostimportant purpose is to be a
light for others.
I get a joy in pushing,coaching other people, not just
(08:35):
professionally, but also in mypersonal life.
I think that I have beenextremely blessed to have people
that have stretched me.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And so the way that I give back is doing the same for
others, even when they don'twant to be stretched.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Amen, oh goodness.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And I think you know.
I think in doing that, itallows us to walk into what true
purpose really looks like.
I am learning as I get youngerand younger Come on.
It is not good to waste time,and so I think it's important to
really chime into what isreally, what makes you get up in
the morning.
What could you do for free?
(09:12):
Why do you do what you do andfor me you know being that coach
, that advocate, thatcheerleader for others, I get
such a high off of that.
I love seeing people connectdots for themselves.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And so that's one of the reasons why I love just
being available for people andto develop them to be the best
they can be.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Okay, so you talked about being a pusher, being an
encourager and a coach.
When did you first discoverthat that was something inside
of you?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Great question.
I'm an only child, and so mymom and dad just poured
everything that they had into me, even when they didn't have it,
and so one of the things that Inaturally saw my mom, the
oldest of eight, do is pour intoher siblings and her family.
Okay, and so it was very easyfor me to model that as I
(10:08):
watched my mom model it, and soI think just early on in life, I
knew that there was somethingdifferent about Rhonda Denise.
I also knew that my mom and dadhad another child prior to me
that did not make it, died atbirth, and that child was born
with umbilical cord around hisneck, jesus, and a year later I
(10:30):
was actually born the sameidentical way, and God spared me
.
Oh, my gosh, and so my mom wouldalways remind me, Valeria, of
the importance that you made itfor a reason.
Jesus, yes, you did, and so Iam always reflective of that
experience.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You about to take me out already, I did not know that
.
Okay, carry on, carry on.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I'm always reflective of that experience that I
didn't die like my brother, butGod spared me for such a time as
this.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Wow, yes, he did.
For such a time as this.
Wow, yes, he did.
Yeah, that is like a just fromthe very beginning of your life.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Before the foundation of the world.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
God knew what he had for you.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
He knew, he said for I know the plans I have for you.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Jeremiah 29, 11.
I'm just saying the scripturethat this is based off of.
Listen.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And he said he knew us before we were even in our
mother's wombs, that's right.
And so he protected you.
That's right To bring you, notjust through birth, not just
through childhood, but to thisvery moment where you are now
impacting lives in so manydifferent ways.
You are impacting lives withyour secular job, which you know
(11:53):
human resources, I mean.
People are literally hired andfired because you sit in the
room.
You see what I'm saying.
You are leading that charge andthen also, with Beauty for
Ashes, you are helping people topick up the pieces of their
lives and move forward.
I mean, so what can you share?
(12:15):
A story or a time where well,let's start here, where was
Beauty?
How was Beauty for Ashes birth?
Such a great question?
That is what the people want toknow.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yeah, how was Beauty for Ashes birth.
Such a great question.
That is what the people want toknow.
Yeah, so in 2020, verylife-changing year for me my mom
was diagnosed with canceraround May or June of 2020.
And my mother was a woman offaith and believed God, did not
choose to have natural medicine,but she stood on her faith and,
(12:46):
flat-footed, stood on her faiththat God would heal her this
side or on the other side, andalso in the same year, we just
had some family challenges, verytraumatic challenges in my
immediate family that took me toa very deep place in the Lord.
And in 2020, it was just a verystrange year and I heard the
(13:08):
Lord say BFA was to be birthed.
Because I was going through alot of traumatic situations.
I questioned God because it wassuch a hard year between mom,
between other things that weregoing on, and finally gave God a
yes in October of 2020.
And in saying yes, thingsdidn't get better, valeria.
(13:30):
They actually got worse, andthe worse that they became, the
stronger my yes became, and Ican look back now, four years
later, and tell you that I wasshaking, saying yes.
Look back now, four years later, and tell you that I was
shaking, saying yes.
I was crying daily saying yes,getting repeated calls from
(13:55):
people that had negative news,and still it was yes.
And, as I stated earlier, momstood on her faith that she
would be healed this side or theother, and God did the other.
And so Christmas day 2020, momwas gone and it was still yes.
Valeria and BFA continued to dothe work and mom was able to
(14:18):
see some of that before she left.
And the other piece to that ismom not only saw a piece of BFA,
but the other part of my heartthat was broken.
In 2020, mom saw hergranddaughter healed, and so I'm
grateful that 2020 came with alot of challenges, a lot of
(14:38):
heartache, a lot of hard news,but at the end of 2020, my
mother, who loved me and hergrandchildren, and my dad saw
all of us whole.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
And saw me walk into purpose with beauty, for ashes
Come on and saw her BrittanyChanel Wimbush.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Come on.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Walk out of danger into God's marvelous light.
Hallelujah, hallelujah,hallelujah, listen, yeah,
grateful, ooh Grateful, we shallsee it.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, listen,yeah, grateful.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Ooh.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Grateful.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
We shall see it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yes, listen Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
In the land of the living.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
And I want to just add December the 19th, I was at
a Beauty for Ashes event and Igot a call from my dad and he
had been calling a couple timesand I'm like, daddy, you know
I'm at an event, right, right?
So I'm going to answer thethird time, right?
So I answered the phone and mydad said something's wrong with
your mom, and so what I didn'tknow at the time is I left my
(15:37):
BFA event and I drove to myparents' house and my mom she
was alert but in pain on thefloor, and Brittany was right
there.
She saw Brittany and we tookher to the hospital.
Her last words to me waswhere's your dad?
That was her last words Where'syour dad.
Cause get concerned about others.
(15:57):
I said daddy's in the car.
I said I'm about to take himhome.
She said, okay, that was thelast time I saw her alive, Wow.
The beauty of that, though, isthe day before she saw Brittany,
and she said Brittany, is thatyou?
Are you good?
And Brittany said yes, Grandma,All right.
And the scripture that comes tomy Valeria is Romans 8 and 28.
(16:18):
All things.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
All things.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Are still working together for our good, for our
good, and so in that moment itwas for our good, and my mother
used to always say it is well,it was well.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
It was well.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Whether she was speaking it in faith or whether
she was speaking it because shesaw it right.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Then that's right All is well, all is right.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
All is well All is well, all is well Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Wow, you are, listen, your your life and your journey
, and that that year of 2020 wasa challenge for a lot of people
, for a lot of people, yes.
For so many different reasons.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
For you to, for us to be in the middle of a worldwide
pandemic and you go through allof those things on top of that.
That's right.
And you still gave God a yes.
Yes, that that's the part.
So how?
Because, listen, god speakssometimes and we're like, well,
(17:28):
lord, I don't want to do that,but you got past what you didn't
want to do and you said yesanyway.
How were you able?
Speaker 2 (17:42):
to do that From saying no for so many years.
You know, sometimes it takes usa long time to get to that yes,
and I remember as like a youngadult, 1920, saying out loud God
, I'll give you the Y-E, but I'mkeeping the S, and so I'm just
being honest.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
And this is why we're friends.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Rhonda did Rhonda.
I just being honest, and thisis why we're friends.
Rhonda did Rhonda.
I'm being honest.
I did me Growing up in thechurch PK.
I knew what not to do but I didit anyway because I'm going to
keep the S and so by the time Igot 40-ish, the S started kind
of coming.
Okay, I understand why you needthe entire three letters.
(18:27):
Yes, because a lot of times wego around these mountains and
these valleys that we choose.
It ain't the devil, come on,it's us.
It was Rhonda.
Tell the people again thespoiled, only child that I know
was best for me, it was me.
Yeah, and so if God had toallow those things that happened
(18:51):
in 2020 to get the S, he gotthe S.
Wow, and I'm grateful that mymom was still here to see BFA to
see, brittany, yes, and I'mgrateful that he didn't touch
anything else because I gave himthe S.
Okay, god, you can have it all.
You can have it all.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Listen, before we started, we were singing.
I say, yes, that's right Lord.
Yes, yes, that's right, that'sright.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He knows what to do to get the yes.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
He knows what it takes for us to get to yes,
absolutely.
Oh my gosh, that's such afamiliar story.
Different situation, but afamiliar story, just even in my
current day saying yes, therehave just I mean, we're talking
(19:44):
about the month of November Iunderstand.
God had to get me togetherbecause I was like God, I will
do what you want me to do, howyou want me to do it.
No, no, that's not what I said.
I said, god, I will do whateveryou want me to do, every way,
except for that one.
Yeah, that's what I said, I getit.
I will do whatever you want meto do, every way, except for
(20:05):
that one.
Yeah, that's what I said, I getit.
And um, yeah, in November.
Uh, he took me to the word.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
You know um and the word that rings true every day,
all day was about those childrenof Israel.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
You see what I'm saying and how it was an 11 days
journey.
That's right To get to thepromised land.
How many years?
It took them?
40 years.
Why yeah, because they chose todo things their way, their way,
that's right.
And so, yeah, I said, okay, god, okay, yeah, all right.
(20:40):
So you want me to do it.
You not only want me to do whatyou want me to do, but you also
want me to do it how you wantme to do it.
That's right, so I don't get achoice in that that's right.
So I surrender, and so, yeah,this is part of that surrender.
Amen, amen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
There's a scripture that says many are the plans of
Valerian Rhonda, but it is the.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Lord's plans.
Come on, that shall prevail.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
That shall prevail, I stand on that word so often
from small things like God.
On Saturday I want to go toTarget and I want to go here and
he will completely shiftbecause it's not about us.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Because he cares about the little things he does.
People think that he only caresabout the large things, but no,
god cares about all theintimate details of our lives.
Because everything matters.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
It all matters In the hands of the one that created
us Correct, and we forget thatsometimes.
We forget that a lot of timeswe forget it of the one that
created us Correct and we forgetthat sometimes we forget that.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
A lot of times we forget it.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The one that created us, that we are created.
