Sunday, December 23, 2012

Knowing Malachi - Malachi's Passion & #Giveaway

Let's just take a moment of silence...

Welcome to Day 2 with Malachi Stewart. He's talking about his passion today.

A Passion for WORDS!

One of the most fascinating and often ignored aspects of the Bible is the powerful depiction of ‘words’. From the onset or ‘genesis’ of biblical text we are introduced to “The Word”. “In the beginning was the WORD…” it begins and then God is depicted framing and forming the world with mere words. He speaks concepts like ‘light’ and ‘man’ into existence and then later takes the time to delve into the details by specifying light giving sources like the sun and moon, or creating man from dirt. As a strong biblical believer I am amazed at the power word have and so words have become my passion!

Why words? In the text mentioned words literally built things and tore things down. It had the power to cause elements to separate and bring elements together. More interestingly, we see words hold that same power in very practical ways every day. Words have the ability to build relationships, self-esteem, alliances, and much more yet it can also tear down a person’s spirit and deeply wound one’s soul. Everyday words are constantly and perpetually changing and shifting our world. They are indeed man’s most powerful weapon and most prized tool.

As a child there were so many words that wounded my soul. The most tragic experiences I faced in my life were not the physical torments such as early childhood sexual abuse or being raped as a teen. The most damaging experiences transpired at the utterances of deadly words being spewed into my life. Quickly those words, much like in the biblical text, framed my world. They shifted and reshaped my self-image and ripped my self-esteem to shreds. Words of condemnation made me feel small and words of judgment imprisoned me. There were days when I almost escaped their confinement but words never go away, so they would constantly echo in my mind and once again I would be back to the world framed by others words. Even worse I begin to agree with these words and whether or not I spoke them aloud they became my own worst enemy. In addition, as an abuse victim the words I couldn’t say (because of the secrecy of my abuse) acted as poison inside my mind. It slowly killed more and more of me each day I failed to have the courage to let the words and truth of my abuse escape my lips. To my surprise, the day that I would experience freedom it would be the power of words that tore down the prison walls and re-framed my world. The details of that can be found in my book, Journey to Malachi, but know that it was then that I learned to appreciate their power.

Now, my passion is to use my words, both orally and written, to spread healing & hope to a those who share my experiences or simply find themselves prisoners of hopelessness and despair. My passion is to use words to bring light and liberty to a world bound by negativity and steeped in darkness. Whether I am in the arena of ministry, in an intimate counseling session, imparting to youths, penning the words to my next book or typing a heartfelt blog I am always trying to find a way to use my words to tear down negative frames and lay a foundation for freedom to everyone plagued by captivity. My greatest passion is the greatest gift God has given man, words. 

Author.Speaker.Youth Specialist. Specialist in Rehabilitation from Sexual Abuse and Freedom from Sexual Bondage.
Malachi Jeremiah Stewart is an ancient vessel housed in a modern body. In 2011, he was entrusted to lead Prophetic Streams Ministries in Philadelphia, PA as a unique tributary of Kingdom life, by declaring the finished work of Christ and dispensing the ‘unforced rhythms of grace.’

Currently, Malachi is pursuing a degree in Religion and Christian Counseling at Liberty University and seeks to work in full time ministry, both at locally and globally. He serves as Youth Advisor & Trainer to Dominion’s Prophetic & Apostolic Coalition Trans-Continental (D'PACT), Youth L.E.A.D. and Youth in Ministry (YIM) organizations, training high school and college students in the areas of evangelism, spiritual devotion, biblical instruction, and Papa prayer. He leads IGNITE! a youth evangelistic outreach in the capitol region, including DC-Maryland-Virginia. As a visionary leader and prophetic flame, he has a strong desire for souls to be saved, families to be restored, and for nations to be reconciled with Christ.

When we face turbulent times, hardships and calamity there is much solace in companionship. We all want to know that someone has been where we are and have gotten through the same difficulties we face. When I wrote Journey to Malachi, I began to visualize myself as a little boy being abused and recalled all of the feelings that flooded my heart at that time. My writing literally became a journey in my mind through my life’s darkest hours and through my writings, I became my own companion.

As I wrote, I took several pauses to minister the words of hope, grace and freedom that I needed.I went deep into my inner sanctum to find the little boy who was afraid to tell his secret, who needed more than anything to be loved and accepted and wanted more than anything to be protected and valued. As the writings progressed, he grew older and how the bitterness grew inside him and birthed inner ‘demons’ of self-hatred, insecurity, un-forgiveness, hopelessness, distrust, suicide, anger, resentment and so much more. I remembered the confusion the sexual abuse caused concerning his sexual identity and the long-terms effects it had on his mental health. I recalled the embarrassment and isolation all of the deep pain that lied beneath a warm smile. He laughed and often made others laugh but inside there was a fiery hell that tormented him and yet this was only something he knew. He was so invisible in many ways and so I begin to tell his story and share the shameful secrets of his reality.In the midst of the journey, I interjected to share biblical truths that would later free him (me). Even though his journey seemed to grow darker and more hopeless, I had experienced the ending and so I was encouraged to continue to write and get to the expected end.

Journey to Malachi, is my journey from becoming a powerless victim to a victorious over-comer! As a reader I invite you to share this intimate journey with me embark to discover how I became a messenger of light, liberty and love. Whether you have been through the same things that I have or simply understand hard times, I plan to grab your hand and become YOUR companion as well journey together to find the divine purpose & ultimate overcoming victory that is wrought from our utmost pains.

Knowing Malachi - 1 Week 
Feature at BK Walker Books Etc.
December 22 - Introduction
December 23 - Malachi's Passion
December 24 - Sharing His Story
December 26 - Interview Part 1
December 27 - Interview Part 2
December 28 - Wrap-Up



Malachi said...

Hey guys, thanks for the feature. If anyone has any questions or comments I am available to interact and engage! :-)

Bk Walker said...

Thanks Malachi. You're the best :)

Rebecca Graf said...

Great tour!