God, Why Didn't He Cover Me?: Undressed by Man, but Addressed by God Part One- 4Th Edition

God, Why Didn’t

He Cover Me?

UNDRESSED BY MAN, BUT

ADDRESSED BY GOD

PART ONE-4TH EDITION

Karen D. Reid

AuthorHouse™ LLC

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.authorhouse.com

Phone: 1-800-839-8640

© 2008, 2011, 2014 Karen D. Reid. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/20/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4389-1979-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4389-1978-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4634-3120-4 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Copyright © 1989 Thomas Nelson, Inc.

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE

MEMORY OF:

MR. LESTER KERN

OF KERN DESIGN STUDIOS

WHO SO GENEROUSLY PROVIDED THE

COVER ART FOR THIS TRILOGY

A Divine Connection for Spiritual Expressions

1955-2010

BOOK REVIEWS

I read the book, and I enjoyed it. It’s really a good book . . . (2005).

Bishop G.E. Patterson

Former Presiding Bishop

Church of God in Christ

. . . I am really enjoying the book… it is such a blessing to read and to meditate over as I prepare to minister. I get so much help and insight from your book.

Bishop G.F. Austin

Presiding Prelate of the P.A.W.

27th Episcopal Diocese-Louisiana

Karen, I thank God for your passion and the fire you deposit into your writings. May the peace, love, and prosperity of God always manifest in your affairs.

Bishop D. Dewayne Rudd

Chief Apostle of Deeper Revelation

Int’l Ministries

I have only read one other book that has intrigued me as much as this one. I could hardly put it down. EVERY pastor needs to read this book!

Bishop C.S.B.

Memphis, TN

The book is so powerful that I have actually preached from it! There is so much Word in there that I can’t understand why you’re not preaching! . . .

Detroit Gospel Recording Artist &

Grammy Award Winner

Yes ma’am, I did receive my book, and I’ve been reading and can’t stop. My husband [Pastor Norman Hutchins] says that your titles are so powerful; and so far, the content is very deep. Keep up the good work, and I’m very proud of you.

Your sis,

Karen Hutchins

"It is 3:45 a.m. I read your manuscript; it is good. It brought tears to my eyes. I rarely cry for anyone. It is time to break the code of silence. Feel free to contact me at anytime. I see promise.

. . . Stay focused."

Dr. Leonard Lovett, PhD.

Author/CEO of Seminex Ministries

C.O.G.I.C. Ecumenical Officer

If you don’t want to deal with people in their labor stage, then don’t deal with Karen Reid. This woman is carrying a ‘baby’ that’s really heavy, and her water is about to break. She is about to give birth to something that the world is not ready for. Don’t believe me? Read the book!

Pastor Ruben Shannon

I don’t usually read anything other than strictly preaching materials. I am convinced that this book is equated to preaching materials. The Holy Spirit told me to read this book. I was overwhelmed and was not ready for it at first.

Dr. R. Thomas, D.Min.

"Karen, first, let me say that you are a phenomenal writer! Your phraseology is impeccable! You draw great analogies, and the use of scripture to make valid points is invaluable! To be honest, I can find nothing wrong with this! I sincerely was drawn into this literary composition. I could feel your anguish as you spoke about feeling as if God had abandoned you or forsaken you. I can feel your determination and the strong will you have that this is what God has called you to do. Your assignment is not in vain, and you are most assuredly using your experience to not only expose (which is not in anger), but you are speaking out about something that needs to be addressed in the Church.

I am convinced that this is ordained by God. Furthermore, your writing caused me to pause and think about how God uses all of our experiences to prepare us for the assignment that we are placed here on Earth to fulfill. Some experiences come about because of disobedience to God; we willfully sin and do wrong. Yet, as God pulls us back to Him, forgives, forgets, and restores us after we repent, those experiences have a way of molding and shaping us to be even better had we not had them… . only if we learn the lessons that are inherent in the experience.

Karen, overall, the book is insightful, revelational, and will set many free… Your reference to [the Orlando Pastor] and [the Atlanta Bishop] were invaluable and even clarified my thoughts on both of those situations. Yes, let’s pray for our sisters and brothers who fall, but they must be held accountable, rebuked, and corrected. That says it all!

This is a MUST READ! There were times when I had to say, ‘whew’! You were preaching! ‘We can heal the sick, raise the dead, open the blinded eyes, but we can’t live holy’!"