That's right In his image?
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yes, in his likeness, that's right, that's right, you
know so.
But he gives us that free will.
That's right, and sometimes ourfree will, yes, will we hold on
?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
to that.
That's right, that's right andwe don't submit it back to him.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
That's right, but he is waiting for us to submit back
to him, so he continues topress us, that's right.
He continues to press us,that's right.
He continues to press us.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
He continues to press us until the oil that he wants
to come out of our lives beginsto flow On your life.
Okay, so I witnessed youbecoming a minister in the
Lord's church.
Amen, and it was.
(22:38):
I know that that was anotheryes.
Yes, and it was another levelof sacrifice.
Yes, can you tell me how youcame to accept that call on your
life?
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, sure, as I said earlier, both my mom and dad
were pastors and so all I knowis church.
And at my former church, jwJames AME in Maywood, Illinois,
just doing a shout out, one ofthe pastors, founder Lucille
Jackson, would always mistakenlycall me my mother's name,
(23:15):
reverend Dorothy, and then she'dlook at me and go, oh, that's
Rhonda.
But I realized it wasn't amistake and others around me
knew that and she knew it and Iran from that because I didn't
want the reverend on my name.
I ran for it for a long time,very, very long time, because in
(23:38):
my opinion I was doing the work, I didn't need the title.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Come on, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Just my truth.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
My truth, and as a preacher's kid, I saw my mom and
dad go through a lot Front rowseat With the people.
Front row seat With the people.
Front row seat Us.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The people.
But finally, I knew that it wastime and I also knew that I
needed to do it and to do itright.
Yeah.
But even in the yes ValeriaI'll add this piece my husband
and I were not in the samechurch, okay, and so even as I
was going through the class, Ifelt the nudge of the Lord say
(24:17):
that this would not be where Iwould be forever.
Okay, because I knew he wantedus together.
Yeah, and so I'm grateful that,through the yes, through a year
and a half of the ministerialclass, god did it.
Okay, and my husband was thereto witness it.
Amen.
But I also knew that that wasprobably going to be it.
That would be some of the lastmoments in that ministry for me.
(24:43):
Yeah, because it wasn't aboutthe title, it was about the yes.
Yeah, and so I'm grateful tosay that we are now together,
amen.
And so I'm grateful to say thatwe are now together, serving,
worshiping in the same ministry,growing, really just seeing God
do amazing things in ourmarriage in 10 years that we've
never seen.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Come on, because when we give God a yes listen, he
says seek ye first the kingdomof.
God and his righteousness andall the things he'll be added
unto you, that's right.
So listen when we put God first, when we prioritize him, which
is giving him that yes theneverything else has to line up.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
But let me tell you what happens in that yes, okay,
when you start to make the yes,that's when the press gets even
harder.
You are telling the truthBecause, god, you want me to
leave a familiar place to gowith my familiar husband.
Got it, okay, but unfamiliarterritory by myself.
(25:42):
So now the press is like, oh,it's really a press, yeah, and
it's out of comfort.
But I could hear the Lord saydo you trust me?
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Why does he always ask us that?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Because we live sometimes as if we don't and we
say things and we operate as ifwe don't.
Yeah, and I'm guilty.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I promise you, I'm guilty Same same.
You said something there, we.
You said something there.
We say God, I trust you.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Oh God, I trust you.
We say the scripture trust inthe Lord with all your heart.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Lean, not to your own understanding in all that way
Acknowledge him, and he shalldirect your path.
Oh God.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
I trust you.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
But then our actions that come after that, completely
opposite.
Completely opposite, ornegating what we just professed
Guilty, what we just said I'mguilty For sure what we just
confessed and spoke forward.
Why is it that you think we dothat?
(26:47):
We're scared.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
First of all, I can only talk for Rhonda.
I am a control freak.
I'm a baby control freak.
No comment.
There I'm learning you can'tcontrol this Right.
God is in control.
Yes, period Period no Period.
(27:13):
God is in control.
Period period no period with abase on it period.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
God is in control.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I'm learning, so am I it's a day to day learning.
It's a day to day relinquishingthe control.
I'm not in control.
I can't see God what you see.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And because I can't see what you see, why am I
trying to control that?
I can't see it.
Your sovereignty, you can.
In your sovereignty, you seethat yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
You see what's coming ahead.
You see what's coming ahead.
You see what's coming.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
You see who's coming.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
You see, who's leaving?
Yes, God, I got to trust youand the continued yes helps us
to be prepared.
That's correct For what heknows is coming.
That's correct and we don't Ifwe continue to give him a yes.
That's not saying that we'renot going to have challenges, Of
course.
It's just saying we'll bebetter equipped for the
(28:16):
challenges because we've saidyes.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
He's not going to.
There's a scripture it's about.
Basically, I can't think of thescripture, but he's not going
to.
Let us be caught unawares,that's right, that's right.
But the only way we can not becaught unawares is if we are
(28:39):
staying in his faith, which isprayer, which is studying his
word.
That's right, because that'swhat he has given us so that we
can be equipped, empowered.
That's our roadmap.
Yeah, that, equipped, empowered.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
That's our roadmap.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, that's the roadmap, that's our roadmap.
So what kind of advice wouldyou give to someone who is
struggling right now with thatyes?
What would you say to them?
Are the steps to surrender orto the yes?
Speaker 2 (29:14):
You know, one of the things that's really important,
Valeria, is having the rightaccountability people in your
life.
That is key.
You have to have the rightvoices in your spirit, in your
ear, and I'm not going toover-spiritualize that.
I'm going to be honest and saythere are people sometimes that
are so common to us as friends,as family, that may not be
(29:37):
speaking what you need to hear.
And if you have friends, slashfamily, your inner workings,
your tribe, your community.
If they are allowing you tostay comfortable, that's the
wrong community.
If you know, without a shadow ofa doubt, that there is a
different press purpose on yourlife, you need the right
(30:00):
individuals that will push youto be that that God has called
you to be and that is a dailysurrender.
That is being honest withyourself and with others, but
that's also surrounding yourselfwith the word of God, with
prayer, with fasting, but thenalso that accountability person
that can say hey, you, what areyou doing?
And give you deadlines, giveyou timelines, make sure that
(30:24):
you are fully persuaded to beall that God has called us to be
.
Yes, we do not have time towaste.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
We don't, Because I listen.
It's been said since I was achild Jesus is coming soon, he's
coming soon, but it has notchanged.
That's right.
Jesus is still coming soon andit's sooner now than it was when
I was a child when we werechildren sooner now than it was
(30:56):
when I was a child, when we werechildren.
So we have to, as they say inthe church, be about our
father's business, becausethat's the whole purpose of us
being on earth is to fulfill thewill of God, and we do that
through our service to others.
As we surrender to God, heallows us to be of service to
others in so many different ways.
You talked about how you are apusher and encourager, a helper,
(31:22):
all those different things, butyou can't do that unless you're
equipped to do so.
So can we talk a little bitabout your equipping stage?
What?
What were some of the thingsthat helped to equip you along
the way?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
You know, I was a single mom, uh, for about 10
years or so.
Um, I divorced my children'sdad in 1990 something and in
that season I learned veryquickly how God was a best
friend, was a provider, was ashepherd.
(32:01):
I learned how God can equip youto do what it is he's called you
to do.
I also learned how to praysomething as simple as God
provide my daughters witheverything a two-parent
household would have.
And in that season I learnedhow he equips, Come on.
And so I think it's because ofthat place, that place of really
being by myself me and Jesusand those two daughters I
(32:25):
learned what equip really,really means.
Okay, I also learned theimportance of having again the
right people.
I'm an only child, as I saidearlier, and so I started early
praying for sisters, and God hasdone that.
He has blown my mind with thewomen of God.
He's placed in my life,including you, and to be able to
(32:46):
have others to look up to andto model and to see their faith
grow and walk into purpose.
We're doing a recording as wespeak.
Because of your yes, God willequip if you ask.
That's the key.
Sometimes we're afraid to ask.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Because with asking comes a lot of responsibility.
The responsibility, yeah, buthe will equip if you ask if
you're ready, yeah.
Here's the other thing aboutbeing a pusher.
Sometimes people don't want tobe pushed listen, who are you
telling?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
listen, um, listen, I am a.
I am a pusher as well, and soin my early years, listen, I was
pushing everybody abouteverything because you need to
be the best that you can behoney.
Listen, no, no, no, youshouldn't.
You're satisfied here.
(33:40):
No, no, no, no, no.
You need to be here, you needto do this, you need to be going
forward and doing this anddoing this.
And you know what I realized?
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Some people are very fine.
Listen yes.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
And content.
That's right.
In where they are, that's right.
And you know what?
If that's the choice that theyhave made, it is okay.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
It's okay.
It's hard for us pushers,though, to let that go Very hard
, but I've learned I can't wantit more than you.
That part I can't.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
That part Because it frustrates us.
It is so frustrating and nowI'm out of the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Come on, because now I want to cuss you out.
I'm sorry, uh-huh, come on.
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Why are you wasting time?
Why are you wasting time?
That's not for us to do?
Speaker 1 (34:27):
It is not because we did not give them the purpose
God did.
That's right.
And who are we to say whattheir purpose?
Speaker 2 (34:33):
is Because now I've stepped over into a whole nother
role.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
And out of.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
God's will Exactly Period.
And the other part of that iseverybody, as much as we want in
this generation, as much as wewant everybody.
I'm an entrepreneur, I'm aleader generation as much as we
want everybody.
I'm an entrepreneur, I'm aleader, I'm a visionary, I'm
this and I'm going to do thisand I'm going to do that.
If everybody is leading, whowill follow?
(35:05):
That's right, that's right andif everybody has a vision.
Who's going to push?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
the vision?
Who's going to?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
execute it.
Who's going to execute thevision that's?
Right so we need everyone,everyone to pour into what God
has given us.
So you have the people.
