Stepping Stones: Marcia Thomas Steps Into the Light

Marcia Thomas was born for the stage. The Trinidad and Tobago native grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. with a passion for dancing, singing, and acting, which ultimately led her to her current path as an author. Her debut book, Against All Odds: When Faith Is All You Have, follows her journey as a young wife and mother navigating through grief, divorce, and single parenthood, among other challenging circumstances. Her new book, Stepping Stones: Drawing Close To God Through Life’s Circumstances, equips readers with the tools to skillfully navigate through their own difficult circumstances. 

“I have always loved the stage, theatre, film, and the beautiful way imagination brings reality to life through art,” said Marcia Thomas. “As adults, in today's world, we need all the support we can get. So, I thought of trying it with adults, young and old, and it has been amazing to receive the positive feedback from the variety of participants.” 

“It” is the performing arts program she started in 2019 called 4WardProductions. She designed the actor's workshop to help build self-esteem and empowerment using various actors' exercises, including role-playing, scriptwriting, character building, and group exercises. The participants then perform the original play at the end of a three-day, two-hour daily workshop.  

“Back in 2003, I created a program like this for my kids' school and worked with 175 students from kindergarten to eighth grade,” said Marcia. “It was such an enlightening time, not only for my family but for the families of all students in the school. Many saw their child(ren) excel in academics and self-esteem through the creativity developed in this program. Some have become singers, actors, teachers, financial advisors, nurses, and other professions where they use their voices and skills with courage and confidence.” 

Strengthening courage and confidence in others is part of Marcia’s God-given purpose and one that she pursues with her whole heart. She also counts Jeremiah 29:11 as one of her favorite verses because as she said, “God let us know that He knows the plans He has for us, and they are for prosperity, hope, and a future. None of His plans are for harming us.” 

But she didn’t always feel this way. There was a time when she wanted to walk away, starting with the loss of her mom, then the murder of her nephew, finally an unexpected divorce, Marcia was battling grief and discouragement.  She found strength through the daily practice of prayer and listening for God’s voice.

“Because of my faith in God, a struggle for me is an opportunity to get on my knees and pray,” said Marcia.  “Seriously, if I have learned anything in my walk with God, it is that He's in charge. When I sense that anxiety, I take a nap, fast, and pray. I hold God to His Word that He knows the plan. The real struggle is waiting for the answers.” 

The answer, in this case, came in the form of her new prayer and devotional book, Stepping Stones, a follow-up to Marcia’s journey to drawing closer to God. Marcia challenges readers to examine their own prayer lives and their beliefs about prayer by sharing the realities of life’s imperfections. 

“I became tired of defeat and the circles of life weighing me down,” said Marcia. “In the midst of a tumultuous season, I began to write out my thoughts and feelings that led me to reconsider my views of my faith and how I live it out. Realizing my true identity was in crisis, I needed to seek real change in my heart and mind, and Stepping Stones was born. I must say, it is not an easy process to write out your life as you live it. Facing real truths, in real-time, as looking in a mirror, is a tough one, but must be done. Some days, I simply could not deal with what was revealed, so I would not take another step until I completely worked through the revelation. My hope is that whoever reads my books will find their own inner strength to face life in its true form, developing a solid relationship with God that will last forever.” 

To learn more about Stepping Stones and Marcia’s story, contact her at 4wardproductions54@gmail.com.