Relationship Series: "It Came to Pass!" Trouble does not last.
The Teachable Woman Podcast - Relationship Series
Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry
Teachers of Good Things
Introduction: In this episode of the Teachable Woman Podcast, Reverend Michele Owes and Reverend Diana P. Cherry offer words of wisdom and encouragement, focusing on perseverance through life's challenges, particularly in marriage. Drawing from personal experiences and biblical principles, they emphasize the importance of patience, faith, and resilience in relationships. Their discussion serves as a reminder that difficulties are temporary and that with faith, we can overcome any obstacle.
Key Points:
I. Temporary Nature of Challenges: Rev. Owes and Rev. Cherry stress that life’s difficulties, including marital struggles, are temporary. They emphasize the biblical phrase "it came to pass," highlighting that challenges do not last forever but are moments that we can overcome with patience and faith.
II. The Power of Patience: The concept of "POP living" (Put on Patience) is introduced as a key strategy in enduring life's storms. Patience allows individuals to navigate through difficult times without losing hope or faith.
III. Resilience in Adversity: Using the analogy of an eagle facing a storm, Rev. Cherry encourages listeners to face challenges head-on, allowing them to strengthen and elevate rather than bring them down. This resilience is essential in overcoming the storms of life.
IV. Encouragement in Marriage: The discussion emphasizes that every marriage faces challenges, but with God's help, couples can work through difficulties. Rev. Cherry advises couples to encourage themselves in the Lord and not be quick to give up on their relationships.
V. Faith and Self-Reflection: The importance of self-reflection and seeking God's guidance in relationships is underscored. Rev. Owes challenges listeners to consider whether they have truly allowed God to lead them and if they have given their spouses the opportunity to fulfill their roles as heads of the household.
VI. Historical Perspective and Strength: Rev. Cherry reminds listeners of the strength and resilience of their ancestors, particularly those who endured slavery, as an example of overcoming extreme adversity. This historical perspective serves as a source of encouragement and strength.
VII. Upcoming Teachable Woman Podcast Retreat: The episode concludes with exciting news about the upcoming Teachable Woman Podcast Retreat, scheduled for July 17-20, 2025, in Houston, Texas. Listeners are encouraged to attend and even bring their spouses for a shared experience of growth and connection.
Conclusion: This episode offers profound encouragement for those facing challenges, especially within their marriages. Rev. Owes and Rev. Cherry remind listeners that with faith, patience, and resilience, they can overcome any obstacle. The promise of the upcoming retreat provides an opportunity for further growth and fellowship.
Transcript: It Came to Pass!
[00:00:00]
Rev. Michele Owes: All right. Welcome back.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello
Rev. Michele Owes: We are so excited to be with you again. This is the Teachable Woman Podcast. I am Reverend Michele Owes. I am with Mrs. Reverend Diana P. Cherry, and we are Teachers of Good Things. Say hello to our guest, Mrs. Cherry.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello there. I'm excited about being with you. As our good friend Janice Williamson used to say, I'm excited to be with you once more and again.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes, we are excited to be with you. Mrs. Cherry and I talked about how the last podcast was an interesting exchange for us because we were so careful in the natural not to say anything that we just thought. We wanted to make sure that what we communicated was from the Lord. We [00:01:00] wanted to ensure that you understood that we were talking to you from a position of love. We also wanted to make sure that God had an opportunity to weigh in on your situation wherever you were. And we asked you to pause if you were not yet divorced. We were asking you if you were to pause and seek the Lord, and we were asking you if you were divorced to make sure that we still conducted ourselves as children of the most time of God and joint heirs with Christ Jesus. Communicate with our spouse or ex-spouse in a respectful manner and that we still have love toward one another. That is what is commanded of us. Even if we are divorced, we still have to love one another. We don't treat a person that we love as though they're invisible. We don't treat people we love as though they do not deserve respect or acknowledgment. We just wanted to make sure that we keep ourselves in a position that we can be [00:02:00] blessed, regardless of the state that we are currently in. But as Mrs. Cherry and I were reviewing what we discussed, one of the things that we wanted to make sure that you knew is that if you are married, or even if you're divorced, and you're still in a rough patch with the other person, or if you are hopeful and you're in a rough patch with the other person, we want you to know a scripture that appears more than in 457 verses more than 2,204 times in the Bible. It says, “It came to pass.” We want you to know that the storms of life come to pass. They don't come to stay. We had a storm in Houston a few weeks ago named Beryl. It came in and did some damage but didn't come to stay. It rolled through town, did what it would, and continued its business. And we [00:03:00] want you to know that the difficult patch you may have in your relationship if you put on patience and let patience have its perfect work, that you may be entire and wanting nothing, you too will find that it came to pass. Nothing comes to stay. Amen. All right, Ms. Cherry. Help us out here.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen. It is so encouraging to know that whatever the situations or circumstances are, they're not forever. And what we have to do is what I call pop living put on patients, regardless of whatever it is. We had a storm again, relating it to a storm and the storms of life. We had a storm come through Maryland here this week. That storm did incredible damage because we weren't even expecting it. I mean, it just happened. There were [00:04:00] roofs that collapsed. Some people were killed. Some roads were flooded. Some homes were washed away. It did incredible damage, and it did not stay.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We are not saying that the situation and circumstances that you're in, or have been in left you unscathed, undamaged, or unhurt. We just want you to know that no matter how bad those storms may be, no matter how much danger or damage, hurricanes and tornadoes, earthquakes, no matter what they do, they came to pass.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: They do not last. And sometimes you hear stories like, I heard a train. It was only about 10 seconds. But in 10 seconds, it did so [00:05:00] much damage. But it came to pass. It came to pass is one of the statements that my husband used to teach in many of his messages.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And if it came to pass, it won't stay.
Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hhh.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It's going to pass. While the storms of life are raging, and they are, and while we might be tossed to and from, we might feel like we've been knocked down. Sometimes, we might feel like we've been underappreciated.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It came to pass, and what we have to do, another thing that Episcopal Pastor, my husband, used to teach us was that we have to envision ourselves like an eagle. And one of the reasons that he loved the eagle so much is that the eagle has an unusual ability to look over and see a storm on [00:06:00] the horizon.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The eagle has two sets of eyelids, and he can close one set of eyelids against that storm and look that storm straight in its face. My husband would say he'd take his great big chest and let the winds and the storms of life hit his chest. Instead of going down, he would make the storms he's going through lift him.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: storms.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's why we could sing the song, The Storm is Passing Over.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Honey, it doesn't matter what you going through. It doesn't matter what you've been through. I want you to envision yourself like the Eagle. I want you to pick up your head, roll your shoulders back, lift up your chest, and face it head-on.
[00:07:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Let the winds hit you face on. Let the winds, the situation, the circumstances, the meanness, the angriness, let it just hit you and let it raise you above, raise you above it. Look at them fools acting like fools, and don't say that aloud now. Don't, don't you be a fool. But you look at those situations, those people acting like fools, and in your heart, say, Thank you, Jesus!
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The storm is passing over because it came to pass. It did not come to stay. Thank you for lifting me. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for showing me a way when I thought there was no way. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the strength to endure. Thank you for giving me patience. Thank you for giving me peace.
[00:08:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Thank you for giving me perseverance. Thank you for providing for me. Thank you for promoting me. You’ve given me productivity. I mean, have a ball praising the Lord. As David would say, I encourage myself in the Lord.
Rev. Michele Owes: Amen
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And honey, if you're married, there comes a time in every marriage where you'll have to encourage yourself in the Lord because there ain’t going to be nobody around to help you out.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You'll have to lean on the Lord. You're going to have to say, Lord, for you I live, for you I die. Blessed be the name of the Lord. This situation is not going to get me down. It's not going to cast me out. It's not going to make me weak in my faith, but in everything, I'm going to give thanks because I know this too shall pass because it came to pass.
[00:09:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It did not come to stay. And so be encouraged. Please know that you're not by yourself
Rev. Michele Owes: Amen.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: No matter what you're going through, somebody else has gone through it. No matter what you're facing, somebody else has faced it. No matter how that great, big, handsome hope you fell in love with at the altar is acting. No matter how ugly he turns out to be in terms of behavior, this too shall pass. God is your strength. God is your salvation. And sometimes I think that nowadays, we have a little cutesy, tipsy, whimsy relationship with God. But listen, our foreparents, and those great-grandparents who were slaves, if it had not been for the Lord on their sides, where would they be?
Rev. Michele Owes: My, my, my.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: How would we even be here today? If it had not been [00:10:00] for them. Realize who we are. Understand where we've come from. Please know challenges are nothing but a little stepping stone that we can step on and go on to our victory. Be encouraged.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Be strong. God is able. He hasn't changed. We have, but he hasn't changed. We serve a never-changing God in an ever-changing world. And honey, you just put your head up and roll your shoulders back.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You roll your shoulders back. Keep your head up. And realize that you're doing what's best for you. And so, before I even get out of bed every morning, that's one of my exercises. I must put my feet on the floor, take my shoulders, and roll them back. Then I have to get up without hands, because that's strengthening me.
[00:11:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: If I don't get up the first time, I move my feet in a different position, and I say you can do this. I make my 81 year old body get up and go, and I really have to go.
Rev. Michele Owes: All right?
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: When you wake up, you know, you don't have time to roll them shoulders too much because you got to get going. Start the day like that, knowing that I can roll my shoulders back, lift my head up, stand up, walk, and then whatever life deals me during the rest of the day, I will face it with gladness of heart, knowing it came to pass, honey.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It did not come to stay. You can make it. You can do this thing. I know you can because I know from whence you've come. All of us.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.
[00:12:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Whether African American, Caucasian, Asian, Indian, whatever, all of us came from good stock.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All of us had four parents who didn't have much. But they were able to get over it, they were able to see it through, and we can do this thing.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We don't have to be like the world, look like the world, act like the world. We can be encouraged by the word of God. We can do what David did. We can encourage ourselves. You don't have to stay in an abusive situation. But you don't have to be a fly-by-night woman who picks up her stuff and runs it at the drop of a hat.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: No! Stay!