You're surrounded by, thepeople who are helping you to
push BFA, the vision that Godhas given you.
I am surrounding myself withpeople that are helping me to
push the things that God has puton the inside of me, including
(35:30):
this pressed into purpose, andwe have to honor the grace that
not only is on our lives, butthe grace that's on other
people's lives, becauseeverybody has a tribe, everybody
has a circle of influence.
(35:51):
That's right.
And so what are you doing inyour circle of influence?
That's what we, that's what wereally have to get to, because
in this purpose, we are impactwhere every listen.
We are impacting our circle ofinfluence, our part of the world
.
That's right.
We don't.
Everybody is not called to be,everybody's not called to the
(36:13):
masses, that's right.
That's right.
Some people are called righthere, that's right.
In the local area, that's right.
To impact lives and let's stoptaking that for granted.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
That's right.
Like everybody's not going tobe Oprah, that's right.
Everybody's not called to beOprah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Some of us are called I think about.
I think about my parents andyour parents and the lives that
they have impacted in theircircle of influence, and the
people who have grown, thepeople who have been saved, the
people who have been set free,the people who have been
encouraged just because theysaid yes in their circle of
(36:55):
influence.
And so that's really what I wantpeople to get as we have these
conversations Take the nuggetand understand what your purpose
is, how to get to your purposeso that you can have the impact
that God has called you to have.
Whether you are theadministrative assistant that's
(37:16):
sitting at the desk that has thejoyful hello, that has the, I'm
ready to help.
Or you're the CEO that has thevision, or you are the custodian
that is cleaning the place sothat, when everybody comes,
there's not garbage everywherebut it's a clean place to be,
(37:37):
that's right.
Whatever God has called you todo, let's go out, and do it,
that's right.
Let's be who God has pushed usto be.
That's right.
So I just went on a wholelittle.
I'm sorry.
It's okay, it was needed.
I went on a whole little.
I'm sorry, it's okay, it wasneeded.
I went on a whole little thing,but so I want to get back to
you and I want to get back to so.
(37:58):
You talked about how yourcircle matters.
You talked about how spendingtime with God matters.
You've talked about howsacrificing and pushing that
plate matters.
You talked about how studyingthe word matters.
Is there anything else that youfeel is important for the
(38:20):
people to know?
To get to that?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
yes, I think the other piece to that is
identifying what is my purpose.
So if I'm going to say yes, Ineed to have an ear to hear, and
a lot of times we have a lot ofclutter in our lives, in our
minds.
There's a lot of noise in theearth, and so one of the things
(38:42):
that I've learned just mostrecently I can't watch
everything on TV.
I can't listen to everything onsocial media.
I have to be very clear Justthe last couple of months, the
Lord has pulled me off Facebook.
There's a lot of noise on FB, alot of noise in TikTok, a lot
of noise on YouTube, so I'vebeen very, very quiet on purpose
(39:05):
.
I'll post maybe once a week andthen I'm off.
Okay, Because I want to makesure that what I'm doing
glorifies God one and that mymotive is always pure.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Those with a pure heart shall see God, and so in
your yes, you want to make surethat you can really hear God and
declutter the clutter.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Declutter the clutter .
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Declutter the clutter .
Speaker 1 (39:29):
And clutter being not just your life, but all that
you are, you're taking in,that's right your ear gates,
your eye gates.
Yes, all the things that we aretaking in.
It really does matter.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
It matters that we are taking in.
It really does matter, itmatters.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
I remember a season in my life where I was all about
the housewives and you know,still say, say, say, say but I'm
watching the housewives and Isaw some of those things coming
out of me.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
And I was like.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
That's not even who I am.
I don't even like it when I seethat.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
But that's what I was ingesting.
It's so funny you said that,valeria, because there is one
housewife that I was recordingfaithfully the last couple of
years, and last year the HolySpirit said, not this year, and
I stopped recording it becausewhat I was seeing was not only
getting in my spirit, it was inmy house.
Yes, this is now sound in myatmosphere yes, exactly.
(40:31):
That doesn't represent thekingdom and so you have to.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Once you push the things out, now you have to fill
up with the word that's rightthings out.
Now you have to fill up withthe word.
And so what?
How do you fill up with theword on a on a daily basis?
I mean, I know we're notwalking around, you know?
Oh, bless the King hallelujahevery day.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
We're not, you know we're not.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
We're not, you know, just walking around in prayer
all the time.
So what are practical ways thatyou are able to clear the
declutter and have a continuous.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
Yes, you know, one of the things that I've just
started, probably the last fourmonths or so is reading a book.
Months or so is reading a book,and so I picked up a book
called Dangerous Prayers thatstretches your prayer life to a
whole nother level that you justbelieve God for anything and
everything by praying dangerousprayers, being very open to the
(41:36):
Lord, being very vulnerable, andso one of the things that I'm
trying to do is get out of theTV and start reading more
Christian books, but alsolistening to the word of God,
and so not just reading but alsohaving it in my ear.
I love that.
It's audible now you can get itanywhere audible.
Also, just being able to watchChristian movies like get it out
(41:59):
of kind of that normal, andthis is not my everyday, I don't
want to say like I'm this, butI will say that I'm being just
more mindful and selective ofwhat I'm listening to, what I'm
watching.
I sit a lot of times just inquiet.
Valeria, I'm very grateful forthe space that I have at home.
(42:19):
Sometimes it's in the bathroom,sometimes it's in my closet,
sometimes it's in the officehome.
Sometimes it's in the bathroom,sometimes it's in my closet,
sometimes it's in the office,but I'll sit just before the
Lord just to hear and to bereally still.
One of my favorite scripturesis Psalms 46 and 10, be still
and know that I am God.
Being still in God's presenceis uncomfortable.
Sometimes it is Because ourmind is so naturally just
(42:44):
tweaked to I got to do this, Igot to do this, I got to go here
.
I got to, and so I purposelymake myself be still.
Yeah, I turn the phone facedown so I cannot see it.
I don't have an Apple watch on.
I don't want to hear.
It's just me and God.
Okay, and that is every singleday.
Okay, on purpose.
Wow, it's just me and God.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
Okay, and that is every single day.
Okay, on purpose.
Wow, that's good, that's good.
I definitely try to spend sometime in quiet but, like you said
a lot of times, the noise inour minds.
It takes a moment to get quiet.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
It does Even when you're quiet.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yes, it takes a moment for your mind to quiet
down and for you to not hearyour yourself or the thing.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
The list of things you have to do um, but to hear
God.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
And I don't want to be so super spiritual that we
that we like gloss over things.
So I know a question thatsomebody is going to ask is well
, how do you hear God, how doyou know that it's God?
Speaker 2 (43:47):
that is speaking.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
So can you give us some insight into that?
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Yeah, so one of the things that you will know that
it's God is that his word willback it up.
Right and sometimes, you know Iused to.
When I was a babe in Christ, Iused to pray things like Lord,
(44:12):
let me see it on a billboard,lord, let me see it outside.
And he will not always give theburning bush just the reality,
but sometimes he will send aValeria to speak a word that
he's already said to me and I'mlooking around the room like, oh
me.
And he will send a random person, and or not, to confirm his
word.
If it is of God, it will matchthe word of God.
Absolutely If it is not of God,it will not match the word of
(44:32):
God.
Just very clear, black andwhite.
But you got to know.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
You got to know the word, the word of God in order
to be able to discern that'sright, what is and what isn't.
That is right, and so that's whyit's important for us to study
that's right and show ourselvesapproved.
That's right, you know, yeah,that's good, that's good, that's
good, okay, okay.
So pressed into purpose.
(44:58):
We've talked about ministry.
Yes, we've talked about BFA.
We've talked about just familychallenges.
What would you like to leavewith the people when we talk
about being pressed into purpose?
(45:19):
What would you like to leavewith the audience on today?
Speaker 2 (45:23):
I think one of the things that I would say is one
just knowing who you are, I havea sister in the Lord.
I'm going to give her a shoutout Miriam Berry, years ago,
when I was going through myfirst marriage and it was broken
.
I was broken and I had thesetwo little girls to raise and I
didn't know who Rhonda was.
And Miriam would always remindme of the Word of God Rhonda,
(45:46):
you are fearfully andwonderfully made.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
I didn't know what that meant, Valeria.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
All I knew was that I was a mother, okay, and I was a
wife.
That was broken at the time,and she would drill that into me
often.
You are fearfully andwonderfully made.
You're fearfully, you'reanointed.
(46:12):
And the more she said it,valeria, the more I began to
believe it, and so I would startthere.
I would say to this audienceyou have to know what God says
about you is true.
His word says that you arefearfully and wonderfully made.
His word says that you areblessed.
His word says you are healed.
His word says you aredeliberate.
I could keep going.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
And the only way you'll know what his word says
is by getting in the word of GodAbsolutely.
And so that's the first thingIf you don't know who you are in
Christ, you must get to knowwho you are in Christ so that
you can find purpose.
Yeah, if you don't get to knowGod, you will never find purpose
.
You will go from this to that,and I'm a firm believer and my
(46:50):
life speaks it.
I've had job after job lookingfor purpose, not realizing every
job there was purpose.
I was running from it, but onceI stopped and I realized this
was not just about being an HRprofessional, it was about God
getting the glory throughwhatever assignment.
And you said earlier, if I amone that sweeps the floor, if
(47:14):
I'm the CEO and everything inbetween God, how do you get the
glory?
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
How does purpose come out of what you've assigned me
to do in the earth?
Yeah, that is the question, andthe answer is only found in his
word Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Amen, Amen.
Well, I just want to.
Well, before I even close out,do you have any questions for me
or any thoughts for me?
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Yeah, you know.
One of the things I would askValeria is how did you get here?
You, you know, I think your Sis already given to the Lord,
cause we're sitting here and yousaid it started in 2020, but
how, today, did this come topass?
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Wow, that's a very loaded question, loaded question
.
