Faith Christian Center

The Name: My mom always liked the name Erica. At the time I was born, Erica Kane from the soap opera “All My Children” was very popular. She always had my first name, but when I was born she forgot what middle name she had selected. She said as she sat there a name came to her: Renee. Erica Renee. She remembers thinking to herself, “That would be a great writer’s name.” But she never shared that part with me until I was married with children. I told my mom that the Lord shared with me that I was called to be a writer, and she remembered the thought she had the day I was born. Coincidence? I think not.

The Wife: Having grown up around mostly women, and having mostly unsatisfying relationships with men, I didn’t think I could connect emotionally with a man. I felt I would talk to men like they were women. Sean was the man of my dreams, because the stereotypical guy—as I was taught—was not sensitive; they are not talkers and hate to shop. But my husband loves to talk and can out shop me! He’s everything I prayed for.

He treats me like a queen—and it’s not just a show he puts on at church, he does it at home. And best of all, I can be my true self around him without worrying about being rejected or misunderstood.  I love him; I love the fact that I can say 100 percent that I am with the person that God predestined for me. We have our differences, and when we work them out, according to the Word of God, we fall in love even more.

The Mother: I was an only child, so I always wanted a large family. As a little girl, I would walk up to strangers and ask them to have a baby for me. I pictured that as a mother I would have two girls and two boys. After being married for a couple years I got hit with the “baby bug” and couldn’t make it go away. I knew it was really God and not just my hormones or my biological clock, so my husband and I began trying to

have a baby. Our first two attempts ended painfully in miscarriages. It was difficult. I asked God, “Why would you give me all these words about my children, and not prepare me for these miscarriages?” The Lord beefed me up on scriptures on pregnancy and healing, and He led me to switch doctors. During a corporate prayer night at church two and half months after the second miscarriage, the Lord spoke to me saying, “Tonight’s a good night to make a baby.” I was pregnant around Christmas 2006 and our first child, Heaven, was born September 2007. Sean II followed in 2009. My husband makes fun of me for checking on them as they sleep every night. I just love hearing them breath and knowing they’re safe and well.

I’m honored that the Lord would think highly enough of us to trust us with something so precious. He is depending on us to teach our kids about Him and raise them up the right way. By the grace of God and with the help of the Holy Ghost, we will do just that.

The Minister: I knew as a child I would be a minister. I can’t really tell you how I knew. I just knew. I didn’t have a dream or hear a voice. I remember being a kid looking in the mirror at myself and just knowing I was going to be a minister. Not only that, but I knew I would marry a pastor. Ministry for me is about my heart for God. Because God loves people, I automatically love what He loves.

God loves His creation so much that it hurts me when He sees them hurting. If I can bring Him joy by assisting His people in developing and maintaining strong, healthy relationships with Him, then that’s what I’ll do.

I reach out to women specifically, because to me, women seem to be more attacked than any other group of people. Women face forms of discrimination that are foreign to most men. My heart bleeds for God’s hurting maidens. I count it a privilege to stand up for them.

The Everyday: Music: I love music. I was singing before I could talk. When I was six years old and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, I said a professional singer living in a mansion in Beverly Hills, CA. In my church, I was the only kid at age 9 in the adult choir. I even auditioned for Sister Act 2.

Fashion/Style: I think we should care about our image. We represent Christ, and everything we do should paint him in the best light. I live by the following rules:

1. The outfit has to fit. If it doesn’t fit right, it won’t look right on you. It should create an hour glass shape—a shape you can have no matter what size you are.

2. Your outward appearance should reflect who you are and where you are going in life. Even if you are a cashier, invest in yourself right now.

3. Don’t just buy something because it is on sale. If you don’t love how you feel in it, don’t buy it. Buy the best clothes you can afford.

Success: I feel like a success when I know I did what God wanted me to do the way He wanted me to do it. When people give me testimonies about how something I taught or shared changed their perspective or helped them heal, it makes all the trying times in ministry worth it.