Rev. Michele Owes: hmm.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Stay! Stand and having done all to stand, stand anyway. [00:13:00] You can do this thing. Amen. Yeah.
Rev. Michele Owes: Mrs. Cherry got her preach on. That was so encouraging. That's really what we want you to know. These are unpleasant moments in time, but marriages can get better.
Rev. Michele Owes: You can work through the unpleasantries, understanding that they didn't come to stay; they came to pass.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Bye-bye.
Rev. Michele Owes: That's right. Sometimes, we think things are happening because of the devil this and the devil that, but God tests His people, too. God tests us so that we know what we're made of and where we need to be strengthened. Sometimes, we think we’ve got it together, and we won't be bothered by this, and that won't sway us. And we are wrong.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen. Amen. Amen.
Rev. Michele Owes: Get in His word, get in His presence and allow him to lead and guide us.
[00:14:00] Rev. Michele Owes: If we have not given God an opportunity to lead and guide us, have we really given our husbands the opportunity? Have we allowed them to be the head of the household? Are we in a position where we are so impressed with what we've been through, who we have become, the letters behind our names, the money we are paid regularly, our fame, whether we are Instagram famous or got famous some other way? Is that driving us? Are we so in that arena of life that God can't get through? If the God that created [00:15:00] you cannot get through to you, then the man that you promised to love, cherish, and yeah, that word is there, obey, he can't get to you. He can't get to you. So, let’s think about what we're thinking about. Pause. Don't be in a hurry. It takes a while for a relationship to develop and be well. Sometimes we break a relationship in a minute and forget about the deposit made to it. We want you to know that difficulties come to pass. They don't come to stay. It is not always the devil and sometimes, not even your spouse that did wrong. It could be your God testing you so that you might know where you are, and He can tell you what to do to get where you need to be. Amen.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.
Rev. Michele Owes: We wanted to leave you with that today because we love you. It came to pass. Get up, as Mrs. Cherry said, put your two feet on the floor, [00:16:00] throw your shoulders back, lift your head up, knowing that you're going to make it. For the years that you saw us in ministry walk out every Sunday with a smile on our faces and Tuesday or Wednesday night, whenever Bible study was, don't think everything was peachy keen every moment. If so, you thought wrong. If you believe everything was perfect and going well, you thought wrong again, but we did know that we had a God who loved us, a God who was for us. Whatever the issues of our lives were, they came to pass. You may be being tested right now by a Holy God. We were tested to see how much we love the will of the Lord versus what we were thinking about. So, will you allow the will of the Lord to take place and stand with this man while he works ministry? Or are you going on your path and doing your own thing? You know [00:17:00] we stayed because the greater good was the will of God.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's great.
Rev. Michele Owes: We didn't choose the other path. We chose the one that the Lord chose for us, which has caused you to be listening now. So remember, God knows—not just thinks, but He knows. If you seek Him before you make a decision, allow Him to weigh in through His word. Let him lead, guide, and direct you. He is there for this. Our God is built for tough times, right? Mrs. Cherry, take us out.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's good.
[00:18:00] Rev. Michele Owes: Remember our ancestors and generations before us, how difficult it was for them, and how they had to rely on the Lord.
Rev. Michele Owes: We still must rely on the Lord. We may have a door to close and our own latrine area, but we must rely on the Lord. Amen.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.
Rev. Michele Owes: All right.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Reverend Owes,
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Will something great happen next year in July? Is it something that you would like to break the news to this group of women who are listening? Would you like to do that?
Rev. Michele Owes: Thank you for remembering. Ladies! Mark your calendars, and please don't let anything get in your way for July 17th through 20th of 2025 in Houston, Texas, at the Westin Oak Galleria, same place, same [00:19:00] location. Meet us there so that we're going to have our second Teachable Woman Podcast Retreat. We had such a wonderful time. You asked us to extend the days. If we do move on to another day, go ahead and mark out the 20th. But right now. It's the 17th through the 19th in Houston, Texas. Meet Mrs. Cherry and me here. Let us continue to have a wonderful time in the Lord. Make your plans, get ready. Pay your early registration to reserve your slot. We have updated the website. We're working on your behalf. We're excited about seeing you again. All right, Miss Cherry, take us away.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All right. God bless you. I'm looking forward to seeing you. And don't forget, something special is in store for you from July 17 [00:20:00] through the 20th of next year.
Rev. Michele Owes: All right, she said it, the 20th. All right, we're going to add that date. So many were asking if we could add one more day. We need one more day. Invite your husbands to take this journey with you. We don't mind stowaways in the room, stowaways. Invite your husband to be with you. While we're at the retreat, on the last day, we invite them to join us as we do our live podcast.
Rev. Michele Owes: So
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.
Rev. Michele Owes: This could be just the trip for the two of you. Amen. All right. We're trying to help keep the marriage alive now.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All right.
Rev. Michele Owes: All right. You're right. We need you. God bless you. See you on the next podcast. Share the streaming podcasts with four people that you know.
Rev. Michele Owes: Send the link out and let God do the rest. All right.
[00:21:00] Rev. Diana P. Cherry: God bless you. Love you.