Karolin Davis

Consulting Editor & PhD. Candidate

READERS’ COMMENTS

The book is awesome! I felt a little convicted reading it because as you know, I was in an affair for 12 years… Like many clergy persons in unhappy marriages, I stayed for my boys and to save face with my congregation. Before we got to the point of discussing the book, I was attracted to your inner beauty… I know what you have gone through, and I know about the code of silence that we preachers have because of the fear of being uncovered for our inappropriate behavior. I want to help you get the message out, because it will help scare and save a lot of brothers from destruction.

Pastor J.

Hi Karen, I am not sure if you remember me or not; my mom and you are first cousins… My attempt was to reconnect with relatives and friends on Facebook, but I had a reconnect with God just reading your book online. I am ordering your book first thing in the morning. May God continue to bless and cover you. You are a worthy woman of God. Just a simple thank you—I would rather be free with Christ than bound by man.

Ramona Saine

Your book is really helping me. I realize that I’ve given away too much of my power.

First Lady D.

After reading your book, I was motivated to safeguard my office as a man of God, confess some things to my daughters, remarry my wife, and reaffirm my commitment to ministry. What a powerful witnessing tool!

Pastor D. Johnson

I recommended your book to a friend who had been in a relationship for 17 years with a married attorney. Since reading your book, she is now dating a single man and moving forward with her life.

P.S.

"Since reading the first edition of your book in 2003, I was set free from being in two relationships, simultaneously (a married doctor while with another dude that was causing me emotional trauma). It’s now eight years later, and I have not had any dating issues since."

Anonymous

Because of some personal issues, I have not attended church in over seven years. I was so inspired after reading your Bio and part of the first chapter that I immediately started attending church on a weekly basis. Tears flooded my eyes after experiencing the presence of God that I had missed for so many years. Thanks Karen for allowing your light to shine.

D. Johnson

"I know you were a very special person the moment I met you. You were not an average lady who just wanted to flaunt your beauty. Instead, you were naturally forthcoming, impressive, and unshakable in your sales presentation—‘Either you want it or you don’t.’

Through your book, I learned to let go and forgive those who have trespassed against me, and never to hold bad feelings against those who have mistreated me, in spite of broken trust. Your book touches the moral fabric of our lives and gives us new meaning about what it takes to be a survivor" . . .

F. Johnson

Retired Colonel, U.S. Army

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All glory and honor to GOD first, who is the Author and Finisher of my history and destiny, the Producer of my life-story, and the Chief Editor of every chapter. Secondly, I would like to honor and extend my sincere appreciation to my mother, the late, Evangelist Shirley S. Reid, for her long-suffering, labor of love, and commitment to her family. As her legacy lives on through those of us she left behind, may her spirit continue to rest in the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

At every phase of my personal development, there were those special people who helped to shape my spiritual destiny. In the final analysis, I would particularly like to honor the individuals who have had an unprecedented impact on my written testimony and/or healing process: Bishop Craig Baymon, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Apostle Lawrence Braggs, Pastor Ruben Shannon, Bishop D. Dewayne Rudd, Bishop Brandon B. Porter, and Pastor Clinton C. Bryant. Since the DNA of these influential men will inevitably be detected throughout my Trilogy, I will refer to them as my Destiny-Nurturing Angels.

All together, there were others who radically cultivated my life through their prayers, prophecies, reinforcements, and powerful excerpts. Specifically, the wise, apostolic insights and quotes of Prophet Floyd A. Barber, Jr., J. Lee Grady, Bishop Avery Kinney, Sr., and Pastor Manwell Faison are especially embellished throughout my final editions. As I was tempted to minimize the importance of including valid points of view, I realized, after 14 years of writing and having the competence and benefit of other perspectives that it is simply a part of the research. Whereas evaluating the research of others is also a strong part of my graduate program, every indispensable Scripture and all of the citations, clichés, and quotes are reflections of my knowledge base! Despite those I reference, this book is not about you, them or me.

As mentioned by Prophet Barber, Truth doesn’t always come wrapped in the cellophane of your choosing! That is why you must take care to first open the package and examine its contents, lest your personal prejudices may cause you to miss out on a blessing from God. Furthermore, if God used a crooked snake in the hands of Moses to lead millions of people to freedom, anointed a rooster to crow Peter to repentance, and the jackass to save the prophet, Balaam, from premature death, He can use any of us to bring about a spiritual paradigm shift in this final hour. So whether I say it, they say it, or we all share it through public domain, I submit to you that this special assignment is all about acknowledging truth and carrying out the plan of the Father.