But I got here today because Ihave, in different stages of my
life, said yes, in some way,when I was younger, all the way
(48:31):
through I was raised in aChristian home with both my
parents and a father a deacon,mother a missionary, evangelist
and they were both Bibleteachers, and so at a very young
age they taught us the word ofGod.
And so, when I tell you, I wasserious about the father, I was
serious about my walk withChrist, and so all the way
through elementary school andreally in high school, I was on
(48:52):
fire for Jesus.
Talk to anybody that knew meduring that time.
They might have thought I was abit extra because I was.
But listen, I was like listen,you need to know Jesus and if
you don't, you're on your way tohell.
I don't want you to go to hell.
You know I'm saying so.
You need to get together,because you know we need to, we
need to be with Jesus, you needto be saved, and but if I fat so
(49:15):
so I was I was on fire.
I was on fire and all throughmy 20s I was on fire.
I was on fire and I got marriedand I was still on fire.
But marriage brings out somedifferent things and so we had
some challenges in our marriageand I was like God, but I've
done everything that you told meto do.
(49:35):
I've been following your word,I've been keeping your
commandments, and so I don'tunderstand why you know I'm
going through these thingsbecause I felt like I shouldn't
be going through these thingsbecause you know.
Speaker 2 (49:47):
I'm following the word.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
And that's something I would want people to know.
Don't think that because you'vegiven God a yes, that because
you've surrendered, that you arenot going to go through trials
and challenges, because thedifference between the believer
and the non-believer is we knowthat God is with us through the
(50:10):
challenges, but at that time Iwas not.
you know, I wasn't, I wasn'treally feeling all that, and so
me and God you know, we had alot of conversations and fast
forward through my marriage, acouple of separations and, at
that second separation in 2020,that is where I really
(50:35):
surrendered for real Amen.
So you were pressed Listen.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
I was pressed and pressed some more.
You got some oil.
And I had to.
I had to, I had to Come toterms with.
This was not about me.
And so when I finally reallysurrendered and I said God,
(51:03):
whatever you want me to do, amen.
However you want me to do, amen.
However you want me to do it,I'll do it.
Show me what you have for me.
What do you want from me?
And he began to download allthese different things into me.
And the Bible talks about wittyideas and inventions.
And I remember sitting on mycouch in that apartment by
(51:25):
myself and, um, I just hurtbreast into purpose and I was
going through so much ronda,like I didn't want the marriage
anymore.
Yeah, I didn't.
I didn't want to do it anymore.
But god said somethingdifferent, absolutely, and I
finally had to surrender to whatGod said and not what Valeria
(51:47):
wanted or didn't?
Want.
That's right, and so when Ibegan to surrender, even before
we started this, one of thethings I told you, one of the
things that came up was theprayer for my husband.
I remember a time when I didn'twant to pray for him.
I didn't want to pray for him,I didn't want to pray for our
marriage, but that was exactlywhat God was telling me to do,
(52:11):
and so I finally had tosurrender, and every day.
I cried.
I cried while I prayed theprayer that God had laid on my
heart and as I cried, every daygot a little bit better, which
means every day God was breakingdown a little bit more of my
wall that I had put up of what Ididn't want to do, and so when
I heard God say pressed intopurpose, I was like, well, what
do?
Speaker 2 (52:31):
you want me to do with that?
Speaker 1 (52:33):
He said a podcast and I said, god, there are a lot of
people out here talking about alot of different things and we
don't need another voice outhere in the world.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Isn't it funny how we tell God what he needs.
The creator, the king of kings,the lord of lords, listen, we
tell him.
Speaker 1 (52:52):
I said, god, there doesn't need to be another voice
out here, there's enough.
There's millions of podcasts.
I don't need to be out here inpodcast land.
Here we are.
But here we are four yearslater that's right Recording the
first episode and from 2020 to2024, more challenges have come
(53:15):
up, that's right.
But I know that this is God'swill.
Yes, because he didn't.
He never let it go, that'sright.
He continued to drop nuggets.
He continued to have peoplelike you in my life to ask me,
to hold me accountable.
(53:35):
Didn't you say the Lord saidwhat are you doing with what the
Lord said?
Are you still going to do suchand such?
You know, I mean got birthedBFA and you in 2020.
And you held me accountable andstill hold me accountable and
grateful.
I didn't neither one of us,really wanted to do either of
(53:57):
the things, all of that, but wenow know.
Yes, we now know that our wayis not the way.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (54:07):
Period For certain.
That's right.
We're now clear, we're clear,we're clear.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
The God's way is the way, and so I got here because I
surrendered, but I also hadpeople like you to hold me
accountable and to pray for me,and I have a wonderful husband
who supports me in all of myendeavors.
And I listen 2020, I wasn'tsaying that, but in 2024, I am
(54:36):
grateful and thankful for thejourney that God has taken us on
as a couple, but then also thathe's taken me on personally,
because he had to get me to fullsurrender, yes, and every day
he wants full surrender, that'sright, and some days we get it
right Some days.
Speaker 2 (54:56):
we don't, that's right.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
But thank God for another day with breath in our
body and grace and mercy, andgrace and mercy.
Yes, yes, that he allows us tohave another opportunity that
our body and grace and mercy andgrace and mercy, yes, yes, that
he allows us to have anotheropportunity.
That's right, to do what he'scalled us to do and fulfill
that's right, our purpose,that's right.
So, god, we thank you, yes,lord, for never allowing us to
(55:17):
be comfortable, yes, andcomplacent, in a place that
you've not called us to.
We thank you that you challengeus and that you press us to
continue to move into purpose.
We thank you that you've givenus all purpose.
We thank you that you've givenus all a unique purpose, lord
(55:38):
God, in the earth, to impact ourcircle of influence.
So, father, I thank you forthis time.
We thank you for this time, wethank you for this conversation,
we thank you for just all thenuggets that have come from it.
And, lord God, we, we give youglory, honor and praise and we
will continue to press into ourpurpose in Jesus name Amen.
(56:01):
Thank you, thank you, I loveyou so much.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
I love you so much, I appreciate you so much, and
it's only up from here for you.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Amen.
It's only up from here, ditto.
I look forward to seeing allthe other things that God is
going to birth out of RhondaDenise Robinson.
Thank you.
Thank you, valeria, god blessyou.
God bless you.
God bless you, and thank youall for listening.
Thank you for tuning in toPrecedent, to Purpose the
(56:31):
podcast, and we will see you onthe next episode.
Let me wipe my nose one more time.
I said you can hear everybreath that I take, jesus, every
breath you take.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Destiny Film and.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Media and their great mic-age.
Bless the king.
These are good mics, very goodmics.
Are we ready to go?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I've been recording all day Five minutes, and I just
started recording.
Oh okay, I was about to saybecause you Alright quiet on the
set oh jeez Let me get that out, okay, and I'm just doing it.
Alright, quiet on the set.
(00:42):
Cameras are rolling and I'mcoming on one.
One is ready and we're comingon two.
All right, valeria, now okay.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So if there's anything you want to, address to
the people Look at that camera.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's your personal camera.
Okay, that's your personalcamera.
It's just a two-shot and if youwant both, you want to look.
You know, I just cut to it.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Okay, so I'll start here, then I'll turn there, okay
.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
All right and action.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Hello, my name is Valeria Wright, the creator of
Pressed Into Purpose.
Pressed Into Purpose is apodcast dedicated to examining
the journey toward discovering,embracing and living out one's
purpose.
In each episode, my guests willprovide their perspectives on
how they identified theirpurpose and the ways in which
(01:36):
accepting and pursuing it hasinfluenced and transformed their
lives.
What is purpose?
It's the ultimate aim or goal.
To sum it up, it's the reasonwhy you were created, or why you
exist.
Prestige to Purpose is based ontwo scriptures Jeremiah 29, 11,
(01:57):
for I know the thoughts that Ithink toward you, sayeth the
Lord, thoughts of peace and notof evil, to give you an expected
end and 2 Corinthians 4, verses8 through 10,.
We are pressed on every side bytroubles, but we are not
crushed.
We are perplexed but not drivento despair.
(02:20):
We are hunted down.
We are hunted down but neverabandoned by God.
We get knocked down but we arenot destroyed Through suffering.
Our bodies continue to share inthe death of Jesus, so that the
life of Jesus may also be seenin our bodies.
So let us meet today's guest,our first guest on the podcast
(02:50):
President to Purpose.
Her name is Rhonda Robinson.
Rhonda Denise Robinson is theExecutive Director of Beauty for
Ashes BFA.
In this role, rhonda managesthe Board of Dire directors, a
team providing programs andevents that support low-income
families and high-risk youth.
Beauty for Ashes Corp is anorganization that seeks to
(03:12):
empower and inspire people andhigh-risk youth of all walks of
life that have experienced someform of brokenness through
single parenting, marriage,divorce, financial devastation,
insecurities and otherlife-gripping challenges.
Bfa provides outreach services,career services, resume review,
(03:35):
mentoring and coachingconferences, quarterly workshops
and other projects and eventsthat will empower people to move
past the state of being brokeninto a state of restoration in
all areas of their lives andultimately see their beauty
through the pain of traumaticlife experiences.
A big believer in giving back,rhonda is always looking for
(03:59):
ways for her organization toserve and give back to the less
fortunate.
Professionally, rhonda has beena human resources leader for
over 15 years in corporateAmerica as well as in the
nonprofit sector.
Rhonda takes pride in providingexcellent customer service to
the employees that she supportsand is always available to go
(04:21):
beyond the call of duty.
Rhonda has worked as an HRprofessional for McDonald's
Corporation, allstate CatholicCharities and FedEx Express.
As the vice president of humanservices and, I'm sorry, as the
vice president of humanresources and programs at
Easterseals, serving Chicagolandand the greater Rockford.
(04:42):
Her goals I am so sorry therest of that did not come
through, I don't know why.
Oh, hold on, wait a minute.
