Written by: Nichelle Early, Executive Editor
What if you could cause your dreams and vision to become reality, if you could tap into who you need to be at each moment? Suppose you could have the profound fulfillment of being in total balance to accomplish all that is in your spirit? Well, you can and you will! PreachingWoman.com had the exclusive opportunity to talk with this month's featured preaching woman, Elder Vikki Johnson. She cordially accepted our invitation to be featured on our site and share with us practical principles of balance, and we want to share them with you!
Now you may be wondering, who is Elder Vikki Johnson? Well, we will share with you what she shared with us.
"I'm Every Woman," she said in a jovial, down to earth, tone expressing that she identifies with every woman as she endeavors to empower and encourage them do all that God has called them to do.
Elder Vikki Johnson is an anointed Woman of God, full of class, wisdom, and grace, whom God has entrusted with the responsibility of wearing many hats. She is a mother, pastor of women, entrepreneur of three businesses, author, radio personality, visionary, advocate, mentor, and manager of Public Affairs for Black Entertainment Television (BET), amid numerous other roles and responsibilities. Elder Johnson is well poised to minister a word of challenge, hope, and deliverance from the strongholds of the enemy within the walls of the church and the masses of the market place.
Now you may be wondering, "How does she juggle all of the demands of her responsibilities?" Well, in our conversation with Elder Johnson, she let us in on one of her formulas for success. Here's what she had to say.
"I don't try to be all of those things at one time. I discern the need and manifest the essence necessary to meet that need," said Elder Johnson.
So many times we, as preaching women, have multiple roles that we must adhere to in order for us to manage our day to day lives. Those roles can sometime become overwhelming and throw us out of balance if we try to walk in all of them at the same time. Therefore, we must discern what is necessary for the moment. "How do you do that?" you say. Well, anticipating your question, we asked Elder Johnson.
"One of my favorite scriptures is the revelation of Ephesians 3:19 which says, 'And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.' When you are full of Him, when you show up, people can't tell where you end and where God begins because, out of the essence of that relationship flows the oil that God needs to manifest His essence," explains Elder Johnson.
Flowing in the essence of God yields balance. For Elder Johnson, balance is uncompromisable. She tells us, "Balance for me is a necessity, I have to have it." Therefore, PreachingWoman.com asked her to share with us some practical tips of balance to help you as you manage the many roles and responsibilities you may have, especially as a preaching woman, and here's what she recommends:
"Discern when seasons change in your life." In order to be effective in one place you may have to change friends, environments, positions, etc.
"Re-evaluate your priorities. Figure out what is important. How is it important? It is imperative that you evaluate your priorities consistently, [especially as it concerns people because] everybody doesn't show up in your life authentically."
"Run your To Do list by God everyday. Sometimes we can get caught up in things that are irrelevant. God gives grace for what He requires...I follow peace or I don't proceed."
"Learn how to say NO! There is nothing wrong with saying no to things, especially when you know God is not leading you to do it."
"The painful ones [experiences] are those that God proves to us who He really is…I am in a place now where God and I have a relationship and it is real."
When asked what advice she has for other women who have gone through similar challenges as hers, Elder Johnson said simply, "Don't cry because you lost it, smile because you had the experience."
With a deep passion and love of the Word of God, Elder Johnson hails from a legacy of preachers. She is the generational niece of Bishop J.S. Flipper, D.D., LL.D, one of the founding Bishops of the African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church. When asked by PreachingWoman.com what that legacy means to her, Elder Johnson had this to say.
"The legacy of Bishop Flipper gives me extreme pride…he wasn't just a Bishop, but he was the 33rd prelate Bishop of the A.M.E. Church in 1896, and Flipper Temple A.M.E. in Atlanta was named after him."
Currently, Elder Johnson is the staff pastor of women at Kingdom Worship Center in Towson, MD where Bishop Ralph and Elder Deborah Dennis are the Senior Pastors. She began her ministry training at Greater Mt. Calvary Holy Church under the leadership of Bishop Alfred and Co-Pastor Susie Owens in Washington, D.C., where she served in several ministry capacities for over 13 years. Additionally, she is the founder and facilitator of "Girl Talk," a quarterly event where women dialogue in an intimate, informal, and unscripted setting.
Elder Johnson, may be more affectionately known in the Washington DC metropolitan area as the visionary and voice of "I'm Every Woman," a daily radio commentary on Washington's #1 choice for gospel, Heaven 1580AM. Daily during the business week, she ministers a word of empowerment to uplift and encourage the vast audience of listeners, particularly women.
In August 2005, Elder Johnson became a National Best Selling Author with her first book, Gems For the Journey, released by BET Books. Her second book, More Gems For the Journey, was released in August 2006, and now her newest book, Addicted to Counterfeit Love, can be purchased online and major in stores wherever books are sold.
With all of her innumerable accomplishments, Elder Johnson shows no signs of slowing down. In her very own words, she told PreachingWoman.com: "When I die, I want to leave here empty."