In addition to Kirk Tucker, who has been the valuable computer wizard since the project’s inception, special mention must also be made to my wonderful editors and proofreaders: Major Vennes Owens (Memphis Police Department), Leroy Glaze (Retired Military), Jovita Simons (Professional Business Owner/Writer), Pastor Clinton Bryant (Gethsemane Garden Deliverance Ministry C.O.G.I.C.), Steve Byrd (U.S. Army), Karolin E. Davis (PhD. Candidate), Yolanda Crumb (Educator/PhD. Learner), Anita Kent (Customer Service Agent), and Gwendolyn Jones (Senior Analyst).

In conjunction, I would also like to recognize the value of my consultants and collaborators: Dr. Leonard Lovett, PhD., Bishop E.D. Childress, Damaras Makondo, Camisha Jackson, and Portia Osborne. Because of your keen sense of perception in managing my thought processes and keeping me on track, I consider our relationships as divine connections.

Finally, I would like to recognize the significance of the late, Mr. Lester Kern (the world-famous, Footprints’ artist), who answered the inquiring call and in the fullness of time, eagerly stepped into the picture. Unfortunately, due to an adverse illness, Mr. Kern passed away on September 11, 2010. Both artistically and musically inclined, he was the most talented man that I had ever encountered and been given the opportunity of teaming up and joining forces with.

Although our brilliant ideas and business plans were cut off in midstream, his cover art will forever remain as an invaluable gift to this ministry. Henceforward, through my Trilogy and the latest extension of this project, I will sincerely honor his prominent legacy and cherish his precious memories. To the rest of you who had an integral part in my ever-evolving self, I emphatically thank you for the experiences that we have shared (both positive and negative), and for your lasting contribution to my exodus—from the valley en route to the glorious mountaintop.

Who Will Speak For Me?

Who will speak for me?

Who will say, when I was silent, my life was unbearable?

Who will say, when I came forward, my world became unlivable?

Who will ask me why? Who will ask me what I’ve been through?

Who will care?

Who will take my voice, listen, and understand?

Who will wonder what this has done to my family, my friends, my life

My future?

Who will be brave enough to ask me why I didn’t keep quiet?

Who will have the courage to listen to my story, knowing that hearing my Story could change their world forever.

Sometimes, in a less than perfect world, bad things happen

Sometimes they happen again and again, in the same way to different people

Just because no one spoke up

In such a way the pain continues, another hurt, then another, then another

When people see the price I pay for doing what is right

How will they feel about speaking out when they are wronged?

Will seeing my experience, the ridicule, the anger, the rejection, the anguish, encourage them to stand up for what is right?

Or, will it teach them that victims should remain silent… forever?

I have tried to speak and people turn away

The words are too painful, too unbelievable

Too far out of the realm of understanding to fit neatly into their world

The words, alien and foreign, are rejected

Called fantasy, twisted bitterness, misunderstanding or worse

A thousand words and phrases draped over the one word that means the Most

Truth

Reprinted with permission from the author. Copyright (c) 2001 Daniel C. Smith.

All rights reserved.

TRILOGY-PART ONE

GOD, WHY DIDN’T HE COVER ME?

UNDRESSED BY MAN BUT ADDRESSED BY GOD

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

The Making of a Hoochie

CHAPTER TWO

When Shepherds Sleep With Sheep

CHAPTER THREE

If the Shepherd is Not Helping You to Grow, It’s Time to Go

CHAPTER FOUR

Illegitimate Baby

CHAPTER FIVE

A Thin Line Between Spirituality and Sexuality

CHAPTER SIX

The Other Woman

CHAPTER SEVEN

It’s Time to Take Out the Rest of the Trash

CHAPTER EIGHT

The Inevitable Transformation

CHAPTER NINE

Please Don’t Touch My Turnaround

CHAPTER TEN

In Too Deep

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Finally, My Brethren:

The Importance of Godly Leadership

INTRODUCTION

PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLE

When the administrators and satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel’s exceptional qualities and his conduct of governmental affairs (Dan. 6:1-28), he distinguished himself by remaining above scandal. In so doing, there was emphatically no corruption or negligence found during his background check. My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt (Dan. 6:22). And so shall it be with you—when once you achieve to a place of impeccable holiness, you will be invincible against all harm, for even the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee (Job 5:23)!