So I'll start at as the as thevice president, give me one
second.
We were so close.
(05:02):
Go in there.
Get my note, bio.
Ah, here we go.
In Greater Rockford, her goalsinclude coaching and mentoring
(05:23):
leaders, executive coaching,creating processes and systems,
training and development andfacilitating change in the
organization.
Rhonda holds an MBA in businessand a Bachelor of Arts degree
in organizational managementfrom Concordia University,
chicago.
She has been married to herbest friend, dwayne Robinson,
for the past 10 years and hastwo incredible daughters,
(05:46):
brianna Winbush, 32, andBrittany Winbush 28.
Please help me welcome ourfirst guest, the very first
guest of the podcast Preston toPurpose, rhonda Robinson.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Rhonda welcome.
Thank you so much, Valeria.
I am so glad to have you here.
I'm excited to be here, Reallyexcited.
Thank you for this amazingopportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
It is.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
We have known each other for oh five years, five or
six, five or six years and wemet at church.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Yes, and we were in new members class.
Yes, and in new members class,we realized that you know our
love for Jesus and our love forlaughter.
Yes, it brought us together.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
And our love for singing.
We later found out.
That is right, that is right.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
So we had so many things in common.
And listen, learn thosescriptures, honey.
That was rough, it was, it was.
So we had so many things incommon and listen, learn those
scriptures, honey.
That was rough, it was, it was.
But we made it.
But we made it and we becamefull partners.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
We did.
You know what I'm saying we did.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
So I am.
Ever since I met you, it hasfelt like we have known each
other for years, agreed, and Iam some of the things we've
talked about.
So many things, yes, over theselast few years, and we have
connected in so many ways.
Yes, and I love you because youare able to cut right through
(07:20):
all of the foolishness that weenjoy so much, all of the
foolishness that we enjoy somuch, and you can get, and you
hear from the Lord and you youget right in it.
Okay, I love that about youBecause sometimes you know we
need to just get right on inthere and cut to it and be like
thus, saith the Lord so that wecan get together.
(07:43):
But I am really excited aboutthis talk today.
I'm really excited about whatGod has done in your life and
I'm excited for you to sharewith the people all the things
that God has done in your life.
So I'm going to start with ourfirst question, which is
throughout your life, you've hadsome challenges and some
(08:05):
triumphs.
As you have walked through this, what do you believe is your
purpose?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
So, first of all, thank you again, valeria, for
the opportunity.
I am indeed grateful and veryproud of you and your yes, you
know.
In regards to this firstquestion, I think that one of my
purposes probably more the mostimportant purpose is to be a
light for others.
I get a joy in pushing,coaching other people, not just
(08:35):
professionally, but also in mypersonal life.
I think that I have beenextremely blessed to have people
that have stretched me.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
And so the way that I give back is doing the same for
others, even when they don'twant to be stretched.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Amen, oh goodness.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
And I think you know.
I think in doing that, itallows us to walk into what true
purpose really looks like.
I am learning as I get youngerand younger Come on.
It is not good to waste time,and so I think it's important to
really chime into what isreally, what makes you get up in
the morning.
What could you do for free?
(09:12):
Why do you do what you do andfor me you know being that coach
, that advocate, thatcheerleader for others, I get
such a high off of that.
I love seeing people connectdots for themselves.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
And so that's one of the reasons why I love just
being available for people andto develop them to be the best
they can be.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Okay, so you talked about being a pusher, being an
encourager and a coach.
When did you first discoverthat that was something inside
of you?
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Great question.
I'm an only child, and so mymom and dad just poured
everything that they had into me, even when they didn't have it,
and so one of the things that Inaturally saw my mom, the
oldest of eight, do is pour intoher siblings and her family.
Okay, and so it was very easyfor me to model that as I
(10:08):
watched my mom model it, and soI think just early on in life, I
knew that there was somethingdifferent about Rhonda Denise.
I also knew that my mom and dadhad another child prior to me
that did not make it, died atbirth, and that child was born
with umbilical cord around hisneck, jesus, and a year later I
(10:30):
was actually born the sameidentical way, and God spared me
.
Oh, my gosh, and so my mom wouldalways remind me, Valeria, of
the importance that you made itfor a reason.
Jesus, yes, you did, and so Iam always reflective of that
experience.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You about to take me out already, I did not know that
.
Okay, carry on, carry on.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
I'm always reflective of that experience that I
didn't die like my brother, butGod spared me for such a time as
this.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Wow, yes, he did.
For such a time as this.
Wow, yes, he did.
Yeah, that is like a just fromthe very beginning of your life.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
Before the foundation of the world.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
God knew what he had for you.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
He knew, he said for I know the plans I have for you.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Jeremiah 29, 11.
I'm just saying the scripturethat this is based off of.
Listen.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And he said he knew us before we were even in our
mother's wombs, that's right.
And so he protected you.
That's right To bring you, notjust through birth, not just
through childhood, but to thisvery moment where you are now
impacting lives in so manydifferent ways.
You are impacting lives withyour secular job, which you know
(11:53):
human resources, I mean.
People are literally hired andfired because you sit in the
room.
You see what I'm saying.
You are leading that charge andthen also, with Beauty for
Ashes, you are helping people topick up the pieces of their
lives and move forward.
I mean, so what can you share?
(12:15):
A story or a time where well,let's start here, where was
Beauty?
How was Beauty for Ashes birth?
Such a great question?
That is what the people want toknow.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Yeah, how was Beauty for Ashes birth.
Such a great question.
That is what the people want toknow.
Yeah, so in 2020, verylife-changing year for me my mom
was diagnosed with canceraround May or June of 2020.
And my mother was a woman offaith and believed God, did not
choose to have natural medicine,but she stood on her faith and,
(12:46):
flat-footed, stood on her faiththat God would heal her this
side or on the other side, andalso in the same year, we just
had some family challenges, verytraumatic challenges in my
immediate family that took me toa very deep place in the Lord.
And in 2020, it was just a verystrange year and I heard the
(13:08):
Lord say BFA was to be birthed.
Because I was going through alot of traumatic situations.
I questioned God because it wassuch a hard year between mom,
between other things that weregoing on, and finally gave God a
yes in October of 2020.
And in saying yes, thingsdidn't get better, valeria.
(13:30):
They actually got worse, andthe worse that they became, the
stronger my yes became, and Ican look back now, four years
later, and tell you that I wasshaking, saying yes.
Look back now, four years later, and tell you that I was
shaking, saying yes.
I was crying daily saying yes,getting repeated calls from
(13:55):
people that had negative news,and still it was yes.
And, as I stated earlier, momstood on her faith that she
would be healed this side or theother, and God did the other.
And so Christmas day 2020, momwas gone and it was still yes.
Valeria and BFA continued to dothe work and mom was able to
(14:18):
see some of that before she left.
And the other piece to that ismom not only saw a piece of BFA,
but the other part of my heartthat was broken.
In 2020, mom saw hergranddaughter healed, and so I'm
grateful that 2020 came with alot of challenges, a lot of
(14:38):
heartache, a lot of hard news,but at the end of 2020, my
mother, who loved me and hergrandchildren, and my dad saw
all of us whole.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Hallelujah.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
And saw me walk into purpose with beauty, for ashes
Come on and saw her BrittanyChanel Wimbush.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Come on.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Walk out of danger into God's marvelous light.
Hallelujah, hallelujah,hallelujah, listen, yeah,
grateful, ooh Grateful, we shallsee it.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, listen,yeah, grateful.
Speaker 1 (15:06):
Ooh.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Grateful.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
We shall see it.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
Yes, listen Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
In the land of the living.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
And I want to just add December the 19th, I was at
a Beauty for Ashes event and Igot a call from my dad and he
had been calling a couple timesand I'm like, daddy, you know
I'm at an event, right, right?
So I'm going to answer thethird time, right?
So I answered the phone and mydad said something's wrong with
your mom, and so what I didn'tknow at the time is I left my
(15:37):
BFA event and I drove to myparents' house and my mom she
was alert but in pain on thefloor, and Brittany was right
there.
She saw Brittany and we tookher to the hospital.
Her last words to me waswhere's your dad?
That was her last words Where'syour dad.
Cause get concerned about others.
(15:57):
I said daddy's in the car.
I said I'm about to take himhome.
She said, okay, that was thelast time I saw her alive, Wow.
The beauty of that, though, isthe day before she saw Brittany,
and she said Brittany, is thatyou?
Are you good?
And Brittany said yes, Grandma,All right.
And the scripture that comes tomy Valeria is Romans 8 and 28.
(16:18):
All things.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
All things.
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Are still working together for our good, for our
good, and so in that moment itwas for our good, and my mother
used to always say it is well,it was well.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Listen.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
It was well.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Whether she was speaking it in faith or whether
she was speaking it because shesaw it right.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Then that's right All is well, all is right.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
All is well All is well, all is well Wow.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Wow, you are, listen, your your life and your journey
, and that that year of 2020 wasa challenge for a lot of people
, for a lot of people, yes.
For so many different reasons.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
For you to, for us to be in the middle of a worldwide
pandemic and you go through allof those things on top of that.
That's right.
And you still gave God a yes.
Yes, that that's the part.
So how?
Because, listen, god speakssometimes and we're like, well,
(17:28):
lord, I don't want to do that,but you got past what you didn't
want to do and you said yesanyway.
How were you able?
Speaker 2 (17:42):
to do that From saying no for so many years.
You know, sometimes it takes usa long time to get to that yes,
and I remember as like a youngadult, 1920, saying out loud God
, I'll give you the Y-E, but I'mkeeping the S, and so I'm just
being honest.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
And this is why we're friends.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Rhonda did Rhonda.
I just being honest, and thisis why we're friends.
Rhonda did Rhonda.
I'm being honest.
I did me Growing up in thechurch PK.
I knew what not to do but I didit anyway because I'm going to
keep the S and so by the time Igot 40-ish, the S started kind
of coming.
