Intimate Conversation with Maurine McFarlane

Maurine McFarlane, Intercessor, Humanitarian, Financial Consultant and Community Activist. One of the principal of Lighthouse Covenant International, a Humanitarian Organization emerging in Philadelphia, Maurine is qualified in the areas of investment development, marketing, and fundraising. Maurine attended Temple University’s School of Business Administration in Marketing.

Current advanced studies at the Jameson School of Ministry and Theology. Maurine enjoys volunteering her time with children, and the Philadelphia Prison System, through the New Covenant Church of Philadelphia, and Lighthouse Covenant International Prison Ministry and her own Hospitality Ministry. She resides in Philadelphia, PA and is the mother of two children, Crystal and Blake.
 
Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia: A City Under Reconstruction lays out the Strategic Action Plan for winning the War against the many battles that has plagued our family, community, city and nation, and restoring our men back into the position of leadership in our homes, churches and communities. Issues dealing with inner cities, urban policies and social problems are the serious key challenges for the coming generation. We need to shift our focus, and realize that we are facing a crisis and the time to change is now.

You will find out why Philadelphia Must Lead the Way in Healing and Rebuilding America’s Broken Cities, and why I believe that the people of the entire city with diverse backgrounds, education, and culture can come together to work for the greater good of this city and other major cities in America.

BPM: What makes you powerful as a person and a writer?
This is an excellent question. I will answer this question with 8 qualities that serve as the central core of my life. I live and breathe all 8 of these:

1. I Give It All I Have to Give – I give it all to the task at hand, without question, and without complaint.

2. I Never Give Up – Period. I am persistent. I go after what I believe and I do it quietly, no matter how difficult the going may get.

3. I Always Speak My Mind – I am not worried about what others will think about what I say. I am not concerned that some may criticize me for my thoughts. I am not attached to their acceptance of me. I speak my mind with a calm confidence only a powerful woman could exude.

4. I Respect Myself and Others – I am respectful in all situations. A powerful person must know that acceptance must come from within first and foremost. In addition, I respect the choices of others, despite the fact that I might not agree or approve. And I don’t treat them any differently because of their choices.

5. I Stand Up For What I Believe In – I am confident in supporting my beliefs, no matter what the consequences. When others try to sway my belief on an issue, I don’t retract the thinking and behavior, which isn’t aligned with my core beliefs. I stand firm on my convictions.

6. I Inspire Myself And Others – I belief the ability to inspire naturally resides within the powerful person. I won’t allow the negativity directed toward me by others to consume my life or get me down. Instead I respond to the negativity by focusing on the positives and by offering myself hope for the future. I offer this positive attitude to others as well.

7. I Share My Power Willingly – I willingly shares my gifts, talents, skills and knowledge with others.

8. Make a Difference in The Lives of Others– this quality is at the core of my being, it is the essence of who I am. It is something that, deep down, every powerful person wants to achieve on a daily basis, to make a difference in the lives of others.

BPM: Who are your mentors? Where do you find your inspiration?
Growing up I didn’t have any mentors nor did I know what a mentor should be. There are many suggestions on how to find a mentor, and the requirements you must meet if you want to be a mentor. Today with a greater knowledge of the world my mentors are very broad, from the most powerful man in the world, the President of the United States, to the woman in the ghetto who cannot feed her child, but is trying to do the best she can. Any person that inspires me to change the world are both my mentor and my inspiration.

BPM:  Finish this sentence- My writing offers the following legacy to future readers...
My writing offers the following legacy to future readers... my giving the gift of knowledge, it’s the first step to excellence. And excellence cannot be denied. The word KNOWS means bringing understanding. It’s not the truth that sets us free; it’s the truth that we understand that sets you free. What does this mean for an individual?

· It will Change You
· Transform You
· Liberate You
· Free You

This knowledge is a public awareness campaign to inspire people from all walks of life and all income levels to think beyond their life span. Joined together by a common purpose, working together to enhance understanding that all of us have the ability to “make a difference in the lives that follow.”

BPM: Introduce us to the primary message in "Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia:
A City Under Reconstruction."
There is no denying this fact: American cities are at WAR. African Americans are in the midst of a social crisis that threatens the very viability of the black community. The core of this crisis is the deepening plight of Black Men, and the book addresses the reasons why the city of “Brotherly Love” (Philadelphia) Must Lead The Way in Rebuilding and Healing America’s Broken Cities.

BPM: Share with us 2 or 3 life enhancing sections from the book.
(1) That every situation we face in our lives as an individual or as a people has many dimensions to them, and until we have acquired the knowledge of how to deal with them on each level (i.e. physical, mental, moral, and spiritual) we will never be victorious, and the cycle continues.

(2) No matter who we are, we are in a WAR. The battlefield is our mind, and those who influence our thoughts will influence our actions.

(3) If society and the nation have a problem with drugs, unwed mothers, teenage pregnancy, corruption, violence and the like, then they must go back to the foundation in order to solve the problem. If they have a national problem they must go back into the communities to find the source of the problem. Obviously, the community’s problems affect the nation, which is a multiplicity of communities. Communities’ problems are rooted in the families that make up each community. Fatherhood is the foundation of the family. The government, the church cannot fix society’s problems when the foundation is out of place.