Based on the unique transparency of my former life as a pastor’s mistress for 15 years, I have adopted the principle that an individual in the position of public trust surrenders his or her privacy regarding suitability and credibility. With qualifications that are always open for public scrutiny, any leader who is completely faithful, honorable, and trustworthy will not be intimidated by examination. Reflecting this preliminary view, a display of corruption and a violation of the foundational principles of holiness and purity in this story will inevitably reveal hidden agendas and uncover secret sins.

It has been said that all truths advance through three steps: first, it is ridiculed; second, it is violently opposed; and finally, it is accepted as self-evident. Though acknowledging these truths is difficult, my story is not a vindictive attack on an individual’s character; rather, the exposure is on the deed, and the attack is on the devil. This disclosure is neither my personal attempt to judge the Church (God’s delegated authority in the Earth). Since truth brings about examination and revelation, my mandate is to effectively impact the head (leaders) of the Church so that the head can appropriately influence the Body of Christ.

Met with controversy, the question that strikes at the core of this project is: Will you be jolted into reality by the illumination of iniquity and hypocrisy? Absolutely and positively, the answer is YES indeed! Just as pain is most certainly involved, my writings are no longer controlled by my emotions. Carried out with absolute integrity and given the straightforward nature of the ultimate results of disobedience, my aim is to minister grace while setting up detours and roadblocks to paths that lead to self-destruction.

With leaders and role models reaching crisis proportions in explicitly embracing and promoting wickedness and perversion in high places, God sometimes has to rebuke us openly (before all) that others might fear (1 Tim. 5:20). In the face of this truth, a sure way to measure a person’s level of wisdom and maturity is by their response to rebuke. Because God does not discipline other folk’s children, the manner in which you endure His chastisement also determines whether or not you are a true son, or a real bastard. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live (Heb. 12:9)?

As flawed individuals with stories of redemption, not only does He redeem our souls, He uses our lives to save others. Well, why me? A point well-taken, a key challenge is that I have not made a name for myself; neither have I been given a license to minister. With no leverage in this area, my message is not respected, especially in a Church where holiness is being replaced with an over-emphasis on grace and sin is being candy-coated with compromise.

Now then, when the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir came against Jehoshaphat to battle, who did he turn to, when he and the high priest could not come up with a remedy after proclaiming a fast throughout Judah and seeking help from the LORD? It was Jahaziel, likely a young, unlicensed (#no collar-no cross-no robe-no vestment-wearing Levite), by whence came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation (2 Chron. 20:3-14). From him originated the optimistic word of knowledge that we still impart today: "The battle is not yours, but God’s (vs. 15b). Ye shall not need to fight in this battle" . . . (vs. 17a).

You never know who God is going to use to speak a Word to the Church. While you are looking for it to come one way, make sure you don’t miss it when it comes from some unexpected, unpredicted, unobtrusive person, place, or thing. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about having the pulpit as a platform. Minimizing the importance of my position is crucial to this assignment. As long as I have the Anointing of God that produces the ability, my capability does not necessitate a license or a title to generate rank. Since the Anointing gives you a pre-approved credit status, the elevation will eventually come to complement the assignment.

Just as it takes time for a tadpole to turn into a frog, or for a caterpillar to turn into a beautiful adult butterfly, God often puts us on display before we are fully developed, to instigate change while we are still going through the change. For such a time as this, when we consider His name and His power, my name or my credentials are not necessarily essentials… . Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might show My power in thee, and that My name might be declared throughout all the earth (Rom. 9:17).

Because this ministry project is my consent form for God to operate in my life, He gets no glory when I express excessive strength in a weak situation. His power is proven when I realize this can’t be me; it has to be Him. Of course, my flesh is hurting right now. Consequently, I have not been anesthetized for this spiritual procedure. Awake during the entire process, I feel the pain, I hear the rumors, I see the gestures—I sense the thumbs down.

Nevertheless-also-even though, because spirit-filled, fruit-bearing disciples look for people to pour into, the need to tell my story is more predominant than the painful process. Of the many attempts by some to dispel the inevitable, the complexities that came into existence after I was chosen can not alter the destiny that was determined before I existed. In keeping with Psalms 139:16 (NIV): Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

Since it is impossible for me to alter the contents of the events that took place, I have tried to reframe many of them as valuable learning opportunities, rather than indicators of personal failures. In view of the fact that I did NOT commit these sinful acts alone, it would be a gross oversight on my part to avoid implicating others. All the same, the issues are no longer personal. Just as these events are a part of my past, they are also past incidents of those being depicted.