Okay, I understand why you needthe entire three letters.
(18:27):
Yes, because a lot of times wego around these mountains and
these valleys that we choose.
It ain't the devil, come on,it's us.
It was Rhonda.
Tell the people again thespoiled, only child that I know
was best for me, it was me.
Yeah, and so if God had toallow those things that happened
(18:51):
in 2020 to get the S, he gotthe S.
Wow, and I'm grateful that mymom was still here to see BFA to
see, brittany, yes, and I'mgrateful that he didn't touch
anything else because I gave himthe S.
Okay, god, you can have it all.
You can have it all.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Listen, before we started, we were singing.
I say, yes, that's right Lord.
Yes, yes, that's right, that'sright.
Speaker 2 (19:20):
He knows what to do to get the yes.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
He knows what it takes for us to get to yes,
absolutely.
Oh my gosh, that's such afamiliar story.
Different situation, but afamiliar story, just even in my
current day saying yes, therehave just I mean, we're talking
(19:44):
about the month of November Iunderstand.
God had to get me togetherbecause I was like God, I will
do what you want me to do, howyou want me to do it.
No, no, that's not what I said.
I said, god, I will do whateveryou want me to do, every way,
except for that one.
Yeah, that's what I said, I getit.
I will do whatever you want meto do, every way, except for
(20:05):
that one.
Yeah, that's what I said, I getit.
And um, yeah, in November.
Uh, he took me to the word.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
You know um and the word that rings true every day,
all day was about those childrenof Israel.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
You see what I'm saying and how it was an 11 days
journey.
That's right To get to thepromised land.
How many years?
It took them?
40 years.
Why yeah, because they chose todo things their way, their way,
that's right.
And so, yeah, I said, okay, god, okay, yeah, all right.
(20:40):
So you want me to do it.
You not only want me to do whatyou want me to do, but you also
want me to do it how you wantme to do it.
That's right, so I don't get achoice in that that's right.
So I surrender, and so, yeah,this is part of that surrender.
Amen, amen.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
There's a scripture that says many are the plans of
Valerian Rhonda, but it is the.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Lord's plans.
Come on, that shall prevail.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
That shall prevail, I stand on that word so often
from small things like God.
On Saturday I want to go toTarget and I want to go here and
he will completely shiftbecause it's not about us.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
Because he cares about the little things he does.
People think that he only caresabout the large things, but no,
god cares about all theintimate details of our lives.
Because everything matters.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
It all matters In the hands of the one that created
us Correct, and we forget thatsometimes.
We forget that a lot of timeswe forget it of the one that
created us Correct and we forgetthat sometimes we forget that.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
A lot of times we forget it.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
The one that created us, that we are created.
That's right In his image?
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Yes, in his likeness, that's right, that's right, you
know so.
But he gives us that free will.
That's right, and sometimes ourfree will, yes, will we hold on
?
Speaker 2 (22:02):
to that.
That's right, that's right andwe don't submit it back to him.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
That's right, but he is waiting for us to submit back
to him, so he continues topress us, that's right.
He continues to press us,that's right.
He continues to press us.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (22:15):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
He continues to press us until the oil that he wants
to come out of our lives beginsto flow On your life.
Okay, so I witnessed youbecoming a minister in the
Lord's church.
Amen, and it was.
(22:38):
I know that that was anotheryes.
Yes, and it was another levelof sacrifice.
Yes, can you tell me how youcame to accept that call on your
life?
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Yeah, sure, as I said earlier, both my mom and dad
were pastors and so all I knowis church.
And at my former church, jwJames AME in Maywood, Illinois,
just doing a shout out, one ofthe pastors, founder Lucille
Jackson, would always mistakenlycall me my mother's name,
(23:15):
reverend Dorothy, and then she'dlook at me and go, oh, that's
Rhonda.
But I realized it wasn't amistake and others around me
knew that and she knew it and Iran from that because I didn't
want the reverend on my name.
I ran for it for a long time,very, very long time, because in
(23:38):
my opinion I was doing the work, I didn't need the title.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
Come on, okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Just my truth.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Okay, okay.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
My truth, and as a preacher's kid, I saw my mom and
dad go through a lot Front rowseat With the people.
Front row seat With the people.
Front row seat Us.
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
The people.
But finally, I knew that it wastime and I also knew that I
needed to do it and to do itright.
Yeah.
But even in the yes ValeriaI'll add this piece my husband
and I were not in the samechurch, okay, and so even as I
was going through the class, Ifelt the nudge of the Lord say
(24:17):
that this would not be where Iwould be forever.
Okay, because I knew he wantedus together.
Yeah, and so I'm grateful that,through the yes, through a year
and a half of the ministerialclass, god did it.
Okay, and my husband was thereto witness it.
Amen.
But I also knew that that wasprobably going to be it.
That would be some of the lastmoments in that ministry for me.
(24:43):
Yeah, because it wasn't aboutthe title, it was about the yes.
Yeah, and so I'm grateful tosay that we are now together,
amen.
And so I'm grateful to say thatwe are now together, serving,
worshiping in the same ministry,growing, really just seeing God
do amazing things in ourmarriage in 10 years that we've
never seen.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Come on, because when we give God a yes listen, he
says seek ye first the kingdomof.
God and his righteousness andall the things he'll be added
unto you, that's right.
So listen when we put God first, when we prioritize him, which
is giving him that yes theneverything else has to line up.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
But let me tell you what happens in that yes, okay,
when you start to make the yes,that's when the press gets even
harder.
You are telling the truthBecause, god, you want me to
leave a familiar place to gowith my familiar husband.
Got it, okay, but unfamiliarterritory by myself.
(25:42):
So now the press is like, oh,it's really a press, yeah, and
it's out of comfort.
But I could hear the Lord saydo you trust me?
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Why does he always ask us that?
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Because we live sometimes as if we don't and we
say things and we operate as ifwe don't.
Yeah, and I'm guilty.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I promise you, I'm guilty Same same.
You said something there, we.
You said something there.
We say God, I trust you.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Oh God, I trust you.
We say the scripture trust inthe Lord with all your heart.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Lean, not to your own understanding in all that way
Acknowledge him, and he shalldirect your path.
Oh God.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
I trust you.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
But then our actions that come after that, completely
opposite.
Completely opposite, ornegating what we just professed
Guilty, what we just said I'mguilty For sure what we just
confessed and spoke forward.
Why is it that you think we dothat?
(26:47):
We're scared.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
First of all, I can only talk for Rhonda.
I am a control freak.
I'm a baby control freak.
No comment.
There I'm learning you can'tcontrol this Right.
God is in control.
Yes, period Period no Period.
(27:13):
God is in control.
Period period no period with abase on it period.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
God is in control.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
I'm learning, so am I it's a day to day learning.
It's a day to day relinquishingthe control.
I'm not in control.
I can't see God what you see.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
And because I can't see what you see, why am I
trying to control that?
I can't see it.
Your sovereignty, you can.
In your sovereignty, you seethat yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
You see what's coming ahead.
You see what's coming ahead.
You see what's coming.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
You see who's coming.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
You see, who's leaving?
Yes, God, I got to trust youand the continued yes helps us
to be prepared.
That's correct For what heknows is coming.
That's correct and we don't Ifwe continue to give him a yes.
That's not saying that we'renot going to have challenges, Of
course.
It's just saying we'll bebetter equipped for the
(28:16):
challenges because we've saidyes.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
He's not going to.
There's a scripture it's about.
Basically, I can't think of thescripture, but he's not going
to.
Let us be caught unawares,that's right, that's right.
But the only way we can not becaught unawares is if we are
(28:39):
staying in his faith, which isprayer, which is studying his
word.
That's right, because that'swhat he has given us so that we
can be equipped, empowered.
That's our roadmap.
Yeah, that, equipped, empowered.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
That's our roadmap.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Yeah, that's the roadmap, that's our roadmap.
So what kind of advice wouldyou give to someone who is
struggling right now with thatyes?
What would you say to them?
Are the steps to surrender orto the yes?
Speaker 2 (29:14):
You know, one of the things that's really important,
Valeria, is having the rightaccountability people in your
life.
That is key.
You have to have the rightvoices in your spirit, in your
ear, and I'm not going toover-spiritualize that.
I'm going to be honest and saythere are people sometimes that
are so common to us as friends,as family, that may not be
(29:37):
speaking what you need to hear.
And if you have friends, slashfamily, your inner workings,
your tribe, your community.
If they are allowing you tostay comfortable, that's the
wrong community.
If you know, without a shadow ofa doubt, that there is a
different press purpose on yourlife, you need the right
(30:00):
individuals that will push youto be that that God has called
you to be and that is a dailysurrender.
That is being honest withyourself and with others, but
that's also surrounding yourselfwith the word of God, with
prayer, with fasting, but thenalso that accountability person
that can say hey, you, what areyou doing?
And give you deadlines, giveyou timelines, make sure that
(30:24):
you are fully persuaded to beall that God has called us to be
.
Yes, we do not have time towaste.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
We don't, Because I listen.
It's been said since I was achild Jesus is coming soon, he's
coming soon, but it has notchanged.
That's right.
Jesus is still coming soon andit's sooner now than it was when
I was a child when we werechildren sooner now than it was
(30:56):
when I was a child, when we werechildren.
So we have to, as they say inthe church, be about our
father's business, becausethat's the whole purpose of us
being on earth is to fulfill thewill of God, and we do that
through our service to others.
As we surrender to God, heallows us to be of service to
others in so many different ways.
You talked about how you are apusher and encourager, a helper,
(31:22):
all those different things, butyou can't do that unless you're
equipped to do so.
So can we talk a little bitabout your equipping stage?
What?
What were some of the thingsthat helped to equip you along
the way?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
You know, I was a single mom, uh, for about 10
years or so.
Um, I divorced my children'sdad in 1990 something and in
that season I learned veryquickly how God was a best
friend, was a provider, was ashepherd.