BPM: What inspired you to create this book now?
I believe that in every generation God always calls a group of people to lead the way for change, the change for this generation is now. As a Community Activist I see first hand the diminution of the black family and our community. Issues dealing with inner cities, urban policies and social problems are the serious key challenges for the coming generation. Our cities are broken, and many of those who live in them are hurting, some desperately. We need to shift our focus, and realize that we are facing a crisis. It’s a crisis that has the potential to impact everyone regardless of whether you live there or not.

BPM: Who should read this book and why?
When it comes to social issues that affect a whole generation of a people, it should be every person concern, because it affects you even if you don’t come into direct contact. Therefore, the audience for this book is every Political, Religious, Civic and Community leader. Additionally, so should every man, woman and young adult who cares about the state of the black family and wants to do something about it, starting with one’s own family. For example: HIV/AIDS is not just a health problem, but also a development problem. How? By spreading fast mostly to young people and working-age adults, HIV/AIDS affects the economy, society, family and schooling in a country, weakening the country as a whole. Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia is for every person that wants to change the socioeconomic conditions of their city.

BPM: What issues in today's society do you address in the book?
Fatherlessness. Why? Because it’s the most harmful demographic trend of this generation. It’s the leading cause of declining child well being in our society. It is also the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from crime to adolescent pregnancy to child sexual abuse to domestic violence against women and homelessness between both men and women. Yet, despite its scale and social consequences, fatherlessness is a problem that is frequently ignored or denied. Especially within our elite discourse, it remains largely a problem with no name.

BPM: What impact will this book have on the community of readers?
To bring the problems of our communities to the consciousness of our mind. We can no longer pretend it does not affect us, and with this new awareness we all can be part of the positive change our communities desperately need. This book is also designed to facilitate the development of self-determined people taking full responsibility in their lives. Indeed, we need to explore the unmapped territory of our minds and develop it to the fullest, if we are each to have the insight to be able to effectively cut through the restricted thinking in our environments, and to make a positive impact on what is happening to our world.

BPM: What was your primary quest in publishing this book?
Oswald Chambers, author of “My Utmost for His Highest” says, the author or speaker from who you learn the most is not the one who teaches you something you didn’t know before, but the one who helps you take a truth with which you have quietly struggled and give it expression, speaking it clearly and boldly. “Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia, A City Under Reconstruction” speaks boldly to the issues that we continually struggle with in the physical, mental, moral, and spiritual area of our lives.

BPM: What message in your book do you want readers to share with others?
It does not matter who you are, or where you are in life, God can use you to bring about change for a people. The efforts to bless others will reciprocate in blessings coming upon us. This was the purpose of God in giving us a part to act in the plan of redemption. He has granted men the privilege of becoming partaker of the divine nature and, in turn, of diffusing blessings to their fellow men. This is the highest honor, the greatest joy that is possible for God to bestow upon men. Those who thus become participants in labors of love are brought nearest to their Creator.

BPM: Before we end the interview, define SUCCESS. What part does GRATITUDE play in achieving success, in your opinion?
Success for me is being able to get up everyday and doing exactly what I love to do. Making a difference, no matter how small in someone else’s life. I will never get tired of doing this. It brings me the most joy, and I will never do anything as important. I am always grateful to God for this passion He placed within me for humanity. I KNOW THIS FOR SURE: I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

BPM: What do you think makes your book different from others on the same subject?
Many books have been written about the many social problems facing our urban cities, and some of the rural areas of our country. They all have excellent ideas and suggestions. However, when we examine the evidence, something is missing from all their philosophies and solutions. That which is missing is the word of God. WE should be concerned with what God has to say about these problems, and what strategic plan He gives us to win this war.

When social scientists gather data on such things as crime, homelessness, urban blight, disintegrating families, teenage prostitutes, growing joblessness, and racial conflicts, they are at a loss to fully explain why such things are increasingly so evident. These social scientist know that something more is unfolding in the city than is objectively available to their scientific instruments of investigation. Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia promises new hope to those stuck in the cycles of inner city poverty. I clearly lay out a different way of thinking about these lifestyles and, most importantly, raises the expectation that hope is on the horizon for those who know God and love Him enough to actively obey Him.

BPM: Share with us your latest news, awards or upcoming book releases.
I am very proud that my book “Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia: A City Under Reconstruction” has been selected by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, to be part of the 2010 Annual Legislative Conference Author Pavilion. I hope to see many of you there, please come out and support my work.

BPM: How can our readers reach you online?
To learn more about our organization and the work we are doing around the world, you can contact us at http://www.lighthousecovenantintl.com/


Release the Prophetic Destiny in Philadelphia: A City Under Reconstruction
by Maurine McFarlane, Humanitarian, Financial Consultant and Community Activist
Lighthouse Covenant International website: http://www.lighthousecovenantintl.com/


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