Be that as it may, consider this as a precautionary notification: unnamed references and precise reflections will be divulged but in an ultimate effort to further the crusade against sexual misconduct and the abuse and misuse of power. Prayerfully, all of us have seen the error of our ways and have moved on with our lives and ministries. Irrespective of the aftermath, if you are too fragile for my transparency, or, if my testimony is too deep for you, then, you may not be strong enough to continue this journey with me. You have a choice; you can take it or leave it.

Consider this as a Public Service Announcement with all due respect: especially to the men that briefly come into my life based on what they see with the natural eye, here is he clincher. You can not appreciate the ground a woman stands on unless you can accept where she has walked. Did you get that? Despite your interpretation or your conclusion, my divine assignment remains the same—From Mistress To Ministry.

TIME AND SEASON

In the last 14 years, after attempting to deliver (prematurely), 11 unsuccessful editions of the same story, I felt as though I was dwelling in the secret place of my Father, while He deliberately hid me out in the wilderness of His divine plan. Disallowing them to interact with me until the timing was perfect, not only could I hear leaders talking over me, I could feel church-folks as they stepped on top of me. Every single year, as I noticed them dodging my story, I could not help but wonder if God had totally forsaken me.

Barely able to endure the extremes of my basement experience where I was being framed in the depths of hell and woven together in the darkest region of the Earth (Psa. 139:15), I had to evade the dread of obscurity in order for God to complete His work. With scarcely enough provision to survive from one day to the next, I often minimized my mandate in an effort to medicate my tolerance level against intense feelings of loneliness and rejection. Rather than allowing the church folks to embrace my story before He finished writing it, God covered me with His feathers and hid me under His wings. Unable to see with the natural eye that this ministry tool was a diamond in the rough, they failed to look beyond my past.

Although I eventually realized that the breakthrough would inevitably happen while the lights were out and when I was in my darkest hour, I became extremely exhausted in the process. Just as the enemy kept fighting to divorce me from God’s ultimate will, all the days of my life had previously been determined. As a matter of fact, the story that you are about to embark upon was no surprise to God. He knew of every single day that I would fail Him; yet, there was an expected end (Jer. 29:11) with my name on it.

However, the only way that I could come into the light of His thoughts that were hidden from me, I had to accept the challenges that were assigned to me in the dark. Despite the written promises and spoken prophecies over my life, because of extreme exhaustion, I wanted so desperately to sidestep my destiny. In the face of many destiny-altering decisions, even as writing was the addiction that kept me spiritually intoxicated, I often felt like closing my eyes and waking up to a new beginning—any new beginning, that is.

Alternatively, when maximizing my God-given assignment, I could not help but consider David, when he worked as a Shepherd of sheep. He was required to tend to the needs of the sheep, as well as defend them—not only against marauders from the surrounding deserts but also from the lions and bears that inhabited the country. Unbeknown to David, this was the manual labor that would help prepare him to later defend Israel. The descriptions given of the little shepherd boy in this regard indicates obedience to his father and diligence in his work.

Here, Pastor Manwell Faison introduces a significant element to the overall plot line: "Having no time to clean-up, David found himself hurriedly escorted from the sheep field to Samuel, who anointed him. Dirty and smelling like where he had come from, he stood with oil on his head. The anointing isn’t intimidated by the residue of where you have been that’s still lingering on you. Even though others can see your past still on you, don’t let anybody call you a shepherd boy when you have been anointed to be king. The destiny that’s in me is greater than the dirt that’s on me. Deliverance comes when you realize that the dirt is designing you, not destroying you."

As congruence between David and myself, I frequently wondered if the Father was camouflaging the anointing upon my life because the vision was yet, for an appointed time. Challenged by the idea of aborting the previous editions, I resolved to refer to my lost books as spiritual miscarriages or even, past season knock-offs. Perhaps my Father/Publicist was keeping my well-established repertoire of writings concealed until I could deliver more deeply, a timely word that was based upon the inevitable, rather than the immediate.

When my emotional reserves and physical resilience became depleted by false, excruciating labor pains, I made a conscious effort to remain legacy-conscious because the legacy far outlives the labor. Capitalizing on this principle is so indispensable that I must submit Tyler Perry’s statement to this effect: No one will be able to celebrate your inevitable unless you are willing to survive the immediate.

In an effort to ensure the integrity of the declaration of the utterances of the Spirit, not only did I filter out irrelevant information; ultimately, I was inspired to revise the title of the book and give it a new face. Not without criticisms, this process clearly reflected the need to update, streamline, reorganize and