(32:01):
I learned how God can equip youto do what it is he's called you
to do.
I also learned how to praysomething as simple as God
provide my daughters witheverything a two-parent
household would have.
And in that season I learnedhow he equips, Come on.
And so I think it's because ofthat place, that place of really
being by myself me and Jesusand those two daughters I
(32:25):
learned what equip really,really means.
Okay, I also learned theimportance of having again the
right people.
I'm an only child, as I saidearlier, and so I started early
praying for sisters, and God hasdone that.
He has blown my mind with thewomen of God.
He's placed in my life,including you, and to be able to
(32:46):
have others to look up to andto model and to see their faith
grow and walk into purpose.
We're doing a recording as wespeak.
Because of your yes, God willequip if you ask.
That's the key.
Sometimes we're afraid to ask.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Because with asking comes a lot of responsibility.
The responsibility, yeah, buthe will equip if you ask if
you're ready, yeah.
Here's the other thing aboutbeing a pusher.
Sometimes people don't want tobe pushed listen, who are you
telling?
Speaker 1 (33:20):
listen, um, listen, I am a.
I am a pusher as well, and soin my early years, listen, I was
pushing everybody abouteverything because you need to
be the best that you can behoney.
Listen, no, no, no, youshouldn't.
You're satisfied here.
(33:40):
No, no, no, no, no.
You need to be here, you needto do this, you need to be going
forward and doing this anddoing this.
And you know what I realized?
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Some people are very fine.
Listen yes.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
And content.
That's right.
In where they are, that's right.
And you know what?
If that's the choice that theyhave made, it is okay.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
It's okay.
It's hard for us pushers,though, to let that go Very hard
, but I've learned I can't wantit more than you.
That part I can't.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
That part Because it frustrates us.
It is so frustrating and nowI'm out of the grace of God.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Come on, because now I want to cuss you out.
I'm sorry, uh-huh, come on.
What are you doing?
What are you doing?
Why are you wasting time?
Why are you wasting time?
That's not for us to do?
Speaker 1 (34:27):
It is not because we did not give them the purpose
God did.
That's right.
And who are we to say whattheir purpose?
Speaker 2 (34:33):
is Because now I've stepped over into a whole nother
role.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
And out of.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
God's will Exactly Period.
And the other part of that iseverybody, as much as we want in
this generation, as much as wewant everybody.
I'm an entrepreneur, I'm aleader generation as much as we
want everybody.
I'm an entrepreneur, I'm aleader, I'm a visionary, I'm
this and I'm going to do thisand I'm going to do that.
If everybody is leading, whowill follow?
(35:05):
That's right, that's right andif everybody has a vision.
Who's going to push?
Speaker 2 (35:08):
the vision?
Who's going to?
Speaker 1 (35:10):
execute it.
Who's going to execute thevision that's?
Right so we need everyone,everyone to pour into what God
has given us.
So you have the people.
You're surrounded by, thepeople who are helping you to
push BFA, the vision that Godhas given you.
I am surrounding myself withpeople that are helping me to
push the things that God has puton the inside of me, including
(35:30):
this pressed into purpose, andwe have to honor the grace that
not only is on our lives, butthe grace that's on other
people's lives, becauseeverybody has a tribe, everybody
has a circle of influence.
(35:51):
That's right.
And so what are you doing inyour circle of influence?
That's what we, that's what wereally have to get to, because
in this purpose, we are impactwhere every listen.
We are impacting our circle ofinfluence, our part of the world
.
That's right.
We don't.
Everybody is not called to be,everybody's not called to the
(36:13):
masses, that's right.
That's right.
Some people are called righthere, that's right.
In the local area, that's right.
To impact lives and let's stoptaking that for granted.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
That's right.
Like everybody's not going tobe Oprah, that's right.
Everybody's not called to beOprah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Some of us are called I think about.
I think about my parents andyour parents and the lives that
they have impacted in theircircle of influence, and the
people who have grown, thepeople who have been saved, the
people who have been set free,the people who have been
encouraged just because theysaid yes in their circle of
(36:55):
influence.
And so that's really what I wantpeople to get as we have these
conversations Take the nuggetand understand what your purpose
is, how to get to your purposeso that you can have the impact
that God has called you to have.
Whether you are theadministrative assistant that's
(37:16):
sitting at the desk that has thejoyful hello, that has the, I'm
ready to help.
Or you're the CEO that has thevision, or you are the custodian
that is cleaning the place sothat, when everybody comes,
there's not garbage everywherebut it's a clean place to be,
(37:37):
that's right.
Whatever God has called you todo, let's go out, and do it,
that's right.
Let's be who God has pushed usto be.
That's right.
So I just went on a wholelittle.
I'm sorry.
It's okay, it was needed.
I went on a whole little.
I'm sorry, it's okay, it wasneeded.
I went on a whole little thing,but so I want to get back to
you and I want to get back to so.
(37:58):
You talked about how yourcircle matters.
You talked about how spendingtime with God matters.
You've talked about howsacrificing and pushing that
plate matters.
You talked about how studyingthe word matters.
Is there anything else that youfeel is important for the
(38:20):
people to know?
To get to that?
Speaker 2 (38:21):
yes, I think the other piece to that is
identifying what is my purpose.
So if I'm going to say yes, Ineed to have an ear to hear, and
a lot of times we have a lot ofclutter in our lives, in our
minds.
There's a lot of noise in theearth, and so one of the things
(38:42):
that I've learned just mostrecently I can't watch
everything on TV.
I can't listen to everything onsocial media.
I have to be very clear Justthe last couple of months, the
Lord has pulled me off Facebook.
There's a lot of noise on FB, alot of noise in TikTok, a lot
of noise on YouTube, so I'vebeen very, very quiet on purpose
(39:05):
.
I'll post maybe once a week andthen I'm off.
Okay, Because I want to makesure that what I'm doing
glorifies God one and that mymotive is always pure.
Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Those with a pure heart shall see God, and so in
your yes, you want to make surethat you can really hear God and
declutter the clutter.
Speaker 1 (39:25):
Declutter the clutter .
Speaker 2 (39:28):
Declutter the clutter .
Speaker 1 (39:29):
And clutter being not just your life, but all that
you are, you're taking in,that's right your ear gates,
your eye gates.
Yes, all the things that we aretaking in.
It really does matter.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
It matters that we are taking in.
It really does matter, itmatters.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
I remember a season in my life where I was all about
the housewives and you know,still say, say, say, say but I'm
watching the housewives and Isaw some of those things coming
out of me.
Speaker 2 (40:01):
And I was like.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
That's not even who I am.
I don't even like it when I seethat.
Speaker 2 (40:11):
But that's what I was ingesting.
It's so funny you said that,valeria, because there is one
housewife that I was recordingfaithfully the last couple of
years, and last year the HolySpirit said, not this year, and
I stopped recording it becausewhat I was seeing was not only
getting in my spirit, it was inmy house.
Yes, this is now sound in myatmosphere yes, exactly.
(40:31):
That doesn't represent thekingdom and so you have to.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
Once you push the things out, now you have to fill
up with the word that's rightthings out.
Now you have to fill up withthe word.
And so what?
How do you fill up with theword on a on a daily basis?
I mean, I know we're notwalking around, you know?
Oh, bless the King hallelujahevery day.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
We're not, you know we're not.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
We're not, you know, just walking around in prayer
all the time.
So what are practical ways thatyou are able to clear the
declutter and have a continuous.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
Yes, you know, one of the things that I've just
started, probably the last fourmonths or so is reading a book.
Months or so is reading a book,and so I picked up a book
called Dangerous Prayers thatstretches your prayer life to a
whole nother level that you justbelieve God for anything and
everything by praying dangerousprayers, being very open to the
(41:36):
Lord, being very vulnerable, andso one of the things that I'm
trying to do is get out of theTV and start reading more
Christian books, but alsolistening to the word of God,
and so not just reading but alsohaving it in my ear.
I love that.
It's audible now you can get itanywhere audible.
Also, just being able to watchChristian movies like get it out
(41:59):
of kind of that normal, andthis is not my everyday, I don't
want to say like I'm this, butI will say that I'm being just
more mindful and selective ofwhat I'm listening to, what I'm
watching.
I sit a lot of times just inquiet.
Valeria, I'm very grateful forthe space that I have at home.
(42:19):
Sometimes it's in the bathroom,sometimes it's in my closet,
sometimes it's in the officehome.
Sometimes it's in the bathroom,sometimes it's in my closet,
sometimes it's in the office,but I'll sit just before the
Lord just to hear and to bereally still.
One of my favorite scripturesis Psalms 46 and 10, be still
and know that I am God.
Being still in God's presenceis uncomfortable.
Sometimes it is Because ourmind is so naturally just
(42:44):
tweaked to I got to do this, Igot to do this, I got to go here
.
I got to, and so I purposelymake myself be still.
Yeah, I turn the phone facedown so I cannot see it.
I don't have an Apple watch on.
I don't want to hear.
It's just me and God.
Okay, and that is every singleday.
Okay, on purpose.
Wow, it's just me and God.
Speaker 1 (43:03):
Okay, and that is every single day.
Okay, on purpose.
Wow, that's good, that's good.
I definitely try to spend sometime in quiet but, like you said
a lot of times, the noise inour minds.
It takes a moment to get quiet.
Speaker 2 (43:20):
It does Even when you're quiet.
Speaker 1 (43:22):
Yes, it takes a moment for your mind to quiet
down and for you to not hearyour yourself or the thing.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
The list of things you have to do um, but to hear
God.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
And I don't want to be so super spiritual that we
that we like gloss over things.
So I know a question thatsomebody is going to ask is well
, how do you hear God, how doyou know that it's God?
Speaker 2 (43:47):
that is speaking.
Speaker 1 (43:49):
So can you give us some insight into that?
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Yeah, so one of the things that you will know that
it's God is that his word willback it up.
Right and sometimes, you know Iused to.
When I was a babe in Christ, Iused to pray things like Lord,
(44:12):
let me see it on a billboard,lord, let me see it outside.
And he will not always give theburning bush just the reality,
but sometimes he will send aValeria to speak a word that
he's already said to me and I'mlooking around the room like, oh
me.
And he will send a random person, and or not, to confirm his
word.
If it is of God, it will matchthe word of God.
Absolutely If it is not of God,it will not match the word of
(44:32):
God.
Just very clear, black andwhite.
But you got to know.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
You got to know the word, the word of God in order
to be able to discern that'sright, what is and what isn't.
That is right, and so that's whyit's important for us to study
that's right and show ourselvesapproved.
That's right, you know, yeah,that's good, that's good, that's
good, okay, okay.
So pressed into purpose.
(44:58):
We've talked about ministry.
Yes, we've talked about BFA.
We've talked about just familychallenges.
What would you like to leavewith the people when we talk
about being pressed into purpose?
(45:19):
What would you like to leavewith the audience on today?
Speaker 2 (45:23):
I think one of the things that I would say is one
just knowing who you are, I havea sister in the Lord.
I'm going to give her a shoutout Miriam Berry, years ago,
when I was going through myfirst marriage and it was broken
.
I was broken and I had thesetwo little girls to raise and I
didn't know who Rhonda was.
And Miriam would always remindme of the Word of God Rhonda,
(45:46):
you are fearfully andwonderfully made.
Speaker 1 (45:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
I didn't know what that meant, Valeria.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I just didn't.
Speaker 2 (45:52):
All I knew was that I was a mother, okay, and I was a
wife.
That was broken at the time,and she would drill that into me
often.
You are fearfully andwonderfully made.
You're fearfully, you'reanointed.
(46:12):
And the more she said it,valeria, the more I began to
believe it, and so I would startthere.
I would say to this audienceyou have to know what God says
about you is true.
His word says that you arefearfully and wonderfully made.
His word says that you areblessed.
His word says you are healed.
His word says you aredeliberate.
I could keep going.
Speaker 1 (46:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
And the only way you'll know what his word says
is by getting in the word of GodAbsolutely.
And so that's the first thingIf you don't know who you are in
Christ, you must get to knowwho you are in Christ so that
you can find purpose.
Yeah, if you don't get to knowGod, you will never find purpose
.
You will go from this to that,and I'm a firm believer and my
(46:50):
life speaks it.
I've had job after job lookingfor purpose, not realizing every
job there was purpose.
I was running from it, but onceI stopped and I realized this
was not just about being an HRprofessional, it was about God
getting the glory throughwhatever assignment.
And you said earlier, if I amone that sweeps the floor, if
(47:14):
I'm the CEO and everything inbetween God, how do you get the
glory?
Speaker 1 (47:18):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (47:19):
How does purpose come out of what you've assigned me
to do in the earth?
Yeah, that is the question, andthe answer is only found in his
word Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (47:30):
Amen, Amen.
Well, I just want to.
Well, before I even close out,do you have any questions for me
or any thoughts for me?
Speaker 2 (47:38):
Yeah, you know.
One of the things I would askValeria is how did you get here?
You, you know, I think your Sis already given to the Lord,
cause we're sitting here and yousaid it started in 2020, but
how, today, did this come topass?
Speaker 1 (47:58):
Wow, that's a very loaded question, loaded question
.
But I got here today because Ihave, in different stages of my
life, said yes, in some way,when I was younger, all the way
(48:31):
through I was raised in aChristian home with both my
parents and a father a deacon,mother a missionary, evangelist
and they were both Bibleteachers, and so at a very young
age they taught us the word ofGod.
And so, when I tell you, I wasserious about the father, I was
serious about my walk withChrist, and so all the way
through elementary school andreally in high school, I was on
(48:52):
fire for Jesus.
Talk to anybody that knew meduring that time.
They might have thought I was abit extra because I was.
But listen, I was like listen,you need to know Jesus and if
you don't, you're on your way tohell.
I don't want you to go to hell.
You know I'm saying so.
You need to get together,because you know we need to, we
need to be with Jesus, you needto be saved, and but if I fat so
(49:15):
so I was I was on fire.
I was on fire and all throughmy 20s I was on fire.
I was on fire and I got marriedand I was still on fire.
But marriage brings out somedifferent things and so we had
some challenges in our marriageand I was like God, but I've
done everything that you told meto do.
(49:35):
I've been following your word,I've been keeping your
commandments, and so I don'tunderstand why you know I'm
going through these thingsbecause I felt like I shouldn't
be going through these thingsbecause you know.
Speaker 2 (49:47):
I'm following the word.
Speaker 1 (49:49):
And that's something I would want people to know.
Don't think that because you'vegiven God a yes, that because
you've surrendered, that you arenot going to go through trials
and challenges, because thedifference between the believer
and the non-believer is we knowthat God is with us through the
(50:10):
challenges, but at that time Iwas not.
you know, I wasn't, I wasn'treally feeling all that, and so
me and God you know, we had alot of conversations and fast
forward through my marriage, acouple of separations and, at
that second separation in 2020,that is where I really
(50:35):
surrendered for real Amen.
So you were pressed Listen.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (50:41):
I was pressed and pressed some more.
You got some oil.
And I had to.
I had to, I had to Come toterms with.
This was not about me.
And so when I finally reallysurrendered and I said God,
(51:03):
whatever you want me to do, amen.
However you want me to do, amen.
However you want me to do it,I'll do it.
Show me what you have for me.
What do you want from me?
And he began to download allthese different things into me.
And the Bible talks about wittyideas and inventions.
And I remember sitting on mycouch in that apartment by
(51:25):
myself and, um, I just hurtbreast into purpose and I was
going through so much ronda,like I didn't want the marriage
anymore.
Yeah, I didn't.
I didn't want to do it anymore.
But god said somethingdifferent, absolutely, and I
finally had to surrender to whatGod said and not what Valeria
(51:47):
wanted or didn't?
Want.
That's right, and so when Ibegan to surrender, even before
we started this, one of thethings I told you, one of the
things that came up was theprayer for my husband.
I remember a time when I didn'twant to pray for him.
I didn't want to pray for him,I didn't want to pray for our
marriage, but that was exactlywhat God was telling me to do,
(52:11):
and so I finally had tosurrender, and every day.
I cried.
I cried while I prayed theprayer that God had laid on my
heart and as I cried, every daygot a little bit better, which
means every day God was breakingdown a little bit more of my
wall that I had put up of what Ididn't want to do, and so when
I heard God say pressed intopurpose, I was like, well, what
do?
Speaker 2 (52:31):
you want me to do with that?
Speaker 1 (52:33):
He said a podcast and I said, god, there are a lot of
people out here talking about alot of different things and we
don't need another voice outhere in the world.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
Isn't it funny how we tell God what he needs.
The creator, the king of kings,the lord of lords, listen, we
tell him.
Speaker 1 (52:52):
I said, god, there doesn't need to be another voice
out here, there's enough.
There's millions of podcasts.
I don't need to be out here inpodcast land.
Here we are.
But here we are four yearslater that's right Recording the
first episode and from 2020 to2024, more challenges have come
(53:15):
up, that's right.
But I know that this is God'swill.
Yes, because he didn't.
He never let it go, that'sright.
He continued to drop nuggets.
He continued to have peoplelike you in my life to ask me,
to hold me accountable.
(53:35):
Didn't you say the Lord saidwhat are you doing with what the
Lord said?
Are you still going to do suchand such?
You know, I mean got birthedBFA and you in 2020.
And you held me accountable andstill hold me accountable and
grateful.
I didn't neither one of us,really wanted to do either of
(53:57):
the things, all of that, but wenow know.
Yes, we now know that our wayis not the way.
That's right.
Speaker 2 (54:07):
Period For certain.
That's right.
We're now clear, we're clear,we're clear.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
The God's way is the way, and so I got here because I
surrendered, but I also hadpeople like you to hold me
accountable and to pray for me,and I have a wonderful husband
who supports me in all of myendeavors.
And I listen 2020, I wasn'tsaying that, but in 2024, I am
(54:36):
grateful and thankful for thejourney that God has taken us on
as a couple, but then also thathe's taken me on personally,
because he had to get me to fullsurrender, yes, and every day
he wants full surrender, that'sright, and some days we get it
right Some days.
Speaker 2 (54:56):
we don't, that's right.
Speaker 1 (54:57):
But thank God for another day with breath in our
body and grace and mercy, andgrace and mercy.
Yes, yes, that he allows us tohave another opportunity that
our body and grace and mercy andgrace and mercy, yes, yes, that
he allows us to have anotheropportunity.
That's right, to do what he'scalled us to do and fulfill
that's right, our purpose,that's right.
So, god, we thank you, yes,lord, for never allowing us to
(55:17):
be comfortable, yes, andcomplacent, in a place that
you've not called us to.
We thank you that you challengeus and that you press us to
continue to move into purpose.
We thank you that you've givenus all purpose.
We thank you that you've givenus all a unique purpose, lord
(55:38):
God, in the earth, to impact ourcircle of influence.
So, father, I thank you forthis time.
We thank you for this time, wethank you for this conversation,
we thank you for just all thenuggets that have come from it.
And, lord God, we, we give youglory, honor and praise and we
will continue to press into ourpurpose in Jesus name Amen.
(56:01):
Thank you, thank you, I loveyou so much.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
I love you so much, I appreciate you so much, and
it's only up from here for you.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Amen.
It's only up from here, ditto.
I look forward to seeing allthe other things that God is
going to birth out of RhondaDenise Robinson.
Thank you.
Thank you, valeria, god blessyou.
God bless you.
God bless you, and thank youall for listening.
Thank you for tuning in toPrecedent, to Purpose the
(56:31):
podcast, and we will see you onthe next episode.
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